Black Collar Crime and Douchebaggery Report for March 12, 2009

[Ian David]

Debate over Kalamazoo gay-rights ordinance centers on religion
by Kathy Jessup | Kalamazoo Gazette
Tuesday March 10, 2009, 4:12 PM

KALAMAZOO -- Nearly 200 people spent four hours Monday night debating the morality, legality and propriety of a so-called anti-discrimination ordinance for Kalamazoo's gay and lesbian community.

Both sides quoted Bible verses and talked about the psychological impact of a local law that would make it illegal for sexual orientation to be a factor in employment and housing opportunities.

But if a Kalamazoo City Commission subcommittee expected to find some political common ground between pro-ordinance factions and its opponents, it wasn't evident Monday.

<snip>

Opponents argued that an ordinance touted as "tolerance" would discriminate against people whose religious beliefs say homosexuality is wrong.

<snip>

Mary Balkema, Kalamazoo County treasurer and former city commissioner, gave an opening opposition statement on behalf of Kalamazoo Citizens Voting No to Special Rights Discrimination, saying the ordinance would "victimize" religious groups.

More:
http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2009/03/debate_over_kalamazoo_gayright.html



Robbery victims identify suspects
By Daily Guide - Daily Guide
Crime/Punishment | 1 day ago

Two robbery victims yesterday identified two out of the ten suspects paraded during an identification exercise at the Regional Police Headquarters in Accra.

The ten suspects are Kwadwo Yamoah, 29, Nii Okai Ayitey, 30, Blessing Adeoka, 24, Simon Tetteh aka Wallace, 26 and Michael Quarcoo, aka Vandam, 31.

The rest were Awoi Mensah, 29, William Ayina, 27, Godwin Nyamavor, 36, Victor Adams Okeke, 26 and Rabbi Asamoah who were arrested in different locations including Odorkor, Agyiriganor, Komkomba and Agbogbloshie markets.

<snip>

Later, the Legon police command arrested suspects William, Godwin and Rabbi in a barbering kiosk belonging to Rabbi at Agyiriganor upon a tip off.

More:
http://www.modernghana.com/news/205974/1/robbery-victims-identify-suspects.html

Ooh... I think the suspect might not BE a Rabbi... but might be NAMED Rabbi?

Anyway, THIS one below actually IS a Rabbi...


NYC Rabbi Found Guilty of Molesting His Own Daughter
Published 8 hours ago by ■ Joan Firstenberg

It's been a scene in a Brooklyn Federal Courtroom for the past few weeks. A Rabbi, a revered Yeshiva school teacher was on trial for allegedly sexually abusing his daughter over seven years. He was found guilty Wednesday, much to his daughter's relief.

He's an Hasidic rabbi, an extremely religious Jew, a man who used to teach at a Brooklyn Yeshiva. But he was charged with molesting his own daughter over a seven year period. He led his own extremely wordy defense. And on Wednesday, Israel Weingarten was convicted in a Brooklyn Federal Court on all counts in the case.

The Daily News reports Weingarten faces up to 50 years in prison when he's sentenced on April 3.

The victim, who is now 27 years old, dresses in modern clothes, wears makeup and has left the family's Satmar sect. She was asked how she felt being cross-examined on the witness stand by her father.

More:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/269033




SC pastor charged with setting fire at his church
March 11, 2009
BELTON, S.C.

Authorities charged a South Carolina pastor accused of setting fire to his own church with second-degree arson. Anderson County Fire Chief Billy Gibson said Christopher Daniels, 40, reported a fire at Blue Ridge Baptist Church in

Belton when he opened the church for services Sunday morning.

Gibson said the century-old church suffered moderate fire damage and significant smoke damage. Members said the church changed names recently and was vandalized with graffiti a few months ago.

Daniels remains at the Anderson County jail under a $25,000 bond. Jail officials didn't know if he had an attorney and a message left at his home wasn't immediately returned.


More:
http://kdrv.com/news/strange/story-96931



Civic leaders among those arrested in West Des Moines prostitution sting
BY JARED STRONG • [e-mail] • MARCH 11, 2009

Prominent civic leaders were among the 13 men arrested last month in a West Des Moines prostitution sting.

Police made the arrests between Feb. 16 and 24 at an undisclosed apartment complex in the city, said Lt. Jeff Miller of the West Des Moines police department. The men ranged in age from 43 to 70, and included:

<snip>

Kenneth Krueger, 64, of Iowa Falls, who is the pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church. Krueger declined to comment for this story.

<snip>

The men used an online service — escorts.com — to connect with the woman, whom police declined to identify and is not being charged with a crime because she helped set up the sting.

More:
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090311/NEWS/90311016/1002/NEWS01




Man pleads guilty to child porn charge in FBI probe
By Richard Wilson
Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 11, 2009

CINCINNATI — A Hamilton man has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography and admitted to viewing the material on a local church computer, according to federal prosecutors.

Albert Jefferson Stone, 29, admitted to the possession charge Tuesday, March 10, before U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott in U.S. District Court, according to court records.

Stone was arrested in November 2008 after an FBI investigation found child pornography images through peer-to-peer software on a computer at the Hamilton Assembly of God Church on West Elkton Road in St. Clair Twp., officials said.

<snip>

After Stone's arrest, the church's pastor the Rev. Larry Davis said Stone had joined the church four years ago but had left in recent months for "personal reasons." Davis said the church took steps to secure its computers.

More:
http://www.middletownjournal.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2009/03/11/hjn031209childporn.html






Ashton Pastor Charged With Lewd Conduct
Posted: March 10, 2009 07:09 PM
Updated: March 11, 2009 11:57 AM

ASHTON - The pastor of a church in Ashton was in court Tuesday accused of having inappropriate sexual contact with someone under the age of 18.

Ruben Elmer Floyd, Jr., 48, pleaded not guilty to four counts of lewd conduct with a minor.

Floyd was arrested late Monday afternoon by the Fremont County Sheriff's office with the assistance of the Ashton Police Department.
<snip>

An earlier report said Floyd was a pastor at the Berean Baptist church in Ashton; this is not true. He was the pastor for the Ashton Bible Church, a relatively new church in the area.


Ruben Elmer Floyd, Jr., 48

More:
http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?S=9982808&nav=menu554_1_4


John Demjanjuk could be sent to Germany soon on charges he helped kill Jews at Nazi camp
Posted by John Caniglia/Plain Dealer Reporter March 12, 2009 02:12AM

John Demjanjuk could be whisked off to Germany within a few months to face charges that he helped kill 29,000 Jews at a Nazi death camp.
German prosecutors on Wednesday filed an arrest warrant for Demjanjuk, an 88-year-old retired Seven Hills autoworker, and accused him of being an accessory to murder as a guard at the Sobibor camp in Nazi-occupied Poland from March to September 1943.

<snip>

The Rev. John Nakonachny, the pastor at St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Parma, where Demjanjuk and his family worship, said he believes in Demjanjuk's innocence. He said, however, that he was stunned to hear of Germany's role in trying to prosecute a man for crimes he supposedly committed on its behalf.

"It's absolutely absurd that the country that forced thousands of people from many nations to follow its orders, simply to stay alive, is now going to charge someone," Nakonachny said.

"If it wasn't so sad and tragic, it would be laughable."




More:
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/03/john_demjanjuk_could_be_sent_t.html