LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Star Jones, whose elaborate, corporate-sponsored wedding won her the nickname "Bridezilla," has filed for a divorce from her husband of about three years, Al Reynolds, according to media reports.
Celebrity television show "Entertainment Tonight" said Jones issued a statement saying she had filed the papers a month ago.
"The dissolution of a marriage is a difficult time in anyone's life that requires privacy with one's thoughts," Jones said in the statement. "I have committed myself to handling this situation with dignity and grace and look forward to emerging from this period as a stronger and wiser woman."
Jones, 46, and Reynolds, 39, a banker, were married in 2004 in a lavish wedding in which supplies and services were donated by corporate "sponsors" in return for publicity. Tabloid newspapers referred to her as "Bridezilla."
Jones was a co-host the popular daytime talk show "The View," on which a group of women discuss current affairs, for nearly 10 years before being dropped in 2006. In an interview on NBC's "Today" show after the firing she apologized for getting "caught in the euphoria" of her plans.
"I think I used and some would say abused, my celebrity in planning the wedding," she said on "Today." In Wednesday's statement to "Entertainment Tonight," Jones said she "made an error in judgment by inviting the media into the most intimate area of my life."
The divorce papers were filed in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan. A spokesman for Jones had no further comment.
(Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Bill Trott)
Source:http://www.reuters.com
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Television Star Jason Beghe Blasts Scientology
Television Star Jason Beghe Blasts Scientology
Star Exits Scientology
Ruggedly handsome actor Jason Beghe was best man at the wedding of "X Files" star David Duchovny (his childhood pal) and actress Tea Leoni. In 1998, he starred as Demi Moore’s love interest in “G.I. Jane.” He’s been featured in numerous TV dramas such as 'Criminal Minds,' 'Numb3rs', and 'CSI.'
In 2005, Beghe appeared in promotional spots for the Church of Scientology.
But now Beghe has escaped the Church after taking courses since 1994. He’s made a video that’s up on YouTube.
This is what he has to say:
“Scientology is destructive and a rip off.”
He also says: “It’s very, very dangerous for your spiritual, psychological, mental, emotional health and evolution. I think it stunts your evolution. If Scientology is real, then something’s f——ed up.”
You can see from the video that Beghe does not mince words. But his refreshing candor about the religion he joined in 1994 should shake the Celebrity Center to its core.
“It ain’t deliverin’ what it’s promised. It sure has not. “
The video is billed as a three-minute teaser to a longer interview with Beghe that’s on its way. But the short video packs a powerful punch. Beghe still uses a lot of Scientology lingo like “OT” and “clear.” Still, it’s quite easy to understand the point he’s making. After 14 years and a tremendous amount of money, he’s finally seen Scientology for what it is.
Beghe has completed so many courses that he’s considered a top Scientologist, or “OT 5”—similar to Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley. But Beghe reveals: “The further up the bridge the worse you get.”
He adds: “I don’t have an agenda. I’m just trying to help. I have the luxury of having gotten into Scientology and after having been in it, been out. And that’s a perspective that people who are still in and not out do not have.”
Source:http://www.foxnews.com
More to come…
Star Exits Scientology
Ruggedly handsome actor Jason Beghe was best man at the wedding of "X Files" star David Duchovny (his childhood pal) and actress Tea Leoni. In 1998, he starred as Demi Moore’s love interest in “G.I. Jane.” He’s been featured in numerous TV dramas such as 'Criminal Minds,' 'Numb3rs', and 'CSI.'
In 2005, Beghe appeared in promotional spots for the Church of Scientology.
But now Beghe has escaped the Church after taking courses since 1994. He’s made a video that’s up on YouTube.
This is what he has to say:
“Scientology is destructive and a rip off.”
He also says: “It’s very, very dangerous for your spiritual, psychological, mental, emotional health and evolution. I think it stunts your evolution. If Scientology is real, then something’s f——ed up.”
