Firefighter to be Arraigned on Child Molestation Charges
Written for the web by C. Johnson, Internet News Producer
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A firefighter arrested on suspicion of multiple felony child molestation charges is scheduled to be arraigned today. The victims are all girls between the ages of six and nine.
Detectives say Richard Alvin Priest, 47, has confessed to the charges. He is in custody on six counts of forcible acts of sexual penetration and six counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor. The victims are six girls between the ages of six and nine.
Priest was arrested Wednesday night. Last Sunday police received a report that the suspect allegedly touched a child in an inappropriate manner. During their investigation, three additional victims were identified and interviewed. Since Priest's arrest, a possible fifth victim has come forward.
Investigators believe the alleged crimes may have taken place during children's sleepovers at Priest's residence.
Priest is employed as a firefighter and emergency medical technician at Sacramento International Airport. He has been placed on administrative leave by the County of Sacramento which operates the airport.
Last year Folsom police looked into a report that Priest sexually molested a child. An investigation was unable to substantiate the accusation, so no charges were filed. However, detective said today they are reopening that investigation.
Neighbors on the Folsom street where Priest lives said they are stunned. They said the children on the street play together all of the time. They added it is very disturbing that a firefighter, a public safety servant, is alleged to have committed such crimes.
Harold Young, the father of a 9-year-old boy who lives just a few doors down from the Priest home, said, "It makes me feel better about being overprotective."
The Folsom Police Department has asked that anyone with knowledge of any possible illict activites involving Priest to contact their hotline at (916) 930-1098.
Priest is being held in Sacramento County Jail on $600,000 bond.
Copyright 2007
News10/KXTV
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Created: 1/12/2006 12:16:05 PM
Updated: 1/13/2006 2:17:05 PM
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risk to public safety using fire hydrant to fill his ice rink
Firefighter arrested; allegedly used hydrant to fill his skating rink
By: Lisa Backus, Special to The Herald
01/18/2007
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FARMINGTON - Town officials said they are still trying to determine if any action will be taken against a local firefighter who was arrested Tuesday for hooking up a fire hose to a fire hydrant to fill his skating rink.
Mary-Ellen Harper, town director of Fire and Emergency Services, confirmed that Tunxis Hose volunteer firefighter Stephen Miceli, 42, of 168 Main St., was arrested on fourth-degree criminal mischief charges after he was caught in the act of filling his skating rink.
"We have determined that no town property was used," Harper said. "At this point, the town has to review all the facts and determine the course of action." Police said Miceli was found siphoning water from a fire hydrant around 5 p.m. Tuesday using a fire hose that he said had been discarded. Miceli was arrested on a charge of fourth-degree criminal mischief and released on a written promise to appear. He is expected to appear in Hartford Superior Court on Tuesday.
The hydrant is maintained and owned by Connecticut Water Co. Water company officials said they have been made aware of the arrest and are cautioning residents that tampering with a fire hydrant could result in compromising public safety.
By: Lisa Backus, Special to The Herald
01/18/2007
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FARMINGTON - Town officials said they are still trying to determine if any action will be taken against a local firefighter who was arrested Tuesday for hooking up a fire hose to a fire hydrant to fill his skating rink.
Mary-Ellen Harper, town director of Fire and Emergency Services, confirmed that Tunxis Hose volunteer firefighter Stephen Miceli, 42, of 168 Main St., was arrested on fourth-degree criminal mischief charges after he was caught in the act of filling his skating rink.
"We have determined that no town property was used," Harper said. "At this point, the town has to review all the facts and determine the course of action." Police said Miceli was found siphoning water from a fire hydrant around 5 p.m. Tuesday using a fire hose that he said had been discarded. Miceli was arrested on a charge of fourth-degree criminal mischief and released on a written promise to appear. He is expected to appear in Hartford Superior Court on Tuesday.
The hydrant is maintained and owned by Connecticut Water Co. Water company officials said they have been made aware of the arrest and are cautioning residents that tampering with a fire hydrant could result in compromising public safety.
embezzler hero
Last modified Monday, May 22, 2006 7:46 PM PDT
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Cunningham should keep his promise
So it appears Randy Cunningham has not been helping federal authorities much in their further investigations of defense contractor corruption as his plea agreement calls for him to do. 30 Comment(s)
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Firefighter arrested for embezzlement
By: The Californian -
A firefighter-paramedic has been arrested on suspicion of embezzlement and other felonies, according to authorities.
Kyle Kenneth Smith of Phelan was arrested Friday by Riverside County Fire Department officers, Capt. Julie Hutchinson stated in a press release.
Smith was booked on suspicion of grand theft, embezzlement and embezzlement of public property, a county jail official said. He allegedly stole fuel cards, Hutchinson said.
Smith worked for the fire department for three years. His arrest caps a lengthy investigation by fire department law enforcement officers to see who was responsible for the theft, Hutchinson said.
Smith was released after posting bail of $5,000, a jail spokesman said.
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Comments On This Story
Note: Comments reflect the views of readers and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff.
john wrote on May 23, 2006 7:13 AM:"Bummer,goes to show that even the good guys can be bad guys."
To John wrote on May 23, 2006 8:46 AM:"Why would you think that just because a person is a firefighter he is a good guy? ALL professions have good guys and bad guys!Except politicians,,they are all bad!"
to to john wrote on May 23, 2006 10:18 AM:"john said "politicians are all bad", wow I cant believe it! that means Jeff Stone is bad? "
Oh to to John... wrote on May 23, 2006 7:23 PM:"Say it ain't so, Stone is my Hero!"
To John wrote on May 23, 2006 10:38 PM:"Jeff Stone used to be good, but now he is just another politician with his slicked back hair and own agenda."
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Cunningham should keep his promise
So it appears Randy Cunningham has not been helping federal authorities much in their further investigations of defense contractor corruption as his plea agreement calls for him to do. 30 Comment(s)
Visit our news blogs at blog.nctimes.com.
Firefighter arrested for embezzlement
By: The Californian -
A firefighter-paramedic has been arrested on suspicion of embezzlement and other felonies, according to authorities.
Kyle Kenneth Smith of Phelan was arrested Friday by Riverside County Fire Department officers, Capt. Julie Hutchinson stated in a press release.
Smith was booked on suspicion of grand theft, embezzlement and embezzlement of public property, a county jail official said. He allegedly stole fuel cards, Hutchinson said.
Smith worked for the fire department for three years. His arrest caps a lengthy investigation by fire department law enforcement officers to see who was responsible for the theft, Hutchinson said.
Smith was released after posting bail of $5,000, a jail spokesman said.
Previous Story: Police targeting seat belt scofflaws
Next Story: Developer fees could pay for new fire stations
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Comments On This Story
Note: Comments reflect the views of readers and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff.
john wrote on May 23, 2006 7:13 AM:"Bummer,goes to show that even the good guys can be bad guys."
To John wrote on May 23, 2006 8:46 AM:"Why would you think that just because a person is a firefighter he is a good guy? ALL professions have good guys and bad guys!Except politicians,,they are all bad!"
to to john wrote on May 23, 2006 10:18 AM:"john said "politicians are all bad", wow I cant believe it! that means Jeff Stone is bad? "
Oh to to John... wrote on May 23, 2006 7:23 PM:"Say it ain't so, Stone is my Hero!"
To John wrote on May 23, 2006 10:38 PM:"Jeff Stone used to be good, but now he is just another politician with his slicked back hair and own agenda."
Add Your Comments or Letter to the Editor
First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, email addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. All comments are screened before they appear online, so please keep them brief.
Comments reflect the views of those commenting and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff writers. Click here to view additional comment policies.
NOTE: To limit spam, we now require verification of a code to post comments to archived stories.
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Name:
Comments:
To begin a discussion on this topic visit our Online Forums.
To send your comment as a Letter to the Editor click here
Rapist Hero
Firefighter Arrested In Connection With Rapes
This article was published on Monday, January 29, 2007 8:16 PM CST in News
By Richard Dean Prudenti
The Morning News
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BENTONVILLE -- A Bentonville firefighter resigned Friday, a day after he was arrested for allegedly raping two women.
Kevin Edward Thomasson, 33, of Pea Ridge was arrested Thursday by Rogers police in connection with the two counts of felony rape.
Bentonville Fire Chief Dan White deferred questions about the resignation to city staff attorney Camille Thompson on Monday.
"No, sir. I sure can't comment, by order of the mayor," White said by phone.
Thomasson began working full time for the fire department in July 2001, and was previously a part-time firefighter there and a lieutenant for the Pea Ridge Fire Department.
Thompson could say little more than to confirm that Thomasson had resigned.
*
"Basically, it's still an ongoing police investigation by an outside agency and a personnel matter, so there's nothing we would get involved in. Our employee matter resolved itself by the resignation," Thompson said.
"None of the activities that are alleged were on-duty type activities. There is no indication that the operations or integrity of the fire department have been affected in any way," Thompson said.
Thomasson is accused of raping a 30-year-old woman on Dec. 28, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Detective John Oldfather of the Rogers Police Department. He allegedly entered the woman's bedroom and forcibly grabbed her several times before raping her.
He was working for Arkansas ParaMed Transfer in Rogers during the alleged incident, and afterward talked on a cell phone with his boss about not responding to an ambulance call for service.
In a recorded phone interview, Thomasson reportedly said he did not touch the woman, and noted, "I'm not that kind of guy," the affidavit states.
Rogers police said Thomasson never showed up to a scheduled interview on Jan. 11, nor did he return subsequent phone messages.
The woman's attorney, Alisha Williams, filed a lawsuit against Thomasson on Jan. 9. The woman and her children were granted a protection order from the Benton County Circuit Court against Thomasson which lasts until June 25.
The police investigation led to a second woman accusing Thomasson of raping her twice in Pea Ridge.
Thomasson is set for arraignment March 5 in the Benton County Circuit Court. If charged and convicted, he could face 10 to 40 years, or life, on each count.
He is currently out of the Benton County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
Thomasson was arrested in November 2005 in connection with third-degree domestic battery involving his ex-wife. That charge is set for trial May 27 in the Rogers District Court.
Reader Comments (55)
The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of their authors. The Morning News does not review comments before their publication, nor do we guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by our comment policy. If you see a comment that violates our policy, please notify the web editor.
reason wrote on January 30, 2007 1:10 AM:"$100,000 bond is not enough."
Brenda wrote on January 30, 2007 1:34 AM:"Why is he out?? So he can do it again like all the rest? Is there not enough willing women around, that these perverted men have to force themselves on women? We need some very tough laws on rapists enforced. They wouldn't want me on this jury!!"
lawman wrote on January 30, 2007 7:41 AM:"I personally know the victim in this case, and have watched the pain she has went through. It sickens me to know this guy is out roaming the streets as we speak. A member of a public service organization this man could of been in any of our homes in Bentonville, or Pea Ridge. I think we just need to make this as public as possible. The more high profile the case is the better the chance of him getting propper punishment. He has done this in the past, ans will do it again. "
mediamad wrote on January 30, 2007 7:56 AM:"Nothing like jury by media!"
Government Bad wrote on January 30, 2007 8:26 AM:"So why should ANY OF US trust total strangers with information about us? WHY? Because they decided to be "police officers,firefighters" and I had decided to be a plumber, somehow that makes them able to be trusted? Because they are "Homeland Security Operatives" or because they are a "judge" or some other made up wizard position? Because 10,000 idiots voted them into office I should trust them? Or because 10 MILLION idiots voted them into office, that makes it "OK"? How about those who were APPOINTED? Those the idiots didn't get to vote for? How many cops do you know of who were VOTED into their position? How many driver's license employees, State Troopers, or for that matter the head of Homeland Security did the idiots get to vote for? "
Cut man wrote on January 30, 2007 8:26 AM:"Mandatory castration for second offense. They would give that a lot of thought before committing the crime. See the movie "Hard Candy"."
Just someone that knows wrote on January 30, 2007 8:28 AM:"I have to agree with Mediamad. Nothing like jury by media. I personally known the "suspect". What I do know is there are two sides to every story. Let a jury of his peers take care of whether to convict or not. I also know his first wife and the rest of his family. If they thought for one minute he intentionally hurt anyone, they would kick his butt before law enforcement got to him. So before spouting the usual rhetoric found in these blogs, keep in mind the United States Judicial system is "innocent until proven guilty.""
