Lost In Lima Ohio - A true crime blog

So I figured that I'd take one minute and wish all of you the happiest of New Years. Categories: Misc ,

Police said the teenagers were playing with starter pistols and toy guns, and then the 15-year-old boy got a handgun from his grandmother's room, pointed it at his sister and shot her in the face. The boy told police he did not know the gun was loaded. Police said they are working on the shooting as a tragic accident. If you must have a gun, please be smart enough to keep it: A: Outta Sight of Children (of all ages) B: Unloaded C: Locked There is no reason beyond stupidity that a 15 year old boy would pick up a gun, and point it at some one's face- regardless of whether he "thought" it was loaded or not. The first law of touching guns, the first thing you should do when you handle a gun is check to see if it is loaded, and if it locked. While I can only blame the adults around this boy for not teaching him important lessons about gun safety, I have to say that I'm surprised there will be no charges against anyone involved . There is a difference between an accide

Tiara Jefferson left her two children, ages 2 and 2 months in the care of Detress Richmond while she went to work in hopes of making a little extra Christmas money. Richmon left the two young children and nearly a dozen other children with a 15 year old sitter while she left her home. Reports suggest that while the teenage babysitter was in another part of the home, a nine year old boy- the son of Richmond, stabbed Jefferson's two year old- Damya Jefferson. Siblings of the nine year old referred to him as a bully, and that he often pushed them around. As for Richmond, he has 13 children and has a history of being investigated by Texas Department of Child Protective Services, who have been to her house eight times since 1994 to investigate allegations that her children were neglected, not fed or living in filth. State officials are not offering any reason as to why the children were never removed from the home. As for the nine year old- because of his age, he can not be charged wit

In 1972, a 18 year old girl was forcibly raped, and then murdered with a cleaver. Again in 1979, two more women were sexually assaulted in separate attacks on the same day. And then, on the same day in separate attacks three more women were sexually assaulted in 1981. Six violent attacks, within less than ten years- all from the same man- who was first convicted as a minor in the original rape/murder case. Michael Etchison, the man responsible for these heinous crimes actually ran out of luck- and served the longest sentence for the last set of crimes- 26 years. In 1996, California's sexual predator law came into effect, coinciding with the release of Etchison from prison. However after spending the majority of his adult life incarcerated, the new law gave officials the opportunity to confine in state mental hospitals sex criminals who complete their sentences but are determined by doctors to have a mental disorder and likely to re-offend- and Etchison was one of the those confine

Update- AMW is reporting that an arrest has been made , with a DNA match to at least one of the cases. I don't know what's going on in Texas- but whatever it is, it's not good. I'm really a little surprised that I haven't heard of this earlier, given the fact that I actively look for news that contains the words "rapist" and this is a story that by all means I should have picked up earlier. The serial rapist-robber began his attacks in east Harris County in April and his assaults have occurred every 30 to 60 days. But what makes this case so unusual is that women are not the target. So far the five victims have all been young, white males in their late teens or early 20s, mostly students still living at their parents' homes. The attacker is described as a light-skinned black male, clean-cut and nicely dressed, in his late 20s. He stands 5-foot-6 to 6 feet tall and weighs about 200 pounds. Please read the full story here , and come back for updates on d

I wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a very merry Christmas. Or a happy holiday of your choice. In light of the season, I've been ' tagged ' by Butch . Ok, this is how it works: The player (me) must list 3 things that I would love to get for Christmas. Then I must list 3 things that I definitely do not want to get for Christmas. Then I tag 5 friends and list their names. The one I tag needs to write on their blogs about their Christmas wishes then tag 5 more people. They must also clarify all the rules. When you tag someone you need to leave a comment that says "you'’ve been Christmas tagged!" in their comments and tell them to read your blog. Ok everybody... Three things I'd love seems easy enough- 1. Snow- cause it's looking a lot like a green Christmas, and the kids want snow. 2. All my blogging friends to have a very very merry Christmas. 3. A vacation. Three things I don't want: 1. Another damn Sex Offender/ Santa Story 2. The bloo

