Teen gets 44 Years for Torture

Cheyenne Blanton, 17, will not leave prison until she is 61 years old. Blanton and her boyfriend 17-year-old Joseph Nagle, both separately pleaded guilty to a number of felonies: Aggravated Burglary, Aggravated Robbery, Conspiracy to commit Aggravated Robbery, Felonious Assault, Vandalism and two counts of Kidnapping.

In handing down the 44-year sentence judge Nastoff said "This crime is utterly senseless and unspeakably violent." She will serve her time at the Ohio Dept. of Rehabilitation and Corrections.

Noting the girl's criminal past that includes her own admission to violence with her mother and boyfriend as well as harming animals, Nastoff said when she is released from prison, "I hope you are out of gas."

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It happened in the 3100 block of Lanes Mill Road in Hanover Township near Oxford. The two teens had concocted a plan to steal the car of Sheila Clark. They broke into her home during the night and hid themselves in hopes of stealing the car the next day. Their plan was foiled when Sheila left for work early that morning. After finding out the car was gone, the pair went upstairs where they found Sheila's disabled 18-year-old daughter, Ashley. She had been recovering from brain surgery.

They decided to take their frustration out on her. Throughout the day, Joseph Nagle and Cheyenne Blanton tortured Ashley Clark. She was beaten, with fists, with feet and with a baseball bat. She was beaten to the point where she had severe bruising and swelling all over her hands, arms, face and body, along with bleeding from her face and forehead.

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"It is a terrible, terrible crime. Remember, I told you that she was tied up, and was moved from room to room to room. She told them, 'Please don't hit me in the head! I have had brain surgery, please don't do that!,' and they struck her in the head more than one time. They had no remorse they didn't care," said Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones.

Ashley Clark’s hair was cut off. She had been made to stand in the shower while Joseph Nagle and Cheyenne Blanton threw water on her. Once she was nice and soaked, they made her walk outside, over the snow-covered ground.

Ashley's torture came to an end when her mother returned home. She found her daughter beaten up and her house in shambles. She called the police who were able to quickly the perpetrators who were hiding in a nearby field.

After being notified by the police that their children were arrested for torturing a helpless, disabled girl, both parents of the pair decided to leave their kids in jail. They even went further and issued a statement in support of Ashley Clark and her family, praying for a speedy recovery and hoping for swift and severe punishment for Cheyenne and Joseph.

At her sentencing Blanton offered a short apology to the victim's family.

"I am really sorry for what I did," Blanton said. "I am sorry for the pain I have caused Ashley and her family. I really want to change the way I am."

Sentencing for Joseph Nagel, her boyfriend, and with whom she has a young child, is scheduled Oct. 14 before Judge Charles Pater in Butler County Common Pleas Court.

"We will live with this every single day of our lives," Clark said. "No human being should have to go through what my daughter went through that day."

Weird on the Net

While traversing the "Net", I have often come upon stories that will never make headlines; even though the subject matter may be enticing to read. Stories that are a little offbeat and sometimes stretch the imagination. Stories that make you wonder if some people are just plain "different" than most of us. I am not talking about "Big Foot" sightings or "Space Aliens" landing. I am talking about stories that are somehow in their own right unique and unusual.

So I decided to present a few of these stories on a regular basis in a series I have dubbed "Weird on the Net". This is the first installment of this series. I hope you enjoy!!

The World's Tallest Man

The Guinness World Records says Leonid Stadnik is the world's tallest human. He lives in the village of Podoliantsy, Ukraine's northwestern Zhytomyr region, 212 kilometers (131.74 miles) west of the capital Kiev. The 37-year-old former veterinarian, who still lives with his 66-year-old mother, Halyna, and his 42-year-old sister Larysa, was officially measured at 8 feet 5 inches tall.

His growth spurt began at age 14 after a brain operation that apparently stimulated the overproduction of growth hormone. Doctors say he has been growing ever since.

While his size is intimidating, Stadnik charms visitors with a broad grin and childlike laugh. He seems at times like a lonely boy trapped in a giant's body, even keeping stuffed toys on his pillow.