Only the victim and he knows wrote on January 30, 2007 9:00 AM:"None of us that have heard it on the news or read it in the paper really know what happend! I believe that if there is enough evidence to convict him that he will be convicted! I do know of the accused and I believe that it could go either way. I will just wait to see what comes next. I know women who do thing just to get even with the man so I am up in the air."
I agree wrote on January 30, 2007 9:29 AM:"I say that there is 2 parts to every story. Not all men/women that are accused of rape did it. Alot of people say rape to get back at someone for hurting them. I have known a few people that were accused and never did anything to the other person and that was proven. So I say leave the man alone until he is either proven quilty or not!"
justice wrote on January 30, 2007 9:47 AM:"For everyone who claims to know the suspect and say he didnt do. Here is a question for you? If he had nothing to hide why did he not show up for his sceduled interview with the Rogers Police Dept, or return there phone calls. Interesting. Also he has been accused of the same acts by a former wife. The victims have done there part, and I admire them for having the courage to come forward. Now it is The State of Arkansas vs. Thomasson. "
rape is rape wrote on January 30, 2007 10:24 AM:"rape is rape , if a woman tells a man no it means stop not keep going !!!i think rapest need to be "fixed" "
Ty wrote on January 30, 2007 10:33 AM:"Or if a MAN tells a WOMAN no, it is rape. This works both ways."
to ty wrote on January 30, 2007 10:50 AM:"yes it gos both ways ,i know guys/boys get raped, but 9 out of 10 rapes are women"
dad wrote on January 30, 2007 11:34 AM:"Look at the rugby team issue in North Carolina... "supposedly" that was rape too. I'm in mediamad's corner. All evidence needs to be addressed fully. If he's guilty, prosecute him, and put him away. Don't just list his name along with the 279 other sex offenders. Until then, put the castration knives away. "
Been There... wrote on January 30, 2007 12:11 PM:"It doesn't matter if he's nice and get an agreement form the other party. Persuasion is the same as thinking “no” means “yes”. It’s power! “NO” MEANS “NO”. "
What about the Kids wrote on January 30, 2007 12:32 PM:"I would think that if any of you were in this situation you wouldn't want your children to read about the horrible things people are saying about you. Did anyone consider that before posting your guilty verdicts."
to what about the kids wrote on January 30, 2007 12:38 PM:"Hooray. This man has been accused. Not convicted. He is still innocent, and everyone needs to keep THAT in mind. Let the penalty serve the crime, but first make sure a crime has been comitted. Right now, it's the word of two women, and no mention of solid (or liquid) evidence. "
What he is guilty of. wrote on January 30, 2007 1:45 PM:"Rape? Choice of Women? Know the whole story before you convict by media. It is too bad that the character of the two ALLEGED victims cannot be brought to light. Am I saying he's guilty? Absolutely not. Am I saying he's innocent? Absolutely not. I was not there, were you? Media is a business that requires ratings. Facts are not important. What sells ratings is making a public servant into a monster that is going around raping women while on duty. Whether it’s true or not, you don't care because you just want to convict someone. I know all three people involved and he was in long term relationships with both. My jury is still out. Is yours? On the choice of women, Guilty. I personally warned him about both of them a few years ago. I just wished he would have listened. "
Which ex-wife? wrote on January 30, 2007 5:26 PM:"He has only four ex-wives! Yes, he has a history of abusing women. Just look at his criminal record. He should have been fired after the first abuse case."
What happen wrote on January 30, 2007 9:34 PM:"What happened to the article?"
Off the street wrote on January 30, 2007 9:38 PM:"What is it going to take to get this guy off the streets?"
Guilty of Domestic Battery wrote on January 30, 2007 9:43 PM:"He was found guilty of Domestic Battery. "Thomasson was arrested in November 2005 in connection with third-degree domestic battery""
Hopefully wrote on January 30, 2007 9:57 PM:"He resigned from the from Arkansas Paramed Transfer too!"
seems to be a pattern wrote on January 31, 2007 10:19 AM:"...with the accusations. I've never committed an act of rape or criminal violence, and I've never been accused of it. So, what are the odds this individual would be accused as many times as he has and be innocent? Where there's smoke....."
Lisa "Thomasson" Jameson wrote on January 31, 2007 3:30 PM:"And to all you people who have his punishment already lined out...he has already been accussed, tried, and found guilty....he lived to serve his community from being a marine serving his country, to helping protect each and everyone of us through public service...and due to a poor choice in women has had all of that stripped from him without again i would like to point out not a shred of evidence. His life has been ruinned by the word of another human being....imagine if this is what we begin allowing to happen...the media has sacrificed a man..a good man...and made him guilty with no proof at all. His life will never be the same...so please think about that when you are placing a guilty stamp on his name...where will you be when it comes out he is innocent?? will you be there to tell the fire chief you want a good firefighter back on the team?...will you call apt and tell them you want him to have his job back?...will you make his house payments? will you buy things for his son? will you apologize? what will you do for your contribution to this wrongful ruinning of a persons life? and to the media i ask will you be there to ruin the name of the women who falsely accussed? i doubt it!"
never showed up wrote on January 31, 2007 4:31 PM:"Rogers police said Thomasson never showed up to a scheduled interview on Jan. 11, nor did he return subsequent phone messages. "
withheld wrote on January 31, 2007 7:17 PM:"Most proabably due to lawyer counseling to not participate in an interview without counsel present. Just because you don't go to an interview does not make you guilt."
Lisa "Thomasson" Jameson wrote on January 31, 2007 8:50 PM:"to withheld....thank you for being the first person to use their head with regard to the interview and the phone calls...."
Those who live in Glass Houses... wrote on January 31, 2007 10:35 PM:"No mention of the meeting he did have, without his lawyer, with the detective, at his house. No mention of the fact that the detective got the messages from the lawyer about the meeting and said it wasn't his job to call lawyers back, that was the job of the DA. No mention of how they got that "I'm not that kind of guy" sound bite. (watch your phones) This is a man who devoted his entire life to public service, and many of you probably shook his hand and said thank you for wearing a uniform. Now you have crucified him. Think about your son, your brother, your dad being accused of something and watching everything he had ever struggled for taken away by lies. Those lies will lead to the truth eventually. There will be a trial, one day a trial by fire, and God knows the truth."
Those who live in Glass Houses... wrote on January 31, 2007 10:58 PM:"I'm curious as to why the ex-wife never told her brother about the "rape". He's a cop, surely he would have seen justice done at the time of the crime...or maybe, just maybe, it was made up. What if this woman accused her step-father of battery, oh wait, she did. What if when she got divorced from her 3rd husband (she was married 4 times too)she told everyone he was going to kill her...oh yeah, SHE DID! Seems like a pattern to me..."
something is wrong... wrote on February 01, 2007 12:50 PM:"This whole thing with the media printing partial facts and plastering it all over television only to sell papers and increase the viewing audience is wrong. How the media gets a hold of and print quotes from an individual that was said in a private investigation to a detective is wrong. The media should be held accoutable for putting their own spin on things and stick with the facts only. Maybe the police should investigate the backgrounds of both the accusers! How and who taped the phone to come up with that snipet and why was it released to the media? That should not be consider public information at this point during investigations. Everyone assumes that since he is a "MAN", therefore he is quilty and he had to have committed what was said by another individual. You could be the next "MAN", think about. If Ms. Jameson is correct and there was no evidence taken but only accusation by someone who craves attention and has a past history of making false accusations, then something is wrong with this picture and the law. Those women need mental help. I'm praying that the truth comes out for Kevin and if he's guilty then so be it, he'll do his time and shame on him. If not, then both these women should be made to pay two fold and in public for what they have done to an innocent person & his family."
I'm confused ... wrote on February 01, 2007 6:06 PM:"How is the media to blame when they are just reporting that a firefighter resigned after he was arrested on rape charges? That's a fact, not a lie, that he was arrested and was a firefighter. Did the story say he was guilty? Did the reporter write that? I don't see it in there. It seems like all the people who posted on here are more guilty of hanging this guy out to dry rather than the newspaper article that is reporting what court records are stating. Is it because they wrote about the arrest? Is that the only reason? Why should one person's arrest be held back more so than the minority men who have been getting arrested for rape? I didn't read of any concern about how they were going to live and provide for their familes. And remember, they are only accused, too. Not convicted. This firefighter shouldn't receive any special treatment because of what he did for a living. "
Jerry Hawkins wrote on February 02, 2007 7:40 AM:"I've been ostracized by my associates and peers and denied work, my crime, painful lower back injury. These good christians around here know how to ruin a person for any reason."
kt wrote on February 02, 2007 9:39 AM:"It's amazing how people can read of someone being ACCUSED of something and just assume that means they are guilty. To allude, as one of you did, that he should be castrated is appalling. I know his family very well, they are good people. For them to have to read or hear comments like that is absolutely horrible. In this day and age, there are so many small- minded people out there that see something in the news and automatically it must be true. The accused must be guilty. No one looks at the fact that there are two sides to every story. The news can't report on the instability of the woman who is claiming these charges. That would be unfair... right? We can't have all of the facts right? that would be unfair to the "victim" Maybe Kevin's only crime IS picking the wrong women to associate with. And to Guilty of Domestic violence - learn to read! He has not been found guilty of anything. He has been ACCUSED and yet you ASSUME guilt! and strangly enough by the same woman who has accused other people in the past. "
info wrote on February 03, 2007 5:48 PM:"A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts : 1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets. 2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who's clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing. 3) They also look for women on their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered. "
info wrote on February 03, 2007 5:50 PM:"4) Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5:00a.m. and 8:30a.m. 5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots. Number two is office parking lots/garages. Number three is public restrooms. 6) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to another location where they don't have to worry about getting caught. 7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because r ape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years. 8) If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming. 9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands. Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it. "
info wrote on February 03, 2007 5:51 PM:"10) Several defense mechanisms he taught us are: If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk: "I can't believe it is so cold out here", "we're in for a bad winter." Now yo u've seen their face and could identify them in a line-up; you lose appeal as a target. 11) If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP or STAY BACK! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target. 12) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advoc ate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yell I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent. "
info wrote on February 03, 2007 5:52 PM:"13) If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm (between the elbow and armpit) OR in the upper inner thigh VERY VERY HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands. The guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it hurts. 14) After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you'll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he's out of there. 15) When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly. "
info wrote on February 03, 2007 5:53 PM:"16) Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any o dd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts!!! "
truth hurts dosn't it wrote on February 06, 2007 10:19 AM:"I don't know what happen to the latest blogs but the truth hurts dosn't it."
The Latest Blogs wrote on February 06, 2007 10:48 AM:"You can't use specific names of the people who have left blogs. They can request that they be taken off by the editor. It just goes to show that you can't believe everything you read as the truth. I can only assume that if a blog has been taken off that those mentioned or the subject of the blog may have hit pretty close to home. Everyone should keep in mind that 99% of the blogs left are peoples assumptions, conclusions or persuasive suggestions either for or agains the subject. Too many take it for the gospel and too many are too quick to believe everything that the newspaper reports. It is however, the most neutral because there nornally isn't an agenda one way or the other. In these such instances they are reporting on police reports or records that we can be found by us all."
friend wrote on February 13, 2007 12:30 PM:"No I am not the judge or the jury, but he has been convicted of domestic battery. He is currently on probation.Therefore that alone should have been the cause for loseing his job. Also he resigned. He was not fired. He should consider himself lucky. I know one of the victim's personally. She is a wonderful person. If you are one of the people bashing her credibillity, then you must be getting your info from Kevin. Most people know he lies. Yes lets do let the courts decide. See ya in 15 to 20. "
FRIEND wrote on February 13, 2007 1:17 PM:"SISTERS usually stand up for their brothers. Good people make mistakes. Firefighters make mistakes. MARINES make mistakes. MARINES have a history of domestic abuse, that is why they have so many programs. BUT, good people don't usually have consistant criminal suspicion surronding them! He is not "on public trial" for his service as a Marine or a fireman. Unfortunatly, his good behavior and passion for good didn't carry over into his personal life. He hasn't made 1 bad choice in women...he has made 4 apparently....all having in common - KEVIN. Where is his last ex wife? Have you seen her medical records? Did you pay her bills? Did you help heal her wounds...no...she moved away because she feared her life. Police have done their work and feel there is sufficient evidence to proceed forward. After all, IT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME. I would hope that one might just see that MAYBE he has a problem...one that may even stem from being in war. I would hope that you might HELP him before he kills someone....and then no one can help him. DON'T BE AN ENABLER. OPEN YOU EYES. IT'S NOT A CONSPIRACY TO RUIN KEVIN, THERE IS A PROBLEM. "
Those that live in Glass houses... wrote on February 13, 2007 7:02 PM:"First of all, I'm not his sister. Secondly, his ex's bills have been paid by him. She went to school for 2 years only to fail out both times, who worked 4 and 5 jobs while she slept instead of studied? He did. "MARINES have a history of domestic abuse"? How many Marines do you know? You should never use a blanket statement like that. I also read in the paper that 3 sheriffs shot someone, are they all bad too? She fears for her life every time she gets divorced. I only have one question, you say it's not a conspiracy. Then why do all my comments get erased? Don't you believe that there are truly two sides to the story? You can bad mouth Kevin, but if anyone stands up for him, they get erased. Why do you think that is?"
