Two Assclowns Charged With Theft After Attempting To Steal Clock From Police Station Interview Room
Michael Marquez, 34, and Dennis Baugham, 51, may be facing hard time after they allegedly tried to steal a clock off the wall at a Florida police station.
According to Panama City Police, officers were dispatched after receiving a report of two men fighting near the Hathaway bridge around 3 a.m. Tuesday.
Officers arrived to find the two men in possession of a shopping cart that had been taken from a store a few miles away. Investigators also found the men to be in possession of camping gear that also appeared to have been stolen – including a tent, a camping stove and kerosene fuel.
Both men were transported to the Panama City Police station and were seated in an interview room while detectives tried to determine the owners of the allegedly stolen merchandise.
That’s when Marquez allegedly stole a clock off the wall of the interview room and stashed it inside of a backpack. A detective who was keeping an eye on the men from outside the room retrieved the clock.
Both men were booked into the Bay County Jail and charged with possession of the stolen shopping cart. Marquez faces an additional charge of petit theft for stealing the clock. No charges have yet been filed for the allegedly stolen camping gear.
Zombie Apocalypse! Naked Man Shot While Eating Other Naked Man’s Face On Miami Causeway (Video)
Miami Police Shoot, Kill Man Eating Another Man’s Face – WFOR
Miami police are still tight-lipped about the man they shot and killed on the MacArthur Causeway Saturday afternoon, but new details back claims they had no choice: the naked man they shot was trying to chew the face off another naked man, and refused to obey police orders to stop his grisly meal, which one source now claims included his victim’s nose and eyeballs.
Surveillance video taken from security cameras at the nearby Miami Herald building show a police officer arrive on the scene, appear to be startled by the spectacle of two naked men lying on the street, and draw his service weapon. It appears that the officer shot one of the men, but it was difficult to tell in the video.
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The bizarre shooting happened shortly after 2 p.m., when police responded to a 911 call about two naked men fighting on a bike path along the Causeway, which was packed with traffic on a busy holiday weekend.
Miami police have not confirmed the details of what happened next, but sources close to the investigation told CBS4 News that officers found one man gnawing on the face of another, in what one police source called the most gruesome thing he’d ever seen.
The fight was taking place at the causeway exit near the Miami Herald building, and amazed officers tried to stop it, ordering the man making a meal out of the other man to stop.
Armando Aguilar, who heads the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, said he has spoken with the officer who responded. Aguilar said the officer saw what the man was doing, and ordered him to stop. He said the man growled at the officer, and then returned to his meal.
Aguilar said the man ate his victim’s nose and eyeballs.
The officer then used his service weapon and shot the man, Aguilar said, but the gunshot had no effect.
Other sources confirmed that the man refused to obey, and continued his attack. Aguilar said the officer had no choice but to keep shooting until the attacker was dead.
Investigators sharing limited details about the confrontation, saying only that the two men were fighting and the officers felt they had no choice but to take deadly force.
“During this confrontation an officer did discharge his weapon striking one of the individuals,” said Det. Willie Moreno, spokesperson for Miami Police.
But the sources close to the investigation say that dry recitation of the facts apparently doesn’t go far enough. They said the man still would not give in to police commands, so officers fired again.
“That individual has lost his life right now,” Moreno said.
With the attacker dead, lying nude on the pavement, officers and paramedics were able to get to his victim and rush him to Jackson Memorial Hospital. Police sources say the man had virtually no face and was unrecognizable.
Police have shared no information about his identity or condition.
The surveillance video supplied to CBS4 by The Herald under a news sharing agreement is disturbing. At one point, whomever was controlling the cameras zoomed in to the two men lying nude and partially obscured by the MetroMover track. One man is motionless, but the other, presumably the man whose face was attacked, can be seen flailing his legs, possibly in pain.
The Herald used video editing tools to obscure portions of that man’s body as he moved.
The video covers a time frame of about 8 minutes, but despite the shooting of the attacker and the obvious distress shown by the victim, paramedics are not seen attempting to rescue him.
