TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

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  • Sometimes you don’t

    Sometimes you don’t

    Minnesota Supreme Court upholds Rocori shooter’s convictions:

    A few months back, I posted that the attorneys for Rocori High School shooter John Jason McLaughlin were trying to have his conviction overturned.

    The attorney argued that Minnesota’s insanity law, known as the M’Naghten Rule, is outdated and that it doesn’t apply to teens. If you remember, McLaughlin shot and killed Aaron Rollins and Seth Bartell with Seth being the intended target.

    Attorneys for McLaughlin argued that he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and only intended to wound Seth Bartell. In my unprofessional opinion, he only suffered from “I’m faking it”-itis.

    Anyway, the Minnesota Supreme Court has refused to rule on the appeal, stating that the defense did not argue this point at trial.

    McLaughlin is serving consecutive life terms in prison.

  • Teen prostitutes uncovered in Chicago

    Teen prostitutes uncovered in Chicago

    Women charged with offering girls for sex:

    I’ll give you 3 guesses of which website they were advertising on. I’ll give you a hint. It rhymes with gregslist.

    Cook County Sheriffs in Illinois conducted a Craigslist prostitution sting which resulted in finding prostitutes ages 14, 15 and 16-years-old. Those charged in separate incidents were Tamara Cotton, 25, who was charged with keeping a place of prostitution and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and one count of pimping and child endangerment. Christina Holt, 19, who is charged with keeping a house of prostitution. Holt’s boyfriend, Montrell Knight, 34, who was storing guns and drugs for the Gangster Disciples, was charged with nine counts of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, armed violence, and three drug-related charges.

    The teen prostitutes themselves are not being treated as criminals, and Cook County is trying to get them help.

    So what does craigslist have to say about this?

    Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster wrote in an e-mail Thursday that illegal activity is prohibited on the site, and that the erotic services page is intended for use by “legal escort services and sensual massage providers.”

    “It was added at the request of our users, who wanted these ads separated from our general personals categories,” he wrote. “We appreciate and are fully cooperative with law enforcement efforts.”

    Legal escort services and sensual massage providers? Take it from someone who grew up in a town rife with prostitution, there is no such animal as “legal” escort services and sensual massage.

    Once again, craigslist is turning a blind eye to illegal activity on their site. They say that they’re fully cooperative with law enforcement, but it seems to me that it’s after the fact.

    Thanks to Tim for the link.

  • Portland craigslist predator sentenced

    Portland craigslist predator sentenced

    Offender sentenced for Craigslist teen sex charges:

    I originally posted about Douglas French here. He’s the 36-year-old jackhole that put an ad on craigslist for models aged 16-19 and had sex with a 17-year-old girl who applied for the ad. He also supplied her with drugs and alcohol.

    French had a previous arrest for shacking up with a 16-year-old runaway in Montana. He pleaded not guilty back in August, but a judge found him guilty of using a child in a sexual display and sex abuse. He was sentenced to 15 years.

  • Robin Kittrell sentenced

    Kittrell, 17, sentenced to 10 months detention:

    Robin Kittrell, the 17-year-old who was arrested for bringing guns to school in order to prevent a Columbine, has been sentenced. Kittrell has been sentenced to youth boot camp for 3 to 4 months, then 3 to 6 months in a detention center. Then, when he’s released, he’ll get a year on intensive probation, followed by nine years of regular probation.

    Now, this is an actual example of where a kid needs help and not too much jail time. His intention was not to hurt, but to protect. He just went about it in a misguided way.

    I hope at least that he’s able to get help somewhere.

  • Jonesboro shooter arrested

    Jonesboro shooter arrested

    Jonesboro shooter found with gun, pot, while with crossbow killer:

    Back in August 2005, I posted an entry about one of the Jonesboro shooters, Mitchell Johnson, being released at the age of 21 due to a loophole in Arkansas law that has since been closed. At the time, I wondered how long would it be before he was back in jail. Apparently, that answer is one year and five months.

    Johnson was arrested on New Year’s Day for possession of marijuana and a loaded 9mm handgun. Also arrested with him was Justin Trammell, who killed his father with a crossbow when he was 15.

    Johnson was released on $1,000 bond.

  • Not the first time suspect brought gun to school

    Not the first time suspect brought gun to school

    Shooting suspect allegedly had gun at school before:

    It seems that when Douglas Chanthabouly shot Samnang Kok in the halls of Foss High School, it wasn’t the first time that Chanthabouly had brought a gun to school.

    Police say that Chanthabouly’s brother told them that he had previously seen his brother with other guns at previous times. Chanthabouly’s brother also said that Douglas was not in a gang but liked to hang out with gangs and dressed like them. When police searched Chanthabouly’s home, they found three boxes of ammunition, a black carry case for a pistol with a holster and a .38-caliber revolver, notebooks, letters, and two blue bandannas.

