Man accused of keeping his stepson as a sex slave for six years

By Calvin Palmer
A Vermont man kept his stepson as a sex slave, threatened him, denied him food and water and confined him to a bedroom with an alarm system designed to stop his escaping, according to police.
The boy, now 17, lived with his stepfather for almost six years. He told police Robert J. Pratt sent [...]

Girlfriend killed McNair then turned gun on herself

By Calvin Palmer
Police today confirmed that ex-NFL star Steve McNair was murdered by his 20-year-old girlfriend who then turned the gun on herself.
At a news conference this afternoon, Nashville Police Chief Ronal Serpas said that investigators determined McNair was probably asleep sitting up on the couch when Sahel Kazemi shot him once in the right [...]

Racist radio broadcast to firefighters follows graffiti incident

By Calvin Palmer
A racially offensive message was broadcast early this morning on a radio frequency used by firefighters in Houston, according to the president of the Houston Black Firefighters Association.
The broadcast comes 24 hours after racist and sexist graffiti was discovered in the women’s quarters at Fire Station 54 in a secured area at the [...]

Standoff ends with house burning down and man taken to hospital

By Calvin Palmer
The siege of a home in a Connecticut suburb ended last night around midnight when Richard Shenkman emerged from the house two hours after he had set it on fire.
Shenkman, 60, was taken into custody by police and is receiving treatment for smoke inhalation at Hartford Hospital.
South Windsor Police Commander Matthew Reed said [...]

Girl convicted of murder for luring boyfriend to his death by love rival

By Calvin Palmer
A teenage girl who lured her boyfriend to his death at the hands of a love rival and his gang was convicted of murder today at the Old Bailey, London.
Samantha Joseph, 16, led Shakilus Townsend, 16, into a quiet cul-de-sac in Thornton Heath, south London, last July, where he was beaten with baseball [...]

Divers rescue parakeet all at sea

By Calvin Palmer
Half a mile out to sea off the coast of Devon, England, a group of scuba divers came across a bright blue parakeet (budgerigar) struggling to keep afloat.
Parakeets are not known for their swimming prowess and the exhausted bird looked destined for a watery grave off Berry Head, Brixham.
But after a number of [...]