HOME    WORLD    U.S.    POLITICS    CRIME    ENTERTAINMENT    HEALTH    TECH    TRAVEL    LIVING
July 3, 2009
Former mayor missing
Posted: 02:31 PM ET
Share this on:
Share | Permalink | 16 Comments






____________________________________________________________________

Former Waldron, Arkansas Mayor, Troy Anderson, has been missing since June 21st
Former Waldron, Arkansas Mayor, Troy Anderson, has been missing since June 21st

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

There is the bleach on the carpet, the unanswered phone calls, and the young married couple taken into custody. Together, they offer haunting clues that something sinister may have happened to a former small town mayor in Arkansas.
 
“He’s a very good man, a good friend, and a good person,” Annette Rotta said of Troy Anderson. “I just hope they find him.”
 
Anderson vanished on June 21st. A missing persons report was filed with the police six days later. Friends, family, and the authorities fear for the 75-year-old’s safety.

“We feel that he is endangered,” Sgt. Levi Risley of the Fort Smith Police told CNN. “There are suspicious circumstances.”

  Keep reading

16 Comments
More about: 360° Radar •  Crime & Punishment •  Gabe Falcon
June 24, 2009
TV co-hosts clash
Posted: 02:09 PM ET
Share this on:
Share | Permalink | 6 Comments






____________________________________________________________________

Amy DuPont and Zach Brown were once on-air colleagues at WXOW in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Amy DuPont and Zach Brown were once on-air colleagues at WXOW in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

They were friendly co-hosts on camera. But behind the scenes, something was wrong. “I was scared,” said Amy DuPont, the anchor for WXOW/ABC 19 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. “You think you know someone and obviously I didn’t.”

DuPont is referring to Zach Brown, her former on-air partner and colleague at WXOW. Brown, who was also a meteorologist, bantered with DuPont for several years on the station’s morning newscast.

“I thought we had a good working relationship,” DuPont told CNN. But in November, 2007, DuPont began receiving strange emails from someone who used the screen name “Mario.”

Captain Kurt Papenfuss of the La Crosse County’s Sheriff’s Department described the messages were “catty” and contained “weird stuff.” In an interview, he also said some of the comments were about the on-air relationship between DuPont and Brown. “The gist of it was,” Captain Papenfuss said, “you need to be nicer to Zach, you’re mean on air, quit talking about your baby.”

The first email was sent in late 2007. And they didn’t stop until this June. In all, the authorities said 21 inappropriate emails were sent to DuPont. And she began to suspect they may be coming from her co-host. “In the back of my mind I wondered,” she said.

DuPont asked the police to investigate. It didn’t take long to get some answers. Armed with a subpoena, authorities were able to trace back the emails to a computer in Brown’s home.

But was he the one sending the emails? “We brought him into the station,” Captain Papenfuss said, “and he wouldn’t really respond to anything.

The police did say Brown told his employer he was aware the emails were coming from his residence, but insisted his roommate was sending them, not him.

Brown could not be reached for comment. In a brief phone call, Sean Dwyer, the News Director for WXOW told CNN, “all I can say is, he is no longer an employee at News 19.”

This week DuPont was granted a temporary restraining order against Brown. She’s also hoping to put this story behind her. “I’m ready for something else in the news to take the attention of me,” she said.

6 Comments
More about: 360° Radar •  Crime & Punishment •  Gabe Falcon
June 22, 2009
New lead in ‘59 abduction
Posted: 04:25 PM ET
Share this on:
Share | Permalink | 1 Comment | Add a comment






____________________________________________________________________

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

Before Adam Walsh, Etan Patz and Madeleine McCann. Before the first Amber Alert. Before a young face stared back from the side of a milk carton, there was Danny.

Danny Barter vanished in 1959. He was on a family camping trip to Alabama’s Perdido Bay. He was playing with his dad one minute, gone the next. “Just like that,” recalled his brother, Mike Barter. Danny was 4 years-old.