The victim was eventually taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Once the bizarre confrontation came to an end, police were left with the task of figuring out what had happened. The investigation forced the closure of the causeway from Miami Beach to Miami, and also closed an exit to the causeway from I-95.
The investigation snarled traffic for hours and delayed thousands of motorists until ways could be found to get them off the causeway.
Police have had little official to say about the details, and have not released the name of the cannibalistic attacker.
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Judge Refuses To Release Amish Gang Member Charged With Hate Crimes
Amish Beard-Cutting Suspect Loses Bid For Release From Jail – Cleveland Plain Dealer
A federal judge refused Wednesday to release the jailed son of Samuel Mullet, the leader of 15 Amish men and women accused in hair-cutting attacks on rival family members and neighbors.
U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster ruled that 26-year-old Lester Mullet remains a danger to the community and a risk of flight, based on the possibility of a life prison sentence if convicted of kidnapping.
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Mullet had maintained his home situation had changed significantly enough to warrant his release. His fourth child was born earlier this month, and he agreed to install electricity or telephone service in his Jefferson County home to allow monitoring devices to be used for house arrest.
The Mullets and their co-defendants are charged with hate-crimes and conspiring to cover up the five separate assaults, which occurred from September to November 2011.
In each of the assaults, the men are accused of forcibly cutting beards and head hair to settle scores with people with whom Samuel Mullet and his followers had disputes.
All 16 defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges. They are scheduled to stand trial Aug. 27.
Cop Breaks Into Neighbor’s Home To Do His Laundry
Police: Pa. Officer Broke Into House, Did Laundry – WKYC
Dirty clothes have a Pittsburgh-area police officer in hot water.
Rankin police Officer Jason Rocco is charged with trespassing and criminal mischief for allegedly breaking into a neighbor’s home to wash his clothes.
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Rocco was arraigned Saturday and released on his own recognizance.
WPXI-TV reports the home’s owner noticed his electric bill was unusually high, given that he hadn’t lived in the house for months.
When the owner visited, investigators say he found the dryer running with Rocco’s clothes inside.
Avalon police who questioned Rocco say he told investigators the home’s back door was already broken and he “just had to do some laundry.”
A phone listing for Rocco could not be located Wednesday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
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Former CNN Headline News President Caught On Video Putting Dog Crap In Neighbor’s Mailbox
Poo-stal Delivery: CNN Executive Videoed Putting Dog Faeces In Neighbour’s Mailbox – Daily Mail
A retired CNN executive has been fined $180 for putting dog faeces through his neighbour’s postbox.
Bob Furnad, former president of CNN Headline News, placed the offending offering outside the Atlanta home of Benjamin Dameron and Ralph Miller.
The two men have video of Furnad walking his black and white dog up to the box and putting the package inside.
Solid evidence: The neighbours unwittingly filmed CNN executive Furnad’s dirty prank on their security camera
‘We were working, getting ready for a wedding and we were out on the driveway,’ Mr Dameron told CBS Atlanta.
Furnad told Covington News that he pulled the smelly stunt due to a long-standing feud.
‘We thought, well, we’re this close, we’ll check the mail box to see if the mail’s come.’
‘This was an immature act in response to years of malicious rumour mongering that I consider defamation of character,’ he said.
However, the neighbours say they have ‘no clue’ why Furnad put the package in their post.
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When questioned by police, the television executive confessed to the smelly stunt.
‘Mr Furnad stated that he did place a bag containing dog faeces in the victim’s mailbox,’ said Covington Police Captain Ken Malcom.
It’s hardly the type of behaviour you’d expect from one of television’s high-ranking executives.
Furnard started his career in the Sixties, working at Channel 7 in Washington D.C. on the evening news.
He quickly worked his way up to senior positions at ABC News and then at CNN, starting in 1984 as the political director.
Neighbours: The victims of the stunt, Benjamin Dameron [right] and Ralph Miller, have no idea about claims of a long-standing feud by Furnad
He retired from the network in 2001 after working as the president of headline news since 1997.
