Former 'Teacher Of The Year' Embroiled In School Sex Scandal

What a difference a year makes.

Erica DePalo, 33, won the Essex County, N.J. Teacher of the Year award in 2011. Last Friday, she was arrested and accused of having a sexual relationship with one of her 15-year-old honors English students, according to CBS New York.

Many of the students that the station spoke with were blindsided by the allegations.

“I was kind of shocked,” Arnold Ajondo said. ”I was a little surprised. She was really close with the students and we all liked her. She was always there after school if you ever needed any help.”

DePalo was charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, according to the Star Ledger.

The paper reports that authorities believe the relationship began on June 15 and ended last Tuesday.

Police declined to release further details about the alleged relationship and also did not reveal how authorities first learned of it, according to Montclair Patch.

In a statement obtained by Patch, the West Orange Public School district announced that DePalo has been suspended "immediately and indefinitely.

Hat tip: Fark

Also on HuffPost:

Get Alerts

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Former Notre Dame Student Charged With Killing His Dad In 'Violent' Struggle

Former Notre Dame student Patrick Mikes Jr. was arrested on Wednesday night and charged with killing his father after a "violent encounter" in the basement of the family's home in Troy, Michigan, say police.

The 21-year-old senior psychology and pre-med double major, who has not been a student at the school since August 2, was arrested at a restaurant after DNA blood analysis evidence from the home showed that his blood was found with his father's, "indicating a struggle between the two men," reports WSBT-TV.

Mikes Jr. has initially told investigators that his father had never returned from a bike ride on July 27. But the elder Mikes's riding shoes and helmet - as well as the blood evidence - were found in the family home, casting doubt on the son's story.

After a lengthy search by dozens of investigators and 12 police dogs, the police found Mikes Sr.'s body and his bicycle in a cornfield on Friday, just 30 feet from where the previous day's search had been halted, reports the Detroit Free Press. The cornfield is about 62 miles from the family's home.

Mikes Jr. was also seen on surveillance video buying a large quantity of cleaning supplies on July 27, police told Clawson Patch.

“We are confident that Mr. Mikes Sr. was killed by his son,” Capt. Bob Redmond told the Oakland Press.

Mikes Jr. is being held without bond in the Oakland County Jail. His attorney entered a plea of not guilty on Wednesday.

"There are no psychological problems, no past criminal behavior," said his attorney, Christopher Andreoff, reports the Detroit News. "He has led a very wonderful life."

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Former Border Patrol Agents Found Guilty In High-Profile Smuggling Case

A Border Patrol agent drives his white and green vehicle in front of the fence separating Tijuana, Mexico, behind, and San Diego, Friday, June 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

SAN DIEGO — Two former Border Patrol agents were found guilty Friday of smuggling hundreds of people into the U.S. in Border Patrol vehicles.

Raul and Fidel Villarreal were convicted of charges that they brought illegal immigrants into the U.S. for money and received bribes by public officials, and counts of conspiracy to launder money. Prosecutors said Raul Villarreal started a ring that smuggled in Mexicans and Brazilians and made Fidel Villarreal, his older brother and a fellow agent, one of his first recruits.

Both brothers pleaded not guilty in one of the highest-profile corruption cases to sting the Border Patrol since it went on a hiring spree during the last decade. Raul Villarreal had been a public face of the patrol, frequently appearing on television as an agency spokesman.

The federal probe began in May 2005 with an informant's tip to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Investigators installed cameras on poles in areas where migrants were dropped off, planted undercover recording devices, put tracking instruments on Border Patrol vehicles and followed a smuggling load by airplane.

The prosecution also relied on accounts of alleged accomplices and migrants who entered the country illegally, including some who identified Fidel Villarreal in photographs. One 24-year-old Brazilian woman said she paid $12,000 to be taken across the border in "a police car."

Prosecutors said the brothers were tipped off about the investigation in June 2006, prompting them to flee to Mexico.

