Hard Boiled News

True Crime and News of the Weird from around the Globe

Crazed Trucker Rams 18-Wheeler Into Nevada’s Famed Bunny Ranch

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MOUND HOUSE, Nevada — A crazed ex-trucker stole an 18-wheeler and rammed it into the notorious Moonlite Bunny Ranch brothel in Nevada, causing extensive damage to the building’s facade, authorities said.

The brothel, which known after being featured in the HBO series “Cathouse,” was open for business at the time of the early morning crash, but no one was injured.

The suspect, identified as Brian Brandt, 40, of Reno, had allegedly stolen the truck from his former employer, before backing it through the front gate of the ranch around 4 a.m., the Lyon County Sheriff’s office said.

He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon (the truck), destruction of property and  possession of stolen property.

Ranch owner Dennis Hof said Brandt was wearing full body armor when he ran out of the truck following the crash. Hof said the episode appeared to be “an apparent sadistic attempt to gain notoriety,” but that business was unaffected.

“America’s most beloved working girls are shaken by this horrific incident, but they are not deterred from their mission to deliver incomparable sexual pleasure to horny people across the globe,” he said.

Mikki Lynn said she was in with a client when the crash occurred which caused the whole building to shake.

“I was totally on top of this guy, riding and all of sudden it felt like an earthquake and the whole building started shaking and I’m like, ‘Damn, I’m good, but I’m not that good. What’s going on?’ So I throw on a towel and run out and get out here and he put the whole damn truck in the back door. I tried to tell him that was a specialty party and he had to pay extra for that,” she said.

Brian Brandt

The Reno Gazette-Journal reported that Brandt had been arrested a little over a week before the crash and charged with battery and conspiracy to destroy property, an episode that led to his dismissal from the trucking company where he had worked.

 

 

Cattle Rustler Wanted in Six States for Stealing Millions Gets 10 Years in Texas

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Ronald Ryan Shepard was wanted in six states for stealing millions in cattle

EMORY, Texas — A cattle rustler who evaded authorities by faking his own kidnapping and fleeing to Mexico has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for stealing millions of dollars in fraudulent livestock deals across the country.

Ronald Ryan Shepard Jr., 41, faced arrest in six states for a variety of cattle scams before disappearing in March 2012 as authorities were closing in, according to the special rangers of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raiser’s Association.

The U.S. Marshals Service soon tracked him to Mazatlan in Mexico where he was arrested and extradited back to the U.S. later that year.

Upon his return, Shepard was jailed in a federal prison for two years on a probation violation stemming from a 2004 conviction in Florida for cattle theft. He later pleaded guilty to livestock theft charges in Arkansas, Illinois, Florida, Kentucky and Missouri.

Earlier this week, he pleaded guilty to the last of the charges he faced in Texas where he was accused of failing to pay for $600,000 worth of cattle he agreed to buy at auctions across east Texas, authorities said.

In all, authorities say Shepard stole between $4 million and $6 million in sham cattle deals around the country.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for pleading guilty to three counts of livestock theft and was ordered to pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution to victims in Texas and Florida

“I am glad to finally have a resolution to this long, drawn out saga,” said TSCRA Special Ranger Larry Hand. “I cannot thank enough the huge array of local, state and federal agencies who collaborated to track down and prosecute Shepard for his numerous crimes. I hope any potential future offenders will take note of the consequences.”

Man in Clown Makeup and Freddy Krueger Gloves Charged in Fatal Stabbing

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DENVER — A man sporting clown makeup and wearing a Freddy Krueger-style glove with blades attached to the fingers has been charged with brutally slashing a man to death in Denver.

Christian Lee Gulzow, 36 — whose prison nickname is Diablo — allegedly attacked the man following an argument outside a Denver taco restaurant, cops said.

Witnesses told cops that Gulzow, who was wearing white clown makeup with black streaks, began threatening the victim with a glove that had 2- to 3-inch-long blades coming out of the fingertips, the Denver Post reported.

Gulzow then began pummeling the victim, Brian Lucero, 29, who tried to get away. Lucero then punched Guzlow, who then followed him to the restaurant, Torchy’s.

“The victim collapsed in the north east parking lot of the Torchy’s business,” the police report stated.  Gulzow then fled on a scooter.

When cops caught up with Guzlow, they say his clothes were covered with blood and they saw him throw a knife into the bushes.

Gulzow later told cops he had been threatened him and that Lucero had screamed at him “to get out of my alley,” and then attacked him and stole his scooter.

Gulzow said he tackled Lucero as he tried to drive off with his scooter, and that one of his spiked wrist bracelets may have left Lucero injured. He then acknowledged that he may have cut Lucero with his “clawed glove.”