More recently, Furnad has been an associate professor at the University of Georgia and is chairman of the FaithWorks Christian Fellowship.
Not that his recent behaviour has honored the ‘love thy neighbour’ Christian mantra.
The network reports that it’s lucky for Furnad that an official U.S. postal worker didn’t find the delivery.
Mailbox vandalism can result in serious fines and even prison time.
Naked Drunk Guy Attacks Resident Of Apartment Complex, Gets Bashed In The Face, Arrested
Jack Brown II, a 29-year-old Oklahoma man has been jailed after he allegedly paraded around an apartment complex naked, then attacked another man who asked him to put on some clothes.
According to police, officers were dispatched to an apartment complex after residents reported seeing a man running around the complex naked.
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Officers arrived to find a man bleeding heavily from his forehead while another man stood nearby holding a flashlight. Police ordered the second man to drop his flashlight and then placed him into custody.
While officers were handcuffing the man, Benson jumped over a fence and attempted to flee the scene. He was apprehended a short time later and then taken to an area hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, the man with the flashlight told officers that he and several other residents were alarmed when they saw Benson running around the apartment complex with no clothes on. When the man told Benson to put on some clothes, Benson retaliated by punching him in the face.
That’s when the man struck Benson in the head with a flashlight in self defense. Several witnesses who saw the attack corroborated the man’s story.
When officers questioned Benson at the hospital, they noted a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. Benson was also uncooperative to a point where he had to be restrained.
After treatment, Benson was taken to the Oklahoma County Jail where he was charged with assault and battery and public indecency.
The Worst Zombie Movie Ever? Maybe… Just Maybe (Video)
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………….Click on the image above to watch this awful movie.
PLOT LINE:
The story follows Dusty, a yoga instructor from Colorado, who is on a desperate rescue mission to save her crazy brother Derek, a conspiracy theorist who is convinced Osama bin Laden is still alive, despite having been buried at sea. In Afghanistan, Dusty falls in with a team of NATO special forces on a secret assignment. Turns out Derek is not so crazy after all, and that Osama has returned from his watery grave and is making an army of zombie terrorists. When the group crashes headlong into the growing zombie apocalypse, Dusty and the troops must find and destroy the root of the zombie insurgency before it infests the rest of the world.
…….For more information on ‘Osombie’, visit The Internet Movie
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…….To watch ‘Osombie’ via alternate online movie links, visit
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Woman Busted After Handing Cop Her Driver’s License With Pot Stuck To It
Police: Marijuana Stuck To Driver’s License Prompts Fargo Arrest – Inforum
A Fargo woman pulled over by police last weekend landed in a sticky situation when the officer went to scan her driver’s license and found marijuana stuck to the back of it, Lt. Joel Vettel said.
The amount was large enough that the officer could identify it by sight, Vettel said.
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The woman initially claimed the marijuana was her daughter’s but later admitted it was hers after police found two marijuana pipes in her purse, Vettel said.
Czesia Marie Van Meter, 43, was arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana and drug paraphernalia. She also was cited for exhibition driving, municipal court records show.
The traffic stop occurred at about 1 a.m. in the 100 block of Roberts Street North, Vettel said.
Assistant State’s Attorney Kara Schmitz Olson said she anticipated charges would be filed against Van Meter late Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning.
Naked Guy Riding Unicycle Arrested On Texas Bridge
Naked Unicyclist, 45, Arrested After He Goes For A Ride Over Bridge – Daily Mail
A man riding naked on a unicycle over a bridge was arrested for indecent exposure, authorities said.
Joseph Glynn Farley, 45, was picked up by police for distracting drivers with his antics and creating a hazard.
Officers said that the man was not intoxicated or impaired on his cycle over the Highway 146 bridge in Kemah, a city 30 miles south of Houston, Texas.
Police Chief Greg Rikard said Farley had been falling off the unicycle and into traffic.
When a patrol car pulled up, Farley got off his one-wheeler and waited to be handcuffed by officers.
