Stop here and read no further if you are eating breakfast. Seriously. This isn't a pleasant story.It is an unusual story about the depraved act of a Chicago man convicted Thursday of importing cocaine into Duluth. "Come next February I will have been doing this work for 30 years," St. Louis County prosecutor Vern Swanum said Thursday evening. "Just about the time I think I have seen every weird, strange, bizarre situation that could come up in a courtroom -- that nothing more could surprise me -- something like this occurs. You simply can't make this stuff up."
Vandale Amos Willis, 28, fired his public defender in the courtroom Thursday morning and elected to represent himself. That happens. Vandale must have his own defense strategy.
What happened next has never before been seen in the St. Louis County Courthouse or perhaps any courthouse. Willis smeared his own feces across the top of the table where he and Swanum were sitting and also spread it on a chair. He threw some more on the carpeted floor before displaying even more bizarre behavior. More bizarre you ask?
"He was literally smearing feces on his face and into his mouth," Swanum said. "He was putting it into his mouth. That's when he kind of advanced toward me. As I explained to one of my compatriots, that's when I decided to redeploy to a more secure position." Good move Vern.
Swanum said Willis has no recorded history of mental illness. "I think he was trying to goad the court into declaring a mistrial," Swanum said. "I can't get into his mind, but I believe it was intentional manipulative conduct." Ahhh the ole caged primate defense.
A St. Louis County sheriff's deputy removed Willis from the courtroom.
"Bailiff! Remove the defendant!"
"Ummm... Where's the tongs, yer honor?"
You think Joe the Janitor is grumpy...wait till he gets a load of this.
He was brought back to court to complete the trial Thursday afternoon.
"And make sure he has a shower!"
The defendant had requested he be tried by a judge instead of a jury. Sixth Judicial District Judge David Sullivan found Willis guilty of all three crimes he was charged with -- importation of controlled substance across state borders, first-degree possession of cocaine with intent to sell, and first-degree possession of cocaine. He is scheduled to be sentenced next month. He faces a guideline sentence of 86 months in prison. Sullivan is the judicial district's chief judge. He declined comment on Willis' behavior. He could have found Willis in contempt of court, but didn't. Gee do ya think?
The defendant's alleged accomplice, Derick Carothers, 23, also of Chicago, is awaiting trial on the same charges. Duluth police said that Carothers provided a taped statement in which he said he and Willis traveled from Chicago, each of them carrying one ounce of cocaine concealed in their buttocks. Makes for a long ride no doubt.
"Are we there yet?"
Willis also gave police a statement in which he said he and Carothers traveled by bus from Chicago to Duluth in June and expected to make about $5,000 selling the two ounces of cocaine they transported. The Lake Superior Drug and Gang Task Force arrested the two defendants at 702 E. Fourth St. on June 7. A search warrant was executed and cocaine was removed from Willis' buttocks. Don't you just love a poetic finnish.
#2
Now, talk about an incompetent judge. This fool makes Ito look like a Supreme commander. Where did he get his own crap? Did he shuck his drawers and and crap in the courtroom ? I would had had the bailiff over there to crack his skull open with a baton in a heart beat. The only thing the reporters would have been gushing over is spilled brains oozing all over the floor.
#4
A Fleet Phospho-soda with a water chaser about 10 hours before the next hearing will solve the little child's problem. However, I do recommend that no other human be in the same cell with the lad and appropriate water hoses are within the lock crew's arms reach. It was good enough for my colonoscopy, its good enough for him.
DUBAI Some 50 pink taxis, exclusively for women, will hit Dubai roads starting January 1, next year. Driven by national women drivers, the pink taxis will be a sight to behold on Dubai's roads, said Ammar bin Tamim, Director of Dubai Taxi Department at the Public Transport Agency in the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
The taxis can be booked over the phone, and will also be available at places most frequented by women such as shopping malls, hospitals and clubs. "Already 11 national women have been hired while three are still under training," said the director.
He also said that the taxis will offer different services from the taxis allocated only for airports as those taxis catered to families. "The pink taxis will be for women only," he pointed out.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/01/2006 00:00 ||
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Hokay, one more time. This background is salmon, and the taxi is pink. Cheez, the things I put up with 'round here, always working, fixing all the format problems, up late every night posting, natter natter mutter mutter ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/01/2006 11:25 Comments ||
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Cambodia's parliament has begun debating a new law that would send unfaithful spouses to prison for up to a year. The draft law would limit Cambodians to having only one husband or wife. Parliament began debating the law on Tuesday. "This law is aimed at protecting dignity, strengthening harmony within the family and mutual respect between a husband and a wife," reads the law, which was introduced by 63 lawmakers, many of them women.
