Recent Blog Posts in 2010

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. - A judge removed a juror from a trial in suburban Detroit after the young woman wrote on Facebook that the defendant was guilty. The problem? The trial wasn't over.

Hadley Jons, of Warren just north of Detroit, could be found in contempt when she returns to the Macomb County circuit court Thursday.

Jons, 20, was a juror in a case of resisting arrest. On Aug. 11, a day off from the trial and before the prosecution finished its case, she wrote on Facebook that it was "gonna be fun to tell the defendant they're guilty."

The post was discovered by defense lawyer Saleema Sheikh's son.

Circuit Judge Diane Druzinski confronted Jons the next day and replaced her with an alternate.

"You don't know how disturbing this is," Druzinski said, according to The Macomb Daily.

A message seeking comment was left for Jons on Monday.

"I would like to see her get some jail time, nothing major, a few hours or overnight," Sheikh said. "This is the jury system. People need to know how important it is."

Sheikh's son, Jaxon Goodman, discovered the comment while checking jurors' names on the Internet. He works in his mother's law office.

"I'm really proud of him," Sheikh said.

Without Jons, the jury convicted Sheikh's client of a felony but couldn't agree on a separate misdemeanor charge.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/2010/08/30/20100830facebook-post-gets-detroit-juror-in-hot-water30-ON.html#ixzz0y8EwolBN

Identifying people who have been badly injured or killed in a car accident often is challenging, marked by chaos at an accident scene or hospital and by families desperate for information about their loved ones.

Police veterans said authorities have to be careful to avoid misidentifying accident or crime victims.

"Because of all the emotions, we have got to be right," said Bill Louis, assistant police chief in El Mirage.

The families of Abby Guerra and Marlena Cantu hope that reform will be the ultimate outcome of an identity mix-up that drew national attention.

The young women were among five Glendale Ironwood High School graduates returning home from an impromptu weekend trip to Disneyland on July 18 when the SUV they were riding in rolled on a highway outside Phoenix.

About five hours after the accident, state Department of Public Safety officers and officials at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center told Guerra's parents she had died.

Six days later, dental records showed that Guerra, 19, was alive. Her friend, Marlena Cantu, 21, had died.

Such mistakes have happened before. In 2006, a family buried a woman they thought was their daughter, only to learn weeks later that she was still alive. Indiana authorities had mistaken her for a friend who was in the same accident. In the 1990s, friends identified the body of a man who died in a Phoenix motorcycle crash. Then the man walked into the hospital lobby.

Accident chaos

The confusion surrounding a serious accident can complicate officers' attempts to identify the injured or dead, experts said.

Officers may arrive at the scene to find the occupants of the car unconscious and trapped in the wreckage. Purses, CDs and clothes may be strewn in the street. Victims may carry driver's licenses with photographs and addresses that are years old, or have no form of identification at all.

Police and medics focus on taking care of the injured person before asking questions. They sometimes have trouble distinguishing between victims who look alike.

Even family members, dazed in the suddenness of an accident, can be uncertain.

The Cantus wanted to believe authorities who said their daughter was alive. The young woman in the hospital bed was obscured by medical tubes in her mouth. Her face was swollen, much of her hair shaved.

Still, some things didn't seem quite right. Marlena had an extra ear piercing. And her hair was a little darker than her mother, Renee, remembered. Maybe, a nurse said, it was darkened by blood.

Careful identification

Officers have to take steps to get an identification right, even as family members are anxious for answers.

Dennis James, a retired Phoenix police officer who spent 22 years investigating serious accidents, said family members who rush to an accident scene pepper authorities with questions: What happened? Who were they with and why? Is this my child?

Officers may think they know the identity of a victim but have to wait until they can confirm it, James said.

They must strike a balance between appeasing family members and ensuring they share only established facts, said Louis, who has been in law enforcement for more than 30 years.

Police often have questions of their own for the families.

Police will ask about tattoos or birthmarks, said Mike McCullough, who spent eight years investigating accidents with Phoenix police before retiring. They may share a photograph or allow friends or family to see the face of a person who has died in an identification effort.

Police contact officials at the hospital if the victim is being treated there or even go to the emergency room to check for any identifying characteristics.

Hospital staff also often question family members.

Frank Cantu told The Republic that hospital officials asked the families whether their daughters had any identifying characteristics. A nurse went to check on the young woman in the hospital bed after the Guerras said their daughter had a mole on her chest, he said.

The families were soon separated and told that Guerra had died.

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office revealed the mix-up, after the review of dental records.

In Phoenix and elsewhere, authorities consider a medical examiner's review the most solid method of confirming a deceased person's identity.

Possible reform

The Guerra and Cantu families have called for reform. They don't want others to endure mix-ups.

They have asked that families be allowed to view bodies within 24 hours at the Medical Examiner's Office, even if authorities haven't established the identification.

Currently, most families don't see the bodies of loved ones until they are taken, after an autopsy, to a funeral home, a spokeswoman for the Medical Examiner's Office said.

It is unclear whether the Guerra-Cantu mix-up could lead to a change in policy.

Spokeswomen for the Medical Examiner's Office and the hospital have said they will review their procedures to see if updates are needed.

A DPS spokesman said last week that he was unaware of any internal reviews or investigations into the case.

The Giants say the third-round draft pick from LSU was scheduled to be released from the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan on Tuesday morning to return to home.

Jones was transferred to the hospital after suffering serious injuries to his left leg and ankle in an early morning car accident in New Orleans.

