i have been following the billy smolinski case (thanks to andy thibault at the cool justice report). seems the waterbury police department* ROYALLY screwed things up. seems like the did it on PURPOSE, not as an oversight. seems like they were protecting people they should have been investigating.
to the smolinskis, i really do hope you find the answers you seek. i'm sorry for your loss and your pain. i'm sorry the people who were supposed to help, serve and protect (as in the waterbury police department) DID NOT do so.
thanks to the cool justice report for forwarding this article to me
oh and a shout out to all of the OTHER journalists who have not let the smolinski case fade away. the family deserves the truth
Buried Secrets
By John Murray
She couldn't go.
Janice Smolinski knew that if she drove to Shelton she'd be on her knees clawing at the earth to uncover Billy. No, she couldn't go, Janice and her husband Bill had to first process the devastating information they had just read in the Waterbury police report. After three years of searching for their 31 year old son, the Smolinskis now believed they knew what happened to Billy when he vanished from his life in August 2004. The moment that Bill and Janice Smolinski had long sought was here, but it wasn't playing out the way they'd imagined..........
............The Observer visited Waterbury Police Chief Neil O'Leary's office and he was direct in saying he suspected foul play. O'Leary was not involved with the investigation and hooked the Observer up with deputy chief Jimmy Egan and told him to share information with the newspaper. Egan began by calling Billy Smolinski a mixed up kid who is probably in Europe having a cold beer. Egan challenged the credibility of Janice Smolinski by inferring she was a bit daffy because she had talked with psychics. After several minutes of smearing the Smolinskis, Egan asked if we had any other questions. When we asked about the love triangle he began to squirm. When we specifically asked about Chris Sorensen the deputy chief asked if we were going to publish his name.
When we said we might, Egan said we'd ruin the guy's life. Egan paced back and forth across the room and appeared to be more concerned with protecting Sorensen and Gleason than finding out what happened to Billy Smolinski. A second meeting with Egan three days later was in stark contrast. He was subdued and concerned about the Smolinski family and their search for Billy. He stated he had lots of empathy for the Smolinskis and had never said a bad word about them.
That was a lie..............
ah, but that's NOT all. i happened to be watching nbc (dateline) the other day. to my amazement what do i see? a story about how the waterbury police department MESSED UP AGAIN (earlier, in 1993, but this along with the smolinski case certainly would be sending up red flags to me)
a woman was raped (her children sleeping in rooms next to her), reported it to the waterbury police department and they turn around and threaten HER with arrest because they didn't believe her????
Former ‘Jane Doe’ fights for other rape victims
Police ignored Donna Palomba's case, now she's helping others seek justice
By John Springer
TODAYShow.com contributor
Updated: 9:24 a.m. ET April 27, 2007
Donna Palomba was alone in bed on a September night in 1993, when she heard the distinct sound of footsteps approaching closer and closer.
Then she saw him. The man in the mask.
With her husband away on business and her children asleep down the hall, the Waterbury, Conn., woman was no match for the shadowy figure in her bedroom. Armed with a knife and a handgun, he cut Palomba's bed clothes and raped her.
When it was over, the man menaced Palomba with the gun and threatened to return and kill her if she told anyone about the assault. Although she did run to the home of a neighbor and called 911, for some time afterward Palomba wondered if calling police was a mistake.
They didn't believe her.
The lead investigator for the Waterbury Police Department accused Palomba of making up the story, and threatened to charge her with making a false police report...............
(*in all fairness chief neil o'leary appears to at the very least be willing to listen.)
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Friday, May 04, 2007
update on ryan riddle
(and yet ANOTHER shout out to news channel 8)
a soldier SHOT in iraq and denied benefits here, given the run around yet one of the men responsible for the run around is given a $33,000 BONUS? shite, that just is NOT right
why did wtnh channel 8 have to go out to find proof ryan riddle was wounded in iraq? why didn't
ronald aument find proof? isn't that part of HIS job?
shouldn't our veterans, ESPECIALLY the wounded ones be taken care of?
Soldier denied benefits, cutting through the red tape
(Southington-WTNH)_An Iraq War veteran and Southington resident is a living example of the red tape that is bogging down the Veterans Administration.
While soldiers like Ryan Riddle struggle to get medical coverage for war wounds there is word that some VA officials in charge of their paperwork are getting huge cash performance bonuses. Team 8 Investigator Alan Cohn recently confronted, Ronald Aument, one of the bureaucrats who received one of those bonuses.
