Hard Boiled News

True Crime and News of the Weird from around the Globe

Rehab Center Head Busted for Selling Dope to Clients

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PITTSBURGH — That’s a pretty awful way to make sure you’ve got repeat customers.

The head of a Pennsylvania drug rehab center has been arrested for selling heroin and fentanyl to the people who had come to him for help, authorities said.

DEA agents accuse David Francis, 66, of using the Next Step Foundation in Mckees Rocks outside of Pittsburgh, as cover to sell drugs to both the center’s clients and others from the community.

When he appeared in court on Friday, Francis told the judge he was going through withdrawal from drugs himself, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

Francis

During raids of the center and of Francis’ home, agents located at least three clients who said they had been getting high off of fentanyl he had supplied. Several drug baggies and needles were also found at the rehab center and at Francis’ home.

Investigators say a person who bought drugs from Francis in May died of a fentanyl overdose. The overdose and others in the area triggered the investigation that led to Francis’ arrest.

According to DEA statistics, more than 50% of all overdose deaths in Pennsylvania last year were caused by fentanyl abuse.

Pennsylvania Couple Charged With Waterboarding 12-Year-Old Daughter

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ALIQUIPPA, Pennsylvania — A sick couple has been charged with allegedly punishing their 12-year-old daughter by waterboarding her, police said.

Dion and Malissa Stevens allegedly admitted to cops that they had used the technique, which is viewed by many as a form of torture, to punish their daughter and that they had learned how to do from a movie.

Police began investigating after learning about the April incident from an anonymous tipster who reported that a child was being abused.

When interviews, the girl told detectives that her parents had dragged her into a basement, bound her to a chair using packing tape, and shoved rags into her mouth. Police said the couple then put a wet towel over her face, tilted her backward so that her feet lifted off the ground and poured a bucket of cold water onto her.

The couple were both charged with strangulation, aggravated assault, unlawful restraint, child endangerment and reckless endangerment.

Dead Drunk Man Charged With Forcing 8-Year-Old to Drive Him Around

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Kevin Cook probably should have called a cab

DARLINGTON TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania  — In case you were wondering, the designated driver needs to be old enough to drive.

A falling down drunk Pennsylvania man was busted after forcing the 8-year-old granddaughter of a family to drive him around, cops said.

Kevin Michael Cook, 24, was allegedly so drunk he could barely stand when he forced the girl behind the wheel in northwestern Pennsylvania earlier this month.

Cops say they soon began receiving calls reporting someone weaving all over the road and that a small child was behind the wheel, WPXI-TV reported.

Two bystanders eventually managed to get the girl to stop after almost crashing two times. Officers arrived soon after and the girl told them that Cook had switched seats and had gotten behind the wheel while they waited for cops to arrive, but that she had been driving.

Officers attempted to give him a field sobriety test but were unable to because he was too drunk. According to the criminal complaint, Cook at one point toppled over and had to be grabbed by the officers to avoid slamming into the ground.

He as charged with endangering the welfare of child, driving under the influence and driving without a license.

Pa. Cops Ask ‘It’ Prankster Leaving Red Balloons Tied to Sewer Grates to Stop

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Cops admit they were terrified after finding this balloon

EPHRATA, Pennsylvania — As if Stephen’s King’s books weren’t scary enough on their own.

Police in Pennsylvania are asking a local prankster to stop tying red balloons to storm grates in one small town like the murderous clown in the movie “It” that comes out Friday..

“We give points for creativity, however we want the local prankster to know that we were completely terrified as we removed these balloons from the grates and we respectfully request they do not do that again,” the Lititz Borough Police wrote in a message on Facebook.

“If you’re not sure what we’re talking about, search “It” and watch the preview, but we suggest watching the preview with a friend or coworker with all the lights on and the sound down low,” the message counseled.

The film is based on the 1986 Stephen King horror novel in which a supernatural clown that lurks in a town’s sewer system, terrorizing children.

Dope Gets Ticket for Blasting ‘Cops’ Theme Song After Police Gave Him Noise Warning

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SHIPPENSBURG, Pennsylvania — There’s dumb, and there’s dumberer.

A pea-brained partygoer turned a noise warning from police into a formal citation when he decided to blast the theme song to the TV series “Cops” as the officers were pulling away.

“Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do?  The police changed the warning to a citation because of you,” the Shippensburg Police department joked in a press release

Cops say they had responded to a small party in the backyard of a house due to complaints from neighbors and warned the host, Daniel Czerpak, 21, to keep it down.

He agreed, but as the officers were driving away, Czerpak thought it would be funny to blast the Inner Circle hit, “Bad Boys.”

The joke was on him as the officers didn’t find it funny and turned around to write him a ticket.

Woman Charged With Setting Boyfriend Ablaze, Dousing Flames With Urine

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Leigh Ann Sepelyak

PENN HILLS, Pennsylvania — Talk about adding insult to injury.

A Pennsylvania woman has been charged with attempted homicide for setting her boyfriend on fire as he slept and then dousing the flames with a bucket of piss.

Penn Hills police said Leigh Ann Sepelyak, 38, had argued with her boyfriend, Grady Spencer III, and then poured gasoline on him as he slept and dropped a lit cigarette on him, setting his body ablaze.

She then grabbed a bucket of urine the couple used as a toilet and tossed it on him, putting the flames out.

“I can’t see how that’s an accident when it happens at 4:40 a.m. and the gas was 25 to 30 feet away from the bed. It had to be carried,” Penn Hills Police Chief Howard Burton told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Sepelyak’s parents, who live upstairs from the couple, were awoken by yelling and drove Spencer to a local hospital. Officials there contacted police.

