Crime Time

Officer who Tasered 10-year-old girl is fired

The Arkansas police officer who Tasered an unruly 10-year-old girl has been fired, not for zapping the girl but for not turning on his dash camera when he did it.

The mayor of Ozark, Ark., said that not turning on the camera violated city policy, the Associated Press reported.

-- Lance Murray

3 boys arrested in attacks on red-headed students

You may recall the story we had last week about the attacks on red-headed students at a middle school in Calabasas, Calif., that were part of the so-called Facebook-inspired "ginger attacks."

Word comes today that three boys have been arrested in the attacks on at least seven red-headed children at the school, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Two of the arrested boys are 12 -- facing suspicion of battery on school property charges -- and the other is a 13 year old who faces cyber-bullying charges, sheriff's officials said.  Eight other boys have been identified as suspects in the investigation, the Los Angeles Times reported.

-- Lance Murray

Armed child molester makes daring escape in Baytown

Authorities in the Baytown, Texas, area say that a manhunt is under way for a convicted child molester who escaped custody Monday morning armed with a gun.

Police say that Arcade Joseph Comeaux, 49, surprised the two correctional officers transporting him in a vehicle with the gun and then took the officers' weapons.

He fled on foot, according to the Houston Chronicle.

-- Lance Murray

Cartel war takes at least 23 more lives over weekend

Many people in Juarez, Mexico, must dread the weekends. It seems like every Monday a story is printed that details the double-digit murders from Friday to Sunday night in the cartel-war-ravaged border city.

This past weekend more than 20 people were murdered in that city. An 11-month-old baby was wounded in one of the incidents, the El Paso Times reported.

The paper reported that there were eight killings on Friday, 11 on Saturday and at least four on Sunday. The cartel war has taken more than 2,000 lives so far this year in Juarez.

-- Lance Murray

Man's only choice: Either save his son or his wife from drowning

In what had to be the ultimate horrible choice, a man in New Zealand was faced with the trying to save his son who was trapped in a sinking car or rescue his drowning wife.

Stacy Horton faced that dilemma when he arrived at the scene of where his wife's car had cartwheeled down an embankment and into the Whangui River. He dove after his son in the car, but couldn't reach him at first. He could hear his wife in struggling to stay above water.

What did he do? Read The Times of London report here.

-- Lance Murray

Suspect in officers' killing had 100+ year sentence commuted

The man suspected in the ambush slaying of four Washington state law officers has a long history of violent crime and had been sentenced to more than 100 years in prison in Arkansas. But in 2000, then Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, a Republican, commuted the sentence of Maurice Clemmons, citing the man's youth. That made Clemmons eligible for parole.

Clemmons had been released on bond from jail just six days ago in Washington state, too, after having been arrested on a child rape charge.

Police are still looking for Clemmons. You can read more coverage in the Seattle Times here.

-- Lance Murray

Hanged census worker killed himself, authorities say

You may recall the story of the census worker whose nude body was found hanging Sept. 12 from a tree in Kentucky with the word "fed" written across his chest.

At the time, it appeared to be a homicide and the case made national headlines.

Authorities announced Tuesday that the census worker, Bill Sparkman, 51, killed himself and staged his suicide to look like a homicide. They said Sparkman, who had cancer, recently took out two life insurance policies that would not have paid in case of suicide.

-- Lance Murray

Red-headed students attacked on 'Kick a Ginger Day'

It was tough being a red head recently for students at a middle school in Calabasas, Calif., where dozens of students attacked their red-headed classmates -- apparently inspired by an episode of the television show "South Park," and a Facebook group.

The attacks happened on "Kick a Ginger Day" at the school, apparently inspired by a "South Park" episode titled "Ginger Kids," which used red-heads as a satire on racism.  That apparently led to the Facebook group "Natioinal Kick A Ginger Day," which includes message encouraging attacks on red heads.

-- Lance Murray

Man says his evil alter ego killed wife, son

A man in The Queens, N.Y., blames the murder of his wife and son on his evil alter ego whom he had ordered to go away. Really.

Otto Herrarte told police is was "Roberto," the alter ego that would take control of his body, who did the killing after arguing with Otto's wife over money.

Police said the man had slit the throats of the wife and son. Otto told police that although Roberto did the killing, it was Otto who wrapped the bodies in plastic and hid them in a closet, the New York Post reported.

-- Lance Murray

World's worst police sketch helps nab murder suspect

It looks like something an elementary school student would draw, and it is perhaps the worst police sketch of all time.

But, don't snicker when you see it, because authorities in Bolivia say that it helped lead to the arrest of a murder suspect in the brutal slaying of a taxi driver. Just go here to see the drawing and read Sky News' report.

-- Lance Murray