Posted on

Michigan mom charged with larceny for taking away daughter’s phone as punishment

Jodie May of Grandville, Michigan, was forced to appear before a district judge earlier this week on a larceny charge for taking away her daughter’s cellphone as punishment.

May took the iPhone 6 from her 15-year-old daughter in April after the teenager got in trouble at school, according to reports.

“I was just being a mom, a concerned parent and disciplining my daughter,” May told WOOD-TV.

How did this happen?

What began as discipline became a criminal matter after May’s ex-husband reported it to Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office and claimed she committed a crime.

After the mom’s arrest in May, she was immediately released on $200 bond. May was facing a misdemeanor larceny charge, which carries a punishment of up to 93 days in jail, the TV station reported.

Shortly before the bench trial began on Tuesday before Ottawa County District Judge Judy Mulder, prosecutors added another charge to the case: larceny by conversion. That charge was also punishable by up to 93 days, according to the report.

But before the first witness was called, yet another twist was added.

“I’ve had an opportunity to discuss this case with the victim in this case, or at least the person we believed owned the property,” Ottawa County assistant prosecutor Sarah Matwiejczyk told the judge.

The prosecutor said she determined the phone is in fact owned by the daughter, not the ex-husband.

“The mother defendant being the mother of the minor child, I believe that changes the case significantly,” Matwiejczyk reportedly said. “Therefore, we’re requesting that the charges be dismissed.”

How did the mom react?

May called the entire situation “ridiculous.”

“I think it’s ridiculous,” May told the TV station. “I can’t believe I had to be put through it, my daughter had to be put through it, my family. I’m very surprised, but I’m very happy with the outcome.”

May’s court-appointed attorney, Jennifer Kuiper-Weise, said she was ready for a court battle.

“We knew this was parental discipline,” said Kuiper-Weise, a former assistant prosecutor in Ottawa County. “We knew that it would come across that way.”

She also questioned why the charges were ever filed.

“The case was authorized on a probable-cause basis, and unfortunately at times there are misdemeanor cases that are not thoroughly vetted, and unfortunately Miss May was a victim of that,” Kuiper-Weise told WOOD.

via TheBlaze.com – Stories

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://www.theblaze.com

Posted on

Wanna See How Fast Democrats Flipped Over Kavanaugh Accuser Hearing?


When Christine Blasey Ford made an unfounded accusation that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her sometime in the 1980’s, the Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee immediately tried to set up a hearing for her to tell her story. Initially Senate democrats also favored a hearing, but because the only point of Ford’s accusation is to delay and untimely terminate Kavanaugh’s nomination, they have flipped faster that a sizzling burger on a McDonald’s grill.

Here’s a perfect example of just how full of shit democrats are. On Monday Illinois Senator Dick Durbin said this about a hearing for Christine Blasey Ford:

“I think [a public hearing is] the only way to go at this point. She has agreed to do it and it’s going to be very difficult, otherwise, to satisfy all the different things that have been said, contradictory things, as you noted, between judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford,” said Durbin.

By Wednesday, this was Durbin’s take on a hearing:

On Monday New York Senator Kristen Gillibrand was all for a hearing:

“I’m hopeful the Senate will at least have some measure of review, maybe a hearing, some measure of analysis of this accusation, and have some measure of clarity on whether this is disqualifying. I believe it is disqualifying, given what we know,” said Gillibrand.

Sure, Gillibrand has already convicted Kavanaugh, but she was at least in favor of a hearing. But that was so Monday because by Wednesday she was attacking Republicans for scheduling a hearing.

On Tuesday Delaware Senator Chris Coons was in favor of a hearing for Ford to testify:

“It is my hope that the Senate Judiciary Committee will demonstrate that we are today capable of treating an alleged victim of sexual assault with the respect and thoroughness that her allegations deserve. It is important that this hearing be informed first by experts,” said Coons.

But by Wednesday he was all…

On Monday Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono was expecting a good hearing with Ford and Kavanaugh:

“I expect to have both witnesses come if they are willing to – and they both have expressed their willingness – and that everyone should be heard,” said Hirono.

On Wednesday Hirono was decidedly against any kind of hearing, calling Republican’s efforts to set it up “bullshit.”

Obviously whatever Republicans want, democrats will oppose and the GOP should use this to their advantage. They should call for a full FBI investigation into the allegations and put Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote on hold indefinitely. At that point democrats will call the FBI investigation an attempt to bully Christine Blasey Ford and immediately vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh. Democrats are insane but predictable.

Follow Brian Anderson on Twitter

via Downtrend.com

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://downtrend.com

Posted on

Colorado ‘pay-what-you-can’ cafe at risk of shutting down: ‘It kind of snuck up on us.’

FoCo Café in Fort Collins, Colorado, is a nonprofit that operates under a “pay-what-you-can” model, meaning customers make a donation of whatever they can afford under an honor system.

But the restaurant and food pantry has fallen on hard times and is making a plea to the community to help keep it afloat.

What’s the situation?

FoCo opened on Thanksgiving Day 2014 and was at first run entirely by volunteers. Now the eatery has four paid employees, which is affecting overhead — including a spike in health insurance costs and workers compensation premiums. According to KCNC-TV, the cafe is also required to pay sales tax whether or not a patron pays for their meal.

Executive Director Mallory Garneau told the Coloradoan that FoCo will shut down in the next month if they don’t receive additional funds.

“It kind of snuck up on us a little bit,” she said. “It has been a tough situation.”

Donations for meals have also declined, contributing further to FoCo’s woes. No menu prices are set for the all-you-can-eat meals, but the operation suggests a donation of $10 for those able to afford it.

The average customer contributed $6.50 for a meal in 2017, but this year’s average has dropped to $4.96, and only $3.83 for the month of August. The cafe is now operating at a loss of nearly $550 per day.

Garneau suggested, “I don’t think people are taking advantage of us. But maybe it is more of a misunderstanding of how it works.”

What’s next?

In their efforts to raise $50,000 by Halloween, FoCo has launched a sustaining membership campaign to raise funds, asking for supporters to pledge a monthly donation to help defer operating costs.

“We have seen a decline in awareness and excitement of the café from the general public,” Garneau said. “As we hope to enter year four, we need to reawaken the conversation around our mission and what it is we really do for the community.”

Since its opening, FoCo has served lunch six days a week, totaling roughly 80,000 meals. They also operate a food pantry, a summer kids breakfast program, a small garden, and a year-round “hydration station.”

via TheBlaze.com – Stories

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://www.theblaze.com

Posted on

CLASSY: Elizabeth Warren Fundraises Off Of Kavanaugh Allegations


This week, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent out a fundraising email in which she kept the subject topical, using the allegations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh to launch a pitch for her war chest. Warren wrote, “Christine Blasey Ford has done a brave thing in coming forward. She deserves to be heard and treated with respect. Now it’s the Senate’s job to make sure that happens.”

This month Warren tries to make money off of an allegation of sexual assault that hasn’t been proven. In July she tried to raise money by portraying herself as a defender of all women from President Trump:

As The Boston Herald noted, “But Warren apparently only feels strongly about cases she can exploit to her benefit. Hence her silence on Democratic colleague and choice for DNC Chair, Rep. Keith Ellison, whose former girlfriend Karen Monahan claims he physically and emotionally abused her. Far from being supported and believed, Monahan says she has been ‘smeared, threatened and isolated by her own party.’”

via Daily Wire

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://www.dailywire.com/rss.xml