    So he wasn’t a gang member but a gang-wannabe. It wouldn’t surprise me to hear that he shot Samnang Kok to try to get some kind of respect from the gang.

  • craigslist crackdown

    craigslist crackdown

    Craigslist Turns to Police, Community to Fight ‘Spamvertising’:

    It seems that craigslist is finally getting serious about people who are abusing the site’s service. It’s not drug dealers. It’s not prostitutes or sexual predators. It’s advertisers…

    Craigslist is serious about cracking down on advertisers that are breaking the site’s rules: It has added new tools to allow community members to flag offending posts, and it has enlisted the aid of the police and ISP-tracking services.

    Craigslist has been inundated with “professional marketers” trying to circumvent the classified ad site’s rules and market products and services to the community, ClickZ reports. The problem has become so rampant that coders are creating software that automatically creates listings, and others are writing books aimed at helping marketers sell on Craigslist.

    Way to clean up your act, craigslist.

  • Boomalicious

    Boomalicious

    MySpace: Man Arrested After Sexual Activity With Teen:

    36-year-old Joseph Polk of Klamath Falls, Oregon, has been arrested for engaging in sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl.

    The victim told a counselor that Polk had made contact with her in 2005 claiming he was a 15-year-old going by the screen name of “Boomalicious”.

    The two arranged to meet, at which time the victim realized the suspect was older. During this pre-arranged meeting, the two engaged in sexual conduct including oral sex.

    Detectives believe there may be other victims contacted by the suspect. Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call OSP Detective Dennis Yaws at (541) 883-5713 ext. 321.

    I was unable to find a MySpace for Polk, but I’m sure with a name like “Boomalcious” he’ll be quite popular in his new home of the Klamath County Jail.

  • Lack of respect

    Lack of respect

    Police: lack of respect fueled shooting:

    Tacoma Detectives are now saying that it was a perceived lack of respect that caused Douglas Chanthabouly to shoot and kill Samnang Kok at Foss High School.

    “There was a disagreement over property between the two and some money between the two,” he said. “The suspect felt the victim owed him some money, and by not paying there are some respect issues.”

    I’m curious to find out how much the alleged property or money was worth, to see how much Douglas Chanthabouly thought it was worth throwing two lives away.

    Police also said that another gun and ammunition were found in Chanthabouly’s home.

    Not surprisingly, a mental health “expert” is saying that Chanthabouly has a history of mental illness and may possibly have schizophrenia.

    After his arrest, Chanthabouly was interviewed by Penny Hobson of Pierce County Jail’s mental health staff.

    Hobson’s report filed Thursday in Pierce County Superior Court said that Chanthabouly was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Kirkland two years ago after attempting suicide.

    Chanthabouly was confused at times, somewhat depressed and having hallucinations, Hobson wrote in her evaluation.

    He “appears to have difficulty with concentration” and said he has trouble remembering things since he began suffering psychotic symptoms about two years ago, she wrote.

    Chanthabouly “reports ongoing psychotic symptoms that are reduced but not extinguished with medication,” Hobson said. “Based on his history, there may (be) competency concerns – this would obviously be impacted by his attorney’s ability to communicate with him.”

    Hobson noted that Chanthabouly’s judgment was within normal limits and “currently appears adequate.” He also had a good understanding of his current circumstances and “does not appear to be imminently at risk,” she said.

    There’s your defense.

  • Chanthabouly pleads not guilty

    Chanthabouly pleads not guilty

    Teen Pleads Not Guilty In School Shooting Trial:
    Suspect’s mom weeps for son, slain student:

    Douglas Chanthabouly, the gunman who killed Samnang Kok in the Foss High School shooting, pleaded not guilty yesterday to a charge of first-degree murder. However, no motive is still being offered.

    Police are still saying that the shooting was not gang related, but some students of Foss High are saying otherwise. It seems that Kok used to run in gangs prior to his son being born. Kok had an arrest record that contained charges of auto theft and drug possession. Most say that Kok turned his life around after the birth of his son. But as I mentioned, there are those who say the shooting was gang-related…

    “I think it’s gang related — just because of the kind of person Sam used to be,” said his friend, Derek Banghart, 19, speculating that the attack might have been retribution for a perceived offense from years ago.

    Right now, I’m not so convinced that it was gang-related. Gang shootings have happened in schools before, but something about this doesn’t seem like a gang shooting. But without a motive, that remains to be seen.

    The gun Chanthabouly used was stolen from a house in Tacoma in 1999. Police are still trying to determine how the gun came to be in Chanthabouly’s possession.