Farley said that he liked the feeling of riding without his clothes which were found at the base of the bridge.
Police charged Farley, of Clear Lake, with misdemeanor indecent exposure. Bond was set at $1,500.
Online jail records did not list an attorney for Farley.
Woman Finds Cocaine In Discount Tampon Box
Woman Finds Cocaine In Discount Tampon Box – WKMG
Consumers have long known that discount stores can offer up shopping surprises. But a woman in Salt Lake City said she has buyer’s remorse after finding cocaine inside a box of recently purchased tampons.
Cindy Davidson, 39, told police that she bought the box of Boots tampons from an NPS store, which specializes in salvage and freight recovery and sells discounted products in Salt Lake City and online via eBay and Amazon.
However, when she opened the box she said two of the 16 tampons were replaced with a white powder wrapped in cellophane, KUTV reported.
“I didn’t look like it was tampered at all,” she told KTVX-TV.
According to KUTV, police tested the substance and confirmed that it was cocaine.
NPS officials said they purchase their items from auctions and that they have no clue where the cocaine could have come from.
“Without knowing the customer, without knowing the product specifically on this situation we just have no information to try and figure out where it came from,” Stan Alexander, NPS director of security, told KTVX.
Davidson said the whole situation is crazy, and that she still can’t believe it.
“I’ve never seen anything like that, so it was weird,” she said.
Evil Clown Being Hired By Parents To Stalk And Threaten Kids On Their Birthdays
Evil Clown Hired For Stalking, Threats And A Pie In The Face – Metro
Dominic Deville stalks young victims for a week, sending chilling texts, making prank phone calls and setting traps in letterboxes.
He posts notes warning children they are being watched, telling them they will be attacked.
But Deville is not an escaped lunatic or some demonic monster.
He is a birthday treat, hired by mum and dad, and the ‘attack’ involves being splatted in the face with a cake.
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‘The child feels more and more that it is being pursued,’ said Deville.
‘The clown’s one and only aim is to smash a cake into the face of his victim, when they least expect it, during the course of seven days.’
If the boy or girl manages to avoid the ‘hit’, they are given the cake as a birthday present. Well, that’s alright then.
The frightening fun can be stopped at any time, which is handy for parents who have second thoughts and don’t fancy the cost of child therapy.
Deville said: ‘The clown will never break into a residence or show up at work. ‘It’s all in fun and if, at any point, the kids get scared or their parents are concerned, we stop right there.
‘But most kids absolutely love being scared senseless.’
Deville set up his Evil Clown service in Lucerne, Switzerland, after being inspired by some of his favourite horror films – possibly including Stephen King’s It and Killer Klowns From Outer Space.
The idea is unlikely to be popular with sufferers of coulrophobia – the irrational (irrational?) fear of clowns.
But Stephen Vaughan of Clowns International, said scary clowns could be as funny as their red-nosed counterparts. ‘I think what Dominic is doing is a great idea,’ he added.
‘Bringing a little bit of life and laughter into kids’ lives is what we are all about.’
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Woman Charged With Pretending To Have Cancer To Raise Money For Breast Implants
Woman Charged With Pretending To Have Cancer To Raise Money For Breast Implants – Weekly Vice
Jami Toler, a 27-year-old Phoenix woman was jailed Wednesday after she allegedly faked having cancer to raise money for breast implants.
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According to Mesa Police, in August of 2011, Toler told her co-workers at Hallmark Hospice that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and that she needed a double-mastectomy. She also stated that she would need to have her breasts augmented, and that she was unable to come up with the money needed for the surgeries.
Toler asked her co-workers and family members to raise money for her medical expenses, so they held fund-raisers and deposited $8,000 to an account opened by Toler.
In November, Toler used most of the money to pay for breast implants, but did not receive any treatment for her alleged breast cancer.
Investigators say co-workers became suspicious when Toler missed work and was unable to provide a doctor’s note when she returned from medical leave. Detectives looked at her medical records and was unable to find any indication that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer or received cancer treatment of any kind.
