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Cracking Down on Illegals
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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?
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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