Missing Person Mother of Missing SC Boy Gives Birth

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina mother on trial in the case of her missing son has given birth to another child.

Zinah Jennings, 23, gave birth to a baby girl early Friday morning, according to her defense attorney, Hemphill Pride.

Jennings has been on trial this week in Columbia on a charge of unlawful conduct toward a child. Her son, Amir, was 18 months old when he was last seen around Thanksgiving. Police say Jennings has told them misleading, false stories about where the boy is.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

Jennings has been jailed since December, and Pride would not say who would watch after her new baby. Previously, Jennings’ mother has said she was preparing to care for the child.

Throughout this week, prosecutors have put up more than 20 witnesses, many of whom testified that Jennings felt overwhelmed by the responsibilities of parenting. One high school friend said that the young mother told her she often pondered selling or giving away her son to alleviate the stress, or even throwing him out a window.

“She actually said, ‘Sometimes, I think about giving him away,'” said Christian Dickerson, who called frequently to check up on Jennings. “She told me that she thought about selling him. … She said it’s nothing like she expected, that sometimes she thinks about throwing him out of the car on the highway.”

According to authorities, Jennings has repeatedly said that she left the boy somewhere safe. At her trial this week, prosecutors also played a lengthy interview in which Jennings told police she needed a break from her son and that she had known the people with whom she left Amir for a long time.

The boy’s father also testified that he wanted to play more of a role in his son’s life but that Jennings wouldn’t let him. Several relatives and friends also said they would have helped Jennings care for the boy if she had asked.

Reported missing by her own mother last year, Jennings initially told police after a Christmas Eve car wreck in downtown Columbia. Jennings initially told police she had no children, then said her son was with relatives and friends in cities from Atlanta to Charlotte, N.C. Investigators chased down Jennings’ stories but arrested her after several dead ends.

Jennings’ trial is set to resume on Tuesday, when Jennings’ attorneys are expected to begin putting up their case in her defense. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

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Missing Person 18 Month Old Perfection Angelas

EUGENE, Ore. — A girl under the care of the state was reported missing Friday, and police said that she may have been taken by her father during a scheduled visit with her earlier in the morning.

The child, 18-month-old Perfection Angelas, is a ward of the state and under the care of Adult and Family Services in Eugene. The father, Angelo Muniz, 47 from Lebanon, was visiting with Perfection when AFS employees reported that he left the location with the child.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

Perfection Angelas is described as light skinned with light brown hair. She was last seen wearing a white shirt with a kitty on the front, pink bloomed pants, yellow socks and white shoes.

Muniz was described as a Hispanic male, 5 foot 7 inches, 195 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a dark shirt and jeans. Police said Muniz may be trying to leave the state with the child. Muniz was reported as driving a 1991 blueish-gray Mazda B2600 Pickup with license plate Oregon 205 BPV.

Muniz may be traveling with a female companion who was described as Hispanic, 5 foot 7 inches with a heavy build, short black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about the disappearance should contact the Eugene Police Department at (541) 682-5111.

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Pedophile Tracking Police Looking for Eric McGowen Who Escaped During Trial

LIBERTY, Texas — The trial is over. There’s a conviction and a steep prison sentence. But justice is on hold for a young Texas girl who prosecutors say was repeatedly sexually assaulted by 20 people.

The first man convicted in the case — Eric McGowen — is still on the lam after disappearing from the trial after the victim gave an emotional account of the attacks. While there’s a warrant out for his arrest and authorities are searching, it puts the end of a horrific case on hold.

http://liarcatchers.com/pedophile_tracking.html

Prosecutors say the girl was sexually assaulted on at least five occasions from mid-September through early December of 2010 by 20 men and boys in Cleveland, 45 miles northeast of Houston.

McGowen, 20, was found guilty Thursday of aggravated sexual assault of a child and sentenced to 99 years in prison.

The defendant was free on bail when he disappeared during a Wednesday afternoon break in proceedings, so authorities say a security detail was not required to watch or follow him. The Liberty County Sheriff’s Office has declined to release any details about the search for McGowen, other than to say that he is believed to be armed and dangerous.

