Daily Brickbats

Cracking Down on Illegals

2009-11-06T06:00:00-05:00

Former Broward County, Florida, sheriff's deputy Jonathan Bleiweiss faces 58 charges of sexual battery, false imprisonment, and stalking. Bleiweiss allegedly groped illegal immigrants he pulled over for traffic violations or stopped on the street.

Going Downhill

2009-11-05T06:00:00-05:00

Mountain Boy Sledworks has been making handcrafted sleds in Silverton, Colorado, for seven years. But a zoning dispute has led the city to order the company to stop production. The building inspector insists the sleds are a manufactured product, so their construction is a violation of local zoning. Mountain Boy owner Brice Hoskin says they are a craft product, which is permitted by the zoning.

Father Doesn't Know Best

2009-11-04T06:00:00-05:00

In England, the Watford Borough Council has barred parents from watching their children while they play at two "adventure" playgrounds run by the council. The only adults allowed in the playgrounds will be council staff who have passed a criminal records check. All other adults, including parents, must stay outside the fence. Council members say the rule will protect children.

Bent and Broken

2009-11-03T06:00:00-05:00

In England, it has been 10 months since Torron Eeles broke his arm, leaving it severely twisted. Eeles said surgery to repair the arm has been canceled four times: twice because of a lack of beds, once because doctors believed his blood pressure was too high, and once because he is a smoker. The National Health Service insists it only canceled the surgery twice: once because of his blood pressure and once because he ignored a doctor's orders to quit smoking.

In Too Deep

2009-11-02T06:00:00-05:00

In Lincolnshire, England, police officers, firefighters and paramedics refused to go to the aid of a man who had been struck by a car, knocked into a ditch and was lying in 18 inches of water. They deemed climbing down a 15-foot bank to the victim was too dangerous and called for a water rescue team more than 50 miles away. An autopsy determined that Karl Malton drowned while lying face down in the water.

Justice Is Blind Drunk

2009-10-30T06:00:00-04:00

San Antonio, Texas, police say they started getting numerous calls early one Sunday morning. Drivers were reporting a Bexar County constable's car moving recklessly through traffic, with the emergency lights being turned on and off. Callers said that the man driving the car appeared to be drunk and seemed to be trying to pull people over. When police caught up to the car and stopped it, the found that the driver was Lt. Arthur MacCubbin and that he had three other men in the car with him. MacCubbin was charged with DUI. The others were charged with public intoxication.

The People in France Look Different from the People in Europe

2009-10-29T06:00:00-04:00

Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio says his office doesn't racially profile people while looking for illegal immigrants. So how do they decide whom to question? "Certain criteria," said Arpaio. "No identification. Look like you just came from Mexico, and they admit it. That's enough." Jerry Sheridan, Arpaio's director of custody, explains, “I think you can tell people that are not from this country. And I’m not talking Hispanics. Maybe someone from France looks a little different than somebody from Europe or somebody from England looks a little bit different than we do."

Putting on the Ritz

2009-10-28T06:00:00-04:00

Ceara Sturgis, 17, doesn't even own a dress. Sturgis says she's openly gay, and she wants to wear a tuxedo in her high school yearbook senior photograph. But school officials at Wesson Attendance Center in Jackson, Mississippi, say only boys can dress in tuxedos. Sturgis, her family, and the American Civil Liberties Union say they may take the matter to court.

What About Singing in the Shower?

2009-10-27T06:00:00-04:00

The British Performing Right Society has apologized to Sandra Burt, an assistant at a grocery store in Clackmannanshire. The group had threatened to have her prosecuted for not having a performance license after discovering she sometimes sings while stocking shelves. The store owner had previously gotten rid of a radio after the group complained customers might hear it.

In the Swim

2009-10-26T06:00:00-04:00

In England, the Dagenham Council has banned swimmers from swimming the length of a council pool. Swimmers must now swim the width of the pool. Officials say the switch makes it easier for lifeguards to protect everyone using the pool.