Gulzow has a long rap sheet with convictions for domestic violence, assault and weapons convictions. In 2012, he was convicted of felony menacing with a deadly weapon, according to authorities in Colorado.

Giant Cockfighting Ring Busted in California, Thousands of Birds Seized

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VAL VERDE, California — Authorities say they busted up a massive illegal cockfighting operation in California, seizing 7,000 fighting birds in what they say is the largest crackdown of its kind in U.S. history.

Officers with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s bloodsport crime team say they received a top about a property in Val Verde that was being used as a large scale training ground and storage facility for fighting birds.

Following a months-long investigation, officers raided the 80-acre property earlier this week, and seized thousands of birds as well as mobile fighting rings, deadly razor gaffs that area attached to a rooster’s feet as well as medications often used in cockfighting.

“This is, the experts say, the largest seizure of fighting birds ever in United States history,” said Capt. Jeff Perry. “Any kind of animal blood sport activity will not be tolerated in Los Angeles County.”

https://youtu.be/pnOi5i85DZo

Investigators said some birds can sell for as high as $1,500, valuing the haul as high as $10.5 million. Several dead birds with wounds consistent with cockfighting were also found on the property.

No arrests were immediately made, Perry said, although several low-level members of the cockfighting outfit were detained and could later be charged. Other suspects are currently being identified, and the investigation is still ongoing.

 

California Sting Uncovers Million Dollar Bee Heist

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FRESNO, California — This gives whole new meaning to the notion of a sting operation.

California cops busted a beekeeper they say stole nearly a million dollars worth of bees and their hives from other beekeepers around the country.

Police began their investigation into Pavel Tveretinov, 51, of Fresno, in late April, when they received a report from an almond orchard in Madera County that 100 bee hives had been stolen from their property.

The hives were found on his property and he was charged with possession of stolen property and was released on $10,000 bond. Cops say the hives belonged to a beekeeping outfit out of Missouri called Buzz Beekeeping that had leased them to the California almond farmer for the season.

Pavel Tveretinov

But as investigators looked further, they discovered approximately 2,500 hives they believe Tveretinov stole from various parts of California, which have a total value of $875,000. Some of the hives were determined to have belonged to beekeepers from as far away as Montana.

Cops said that while it is impossible to identify who the bees belong to, the boxes in which they are stored often have markers and numbers on them that tie them to specific beekeepers.

In this case, they say Tveretinov attempted to paint over the identifying markings but that he did a lousy job as many still showed through the paint.

 

Portland-Hating Perv Busted ‘Masturbating Vigorously’ in Public

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PORTLAND, Oregon — Perhaps it’s time to move.

Oregon police say they busted a man they found “masturbating vigorously” outside a Portland center for homeless youth and when they asked why, he said it was because he: “f—ing hates Portland.”

Cops found Terry Lee Andreassen, 59, after receiving calls about public indecency at the building. When they arrived they found Andreassen, “with his erect penis exposed to the public,” according to a criminal complaint.

When Andreassen spotted the officers, he “put his penis back in his pants and began to walk away.”

After cops stopped him, they asked Andreassen why he was masturbating in public and he replied that he was high on meth and wanted to go back to prison, because he “f–ing hates Portland,” according to the Oregonian.

Andreassen has a propensity for public lewdness and has convictions for public indecency going back to at least 2001.

 

In 2014, he was convicted of laying a sidewalk outside a Portland bar two nights in a row, while  “stroking his penis outside of his pants” as he was “staring at several females in the bar that were standing in line.”

Drive-Thru Bar Owner Busted for Hiring 16-Year-Old to Dance for Patrons In Bikini

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Waitresses offer up lap dances alongside food and drinks at Mami Chulas

LAREDO, Texas — The owner of a risque drive-thru bar and grill in Texas that features scantily-clad servers offering patrons lap dances while they wait for their food, was arrested after police discovered a 16-year-old girl working there.

Laredo police said they began an investigation into Mami Chulas Drive Thru after getting a call from the girl’s mother who said she spotted her daughter dancing provocatively in a bikini while serving customers at the outdoor eatery.

Owner Juan Ramon Meza, 43, was charged with employment harmful to children, the Laredo Morning Times reported.

Juan Ramon Meza

The restaurant, which also sells cases and six packs of beer to passing motorists, had been investigated before in 2015 for similarly employing an underage girl to work as a waitress.

In March, officers arrested a 21-year-old Mami Chulas waitress, Monica Portillo, for allegedly performing a “non-penetrating” sex act on a customer in public. She was charged with public lewdness.

 

Monica Portillo

At the time, police said they had been investigating the restaurant after receiving reports of possible prostitution going on there.