His disappearance is the latest twist in a case that has divided the small town of Cleveland, both because of the horrific allegations and suggestions from some residents that the girl was partly responsible because of her appearance. Police began investigating after one of the girl’s classmates told a teacher he saw video of her being sexually assaulted in an abandoned trailer.

Prosecutors’ case against McGowen included a videotaped confession and testimony from nearly a dozen witnesses, including the girl, who is now 13.

The girl, who testified using a pseudonym, briefly broke down in tears as jurors were shown a few minutes of video of the alleged sexual assault in October 2010. She described another attack that November, in a home then an abandoned trailer, during which she said McGowen assaulted her with a beer bottle.

Defense attorneys did not present any witnesses or evidence.

Jurors were swift in their decisions. They deliberated for just 20 minutes before finding him guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Then, after brief testimony in the punishment phase, they decided his sentence in less than 30 minutes.

The girl, her family and McGowen’s relatives were not in the courtroom when the jury’s decisions were announced. The Associated Press could not reach the girl’s mother for comment. The girl has been in foster care since police began to investigate the sexual assaults.

McGowen’s attorney, Matthew Poston, said he didn’t know where his client had gone but that his mid-trial escape must have influenced the jury members. McGowen had faced a maximum life sentence.

All six of the juveniles and two of the 14 adults charged pleaded guilty. Trial dates have not been set for the 11 remaining defendants.

Asked how McGowen’s guilty verdict might affect the other defendants’ cases, Warren told reporters, “They better get their business straight.”

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Missing Person Christopher Hoof of Everett

Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office detectives are seeking assistance in locating Christopher Hoof who has been missing since around August 15, 2012. The 49 year-old’s family is worried about him.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

Hoof left his residence in the 12300 block of 11th Dr SE in Everett and did not return home. He may be driving a red 2005 Ford Explorer, WA license B92108D. Hoof is 5’11”, approx. 195 lbs. with brown hair and black eyes.
If anyone has seen Hoof or has information regarding his whereabouts, please contact the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 425-388-3845.

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Missing Person Gabrielle Swainson Suspect Helped Hand out Flyers

The man accused of kidnapping missing teen Gabrielle Swainson put his cellphone number on a missing person’s flier and walked the streets with the teen’s family in the early search, Sheriff Leon Lott said.

“That makes me sick to my stomach to watch that and know he was part of that,” Lott said

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

Know something?

To provide information on the case, call the Richland County Sheriff’s Department’s criminal investigations unit at (803) 576-3187 or S.C. Crimestoppers at 1-888-274-6373.

Freddie Grant, the 52-year-old man charged with kidnapping in the case, has refused to speak with investigators about the whereabouts of the 15-year-old Gabrielle. He was involved with the teen’s mother and began helping shortly after the girl disappeared, Lott said.

Local television stations have broadcast video of Grant helping in the first days of the search, Lott said.

“He did what everyone else was doing, knowing all the while he was the one responsible for taking her and concealing her from us,” Lott said.

Grant’s defense attorney, Fielding Pringle, on Thursday said it would be inappropriate for her to comment on the case.

Authorities still have not located the girl after 12 days of intense searching that has involved the FBI, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and several other state and local agencies. Lott said there are two investigations going on: One to find Gabrielle and one to build a case against Grant. He said they are holding out hope that Gabrielle can be found alive.

Grant has been held in the Lexington County Detention Center since Sunday, when he was arrested on a federal weapons charge. Federal prisoners in the Midlands are held in Lexington County.

While executing an Aug. 21 search warrant at Grant’s house in Elgin, investigators found 12 gauge shotgun shells and .38-caliber hollow point bullets in the house. Grant was forbidden to possess guns or ammunition because of a previous conviction for possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

Grant also served a sentence 30 years ago at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., for aggravated assault and kidnapping, according to military records.

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department on Monday obtained a warrant for Grant’s arrest for kidnapping after finding Gabrielle’s DNA in his home and duct tape with her blood on it in the vicinity of his home, Lott said. He also said investigators traced Gabrielle’s cell phone to his house, but the phone has not been found.

Lott urged Grant to tell police where they can find Gabrielle.

“He holds the key,” Lott said. “He’s the one who can stop those tears from Gabrielle’s mother and stop the pain her in heart.”

Grant and his attorney sent a letter to investigators asking them to no longer contact Grant, Lott said.