You can see from the video that Beghe does not mince words. But his refreshing candor about the religion he joined in 1994 should shake the Celebrity Center to its core.
“It ain’t deliverin’ what it’s promised. It sure has not. “
The video is billed as a three-minute teaser to a longer interview with Beghe that’s on its way. But the short video packs a powerful punch. Beghe still uses a lot of Scientology lingo like “OT” and “clear.” Still, it’s quite easy to understand the point he’s making. After 14 years and a tremendous amount of money, he’s finally seen Scientology for what it is.
Beghe has completed so many courses that he’s considered a top Scientologist, or “OT 5”—similar to Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley. But Beghe reveals: “The further up the bridge the worse you get.”
He adds: “I don’t have an agenda. I’m just trying to help. I have the luxury of having gotten into Scientology and after having been in it, been out. And that’s a perspective that people who are still in and not out do not have.”
Source:http://www.foxnews.com
More to come…
Jason Beghe Speaks Out Against Scientology
Stars Align Against Scientology?
Former high-ranking Scientologist Jason Beghe—no Tom Cruise but an actor you might recognize from Numb3rs, CSI: NY, or, God help you, Everwood—is the first in what Xenu TV promises will be a series of celebs railing on Scientology. Says Beghe: "If Scientology is real, then something's fucked up, because it ain't delivering what it's promising, that's for goddamn sure. Let me meet a motherfucking clear. I'm clear. I'm declared clear as a motherfucking bell!"
But the real money's at 2:30, where he does his unofficial Cruise impersonation.
By Tyler Gray 04/14/08 2:15 PM
File Under: Jason Beghe, Scientology, Xenuphobia
Source:http://www.radaronline.com
Former high-ranking Scientologist Jason Beghe—no Tom Cruise but an actor you might recognize from Numb3rs, CSI: NY, or, God help you, Everwood—is the first in what Xenu TV promises will be a series of celebs railing on Scientology. Says Beghe: "If Scientology is real, then something's fucked up, because it ain't delivering what it's promising, that's for goddamn sure. Let me meet a motherfucking clear. I'm clear. I'm declared clear as a motherfucking bell!"
But the real money's at 2:30, where he does his unofficial Cruise impersonation.
By Tyler Gray 04/14/08 2:15 PM
File Under: Jason Beghe, Scientology, Xenuphobia
Source:http://www.radaronline.com
Save money! Top online coupons and deals Brads deals
Bradsdeals.com
By Brad Wilson
TODAY
updated 7:12 a.m. AKT, Mon., April. 14, 2008
If you are an online shopper, you’ve probably seen the “do you have a coupon code?” box during the checkout process. Most people skip this because they don’t know a code. Smart consumers have discovered how many coupon codes there are and how easy they are to find and use. They’ve also discovered the incredible deals that exist when combining coupons with sale prices and other discounts.
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Enter coupon code APRILSAVINGS31 through 4/14.
* 25 percent off one item at BN.com (Barnes & Noble)
Enter coupon code A8P8N9P through 5/26. Valid for new customers only
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* Dyson DC14 Vacuum $380: This retails for $505 and is on sale at Overstock.com for $439.99. An additional $60 discount is applied through a link on BradsDeals.com, cutting the price to $379.99. $2.95 shipping and no sales tax are an additional savings.
* Time magazine subscription, $11: 28 issues has a cover price of $138.60. Magazines.com has subscriptions for $16. Entering coupon code springmags cuts that price to $11.
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Don’t shop online? You should. In addition to thousands of coupon codes and lower prices, many stores offer free shipping and you’ll also save up to 10 percent by avoiding sales tax (if a company is not physically located in your state, your purchase is sales tax free). Many online stores now offer free return shipping, too. For example, at a shoe store (I like Shoes.com or Shoebuy.com), this allows you to order multiple sizes and only keep the pair that fits.