Over this past weekend, his loved ones returned to the campsite and to the scene of the presumed stranger abduction. They came to remember Danny, and to rededicate a half-century mission to find him.

Even with the passage of time, their faith has not wavered. “We’ve never doubted that he’s not out there, “said Mike Barter. “Until they prove otherwise, we hope one day we will be reunited.”

Their hope has been bolstered by investigators with the FBI and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, which re-opened the case last year after hearing of a conversation pertaining to the case. “A lead was sparked when someone was sitting in a public area talking about what happened,” FBI Spokeswoman Joyce Riggs wrote in an email message to the members of the media.

Keep reading

1 Comment
June 17, 2009
Cops: Son poses as dead mom
Posted: 03:10 PM ET
Share this on:
Share | Permalink | 9 Comments






____________________________________________________________________

Authorities say Thomas Parkin (L) has impersonated his mother since her death in September 2003.
Authorities say Thomas Parkin (L) has impersonated his mother since her death in September 2003.
The Kings County District Attorney says Thomas Parkin, 49, now faces charges of larceny, conspiracy, forgery and more.
The Kings County District Attorney says Thomas Parkin, 49, now faces charges of larceny, conspiracy, forgery and more.
Mhilton Rimolo, a friend of Parkin's, is charged in connection with the deception and fraud.
Mhilton Rimolo, a friend of Parkin's, is charged in connection with the deception and fraud.

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

The elderly woman in oversized sunglasses hunches over a desk at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Brooklyn, New York. Dressed in red and holding a pen, she fills out the required information to renew her license. A surveillance camera takes a snapshot of the seemingly routine matter.

It all appears normal.

Except for one glaring fact: the woman is a man.

And, according to investigators, that man is posing as his own dead mother in what Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes called “a multi-year campaign of fraud that was unparalleled in its scope and brazenness.”

Brazen and bizarre.

Authorities say Thomas Parkin impersonated his mother since her death in September, 2003. They believe a friend of Parkin’s, Mhilton Rimolo, was his partner in crime in a long-running scam of deception and fraud.

Parkin, 49, and 47-year-old Rimolo are charged with multiple counts of Grand Larceny, Conspiracy, Forgery, Perjury and Criminal Impersonation.

Keep reading

9 Comments
More about: 360° Radar •  Crime & Punishment •  Gabe Falcon
June 15, 2009
Patriots or predators?
Posted: 12:46 PM ET
Share this on:
Share | Permalink | 20 Comments






____________________________________________________________________

The Pima County Sheriff's Department in Arizona says Shawna Forde, MAD's executive director, killed a father and his daughter.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department in Arizona says Shawna Forde, MAD's executive director, killed a father and his daughter.
MAD's Operations Director, Jason Eugene Bush, is also facing charges.
MAD's Operations Director, Jason Eugene Bush, is also facing charges.
Albert Robert Gaxiola was also allegedly involved in the killings.
Albert Robert Gaxiola was also allegedly involved in the killings.

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

Shawna Forde considers herself a true patriot, a frontline freedom fighter who claims to protect the country by guarding against illegal immigrants.

Forde is the Executive Director of the Minuteman American Defense. According to the Washington State organization’s mission statement, the Minuteman American Defense (MAD) helps secure America’s borders “against unlawful and unauthorized entry by all individuals.

Serving as MAD’s Operations Director is Jason Eugene Bush. Bush, who goes by the name “Gunny,” paints a stark picture of the stakes at play. On the group’s web site, he writes in capital letters “THIS IS MY COUNTRY. THIS IS YOUR COUNTRY. DEFEND IT OR LOSE IT. PERIOD.”

To their followers, Forde and Bush are leaders and crusaders. But to the police, they are killers, extremely violent predators who took the lives of a father and his young child.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department in Arizona says Forde, Bush and an associate of Forde’s, Albert Robert Gaxiola, killed 29-year-old Raul Flores and his 9-year-old daughter, Brisenia Flores on May 30th.

Authorities believe the three suspects used deception to enter the Flores home in the town of Arivaca. Deputy Dawn M. Barkman, the Public Information Officer for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department says they “apparently forced their way into the house posing as law enforcement.”

