Abused Teen Lived in Closet

LaRhonda Marie McCall, 37, and Steve Vern Hamilton, 38, are in jail on $400,000 bail each. They each face 20 counts of child abuse and child neglect. McCall's 14-year-old son was so badly abused over a 4-year period that he had scars and burns all over his malnourished body.

The 14-year-old was finally able to escape from a bedroom closet, where he had been lock up, by prying open the door which had been blocked by a stepladder and a bed. With the help of his 18-year-old sister, he fled the apartment, wearing over-sized shorts held up with a belt. He walked barefoot for nearly a mile before coming across a National Guard armory.

"He ran up to us and asked where the nearest police station was," said Officer Paul Clark, one of two security officers on duty that day. "I asked him why, and he pulled up his shirt to show us his scars. He said he had been abused for four years and nine months, and wanted to tell police so that he would never have to go back."

The other security officer, Leslie Sanders, called police while officer Clark gave the starving boy an apple and a soda. When the police arrived the boy was given more food before being taken to hospital

"He had scars on his neck from being choked with an extension cord, and he was covered in bruises and stab wounds that were still healing," Oklahoma City Police Sgt. Knight said, adding that the victim is now in the custody of the Department of Human Services. "This boy had been abused in the extreme. He was very happy that he was in the presence of police and that he was finally safe."

The boy told police that scars on his stomach and torso were from where alcohol had been poured on him and set on fire. Other scars were from being tied up, hit with an extension cord and choked, the boy said.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/28/larhonda-marie-mccall-arr_n_302291.html

The boy was unable to give the police his address but 13 hours and many phone calls later, they were able to locate his mother. They arrived at the apartment and arrested both the boy's mother, LaRhonda McCall, and her boyfriend Steve Hamilton on charges of child abuse and neglect.



There were six other children, siblings of the 14-year-old, in the apartment at the time. They were all taken into the custody of Human Services but showed no signs of physical abuse, injury or neglect. The 18-year-old sister who helped the boy escape was not held.

Sociologist Howard Kurtz said it is a rare for only one child to be singled out like that. He said the 14-year-old victim will need intensive counseling and therapy after experiencing the severe abuse.

"It is pretty unusual, but there are cases where one child is chosen to be the scapegoat," Kurtz said.

The boy said his trouble began four years ago when the family moved from New Jersey to the Oklahoma City area. He hadn't attended school since then, and spent most of his time locked in a closet.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/28/larhonda-marie-mccall-arr_n_302291.html

The manager of the apartment complex, at 3500 Northeast Military Circle in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where the abuse was taking place said McCall had only lived in the apartments for about a month and neighbors were unaware of any abuse.

Karen Gilleland, manager of the Hillcrest Apartments in south Oklahoma City, said that after McCall was evicted for unpaid bills in August, a hole filled with human waste was found in the wall of a closet in their apartment unit.

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We're Not Married??

The date was Oct., 6, 1960. Frank and Betty stood before the late Rev. James Feehley at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Wilmore, Pa. with Betty’s 5-year-old daughter and two witnesses. They declared their love for each other and with the blessing of the Rev. became Mr. and Mrs. Frank Skrout. They were married....or were they?

“Not according to us, not according to our records,” Patty Sharbaugh, the elected Cambria County official in charge of the records, said. “They’re not married.”

No, they were not married, according to the state of Pennsylvania. The late Rev. who performed the marriage ceremony never sent in the required “return of marriage” document to the office of the Cambria County Register of Wills/Clerk of Orphans Court, as required by law. The certified marriage license does not exist. There is no record of Frank and Betty ever being married 49 years ago.

“All these years we’ve been living in sin,” the good-natured Frank Skrout said jokingly in an interview on the front porch of the their longtime Wilmore. “I might as well play the field. What the heck.”

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The Skrouts lived their entire life in Wilmore, a tiny borough in Cambria County, about 55 miles east of Pittsburgh. Frank went to work for Bethlehem Steel and Betty did sewing at factories in Johnstown, Windber and Portage. They have one son, a grandson, five grandchildren and five great- grandchildren.