If you’re concerned about safety, just use a good credit card with strong consumer protections. They will back you up if anything bad happens.
Source:Save money! Top online coupons and deals
Brad Wilson finds and publishes online shopping deals and coupons on his Web site, www.BradsDeals.com
brads deals, bradsdeals.com
Friday, April 11, 2008
Twenty-six-year-old Texan Crystle Stewart is crowned Miss USA 2008
LAS VEGAS - A 26-year-old entrepreneur from Texas was named Miss USA on Friday, besting 50 other beauty queens for the coveted crown.
Crystle Stewart, of Missouri City, Texas, runs a party-planning and motivational speaking company, as well as modeling professionally. She says she wants to dedicate her life to international philanthropy.
She edged out first runner-up Leah Laviano of Mississippi and Tiffany Andrade of New Jersey.
Miss USA 2007 Rachel Smith relinquished the crown - and the posh New York apartment that comes with it - in a show aired live by NBC with hosts Donny and Marie Osmond from the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The network co-owns the parent Miss Universe Organization with Donald Trump.
Smith, a former Miss Tennessee USA, said she was headed to Hollywood.
Contestants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia have been in Las Vegas for nearly three weeks, rehearsing and hyping the 57th annual pageant. After stints in Baltimore and Los Angeles, organizers billed the new venue as a city beloved by the event's international audience.
The pageant tried to showed off its edge, featuring a grinding live rock performance by the band Finger Eleven, music from Rihanna, and contestants in barely there black bikinis and faux-fur coats.
Donny and Marie kept up a steady stream of sibling banter even while swiftly whittling the field.
Donny Osmond told the losers to "put on a poker face" as he sent them home.
"Or use Botox; then it won't move," Marie quipped.
Stewart will compete in the Miss Universe pageant in Vietnam in July. She also becomes a spokeswoman for breast and ovarian cancer awareness and other causes, while traveling to promote the organization.
Miss USA contestants are scored in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown and interview. Miss Alaska USA, Courtney Erin Carroll, was chosen "Miss Photogenic USA" based on voting at the organization's website. The other contestants named Miss Ohio USA, Monica Day, "Miss Congeniality." Unlike the rival Miss America, Miss USA contestants are not asked to perform a talent.
The panel of judges for Friday's pageant included Heather Mills, model and former wife of Paul McCartney; comedian Rob Schneider; Olympic gold-medal swimmer Amanda Beard; and Christian Siriano, winner of Bravo's fashion reality series, "Project Runway."
Twenty-six-year-old Texan Crystle Stewart is crowned Miss USA 2008
Written by Kathleen Hennessey, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Friday, 11 April 2008
Source:Source:http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com
Miss USA scandals and highlights
Halle Berry, Shanna Moakler, Tara Conner and more!
Kudos to Donald Trump for finding ways to make the Miss USA pageant seem almost relevant again. This year the show (airing tonight on NBC) got a buzz infusion thanks to the selection of Heather Mills as a judge, and (perhaps a little less so) because Donny and Marie Osmond will host. Last year, of course, there was the Tara Conner scandal, which sparked a feud between Trump and Rosie O'Donnell, which helped turn the situation into a national news story.
Throughout the 56-year history of the Miss USA pageant, winners and losers have made it into our newspapers and nightly newscasts, but not being pageant scholars we couldn't remember what those were. So we called Gerdeen Dyer -- Atlanta newspaper reporter, longtime pageant follower and founder of Pageant.com -- to tell us seven Miss USA scandals.
Mr. Dyer is a consummate southern gentleman (or so we gleaned from his delightfully polite e-mail and phone message), and didn't want to dwell on the scandalous stuff. Fair enough, but there's still enough dirt in this list to keep it interesting and prepare you for what Trump might have planned for us this year.
1. "In 1952, Jackie Loughery was crowned the first Miss USA. She set the long tradition of Miss USAs being romantically linked to celebrities. She was later married to singer Guy Mitchell and to actor Jack Webb, two very big stars in the 1950s."