After being exposed as a fraud, Toler quit her job and began working at a car dealership, where she was apprehended.
Toler was booked into the Maricopa County Jail on felony fraud and theft charges. She was released and ordered to wear an ankle monitor. She was also told not to contact the 17 co-workers she lied to.
Sick, Demented Freak Jailed After Downloading Child Porn, Having Sex With Girlfriend’s Dog
Eric Antunes Jailed After Downloading Child Porn, Having Sex With Girlfriend’s Dog – Weekly Vice
Eric Antunes, a 29-year-old Florida man was jailed Tuesday after he allegedly downloaded child pornography and had sex with his girlfriend’s dog.
According to Clearwater Police, officers went to Antunes home after receiving a tip that he was in possession of child pornography.
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During a search of his home, detectives found nine images of child pornography and one video downloaded to his computer.
While searching Antune’s mobile phone, detectives found additional images that showed him having sex with his girlfriend’s dog.
Antunes was booked into the Pinellas County Jail and charged with 10 counts of possessing child pornography. Animal cruelty charges have also been referred over to the Pasco-Pinellas State Attorney’s Office.
Live Crab Vending Machines In China Subway (Video)
Live Crab Vending Machines In China Subway – Weird Asia News
Most of the time, we are too tired to cook after a long day at work.
If you live in Nanjing, China, though, you are lucky. You can get a crab right from the vending machine! Having skipped the hassle of making a trip to the market to buy groceries, you simply go home and cook the fresh hairy crab to your desired taste.
The crabs are priced from US$1.50 to US$8, depending on the size. You can even buy a bottle of vinegar to spice up your crab, for only US$0.80.
The vending machine is kept at a constant temperature of 5-10 degrees Celsius to make sure that the crabs are in a constant state of hibernation. They are also packed in custom-shaped plastic packages.
Better yet, if by chance you get a dead crab, you get three crabs for free!
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A customer who has tried the crabs said, “Two days ago, I was passing by, and saw that they were cheaper than at the markets. I was curious, so I got two. They tasted all right, so I’m back today for more.”
It looks as if the busy commuters of Nanjing will never go to bed on an empty stomach again.
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Man With Clown Hair Jailed After Head-Butting Mother, Burning Down House Over Cell Phone
Aldwin Caceres, an 18-year-old asshat with clown hair was jailed Sunday after he allegedly head-butted his mother, then burned her house down during an argument over a cell phone.
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According to police, the 275 pound Caceres became angry Saturday night while arguing with his mother over a cell phone.
In retaliation, Caceres allegedly grabbed his mother by the wrists, pushed her onto a bed and then head-butted her twice on the forehead.
Caceres then reportedly doused two couches and his mother’s bed with gasoline before setting them ablaze. The fire was started shortly after midnight and successfully destroyed the home.
Caceres was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail and charged with first-degree arson and domestic battery.
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Drunken Idiot Jailed After Attempting To Rob Store With Hot Dog Tongs
Drunken Idiot Jailed After Attempting To Rob Store With Hot Dog Tongs – Weekly Vice
Renee Jackson, a 35-year-old New Orleans man was jailed after he allegedly attempted to rob a convenience store with a pair of hot dog tongs.
According to the Fort Smith Police Department, Jackson allegedly entered a local convenience store, grabbed a pair of silver tongs used for hot dogs, then demanded money from the clerk and customers.
Witnesses say Jackson appeared to be extremely intoxicated, so no one took him seriously. The clerk called 911 and stated that he was attempting to stab people inside the store with the tongs. He ultimately pushed one of the customers, but no one was inured.
Investigators say when officers arrived on the scene, Jackson was outside the building. Police stated that he had written a note to the store, apologizing for what he had done.
Jackson told investigators that he became distraught after arguing with his wife and wanted to go to jail because his family didn’t appreciate him.
He was booked into jail and charged with two counts of attempted aggravated robbery.