"The question is, how could a TV station from Connecticut reach out to people in Baghdad and confirm that this private was shot and the VA can't?""Frankly, I don't know the facts, but I'll be happy to look into it," Aument said............
a soldier SHOT in iraq and denied benefits here, given the run around yet one of the men responsible for the run around is given a $33,000 BONUS? shite, that just is NOT right
why did wtnh channel 8 have to go out to find proof ryan riddle was wounded in iraq? why didn't
ronald aument find proof? isn't that part of HIS job?
shouldn't our veterans, ESPECIALLY the wounded ones be taken care of?
Soldier denied benefits, cutting through the red tape
(Southington-WTNH)_An Iraq War veteran and Southington resident is a living example of the red tape that is bogging down the Veterans Administration.
While soldiers like Ryan Riddle struggle to get medical coverage for war wounds there is word that some VA officials in charge of their paperwork are getting huge cash performance bonuses. Team 8 Investigator Alan Cohn recently confronted, Ronald Aument, one of the bureaucrats who received one of those bonuses.
"The question is, how could a TV station from Connecticut reach out to people in Baghdad and confirm that this private was shot and the VA can't?""Frankly, I don't know the facts, but I'll be happy to look into it," Aument said............
Thursday, May 03, 2007
t.r. rowe (r-trumbull) you're WRONG
you CANNOT have love or compassion to or for a woman UNLESS you allow her the RIGHT to choose plan b IF she seeks medical treatment after a rape. once again, PLAN B DOES NOT CAUSE AN ABORTION. it is a contraceptive (yes, i know the catholic church prohibits the use of contraceptives. by the way almost every catholic i know of child bearing age USES CONTRACEPTION).
it is indeed a victory for connecticut and especially it's women
House Passes Bill Requiring Hospitals To Dispense Plan B
HARTFORD, Conn. -- The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Wednesday in favor of a bill that requires all hospitals in the state, including Catholic ones, to offer rape victims emergency contraception.
The bill passed on a 113-36 vote, following a three-hour debate.
The legislation, which passed the Senate last week, now moves to Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell's desk. The governor suggested she's inclined to sign the bill into law.......
............."I know I may be spitting against the wind here," said Rep. T.R. Rowe, R-Trumbull, a Catholic, pleading with his colleagues. "I ask each of you to think again before you cast your vote this afternoon. You can still have great love, care and compassion for victimized women. You can still do right by them and vote against the underlying bill."
The emergency contraception, known as Plan B, helps prevent a pregnancy when taken within 72 hours of sex.
Last year, Hartford Archbishop Henry J. Mansell directed Connecticut's four Catholic hospitals not to prescribe the drug if a rape victim is ovulating or an egg has been fertilized. Roman Catholics believe life begins at conception.
Barry Feldman, a lawyer for the Connecticut Catholic Hospitals Council, said Mansell is very disappointed. He said the state's bishops must now consider their options, including possible legal action.............
it is indeed a victory for connecticut and especially it's women
House Passes Bill Requiring Hospitals To Dispense Plan B
HARTFORD, Conn. -- The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Wednesday in favor of a bill that requires all hospitals in the state, including Catholic ones, to offer rape victims emergency contraception.
The bill passed on a 113-36 vote, following a three-hour debate.
The legislation, which passed the Senate last week, now moves to Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell's desk. The governor suggested she's inclined to sign the bill into law.......
............."I know I may be spitting against the wind here," said Rep. T.R. Rowe, R-Trumbull, a Catholic, pleading with his colleagues. "I ask each of you to think again before you cast your vote this afternoon. You can still have great love, care and compassion for victimized women. You can still do right by them and vote against the underlying bill."
The emergency contraception, known as Plan B, helps prevent a pregnancy when taken within 72 hours of sex.
Last year, Hartford Archbishop Henry J. Mansell directed Connecticut's four Catholic hospitals not to prescribe the drug if a rape victim is ovulating or an egg has been fertilized. Roman Catholics believe life begins at conception.
Barry Feldman, a lawyer for the Connecticut Catholic Hospitals Council, said Mansell is very disappointed. He said the state's bishops must now consider their options, including possible legal action.............
this is how we treat our war wounded: ryan riddle a connecticut horror story
they (the va) says there is NO proof of a wound? ryan riddle WAS SHOT in iraq (friendly fire, but shot none the less). why should he have to do a whole dog and pony show to get the benefits HE DESERVES?
and a GIANT shout out to wtnh, news channel 8 for attempting to do what SHOULD have been done all along.
this is bull shite
Injured Connecticut soldier denied service benefits
Southington-WTNH)_A presidential task force has announced new measures to improve what it describes as unacceptably poor coordination between the veterans administration and the defense department when it comes to helping wounded veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan prove their disability claims.
