Today's News - 7/11/08

Here are Today's Headlines


Ex-Wife Accused of Fatally Stabbing Circus Worker

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Police in Iowa say a woman traveled halfway across the country to stab her ex-husband in a shopping mall in Davenport.

Debi Olson of Sarasota, Florida, is to appear in court today, charged with first-degree murder in the death of 52-year-old Mauricio Droguett (muh-REE'-see-oh droh-GEHT') yesterday. He had been working for a traveling circus that had set up in the parking lot of a mall.

Police say Olson has confessed to investigators.

1 of Droguett's circus co-workers reportedly subdued Olson until police arrived.

Droguett had gotten restraining orders against his ex-wife in at least three states, but it's not clear if Iowa was 1 of them.

Police call it a "very strong case of anger."

Yep...you have to be seriously angry to travel halfway across the country to stab your ex!

Incident At Local Restaurant Has Many Locals Outraged

On the afternoon of Friday June 27, the Castellanos' family of Sparks and Reno, Nevada, pulled their RV into the parking lot of The Paul Bunyan Burger to get a bite to eat. What transpired after the family's meal has some in the community up in "arms" and the Gold Beach Police Department on the defensive. ...

The folks at Paul Bunyan and the Castellanos family agree that Alejandro Castellanos had complained that a burger he ordered was underdone and cold.

Castellanos claims the staff was rude and wouldn't honor his request to remake or reheat the burger. While the staff maintains that they did offer to reheat the burger, they say Castellanos didn't want anything but a new burger.

According to statements taken from Alejandro's daughter, Angie Castellano, that appear in the police report, she, in response to the dispute over the hamburger, wrote "You Suck" in ketchup on her plate prior to leaving the restaurant.

Lott then went outside to confront the family about the message left on the plate. This is where the two accounts of the incident begin to differ greatly....

Craig said in his letter that his daughter went outside and merely said, "How mature." According to their account, two large males charged her and were then joined by two females, and she was beaten severely. Paiva and Sequoia's husband, Andrew Lott, were also injured in the incident while defending Sequoia, according to their account as contained in the police report.

According to statements given by the Castellanos to the Gold Beach police, Lott did exit the restaurant to confront them. However they are claiming Lott began poking her finger into the chest of one of the Castellanos' males. Angie Castellanos told the police that she told Lott, "You can't do that to my brother."

This is when Angie Castellanos claims that Sequoia Lott swung at her, which Angie Castellanos alleged started the whole incident. Also according to the family's claims as stated in the police report, Sequoia Lott was screaming vulgarities.

The Castellanos' account to the police also paints a different picture of the employees coming out of the restaurant to help Lott. They told police that an employee came out of the restaurant brandishing two large kitchen knifes, and threatened the family with them.

They claim they piled back into the RV and tried to leave, only to be blocked by Sequoia. They even claim the RV was stabbed by the knives. The police are still investigating the Castellanos' story.

According to Gold Beach Police Chief Russ Merkley, the conflicting accounts are the key reason no one was cited or arrested at the scene.

Believe it or not, there is much more to this story. Click the headline to read the whole thing. What a bunch of idiots! All of this over a cold burger and an immature girl writing "you suck" in ketchup.

Woman Guilty Over Bizarre Internet Murder Plot

A divorcee has been found guilty of plotting to murder her multi-millionaire partner after she hired an "assassin" on a website called www.Hitman.us.com

Sharon Collins, 45, a divorced mother-of-two, is said to have hatched a conspiracy with a man from the site, an Egyptian poker player who called himself Tony Luciano, to murder PJ Howard, a property tycoon worth £10 million and his two sons.

But the hitman, real name Essam Eid, tried to hatch a separate deal with Howard and his sons, telling them they had a contract out on their heads and demanding £70,000 to terminate it.

The move led to the Howards reporting the incident to the police and the bizarre plot unravelling...

The court heard that Collins, who has been seeing Howard for five years, came up with the plan after the tycoon, who she said frequented prostitutes and swingers clubs, made unreasonable demands on her including that she become involved in "stranger sex".

What a bizarre story! First of all, I can't believe there was a site called Hitman.us.com! lol! (btw, I tried the site and it no longer works). I wonder why she wouldn't just leave him...they weren't married. Hmm...maybe she's the beneficiary of his life insurance anyway.

Man Angry Over Sex, Accused of Trying to Start Fire

A man is behind bars in Hamilton County, accused of trying to set a woman's van on fire after she fell asleep during sex.

46-year-old Gregory Smallwood is charged with attempted arson and aggravated menacing.

According to court records, the alleged victim says Smallwood woke her up about 4:00 am on June 30th.

She said he became angry after she fell asleep twice and doused her van with lighter fluid and threatened to do the same to her.

Smallwood has been ordered to stay away from the woman.

This one is funny mainly because his name is "Smallwood" and she fell asleep during sex! lol... what a coincidence. I know, it's juvenile humor, but what can I say?