The proposed law would outlaw polygamy and incest, making extra-marital relations punishable by between a month and a year in prison, plus a fine of up to $250. Members of parliament from the ruling Cambodian Peoples party said the law would help to strengthen social morality in the impoverished nation. Ek Sam Ol, a member of parliament from the ruling party, said:"This law is a tool to ensure that Cambodian families ... are dignified and prosperous in the future."
Opposition MPs say the law would mark a throwback to the Khmer Rouge government that ruled the country from 1975-79, when extra-marital affairs were punished by execution. Eng Chhay Eang, of the opposition Sam Rainsy party, said: "The parliament should not pass this law because it does not benefit the nation or the development of the country."
Hun Sen, the prime minister, proposed the law five months ago, after he publicly grumbled about government officials bringing their mistresses instead of their wives to official functions. Although polygamy is a common practice in traditional Khmer families, the law would most obviously affect Prince Norodom Ranariddh, the leader of the royalist Funcinpec party, who is often seen with his mistress.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
I've heard its a common custom for a man to 'force' a subordinate to be his 'mistress' (or else no job) - then when the wife finds out she hires someone to throw acid on the victim's face.
unfortunately - he has no afterlife possibilities. He says he has no issues with that. Hopefully the gleeful comments will be kept to a minimum. I, for one, despise the little sh*t and his scumbag atty, wish him nothing good, but never sought or will celebrate his death
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/01/2006 09:00 ||
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#1
"unfortunately - he has no afterlife possibilities"
Oh, I beg to differ. He definitely has afterlife possibilities. I just don't think he'll like the accomodations.
#5
Paulson, 59, and his lawyer, James McElroy, said yesterday they plan to add another plaintiff to the case so that it may continue. Like Paulson, the new plaintiff, Steve Trunk, is a Vietnam war veteran, an atheist and the product of a religious upbringing.
I'm deeply saddened to hear about Phil's health, McElroy said. He's been a very courageous man in my eyes to stand up against such difficult odds and fight so long and so hard, and my big hope is that he will survive to see this important constitutional battle won for all religious minorities and people of conscience dim wits.
#7
And if he lived in Rio he would sue for the removal of Christ the Redeemer from the top of Corcovado Mountain. But then he probably cheered the Taliban's dynamiting the Buhdas.
But I have to admit that having lost my wife to cancer I hate to see any one get the big C
#9
We could pray for a miraculous cure. If it worked, think how troubled the remainder of his life will be trying to figure it all out. Doc says nothing in science explains it. Heh.
A Saudi man convicted of sexually assaulting an Indonesian housekeeper and keeping her as a virtual slave was sentenced yesterday to 27 years to life in prison in Colorado. Homaidan Al-Turki, the 37-year-old Saudi national, denied the charges and blamed anti-Muslim prejudice for the case against him. He said prosecutors persuaded the housekeeper to accuse him after they failed to build a case that he was a terrorist. Al-Turki, who was studying for a doctoral degree at the University of Colorado, was convicted June 30 of unlawful sexual contact by use of force, theft and extortion. All are felonies.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
University of Colorado? Did he happen to know a certain psuedo-native-american professor Churchhil by any chance?
#6
His wife, Sarah Khonaizan, got off a lot easier. She pleaded guilty in May to harboring an illegal immigrant and was sentenced to five years' probation and ordered confined to her home until she leaves the country.
#7
So she will leave the country as soon as she is able, leaving him in prison with no visitors except the lawyers hired by the embassy. Without a passionate advocate, the process will go very slowly for him. Which no doubt he will find frustrating, poor dear.
#9
Without a passionate advocate, the process will go very slowly for him.
Don't worry. I'm sure the ACLU can find someone to represent him.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
09/01/2006 8:39 Comments ||
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#10
What a second! You cant beat your servants? Uh oh I guess I will have to stop laying the lash to the help around the house. Can I still make them wash my truck?
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Stop here and read no further if you are eating breakfast. Seriously. This isn't a pleasant story.It is an unusual story about the depraved act of a Chicago man convicted Thursday of importing cocaine into Duluth. "Come next February I will have been doing this work for 30 years," St. Louis County prosecutor Vern Swanum said Thursday evening. "Just about the time I think I have seen every weird, strange, bizarre situation that could come up in a courtroom -- that nothing more could surprise me -- something like this occurs. You simply can't make this stuff up."
DUBAI Some 50 pink taxis, exclusively for women, will hit Dubai roads starting January 1, next year. Driven by national women drivers, the pink taxis will be a sight to behold on Dubai's roads, said Ammar bin Tamim, Director of Dubai Taxi Department at the Public Transport Agency in the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
Cambodia's parliament has begun debating a new law that would send unfaithful spouses to prison for up to a year. The draft law would limit Cambodians to having only one husband or wife. Parliament began debating the law on Tuesday. "This law is aimed at protecting dignity, strengthening harmony within the family and mutual respect between a husband and a wife," reads the law, which was introduced by 63 lawmakers, many of them women.
Plaintiff will be added so lawsuit can continue