2. "Leona Gage of Maryland was crowned Miss USA 1957, claiming to be 21 and single. The next day it was discovered that she was 18, on her second marriage and the mother of two children. The crown was taken away. She got some public sympathy, but her attempt at a major show business career proved rocky."
3. "From 1985 to 1989, five consecutive Miss USAs -- Laura Elena Martinez-Herring, Christy Fichtner, Michelle Royer, Courtney Gibbs and Gretchen Polhemus -- were from Texas. Nobody claimed the pageant was rigged, but after the third year, the streak came to dominate news coverage of the event. Officials were glad to change the subject in 1990, when Carole Gist became the first black woman to be crowned Miss USA ... and was from Michigan."
4. "Shannon Marketic, Miss USA 1992, sued royals in the oil-rich nation of Brunei in 1997, saying she had been lured there the year before in a scheme to force her into prostitution. For jurisdictional reasons, the case never got to court, and there were different opinions about how much of her story was true. But the suit brought public attention to the fact that Brunei was an international magnet for models and beauty queens looking to make a lot of money fast. (It has cleaned up its act since.)"
5. "In 2001, Halle Berry became the first former finalist at Miss USA to win the Oscar as best actress. She had been first runner-up to Christy Fichtner in the 1986 pageant."
6. "In December 2001, Shanna Moakler became the first former Miss USA to become Playboy's Playmate of the Month. Although she had been known back in 1995 as one of the shyest Miss USAs ever, she shed her shyness in Hollywood."
7. "December 2006 (just weeks before the 2007 pageant) was the all-time scandal month for Miss USA. Tara Conner, the reigning queen, admitted excessive partying, including drug use, underage drinking and staying out late with famous guys. She was rumored to have kissed Miss Teen USA on the lips. She apologized and kept her job. On the heels of that, Miss Nevada USA, Katie Rees, lost her title over photos that showed her engaged in "Girls Gone Wild"-style behavior."
Source:http://www.chicagotribune.com
Kudos to Donald Trump for finding ways to make the Miss USA pageant seem almost relevant again. This year the show (airing tonight on NBC) got a buzz infusion thanks to the selection of Heather Mills as a judge, and (perhaps a little less so) because Donny and Marie Osmond will host. Last year, of course, there was the Tara Conner scandal, which sparked a feud between Trump and Rosie O'Donnell, which helped turn the situation into a national news story.
Throughout the 56-year history of the Miss USA pageant, winners and losers have made it into our newspapers and nightly newscasts, but not being pageant scholars we couldn't remember what those were. So we called Gerdeen Dyer -- Atlanta newspaper reporter, longtime pageant follower and founder of Pageant.com -- to tell us seven Miss USA scandals.
Mr. Dyer is a consummate southern gentleman (or so we gleaned from his delightfully polite e-mail and phone message), and didn't want to dwell on the scandalous stuff. Fair enough, but there's still enough dirt in this list to keep it interesting and prepare you for what Trump might have planned for us this year.
1. "In 1952, Jackie Loughery was crowned the first Miss USA. She set the long tradition of Miss USAs being romantically linked to celebrities. She was later married to singer Guy Mitchell and to actor Jack Webb, two very big stars in the 1950s."
2. "Leona Gage of Maryland was crowned Miss USA 1957, claiming to be 21 and single. The next day it was discovered that she was 18, on her second marriage and the mother of two children. The crown was taken away. She got some public sympathy, but her attempt at a major show business career proved rocky."
3. "From 1985 to 1989, five consecutive Miss USAs -- Laura Elena Martinez-Herring, Christy Fichtner, Michelle Royer, Courtney Gibbs and Gretchen Polhemus -- were from Texas. Nobody claimed the pageant was rigged, but after the third year, the streak came to dominate news coverage of the event. Officials were glad to change the subject in 1990, when Carole Gist became the first black woman to be crowned Miss USA ... and was from Michigan."