“Surveillance also noted that the business was operating in a manner consistent with how adult entertainment businesses operate,” the criminal complaint in that case read.

 

Florida Man Attempting Unusual Giant Schlong Defense in Death of Girlfriend

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Francisca Marquinez met a tragic end at the hands of Richard Henry Patterson

PLANTATION, Florida — His defense is a little hard to swallow.

A man who admitted killing his girlfriend is claiming she died by choking on his oversized penis while performing oral sex and he asking a judge to allow him to show his member to the jury so they can see for themselves.

Richard Henry Patterson, 65, was arrested for the death of his gal pal Francisca Marquinez, 60, on Oct. 28, 2015. He never denied being responsible for her death, but never publicly claimed it was the result of sexcapades gone bad.

The medical examiner never conclusively determined Marquinez’s cause of death.

In making the request to Judge Michael Ian Rothschild in Broward Circuit Court, Patterson’s lawyer said it was a variation on the “rough sex” defense that has been used elsewhere, and that he planned to call expert witnesses to explain the mechanics of such a death.

The judge has yet to rule on the motion, but if it is approved, Patterson lawyer proposed his disrobing tale place in chambers, with only the judge, a bailiff, the jury and the defendant in the room.

Marquinez’s son, Omar Andrade, called the ploy disgusting.

“It’s a desperate man trying a desperate tactic,” Andrade told the Sun Sentinel newspaper. “He’s just trying to get off the hook.”

Patterson’s lawyer, Ken Padowitz, argued that the prosecution case hinged largely on a text message that Patterson sent to his daughter stating: “I choked her. I choked Francisca.”

“He said he choked her,” Padowitz said. “He never said he strangled her.”

In 2011, a British man, Philip Martins, attempted the same defense in a murder case and was convicted. He’s now serving a life sentence.

Cartoonist Sentenced to Jail For Falsely Claiming He Created ‘Kung Fu Panda’

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BOSTON — A cartoonist who falsely claimed that Dreamworks had stolen his idea to make the animated film “Kung Fu Panda,” was sentenced to two years in prison for fraud and ordered to pay $3 million in restitution.

Jayme Gordon, 51, of Randolph, Massachusetts sued Dreamworks for $12 million in 2011 for copyright infringement, claiming the characters and artwork for the hit 2008 film had been ripped off from drawings and a story he had created years earlier.

But prosecutors said that after Gordon had seen a trailer for Kung Fu Panda, he altered older drawings he had made for a story called “Panda Power” to make them appear more like the film and then renamed the work, “Kung Fu Panda Power.”

Dreamworks rejected the claim and as the case made its way through civil litigation, prosecutors say Gordon deleted evidence from his computer and lied during his deposition.  They say he also fabricated and backdated sketches to support his suit.

His scheme came unwound, however, when DreamWorks discovered that some of Gordon’s drawings he purported were from 1992 and 1993, had been traced from a Disney Lion King coloring book that wasn’t published until 1996.

At that point, Gordon agreed to withdraw his suit, which Dreamworks said it had already spent $3 million defending against.

During his trial, Gordon claimed that the Disney coloring book had also been copied from his work and that characters from the films “The Incredibles,” “A Bug’s Life,” “MegaMind,” and “Flushed Away” had also been stolen from him.

At trial it emerged that Gordon had a history of bipolar disorder and psychological problems. He was convicted in federal court in November, and at sentencing, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti Saris said she would recommend Gordon serve his term in a prison hospital.

Woman Filmed Stomping Boyfriend’s Car Says She ‘Prayed About it and Stuff’

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CULLMAN, Alabama — A woman caught on video angrily smashing in the windshield of her ex-boyfriend’s car says a night of prayer convinced her not to launch the wild attack but that she changed her mind when she saw a shovel lying near the vehicle.

Barbara Emily Lowery, 24, landed behind bars on a disorderly conduct charge for the Monday episode in which she stomped in the windshield and sunroof of the car in the parking lot of a furniture store. She also scrawled on the hood in permanent marker: “You’re so pretty, fucker.”

The furious fracas was filmed by several stunned passersby and the video spread online.

“I prayed about it first, and I slept on it, and I decided it wasn’t a good idea. Then I saw a shovel,” Lowery told WBMA-TV.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obwHFRG42i8

The station reported that the eruption of violence stemmed from a love triangle that took an ugly turn, but Lowery declined to kiss and tell.

“Well I’m not trying to give his personal business out like that,” she said.

The owner of the car, Nick Myrick, said on his Facebook page that Lowery was not his ex, but was simply, “an angry person.”

But Lowery said she had no regrets.

“I already knew going into it that I would have to face some consequences, and you know it kind of sucks, but like I said I prayed about it and stuff, and I did it anyway,” Lowery said to the station.