RNN: Ratchet News Network
Don't Sell Meth on the Job. You'll Probably Get Caught.
Date: 11/22/2014
Location: Lorena, Texas
Crime: Drug charges
Ratchet Meter: 4
A reckless Texas mailman has been accused of selling meth along his delivery route.
The Smoking Gun reports that surveillance cameras caught 39-year-old Edward Flores, who's worked for the U.S. Postal Service for the past 20 years, selling meth in uniform. According to the Smoking Gun, the DEA's 10-month investigation began after they were tipped off that Flores was not only selling meth on the job, but from his Lorena, Texas home as well.
Police reportedly raided his home last week, discovering $17,000 worth of meth. The Smoking Gun adds that Flores, who faces federal drug charges, is currently free on $10,000 bail.
[via The Smoking Gun]
San Francisco Man Sustains Nine Stab Wounds After Confronting Man Who Catcalled Girlfriend
Date: 11/15/2014
Location: San Francisco, Calif.
Crime: N/A
Ratchet Meter: 6
Authorities say a man was reportedly stabbed multiple times for telling a man to stop harassing his girlfriend last weekend.
According to CBS San Francisco, 31-year-old Ben Schwartz was stabbed nine times in San Francisco during the morning of Nov. 15. CBS San Francisco reports that Schwartz, who suffered life-threatening injuries, confronted his assailant about catcalling his girlfriend:
An investigation indicated that the man was walking home with his girlfriend when the suspect started catcalling her, police said.
The man confronted the suspect and an argument ensued, ending with the suspect stabbing the man multiple times with a knife, according to police.
Schwartz was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, and though police are investigating the attack, an arrest has yet to be made. Jezebel notes that Schwartz is recovering following surgery.
[via CBS San Francisco and Jezebel]
High School Prostitution Ring Uncovered in Florida
Date: 11/21/2014
Location: Venice, Fla.
Crime: Human trafficking
Ratchet Meter: 8
Police in Florida say a 17-year-old girl was arrested last week for using Facebook to start a prostitution ring at local high schools.
According to WTSP, the girl, a student at Sarasota, Fla.'s Riverview High School, was arrested on Friday after four students at Venice High School told school administrators. The student stands accused of setting up meetings where men would reportedly pay $50 for oral sex, and $100 to have sex with virgins.
One appointment involved a 15-year-old girl meeting 21-year-old John Mosher in exchange for $40 and a bottle of alcohol. The meeting took place behind a shed at a community pool, but when the girl attempted to back out of the arrangement, Mosher forced her into sex.
Mosher was arrested and charged with sexual battery, while the girl who orchestrated everything faces human trafficking charges. Police in Venice, Fla. told WFTS they expect to make another arrest today.
[via WTSP and WFTS]
Two Male Models Charged for Selling Cocaine from Manhattan Apartment
Date: 11/21/2014
Location: New York, N.Y.
Crime: Felony drug charges
Ratchet Meter: 5
In an incident that places a dark, drug-dealing twist on Zoolander, two model roommates faces charges for their roles in a Manhattan cocaine delivery ring.
The New York Daily News reports that 20-year-old Joseph Denormandie and 25-year-old Christopher Wetmore were collared after allegedly trying to sell $2,500 worth of cocaine to an undercover police officer. According to the Daily News, prosecutors believe the men are part of a larger drug delivery service.
Both face felony drug charges, and Denormandie is being held on $100,000 bail, while Wetmore is currently being detained on $300,000 bail.
[via New York Daily News]
Teacher Arrested After Promising Student Good Grades in Exchange for Sex, Silence
Date: 11/21/2014
Location: Richardson, Texas
Crime: Sexual assault and improper relationship with a student
Ratchet Meter: 8
Authorities in Texas arrested a high school teacher over the weekend for carrying out a sexual relationship with a student. Worse, he allegedly tried to coerce her into signing a contract which promised her good grades in exchange for sexual favors and her keeping her mouth shut about the entire situation. Filth.
WFAA reports that 34-year-old James Quigley began harassing the 16-year-old Richardson High School student in March with a barrage of texts and emails. The girl told police in Richardson, Texas that she had sex with the English teacher twice at her home, mostly because he didn't want his wife—who also teaches at the school—to find out.
The aforementioned “contract” stipulated that the girl would receive an “85 or higher” in Quigley's class, as long as no one found out about their relationship.
Quigley has been charged with sexual assault and improper relationship with a student, and WFAA adds that the school has placed him on administrative leave. No word on the state of his marriage.
[via WFAA]
Naked Man Arrested After Crashing Through Ceiling, Attacking Man at Boston Airport
Date: 11/23/2014
Location: Boston, Mass.
Ratchet Meter: 9
Authorities in Boston arrested a naked man who attacked an elderly man after tumbling through the ceiling of bathroom at Logan International Airport yesterday.
The Associated Press reports that 26-year-old Cameron Shenk fell through the ceiling of a women's bathroom, setting off a bizarre series of events:
The bizarre behavior began shortly before noon when a woman using a restroom located before the security checkpoint in Terminal C reported that a naked man had fallen through the ceiling and landed in the stall area, state police spokesman David Procopio said. The man had apparently sneaked into the bathroom, undressed inside one of the stalls and climbed into the crawl space above the restroom before crashing through the ceiling, Procopio said.