FRIEND wrote on February 13, 2007 10:23 PM:""GLASS HOUSES" Who said I was speaking to you. I am not referring to his ex's school bills....geez...i'm referring to medical bills from a SEVERE "HOSPTIAL STAY" BEATING. Yes, Marines and alot of military have domestic issues. IT IS A FACT...study it. I, by the way, am a Military brat...how's that for a glass house. My father was Vietnam war vet...I know what I speak. I did not badmouth him, I said...MAYBE THERE IS A PROBLEM. People tend to lie when in trouble and ashamed, it's a protective thing we do. How is it that 3+ women all have the same story with Kevin? hmmmm. BTW, Are you the teenaged girlfriend? What are you 17 now? I hope you aren't next. I hope he changes and gets help."
I take back .... wrote on February 13, 2007 10:54 PM:"the girlfriend comment...."
national statistics wrote on February 14, 2007 4:40 PM:"Do some research............National Statistics state that less than 2% of victims lie about their allegations."
what does happen wrote on February 14, 2007 4:49 PM:"to the blogs? there was one just up there, and then now it's gone! did Kevin used to work for the newspaper too, or maybe that's what he is doing now with all that time!"
Those who are without sin... wrote on February 16, 2007 7:33 AM:"Friend~ I know what I speak. I'm not a military brat, I'm a Active Duty member of the Military. I work with all branches all day long, you know what happened to your dad and what a book said. Regardless of what is posted here, I know Kevin better than any one of you, I would trust him with any of my children, my wife and quite litterally, my life. You may not feel that way, and that's completely up to you, but why do so many people who know someone, or read a story in the paper; why do they feel the need to jump on the bandwagon to tear a man apart? In Novemeber no one had anything bad to say about either party. December was much the same. January came and so many people knew the whole story, knew how he was, knew he was a "monster". It's a sad fact that people love to kick someone when they are down. I encourage you to read your Bible."
PLEASE...... wrote on February 16, 2007 1:17 PM:"We are all sinners....FACT. Don't tell ME to read the bible....loan it to Kevin. Perhaps there is a peace he can find. People always have something to say about people...ALWAYS. I'm glad Kevin is such a great friend to you. It shows he can be what he wants to whom he wants to be it to. FACT - you only know what people want you to know. Now...back to what I know. Military personal that are in combat...not at a cushy on your butt job, have ANGER issues and CONTROL issues. They don't know how to come back to normal, that is why they drink and escape. It was my dad, his friend, his friends friend...blah blah blah.....Now since we're all sitting here encouraging one another. Talk to your friend. Help your friend. People won't say much "the first time".....but they always will say " I told you so" or "I knew something like that would happen" the second, third time..and so on and so on. I encourage YOU to get to the truth...if YOU are any kind of friend at all. It is nothing to be embarassed about.....when someone has a problem and needs help. You should only be embarassed when you do nothing. "
To those who aren't that bright... wrote on February 16, 2007 2:13 PM:"Friend~ again, you show your ignorance. I'm sure your job at Wal-Mart or Home Depot is very taxing, but your able to handle the stress. Unless you have worn a uniform, don't talk to me or try to speak intelligently about the military, you don't know. As far as me being a friend to Kevin and knowing the truth, I do. I have no doubt, becuause I don't just know him, I know her. And the person that you are referring too is truly the definition of a person in need of true mental health care. I'm not being mean about that, it's just fact. We can dispute this all day long on the computer. I look forward to seeing what you say when it all comes to light. I'm SURE that you know how it will all play out. "
WOW wrote on February 16, 2007 4:03 PM:"See what I mean about control. Thanks for proviing my point. I merely stated to help your friend...not her...your friend...and you respond with what you deem an insult. Beware that some WAL MART or HOME DEPOT associates might read and find that insulting and attack you back....talk about ignorance. And why are the victims always mental health issues....aren't you the one that pleaded not to use blanket statements....practice what you preach. And you KNOW the truth...were you there? Tell me...have you ever lied or done something you were ashamed of.....because everyone has. No one is perfect...NO ONE...not even Kevin. Get him off the pedastool that you have placed him on...no one belongs on a pedastool...we are all liars and sinners. Once again young man....look at the facts and quit worrying about what everyone else thinks. If you could spend 1/2 the time with Kevin that you have spent trying to pull up "insults" in your small mind....you might be able to see the full picture. "
too bad wrote on February 16, 2007 4:32 PM:"I find it sad that we actually have people defending Kevin(besides his lawyer who is paid to do so.)To my you who claim to know the "victim" so well, I challenge you. I have been close with her since high school and yes, she has problems as we all do, but NEVER have I seen anything that would support need of mental help. If you are close to Kevin and want to defend a rapist & woman beater, that is your right, but do not try to smear her good name. Let me guess, his FOUR ex wives needed help too-right? They lied about where they got their bruises after being beat by him and filing charges? I guess I agree, any woman who is abused by a "man" & stays with him him hoping he will change, does indeed need help. The fact that you would encourage anyone to read the bible in reference to this case is pathetic. If you have read the bible why would you not be quoting 'do unto others', which is now my favorite as I hope that Kevin's jailmates will do just that. I am just glad that her children were not home when he attacked her. Please do not use him to represent the Military as I have the utmost respect for all of our men & women in the service, but they are also not above the law and should be punished accordingly when they comit a crime. Justice will prevail."
Follow up to a quote: wrote on February 16, 2007 11:26 PM:""And the person that you are referring too is truly the definition of a person in need of true mental health care. I'm not being mean about that, it's just fact" They were talking about the Defendant. I guess you do know what you are talking about! "
After it's all said and done wrote on February 17, 2007 12:17 PM:"A convicted felon can't work at Wal-mart or Home Depot. "
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This article was published on Monday, January 29, 2007 8:16 PM CST in News
By Richard Dean Prudenti
The Morning News
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BENTONVILLE -- A Bentonville firefighter resigned Friday, a day after he was arrested for allegedly raping two women.
Kevin Edward Thomasson, 33, of Pea Ridge was arrested Thursday by Rogers police in connection with the two counts of felony rape.
Bentonville Fire Chief Dan White deferred questions about the resignation to city staff attorney Camille Thompson on Monday.
"No, sir. I sure can't comment, by order of the mayor," White said by phone.
Thomasson began working full time for the fire department in July 2001, and was previously a part-time firefighter there and a lieutenant for the Pea Ridge Fire Department.
Thompson could say little more than to confirm that Thomasson had resigned.
*
"Basically, it's still an ongoing police investigation by an outside agency and a personnel matter, so there's nothing we would get involved in. Our employee matter resolved itself by the resignation," Thompson said.
"None of the activities that are alleged were on-duty type activities. There is no indication that the operations or integrity of the fire department have been affected in any way," Thompson said.
Thomasson is accused of raping a 30-year-old woman on Dec. 28, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Detective John Oldfather of the Rogers Police Department. He allegedly entered the woman's bedroom and forcibly grabbed her several times before raping her.
He was working for Arkansas ParaMed Transfer in Rogers during the alleged incident, and afterward talked on a cell phone with his boss about not responding to an ambulance call for service.
In a recorded phone interview, Thomasson reportedly said he did not touch the woman, and noted, "I'm not that kind of guy," the affidavit states.
Rogers police said Thomasson never showed up to a scheduled interview on Jan. 11, nor did he return subsequent phone messages.
The woman's attorney, Alisha Williams, filed a lawsuit against Thomasson on Jan. 9. The woman and her children were granted a protection order from the Benton County Circuit Court against Thomasson which lasts until June 25.
The police investigation led to a second woman accusing Thomasson of raping her twice in Pea Ridge.
Thomasson is set for arraignment March 5 in the Benton County Circuit Court. If charged and convicted, he could face 10 to 40 years, or life, on each count.
He is currently out of the Benton County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
Thomasson was arrested in November 2005 in connection with third-degree domestic battery involving his ex-wife. That charge is set for trial May 27 in the Rogers District Court.
Reader Comments (55)
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reason wrote on January 30, 2007 1:10 AM:"$100,000 bond is not enough."
Brenda wrote on January 30, 2007 1:34 AM:"Why is he out?? So he can do it again like all the rest? Is there not enough willing women around, that these perverted men have to force themselves on women? We need some very tough laws on rapists enforced. They wouldn't want me on this jury!!"
lawman wrote on January 30, 2007 7:41 AM:"I personally know the victim in this case, and have watched the pain she has went through. It sickens me to know this guy is out roaming the streets as we speak. A member of a public service organization this man could of been in any of our homes in Bentonville, or Pea Ridge. I think we just need to make this as public as possible. The more high profile the case is the better the chance of him getting propper punishment. He has done this in the past, ans will do it again. "
mediamad wrote on January 30, 2007 7:56 AM:"Nothing like jury by media!"
Government Bad wrote on January 30, 2007 8:26 AM:"So why should ANY OF US trust total strangers with information about us? WHY? Because they decided to be "police officers,firefighters" and I had decided to be a plumber, somehow that makes them able to be trusted? Because they are "Homeland Security Operatives" or because they are a "judge" or some other made up wizard position? Because 10,000 idiots voted them into office I should trust them? Or because 10 MILLION idiots voted them into office, that makes it "OK"? How about those who were APPOINTED? Those the idiots didn't get to vote for? How many cops do you know of who were VOTED into their position? How many driver's license employees, State Troopers, or for that matter the head of Homeland Security did the idiots get to vote for? "
Cut man wrote on January 30, 2007 8:26 AM:"Mandatory castration for second offense. They would give that a lot of thought before committing the crime. See the movie "Hard Candy"."
Just someone that knows wrote on January 30, 2007 8:28 AM:"I have to agree with Mediamad. Nothing like jury by media. I personally known the "suspect". What I do know is there are two sides to every story. Let a jury of his peers take care of whether to convict or not. I also know his first wife and the rest of his family. If they thought for one minute he intentionally hurt anyone, they would kick his butt before law enforcement got to him. So before spouting the usual rhetoric found in these blogs, keep in mind the United States Judicial system is "innocent until proven guilty.""
Only the victim and he knows wrote on January 30, 2007 9:00 AM:"None of us that have heard it on the news or read it in the paper really know what happend! I believe that if there is enough evidence to convict him that he will be convicted! I do know of the accused and I believe that it could go either way. I will just wait to see what comes next. I know women who do thing just to get even with the man so I am up in the air."