Stadnik loves animals, but had to quit his job as a veterinarian at a cattle farm after suffering frostbite when he walked to work in his socks in winter. He could not afford custom made shoes for his 17-inch feet.

Since his recognition by Guinness, people from all over Ukraine and the world have sent him out-sized clothing, provided his home with running water and recently presented him with a giant bicycle and a new computer. And on Monday, he got a new car, courtesy of President Viktor Yushchenko.

"I have always dreamt that my life and the life of my loved ones ... would become more comfortable," Stadnik said. "My dream is coming true."

Grandma Drives with 3-year-old on Car Roof

I'm not sure what a 54-year-old grandma was thinking when she put her granddaughter, aged 3, on the top of her car and went for a spin around the parking lot of a Marathon grocery store in Florida. However the Monroe County Sheriff's Office deputies were not amused when they were summoned to the Publix store and saw for themselves the antics of grandma. She was arrested. 15 hours later she was released from jail.

The woman said she would never let anything hurt her granddaughter. She says she was driving at "snail-speed" and holding the child's leg. Authorities say the woman told police she was giving the child some air and letting her have fun. She faces charges of child abuse. The child is back with her mother.

Man Remains Standing at his own Wake

24-year-old Angel Pantoja Medina met an untimely death. He was found dead underneath a bridge in San Juan, Puerto Rico. His brother Carlos told the El Nuevo Dia newspaper the victim had long said he wanted to be upright for his own wake: "He wanted to be happy, standing."

So his family granted him his last wish. Dressed in a Yankees baseball cap and sunglasses, Pantoja was mourned by relatives while propped upright in his mother's living room. The owner of the Marin Funeral Home, Damaris Marin, told The Associated Press the mother asked him to fulfill her dead son's last wish. The funeral home used a special embalming treatment to keep Angel Pantoja Medina standing upright for his three-day wake.

Gorilla Hangs on to Dead Baby

This is a particularly touching story. If anyone ever doubted that animals have feelings, here is the proof.

Gana is a mother gorilla who lives at the Allwetter zoo in the German city of Muenster. She is refusing to let go of her dead baby's body several days after it died of unknown causes. Zoo spokeswoman Ilona Zuehlke says the 3-month-old male baby died but its 11-year-old mother continues to carry its body around. Zuehlke says such behavior is not uncommon to gorillas. She says the mother "is mourning and must say goodbye." The baby can only be recovered from the enclosure once the mourning mother leaves the corpse behind.

Signs were posted near Gana's enclosure to explain the situation to visitors. The baby was named Claudio and was Gana's second baby. She had a female baby in 2007 that now lives at the Stuttgart Zoo.

Father Rapes His Infant Daughter

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Reginald Davis, 18, of Forrest City, AR, has been accused of raping his 8-day-old baby daughter. Police also charged him with second-degree battery, because the baby also suffered a fractured skull in the attack, which occurred on Labor Day, Sept. 1, 2008. He was sent to St. Francis County Jail. At his first court appearance, the following Wednesday, the judge, citing the severity of the crime, raised his bail from $50,000 to $100,000.

According to police Davis was visiting with the 15-year-old mother of his daughter. The mother went into the bathroom to take a shower before going to bed. When she came out she found blood on her newborn baby. The girl and her family, accompanied by Davis, took the baby to Forrest City Medical Center where she was treated for rape and a fractured skull. The hospital also notified the police. It turned out that the little girl's injuries were so bad she was transferred to the Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock. The police arrested Davis.

Investigators say that at the time of the attack, there were other people in the house. The case is still under investigation and it is unknown if any other arrests will be made. Reginald Davis, according to the police, has had no criminal record since turning 18. They could not comment on whether he had a juvenile record because that information could not be released under Arkansas state law.

Reginald Davis' mother said in a telephone interview that "he suffers from mental health issues." According to Dr. Allen Battle, a psychologist with the UT Medical group:

"Seeking a baby is extremely rare." He says "so many of the patience have been exposed to this behavior themselves. When they were kids in their formative stages."

According to the Children's Advocacy Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, recent reports of child sexual abuse is staggering:

• 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys have been abused, with the average age being 3-years-old


• 96% of the abusers are someone the child knows, loves and trusts
  


• 75 cases were reported in 2000, 471 cases were reported in 2007

Davis is being held on a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in circuit court on September 17.