Think of the Children

2009-10-23T06:00:00-04:00

Hammond, Louisiana, justice of the peace Keith Bardwell has refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple. Bardwell says he isn't racist but he worries about the future of mixed-race children.

A Day in the Park

2009-10-22T06:00:00-04:00

City officials in Kensington, Maryland, have banned children older than five from Reinhardt Park from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The move is aimed at blocking students at a nearby private school from using the park during recess.

The Biggest Bully

2009-10-21T06:00:00-04:00

Murfreesboro, Tennessee, police have charged teacher Angela M. Strube with stealing lunch money from her third-grade students. A spokeswoman for the city school system says Strube has been suspended without pay.

Gone with the Wind

2009-10-20T06:00:00-04:00

In Manchester, England, Barbara Collins went to the hospital five times complaining of crippling abdominal pain. Doctors diagnosed her with "trapped wind" and sent her home with laxatives. Finally, four months after her first visit to the hospital, a doctor determined that she had ovarian cancer. She died 10 days later. The National Health Service is investigating the case.

You Don't Look Like an American

2009-10-19T06:00:00-04:00

Hector Veloz spent eight months in prison for receiving stolen property and thought he was being released, only to be turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be deported to Mexico. Veloz, the son of a Vietnam vet, swore he was an American citizen. But officials refused to believe him. It took him nine months to prove to a judge that he was a citizen. But ICE appealed the decision. All told, Veloz spent 13 months behind bars, in addition to his sentence for receiving stolen property, while trying to prove he was a citizen.

*This article originally misidentified Hector Veloz as a Vietnam veteran.

You Can't Win with These People

2009-10-16T06:00:00-04:00

A Maryland State Trooper gave Erik Bonstrom an $80 ticket for driving too slowly. Bonstrom was doing 58 in a 65 mph zone.

Insurance Risk

2009-10-15T06:00:00-04:00

Wendy Williams and her husband are happy with their health insurance. Unfortunately, the Massachusetts government isn't. She writes in The Wall Street Journal that their policy caps out-of-pocket expenses at $2,500. The state, which requires everyone to have insurance or pay a penalty, says plans should cap out-of-pocket expenses at $2,000. So it's forcing Williams to either pay a $1,000 a year penalty or get a different health insurance plan, one she says would cost about $500 a month more.

Scout's Dishonor

2009-10-14T06:00:00-04:00

Matthew Whalen is an Eagle Scout and takes the "Be Prepared" motto seriously. He keeps a sleeping bag, water, and food in his car in case he ever breaks down. He also had a two-inch pocket knife he got form his grandfather. Unfortunately for the honors student, officials at his high school in Lansingburgh, New York, found out about the knife and suspended him for 20 days for violating the school's "zero tolerance" policy on weapons.

Tucked

2009-10-13T06:00:00-04:00

In Dolton, Illinois, police officer Christopher Lloyd was caught on video throwing a special needs student into a locker then slamming him to the ground, breaking his nose. The boy's attorney said it was because he violated a high school dress code by not having his shirt tucked in. Lloyd was later arrested for allegedly raping a woman. Last year, Lloyd shot his ex-wife's new husband 24 times outside their home, killing him. The Chicago police, for whom he worked at the time, called it self defense.

Drunk with Power

2009-10-12T06:00:00-04:00

Travis Peterson knew he was too drunk to drive home after a concert by the Dave Matthews Band, so he decided to sleep it off in his car. But a Wisconsin state trooper woke him up and ordered him to leave the parking lot. Peterson explained he was too drunk to drive, but the officer ordered him to leave. As soon as he drove out of the parking lot, Peterson was arrested for DUI. A court found him guilty of the charge, but a state appellate court threw out the conviction, saying Peterson should have been allowed to argue he was entrapped.

Just a Card

2009-10-09T06:00:00-04:00

In California, postal worker Dean Hudson was sentenced to five months in prison and five months of home detention afterwards after he was found guilty of stealing money from children's birthday cards. He must also pay $3,000 restitution.