Yeah, this is my 1201 post. And, tonight I realised I'd been missing something. I don't know, I've just not felt like writing. Let's face it, you all can click on FoxNews just as quickly as I can. I needed something. I just couldn't figure out what , so I just was sitting here reading the news, when I clicked on a story about all the crimes done in the name of Christmas. There's the Santa that kidnapped a child at a gas station, the Santa that was a sex offender, the Santa photographer that was a child molester... a bunch of crimes involving Santa. I don't care if you agree with the image of Santa or not- taking a charactor beloves by millions of children and using his likeness to prey upon children is just freaking wrong. Most of us see Santa as innocent icon representing a season of love. I'm not going to get preachy- I've already done that tonight with the little ones here, but I am getting rather tired of people using good things to further their

It seems that dispite their insistance that the cages where used as a source of "protection" for the children, a jury of their peers where able to see through the lies and convict the Gravelle's for the abuse their 11 adoptive children suffered at their hands. From Fox : A jury found Michael Gravelle, 57, and his wife, Sharen, 58, guilty of felony and misdemeanor charges of child endangering and abuse. The couple had pleaded not guilty. They claimed during the three-week trial they needed to keep some of the youngsters in enclosed beds rigged with alarms to protect them from themselves and each other and stop them from wandering at night. Each was convicted of four felony counts of child endangering, two misdemeanor counts of child endangering and five misdemeanor counts of child abuse. Each was acquitted of 13 charges. All I can say is, it's about damn time. Categories: abused ,

The other day I was having a conversation with a friend who had lost power. And that's when it hit me- some people still don't know about one of the best little products in the world. An inverter. Imagine this, it's 10 degrees outside, and you haven't had power for days. If you have a gas generator- it's no good to you anymore because there are no gas stations open. If you don't- well you don't have one, so you don't care about those who do have one. You just want a freaking cup of hot coffee before you lose your mind and start burning furniture as a heating source to boil water. Not the prettiest picture in the world. Except, in the mist of the cold- you remember that little gadget Lilo told you to buy, and you start thanking me like crazy for telling you about it. Cause, now you can: charge your laptop, make a pot of coffee, put a movie on for the kids, charge your cell phone, and trust me- the list goes on and on. This is an inverter, an 150W Auto P

True crime blogger Ima has a new home, which I've been forgetful in mentioning. But, to make up for my lack or remembering to mention it- I'm telling you about it now. And, I'm recommending that you take a moment to read an interesting entry she has up on a rapist- as I'm sure that the story behind him, and his criminal conduct will be shocking to say the least. So head over to Criminal Conduct , and read this post . Categories: predators , molesters , internet , bloggers ,

Her name won't be released, out of a desire to protect the victim in the case who is her daughter. But in St. Louis, an appeal was made to throw out a reduced sentence of a woman who has to be one of the worst mothers in the world. It all started when Joe J. Champion of Granite City, Ill made a deal with a woman that would allow him to molest her child, for a price of $20, per incident. The woman, convicted in 2003 of aggravated sexual abuse and conspiring with Champion to help him molest the girl, was initially sentenced to 17 1/2 years in prison — the minimum provided under federal sentencing guidelines. She appealed, and an 8th Circuit panel of judges sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Charles A. Shaw, saying he might have given her a lighter sentence if he had known he wasn't bound by the guidelines. A January 2005 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court loosened the nearly 20-year-old mandatory guideline system, making it merely advisory. Shaw then sentenced the woman t

Law enforcement in two counties, along with the following: agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the U.S. Attorney’s Project Safe Childhood, Kentucky Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Integrated Child Exploitation Team- had their work cut out for them recently. It seems that an email tip came in, and while in the process of investigating it they found Brian Graham. Graham is evidently a child rapist, or to be more clear- he engaged in nepiophilia- as he was arrested for raping a child under the age of 2 . Investigators said they discovered that Brian Graham had had sex with an 18-month-old child. Graham, 48, was arrested Tuesday and charged with sodomy and sexual abuse. He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted. There are certainly different takes on the effects of sexual abuse on a child so young, with some believing that because the child will most likely not b