“The parents, when they heard screaming and smelled the smoke, helped put him out — I think with the same urine — and went to the hospital. They never called the police, the hospital called,” Burton said.

He said Spencer suffered serious burns to 25% to 35% of his body but was expected to survive. The house was not damaged.

Sepelyak was held without bail.

Spencer later told the Tribune-Review that Sepelyak wasn’t responsible and that he had accidentally spilled gasoline on himself while trying to fix a weed-whacker while drunk and had caught fire when he lit a cigarette.

“If she didn’t use urine, it would have been a lot worse. My crotch would have been melted if she didn’t,” he said. “I can only thank her for that.”

Burton said the charges remained pending against Sepelyak and that he would let a court decide what the truth is.

Philly TV Reporter Fired After Video of Her Berating Cop Goes Viral

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PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia TV reporter found herself out of a job after an embarrassing video of her drunkenly berating a seriously calm cop outside a comedy club went viral.

Colleen Campbell, 28, said she had little memory of the incident outside the Helium Club on Sunday and only became aware that she had been filmed after human resources at WPHL-TV telling her she had been terminated.

“I feel awful. That’s not me or how I speak or how I talk or how I was raised,” Campbell told Philadelphia Magazine. “I don’t know what to do. I feel ruined and embarrassed.”

The  cringe-worthy rant spread across the internet when New York comedian Wil Sylvince posted a video on Facebook page showing what happened after Campbell was kicked out of the club for “loud whispering” throughout the show.

 

About last night: this very obnoxious lady, who wasn’t drunk (nor high I think) was disturbing the show with her “loud whispering”. After 3 warnings and other customers were complaining she was asked to leave.

When she got kicked out she assaulted (kicking, punching, and eye poking) 3 of the employees in bar area right outside the showroom and then outside she mock spit in the mangers face when a cop came. She verbally abused this poor cop who was trying to keep the peace at first.

The show was great though! Love me some Philly! Thank you

#philly #Philadelphia #kickedout #phillycops #whiteprivilege #toddrexx #craigrobinson #wilsylvince #helium #heliumcomedyclub #comedy #getyourassout #lickmyasshole

Posted by Wil Sylvince on Monday, June 5, 2017

As the officer calmly asked her to leave, Campbell grew increasingly belligerent.

 

“Or what? Or what, mother f–ker? Lick my a–hole,” Campbell says on the video, which has been viewed more than 2.8 million times as of Wednesday. “How about that? F–king piece of s–t. That’s why nobody likes f–king police…idiots in this f–king town.”

 

Campbell, who said she also lost a side gig she had as a bartender, said she had only had a few drinks prior to the episode and thought that someone may have slipped something into her cocktail as she remembers little of what happened.

She said she felt particularly awful about how she treated the unidentified officer.

“I wanna apologize to the officer. I don’t remember the whole altercation at all. I remember feeling attacked. I would never talk like that. It was like watching a whole different me,” she said.

 

 

 

Dad Shot Dead After Scuffle Among Kids at Kindergarten Graduation Party

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Devon Brown was shot dead during a kindergarten party

HANOVER TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania — A scuffle between two kids at a kindergarten graduation party turned deadly when the fight spread to a group of adults and a man was fatally shot, cops said.

Investigators say Devon Brown, 29, was shot and killed by Tremaine Jamison on Wednesday after their kids got into a fight at the party.

“An altercation between two 6-year-old boys is the reason why I don’t have my kid’s father with me today,” Brown’s wife, Antionette Nimmons told WNEP-TV. “They were just rough playing like boys do.”

Cops are hunting for the 27-year-old Jamison, who hails from New York City. He has two prior robbery convictions in New York, records show.

According to the criminal complaint, Brown and Jamison got into a heated argument with several other adults after another resident of the complex accused Brown’s son of punching Jamison’s son, according to a criminal complaint.

Cops are on the lookout for Tremaine Jamison

The fight escalated when someone pulled a knife on Brown, the complaint said. He then retrieved a knife from his apartment, and Jamison pulled out a gun and fired a single shot at Brown, the complaint read. He was declared dead at the scene.

 

Dumbass Wearing ‘Drunk Lives Matter’ Shirt Busted for Drunk Driving

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This guy.

NEWVILLE, Pennsylvania — If there’s one way to guarantee a drunk driving arrest.

Police in Pennsylvania picked up this knucklehead wearing a “Drunk Lives Matter” t-shirt while driving drunk.

The Newville police said they spotted Elwood Gutshall III “committing multiple traffic violations,” in his green Ford pickup early in the morning of March 19 and pulled him over.

After a short conversation, it was clear to officers that the 44-year-old Gutshall was drunk as a skunk, so they placed him under arrest.

Blood tests done at central booking revealed that Gutshall had a blood alcohol level of .217 — nearly three times the legal limit.

Gutshall was charged with DUI highest rate, driving under a DUI suspension and other traffic violations.

Man With the Word ‘Evil’ Tattooed on His Hand Wanted for Luxury Watch Con

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EAST LAMPETER TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania — At least the guy believes in truth in advertising.

Pennsylvania cops are hunting for a man with the word “EVIL” tattooed on his fingers who allegedly scammed a Kay Jewelers out of two luxury watches.

The East Lampeter Township police say the man walked in the shop in the Tanger Outlets on Feb. 28 and opened a house credit card account under a false name.

He then bought a $7,150 Rolex and a $375 Bulova watch, as well as a $550 extended warranty with the card.

It was only after the walked out with the merchandise and the shop tried to track him down for payment that they realized the info he had given them was bogus, cops said.

They say they believe the same man has pulled similar stunts at other area shops.

He was described as Hispanic, 30-35 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall, with a husky build, a bald head, and the very noticeable letters spelling out the word “EVIL” tattooed on his left fingers.