Shortly after they settled in Tijuana, a district police commander in the Mexican border city who allegedly shuttled Villarreals' customers in squad cars was killed in a hail of about 200 bullets. The brothers were arrested in October 2008 – more than two years after abruptly quitting the Border Patrol – and extradited to the U.S. to face federal charges of human smuggling, witness tampering and bribery.

David Nick, Raul Villarreal's attorney, had argued the prosecution relied on witnesses who had a strong motive to lie and surveillance yielded no evidence of wrongdoing by his client.

Nick said he couldn't comment on the verdict because of a gag order. A message for Fidel Villarreal's attorney was not immediately returned.

The brothers were scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 16. They face a maximum of 50 years in prison and at least $1.25 million in penalties.

Other defendants in the case include Armando Garcia, who was also found guilty Friday of charges of smuggling illegal immigrants for money, bringing illegal immigrants into the U.S. and conspiracy to launder money. Another, Claudia Gonzalez, pleaded guilty in Dec. 2009 and was due for sentencing Sept. 10.

U.S. Attorney Laura E. Duffy praised the agencies involved in prosecution, saying in a statement that stopping "corruption and maintaining the integrity of our federal border enforcement personnel is critical to U.S. border security."

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

TWIST: Former Model & Philanthropist's Death Sparks Rare Lawsuit

LOS ANGELES -- When former model and philanthropist Phyllis Harvey died last year at the age of 59, little note was taken. Brief paid obituaries appeared in Los Angeles and her hometown paper in North Carolina.

There was no mention of how she died. Nothing was said about her struggle with alcoholism and mental illness. And there was no reference to one of the final projects she helped fund with nearly a half million dollars.

Those details now figure prominently in a medical board complaint and wrongful death lawsuit claiming her psychiatrist coaxed $490,000 in research funding from her while she was under powerful doses of psychotropic drugs that eventually killed her.

The suit filed on behalf of Brian Harvey by attorney Daniel M. Hodes accuses University of California, Los Angeles psychiatrist Dr. Alexander Bystritsky of causing Phyllis Harvey's death with a dangerous combination of drugs that altered her heart rhythm.

Hodes says that Mrs. Harvey was hospitalized several times for heart abnormalities associated with drugs, and that emergency room doctors discontinued her medications only to have Bystritsky resume giving them to her when she was discharged.

Brian Harvey earned a fortune by selling an invention for coating electronic wires with recycled metal from beer cans. Following the sale of his company, he and his wife formed the Brian and Phyllis Harvey foundation to fund scholarships and other donations. The lawsuit claims Bystritsky knew of the couple's wealth and charitable giving and insinuated himself into their lives with house calls, long chats and email with Phyllis Harvey while treating her undiagnosed mental illness. He allegedly touted his own credentials and convinced her to give large donations to research a device that might cure her.

The claim that a physician solicited research funds from a patient provides a new wrinkle in the debate over the relationship between doctors, wealthy patients and the overuse of prescription drugs.

"Was he continuing to treat her with these high-powered drugs to keep her as a patient?" said James J. Walter, a professor at the Center on Bioethics at Loyola Law School. "Every bioethicist would say that practice should be discouraged."

The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court claims wrongful death due to medical negligence, fraud, fraudulent concealment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Numerous phone messages left for Bystritsky and his lawyer by The Associated Press were not returned.

The suit also names the UC Board of Regents as defendants, noting that they sent glowing letters of thanks to the Harveys for their donations.

A spokeswoman for UCLA said she could not discuss medical specifics because of privacy concerns but said UCLA will contest the lawsuit.

"The UCLA health care system is committed to the highest standards of patient care and safety," said spokeswoman Roxanne Moster. "This is a regrettable and unfortunate case for everyone involved and we extend our deepest sympathies to members of the Harvey family for their loss."

Bystritsky began treating Harvey in 2004, five years after she was diagnosed as possibly suffering from bipolar disorder, early dementia or schizophrenia, according to documents in the case.

None of those diagnoses was ever fully confirmed by tests and Bystritsky soon had her on a regimen of several psychotropic drugs including Seroquel, a powerful anti-psychotic, said John Harwell, a lawyer who filed a complaint with the Medical Board of California last November on behalf of Brian Harvey.