I agree wrote on January 30, 2007 9:29 AM:"I say that there is 2 parts to every story. Not all men/women that are accused of rape did it. Alot of people say rape to get back at someone for hurting them. I have known a few people that were accused and never did anything to the other person and that was proven. So I say leave the man alone until he is either proven quilty or not!"
justice wrote on January 30, 2007 9:47 AM:"For everyone who claims to know the suspect and say he didnt do. Here is a question for you? If he had nothing to hide why did he not show up for his sceduled interview with the Rogers Police Dept, or return there phone calls. Interesting. Also he has been accused of the same acts by a former wife. The victims have done there part, and I admire them for having the courage to come forward. Now it is The State of Arkansas vs. Thomasson. "
rape is rape wrote on January 30, 2007 10:24 AM:"rape is rape , if a woman tells a man no it means stop not keep going !!!i think rapest need to be "fixed" "
Ty wrote on January 30, 2007 10:33 AM:"Or if a MAN tells a WOMAN no, it is rape. This works both ways."
to ty wrote on January 30, 2007 10:50 AM:"yes it gos both ways ,i know guys/boys get raped, but 9 out of 10 rapes are women"
dad wrote on January 30, 2007 11:34 AM:"Look at the rugby team issue in North Carolina... "supposedly" that was rape too. I'm in mediamad's corner. All evidence needs to be addressed fully. If he's guilty, prosecute him, and put him away. Don't just list his name along with the 279 other sex offenders. Until then, put the castration knives away. "
Been There... wrote on January 30, 2007 12:11 PM:"It doesn't matter if he's nice and get an agreement form the other party. Persuasion is the same as thinking “no” means “yes”. It’s power! “NO” MEANS “NO”. "
What about the Kids wrote on January 30, 2007 12:32 PM:"I would think that if any of you were in this situation you wouldn't want your children to read about the horrible things people are saying about you. Did anyone consider that before posting your guilty verdicts."
to what about the kids wrote on January 30, 2007 12:38 PM:"Hooray. This man has been accused. Not convicted. He is still innocent, and everyone needs to keep THAT in mind. Let the penalty serve the crime, but first make sure a crime has been comitted. Right now, it's the word of two women, and no mention of solid (or liquid) evidence. "
What he is guilty of. wrote on January 30, 2007 1:45 PM:"Rape? Choice of Women? Know the whole story before you convict by media. It is too bad that the character of the two ALLEGED victims cannot be brought to light. Am I saying he's guilty? Absolutely not. Am I saying he's innocent? Absolutely not. I was not there, were you? Media is a business that requires ratings. Facts are not important. What sells ratings is making a public servant into a monster that is going around raping women while on duty. Whether it’s true or not, you don't care because you just want to convict someone. I know all three people involved and he was in long term relationships with both. My jury is still out. Is yours? On the choice of women, Guilty. I personally warned him about both of them a few years ago. I just wished he would have listened. "
Which ex-wife? wrote on January 30, 2007 5:26 PM:"He has only four ex-wives! Yes, he has a history of abusing women. Just look at his criminal record. He should have been fired after the first abuse case."
What happen wrote on January 30, 2007 9:34 PM:"What happened to the article?"
Off the street wrote on January 30, 2007 9:38 PM:"What is it going to take to get this guy off the streets?"
Guilty of Domestic Battery wrote on January 30, 2007 9:43 PM:"He was found guilty of Domestic Battery. "Thomasson was arrested in November 2005 in connection with third-degree domestic battery""
Hopefully wrote on January 30, 2007 9:57 PM:"He resigned from the from Arkansas Paramed Transfer too!"
seems to be a pattern wrote on January 31, 2007 10:19 AM:"...with the accusations. I've never committed an act of rape or criminal violence, and I've never been accused of it. So, what are the odds this individual would be accused as many times as he has and be innocent? Where there's smoke....."
Lisa "Thomasson" Jameson wrote on January 31, 2007 3:30 PM:"And to all you people who have his punishment already lined out...he has already been accussed, tried, and found guilty....he lived to serve his community from being a marine serving his country, to helping protect each and everyone of us through public service...and due to a poor choice in women has had all of that stripped from him without again i would like to point out not a shred of evidence. His life has been ruinned by the word of another human being....imagine if this is what we begin allowing to happen...the media has sacrificed a man..a good man...and made him guilty with no proof at all. His life will never be the same...so please think about that when you are placing a guilty stamp on his name...where will you be when it comes out he is innocent?? will you be there to tell the fire chief you want a good firefighter back on the team?...will you call apt and tell them you want him to have his job back?...will you make his house payments? will you buy things for his son? will you apologize? what will you do for your contribution to this wrongful ruinning of a persons life? and to the media i ask will you be there to ruin the name of the women who falsely accussed? i doubt it!"
never showed up wrote on January 31, 2007 4:31 PM:"Rogers police said Thomasson never showed up to a scheduled interview on Jan. 11, nor did he return subsequent phone messages. "
withheld wrote on January 31, 2007 7:17 PM:"Most proabably due to lawyer counseling to not participate in an interview without counsel present. Just because you don't go to an interview does not make you guilt."
Lisa "Thomasson" Jameson wrote on January 31, 2007 8:50 PM:"to withheld....thank you for being the first person to use their head with regard to the interview and the phone calls...."
Those who live in Glass Houses... wrote on January 31, 2007 10:35 PM:"No mention of the meeting he did have, without his lawyer, with the detective, at his house. No mention of the fact that the detective got the messages from the lawyer about the meeting and said it wasn't his job to call lawyers back, that was the job of the DA. No mention of how they got that "I'm not that kind of guy" sound bite. (watch your phones) This is a man who devoted his entire life to public service, and many of you probably shook his hand and said thank you for wearing a uniform. Now you have crucified him. Think about your son, your brother, your dad being accused of something and watching everything he had ever struggled for taken away by lies. Those lies will lead to the truth eventually. There will be a trial, one day a trial by fire, and God knows the truth."
Those who live in Glass Houses... wrote on January 31, 2007 10:58 PM:"I'm curious as to why the ex-wife never told her brother about the "rape". He's a cop, surely he would have seen justice done at the time of the crime...or maybe, just maybe, it was made up. What if this woman accused her step-father of battery, oh wait, she did. What if when she got divorced from her 3rd husband (she was married 4 times too)she told everyone he was going to kill her...oh yeah, SHE DID! Seems like a pattern to me..."
something is wrong... wrote on February 01, 2007 12:50 PM:"This whole thing with the media printing partial facts and plastering it all over television only to sell papers and increase the viewing audience is wrong. How the media gets a hold of and print quotes from an individual that was said in a private investigation to a detective is wrong. The media should be held accoutable for putting their own spin on things and stick with the facts only. Maybe the police should investigate the backgrounds of both the accusers! How and who taped the phone to come up with that snipet and why was it released to the media? That should not be consider public information at this point during investigations. Everyone assumes that since he is a "MAN", therefore he is quilty and he had to have committed what was said by another individual. You could be the next "MAN", think about. If Ms. Jameson is correct and there was no evidence taken but only accusation by someone who craves attention and has a past history of making false accusations, then something is wrong with this picture and the law. Those women need mental help. I'm praying that the truth comes out for Kevin and if he's guilty then so be it, he'll do his time and shame on him. If not, then both these women should be made to pay two fold and in public for what they have done to an innocent person & his family."
I'm confused ... wrote on February 01, 2007 6:06 PM:"How is the media to blame when they are just reporting that a firefighter resigned after he was arrested on rape charges? That's a fact, not a lie, that he was arrested and was a firefighter. Did the story say he was guilty? Did the reporter write that? I don't see it in there. It seems like all the people who posted on here are more guilty of hanging this guy out to dry rather than the newspaper article that is reporting what court records are stating. Is it because they wrote about the arrest? Is that the only reason? Why should one person's arrest be held back more so than the minority men who have been getting arrested for rape? I didn't read of any concern about how they were going to live and provide for their familes. And remember, they are only accused, too. Not convicted. This firefighter shouldn't receive any special treatment because of what he did for a living. "
Jerry Hawkins wrote on February 02, 2007 7:40 AM:"I've been ostracized by my associates and peers and denied work, my crime, painful lower back injury. These good christians around here know how to ruin a person for any reason."
kt wrote on February 02, 2007 9:39 AM:"It's amazing how people can read of someone being ACCUSED of something and just assume that means they are guilty. To allude, as one of you did, that he should be castrated is appalling. I know his family very well, they are good people. For them to have to read or hear comments like that is absolutely horrible. In this day and age, there are so many small- minded people out there that see something in the news and automatically it must be true. The accused must be guilty. No one looks at the fact that there are two sides to every story. The news can't report on the instability of the woman who is claiming these charges. That would be unfair... right? We can't have all of the facts right? that would be unfair to the "victim" Maybe Kevin's only crime IS picking the wrong women to associate with. And to Guilty of Domestic violence - learn to read! He has not been found guilty of anything. He has been ACCUSED and yet you ASSUME guilt! and strangly enough by the same woman who has accused other people in the past. "
info wrote on February 03, 2007 5:48 PM:"A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts : 1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets. 2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who's clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing. 3) They also look for women on their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered. "
info wrote on February 03, 2007 5:50 PM:"4) Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5:00a.m. and 8:30a.m. 5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots. Number two is office parking lots/garages. Number three is public restrooms. 6) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to another location where they don't have to worry about getting caught. 7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because r ape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years. 8) If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming. 9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands. Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it. "
info wrote on February 03, 2007 5:51 PM:"10) Several defense mechanisms he taught us are: If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk: "I can't believe it is so cold out here", "we're in for a bad winter." Now yo u've seen their face and could identify them in a line-up; you lose appeal as a target. 11) If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP or STAY BACK! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target. 12) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advoc ate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yell I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent. "
info wrote on February 03, 2007 5:52 PM:"13) If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm (between the elbow and armpit) OR in the upper inner thigh VERY VERY HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands. The guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it hurts. 14) After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you'll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he's out of there. 15) When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly. "
info wrote on February 03, 2007 5:53 PM:"16) Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any o dd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts!!! "
truth hurts dosn't it wrote on February 06, 2007 10:19 AM:"I don't know what happen to the latest blogs but the truth hurts dosn't it."
The Latest Blogs wrote on February 06, 2007 10:48 AM:"You can't use specific names of the people who have left blogs. They can request that they be taken off by the editor. It just goes to show that you can't believe everything you read as the truth. I can only assume that if a blog has been taken off that those mentioned or the subject of the blog may have hit pretty close to home. Everyone should keep in mind that 99% of the blogs left are peoples assumptions, conclusions or persuasive suggestions either for or agains the subject. Too many take it for the gospel and too many are too quick to believe everything that the newspaper reports. It is however, the most neutral because there nornally isn't an agenda one way or the other. In these such instances they are reporting on police reports or records that we can be found by us all."
friend wrote on February 13, 2007 12:30 PM:"No I am not the judge or the jury, but he has been convicted of domestic battery. He is currently on probation.Therefore that alone should have been the cause for loseing his job. Also he resigned. He was not fired. He should consider himself lucky. I know one of the victim's personally. She is a wonderful person. If you are one of the people bashing her credibillity, then you must be getting your info from Kevin. Most people know he lies. Yes lets do let the courts decide. See ya in 15 to 20. "
FRIEND wrote on February 13, 2007 1:17 PM:"SISTERS usually stand up for their brothers. Good people make mistakes. Firefighters make mistakes. MARINES make mistakes. MARINES have a history of domestic abuse, that is why they have so many programs. BUT, good people don't usually have consistant criminal suspicion surronding them! He is not "on public trial" for his service as a Marine or a fireman. Unfortunatly, his good behavior and passion for good didn't carry over into his personal life. He hasn't made 1 bad choice in women...he has made 4 apparently....all having in common - KEVIN. Where is his last ex wife? Have you seen her medical records? Did you pay her bills? Did you help heal her wounds...no...she moved away because she feared her life. Police have done their work and feel there is sufficient evidence to proceed forward. After all, IT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME. I would hope that one might just see that MAYBE he has a problem...one that may even stem from being in war. I would hope that you might HELP him before he kills someone....and then no one can help him. DON'T BE AN ENABLER. OPEN YOU EYES. IT'S NOT A CONSPIRACY TO RUIN KEVIN, THERE IS A PROBLEM. "
Those that live in Glass houses... wrote on February 13, 2007 7:02 PM:"First of all, I'm not his sister. Secondly, his ex's bills have been paid by him. She went to school for 2 years only to fail out both times, who worked 4 and 5 jobs while she slept instead of studied? He did. "MARINES have a history of domestic abuse"? How many Marines do you know? You should never use a blanket statement like that. I also read in the paper that 3 sheriffs shot someone, are they all bad too? She fears for her life every time she gets divorced. I only have one question, you say it's not a conspiracy. Then why do all my comments get erased? Don't you believe that there are truly two sides to the story? You can bad mouth Kevin, but if anyone stands up for him, they get erased. Why do you think that is?"