Just last week veterans affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson said "these heroes should not have to fight bureaucratic red tape for benefits earned by their courageous service." Ryan Riddle is a Connecticut veteran who has been fighting through that red tape ever since he was wounded in Iraq............
.............It was an accidental shooting which left very real scars from shrapnel wounds to Riddle's wrist and legs. Doctors were unable to remove part of the bullet in his leg because it was too close to an artery.
Riddle received a commendation for his service at the checkpoint; the soldier who shot him got a reprimand. Riddle was discharged and moved home to Southington. He filed for service related benefits for the gun shot wound, and doctors at the Newington Veterans hospital told him there is no proof of his injury..............
...........That was almost a month ago. News Channel 8 turned over a letter written on Army stationary by Riddle's sergeant who was with him when he was shot. We even offered to give the VA the x-rays that show the bullet lodged in his thigh, but as of right now, Riddle's claim is still denied.
The VA said the documents help but it is still trying to get a hold of the soldiers that we had no trouble contacting to corroborate their story.
Rep. John Larson, (D, who has been following the case said it's ridiculous.........
and a GIANT shout out to wtnh, news channel 8 for attempting to do what SHOULD have been done all along.
this is bull shite
Injured Connecticut soldier denied service benefits
Southington-WTNH)_A presidential task force has announced new measures to improve what it describes as unacceptably poor coordination between the veterans administration and the defense department when it comes to helping wounded veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan prove their disability claims.
Just last week veterans affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson said "these heroes should not have to fight bureaucratic red tape for benefits earned by their courageous service." Ryan Riddle is a Connecticut veteran who has been fighting through that red tape ever since he was wounded in Iraq............
.............It was an accidental shooting which left very real scars from shrapnel wounds to Riddle's wrist and legs. Doctors were unable to remove part of the bullet in his leg because it was too close to an artery.
Riddle received a commendation for his service at the checkpoint; the soldier who shot him got a reprimand. Riddle was discharged and moved home to Southington. He filed for service related benefits for the gun shot wound, and doctors at the Newington Veterans hospital told him there is no proof of his injury..............
...........That was almost a month ago. News Channel 8 turned over a letter written on Army stationary by Riddle's sergeant who was with him when he was shot. We even offered to give the VA the x-rays that show the bullet lodged in his thigh, but as of right now, Riddle's claim is still denied.
The VA said the documents help but it is still trying to get a hold of the soldiers that we had no trouble contacting to corroborate their story.
Rep. John Larson, (D, who has been following the case said it's ridiculous.........
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
princess was eighteen years old - and she was found stuffed in a box
naked, bleach poured all over her and beaten so badly they didn't know what gender she was at first.
she was found on laurel street. i work VERY near laurel street. who knows, i may have passed her or one of the four who are accused of murdering her.
the following isn't a story about her death - it's a story of her tragic life. someone (colin poitras) took the time to find out
(it ain't easy being mentally ill)
It Was `Chaos All The Time' Slain `Princess' Often Rebelled Against Treatment, Ran Away
By COLIN POITRAS, Courant Staff Writer
When state officials sent Alexandria Clouse-Desmond to a special school in Bennington, Vt., last year, she jumped out of a window and ran away, only to be found hours later lying face down in a ditch on the side of the road.When Clouse-Desmond was receiving treatment at the state-run Riverview psychiatric hospital for children in Middletown the year before that, she ran from staff and plunged into the nearby Connecticut River in an apparent drowning attempt.
Last May, while again at Riverview, Clouse-Desmond was among a trio of young women who ran away during an outing to the movies. The girls were later found, all claiming to have been raped while they were out on the streets of Hartford.........
she was found on laurel street. i work VERY near laurel street. who knows, i may have passed her or one of the four who are accused of murdering her.
the following isn't a story about her death - it's a story of her tragic life. someone (colin poitras) took the time to find out
(it ain't easy being mentally ill)
It Was `Chaos All The Time' Slain `Princess' Often Rebelled Against Treatment, Ran Away
By COLIN POITRAS, Courant Staff Writer
When state officials sent Alexandria Clouse-Desmond to a special school in Bennington, Vt., last year, she jumped out of a window and ran away, only to be found hours later lying face down in a ditch on the side of the road.When Clouse-Desmond was receiving treatment at the state-run Riverview psychiatric hospital for children in Middletown the year before that, she ran from staff and plunged into the nearby Connecticut River in an apparent drowning attempt.