Keep reading

20 Comments
More about: Crime & Punishment •  Gabe Falcon
June 2, 2009
Hero or executioner?
Posted: 11:14 AM ET
Share this on:
Share | Permalink | 15 Comments






____________________________________________________________________

Surveillance video from Reliable Discount Pharmacy on May 19, 2009.
Surveillance video from Reliable Discount Pharmacy on May 19, 2009.

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

An Oklahoma City pharmacist who fatally shot a young robbery suspect has been charged with first-degree murder for the killing that has been both condemned and defended.

The shooting, which occurred May 19th at the Reliable Discount Pharmacy, was recorded on the store’s surveillance camera. On the tape, two teenage boys enter the pharmacy, one of them appears to point a gun at the employees.

From the back of the store, the pharmacist, Jerome Jay Ersland, opens fire with his gun, shooting 16-year-old Antwun Parker in the head. Ersland then chases the other suspect out the door.

It is what happens next that the prosecutor says warranted the murder charge against Ersland. The security tape shows Ersland return to the pharmacy. He goes behind the counter and grabs a second gun.

Keep reading

15 Comments
More about: Crime & Punishment •  Gabe Falcon
May 29, 2009
New details about Bonnie and Clyde
Posted: 11:15 AM ET
Share this on:
Share | Permalink | 7 Comments






____________________________________________________________________

Portrait of American bank robbers and lovers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, popularly known as Bonnie and Clyde, circa 1933.
Portrait of American bank robbers and lovers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, popularly known as Bonnie and Clyde, circa 1933.

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

They were killers and lovers. And now, 75 years after Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow’s murderous crime spree ended in a barrage of police bullets, new details about their years on the run are being made public for the first time.

The files are coming from the FBI. And it is a treasure trove of information on the duo who committed bank robberies across America and left more than a dozen people dead.

The documents, available on the FBI’s web site, contain previously classified memos on Bonnie & Clyde. The typewritten pages were prepared by the agency’s Dallas Field Office from the 1930s. They offer a fascinating glimpse of the pursuit of the young couple and their cohorts.

Another memo summarizes the last day of Bonnie & Clyde’s life, revealing how a posse of police officers and federal agents planned the ambush that killed the pair on a dirt road in Louisiana.

There is more.

The files also contain photographs, newspaper clippings, Clyde Barrow’s signatures, and more official records from the investigation.

Long before Hollywood immortalized and, some would say, glamorized their crime wave, Bonnie & Clyde were real people, responsible for ruthless acts of violence.

With the release of these files, maybe the entire story of what they did is finally being told.

Click here to view the documents.

7 Comments
More about: 360° Radar •  Crime & Punishment •  Gabe Falcon
May 26, 2009
Couple murdered; children left to wonder
Posted: 09:50 AM ET
Share this on:
Share | Permalink | 24 Comments






____________________________________________________________________

Davina Husted was stabbed to death with her husband on Wednesday, she was five months pregnant.
Davina Husted was stabbed to death with her husband on Wednesday, she was five months pregnant.

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

Authorities in California investigating the killings of a pregnant woman and her husband in a seaside gated community spent the weekend collecting evidence.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said multiple search warrants were involved, but would not reveal any information regarding where they were executed or what type of evidence was gathered.

The bodies of Davina and Brock Husted were found in their oceanfront home Wednesday evening. Police say the couple, both 42, were stabbed to death by an intruder. A knife, believed to be the murder weapon, was recovered at their home. Davina Husted was reportedly five months pregnant.

The couple’s two children were home during the attack. The 9-year-old son was watching American Idol in the family room. Authorities say the boy saw the assailant in the house. The victims’ 11-year-old daughter was sleeping upstairs at the time of the killings. Neither child was physically injured.