4. "Shannon Marketic, Miss USA 1992, sued royals in the oil-rich nation of Brunei in 1997, saying she had been lured there the year before in a scheme to force her into prostitution. For jurisdictional reasons, the case never got to court, and there were different opinions about how much of her story was true. But the suit brought public attention to the fact that Brunei was an international magnet for models and beauty queens looking to make a lot of money fast. (It has cleaned up its act since.)"
5. "In 2001, Halle Berry became the first former finalist at Miss USA to win the Oscar as best actress. She had been first runner-up to Christy Fichtner in the 1986 pageant."
6. "In December 2001, Shanna Moakler became the first former Miss USA to become Playboy's Playmate of the Month. Although she had been known back in 1995 as one of the shyest Miss USAs ever, she shed her shyness in Hollywood."
7. "December 2006 (just weeks before the 2007 pageant) was the all-time scandal month for Miss USA. Tara Conner, the reigning queen, admitted excessive partying, including drug use, underage drinking and staying out late with famous guys. She was rumored to have kissed Miss Teen USA on the lips. She apologized and kept her job. On the heels of that, Miss Nevada USA, Katie Rees, lost her title over photos that showed her engaged in "Girls Gone Wild"-style behavior."
Source:http://www.chicagotribune.com
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Students Capture Attack on Teacher on Video
the video of the teacher beating is below
Baltimore, Maryland (CNN, WBAL) -- A shocking video of a female student attacking an art teacher and recording the assault on a cell phone at Reginald F. Lewis High School in Baltimore is causing a stir among both the community and the school.
Art teacher Jolita Berry says she was beaten by a female student as others stood and watched last Friday. One student even captured the assault on video with a cell phone.
"It's just frustrating," says Berry, "Too many times has it happened at this school and other schools, and nothing's being done."
Berry says the video later showed up on MySpace.com.
"It's like we're not important," Berry says, "It's like we don't matter."
The art teacher says she asked the student to sit down, and she says a "relentless assault" is what followed.
"I looked over, and her friends were cheering her on," Berry says, "And before I knew it, she hit me in the face."
Teachers later broke up the fight. Berry thought she could turn to her principal for help, but after a little consoling, the art teacher felt like the school was on the side of the student.
"On one hand she [Lewis High School's principal] told me that she was sorry for me that this happened to me," Berry says, "But then she turned right around and told me that telling the student that I was going to defend myself was a 'trigger word.' That I 'triggered' them."
Berry says she and other teachers at her school feel like they are at a loss, feeling the schools they teach in are not safe, they just hope the Baltimore City School System is watching the tape.
"No learning place should be this violent," Berry said.
The chief of Baltimore City school police said he had not been notified about the attack, but would investigate.
Source:http://www.wltx.com
Baltimore, Maryland (CNN, WBAL) -- A shocking video of a female student attacking an art teacher and recording the assault on a cell phone at Reginald F. Lewis High School in Baltimore is causing a stir among both the community and the school.
Art teacher Jolita Berry says she was beaten by a female student as others stood and watched last Friday. One student even captured the assault on video with a cell phone.
"It's just frustrating," says Berry, "Too many times has it happened at this school and other schools, and nothing's being done."
Berry says the video later showed up on MySpace.com.
"It's like we're not important," Berry says, "It's like we don't matter."
The art teacher says she asked the student to sit down, and she says a "relentless assault" is what followed.
"I looked over, and her friends were cheering her on," Berry says, "And before I knew it, she hit me in the face."
Teachers later broke up the fight. Berry thought she could turn to her principal for help, but after a little consoling, the art teacher felt like the school was on the side of the student.
"On one hand she [Lewis High School's principal] told me that she was sorry for me that this happened to me," Berry says, "But then she turned right around and told me that telling the student that I was going to defend myself was a 'trigger word.' That I 'triggered' them."