They discovered they weren't married when Betty tried to apply for a pension due to her through the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. She needed her marriage certificate to show her married name. When she applied at the county court, no record of her marriage could be found. According to the county records, Frank and Betty Skrout were never married.

Tony DeGol, secretary for communications of the Altoona-Johnstown Catholic Diocese, said the marriage certificate should be available.

“Those records are the property of the parish and they can be found,” he said.

Patty Sharbaugh said if the Skrouts can locate the information from the church, she will record it, back-dating the marriage to Oct. 6, 1960.

“We’ve had a lot of fun with this,” Betty said. “But it’s like the priest told us: We were married. The records are there – somewhere.”

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Cellphones and Radiation

Do all cellphones emit the same amount of radiation? Should you be worried about the amount of radiation your cellphone emits? What are the side effects of radiation exposure from cellphones? Is your cellphone dangerous?

If you have ever wondered about any of these questions, you are not alone. If you have never considered any of these questions, maybe you should.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has issued a report on the dangers of radiation from cellphone use.

More than 4 billion people around the world use cell phones. The technology has only been around for two decades. Scientists do not yet fully understand long-term health risks from cell phone radiation, but recent research has prompted serious concerns about exposure to wireless emissions.

Here are some of the results for people who have used cellphones for 10 years or more:

• A significantly increased risk of developing glioma, a usually malignant brain tumor.


• A significantly increased risk of acoustic neuroma, a type of benign brain tumor.


• A significantly increased risk of benign parotid (salivary) gland tumors.


• The brains of young children absorb more radiation than those of adults rendering them more vulnerable to brain tumors.


• Young children who use cell phones are 80 percent more likely to suffer emotional and hyperactivity problems.


• Exposure to cell phone radiation may affect the immune, endocrine and nervous systems, fetal development and overall metabolism.

Are you paying attention??: Prolonged cellphone use may be dangerous.

Cellphones vary widely in the amount of radiation they emit. How does your phone compare to others? Click this link to find out about your phone.

Cellphones are ranked according to their radiation level. Find out the best and worst cellphones here.

Nothing can be done about the amount of radiation a particular cellphone emits but there are some safety tips to reduce your exposure. Find out what you can do to reduce your exposure here.

I personally have two cellphones that I carry around with me all the time. To be honest, I never even considered looking into the radiation levels before purchasing either one.

The good news is that one of them showed up in the "Best Phones" category and the other one did not show up in the "Worst Phones" category.

I am not sure if when I get a new phone, the radiation emissions level will be my top priority in choosing it; but I can assure you, it will be one of the factors I check out before making another purchase.

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That Is Not Your Baby

Carolyn Savage, 40, is about to give birth, by cesarean section, to a baby boy who is not her son. No - this is not another version of the horror flick Rosemary's Baby - but it does prove Murphy's Law (anything that can go wrong, will go wrong).

Carolyn, due to a mix-up at a fertility clinic, is carrying the embryo from another couple. The mistake was discovered 10 days after the frozen embryo was implanted into her womb. This was in early February 2009. The doctor told them they could abort, but the couple didn't consider that a viable option.

Carolyn and Sean, 39, her husband, have decided to have the baby, and when it is born, turn it over to the real biological parents - Paul and Shannon Morell, of Troy, Michigan.

Embryo mix-ups at fertility clinics are extremely rare. In those few instances, they've degenerated into custody battles, ugly lawsuits and at least one abortion. But not this time. Savage and her husband decided that the right thing — the only thing — to do was to give the baby to the biological parents.

Although the Savages have two sons, and a daughter born with the help of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) doctors have told Carolyn that this must be her final pregnancy.

Shannon and Paul Morell, both 39, have twin girls - also conceived through in-vitro fertilization.

See video clip here

Shannon would not say what clinic she and her husband, Paul used or what legal action they were considering because of the mistake. They have nonetheless hired attorneys who say they are working to make sure the fertility clinic accepts responsibility.

Carolyn Savage is due to give birth to a boy within the next two weeks. When it happens Paul and Shannon Morell will be nearby, waiting to meet their son.