This week I am honored to bring you the 55th edition of the True Crime Carnival. And while it may not be the most cheerful Christmas present you receive this year, it's bound to be one of the more interesting ones. So, pull your mouse closer and lets get ready to read some crime blogs. First up, I'd like to offer you a look at one of my favorite crime blogs- Crime Rant , by true crime authors M. William Phelps and Gregg Olsen. If you haven't seen their blog yet, you've been missing a lot of good reading. They have an interesting follow up to the Judith/ OJ saga in their post Cold as Ice: Me and Judith Regan’s Office Chair Crime Scene Blog is looking hard at the Ipswich serial murders, and the suspect that they have recently arrested for the crimes. From his post : My first theory, which is just a that currently, is that he may have felt in his own mind that by killing these women he was somehow saving them from a life on the streets. It has been rumored that these wom

Not guilty . Of course, the victim- his four year old son- is dead and unable to testify against him, thanks to the mother. It's sad and pitiful that a child could be stuck with having two evil parents... one to abuse him, and one to kill him before he could get justice. Categories: predators , molesters ,

As much as I love the idea of magical reindeer and Santa, there is a reason why I tell my kids that the Santa's they see in public are just actors, and to be just as cautious about them, as they would any stranger. COLUMBIA, S.C. -- A Batesburg-Leesville man dressed as Santa has been charged with kidnapping an 8-year-old girl, who was released unharmed. Lexington County Sheriff James Metts says 55-year-old John Michael Barton was arrested Sunday night. Continue reading news article ... UPDATE: Found an even better news clip on it , complete with the photo of the Santa Perv seen above. Categories: predators , kidnappings ,

Christopher Culp had a drug habit. And he had a grandmother. Culp still has the drug habit- although he no longer has the grandmother. Police say that Culp went to his grandmothers home to borrow $40. Once he obtained the money, he used it to buy crack cocaine. They believe that after purchasing the crack cocaine, Culp decided to return to his grandmothers home to get more money . A 20-year-old Daytona Beach, Fla., man is accused of killing his grandmother by strangling her with an extension cord being used for holiday lights and then slitting her throat apparently over money for drugs, according to a Local 6 News report. Investigators said Linda Hummer was found in a pool of blood by her daughter at the woman's home located at 916 Tracy St. Saturday afternoon. Hummer's grandson, Christopher Culp, was charged in her death. Categories: assault , murders

Aron J. Pritchard was watching his children, when he decided to stuff them into a dryer and turn it on. The children were 2 (a girl) and 3 (a boy). Police said that the boy was treated for burns at a hospital while the girl was not injured. I can't begin to tell you what is wrong with this man. I'm just at a loss for words over it. H/t frequent tipper, Loadbroker. Categories: abused ,

Okay, so I've cheated and skipped actually writing anything for the last few days. I have a good excuse, but rather than sharing it- I though I would share some more screen captures. Now, I have a even more interesting screen capture for you- but there is a little story behind it that I thought I would share first. At one time, I lived in Orange County Florida, so naturally, I get a little more interested in news from there compared to my already high interest in sex crime cases. So when I heard about this one, I wanted to look into it. It seems that a male in Orange County has been casing homes near golf courses looking for female victims. When he recently found one, he approached the home, told the female that he believed he may have broken a yard light with his golf ball- and offered to go look. He pushed his way into the home and attempted to sexually assault the woman. The male is described as white, around 30 years old with a goatee. Personally, I'd imagine that by now t

The unlucky winner of "how to annoy Lilo" is: pool-207-68-83-12.chrlwv.east.verizon.net IP Address 207.68.83.12 Country United States Region West Virginia City Charleston ISP Verizon Internet Services Returning Visits 0 Visit Length 0 seconds Who decided to show their sickening ways by doing a search for child porn. Awe, the powers of PrtSc, Paint Shop, and Google Pages. Categories: predators , molesters , internet ,

