Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Beleagured Fall River Massachusetts Police Department: WPRI 12: At first this didn't seem like a big deal. An officer of the law caught with a bit of marijuana in his desk at the precinct. Well, thanks to in-depth investigative reporting from WPRI 12 reporters Eli Sherman and Tim White we know that wasn't quite the case - this involved more than 'a drawer' in the officer's cubicle - it also involved three locked safes (one of which contained enough fentanyl to kill nearly two-thousand individuals) - and the drugs included heroin, oxycodone, amphetamines and crack cocaine. What's going on here? I will be following developments closely. Read on. HL..."On Feb. 17, a confidential informant contacted the Fall River Police Department with an accusation that’s since sent the seaside city into turmoil: Det. Joshua Robillard is “giving drugs to an informant.” Fast forward five months and law enforcement has concluded there isn’t enough evidence to file any criminal charges against Robillard, in large part because the informant stopped cooperating with investigators, according to an internal investigation released Monday. But the report nonetheless showed the officer for years stashed an alarming amount of illegal drugs inside his desk and safes instead of documenting and submitting them into the station’s evidence locker. Robillard and another officer are now serving suspensions, and the district attorney estimates at least a dozen drug cases could get tossed out as a result. Defense attorneys expect the number will grow."

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QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I find that the presence of the significant quantity of drugs, particularly with no case nexus, to be very troubling,” wr...

Bulletin: 'Color of Change'- a civil rights advocacy organization - denounces 'medical terrorism' and calls on prosecutors to protect black mothers - noting that "black pregnant people are exponentially more likely to experience devastating pregnancy outcomes" - such as the many who've been criminalized and arrested for actions that include things like taking legal drugs prescribed by their doctor, having a miscarriage, addiction, getting into a car accident, and even falling down the stairs."..."Law enforcement including prosecutors has no place in pregnancy decisions."

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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: "Criminalizing reproduction: (Attacks on Science, Medicine and the Right To Choose):  I have taken on the  theme ...

Terry McKirchy: Florida: Shaken Baby Syndrome: More analysis of the troubling case of this woman who pleaded guilty to shaking a baby 35 years ago - and has been charged with his murder upon his recent death at age 37..."Lenore Skenazy is president of Let Grow, a nonprofit promoting childhood independence and resilience, and founder of the Free-Range Kids movement."..."McKirchy, the former Florida babysitter, did in fact plead guilty to shaking the baby. At the time she told the Miami Herald: "I know I didn't do it. My conscience is clear. But I can't deal with it anymore." She would have faced 12-17 years in prison if found guilty. The discrepancy in potential sentences between taking a plea and going to trial is particularly enormous in shaken baby cases, says investigative journalist-turned-filmmaker Susan Goldsmith."

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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Goldsmith's documentary,  The Syndrome ,  examines the disturbing willingness of courts and the public to beli...

British maternity care hospital crisis: (Police investigations are under consideration.) Previous posts referred to the tragic unnecessary loss of babies lives at 'East Kent' and 'Nottingham'. Now Guardian reporter Jessica Murray adds 'Morecambe Bay' and 'Shrewsbury and Telford' to the disheartening list in a story headed, "A cascade of catastrophic failings: England's baby death scandals."...Titcombe said he has been appalled to read of subsequent scandals unearthed at hospital trusts around the country over the past few years and feels that government and health officials failed to learn lessons from what happened at Morecambe Bay. “Families are just told, ‘Nothing like this has ever happened before, it was a one-off or it’s just one of those things.’ But there are issues across the system, and they’re systemic, and I think this report finally gets that right,” he said. “The warning from history is that these reports are fine, but unless they’re properly implemented, it’s not going to make a difference.”"

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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "The latest maternity services scandal is at  Nottingham  university hospitals trust, where the NHS care watchdog i...
Monday, August 2, 2021

Cristhian Bahena Rivera: Iowa: Bulletin: Major Development: Judge denies request for a new trial in Mollie Tibbetts case... Ruling clears the way for Bahena's sentencing to proceed Aug. 30. (Convicted in May of first-degree murder). Reporter William Morris. Des Moines Register. August 2, 2021.

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Read breaking story at link bellow:   A judge has rejected a motion to retry Cristhian Bahena Rivera in the death of Mollie Tibbetts, cleari...

Devonia Inman: Georgia: Bulletin: Major Development: Imprisoned for almost 23 years for a South Georgia murder he insists he did not commit, he has won a key ruling that could bolster his chance to win a new trial, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Reporter Bill Rankin) reports..."A man imprisoned almost 23 years for a South Georgia murder he insists he did not commit won a key ruling Monday that could bolster his chance to win a new trial. Chattooga County Chief Superior Court Judge Kristina Cook Graham signed an order that says, in essence, she is under the assumption that Hercules Brown — not Devonia Inman, the man convicted of the crime — is the actual killer. Later, Graham wrapped up a one-day hearing by giving both the state and Inman’s lawyers time to file legal briefs. She is expected to rule in the coming months."

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QUOTE OF THE DAY: " Of the more than 1,500 murder cases that  (Justice David) Nahmias said he’s reviewed as a justice, Inman’s case is ...