Dumbass Gets DUI In Own Front Yard After Repeatedly Crashing Into Trees
Lake County Man Gets DUI In Own Front Yard – WKMG
A 57-year-old Lake County man was charged with driving under the influence after deputies say he was repeatedly backing his truck into trees in the front yard of his home.
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Lake County deputies said Dennis Jones, of Paisley, was trying to back out of his driveway Tuesday morning around 10 a.m. for at least 15 minutes. Neighbors called authorities after they said he smashed into trees, dug his truck into a hole and was spinning his tires in dirt close to his neighbor’s fence, according to the deputy report.
When deputies arrived, they said Jones had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, was missing a lens in his eyeglasses and was slurring his words.
Jones told deputies he had “less than one pint of vodka” that morning, according to the report.
Jones failed field sobriety tests and was taken into custody, according to reports. He was given a breathalyzer test at 10:45 a.m. and deputies said he registered at .242. more than three times the legal limit.
He will appear in court on April 25.
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What The…?
4 Feet Of Hail In Texas? Reports, Photos Cause Quite A Storm – MSLSD
Sure, everything’s bigger in Texas. But 4 feet of hail from one storm? That’s what the National Weather Service, the Texas Department of Transportation, a local sheriff and others say happened Wednesday in an area north of Amarillo when hail piled up in drifts so wide they cut off a major highway.
The National Weather Service office in Amarillo even posted a photo on its Facebook page, but that wasn’t enough to convince skeptics.
Meltwater rushes past hail several feet thick on Wednesday off Highway 287 north of Amarillo, Texas.
“Serious do not think this is 100% hail!!!” commented one person.
“It’s a lite dusting of hail on some damn rocks,” said another person, referring to the image of a firefighter standing next to what could be taken for boulders.
“I can assure you we do not have big rocks like that in West Texas,” Krissy Scotten, a spokeswoman for the weather service office in Amarillo, told msnbc.com.
“That was 4 feet of ice” that was compacted by rain and floodwater across a wide area, she added.
The National Weather Service’s office in Amarillo, Texas, posted this photo Wednesday night of a firefighter standing next to deep hail.
“It was actually the rain/water that caused the drifts,” Scotten said. “Anytime you have hail accumulate 2 to 4 feet high and get over three inches of rain, no matter how it occurs, it’s pretty incredible.”
As for the darkish color, “we’re very dusty around here” due to drought so the hail quickly darkened, Scotten said.
The image, she added, was sent by the Potter County Fire Department and the firefighter seen in it is standing where meltwater had cut through the hail.
The Texas Department of Transportation confirms it was deep hail dumped by a storm that dropped visibility to near-zero at times.
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This highway webcam image was taken at 4:10 p.m. local time Wednesday and shows hail on Highway 287.
“Heavy rain and up to 4 ft of hail has US 287 blocked north of Amarillo,” it tweeted Wednesday afternoon.
The local sheriff concurred as well.
“You’re looking at four foot deep” hail in one stretch, NBC affiliate KAMR-TV quoted Brian Thomas, sheriff of Potter County, as saying. “This was just one of those weird storms that just sat here and came down extremely heavy in this one area.”
Amarillo TV station Pronews 7 even shot video of flash flooding triggered by the pea-sized hail and several inches of rain.
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“It looked like soap suds,” said Pronews 7 meteorologist Steve Kersh. “The storm was moving really slow and a combination of the pea-sized hail and four to six inches of rain created those conditions.”
KAMR-TV reported that snow plows were called out to clear roads. Highway 287 was shut down for hours after the storm due to the cleanup.
Several vehicles got stuck in the flash flooding, and two feet of water also swamped a stretch of Highway 136, the weather service reported. One Chevy Tahoe, a large SUV, got stuck in hail up to its hood, Scotten said.
Covered in dust, this hail drift measured six feet high on April 12 and was still intact a day after it formed near Dumas, Texas, the National Weather Service said.
The pea-sized hailstones weren’t big enough to set any size records, and Scotten said the service doesn’t keep records for most hail in a given period.