FRIEND wrote on February 13, 2007 10:23 PM:""GLASS HOUSES" Who said I was speaking to you. I am not referring to his ex's school bills....geez...i'm referring to medical bills from a SEVERE "HOSPTIAL STAY" BEATING. Yes, Marines and alot of military have domestic issues. IT IS A FACT...study it. I, by the way, am a Military brat...how's that for a glass house. My father was Vietnam war vet...I know what I speak. I did not badmouth him, I said...MAYBE THERE IS A PROBLEM. People tend to lie when in trouble and ashamed, it's a protective thing we do. How is it that 3+ women all have the same story with Kevin? hmmmm. BTW, Are you the teenaged girlfriend? What are you 17 now? I hope you aren't next. I hope he changes and gets help."
I take back .... wrote on February 13, 2007 10:54 PM:"the girlfriend comment...."
national statistics wrote on February 14, 2007 4:40 PM:"Do some research............National Statistics state that less than 2% of victims lie about their allegations."
what does happen wrote on February 14, 2007 4:49 PM:"to the blogs? there was one just up there, and then now it's gone! did Kevin used to work for the newspaper too, or maybe that's what he is doing now with all that time!"
Those who are without sin... wrote on February 16, 2007 7:33 AM:"Friend~ I know what I speak. I'm not a military brat, I'm a Active Duty member of the Military. I work with all branches all day long, you know what happened to your dad and what a book said. Regardless of what is posted here, I know Kevin better than any one of you, I would trust him with any of my children, my wife and quite litterally, my life. You may not feel that way, and that's completely up to you, but why do so many people who know someone, or read a story in the paper; why do they feel the need to jump on the bandwagon to tear a man apart? In Novemeber no one had anything bad to say about either party. December was much the same. January came and so many people knew the whole story, knew how he was, knew he was a "monster". It's a sad fact that people love to kick someone when they are down. I encourage you to read your Bible."
PLEASE...... wrote on February 16, 2007 1:17 PM:"We are all sinners....FACT. Don't tell ME to read the bible....loan it to Kevin. Perhaps there is a peace he can find. People always have something to say about people...ALWAYS. I'm glad Kevin is such a great friend to you. It shows he can be what he wants to whom he wants to be it to. FACT - you only know what people want you to know. Now...back to what I know. Military personal that are in combat...not at a cushy on your butt job, have ANGER issues and CONTROL issues. They don't know how to come back to normal, that is why they drink and escape. It was my dad, his friend, his friends friend...blah blah blah.....Now since we're all sitting here encouraging one another. Talk to your friend. Help your friend. People won't say much "the first time".....but they always will say " I told you so" or "I knew something like that would happen" the second, third time..and so on and so on. I encourage YOU to get to the truth...if YOU are any kind of friend at all. It is nothing to be embarassed about.....when someone has a problem and needs help. You should only be embarassed when you do nothing. "
To those who aren't that bright... wrote on February 16, 2007 2:13 PM:"Friend~ again, you show your ignorance. I'm sure your job at Wal-Mart or Home Depot is very taxing, but your able to handle the stress. Unless you have worn a uniform, don't talk to me or try to speak intelligently about the military, you don't know. As far as me being a friend to Kevin and knowing the truth, I do. I have no doubt, becuause I don't just know him, I know her. And the person that you are referring too is truly the definition of a person in need of true mental health care. I'm not being mean about that, it's just fact. We can dispute this all day long on the computer. I look forward to seeing what you say when it all comes to light. I'm SURE that you know how it will all play out. "
WOW wrote on February 16, 2007 4:03 PM:"See what I mean about control. Thanks for proviing my point. I merely stated to help your friend...not her...your friend...and you respond with what you deem an insult. Beware that some WAL MART or HOME DEPOT associates might read and find that insulting and attack you back....talk about ignorance. And why are the victims always mental health issues....aren't you the one that pleaded not to use blanket statements....practice what you preach. And you KNOW the truth...were you there? Tell me...have you ever lied or done something you were ashamed of.....because everyone has. No one is perfect...NO ONE...not even Kevin. Get him off the pedastool that you have placed him on...no one belongs on a pedastool...we are all liars and sinners. Once again young man....look at the facts and quit worrying about what everyone else thinks. If you could spend 1/2 the time with Kevin that you have spent trying to pull up "insults" in your small mind....you might be able to see the full picture. "
too bad wrote on February 16, 2007 4:32 PM:"I find it sad that we actually have people defending Kevin(besides his lawyer who is paid to do so.)To my you who claim to know the "victim" so well, I challenge you. I have been close with her since high school and yes, she has problems as we all do, but NEVER have I seen anything that would support need of mental help. If you are close to Kevin and want to defend a rapist & woman beater, that is your right, but do not try to smear her good name. Let me guess, his FOUR ex wives needed help too-right? They lied about where they got their bruises after being beat by him and filing charges? I guess I agree, any woman who is abused by a "man" & stays with him him hoping he will change, does indeed need help. The fact that you would encourage anyone to read the bible in reference to this case is pathetic. If you have read the bible why would you not be quoting 'do unto others', which is now my favorite as I hope that Kevin's jailmates will do just that. I am just glad that her children were not home when he attacked her. Please do not use him to represent the Military as I have the utmost respect for all of our men & women in the service, but they are also not above the law and should be punished accordingly when they comit a crime. Justice will prevail."
Follow up to a quote: wrote on February 16, 2007 11:26 PM:""And the person that you are referring too is truly the definition of a person in need of true mental health care. I'm not being mean about that, it's just fact" They were talking about the Defendant. I guess you do know what you are talking about! "
After it's all said and done wrote on February 17, 2007 12:17 PM:"A convicted felon can't work at Wal-mart or Home Depot. "
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meth trafficking hero
Tennessee Firefighter Arrested for Meth Trafficking
Updated: 02-07-2007 11:17:22 AM
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By day, he saved lives as a Shelby County firefighter. By night, investigators say, he sold crystal meth. Records show he was caught more than once.
The Shelby County District Attorney's Office is currently reviewing the case of former Shelby County Fireman, Michael Cole.
Michael Cole is a man who has admitted he was heavily addicted to meth while working as a first responder.
In March 2006, Collierville Police followed a tip from Fayette County Sheriff's investigators that a Shelby County Firefighter was allegedly trafficking meth into Collierville.
"His occupation at the time really didn't concern us. It was more the quantity and the drugs he was selling," says Detective John Forrester with the Collierville Police Department.
Investigators arrested Michael Cole after an undercover meth buy led them to his home.
"Most people that we usually work with buy a gram at a time. Mr. Cole had in his possession and in the house slightly over 31 grams," says Forrester.
It wasn't the first time Cole had been caught with drugs.
In July, 1985, Cole was one of several Shelby County firefighters charged with drug trafficking.
The men wore paper bags over their heads to hide their identities.
Six years later, in 1991, Cole's arrest was purged from his record and the Civil Service Board reinstated him as a firefighter.
We asked Civil Service Board Administrator Danny Kail how that could happen.
"I don't know how to answer that. I didn't make the decision and I wasn't the administrator in charge at that time," says Kail.
He says Cole was suspended without pay in 1985, demoted in rank and put on probation.
But, that doesn't explain why the second time around Cole continued working as a full-time fire fighter for two-and-a-half months after his arrest.
"We were in the process of beginning our normal investigation into circumstances like that when he resigned," says Shelby County Chief Administrative Officer, John Fowlkes.
In the meantime, he was responding to emergency calls as an admitted meth user.
"It would probably be great if we had a better method of detecting when our employees are arrested and that might be something we could do," says Shelby County Human Resources Administrator, Paul Boyd.
Boyd admits there are many unanswered questions in this case.
Boyd adds, "those that slip through the cracks eventually they will be caught."
Cole has no court date and his case is currently in the Grand Jury Unit. Cole admitted to us by phone he used drugs.
He said he lost custody of his children because of this and he'll face any other punishment that comes his way.
Right now, he's living in Collierville and draws pension worth more than two-thousand-dollars per month.
Courtesy WMCTV.com
Updated: 02-07-2007 11:17:22 AM
E-Mail This StoryE-MAIL THIS STORY Print This StoryPRINT THIS STORY
Courtesy of WMCTV.com
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Upcoming: February 13th - 3pm(ET)
Company Level Training
Presenter: Larry Manasco
Learn how to develop a structured training plan for your company and department.
» Register Free Now - More Coming Soon
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• Fireground Search
• U of E: School Bus Emergencies
• Fire Prevention Applications
• The Captain's College
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By day, he saved lives as a Shelby County firefighter. By night, investigators say, he sold crystal meth. Records show he was caught more than once.
The Shelby County District Attorney's Office is currently reviewing the case of former Shelby County Fireman, Michael Cole.
Michael Cole is a man who has admitted he was heavily addicted to meth while working as a first responder.
In March 2006, Collierville Police followed a tip from Fayette County Sheriff's investigators that a Shelby County Firefighter was allegedly trafficking meth into Collierville.
"His occupation at the time really didn't concern us. It was more the quantity and the drugs he was selling," says Detective John Forrester with the Collierville Police Department.
Investigators arrested Michael Cole after an undercover meth buy led them to his home.
"Most people that we usually work with buy a gram at a time. Mr. Cole had in his possession and in the house slightly over 31 grams," says Forrester.
It wasn't the first time Cole had been caught with drugs.
In July, 1985, Cole was one of several Shelby County firefighters charged with drug trafficking.
The men wore paper bags over their heads to hide their identities.
Six years later, in 1991, Cole's arrest was purged from his record and the Civil Service Board reinstated him as a firefighter.
We asked Civil Service Board Administrator Danny Kail how that could happen.
"I don't know how to answer that. I didn't make the decision and I wasn't the administrator in charge at that time," says Kail.
He says Cole was suspended without pay in 1985, demoted in rank and put on probation.
But, that doesn't explain why the second time around Cole continued working as a full-time fire fighter for two-and-a-half months after his arrest.
"We were in the process of beginning our normal investigation into circumstances like that when he resigned," says Shelby County Chief Administrative Officer, John Fowlkes.
In the meantime, he was responding to emergency calls as an admitted meth user.
"It would probably be great if we had a better method of detecting when our employees are arrested and that might be something we could do," says Shelby County Human Resources Administrator, Paul Boyd.
Boyd admits there are many unanswered questions in this case.
Boyd adds, "those that slip through the cracks eventually they will be caught."
Cole has no court date and his case is currently in the Grand Jury Unit. Cole admitted to us by phone he used drugs.
He said he lost custody of his children because of this and he'll face any other punishment that comes his way.
Right now, he's living in Collierville and draws pension worth more than two-thousand-dollars per month.
Courtesy WMCTV.com
Friday, February 23, 2007
Tampa's Finest
Popular Principal Arrested In Drug Bust
Skip directly to the full story.
By KEITH MORELLI The Tampa Tribune
Published: Feb 23, 2007
TAMPA - Undercover police officers were in place around the lobby of Van Buren Middle School just before school got out Thursday, They posed as parents. Their target was inside the principal's office.
The officers were focused on the popular principal who, they say, arranged a meeting with a bogus drug dealer to buy crack cocaine in his office. The deal was made as students milled about in nearby hallways.
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But in the principal's office, events unfolded that made it Principal Tony Giancola's worst day. When he bought the crack cocaine, police said, he dropped another bomb. He told the undercover officer that he was going to smoke the rock right then and there.
"He said that he wanted to hit it," Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.
The officer responded by saying he was uncomfortable with that. Whatever the gray-haired, goateed, 40-year-old principal wanted to do after he left was up to him. When Giancola escorted the undercover officer into the lobby to say goodbye, the other officers swept in.
McElroy said the arrest was as discreet as possible.
"We created the least commotion as possible for the students," she said. He was whisked out of the school and away from the students who affectionately call him Mr. G; from students he occasionally fed pizzas, paid for out of his own pocket; from the needy students he bought yearbooks for.
Giancola was taken to the police District 2 office, a few blocks east of the school, and shuttled to a jail cell. When he was walked to an idling patrol car, a throng of reporters asked him what he had to say to his colleagues, to his teachers, to the students.
"I'm very sorry," he said as he climbed into the back seat, hands bound behind him, a gray sport coat draped over his shoulders.
School officials say Giancola won't be back.