In the U.S. criminal justice system, suspects are not obligated to talk to police, and investigators cannot force someone to answer their questions, Lott said.

“We can’t be like Jack Bauer on 24 or Steve McGarrett on Hawaii Five-O and make someone talk,” Lott said, referring to TV detectives who used violence to coerce information from suspects. “He does have his rights, and he has exercised those rights from the very first second we approached him.”

Gabrielle was last seen wearing pink and black pajamas, and sheriff’s investigators Thursday released photos of what those pajamas look like. If anyone in the public finds those pajamas, they are advised to not touch them but to call law enforcement immediately.

Lott also said Grant most likely was driving a light blue 1992 Ford Escort the morning Gabrielle was abducted. Police have the car but said people who saw the it in the early morning hours of Aug. 18 should call them.

People eager to help have tried to organize search parties, but Lott asked that they must coordinate with law enforcement because inexperienced people could hinder the investigation.

Lott also said investigators want anyone who may have hired or worked with Grant as a landscaper or handyman to call. Police are trying to piece together his habits and places he was known to frequent.

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Fraud Investigation Envy Nightclub Searched in Connection to Tax Fraud

Downtown Minneapolis nightclub Envy was searched Friday in connection with a tax fraud investigation, theStar Tribune reports.

The Minnesota Department of Revenue issued a news release saying a search warrant had been served at the club.

A state spokeswoman said financial records were seized during the search and that 12 of the Revenue Department’s auditors were involved.

The Star Tribune says Envy is owned by James and Susan Beamon.

http://liarcatchers.com/fraud_investigation.html

The city of Minneapolis has been trying to shut down the club due to accusations that include serving alcohol after 2 a.m. But the club missed a city-imposed deadline earlier this week to surrender its liquor license, setting the stage for a potential court showdown.

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Drug Dog Sweep Located Half Ounce in Trunk

TRENTON — A drug-sniffing dog helped uncover a half-ounce of marijuana during a traffic stop Tuesday near Fort Street and King Road.

A patrol officer who was headed north on Fort at about 9:40 p.m. said he watched a white sedan in front of him tailgate a minivan before passing it on the right and then cutting it off. The officer also noted that the sedan’s driver-side brake light was not functional. For all of those reasons, the officer turned on his emergency lights and pulled over the sedan.

http://liarcatchers.com/drugdogsweeps.html

The driver, a 31-year-old man, explained that the van was driving too slow and, after a long day at work, he just wanted to get home. As the officer ran the man’s driver’s license, a K-9 unit showed up to assist. The dog picked up a scent of narcotics and the driver was pulled out of the car so police could search further. After looking around the interior and finding nothing, one of the officers noticed that the back seat was loose. Police asked if there were any drugs in the trunk and the man reportedly said, “No, there shouldn’t be.”

Upon opening the trunk, police said they immediately smelled marijuana. Again, the man denied having any drugs in the vehicle. However, when police opened a gym bag that was inside the trunk they found a plastic baggy containing pot. The man was then arrested for possession of marijuana and his car was impounded. Police said he later admitted that the bag was his and apologized for lying.

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Insurance Fraud Man Charged in $648k Scam

An insurance company president faces up to 15 years in prison after police charged him with stealing more than $648,000 in insurance premiums, according to Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice’s office. An investigation by two agencies produced evidence that Joseph Koch, 54 of Jericho, had spent the money on personal expenses, including car, mortgage, and country club bills, said the DA’s office.

http://liarcatchers.com/insurance_fraud.html

Koch was paid $648,000 in insurance premiums as president of Koch Insurance Industries, Inc. in Baldwin between 2009 and 2011, the DA said. Instead of using the money to pay various insurance companies for which he was acting as their agent, Koch allegedly stole the money for himself, reported the DA.

Rice’s office said the stolen money was used for Koch’s own expenses, including payments on a Mercedes-Benz, mortgage bills, gambling trips, country club membership fees, and income taxes.

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“Mr. Koch’s theft left his client without coverage and facing potentially serious liability issues, but all he cared about was living the high life on somebody else’s dime,” said Rice. “It’s unimaginable that he thought he could get away with so brazenly flaunting the theft of more than a half million dollars.”