After exiting the bathroom, Shenk, bleeding from the fall, attacked an 84-year-old man and tried to choke him with his own cane before biting his ear. He proceeded to fight with the troopers who tried to arrest him, and one trooper suffered a hand injury during the fracas.
Both Shenk and the elderly man were hospitalized, and Shenk faces charges for assault and battery on a person over 60, lewd and lascivious conduct, mayhem, malicious destruction to property, assault and battery on a police officer, and attempted murder.
[via Associated Press]
Man with Unfortunate Name Arrested for Sexual Assault in Florida
Date: 11/23/2014
Location: Gainsville, Fla.
Crime: Sexual battery, kidnapping, and robbery
Ratchet Meter: 6
A Florida man with a name that will make you look twice was arrested on Sunday for sexually assaulting a man who walked past his vehicle.
The Smoking Gun reports that 58-year-old Phuc Kieu of Orlando, Fla. (yes, believe it) was seated in his car in Gainesville, Fla. watching gay pornography on Sunday afternoon when the 21-year-old walked by. He then attacked the man, pulling him inside of his vehicle and attempting to rip his clothes off and take his money.
WESH reports that the man was able to fight Kieu off, fleeing to seek help from local police. Kieu was charged with sexual battery, kidnapping, and robbery.
[via The Smoking Gun and WESH]
Twins, 17, Accused of Robbing Elderly Man They Met on Sugar Daddy Website
Date: 10/21/2014
Location: New York, N.Y.
Crime: Kidnapping, larceny, and burglary
Ratchet Meter: 5
Twin sisters in New York City were charged this week for tying up and robbing an 84-year-old man they met on a dating website.
The New York Times reports that 84-year-old Paul Aronson met Shaina Foster, 17, on SeekingArrangement.com. On Oct. 1, Foster and her sister, Shalaine, joined Aronson for dinner at a Manhattan restaurant, then came back to his apartment. According to the Times, he purchased a bottle of raspberry-flavored rum and allowed the girls to play with his dog, but the situation soured quickly when the elderly man introduced sex to the conversation:
He asked to do things I wasn’t going to do, she told Detective Darryl Ng at the 17th Precinct after the girls were arrested on Oct. 21. He is ugly, old and disgusting. I tied him up. I took his money and left. He was starting to creep me out.
The girls allegedly used zip ties to bind Aronson, then stole his credit cards and $470 from his wallet which they used for an ill-advised shopping spree. Shalaine Foster claims that she only watched as her sister tied up Aronson, and both girls pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping, larceny, burglary and more yesterday.
[via New York Times]
Pennsylvania Woman Arrested for Hiring Undercover Cop She Mistook for Hit Man
Date: 11/25/2014
Location: Easton, Pa.
Ratchet Meter: 8
Police in New Jersey arrested a Pennsylvania woman this week after hiring an undercover cop she thought was a hit man.
According to Philly.com, 52-year-old Denise Marie Nagrodski of Easton, Pa. was arrested on Tuesday for hiring the undercover cop to kill her daughter's ex-boyfriend, his sister, and her boyfriend. Nagrodski reportedly sought revenge against the man for abusing her daughter:
An undercover state police detective posed as a contract killer and met with Nagrodski Nov. 21 at the Phillipsburg Mall, investigators said.
There, she allegedly outlined her plot, asking that the ex's sister and her boyfriend each be shot twice in the forehead, “one for each twin,” prosecutors said.
When Nagrodski was unable to provide the “hit man” with a gun, she agreed he would instead “bash in” the heads of those two victims and set their house on fire, according to authorities.
Prosecutors said she instructed the detective to burn her daughter's ex-boyfriend alive, and to make sure the victim knew Nagrodski was responsible for his death.
Nagrodkski had two meetings with the officer, paying him $500 each time. She was arrested by the New Jersey State Police after on Route 22 after the second meeting, and faces charges for attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempt to tamper with or fabricate physical evidence, and conspiracy to commit aggravated arson.
[via Philly.com]
Michigan Tutor Arrested for Having Sex with Minor Says Teen Initiated Relationship
Date: 11/25/2014
Location: Grand Rapids, Mich.
Crime: Criminal sexual conduct in the first-degree
Ratchet Meter: 4
A tutor in Michigan facing charges for having sex with a minor claims the boy forced her into having sex with him,
According to the New York Daily News, 35-year-old Abigail Simon of Grand Rapids, Mich. was arrested after the mother of a 15-year-old Catholic Central High School found explicit pictures of her on the boy's phone. However, Simon alleges that the boy forced her to have sex several times last year, raping her three times at her apartment and in her car.
What's more, Simon reported sent the boy text messages saying that she loved him, and lied to her friends about how old he was. She defended her actions, claiming that she only did this to make him happy.
Assistant Kent County Prosecutor Helen Brinkman dismissed Simon's allegations, telling her that she consented to sex and would have continued the relationship if it weren't exposed. The Daily News adds that the boy told police he stalked Simon and threatened to kill her if she told anyone about their relationship, but then testified that he lied in an attempt to protect her.
Simon was charged with criminal sexual conduct in the first-degree. A jury is expected to decide her fate in the near future.
[via New York Daily News]