Berry says she and other teachers at her school feel like they are at a loss, feeling the schools they teach in are not safe, they just hope the Baltimore City School System is watching the tape.
"No learning place should be this violent," Berry said.
The chief of Baltimore City school police said he had not been notified about the attack, but would investigate.
Source:http://www.wltx.com
Friend testifies Orlewicz talked about killing Dan Sorensen "weeks earler"
Friend testifies Orlewicz talked about killing Sorensen "weeks earler"
By Brad Kadrich
OBSERVER STAFF WRITER
By Brad Kadrich
OBSERVER STAFF WRITER
In his opening statement Monday, defense attorney Joseph Niskar told jurors in the trial of Jean Pierre Orlewicz that the death of 26-year-old Daniel Sorensen was an act of self-defense followed by a panicked attempt by a frightened teenager to cover the whole thing up.
But a witness testified Tuesday the idea of killing Sorensen occurred to Orlewicz weeks before the Nov. 7 murder, an idea that stemmed from the defendant's dislike of the victim, who allegedly owed Orlewicz $400.
Alex Mullins, a friend of Orlewicz who initially denied any involvement in the crime, said on the witness stand Tuesday in Wayne County Circuit Court he stood "lookout" outside the Canton Township garage of Orlewicz's grandfather during an aborted murder attempt the day before the actual killing.
Orlewicz is charged with first-degree murder, felony murder and mutilation of a dead body in the death of Sorensen, a 26-year-old River Rouge man who died Nov. 7. Police say Dan Sorensen was lured to the Canton Township garage of Orlewicz's grandfather, where they say the murder took place.
Sorensen's decapitated and burned body was found the next day in a Northville Township field. His head was found in the Rouge River a couple of days later.
If convicted, Orlewicz, a Canton High School senior, faces life in prison without parole.
Teen testifies
Mullins testified the death was actually supposed to take place Nov. 6, and Orlewicz asked him to be the lookout in case his (Orlewicz's) father showed up. Mullins said Orlewicz helped him cover garage windows with a "somewhat worn" tarp, and that Orlewicz covered the garage floor "with a blue tarp ... it looked new."
Under questioning from Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Robert Moran, Mullins said he first heard Orlewicz talk about killing Sorensen "weeks earlier."
"He said he wanted to stab him ... bag him in a tarp ... and hang him upside down burning," Mullins testified. "JP told (former co-defendant Alexander Letkemann) and me that (Sorensen) owed him money and he was angry about it."
Police say Orlewicz abandoned the idea of killing Sorensen on Nov. 6 because Dan Sorensen had been dropped off by his girlfriend, who would then have been a witness to Sorensen's last whereabouts.
After the failed plan on Tuesday, Mullins said Orlewicz asked him to come back the next day (Nov. 7), but Mullins testified he decided not to.
"At first I wasn't objecting, but eventually I ... decided I didn't want to be part of it," Mullins said.
Mullins admitted on the stand Tuesday he had initially lied to police about his involvement, but told the truth when Canton police questioned him in the wake of a plea accepted by ,'s former co-defendant, Westland teenager Alexander Letkemann.
Letkemann pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and mutilation of a corpse in return for his testimony. At sentencing later this month, Letkemann is expected to be sentenced to 20-30 years on the second-degree murder and 10 years on the mutilation, with the sentences to run concurrently.
Mullins admitted Letkemann's plea was a factor in his decision to admit his involvement. He said he didn't tell the truth initially because "I was scared and didn't want to get dragged into it."
Girlfriend takes stand
Other witnesses testified about Sorensen's movements the day of his death. Girlfriend Breanna Milowe, 21, of Redford said Sorensen told her he had to "meet JP" the afternoon of Nov. 7, and arranged to see each other again later that evening when Milowe got out of class. The pair met about a month before Sorensen's death after having met using Myspace.com.
