Most Wanted Sidebar Archives – Hard Boiled News

8-Year-Old Arkansas Boy Killed in Tragic Tombstone Collapse

December 12, 2016 By HardBoiledNews Staff

LYNN, Arkansas –An 8-year-old boy died in a freak accident when a tombstone toppled over and crushed him in an Arkansas church graveyard.

The tragic mishap occurred during a birthday party Saturday afternoon at the Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Lynn, when the boy wandered into the graveyard out back.

Officials believe the boy had been playing on a large tombstone when it broke and fell on him, KAIT-TV reported.

The boy was rushed to a local hospital where he was declared dead. Authorities have deemed the death an accident.

Members of the church said they were devastated by the accident.

“Just an eight-year-old rambunctious young man, just like many eight-year-old young men and full of life,” the church’s Pastor Jeff Neely told the station. “There is definitely a lot of prayer being sent up on behalf of their family.”

The boy’s name has not been released.

(Visited 125 times, 1 visits today)

TRAGIC SELFIE: All Smiles Seconds Before Sudden Death

December 12, 2016 By HardBoiledNews Staff

Kelsea Webster, Essa Ricker and Savannah Webster (l-r) were killed moments after shooting this selfie by the train right behind them

Kelsea Webster, Essa Ricker and Savannah Webster (l-r) were killed by the train right behind them moments after shooting this selfie

SPANISH FORK, Utah — Death was right behind them and they didn’t see it coming.

This tragic selfie captures the final moments before three Utah pals were fatally struck by a passing freight train.

The train is so close its headlight can be seen in the background of the photo bearing down on the smiling girls.

The photo was published last week by railroad company Union Pacific, as part of a public service campaign warning people of the dangers of taking selfies too close to the tracks.

Kelsea Webster and Essa Ricker, both 15, were killed instantly in the tragic October 2011 accident. Kelsea’s 13-year-old sister, Savannah Webster, died four days later after her parents took her off life support.

The girls had wandered down by the tracks in Spanish Fork Canyon to take picture of the passing trains. Moments before the tragedy, Savannah posted “Standing right by a train ahaha this is awesome!!!!” on her Facebook page.

But as the girls watched a westbound Utah Railway train pass by, they didn’t hear a second Union Pacific train coming towards them from the other direction until it was too late.

“We watched in horror as we got closer,” said conductor John Anderson. “We saw them for about 12 seconds until they disappeared from our sight and the train continued moving forward.”

Investigators believe the girls were struck by the one train and knocked into the other.

Union Pacific Engineer Michael Anderson said the episode haunts him to this day.

“What happened was very intense and I have to carry it the rest of my life,” he said.

Kelsea and Savannah Webster’s mother said she hoped that people would learn from her family’s tragedy that trains are dangerous.

“The accident that took my daughters’ lives was preventable and a good illustration of how close a train can be without hearing it,” she said. “No one should have to go through this and I hope people will seriously think about the campaign’s rail safety message and share it with their loved ones.”

(Visited 2,775 times, 1 visits today)

Thief Hiding in Florida Pond Claims He’s ‘Just Fishing’

December 9, 2016 By HardBoiledNews Staff

Cops Could See Where Torres Was All Along

DELTONA, Florida — Stupid is as stupid does.

A Florida man on the run from cops hopped into a pond and then told officers who found him that he was “just fishing” and the guy they were looking for had “gone that way.”

Sean Torres, 29, of Daytona Beach had tried to rob a nearby Family Dollar store on Nov. 27, walking in with his shirt on his head leaving the “loyalty” tattoo on his stomach in plain view and demanding cash, police said.

Sean Torres Thought He Could Talk His Way Out of Trouble

When the clerk said no, Torres allegedly threatened to shoot him and reached into the waistband of his shorts as if he had a gun, but then running out of the store into the night.

Cops were called and quickly responded with K-9 units and a helicopter as Torres fled into a swampy area near the store.

In an effort to hide from cops, Torres jumped into the pond and submerged his body, leaving only his face sticking out of the water. Little did he know, but the helicopter was equipped with a heat-imaging camera which detected where he was lying all along.

https://youtu.be/nUs2vWXwx3U

When officers approached and asked what he was doing there, Torres allegedly told them he was “just fishing” and that his pole was in the water. He then claimed that “the guy who did it went that way.”