Jones has undergone several surgeries both in New Orleans and New York since the accident. He plans to rest and recuperate in New Orleans before returning to New York in several weeks and undergoing further surgery.

http://www.azfamily.com/sports/national/99316439.html

The 71-year-old woman’s name has not being released because her family has not been notified.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/Elderly-woman-killed-in-red-light-running-crash-in-Phoenix-99178799.html

3TV"s Ryan O'Donnell was a few cars back when the semi-truck caught fire on the northbound lanes of the I-17 near Table Mesa Road and was able to snap some up close photos of the blaze.

The scene of the accident is just a couple miles north of New River.

Traffic was taken off the I-17 at the New River exit while crews worked to extinguish the blaze for a couple of hours just after 12:00 p.m.

The Department of Public Safety re-opened both lanes of traffic around 4:15 p.m.

The Brooklyn district attorney's office says Officer Louis Ramos was charged Tuesday with assault, reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

According to a criminal complaint, Ramos hit the cyclist June 14. The complaint says Ramos got out of the car, pulled the cyclist to the curb, handed him a tissue and then drove off without reporting it or calling an ambulance.

The accident was captured on surveillance cameras.

Ramos has pleaded not guilty. He has been suspended without pay. The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association declined to comment.

The cyclist was treated for cuts, bruises and a fractured wrist.

Read the article

Christopher Jermaine Jones pleaded guilty Tuesday to four counts of aggravated assault, which prosecutors say stem from trying to run down police with a stolen car.

He also pleaded guilty to auto theft, unlawful flight and failing to stay at an accident scene. His sentencing was scheduled for Sept. 30.

KNXV pilot-reporter Craig Smith and cameraman Rick Krolak, and KTVK pilot-reporter Scott Bowerbank and cameraman Jim Cox were all killed in the deadly crash.

The helicopters crashed and burned July 27, 2007, as TV news crews covered a chase involving Jones, who had fled a traffic stop.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/national/98368199.html

Three people are in custody after allegedly hitting several cars in northwest Phoenix Friday morning.

It started with a report of a truck into a house near 37th Avenue and Bell Road. That truck had been hit by another vehicle and the impact was so intense it was pushed back into a block wall and the garage door, actually causing the house to shake.  The 1992 Dodge pickup, which was loaded with tools, had been parked in the driveway. It was pushed back a full 4 feet. Inside the garage was a 1970 GTO Judge the homeowner was in the process of restoring.

According to police, the suspect hit the truck after failing to negotiate a turn. That, however, was not the first wreck of the morning.

Earlier, the suspect hit a neighbor's car when leaving an apartment complex at 43rd Avenue and Bell Road. That person then hit two other cars -- a Honda Accord and a Chevy Impala.

According to preliminary information, two 18-year-olds and a 25-year-old woman were taken into custody. It's not clear who was behind the wheel, but police are trying to determine if the driver was impaired.No injuries were reported.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/3-in-custody-in-series-of-hit-and-runs-98112659.html

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — Grand Canyon National Park rangers say they have recovered the body of a woman reported missing on a hike below the North Rim.

Park officials say a man called Wednesday night to report an overdue hiker. The woman had gone Tuesday to the Tuweap Valley with the man's son who planned to hike down Lava Falls Route to reach the Colorado River for a float trip.

Park rangers launched a search for the rafter Thursday morning and located him on the river. He told rangers that he hadn't seen his hiking companion since Tuesday afternoon.

Rangers began an aerial search of the Lava Falls Route and found the woman's body Thursday afternoon. Her name is being withheld until relatives can be notified and the Mohave County Medical Examiner has positively identified her.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/98076799.html

36-year-old Eric Smith was using a metal tube to shoot mortars (okay, not a great idea) when one exploded out of the tube and took off his left arm. Doctors are trying to reattach the arm and Smith is in stable condition.

Last year two people died, and 9,000 were injured in fireworks related accidents. Of those, 6,000 injures took place in the 30 days surrounding the 4th of July holiday.

Most cities have ordinances preventing any kind of fireworks, so the best idea is to enjoy a municipal fireworks show. Check your local paper to see where you can see the sparks tonight.

But if you insist on lighting up your own, please be safe today so you and your family can enjoy the holiday without incident.

CNN has a list of safety precautions when celebrating with fire:

Never have any portion of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Move back to a safe distance immediately after lighting.

Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not fully functioned. Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.

Light one item at a time, and then move back quickly.

Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

According to Sgt. Steve Martos of the Phoenix Police Department, the driver who hit the teen was not impaired and will not face charges in connection with the accident.

The teen, whose name has not been released, was not in a marked crosswalk when he was hit; he was crossing mid-block.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/Teen-hit-and-killed-while-crossing-West-Phoenix-street-97741929.html

According to American Automobile Association (AAA) “more residents in mountain states will hit the road this Independence Day weekend than last year”.

Lexus says about 137,000 vehicles in the U.S. could be affected by potential engine problems with cars produced by Toyota.  They are among 270,000 cars sold worldwide that could stall while the vehicle is moving causing major accidents and serious injuries. Lexus says it has not received any reports of accidents or injuries related to the issue.

Lexus general manager Mark Templin says the affected vehicles have some contaminated materials used for valve springs in the engine, which could cause abnormal noises or rough idling. In extreme cases the engine could stall and drivers would likely hear noises or idling before the vehicle stalled.

Toyota is still dealing with fallout from its recall of 8.5 million vehicles because of sticking accelerator pedals and pedals that can get trapped in floor mats.