Once again it's time for the Carnival of the True Crime Blogs- where some of the best crime bloggers get together and share their most interesting posts of the week. So, click on over to slabtown chronicle to read " Carnival 54 Where Are You ?" Categories: internet , bloggers ,

On a make shift bed, not far from the actual baby, Mary Shannon Hansche, 22, and Christopher Wayne Hansche, 26, slept peacefully. It could have been a picture perfect scene- father, mother and baby resting quietly in the still of the night... only with the exception that while the adult Hansches dreamed of lollipops and ice cream (I'm just guessing there) the infant child laying in a child seat beside them was having her toes chewed off by a pit bull puppy. (They) told police they woke up to the sound of the baby crying, found her mangled foot and took her to the hospital about 8:30 a.m. Sunday. "They did not see the dog injuring the child," police spokesman Mark Natale said. The girl underwent surgery Sunday at Sutton's Children's Hospital in Shreveport. There was no way to reattach the child's toes, Natale said Monday. The puppy was 6 weeks old and had no record of receiving its shots and will be quarantined for 10 days to check for rabies. Natale said he di

Not so long ago I shared the story of three little children whose mother decided that the love of a man was worth more than their lives . The three children drowned when the family car rolled into a lake, which LE believed was an intentional act on the parts of Maurice LaGrone and the children's mother- Amanda Hamm. Authorities said Hamm was going along with her boyfriend's plan to drown the children to get rid of the strain they added to the couple's sometimes abusive relationship. Maurice LaGrone, now Hamm's ex-boyfriend, was convicted in April of murdering the children and is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The jury came in, and while they found Hamm guilty of child endangerment, they found her not guilty of first-degree murder . I suppose that makes her only half guilty- only sort of responsible for their deaths. She must be dancing circles right about now... Categories: murders

Let me start this by saying that I believe every person capable of working, should work, although I put some restrictions on exactly what sort of jobs some people should be allowed to have. Take for instance the teller at my local bank. I wouldn't a former bank robber filling that position. Even more, I wouldn't want a known child abuser babysitting my kids. Or a mass murderer working as the greeter at my local Walmart. You see, some people just shouldn't have some jobs. Willard Hyslop had a job. In fact, he had what most people would consider a good job. And then some people complained, and he lost his job. Now, Hyslop wants his job back. And, his employer wants to give him his job back. Only, there are still those that think Willard Hyslop shouldn't have that job. So, he's sueing. Hyslop worked as a firefighter for Kenockee Township. As part of that job, he fought fires- of course. But he also did other things. Like participate in parades, and work at nonemergency

Despite the fact that due to a lack of imagination my home town is part of the name of this blog, this isn't really what anyone would call a "local blog". I barely cover anything remotely local, especially when compared to the number of non local cases I write about. However, this was one I just couldn't pass up. Elida Ohio is a stone throw away from Lima, so close in fact that the "Lima Mall" is actually in Elida. They have their own schools and even their own post office- but their size is still small enough that it just becomes easier to say they live in Lima rather than trying to point Elida out on a map. It's a small town. A very small town. But a nice one. Normally quiet, and hardly enough trouble to ever really even notice that they are there. Which, I suppose is why it seems so odd that they made the news yet again. It's not uncommon to read about Elida schools in the news, there are always levy's, or sporting events, or something usually

So, they keep their sick little selves busy by searching for child porn on the internet. It's just too bad for them that I don't have anything better to do on a Friday night than post the screen capture of their visit. Categories: predators , internet ,

I've mentioned this before, in passing, but it's relevant so I'm bringing it up again. Growing up, my immediate family all were active Jehovah's Witnesses, therefore we didn't celebrate any of the holidays or birthdays. As a child this never really bothered me much, because having never experienced any of that- I didn't know what I was missing. I'm grown now, with a family of my own, and I try to always make every celebration a little more special- I suppose I'm attempting to conpensate for what I didn't have as a child. When I imagine my children all grown, I want them to be able to look back and and have memories to smile about. And, while they are still young enough to believe in the magic of the holiday's, I want them to just be wowed by all of it. Last year, my older children came up with the greatest of ideas on Christmas Eve. They had planned out a way for their dad to snap a photo of Rudolf, so that we they woke in the morning, they'd

