HOUSTON — A 31-year-old man was charged Saturday in the discovery of four malnourished men being held against their will in a dungeon-like Houston home. Walter Renard Jones faces two counts of injury to the elderly. He is being held without bond in the Harris County Jail and set to appear in court Monday. The men told investigators that they were held in the garage so their captor could cash their benefit checks (AP)."
Related:
Slow Saturday Special: Cleveland Encore
Trial date set in Cleveland kidnappings
Not guilty plea in Ohio enslavement case
"Abduction suspect to have evaluation" by JOHN COYNE | Associated Press, June 27, 2013
CLEVELAND — A man charged with holding three women captive in his Cleveland home for over a decade will undergo an evaluation to determine if he is mentally competent to stand trial, a judge ordered Wednesday.
Although both the defense and prosecution agree Ariel Castro is competent, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Michael Russo said he wants to make sure the 52-year-old man is able to understand the charges and assist attorneys in his defense.
Castro has pleaded not guilty to 329 counts in an indictment that covers August 2002, when the first woman disappeared, to February 2007. More charges could be filed in the case cracked May 6 when one woman escaped from Castro’s house, leading to the rescue of the other two....
A brief statement issued Wednesday by attorneys on behalf of the women suggested they want a quick resolution of the case.
‘‘The longer this process lasts, the more painful it is for them. And the more sordid details of this horror that get disclosed in this process, the more painful it is for them,’’ said Kathy Joseph, attorney for Michelle Knight.
--more--"
Also see:
Cleveland kidnap suspect competent for trial
Women rescued in Ohio kidnappings offer thanks
Counts multiply in Cleveland kidnapping case
More horror:
"Woman’s roller coaster death investigated" Associated Press, July 20, 2013
ARLINGTON, Texas — Investigators will try to determine whether a woman who died while riding a roller coaster at an amusement park in northern Texas fell from the ride after some witnesses said she was not properly secured.
The accident happened just after 6:30 p.m. Friday at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, 17 miles west of downtown Dallas. Park spokeswoman Sharon Parker confirmed that a woman died while riding the Texas Giant roller coaster — dubbed the tallest steel-hybrid coaster in the world — but did not specify how she was killed. Witnesses told local media outlets the woman fell....
Carmen Brown told The Dallas Morning News that she was waiting in line to get on the ride when the accident happened and had witnessed the woman being strapped in.
“She goes up like this. Then when it drops to come down, that’s when it [the safety bar] released and she just tumbled,’’ Brown, of Arlington, told the newspaper. ‘‘They didn’t secure her right. One of the employees from the park — one of the ladies — she asked her to click her more than once, and they were like, ‘As long you heard it click, you’re OK.’ Everybody else is like, ‘Click, click, click.’
‘‘Hers only clicked once. Hers was the only one that went down once, and she didn’t feel safe, but they let her still get on the ride,’’ Brown said....
When the car the woman had been riding in returned to the loading zone, two people got out and were visibly upset, Rockwell resident John Putman told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
‘‘They were screaming, ‘My mom! My mom! Let us out, we need to go get her!’’’ Putman told the newspaper.
I can't imagine such an incomprehensible thing.
Also Friday, an Ohio amusement park’s thrill ride malfunctioned when a boat accidentally rolled backward down a hill and flipped over in water, injuring all seven people on board. Operators stopped the Shoot the Rapids water ride after the accident, said officials with Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio.
Bad things seem to be attached to that name.
--more--"
More horror:
"Woman’s roller coaster death investigated" Associated Press, July 20, 2013
ARLINGTON, Texas — Investigators will try to determine whether a woman who died while riding a roller coaster at an amusement park in northern Texas fell from the ride after some witnesses said she was not properly secured.
The accident happened just after 6:30 p.m. Friday at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, 17 miles west of downtown Dallas. Park spokeswoman Sharon Parker confirmed that a woman died while riding the Texas Giant roller coaster — dubbed the tallest steel-hybrid coaster in the world — but did not specify how she was killed. Witnesses told local media outlets the woman fell....
Carmen Brown told The Dallas Morning News that she was waiting in line to get on the ride when the accident happened and had witnessed the woman being strapped in.
“She goes up like this. Then when it drops to come down, that’s when it [the safety bar] released and she just tumbled,’’ Brown, of Arlington, told the newspaper. ‘‘They didn’t secure her right. One of the employees from the park — one of the ladies — she asked her to click her more than once, and they were like, ‘As long you heard it click, you’re OK.’ Everybody else is like, ‘Click, click, click.’
‘‘Hers only clicked once. Hers was the only one that went down once, and she didn’t feel safe, but they let her still get on the ride,’’ Brown said....
When the car the woman had been riding in returned to the loading zone, two people got out and were visibly upset, Rockwell resident John Putman told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
‘‘They were screaming, ‘My mom! My mom! Let us out, we need to go get her!’’’ Putman told the newspaper.
I can't imagine such an incomprehensible thing.
Also Friday, an Ohio amusement park’s thrill ride malfunctioned when a boat accidentally rolled backward down a hill and flipped over in water, injuring all seven people on board. Operators stopped the Shoot the Rapids water ride after the accident, said officials with Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio.
Bad things seem to be attached to that name.
--more--"