He soon surrendered, saying he didn’t want to be bitten by the police dog. When he crawled out of the water, cops immediately noticed the “loyalty” tattoo on his stomach.

After being placed in the back of a Volusia County Sheriff’s office patrol car, Torres allegedly threw himself repeatedly against the interior of the vehicle, kicking doors and causing damage to the car.

Torres was charged with robbery and criminal mischief and was held on $30,500 bail.

(Visited 51 times, 1 visits today)

Mannequin Challenge Video Leads Cops to Weapons and Drug Stash

December 6, 2016 By HardBoiledNews Staff

This gang made it a bit too easy for cops

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — A mannequin challenge clip featuring a gang of gun-wielding dopes ended with two men getting arrested and Alabama cops seizing a cache of drugs and guns after the video went viral.

The video, which was shot on Nov.9, features several armed men standing still in poses as if they were engaged in a pitched gun battle in front of a home in Huntsville. When the video spread like wildfire on Facebook, it drew the attention of police.

A raid of the house uncovered two handguns, an assault rifle and a shotgun as well as a bullet-proof vest and a cache of bullets and magazines, the Madison County sheriff said. Cops also found several bags of marijuana packaged up to be sold as well as scales and other drug equipment.

Two men, Kenneth Fennell White, 49, and Terry Brown, 23, were arrested. White was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of a firearm by a violent felon and was held on $30,000 bail. Brown was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and loitering and held on $3,800 bail.

Terry Brown (L) and Kenneth White

The mannequin challenge is a viral video trend in which a group of people stand frozen like statues in a pose while someone walks through the scene filming with a camera. Numerous athletes and celebrities have taken part, but this is the first arrest believed to have stemmed from such a video.

(Visited 63 times, 1 visits today)

Creepy Florida Shopper Busted Peeping up Women’s Skirts

December 8, 2016 By HardBoiledNews Staff

SARASOTA, Florida — A Florida shopper gave whole new meaning to the notion of a creepy old man after being caught repeatedly getting down on his hands and knees to stare up women’s skirts at a Florida Wal-Mart.

Alan Ralph has an odd way of getting his jollies

Alan Ralph, 62, was charged with three counts of voyeurism after police watched surveillance footage showing him lurking around the Sarasota superstore in late October, biding his time before kneeling down to the ground and stare up multiple women’s skirts.

Ralph’s boorish behavior was brought to authorities attention by one of the women who caught him twice trying to get a glimpse up her skirt.

Detectives caught up with Ralph by using his credit card information obtained through transactions at the store. He was busted on Monday without incident and held without bond.

Investigators believe there may be more victims out there and asked anyone with information to contact the Sarasota County Sheriff’s office.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLC68FC23684B2B319&v=weazzqyLOhM

(Visited 54 times, 1 visits today)

Man Pleads Guilty in Terrorist Plot to Create Separatist State in India

November 29, 2016 By HardBoiledNews Staff

Balwinder Singh, aka Happy, had some sinister plans for India

RENO, Nevada — A man named Happy has pleaded guilty to helping organize an assassination attempt on an Indian official and supporting terrorist attacks aimed at creating an independent Sikh state there.

Federal prosecutors in Nevada say Balwinder Singh — who is also known as Jhaji, Happy, Possi and Baljit Singh — had been in contact with a group of Sikh nationalists in India to arrange sending a supporter from the United States to kill a government official.

Singh, 42, is an Indian citizen and a permanent U.S. resident living in Reno. Prosecutors say that in October 2013, Singh had plotted with the others to send the man to India to carry out the attack and acquired two sets of night vision goggles for him to use. In December of that year, the co-conspirator was arrested trying to board a flight from San Francisco to Bangkok, foiling the plot.

Following the bust, Singh and the others continued to discuss and plan a terror attack in India until Singh’s arrest later that December. He has been in custody since.

“National security is a top priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to locate, identify, and prosecute those who conspire and attempt to provide material support to terrorists and terrorist activities,” said U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden.

Singh pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists with the intending of it being used to commit terrorist attacks overseas. He faces up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced in February.