Not far from where I live is a little town know mostly for it's slopes- known as Mad River Mountain, although it also holds the claim of having the shortest street in the US of A, and (as if that's not enough) claims to have had the very first concrete streets too. Bellefontaine is the type of town where you don't stop to think about whether you're safe... in this small town you just are. Or, at least that was the general opinion around town. And for one family, the thought that a monster could be living so close to home never came to mind... Joan Green raised six children in her lifetime. She was a Sunday school teacher, and a window. At 72 years of age, Joan lived alone, a few doors down from a group home that housed troubled teenage boys. But she'd been there a long time, and there didn't seem to be any reason for concern on behalf of herself or her children. In 2003, the then 13-year-old Tindall admitted to raping a 14-year-old classmate at his Huntsville ho

I tend to look at things that "go wrong" and try to pin point the exact moment when tragedy became inevitable. I've never really been one that was willing to buy into the idea that no one saw it coming, that things just happen. The very moment that Amanda Hamm's children became nothing more than a tragedy waiting to happen didn't start when her and her then boyfriend Maurice LaGrone Jr placed her three kids in a car and drove to a boat ramp. No, these kids were doomed the moment that Hamm decided that she could really love a man more than she could love her children. I'll explain that in a moment, first though for those not familuar with the case, I'll set the scene up for you. Hamm had three children, Christopher Hamm, 6, Austin Brown, 3, and Kyleigh Hamm, 23 months. At some point, it doesn't really matter when, Hamm began dating LaGrone. The two of them decided that the children rather got in the way of their impassioned love affair, and killed them.

There are some relationships between a child and a parent that go beyond being special. They are the original examples of common phrases like "mommy's boy" and "daddy's little girl". The extreme love between the parent and the child isn't tarnished during the rocky years of adolescents... it's not deterred by the wayward behavior of a confused teen. It remains strong, although often tattered and beaten by the phone calls home from schools, the unapproving glances from family friends who are one step away from declaring the child a lost cause, through the tough times and the pain- it remains strong and unbreakable. My little girl still sees her dad as her hero, he's still her favorite guy. She's still his biggest cheerleader, and more than sure that he can "do anything". I know, from experience that over the years, as she grows she won't smile as big when he comes home. She'll start to prefer being with her friends over play

Yesterday, in a moment of being hurried I posted a couple of Amber Alerts , and went on about my day. In the back of my mind I thought of them- one involved an infant, stolen from her mother and the other involved a little boy. The story said that little Geontae Glass was sleeping in the back of his mothers car when she stopped at a store to grab some juice. Glass' mother reported that she left him asleep in the car while she quickly ran inside. In what could only be described as a mothers worse fear, a man approached the vehicle, and jumped inside- stealing the car with the child still in the back seat. A search for the child quickly began, with an Amber Alert issued, listing the child as in extreme danger. Geontae Glass was found this morning, apparently murdered. At first thought, most of us will quickly wonder what the car thief had hoped to gain by coldly murdering a little boy. How could anyone justify killing a child over a stolen car? Before your heart breaks for the mothe

Two current Amber Alerts, please keep an eye out: ALBERTVILLE, Ala . — State troopers issued a missing child alert Monday after a man stole a car in which a 5-year-old boy was seated. Troopers issued the Ambert Alert for Geontae Glass, who was in a light blue 1994 Nissan Altima with no tag when it was stolen Monday morning in front of a store. The car was last seen traveling south on Alabama 206. Trooper said the child is believed to be in extreme danger and urged anyone with information to call local police or the state Department of Public Safety at 334-242-4128. Other details were not immediately available. From the Amber Alert website: Geontae Glass , 5 years of age. He's a black male, last seen Monday morning at 601 Baltimore Avenue in Albertville, Ala. Glass is 3 feet tall and weighs 65 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. He is considered to be in extreme danger. The suspect is unknown black male who was described as approximately 5'9" - 5'11", 200 -