No Professional Courtesy

2009-10-08T07:00:00-04:00

The Riverside County, California, government has paid Salvador Pina, a retired sheriff's deputy, $125,000 to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit. Pina claimed that sheriff's deputies illegally beat and detained him at his home, even after former colleagues recognized him and a sheriff's technician told them they were at the wrong address. The incident was filmed by the TV show "COPS," but producers told the court that they had destroyed the footage.

We'll Make Neighborliness Legal

2009-10-07T06:39:00-04:00

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and state lawmakers say they support a bill that would allow friends and neighbors and relatives to watch each other's kids. This follows media reports that the state Department of Human Services had threatened Irving Township mother Lisa Snyder with legal sanctions if she continued to watch a neighbor's children for a few minutes each day as they wait for their school bus. The agency accused Snyder of running an illegal daycare center.

British Bobbies

2009-10-06T06:00:00-04:00

British prosecutors have charged 11 individuals with impersonating police officers during a G20 protest earlier this year. But the 11 weren't exactly dressed in police uniforms. Leah Borromeo, for instance, was dressed in overalls rolled down to her waist, exposing her bra. Others were carrying toy machine guns. "If I'm guilty of anything, it's impersonating a stripper," said Borromeo.

Bad Signs

2009-10-05T07:00:00-04:00

When his wife got a speeding ticket, Joe Gadus at first figured she deserved it. But when the retired police officer looked at the stretch of Montgomery County, Texas, road she was ticketed on, he suspected something was wrong. It was. The posted speed limit was 40 mph. It should have been 50 mph. In fact, the Texas Department of Transportation had known for at least 10 months the sign was wrong and hadn't fixed it. Gadus also found out that officers had written between 600 and 1,500 tickets on that stretch of road. Gadus' work got his wife's ticket dismissed.

And Happy Birthday to You, Too

2009-10-02T07:05:00-04:00

In England, riot police wearing body armor and backed by a helicopter stormed Andrew Poole's birthday party and barbecue and shut it down. There were just 15 people at the party, and Poole says they hadn't even put any music on. But a police spokesperson said they had a right to shut down the party since it had been posted on Facebook as an all-night party.

Taking It to the Street

2009-10-01T07:21:00-04:00

USA Today reports that a Dallas, Texas, ban on soliciting money in the street has hurt more than just panhandlers. The newspaper says collections by the Muscular Dystrophy Association, which raises funds by approaching people in their cars, dropped from $260,000 to less than $50,000 after the ban.

Disease Free

2009-09-30T07:07:00-04:00

Simone Davis, 17, has lived with her grandmother in Florida since she was 3. The grandmother, who adopted Davis after her British mother abandoned her, has applied for U.S. citizenship for the girl. But immigration officials are not only refusing to grant her citizenship, they are threatening to deport Davis. Why? She refuses to get vaccinated for human papillomavirus. Davis and her grandmother say she doesn't need the vaccination for the sexually transmitted disease because she isn't sexually active.

You May Not Kiss the Bride

2009-09-29T07:54:00-04:00

Rochelle Roberts met Adam Wallis two years ago in her native Canada. They kept in touch online, and she traveled to Wales in March to visit him. After several months together, they decided to get married. But British immigration law has separated the two. Rochelle was forced to leave the country because her visa expired. Previously, it would have been a simple matter for her to return to Canada and get a spousal visa. But a new law meant to deter child brides just went into effect, raising the age for spousal visas to 21. Rochelle is 19, which means she must wait until 2011 to return to the United Kingdom.

Prison Library

2009-09-28T05:53:00-04:00

The federal Bureau of Prisons twice rejected inmate Ali Omar Abu Ali's request to read Barack Obama's books Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope. Officials said the books contain material "potentially detrimental to national security." But after media reported the agency's stand, officials changed their minds and said they will allow Abu Ali to have the books.