Last May, while again at Riverview, Clouse-Desmond was among a trio of young women who ran away during an outing to the movies. The girls were later found, all claiming to have been raped while they were out on the streets of Hartford.........
i'm glad the judge in this case is taking time to think
BEFORE sentencing.
and once again i'd like to take the opportunity to apologize to mr hoy (whom i never outright said was guilty but i did say IF he did this............. i jumped the gun. now i'm going to say i hope yajaira and jose, who DID commit this heinous crime DO PAY and pay dearly). so i'm praying judge miano thinks long and hard and gives these two exactly what they deserve (of course he really can't do that - BUT he can give them what they deserve INSIDE of the law)
Sentencing postponed after judge sees victim's pictures
(Hartford-AP) _ Photos of a young victim of child abuse have prompted a Hartford judge to put off sentencing of her mother and the mother's boyfriend.
The judge says he wants to think about the lower sentences he planned. His decision came yesterday after seeing, for the first time, pictures of the six-year-old girl who had been beaten so badly, her arm had to be amputated.
Judge Thomas Miano halted the sentencing after viewing the photos and hearing child welfare officials describe what they called the "torture" of Natasha Santiago......
Judge Rethinks Sentence For Abuse He Delays Ruling After Seeing Photos Of Child
By TINA A. BROWN, Courant Staff Writer
A judge in Hartford was prepared to send an abusive mother and her boyfriend to prison Monday for beating her handicapped daughter so badly that the girl's arm had to be amputated.But in a rare move, Superior Court Judge Thomas Miano halted the sentencing after viewing gruesome photographs of the battered girl's injuries for the first time and hearing child welfare officials describe the "torture" of 6-year-old Natasha Santiago.Miano had been prepared to sentence Yajaira Rodriguez of Hartford to 10 years in prison and her boyfriend, Jose Graciani of New Britain, to 12 years behind bars. But after seeing and hearing more evidence, he postponed the sentencings to next week, he said, so that he had time "to think."..........
...........But the photographs - a significant record of the child's injuries - offered a more gruesome perspective than the mountains of paperwork that doctors from Connecticut Children's Medical Center and Yale-New Haven Hospital had forwarded to the prosecution and the defense.They showed Natasha sitting in a car seat. She had a black and blue knot on her head. Her legs and back had older wounds. But those injuries paled compared with her left arm, which was burned, swollen and purple. Doctors later amputated it..............
Mom, Friend Convicted Of Child Abuse 6-Year-Old Lost Her Arm, Had Many Broken Bones
By TINA A. BROWN, Courant Staff Writer
A Hartford mother and her boyfriend pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from the severe beating of her disabled, 6-year-old daughter that resulted in amputation of the girl's left arm.Though Yajaira Rodriguez, 25, of Hartford, and Jose Graciani, 24, of New Britain, pleaded guilty to assault and risk of injury charges at separate hearings in Superior Court in Hartford, neither openly admitted inflicting the injuries sustained by Natasha Santiago in December 2005.
Initially, Rodriguez had blamed the girl's injuries on a former boyfriend.At their combined sentencing on Monday, Rodriguez will receive a 20-year-prison term, suspended after she serves 10 years in prison and five years of probation. Graciani will receive a 20-year-prison term, suspended after he serves 12 years in prison and five years of probation, said Judge Thomas Miano...........
apologies to mr hoy
and once again i'd like to take the opportunity to apologize to mr hoy (whom i never outright said was guilty but i did say IF he did this............. i jumped the gun. now i'm going to say i hope yajaira and jose, who DID commit this heinous crime DO PAY and pay dearly). so i'm praying judge miano thinks long and hard and gives these two exactly what they deserve (of course he really can't do that - BUT he can give them what they deserve INSIDE of the law)
Sentencing postponed after judge sees victim's pictures
(Hartford-AP) _ Photos of a young victim of child abuse have prompted a Hartford judge to put off sentencing of her mother and the mother's boyfriend.
The judge says he wants to think about the lower sentences he planned. His decision came yesterday after seeing, for the first time, pictures of the six-year-old girl who had been beaten so badly, her arm had to be amputated.
Judge Thomas Miano halted the sentencing after viewing the photos and hearing child welfare officials describe what they called the "torture" of Natasha Santiago......