Keep reading

24 Comments
More about: 360° Radar •  Crime & Punishment •  Gabe Falcon
May 22, 2009
Pregnant Mom, Dad stabbed to death
Posted: 02:55 PM ET
Share this on:
Share | Permalink | 232 Comments






____________________________________________________________________

Davina Husted was stabbed to death with her husband on Wednesday, she was four months pregnant.
Davina Husted was stabbed to death with her husband on Wednesday, she was four months pregnant.

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

A quiet seaside community was jolted by the brutal killings of a husband, wife, and their unborn child, while police say the couple’s young son was watching “American Idol” in the family room.

Authorities in Ventura, California, say they are desperate for information. “We don’t know the motive, or anything about the suspect,” said Sheriff’s Department Capt.Ross Bonfiglio.

According to police, Brock and Davina Husted were killed at about 10:30 P.M. Wednesday night after an intruder entered their beachfront house. The woman was four months pregnant and police are counting the fetus as a third homicide victim. The parents, both 42, were stabbed to death. Captain Bonfigio says the couple was viciously stabbed to death and the knife was recovered at the scene.

Investigators say the French doors on the ocean side of the single family house were left open on the night of the 20th, allowing the intruder access.

Keep reading

232 Comments
More about: Crime & Punishment •  Gabe Falcon
May 21, 2009
On Tape: Man in wheelchair attacked
Posted: 11:47 AM ET
Share this on:
Share | Permalink | 4 Comments






____________________________________________________________________

Video surveillance of two teenagers who attacked a 66-year-old man in a wheelchair.
Video surveillance of two teenagers who attacked a 66-year-old man in a wheelchair.

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

He knew they were coming to get him. But even though Celedono Carrera could not run away, he was determined to fight back. Fight he did.

The Miami-Dade Police Department is asking for the public’s help in finding the two teenagers who beat and robbed the 66-year-old wheelchair bound Florida man.

The crime, which occurred Friday, May 8, and in broad daylight, was captured on security tape. The video, which runs less than a minute, shows Carrera in a motorized wheelchair being pursued by the first of his attackers, who police say is 17-years-old.

The teenager quickly catches up to Carrera and reaches for his necklace. Carrera struggles with the young man. But he is no match for the robber, who violently pulls him off the wheelchair and throws him on the ground. The suspect then repeatedly strikes Carrera. After repeated attempts, he steals Carrera’s wallet.

Keep reading

4 Comments

subscribe RSS Icon
About this blog

A behind the scenes look at “Anderson Cooper 360°” and the stories it covers, written by Anderson Cooper, the AC360° staff and a network of contributors. Insight you can’t find anywhere else.

We search the news each day to show you what’s on our radar and what we’re planning for the show each night.

For more details, read our tips on how to win 360° approval for comments.

Send your instant feedback to Anderson Cooper 360°.

Featured Contributors
Candy Crowley
Candy Crowley is CNN's senior political correspondent and an AC360° contributor
David Gergen
David Gergen is CNN's senior political analyst and former presidential advisor
Roland S. Martin
Roland S. Martin is a nationally award-winning journalist and AC360° contributor
CNN Comment Policy: CNN encourages you to add a comment to this discussion. You may not post any unlawful, threatening, defamatory, obscene, pornographic or other material that would violate the law. All comments should be relevant to the topic and remain respectful of other authors and commenters. You are solely responsible for your own comments, the consequences of posting those comments, and the consequences of any reliance by you on the comments of others. By submitting your comment, you hereby give CNN the right, but not the obligation, to post, air, edit, exhibit, telecast, cablecast, webcast, re-use, publish, reproduce, use, license, print, distribute or otherwise use your comment(s) and accompanying personal identifying and other information you provide via all forms of media now known or hereafter devised, worldwide, in perpetuity. CNN Privacy Statement.
Home  |  World  |  U.S.  |  Politics  |  Crime  |  Entertainment  |  Health  |  Tech  |  Travel  |  Living  |  Business  |  Sports  |  Time.com
Podcasts  |  Blogs  |  CNN Mobile  |  Preferences  |  Email Alerts  |  CNN Radio  |  CNN Shop  |  Site Map
© 2009 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by WordPress.com VIP