Thief Gets Covered in Feces

Lorenzo Earl Knight, 22, was arrested by Tampa police on two counts of burglary of a vehicle and one charge of grand theft. He was released from the Orient Road Jail on a $6,000 bond. It is uncertain what kind of punishment he faces if found guilty, but I'm sure that he feels he has already been punished enough.

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Police said Knight broke into a truck (a 1999 Ford F-150 double cab) in the parking lot of the International Plaza, Tampa, Fl. taking a $500 digital camera and the owner's manual. He had just jimmied the door of a second truck (a 2002 Ford F-150) parked next to the first one, when its owner spotted him. Realizing that he had been seen, Knight took off running, leaving behind one of his shoes and the screwdriver he had used to break into the trucks. Following behind in close pursuit was the owner of the second truck and a friend.

Unable to completely elude his pursuers, Knight came upon a construction site and decided to hide in one the portable toilets on the site. The two men however, discovered where Knight was hiding. They tipped over the Port-O-Let with Knight still inside. All the contents of the Port-O-Let came spilling out on Knight covering him completely in a mixture of feces and urine. The two men held Knight in the Port-O-Let until the police arrived. When the officers arrived, they found Knight still inside the toilet, soaking wet in its contents.

For the sake of the arresting officers, I hope that they got a chance to hose Knight down properly before arresting him. Trying to cuff him otherwise, would not be an enviable task and just think of what the partol car would look (and smell) like after they got him out of it.

Man Kills Kitten in Front of Kids

Danield John Collins, 39, an ex-navy veteran and an alcoholic can now add convicted felon to his resume. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail. Collins, who lives in Muncie, Ind., pleaded guilty to a felony count of animal cruelty and two felony counts of neglect of a dependent. In exchange, prosecutors dropped three other felony charges. What makes this case so horrible is that Collins was convicted of killing his 8-month-old tuxedo kitten, named Boots, in front of his two young kids.

It all began when the grandparents, who have custody of the two children (a 7-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy), dropped them off at their father's house for a visit. The kids arrived to find that their father was drunk. According to the kids, their father was a different person when he is drunk. At some point during the visit the father passed out. When he awoke he ordered his 11-year-old son to stab the 8-month-old kitten. He gave him a knife and told him he wanted them to learn how to kill.

When Collins left to go to the bathroom, his son hid the kitten under a sofa bed and put ketchup on the knife in hopes of fooling his father into thinking the kitten was dead. When Collins realized that the kitten wasn't dead, he searched for it and found it under the sofa bed. He then grabbed his 7-year-old daughter by the hand so "hard it ached" and still holding her hand, forced her to stab the kitten in the side.

Still not satisfied he took the knife from her and stabbed the kitten again. He then proceeded to strangle the kitten in front of the two of them. When the kitten was dead he told his son to pick it up and throw it in the garbage.

When the children returned home, they told family members what had happened. The police were called and Collins was arrested and held on $40,000 bail. The police were able to retrieve the dead kitten from the garbage as evidence. Authorities said Boots had suffered a broken leg, broken teeth, a bruised ear, a ripped lip and two stab wounds but died as a result of being strangled.

Muncie police Detective Jami Brown said the case was particularly troubling because Collins involved his children in killing the cat, an 8-month-old tuxedo type-cat named Boots. "I've been doing investigations for 10 years and this is really bothering me," the detective said.

During his sentencing Collins said he could not remember exactly what happened that day but did not try to contradict the children's story. "I am extremely sorry for what I did," Danield J. Collins said. "Everything is my responsibility."

Under the plea agreement, which sends him to jail for 18 months, Collins also must receive counseling and attend parenting classes and substance abuse treatment. The judge also prohibited Collins from owning a pet. "This is not civilized conduct," Judge Robert Barnet Jr. said as he sentenced Collins.

Deputy Prosecutor Judi Calhoun said she was outraged by the crime but agreed to the plea deal so that the children would not have to testify against their father. Defense attorney Steve Bruce said Collins, a Navy veteran, has no previous felony convictions.