"We are being told the principal is resigning," Hillsborough County school district Superintendent MaryEllen Elia said late Thursday. "We are in full support of the position the police took in handling this."
"I'm very disappointed and upset," Elia said. "Obviously it's unacceptable. Everything that can be done will be done relative to charges. I'm extremely disappointed."
Addiction Began With Marriage Trouble
McElroy said the department's narcotics squad got a tip - not from within the school - about Giancola buying crack cocaine and approached him with a proposition.
Initially, Giancola wanted to purchase $200 worth of crack Thursday night, but something came up, McElroy said.
He changed the meeting to 3 p.m. Thursday at his office, the spokeswoman said. The undercover officer said he would only bring a $20 rock.
Giancola assured the officer that it was no problem meeting in his office, McElroy said. "He said, 'I feel safe in here; I feel secure.'"
He was charged with possession of crack cocaine, possession of marijuana, and solicitation to purchase cocaine on school property, which could add three years to a prison sentence if Giancola is convicted, McElroy said.
He was released on $10,000 bail late Thursday.
Giancola told officers he slipped into crack cocaine addiction a couple of months ago after experiencing marital problems, police said. His wife, Andrea, 36, is a comprehensive science teacher at Monroe Middle School, according to school records.
"He said he is having a lot of personal problems right now and that in December, he tried crack cocaine and became addicted," McElroy said. The principal was smoking $300 to $400 of crack cocaine a day, she said.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement records show no arrests for Giancola. Court records do not list him in any civil actions. Property appraiser records in Pinellas County show him living at 1406 Tyrone Blvd. N. in St. Petersburg with his wife. A woman who came to the door Thursday night did not want to comment.
Reaction to the arrest could be described in one word: disbelief.
Karen Bierce, who worked in the Van Buren Middle School cafeteria until about three weeks ago, was shocked by the news.
"No way," she said Thursday evening. "He was a good principal. I don't believe that. … He worked really well with the kids."
Bierce said Giancola was professional, and morale at the school was "wonderful."
"There used to be a lot of fights and stuff, and he got rid of a lot of riffraff," she said. "He did not tolerate that in schools."
But, she said, Giancola was compassionate and didn't just kick students out of school when they misbehaved.
"He was fantastic," said Daniel Guerra, who teaches English at the school. "That's all I really have to say."
Tracy Schatzberg, supervisor of school psychological services, said crisis teams would go today to Van Buren, on North 22nd Street south of Busch Boulevard, and the Dorothy Thomas Exceptional Center, where Giancola previously worked.
"They have a lot of questions, and it will be questions of how somebody they trust can do something like this," Schatzberg said. "We tell them that people that we love can and do make bad choices."
Arrest In Front Of Students Called 'Cruel'
Some students described Giancola as friendly and caring, holding pep rallies and buying pizza for the students for no particular reason.
"Our last principal was nice, but Mr. G was even better," seventh-grader Djakobi Brown said. "He paid for our yearbooks because a lot of the kids couldn't afford them, and he really wanted us to have one."
Some parents were upset that Giancola was arrested on the school campus and escorted out in front of students shortly before Van Buren's dismissal time.
"I can't believe they would humiliate him like that," said Shannon Bischel, a parent of a seventh-grader. "We all make mistakes, and to embarrass him like that is cruel considering all he's done for the school."
Bischel said Giancola helped counsel her daughter, Courtney, through difficulties at school.
Van Buren Assistant Principal Allison Edgecomb, daughter of school board member Doretha Edgecomb, will lead the school until a new principal is appointed. Letters will be sent home to parents today. A scheduled pep rally to prepare for next week's Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test will take place, school district spokesman Steve Hegarty said.
Giancola graduated in 1990 from the University of South Florida with a bachelor's degree in physical education. He received a master's degree in education of emotionally handicapped students.
He taught emotionally handicapped children in 1991 at Young Middle School and continued working with special education students at Jefferson High in 1997. Two years later, he was appointed as a coordinator at James Exceptional Center and five years later became site administrator at Dorothy Thomas, where his work earned praise from Hillsborough County Children's Services.
Giancola also had glowing reviews in his personnel file, saying he is "dedicated … and willing to go the extra mile."
Some students worried how the arrest will affect the school's reputation.
"People already think we're a bad school," 11-year-old Cassy Estera said. "Now, no one will want to come here."
The news of the arrest changed at least one parent's mind.
"I'm looking around the area and was going to send my children here, but that's not going to happen now," Ed Kimbrough said. "This man has made poor decisions that will affect these children. This principal was a mentor to the children, and he has disappointed them."
Skip directly to the full story.
By KEITH MORELLI The Tampa Tribune
Published: Feb 23, 2007
TAMPA - Undercover police officers were in place around the lobby of Van Buren Middle School just before school got out Thursday, They posed as parents. Their target was inside the principal's office.
The officers were focused on the popular principal who, they say, arranged a meeting with a bogus drug dealer to buy crack cocaine in his office. The deal was made as students milled about in nearby hallways.
Watch Video | Share Your Thoughts
But in the principal's office, events unfolded that made it Principal Tony Giancola's worst day. When he bought the crack cocaine, police said, he dropped another bomb. He told the undercover officer that he was going to smoke the rock right then and there.
"He said that he wanted to hit it," Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.
The officer responded by saying he was uncomfortable with that. Whatever the gray-haired, goateed, 40-year-old principal wanted to do after he left was up to him. When Giancola escorted the undercover officer into the lobby to say goodbye, the other officers swept in.
McElroy said the arrest was as discreet as possible.
"We created the least commotion as possible for the students," she said. He was whisked out of the school and away from the students who affectionately call him Mr. G; from students he occasionally fed pizzas, paid for out of his own pocket; from the needy students he bought yearbooks for.
Giancola was taken to the police District 2 office, a few blocks east of the school, and shuttled to a jail cell. When he was walked to an idling patrol car, a throng of reporters asked him what he had to say to his colleagues, to his teachers, to the students.
"I'm very sorry," he said as he climbed into the back seat, hands bound behind him, a gray sport coat draped over his shoulders.
School officials say Giancola won't be back.
"We are being told the principal is resigning," Hillsborough County school district Superintendent MaryEllen Elia said late Thursday. "We are in full support of the position the police took in handling this."
"I'm very disappointed and upset," Elia said. "Obviously it's unacceptable. Everything that can be done will be done relative to charges. I'm extremely disappointed."
Addiction Began With Marriage Trouble
McElroy said the department's narcotics squad got a tip - not from within the school - about Giancola buying crack cocaine and approached him with a proposition.
Initially, Giancola wanted to purchase $200 worth of crack Thursday night, but something came up, McElroy said.
He changed the meeting to 3 p.m. Thursday at his office, the spokeswoman said. The undercover officer said he would only bring a $20 rock.
Giancola assured the officer that it was no problem meeting in his office, McElroy said. "He said, 'I feel safe in here; I feel secure.'"
He was charged with possession of crack cocaine, possession of marijuana, and solicitation to purchase cocaine on school property, which could add three years to a prison sentence if Giancola is convicted, McElroy said.
He was released on $10,000 bail late Thursday.
Giancola told officers he slipped into crack cocaine addiction a couple of months ago after experiencing marital problems, police said. His wife, Andrea, 36, is a comprehensive science teacher at Monroe Middle School, according to school records.
"He said he is having a lot of personal problems right now and that in December, he tried crack cocaine and became addicted," McElroy said. The principal was smoking $300 to $400 of crack cocaine a day, she said.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement records show no arrests for Giancola. Court records do not list him in any civil actions. Property appraiser records in Pinellas County show him living at 1406 Tyrone Blvd. N. in St. Petersburg with his wife. A woman who came to the door Thursday night did not want to comment.
Reaction to the arrest could be described in one word: disbelief.
Karen Bierce, who worked in the Van Buren Middle School cafeteria until about three weeks ago, was shocked by the news.
"No way," she said Thursday evening. "He was a good principal. I don't believe that. … He worked really well with the kids."
Bierce said Giancola was professional, and morale at the school was "wonderful."
"There used to be a lot of fights and stuff, and he got rid of a lot of riffraff," she said. "He did not tolerate that in schools."
But, she said, Giancola was compassionate and didn't just kick students out of school when they misbehaved.
"He was fantastic," said Daniel Guerra, who teaches English at the school. "That's all I really have to say."
Tracy Schatzberg, supervisor of school psychological services, said crisis teams would go today to Van Buren, on North 22nd Street south of Busch Boulevard, and the Dorothy Thomas Exceptional Center, where Giancola previously worked.
"They have a lot of questions, and it will be questions of how somebody they trust can do something like this," Schatzberg said. "We tell them that people that we love can and do make bad choices."
Arrest In Front Of Students Called 'Cruel'
Some students described Giancola as friendly and caring, holding pep rallies and buying pizza for the students for no particular reason.
"Our last principal was nice, but Mr. G was even better," seventh-grader Djakobi Brown said. "He paid for our yearbooks because a lot of the kids couldn't afford them, and he really wanted us to have one."
Some parents were upset that Giancola was arrested on the school campus and escorted out in front of students shortly before Van Buren's dismissal time.
"I can't believe they would humiliate him like that," said Shannon Bischel, a parent of a seventh-grader. "We all make mistakes, and to embarrass him like that is cruel considering all he's done for the school."
Bischel said Giancola helped counsel her daughter, Courtney, through difficulties at school.
Van Buren Assistant Principal Allison Edgecomb, daughter of school board member Doretha Edgecomb, will lead the school until a new principal is appointed. Letters will be sent home to parents today. A scheduled pep rally to prepare for next week's Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test will take place, school district spokesman Steve Hegarty said.
Giancola graduated in 1990 from the University of South Florida with a bachelor's degree in physical education. He received a master's degree in education of emotionally handicapped students.
He taught emotionally handicapped children in 1991 at Young Middle School and continued working with special education students at Jefferson High in 1997. Two years later, he was appointed as a coordinator at James Exceptional Center and five years later became site administrator at Dorothy Thomas, where his work earned praise from Hillsborough County Children's Services.
Giancola also had glowing reviews in his personnel file, saying he is "dedicated … and willing to go the extra mile."
Some students worried how the arrest will affect the school's reputation.
"People already think we're a bad school," 11-year-old Cassy Estera said. "Now, no one will want to come here."
The news of the arrest changed at least one parent's mind.
"I'm looking around the area and was going to send my children here, but that's not going to happen now," Ed Kimbrough said. "This man has made poor decisions that will affect these children. This principal was a mentor to the children, and he has disappointed them."
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Merck Tables Efforts to make cancer vaccine mandatory
Merck Tables Effort To Push Mandatory Vaccine For Girls
Skip directly to the full story.
By LINDA A. JOHNSON The Associated Press
Published: Feb 21, 2007
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TRENTON, N.J. - Merck & Co. is immediately suspending its lobbying campaign to persuade state legislatures to mandate that adolescent girls get the company's new vaccine against cervical cancer as a requirement for school attendance, the company said Tuesday.
The drug maker had been criticized by parents and doctors' groups for quietly funding the campaign via a third party to require 11- and 12-year-old girls to get the three-dose vaccine in order to attend school.
Some had objected because the vaccine protects against a sexually transmitted disease, human papilloma virus, which causes cervical cancer. Vaccines mandated for school attendance usually are for diseases easily spread through casual contact.
"Our goal is about cervical cancer prevention, and we want to reach as many females as possible with Gardasil," Richard M. Haupt, Merck's medical director for vaccines, told The Associated Press.
"We're concerned that our role in supporting school requirements is a distraction from that goal, and as such have suspended our lobbying efforts," Haupt said, adding the company will continue providing information about the vaccine if requested by government officials.
Merck launched Gardasil, the first vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, in June.
Sales totaled $255 million through the end of 2006, according to Merck.
Last month, the Associated Press reported that Merck was channeling money for its state-mandate campaign through Women in Government, an advocacy group of female state legislators across the country.
Conservative groups opposed the campaign, saying it would encourage premarital sex, and parents' rights groups said it interfered with their control over their children.
Even two of the prominent medical groups that supported broad use of the vaccine, the American Academy of Pediatricians and the American Academy of Family Practitioners, questioned Merck's timing, Haupt said Tuesday.
"They, along with some other folks in the public health community, believe there needs to be more time," he said, to ensure government funding for the vaccine for uninsured girls is in place and that families and government officials have enough information about it.