“It’s just the oddest feeling to have somebody else carrying your child because, as a parent, you want to do everything possible to protect your child," Shannon Morell said this morning. "We were totally powerless and out of control. Even though we were grateful, it was just a terrible feeling.”

Although there is no family link between the two couples isn't it strange that Shannon Morell’s maiden name is Savage..... coincidence or fate?

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Mercy Killing and Attempted Suicide

This is the sad story of James and Phyllis Fish. It is a tragic love story about an elderly couple dealing with end-of-life issues and the dilemma of facing a terminal illness. That is not to excuse the actions of James Fish in killing his wife of over 60 years, nor does it absolve him in the botched suicide attempt afterward. It is merely an account of the lives of two individuals who lived, and hoped to die, together. She was 88 years old. He is 90 and recovering in hospital.

"He wanted to end his wife's suffering because of the terminal illness," said Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff's Department..... "Then he decided that he did not want to live without her and then he turned the gun on himself."

See video clip here

Fish is now facing a charge of voluntary manslaughter. At 90 years old, Fish could spend the final years of his life behind bars. If convicted, he could face 21 years in prison.

"It's a very tragic, sad case all around, but again, based on circumstances and based on suspect's age, it was decided to book him for voluntary manslaughter as opposed to murder," said Amormino.

Both James and Phyllis were from Indiana. James graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine in 1943. They both served in World War II. Phyllis was a nurse.

When they met and married is uncertain, but by 1952 James had a radiology practice in California. They lived in Santa Barbara County and Salinas until James let his medical license expire in 1979. As a couple they were inseparable.

After retiring the couple took up residence in the Leisure World Retirement Community in Laguna Woods. Phyllis quickly gained a reputation as a tireless community organizer and social butterfly. One neighbor said she was "a 5-foot-tall little fireball." She served on several elected boards, was on the landscaping committee in her neighborhood and loved to golf and garden. She also had a wonderful sense of humor.

James was more introverted he would hang the American flag outside every morning and take it down each evening promptly at 5 p.m. He rarely said much to his neighbors but was devoted to his wife and had a wide range of hobbies. He liked puttering in his woodworking shop.

He cooked fabulous dinners of curried lamb and French seafood stew, and fixed a Sunday brunch of omelets and champagne for his wife each week. They took barge trips down the Seine River in France and cruises through the Panama Canal well into their 80s.

"They had a very, very loving relationship and he loved her to death," said Rita Schoonmaker, 76, a close friend and former neighbor. "They told stories about their life together."

However as time went by their age began to catch up with them and affect their lifestyle. Phyllis suffered a stroke and was confined to a wheel chair. She also began to show signs of dementia.

Meanwhile, James was slowly going blind from macular degeneration. At times, his vision was so bad he didn't even know who was saying hello to him, said his 86-year-old next-door neighbor Paul Jones.

The couple hired a caregiver who would wheel Phyllis outside almost every day for fresh air and sometimes would drive her around the community in a golf cart.

A devastating blow hit the couple when Phyllis was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, and James was told she would die by the end of the year.

James began to withdraw from his friends, he seemed depressed about his wife's condition and his own failing eyesight. He did not however show any indication of what he was planning to do.

Authorities allege Fish gave his wife morphine, then tried to shoot her, but the gun didn't fire. A caregiver in the home then took the gun from him and called 911.

As deputies responded to the retirement community, Fish allegedly used another handgun to shoot his wife in the head, killing her.

"Then he decided that he did not want to live without her and then he turned the gun on himself," said Amormino.

James did shoot himself but did not commit suicide. He is hospitalized in critical condition in Mission Viejo Hospital. There is a bullet lodged in his head.

"I'm very, very sad. I'm particularly sad for Jim. I know Phyllis was going to be leaving us soon anyway, but I'm sorry that Jim didn't leave us too," Schoonmaker said. "I think he probably is too."

Prosecutor Ebrahim Baytieh agreed that this was indeed a tragic case but said:

"This is a man who lived to be 90 years old without violating the law, without committing a crime," he said. "It's a horribly sad case, but he has to be, to some degree, held accountable for what he did."

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