Judge Rethinks Sentence For Abuse He Delays Ruling After Seeing Photos Of Child
By TINA A. BROWN, Courant Staff Writer
A judge in Hartford was prepared to send an abusive mother and her boyfriend to prison Monday for beating her handicapped daughter so badly that the girl's arm had to be amputated.But in a rare move, Superior Court Judge Thomas Miano halted the sentencing after viewing gruesome photographs of the battered girl's injuries for the first time and hearing child welfare officials describe the "torture" of 6-year-old Natasha Santiago.Miano had been prepared to sentence Yajaira Rodriguez of Hartford to 10 years in prison and her boyfriend, Jose Graciani of New Britain, to 12 years behind bars. But after seeing and hearing more evidence, he postponed the sentencings to next week, he said, so that he had time "to think."..........
...........But the photographs - a significant record of the child's injuries - offered a more gruesome perspective than the mountains of paperwork that doctors from Connecticut Children's Medical Center and Yale-New Haven Hospital had forwarded to the prosecution and the defense.They showed Natasha sitting in a car seat. She had a black and blue knot on her head. Her legs and back had older wounds. But those injuries paled compared with her left arm, which was burned, swollen and purple. Doctors later amputated it..............
Mom, Friend Convicted Of Child Abuse 6-Year-Old Lost Her Arm, Had Many Broken Bones
By TINA A. BROWN, Courant Staff Writer
A Hartford mother and her boyfriend pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from the severe beating of her disabled, 6-year-old daughter that resulted in amputation of the girl's left arm.Though Yajaira Rodriguez, 25, of Hartford, and Jose Graciani, 24, of New Britain, pleaded guilty to assault and risk of injury charges at separate hearings in Superior Court in Hartford, neither openly admitted inflicting the injuries sustained by Natasha Santiago in December 2005.
Initially, Rodriguez had blamed the girl's injuries on a former boyfriend.At their combined sentencing on Monday, Rodriguez will receive a 20-year-prison term, suspended after she serves 10 years in prison and five years of probation. Graciani will receive a 20-year-prison term, suspended after he serves 12 years in prison and five years of probation, said Judge Thomas Miano...........
apologies to mr hoy
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
a shout out to mary ann klecker
THIS is supporting us troops. NOT sending them into harm's way OVER lies
Helping injured soldiers
by News Channel 8's Sara Welch
WTNH) _ A Milford woman has made it her mission to help injured service members and their families.
Inside a Florida motel, Mary Ann Klecker runs Haley House, a place for families to stay while their loved ones undergo rehabilitation at the James Haley VA Hospital in Tampa.
For one family, Iraq changed everything. Three months ago, Sergeant John Jones a 16-year Army veteran, was hit by an improvised explosive device. The blast shattered part of his skull causing a traumatic brain injury.
"He's my world and just to touch him and know that he's going to be OK is wonderful," said his wife Laura.
"They were there the whole time, first thing when I woke up I remember seeing my family and my wife," said John..................
Helping injured soldiers
by News Channel 8's Sara Welch
WTNH) _ A Milford woman has made it her mission to help injured service members and their families.
Inside a Florida motel, Mary Ann Klecker runs Haley House, a place for families to stay while their loved ones undergo rehabilitation at the James Haley VA Hospital in Tampa.
For one family, Iraq changed everything. Three months ago, Sergeant John Jones a 16-year Army veteran, was hit by an improvised explosive device. The blast shattered part of his skull causing a traumatic brain injury.
"He's my world and just to touch him and know that he's going to be OK is wonderful," said his wife Laura.
"They were there the whole time, first thing when I woke up I remember seeing my family and my wife," said John..................
da liebs...methinks thou doth protest TOO MUCH
no interest in running indeed!!!
well da liebs, not to worry. you ain't runnin' but i ain't votin' for yee
Lieberman: 'No-party' fastest growing political movement
Nick Juliano
Warning the two major parties to "watch out" for a third-party presidential candidate to storm into the 2008 presidential race, Sen. Joe Lieberman said Monday that independent voters were the most explosive force in American politics.
"The fastest-growing political party in America today is no party," Lieberman, I-Conn., told a panel discussion sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute.
The discussion, where Lieberman appeared alongside House Minority Leader John Boehner, stressed the importance of civility in what is becoming an increasing hostile partisan environment within the Capitol...................
well da liebs, not to worry. you ain't runnin' but i ain't votin' for yee
Lieberman: 'No-party' fastest growing political movement
Nick Juliano
Warning the two major parties to "watch out" for a third-party presidential candidate to storm into the 2008 presidential race, Sen. Joe Lieberman said Monday that independent voters were the most explosive force in American politics.
"The fastest-growing political party in America today is no party," Lieberman, I-Conn., told a panel discussion sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute.
The discussion, where Lieberman appeared alongside House Minority Leader John Boehner, stressed the importance of civility in what is becoming an increasing hostile partisan environment within the Capitol...................
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