Accuser held on estate, ex-Neverland guard says
Santa Maria, Calif. A former security guard at Michael Jackson’s Neverland ranch testified at the pop star’s child molestation trial Wednesday that a notice once was posted in a guard station saying Jackson’s young accuser was not to be allowed to leave the estate.
But the prosecution witness, Brian Barron, also said under defense questioning that it would have been appropriate to keep child guests on the estate if their parents weren’t present and that guards probably would not let any children leave if they were unsupervised.
Barron, a police officer for the town of Guadalupe, moonlighted at Neverland for about three years until leaving after the ranch was raided by sheriff’s investigators on Nov. 18, 2003. He said his superiors in Guadalupe suggested he leave the estate because of the criminal investigation.
He said he refused a request by the sheriff’s department that he go back to work at Neverland as a law enforcement informant.
Barron said the directive that the boy was not to leave the estate was posted during a weeklong period in January or February 2003. He said he did not know who wrote it.
Snow clogs Wyoming highway
Arlington, Wyo. A powerful snowstorm pounded Wyoming on Wednesday, dumping 15 inches of snow on some areas and closing a 45-mile stretch of the state’s main east-west highway.
At least two injury accidents were reported in conditions that included blowing and drifting snow and limited visibility.
Several cities reported large snowfall accumulations. Lander had 15 inches of snow, and Sinks Canyon reported 10 inches.
Cops shock woman nine times
Miami A woman who allegedly overstayed her welcome at a motel was zapped nine times with a stun gun as police arrested her.
Patricia Skelly’s attorney said there was little evidence that the 110-pound woman posed such a danger that repeated use of the Taser was needed. But authorities Wednesday defended the use of force, saying Skelly was extremely combative.
Skelly, 47, was arrested Easter Sunday at a motel in Valparaiso in the Florida Panhandle when the owners were unable to determine whether she would leave or stay another night.
“It’s just not right, what happened to me,” Skelly told reporters. “How I lived through this, I don’t know.”
Larry Caskey, director of the Okaloosa County Department of Corrections, said officers were forced to use the Taser because Skelly tried to wriggle out of handcuffs, escape from a patrol car and bite her own hand.
“It doesn’t look good, but when you take it step by step, I feel like they acted appropriately,” he said.
Owner executes irritating car
Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Fla. A man with car trouble is in trouble after shooting five rounds into the hood of his Chrysler “to put my car out of its misery.”
John McGivney, 64, shot his 1994 LeBaron with a .380-caliber semiautomatic, Broward County sheriff’s deputies said.
When the property manager at his apartment complex asked what he was doing, McGivney said, “I’m putting my car out of its misery.” He tucked his gun in a pocket and went back inside.
He was arrested Friday on a misdemeanor charge of discharging a firearm in public. He posted $100 bail Saturday.
McGivney said the car had been giving him trouble for years and had “outlived its usefulness.” He called the shooting “dumb” and worries he will be evicted. But he doesn’t regret it.
“I think every guy in the universe has wanted to do it,” McGivney said. “It was worth every damn minute in that jail.”
Eyebrow ring said sign of faith
West Springfield, Mass. A woman who was fired by Costco in 2001 for refusing to remove her eyebrow ring has accused the company of religious discrimination, saying she is a member of the Church of Body Modification.
Kimberly M. Cloutier said she wears her eyebrow ring as a sign of faith. She has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider hearing the case.
The church, established in 1999, counts about 1,000 members who participate in practices such as piercing and tattooing, according to a December ruling by the First Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld a trial judge’s finding in Costco’s favor.
Lynn A. Kappelman, a lawyer for Costco, declined to comment. The company has argued that Cloutier’s beliefs are political or social instead of religious.
Cloutier’s lawyer, Michael O. Shea, filed a petition Monday asking the Supreme Court to consider hearing the case.
Bathtub rescue celebrated
Hampton, Va. A 75-year-old woman who lay trapped in her bathtub for five days toasted her rescue with a Coke and a cigarette.
Jane Fromal suffered slight dehydration even though she said she ran tap water to drink during the ordeal. She was released Sunday after being hospitalized for four days at Riverside Regional Medical Center.
Fromal said she drew a bath April 9 to nurse a sore tailbone, then was unable to climb out.
“I thought I’d get in the tub and soak,” she said. “I didn’t know I was going to soak for five days.”
She finally got help Wednesday when a neighbor’s grandson noticed newspapers piling up in her driveway and insisted his grandmother call Fromal’s family. Relatives found Fromal in the bathroom.
After she was lifted to safety and donned a warm robe, Fromal didn’t ask for food. She wanted one of her Parliament 100s and a Coke.
It wasn’t the first time Fromal has been stuck in the bathtub, but her family plans to make sure it never happens again by adding railings and a tub chair to the bathroom.