Ashleigh Scarlett, 23 of Livonia testified she and Sorensen shared some fast food at the Subway restaurant at which Scarlett worked. Scarlett testified Sorensen left shortly after 3 p.m., saying he had to "meet with JP."
She testified Sorensen told her he and "JP" were going to get $3,000 from an unidentified friend of JP's. Sorensen told Scarlett "they owed it" to them.
When asked if "JP" was in the courtroom, both Milowe and Scarlett identified Orlewicz.
The first two days of testimony saw lawyers for both sides follow the path they each mapped out in their opening statements. Moran Monday called the murder a premeditated act that was the result of a well-thought-out, deliberate plan.
Defense attorney Niskar called Sorensen's death an act of self-defense and a case of panic in its aftermath. Niskar called Orlewicz "a loving son, a loving brother, a loving friend" and said the teenager acted in self-defense after an angry Sorensen, upset that the intended victim of the extortion hadn't shown up, pulled a gun on Orlewicz.
"It was never a plan to kill (Sorensen)," Niskar told jurors. "It was a plan to extort money. (Sorensen) pulled a gun on (Orlewicz), a fight ensued and in self-defense (Sorensen) was killed."
Niskar painted the victim, Sorensen, as someone who carried a gun and a knife, and tried to "influence teenagers ... into his world of crime, into his world of drugs."
It was a tough thing for Sorensen's parents, James and Kimberly Sorensen of Westland, to hear.
"It's hard," James Sorensen admitted. "There are two sides to everything, and we just have to deal with that. We just want (the jury) to listen."
Assistant Wayne County Medical Examiner Dr. Leigh Hlavaty testified Sorensen had suffered 13 stab wounds prior to his death. Two of the wounds — one to the chest that pierced the heart and another to the upper abdomen that struck the liver — likely combined to cause Sorensen's death, she said.
She also said the lack of soot in Sorensen's airway indicated his body — 80 percent of which was badly burned — had been burned after his death.
Hlavaty also testified there were no drugs or alcohol in Sorensen's system at the time of his death.
bkadrich@hometownlife.com | (734) 459-2700
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Cops: 3rd-Graders Aimed to Hurt Teacher
WAYCROSS, Ga. (AP) — A group of third-graders plotted to attack their teacher, bringing a broken steak knife, handcuffs, duct tape and other items for the job and assigning children tasks including covering the windows and cleaning up afterward, police said Tuesday.
The plot by as many as nine boys and girls at Center Elementary School in south Georgia was a serious threat, Waycross Police Chief Tony Tanner said.
"We did not hear anybody say they intended to kill her, but could they have accidentally killed her? Absolutely," Tanner said. "We feel like if they weren't interrupted, there would have been an attempt. Would they have been successful? We don't know."
The children, ages 8 and 9, were apparently mad at the teacher because she had scolded one of them for standing on a chair, Tanner said. A prosecutor said they are too young to be charged with a crime under Georgia law.
School officials alerted police Friday after a pupil tipped off a teacher that a girl had brought a weapon to school, Tanner said.
Police seized a broken steak knife, handcuffs, duct tape, electrical and transparent tape, ribbons and a crystal paperweight from the students, who apparently intended to use them against the teacher, Tanner said.
Nine children have been given discipline up to and including long-term suspension, said Theresa Martin, spokeswoman for the Ware County school system. She would not be more specific but said none of the children had been back to school since the case came to light.
The purported target is a veteran educator who teaches third-grade students with learning disabilities including attention deficit disorder, delayed development and hyperactivity, friends and parents said.
The scheme involved a division of roles, Tanner said. One child's job was to cover windows so no one could see outside, he said. Another was supposed to clean up after the attack.
"We're not sure at this point in the investigation how many of the students actually knew the intent was to hurt the teacher," Tanner said.
The parents of the students have cooperated with investigators, who aren't allowed to question the children without their parents' or guardians' consent, he said. Authorities have withheld the children's names.