But Jose Garcia, chief forecaster at the weather service in Amarillo, told msnbc.com it probably wasn’t the most hail the region has seen.
“Five to 6 feet deep hail” fell in nearby Dalhart, Texas, in 1993 during a very similar storm, he said. It took almost a month for some roads to reopen as the compact ice melted slowly. “It was almost like huge snow drifts,” he said.
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British Scientist ‘Fathered 600 Children’ By Donating Sperm At His Own Fertility Clinic
British Scientist ‘Fathered 600 Children’ By Donating Sperm At His Own Fertility Clinic – Daily Mail
A British scientist fathered up to 600 children after founding a fertility clinic that promised to provide sperm donors from ‘intelligent stock’, it emerged yesterday.
Biologist Bertold Wiesner supplied sperm to the partners of infertile men from the middle and upper classes, including ‘peers of the realm’.
His wife Mary Barton later destroyed medical records, meaning most of those conceived there – and their thousands of subsequent offspring – have no idea of their true family history and blood ties.
Family ties: Barry Stevens with a photograph of his father Bertold Wiesner
Half-brothers: Barry Stevens from Canada, left, and David Gollancz from London, right, were both conceived at the controversial Barton clinic and have discovered that Bertold Wiesner is their biological father
But two men conceived by artificial insemination at the practice, which operated from the early 1940s until the mid-1960s, have completed research suggesting up to two-thirds of sperm donations during that period were by Wiesner.
David Gollancz, one of Wiesner’s biological sons, estimated he would have made 20 donations a year, meaning he is likely to have fathered between 300 and 600 children.
The barrister found out in 1965, at the age of 12, that he was born from a sperm donor, but was never told who his biological father was.
He finally discovered the truth through DNA tests and has subsequently made contact with 11 of his half-siblings, including documentary-maker Barry Stevens, who led research into the clinic. Mr Gollancz said he had mixed feelings about his unusual family history.
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Donor: It is believed that Bertold Wiesner may have fathered up to 600 children through donating sperm at the fertility clinic he founded with his wife Mary Barton in the 1940s
He said: ‘It’s rather uncomfortable, because artificial insemination was developed on an industrial scale for cattle and I don’t like the feeling of having been “bred”.
‘But meeting the half siblings that I have tracked down has been a very life-enriching experience. This does make it frustrating too, because I know there are all those other siblings out there who I don’t know but would really like to meet. I’d love to be able to hire a huge marquee and invite them all to a party.’
Wiesner and Barton’s clinic, based in London’s Portland Place, is believed to have helped women conceive around 1,500 babies known as the ‘Barton Brood’.
The high fees meant most of their clients were middle-class, but Barton also claimed to have helped many of the upper classes and even some ‘peers of the realm’.
The couple used family friends to provide sperm, but a shortage of donors is believed to have led to Wiesner providing the majority.
DNA tests were carried out in 2007 on 18 people conceived at the clinic between 1943 and 1962. The tests found that 12 of the group – two-thirds – were Wiesner’s children.
Dr Barton told a 1959 government forum on artificial insemination: ‘I matched race, colouring and stature and all donors were drawn from intelligent stock.’
She added: ‘I wouldn’t take a donor unless he was, if anything, a little above average.
‘If you are going to do it [create a child] deliberately, you have got to put the standards rather higher than normal.’
An article the couple wrote in 1945 about their work prompted a peer to denounce their activities in the House of Lords as ‘the work of Beelzebub’.
Geoffrey Fisher, then Archbishop of Canterbury, also demanded the closure of the clinic.
Austrian-born Wiesner died in 1972, aged 70. His wife died 11 years ago.
Mr Gollancz was involved in a campaign to stop sperm donors being anonymous, but said he still wanted further changes in the law.
He said: ‘I would like to see birth certificates also carrying the name of the sperm or egg donor.
‘Most recipient parents don’t tell their children they are conceived this way, meaning they would never know to search for a donor father.
‘People have a right to know about their own history.’
Gatordoug
darcprynce
Dave C