Legislatures in roughly 20 states, including Florida, have introduced measures that would mandate girls have the vaccine to attend school, but none has passed.
Skip directly to the full story.
By LINDA A. JOHNSON The Associated Press
Published: Feb 21, 2007
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TRENTON, N.J. - Merck & Co. is immediately suspending its lobbying campaign to persuade state legislatures to mandate that adolescent girls get the company's new vaccine against cervical cancer as a requirement for school attendance, the company said Tuesday.
The drug maker had been criticized by parents and doctors' groups for quietly funding the campaign via a third party to require 11- and 12-year-old girls to get the three-dose vaccine in order to attend school.
Some had objected because the vaccine protects against a sexually transmitted disease, human papilloma virus, which causes cervical cancer. Vaccines mandated for school attendance usually are for diseases easily spread through casual contact.
"Our goal is about cervical cancer prevention, and we want to reach as many females as possible with Gardasil," Richard M. Haupt, Merck's medical director for vaccines, told The Associated Press.
"We're concerned that our role in supporting school requirements is a distraction from that goal, and as such have suspended our lobbying efforts," Haupt said, adding the company will continue providing information about the vaccine if requested by government officials.
Merck launched Gardasil, the first vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, in June.
Sales totaled $255 million through the end of 2006, according to Merck.
Last month, the Associated Press reported that Merck was channeling money for its state-mandate campaign through Women in Government, an advocacy group of female state legislators across the country.
Conservative groups opposed the campaign, saying it would encourage premarital sex, and parents' rights groups said it interfered with their control over their children.
Even two of the prominent medical groups that supported broad use of the vaccine, the American Academy of Pediatricians and the American Academy of Family Practitioners, questioned Merck's timing, Haupt said Tuesday.
"They, along with some other folks in the public health community, believe there needs to be more time," he said, to ensure government funding for the vaccine for uninsured girls is in place and that families and government officials have enough information about it.
Legislatures in roughly 20 states, including Florida, have introduced measures that would mandate girls have the vaccine to attend school, but none has passed.
RE PUBLISHED BY TAMPA TRIB on THIS DATE
Please note the original date of publication --- heated mayoral race going on and the Tampa Trib chooses to mine the homeless news from august. WOW. hmmmmmm
Out Of The Shadows
Skip directly to the full story.
By SHERRI ACKERMAN The Tampa Tribune
Published: Aug 20, 2006
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Homesless Family Seeks Shelter
A family struggles to find shelter as several tampa agencies report no vacancies.
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TAMPA — From Day One, it has been about the girls.
Their tiny bare feet walking for miles to the next meal. Their unruly blond hair fried by hours of sun.
Their blue eyes staring innocently at a reality so bleak, it would break their hearts if they fully understood. Their parents blend in with the other homeless people migrating to the cheap rooms and soup kitchens along Florida Avenue.
But Connie Jo Couillard, 6, and her 4-year-old sister, Veronica, stand out. Children aren’t supposed to be homeless.
Just the sight of them in the rain with a shopping cart stuffed with everything they own persuades a church leader to temporarily house the family.
A newspaper photograph of C.J. gripping her dad’s hand and clutching a scraggly doll tugs at a new father’s conscience. He hires C.J.’s dad, but admits “without the children, I probably would’ve felt differently.”
A census taken last year counted nearly 1,800 homeless children in Hillsborough County. Advocates for the homeless expect that number to top 2,000 this year.
Many live with relatives or with their parents in the motels lining Tampa’s old thoroughfares. A few stay in shelters; others, in cars.
Rarely are homeless children seen on the street.
But they’re there, advocates say, and their numbers are growing.
Last month, The Tampa Tribune reported on C.J. and Veronica and their parents, Lee and Connie Couillard, after they left a shelter where they slept in the lobby.
The Church of Christ in Tampa Heights agreed to take in the family for 30 days with promises of more help if Lee got a job, the girls went to school and the family saved enough money to eventually support themselves.
It could be the chance of a lifetime.
With the right people, “I’ve seen someone turn their life around in a matter of two weeks,” says Kathy Wiggins, a liaison between the school district and homeless children. For others, the chronically homeless, “it’s literally a lifestyle.”
With only a month to make a good impression on church leaders, the Couillards struggle. On July 11, two days in their newest temporary home, they've made a mess of the room with half-empty soda cans and half-eaten food. Clothes and toys are strewn across the floor.
Connie doesn't like to be told to clean her room.
"It makes me feel like I'm back home with my mother," she says.
She has barely had time to unpack the shopping carts stuffed with toys, family pictures, sleeping bags and clothes. Then there are mountains of laundry to clean.
Their room has two bunk beds and two dressers. C.J. and Veronica like to sleep in the top bunk. The family has access to another room with a television, recliner and three sofas - one of which C.J. peed on.
Downstairs is a laundry room and bathroom - though the girls don't always make it, sometimes urinating through their clothes in front of visitors.
"I never noticed it before," says Connie, who thinks all the stress of the past few weeks has taken a toll on her daughters.
Everything They Need
Fueled by doughnuts, C.J. and Veronica occupy most of their day running and laughing through the halls of the two-story building that houses another homeless man and a church groundskeeper and his wife.
The Couillards are supposed to eat outside in a portable classroom with a kitchen and dining room, where homeless and needy people are fed twice a week.
They have everything they need, but they always seem to want more. Church elders let the family choose outfits from a clothing closet for the needy. Connie stops by twice.
"I don't know what they need all those clothes for," says Orum Trone Jr., the Church of Christ minister. "We have to be careful. Sometimes people take the clothes and sell them on the corner."
Lee's job search initially stalled. After the family's story appeared July 13, readers called in with offers at restaurants, factories and labor pools. Most were too far away to walk, he says.
"Did anyone want to donate a car?" Lee asks. "That's what I need."
Families One-Third Of Homeless
The Couillards are among another growing trend in homeless populations: families.
Nationally, families make up 33 percent of the homeless population, which averages 700,000 to 800,000 on any given day, experts say. In Florida, families represent 40 percent of the homeless population, estimated to be 85,907, according to a June report by the state Department of Children & Families Office on Homelessness.
Wiggins, the homeless liaison, worries the Couillards could also fall into another category: the chronically homeless, whose poverty, lack of education and other issues keep them dependent on social service programs.
Wiggins stops by the church with stuffed animals and finger paints for the girls. She goes over a checklist Connie should have completed since their first meeting a month ago at the Downtown Motel.
Connie tells Wiggins she hasn't had time to apply for cash assistance from the government. She did sign up the family for services from Metropolitan Ministries, a nonprofit that houses and feeds poor people in Tampa. There's a two-month waiting list.
C.J. and Veronica will start school in August, but Connie doesn't know where. C.J. went to kindergarten at Mitchell Elementary last year and will have to repeat the year, Connie says. It took a while for her elder daughter to adjust.
C.J. can write her name, but she barely speaks - until she sees you more than once. Then she wraps her arms around your waist and won't let go. Sometimes, when she's coloring the sun or a rainbow, her body shakes slightly. She's fine, Connie says.
So is Connie, who, at 46, is expecting her third child. Her prenatal visits are going well, she tells Wiggins, then changes the subject.
"She has an answer for everything," Wiggins later tells Trone.
Yet, nothing seems to get done.
That worries Trone, who tried to help another homeless family last year. They wrecked their room and used the church.
"I can't believe I'm doing this again," Trone says, but here he is, trying to understand how to do it better. Near his office desk, he keeps a poem titled "Don't Quit."
Trone sees something in the ragtag Couillards most people don't: a glimmer of hope. Connie and Lee come to Bible classes and weekly services. Lee is quick to grab a mop or wax the floor.
"They are very mild, showing humility," Trone says.
He grows concerned when he hears police picked up the Couillards for questioning the day after they moved into the church. They're homeless, Trone says, not criminals.
Lee says they were on their way to the post office when police spotted the family and kept them downtown for three hours while they confirmed the children's safety.
Later, Veronica, in a rare vocal moment, pipes up. The "cops" aren't nice to her at the library, she says. "They take you to jail."
A Working Man
Before the second week is up, Lee has a job and a ride to work from his new boss, until a few days later, when the boss buys Lee a sapphire blue bicycle. Lee nicknames her "Lady Blue."
He's a deck hand for the Yacht StarShip Dinner Cruise next to Channelside. The job typically pays about $8 to $10 an hour to start.
"Oh, I love it," Lee says. "It's real easy."
At 52, he's a janitor of sorts, but he also greets passengers as they board. He'll get a uniform - a crisp white shirt with bars on the shoulders, a black tie and cap. He can't stop talking about it - asking coworkers daily when he can wear it.
Lee takes visitors on a tour like he owns the boat, up one floor, then another. From the top deck, he can see the construction site where he used to work all day building condominiums in the sun.
Now he wants to learn to steer the ship.
"We're pleasantly surprised," says Troy Manthey, chief executive officer of the Yacht StarShip. "He's doing great, but it's a day-by-day thing."
Manthey contacted the Church of Christ after recognizing C.J. from her picture in the Tribune. A few days earlier, he saw the girl and her family on Florida Avenue.
"I remember thinking, 'They can't be homeless,'" recalls Manthey, who had his first child this year.
He interviewed Lee and learned the Illinois man quit school after the sixth grade, when his father died. Lee passed a criminal and substance abuse screening. He admitted he once had a drinking problem.
That honesty impressed Manthey, who wants to help the family find housing as long as they keep doing well. But he wants to keep his distance, too.
"They have to do it on their own," Manthey says.
Back at the church, Connie can't wait to spread the news. In three weeks, her husband has a job and her girls are getting ready to go to school.
"Lee's on Cloud Nine," she says one afternoon. "Somebody actually gave him a chance."
Connie has changed, too. She scolds the girls as they jump on the sofas and rip around a glass-topped coffee table. They don't listen, but Mom tries to tame them, anyway.
Everyone's feeling a bit prouder. During Sunday's service, Trone boasts to the brothers and sisters in church.
"Lee went from steering a shopping cart to steering a yacht."
Soul Searching
It's the first day of school, and Veronica pingpongs all around her mother, anxious to walk to B.C. Graham Elementary. She wears an oversized, hand-me-down black velvet dress and scuffed tennis shoes. C.J. sports her trademark head-to-toe pink.
When they get to school, Connie explains again to Veronica that the little girl can't stay. The school people lost Veronica's paperwork, Connie says.
As they creep through the breakfast line, Connie borrows 35 cents for Veronica's chocolate milk. C.J. chooses orange juice and a sausage biscuit, but instead of eating it, she shoves the meal across the lunch table for her mom. C.J. prefers doughnuts and soda.
C.J. doesn't cry like the other little kids in class. Instead, she tries to comfort them while her little sister darts to a magnetic alphabet board. Veronica is dying to learn.
She spends her afternoon watching cartoons while Mom tries to rest. As the baby grows, Connie's back hurts and she can't sleep. A month ago, Connie said she was four months pregnant. She says she's only two months now.
Her bulging stomach seems to disagree, but Connie insists she miscalculated and that she gains a lot of weight with her babies. It wasn't something she and Lee planned, but now they wouldn't choose anything other than having this child.
Another week passes - the fourth - and the Couillards seem to be on the right path, Trone says. The plan is to move them across the hall to a bigger room. There's talk of another 30 days, maybe more.
Connie's not particularly religious, but the church has become her salvation.
"God pointed us in this direction, and this might be the right one," she says.
The girls go to Bible school. The family never misses a service - out of respect, Connie says. "They're doing so much to help us."
On Aug. 6, she and Lee pull on some medical scrubs and flip-flops. Connie covers her long strawberry blond hair in a swim cap. Lee, with his sparse hair, doesn't need one.
The husband and wife each take turns being dunked in a tub of water.
"I just felt like it was the right time," Connie says.
So did Lee, who says he was baptized before, when his father died.
"They've been asking us to," he says of church elders. "There's also this rumor floating around. If you do, you get a car."
As their fifth week at the church comes to a close, Connie contemplates their next move. She definitely wants her own home, but she doesn't think they're ready. There's so much they need.
"I don't want to be caught in a similar situation," she says. "I know they would help us out again. It's just the thought of it."