Police expected to forward the results of their investigation to prosecutors, Tanner said.
Children in Georgia can't be charged with a crime unless they are at least 13, District Attorney Rick Currie said.
Martin told The Florida Times-Union of Jacksonville, Fla., that administrators would follow school system policy and state law in disciplining the students.
"From what I understand, they were considered pretty good kids," Martin said. "But we have to take this seriously, whether they were serious or not about carrying this through, and that's what we did."
Four mothers of other third-grade students at Center Elementary called for the immediate expulsion of the suspected plotters.
Stacy Carter and Deana Hiott both cited school system policy stating that any student who brings "anything reasonably considered to be a weapon" is to be expelled for at least the remainder of the school year.
"We don't want our children around them," Carter told the Times-Union. "The one with the knife could have stabbed my child or someone else's child at lunch or out on the playground."
"This is an isolated incident, an aberration. ... We have good kids," Center Principal Angie Coleman told the newspaper
Source:The Associated Press
What is the problem here If kids at the age of 8-9 are so upset because one of them was scolded because he/she was standing on a chair. At that young of age the parents did something wrong what the hell will happen when they get older you tell me I would love to here your thoughts..
The plot by as many as nine boys and girls at Center Elementary School in south Georgia was a serious threat, Waycross Police Chief Tony Tanner said.
"We did not hear anybody say they intended to kill her, but could they have accidentally killed her? Absolutely," Tanner said. "We feel like if they weren't interrupted, there would have been an attempt. Would they have been successful? We don't know."
The children, ages 8 and 9, were apparently mad at the teacher because she had scolded one of them for standing on a chair, Tanner said. A prosecutor said they are too young to be charged with a crime under Georgia law.
School officials alerted police Friday after a pupil tipped off a teacher that a girl had brought a weapon to school, Tanner said.
Police seized a broken steak knife, handcuffs, duct tape, electrical and transparent tape, ribbons and a crystal paperweight from the students, who apparently intended to use them against the teacher, Tanner said.
Nine children have been given discipline up to and including long-term suspension, said Theresa Martin, spokeswoman for the Ware County school system. She would not be more specific but said none of the children had been back to school since the case came to light.
The purported target is a veteran educator who teaches third-grade students with learning disabilities including attention deficit disorder, delayed development and hyperactivity, friends and parents said.
The scheme involved a division of roles, Tanner said. One child's job was to cover windows so no one could see outside, he said. Another was supposed to clean up after the attack.
"We're not sure at this point in the investigation how many of the students actually knew the intent was to hurt the teacher," Tanner said.
The parents of the students have cooperated with investigators, who aren't allowed to question the children without their parents' or guardians' consent, he said. Authorities have withheld the children's names.
Police expected to forward the results of their investigation to prosecutors, Tanner said.
Children in Georgia can't be charged with a crime unless they are at least 13, District Attorney Rick Currie said.
Martin told The Florida Times-Union of Jacksonville, Fla., that administrators would follow school system policy and state law in disciplining the students.
"From what I understand, they were considered pretty good kids," Martin said. "But we have to take this seriously, whether they were serious or not about carrying this through, and that's what we did."
Four mothers of other third-grade students at Center Elementary called for the immediate expulsion of the suspected plotters.
Stacy Carter and Deana Hiott both cited school system policy stating that any student who brings "anything reasonably considered to be a weapon" is to be expelled for at least the remainder of the school year.
"We don't want our children around them," Carter told the Times-Union. "The one with the knife could have stabbed my child or someone else's child at lunch or out on the playground."
"This is an isolated incident, an aberration. ... We have good kids," Center Principal Angie Coleman told the newspaper
Source:The Associated Press
What is the problem here If kids at the age of 8-9 are so upset because one of them was scolded because he/she was standing on a chair. At that young of age the parents did something wrong what the hell will happen when they get older you tell me I would love to here your thoughts..
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