The cause Singh admitted supporting aims to create a separate Sikh nation called Khalistan — or the land of the pure — in the Indian state of Punjab.

(Visited 51 times, 1 visits today)

Va. School Guard who Enlisted Teen Gang Recruits Convicted of Murder

December 7, 2016 By HardBoiledNews Staff

Michael Hopson recruited gang members from the high school were he worked

Michael Hopson recruited Black P-Stone gang members from the high school were he worked

NEWPORT NEWS, Virginia — A Virginia gang leader who used his job as a high school security guard to recruit teenagers to sell drugs to classmates was convicted of racketeering and murder.

Michael Hopson, 39, who was also known as “Hop” and “Big Homie,” was the founder and leader of the Black P-Stones Gang in Newport News.

According to federal prosecutors, Hopson helped plan and direct the nefarious activities of the gang, which was also known as the P-Stone Bloods or Cobra Stones. The gang is alleged to have engaged in widespread drug trafficking, robberies and the murder of its enemies.

Hopson also worked as a guard at Denbigh High School where he recruited minors to sell drugs to other students.

Hopson faces a mandatory term of life in prison when he is sentenced in March.

Hopson was convicted of murder and racketeering

Evidence at trial showed that Hopson personally ordered multiple shootings and murders between October 2007 and June 2009.

Among the killings included the November 2007, slaying a 17-year-old member of the gang who had been friendly with a rival gang called Thug Relations. The trigger man in that killing was given a promotion, the evidence showed.

In December of the following year, Hopson authorized the murder of a member of the Crips gang who had been disrespectful to members of the Black P-Stones. As a result, two Black P-Stones members went to the man’s home and and fired multiple rounds into the dwelling wounding his father.

In March 2009, Hopson ordered the murder of two members of the rival 10-1 Mafia Crips, in response to the beating of a Black P-Stones member. Two gang members fired multiple shops into their intended victims’ homes.

The next month Hopson ordered two Black P-Stones members to fire into a home occupied by people he felt had been disrespectful to him. And in June, he ordered the murder of a Thug Relations member responsible for the murder of a Black P-Stones member. The intended target was shot and wounded.

(Visited 137 times, 1 visits today)

Long Island Top Cop Sentenced for Dildo Beating

November 2, 2016 By HardBoiledNews Staff

James Burke was busted for beating a suspect who stole his didlo

CENTRAL ISLIP, New York — The former chief of the Suffolk County police was sentenced to 46 months in a federal prison for beating a handcuffed junkie suspected of stealing a bag containing porn and sex toys from his car.

James Burke pleaded guilty in February to civil rights violations in the brutal jailhouse beating and to conspiring with other officers to cover it up.

The 52-year-old Burke had recently taken the job as the top cop of the department in 2012 when probation officers arrested heroin addict Christopher Loeb on a probation violation and found a cache of stolen goods stolen from over a dozen vehicles in his home.

Beating victim Christopher Loeb

Among the stolen items was a duffel bag that had been stolen from Burke’s police-issued SUV that was filled with his gun belt, several magazines of ammunition, a box of cigars, a humidor, a porn stash and some sex toys.

After recovering the bag, Burke drove to the stationhouse where Loeb was being interrogated, barged into the interview room and began punching and kicking the handcuffed suspect who he called a “pervert.”

When federal prosecutors opened a probe the following year, Burke pressured detectives under his command to lie about his role in the assault. But at the same time, prosecutors say Burke bragged about the beating to other cops.

“Burke regaled a group of officers with his account of the assault, saying it reminded him of his ‘old days’ as a young police officer and referred to the detectives who were present at the assault of a defenseless prisoner as his ‘palace guards,’” prosecutors wrote in a filing earlier in the case.

For three years the cover-up worked, but in 2015, the FBI managed to get a handful of officers to testify about what had really happened and Burke’s defense unraveled.

He has been jailed since his arrest in December 2015.

(Visited 54 times, 1 visits today)

Joe McKnight’s Killer Released, But Not Cleared as Investigation Continues

December 2, 2016 By HardBoiledNews Staff

Ronald Gasser admits shooting McKnight but was initially released after questioning

HARVEY, Louisiana — The gunman who admitted shooting ex-NFL player Joe McKnight in a road rage incident was released after questioning pending further investigation, police said.