Koch is charged with three counts of second degree grand larceny, third degree grand larceny, and first degree scheme to defraud. He was arraigned Thursday at First District Court in Hempstead.

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Pedophile Tracking Pedophile Convicted of Child Abduction Attempt

MAYWOOD (CBS) — A registered sex offender was convicted this week of trying to abduct a 12-year-old boy near a west suburban country club twice in 2011.

Jeffrey Jewitt, 30, was convicted Monday of one count of child abduction/luring and presence within a school zone by a registered sex offender, Cook County State’s Attorney’s office spokesman Andy Conklin said. He will be sentenced Sept. 26.

According to Illinois State Police, Jewitt has two prior convictions–child abduction/luring a child under 16, and sexual exploitation of a child under 13.

http://liarcatchers.com/pedophile_tracking.html

The first attempted abduction occurred July 5 2011, at the intersection of Bloomingdale and Thatcher avenues in Elmwood Park. Jewitt, of the 1600 block of South Chestnut Street in Des Plaines, allegedly drove up to the boy, who was on his bicycle, and tried to lure him into his vehicle, claiming to be a cousin of the boy’s mother.

The second attempt took place July 7 2011 when Jewitt allegedly approached the boy again as he left the Oak Park Country Club at 2001 N. Thatcher Ave., where the boy had been playing tennis. The boy fled as soon as the man approached but was able to describe what he was wearing.

Elmwood Park Interim Police Chief Frank Fagiano said Jewitt was taken into custody on July 11 after a flyer with a composite sketch was released.

Fagiano said there was an initial photo lineup, and Jewitt was later placed in a physical lineup. The victim positively identified him, as well as his vehicle.

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Drug Dog Sweep 2 San Franciscans Arrested Attending Burning Man

An RV traffic stop and positive drug sniff by a K-9 dog led to the arrest of two San Franciscans attending Burning Man on Tuesday, authorities said.

While Robert Louis Ruenzel and Lindsey Neverisky, both 31, are charged respectively with possessing methamphetamine and gamma-hydroxybutyrate, officers noted in a criminal complaint that a variety of illicit drugs were found inside each person’s backpack. They included cocaine, ecstasy pills, marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, the officers said, and containers of liquid GHB, known as the “date rape drug.”

http://liarcatchers.com/drugdogsweeps.html

Ruenzel told authorities he bought 30 grams of methamphetamine for $1,000 in San Francisco, while friends gave him other drugs found in his backpack, the complaint filed in Reno fedreral court said. Authorities said he added that he brought enough drugs for personal use and to share with friends while attending the international festival in the Black Rock Desert.

The digital scale officers found in his backpack, he said, was thrown in there without thought. The large quantity of small, plastic bags in the bag were to be used to transport the drugs he was sharing with friends, according to the complaint.

Neverisky, who said she had smoked methamphetamine just hours before the traffic stop, gave officers some ecstasy pills and a small bag of what she said was cocaine that she pulled out of her backpack, the complaint said.

She later said a vial of GHB was hers, according to the complaint.

Ruenzel and Neverisky were both released from custody Wednesday on their own recognizance, court records show.

They were scheduled a Sept. 24 hearing to enter their pleas and were appointed a federal, public defender.

As a condition of Ruenzel’s release, he was banned from returning to Burning Man and ordered to obtain mental health treatment. Both were prohibited from associating with “anyone or in any environment with drugs.”

Ruenzel on Thursday did not immediately return a phone call for comment. A phone number listed for Neverisky could not accept messages.

According to the complaint, a U.S. Forest Service police officer saw the RV drive by him on Lilac Road in the Black Rock Desert with bicycles on a rack blocking the license plate, a traffic violation.

The officer said the driver appeared to be under the influence of methamphetamine, which caused K-9 Jacky to be summoned to the vehicle to do a “free air sniff” to its exterior, the document said.

After the drug dog alerted on several areas, officers checked the vehicle and subsequently found the drugs in the backpacks belonging to Neverisky and Ruenzel, who were passengers in the RV, according to the complaint.

Neverisky was crying during the initial police contact because she said she didn’t want to go to jail, the complaint said.

She said she had smoked meth three hours earlier because she was having “personal problems,” according to the document.

The complaint also said that citations were issued for misdemeanors associated with the incident, but it was unclear who in the RV received them.

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