There will always be those that attempt to rationalize their disgusting behavior by blaming someone else, or something else for the things that they do. This is very common behavior when it comes to child molesters- who will often fault drug problems, drinking problems, or even normal everyday stress for their abuse of a child. Most times that I come across one of their lame excuses, I can just shake my head and say that I've heard it before.... and therefore ignore the stupidity of their reasoning. Today, well friends, today is different. Because today, I actually seen an excuse that I haven't already read thousands of times before. And even more importantly, it pretty much takes the cake when it comes to illogical and unmoving excuses . A man who pleaded guilty to molesting two girls told a judge he did it because of his wife's excessive bingo playing. "My wife was never home," Floyd Kinney Jr. said during his plea hearing Friday. Kinney's explanation did no

I must be bored. Either that or just inspired by the fact that both Sam and Ala have done it. You are supposed to bold all the things that you've done... 01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink - there were three of us. 02. Swam with wild dolphins 03. Climbed a mountain 04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive 05. Been inside the Great Pyramid 06. Held a tarantula and then realised what it was and dropped it. 07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone 08. Said "I Love You" and meant it 09. Hugged a tree I was a kid, it was my favorite tree, I later ran over it with a mower. 10. Built your own PC from parts 11. Hit a home run 12. Watched a lightning storm at sea Sort of, the storm was at sea, I was safely on the beach. 13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise 14. Seen the Northern Lights 15. Gone to a huge sports game 16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa 17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables Fun, until I had to eat them. 18. Touched an iceb

True Crime bloggers rarely ever get tagged with a meme it seems, and personally, anytime I do- I sort of expect it to come from fellow local blogger Cathy . She's sort of silly that way, which is always more than fine with me. I just smile and shake my head saying "Cathy and her crazy memes". I'm pretty sure she does this mainly because the odds of me being able to truthfully say I've already done it are so low... So guess what? Cathy had tagged me again. Here it goes: 5 Christmas song meme... my fave five, in no particular order: Silent Night Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer Santa Claus Is Coming to Town Frosty the Snowman Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer Yes I know that four out of the five are kids songs. That may have to do with the simple fact that I like them best, because I love hearing the little ones sing them to me... there's just nothing sweeter. Since I am bad at knowing who to tag... I'm willing to cheat and just ask for volunteers.... offer yo

Her mother said she was "very mature". That she was a good student. And of course, that the mom just doesn't understand how her kid could become involved in something like this. Watch out people, it seems that it's always the "very mature" ones... at least according to their parents. Mark Noriega used a young accomplice to get him tools from the outside, police said. Sheriff’s deputies caught the inmate trying to punch a hole in the wall of his cell on the fifth floor of the jail using a set of tools he got with the help of a 14-year-old girl, police said. I don't know about you, but I'm thinking that this girl wasn't as mature as her mother thought, and surely didn't have the normal range of common sense that most 14 year olds are equiped with. [...]Noreiga made phone calls from jail to the girl, convincing her to supply him with a bag of tools to break free[...] Deputies said the girl took the bus from her house in south Dallas and waite

David D. Brown was convicted of second-degree murder in 1991 for killing his baby, he ended up serving 15 years in prison before being paroled in August 2005. In October of this year, Brown reported violated the terms of parole, and a warrent was issued for his arrest. Police say they attempted to "find or contact" him for nearly six weeks. LE was unable to locate Brown, until after he committed yet another round of crimes, this time killing his cousin, and critically stabbing another cousin . A Riverview man was charged with murder after killing one woman and seriously injuring another. Prosecutors believe the motive for the crime was a lesbian relationship the two women had begun. 33-year-old David Dwayne Brown was charged with murdering 20-year-old Melissa Morgan, the mother of his 5-month-old child, on Sunday. He is also accused of stabbing 20-year-old Angela Christian, who was still in the hospital in critical condition, Wednesday. Brown is the first cousin of both women