Ronald Gasser, 54, was allowed to go free hours after shooting McKnight three times during an altercation on a road just outside of New Orleans. But he has not been cleared, police said.

Police say the two men got into “a heated verbal exchange” at the intersection which led Gasser to pull a gun and shoot three times through the passenger window of his Infinity G37, striking McKnight in the hand, shoulder and chest as he stood in the street outside the car.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand said the fight began when someone “recklessly” cut off the other while driving on a bridge nearby which was followed by a chase through the streets, ending in the shooting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcdInUu2aFs&feature=youtu.be

Normand said initial accounts in local media that cited an unnamed witness describing McKnight trying to apologize to Gasser who opening fire and then stood over McKnight and said “I told you don’t you f— with me,” before firing again were untrue.

“None of that is true,” Normand said. “We have no witness account of an apology being made by Mr. McKnight to Mr. Gasser.”

Normand said three shell casings were recovered inside Gasser’s car, suggesting he was inside the vehicle when he fired. And Coroner Gerry Cvitanovich said McKnight’s wounds were not consistent with someone being hit by shots fired from above.

Still, the decision to release Gasser, who is white, as the investigation into the shooting of McKnight, who is black, sparked outrage from the former NFL running back’s teammates and family members.

McKnight played four seasons in the NFL

“We think a black man was lynched yesterday,” said Morris Reed, the president of the New Orleans branch of the N.A.A.C.P. “We are demanding some answers.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” former teammate Damon Harrison, wrote on Twitter. “Shoot in the air and you’re in jail for at least a week. Lord help us all.”

Normand said investigators simply hadn’t gathered enough evidence yet to make a decision on whether to charge Gasser.

“The easiest thing for me would have been to say, ‘Book him Dano,’ but the fact of the matter in trying to flush out all these details and not have rush to judgement, we chose not to do that,” he said. “Everybody wants to make this about race. This isn’t about race.”

He noted that the man that raised McKnight, who was a local high school football star, had once worked as a deputy in the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s office. McKnight played as a running back and return specialist in the NFL for four seasons — three with the New York Jets and one with the Kansas City Chiefs. He then played in the Canadian Football League.

Normand warned that any protesters who strayed outside a designated area outside the sheriff’s office would be arrested.

Gasser, who owns a telecommunications and real estate business, had remained at the scene after the shooting and had handed his .40 caliber handgun over to police when they arrived. Normand said he had cooperated with investigators.

Later in the day, police released details of an earlier road rage incident involving Gasser dating back to 2006, where he was charged with punching another motorist several times after an argument about Gasser driving recklessly. A charge of simple battery was later dismissed and police said they are investigating why that happened.

(Visited 32 times, 1 visits today)

Abduction Feared in Case of Missing California Mom

November 3, 2016 By HardBoiledNews Staff

Sherri Papini disappeared while going for a run

REDDING, California — A California mother of two disappeared while out for a jog and her family fear she has been abducted.

The Shasta County Sheriff’s office are hunting for 34-year-old Sherri Papini who didn’t return home after heading out for a run in Northern California on Nov. 2.

Papini’s husband, Keith, contacted police after he returned home late that afternoon and found that his wife was not home and that their two children had not been picked up from daycare.

Using the Find my iPhone app, the husband located her phone and headphones and intersection in a rural area nearby. Some strands of Papini’s blond hair were also found at the scene.

Papini’s husband says there is no way she would leave her kids

Police searched the area and found no sign of Papini, but witnesses reported seeing her jogging there in the hours before she was reported missing. Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko says investigators have contacted several sex offenders who are registered in the area, but have not identified a suspect. They also interviewed several of Papini’s family members.

Papini’s family said it was normal for her to go jogging in the area at that time of day. She would then pick up her two children from daycare in the afternoon and spend the rest of the day with them around the house.

“Knowing that she didn’t pick up our kids — there is no way that ever happens,” her husband, Keith, told ABC News. “Everybody who knows my wife knows that there’s no reason for her to leave.”

“She was definitely taken against her will,” he said.

Papini is described as 5-foot-4, and weighing around 100 pounds. The family is offering a $50,000 reward for any information that leads to locating her.

(Visited 36 times, 1 visits today)