THE COUILLARDS JOURNEY
Last month, Connie and Lee Couillard and their two daughters, Connie Jo and Veronica, had nowhere to go.
They moved out of their Howard Johnson hotel room three months ago, after Lee lost his day laborer job. Connie tried to get the family into a local shelter, but the waiting list was two months long.
The Tampa Tribune published a story July 13 about the family’s struggle. Readers e-mailed and called, most offering help with donations of food, money and jobs.
A minister agreed to take in the Couillards for 30 days, but only if the family made progress toward becoming self-sufficient.
Today’s story follows their journey.
HELPING OUT
For information about homelessness or how you can help, contact the Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County, (813) 223-6115; Hillsborough County's Homeless Recovery Program, (813) 276-2976; The Homeless Education and Literacy Project, (813) 272-0673; The Salvation Army, (813) 221-4440; Metropolitan Ministries, (813) 209-1000; or Church of Christ, (813) 223-3170.
Reporter Sherri Ackerman can be reached at (813) 259-7144 or sackerman@tampatrib.com.
Keyword: Family, to see photographer Jay Nolan's gallery and to submit your comments.
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Out Of The Shadows
Skip directly to the full story.
By SHERRI ACKERMAN The Tampa Tribune
Published: Aug 20, 2006
Related Links:
Homesless Family Seeks Shelter
A family struggles to find shelter as several tampa agencies report no vacancies.
* Photo Gallery
* Out Of The Shadows
* Poverty Cruelest In Dog Days Of Summer
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TBO.com Site Search | Tribune archive from 1990
TAMPA — From Day One, it has been about the girls.
Their tiny bare feet walking for miles to the next meal. Their unruly blond hair fried by hours of sun.
Their blue eyes staring innocently at a reality so bleak, it would break their hearts if they fully understood. Their parents blend in with the other homeless people migrating to the cheap rooms and soup kitchens along Florida Avenue.
But Connie Jo Couillard, 6, and her 4-year-old sister, Veronica, stand out. Children aren’t supposed to be homeless.
Just the sight of them in the rain with a shopping cart stuffed with everything they own persuades a church leader to temporarily house the family.
A newspaper photograph of C.J. gripping her dad’s hand and clutching a scraggly doll tugs at a new father’s conscience. He hires C.J.’s dad, but admits “without the children, I probably would’ve felt differently.”
A census taken last year counted nearly 1,800 homeless children in Hillsborough County. Advocates for the homeless expect that number to top 2,000 this year.
Many live with relatives or with their parents in the motels lining Tampa’s old thoroughfares. A few stay in shelters; others, in cars.
Rarely are homeless children seen on the street.
But they’re there, advocates say, and their numbers are growing.
Last month, The Tampa Tribune reported on C.J. and Veronica and their parents, Lee and Connie Couillard, after they left a shelter where they slept in the lobby.
The Church of Christ in Tampa Heights agreed to take in the family for 30 days with promises of more help if Lee got a job, the girls went to school and the family saved enough money to eventually support themselves.
It could be the chance of a lifetime.
With the right people, “I’ve seen someone turn their life around in a matter of two weeks,” says Kathy Wiggins, a liaison between the school district and homeless children. For others, the chronically homeless, “it’s literally a lifestyle.”
With only a month to make a good impression on church leaders, the Couillards struggle. On July 11, two days in their newest temporary home, they've made a mess of the room with half-empty soda cans and half-eaten food. Clothes and toys are strewn across the floor.
Connie doesn't like to be told to clean her room.
"It makes me feel like I'm back home with my mother," she says.
She has barely had time to unpack the shopping carts stuffed with toys, family pictures, sleeping bags and clothes. Then there are mountains of laundry to clean.
Their room has two bunk beds and two dressers. C.J. and Veronica like to sleep in the top bunk. The family has access to another room with a television, recliner and three sofas - one of which C.J. peed on.
Downstairs is a laundry room and bathroom - though the girls don't always make it, sometimes urinating through their clothes in front of visitors.
"I never noticed it before," says Connie, who thinks all the stress of the past few weeks has taken a toll on her daughters.
Everything They Need
Fueled by doughnuts, C.J. and Veronica occupy most of their day running and laughing through the halls of the two-story building that houses another homeless man and a church groundskeeper and his wife.
The Couillards are supposed to eat outside in a portable classroom with a kitchen and dining room, where homeless and needy people are fed twice a week.
They have everything they need, but they always seem to want more. Church elders let the family choose outfits from a clothing closet for the needy. Connie stops by twice.
"I don't know what they need all those clothes for," says Orum Trone Jr., the Church of Christ minister. "We have to be careful. Sometimes people take the clothes and sell them on the corner."
Lee's job search initially stalled. After the family's story appeared July 13, readers called in with offers at restaurants, factories and labor pools. Most were too far away to walk, he says.
"Did anyone want to donate a car?" Lee asks. "That's what I need."
Families One-Third Of Homeless
The Couillards are among another growing trend in homeless populations: families.
Nationally, families make up 33 percent of the homeless population, which averages 700,000 to 800,000 on any given day, experts say. In Florida, families represent 40 percent of the homeless population, estimated to be 85,907, according to a June report by the state Department of Children & Families Office on Homelessness.
Wiggins, the homeless liaison, worries the Couillards could also fall into another category: the chronically homeless, whose poverty, lack of education and other issues keep them dependent on social service programs.
Wiggins stops by the church with stuffed animals and finger paints for the girls. She goes over a checklist Connie should have completed since their first meeting a month ago at the Downtown Motel.
Connie tells Wiggins she hasn't had time to apply for cash assistance from the government. She did sign up the family for services from Metropolitan Ministries, a nonprofit that houses and feeds poor people in Tampa. There's a two-month waiting list.
C.J. and Veronica will start school in August, but Connie doesn't know where. C.J. went to kindergarten at Mitchell Elementary last year and will have to repeat the year, Connie says. It took a while for her elder daughter to adjust.
C.J. can write her name, but she barely speaks - until she sees you more than once. Then she wraps her arms around your waist and won't let go. Sometimes, when she's coloring the sun or a rainbow, her body shakes slightly. She's fine, Connie says.
So is Connie, who, at 46, is expecting her third child. Her prenatal visits are going well, she tells Wiggins, then changes the subject.
"She has an answer for everything," Wiggins later tells Trone.
Yet, nothing seems to get done.
That worries Trone, who tried to help another homeless family last year. They wrecked their room and used the church.
"I can't believe I'm doing this again," Trone says, but here he is, trying to understand how to do it better. Near his office desk, he keeps a poem titled "Don't Quit."
Trone sees something in the ragtag Couillards most people don't: a glimmer of hope. Connie and Lee come to Bible classes and weekly services. Lee is quick to grab a mop or wax the floor.
"They are very mild, showing humility," Trone says.
He grows concerned when he hears police picked up the Couillards for questioning the day after they moved into the church. They're homeless, Trone says, not criminals.
Lee says they were on their way to the post office when police spotted the family and kept them downtown for three hours while they confirmed the children's safety.
Later, Veronica, in a rare vocal moment, pipes up. The "cops" aren't nice to her at the library, she says. "They take you to jail."
A Working Man
Before the second week is up, Lee has a job and a ride to work from his new boss, until a few days later, when the boss buys Lee a sapphire blue bicycle. Lee nicknames her "Lady Blue."
He's a deck hand for the Yacht StarShip Dinner Cruise next to Channelside. The job typically pays about $8 to $10 an hour to start.
"Oh, I love it," Lee says. "It's real easy."
At 52, he's a janitor of sorts, but he also greets passengers as they board. He'll get a uniform - a crisp white shirt with bars on the shoulders, a black tie and cap. He can't stop talking about it - asking coworkers daily when he can wear it.
Lee takes visitors on a tour like he owns the boat, up one floor, then another. From the top deck, he can see the construction site where he used to work all day building condominiums in the sun.
Now he wants to learn to steer the ship.
"We're pleasantly surprised," says Troy Manthey, chief executive officer of the Yacht StarShip. "He's doing great, but it's a day-by-day thing."
Manthey contacted the Church of Christ after recognizing C.J. from her picture in the Tribune. A few days earlier, he saw the girl and her family on Florida Avenue.
"I remember thinking, 'They can't be homeless,'" recalls Manthey, who had his first child this year.
He interviewed Lee and learned the Illinois man quit school after the sixth grade, when his father died. Lee passed a criminal and substance abuse screening. He admitted he once had a drinking problem.
That honesty impressed Manthey, who wants to help the family find housing as long as they keep doing well. But he wants to keep his distance, too.
"They have to do it on their own," Manthey says.
Back at the church, Connie can't wait to spread the news. In three weeks, her husband has a job and her girls are getting ready to go to school.
"Lee's on Cloud Nine," she says one afternoon. "Somebody actually gave him a chance."
Connie has changed, too. She scolds the girls as they jump on the sofas and rip around a glass-topped coffee table. They don't listen, but Mom tries to tame them, anyway.
Everyone's feeling a bit prouder. During Sunday's service, Trone boasts to the brothers and sisters in church.
"Lee went from steering a shopping cart to steering a yacht."
Soul Searching
It's the first day of school, and Veronica pingpongs all around her mother, anxious to walk to B.C. Graham Elementary. She wears an oversized, hand-me-down black velvet dress and scuffed tennis shoes. C.J. sports her trademark head-to-toe pink.
When they get to school, Connie explains again to Veronica that the little girl can't stay. The school people lost Veronica's paperwork, Connie says.
As they creep through the breakfast line, Connie borrows 35 cents for Veronica's chocolate milk. C.J. chooses orange juice and a sausage biscuit, but instead of eating it, she shoves the meal across the lunch table for her mom. C.J. prefers doughnuts and soda.
C.J. doesn't cry like the other little kids in class. Instead, she tries to comfort them while her little sister darts to a magnetic alphabet board. Veronica is dying to learn.
She spends her afternoon watching cartoons while Mom tries to rest. As the baby grows, Connie's back hurts and she can't sleep. A month ago, Connie said she was four months pregnant. She says she's only two months now.
Her bulging stomach seems to disagree, but Connie insists she miscalculated and that she gains a lot of weight with her babies. It wasn't something she and Lee planned, but now they wouldn't choose anything other than having this child.
Another week passes - the fourth - and the Couillards seem to be on the right path, Trone says. The plan is to move them across the hall to a bigger room. There's talk of another 30 days, maybe more.
Connie's not particularly religious, but the church has become her salvation.
"God pointed us in this direction, and this might be the right one," she says.
The girls go to Bible school. The family never misses a service - out of respect, Connie says. "They're doing so much to help us."
On Aug. 6, she and Lee pull on some medical scrubs and flip-flops. Connie covers her long strawberry blond hair in a swim cap. Lee, with his sparse hair, doesn't need one.
The husband and wife each take turns being dunked in a tub of water.
"I just felt like it was the right time," Connie says.
So did Lee, who says he was baptized before, when his father died.
"They've been asking us to," he says of church elders. "There's also this rumor floating around. If you do, you get a car."
As their fifth week at the church comes to a close, Connie contemplates their next move. She definitely wants her own home, but she doesn't think they're ready. There's so much they need.
"I don't want to be caught in a similar situation," she says. "I know they would help us out again. It's just the thought of it."
THE COUILLARDS JOURNEY
Last month, Connie and Lee Couillard and their two daughters, Connie Jo and Veronica, had nowhere to go.
They moved out of their Howard Johnson hotel room three months ago, after Lee lost his day laborer job. Connie tried to get the family into a local shelter, but the waiting list was two months long.
The Tampa Tribune published a story July 13 about the family’s struggle. Readers e-mailed and called, most offering help with donations of food, money and jobs.
A minister agreed to take in the Couillards for 30 days, but only if the family made progress toward becoming self-sufficient.
Today’s story follows their journey.
HELPING OUT
For information about homelessness or how you can help, contact the Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County, (813) 223-6115; Hillsborough County's Homeless Recovery Program, (813) 276-2976; The Homeless Education and Literacy Project, (813) 272-0673; The Salvation Army, (813) 221-4440; Metropolitan Ministries, (813) 209-1000; or Church of Christ, (813) 223-3170.
Reporter Sherri Ackerman can be reached at (813) 259-7144 or sackerman@tampatrib.com.
Keyword: Family, to see photographer Jay Nolan's gallery and to submit your comments.
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