The lawyers contend that drug, which is known to alter heart rhythm, killed her when she died in her bed April 5, 2011.

"Mrs. Harvey died from sudden cardiac death," Harwell told the medical board, "the very kind of consequence warned against by the FDA in its required Black Box Seroquel warnings, the ones Dr. Bystritsky either ignored or of which he was ignorant."

The medical board declined to comment on whether a complaint is pending before it.

Harvey had overcome alcoholism when she was younger, but she relapsed after her mother's death in 2009, Harwell said. During one of several hospital admissions, she told a doctor she was drinking a bottle of liquor a day along with the sedative Ativan, a potentially lethal combination.

In the two months before her death, the lawyers said she was receiving nine different drugs including benzodiazepine sedatives, Invega, a drug for schizophrenia, and Seroquel which was prescribed by Bystritsky at 180 tablets in 17 days.

Heavy doses of drugs in large volumes led to hospitalizations for overdoses of benzodiazepines, leading to falls, disorientation and intoxication, Harwell said. Emergency room doctors discontinued her medications, but Bystritsky resumed giving them when she was discharged. At times, he said, she became delirious and had hallucinations that bugs were crawling on her skin.

The lawsuit claims that the psychiatrist told Harvey he might be able to cure her with a device he invented, but that he said he needed more money to continue research on the machine.

An Internet search shows that Bysrtritsky, who heads the anxiety disorders program at UCLA, was a partner in a privately held company called Brainsonix which is collaborating with UCLA and Harvard Medical School on an ultrasound device to modulate brain function and treat brain disorders including depression, autism, Parkinson's Disease, epilepsy, obesity and other ailments.

His list of credentials shows that he was trained in neuroscience, psychopharmacology and psychiatry at Pavlov Medical Institute in Russia, New York University and UCLA. He also is a visiting full professor at Harvard University School of Medicine.

Harvey declined to seek criminal charges against Bystritsky because that might have required proving he intended to harm his patient, attorney Hodes said.

Experts said the case would be divided into two issues – the standard of care provided and ethical considerations involved in soliciting donations from a patient.

If true, "It would be a horrible indictment of the fund raising efforts of UCLA," said Donna Darling, a former New York assistant district attorney who now represents plaintiffs in medical malpractice suits. "They should have known she was a patient."

Attorney Harland Braun, who has represented doctors in malpractice cases, said Bystritsky may raise a strong defense that he was trying to help a gravely ill patient and had no intent to harm her. The fact that money was donated to his research, he said, suggests no desire for personal enrichment.

"Jurors have a tendency to trust doctors," said Braun, "and If you can't show the doctor had a motive to do harm, jurors will side with him."

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Former Cheerleader Dubbed The 'Female Sandusky'

Sarah Jones, a former NFL cheerleader with the Cincinnati Bengals, is speaking out about being called the "female Sandusky."

The 27-year-old, who also worked as a high school teacher in Kentucky, was accused of having sex with a 17-year-old student last year. The case has earned her the nickname the "female [Jerry] Sandusky," linking her to the former Penn State assistant football coach who was convicted of sexually assaulting 10 boys.

"To read those things and not be able to comment, not be able to stick up for myself is not fair," Jones told ABC News. "People don't know the real me. There's blogs and postings out there that I have slept with numerous people. I married my high school sweetheart... I just asked the general public to maybe hold their judgment a little bit longer until the truth comes out."

In April, the former high school teacher and one-time captain of the Cincinnati Ben-Gals cheerleading squad plead not guilty to charges of first-degree sexual abuse and unlawful use of electronic devices.

The prosecution alleges the woman sent "steamy" texts to her student and later told him to "deny everything," according to ABC News.

PHOTOS: (Story Continues Below)
[{"entry_id":"1713284","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/28\/ulrich-felix-anton-engler-fugitive-fraud-vegas-dui_n_1713284.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/221257\/slide_221257_881780_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/221257\/slide_221257_881780_small.jpg","title":"Ulrich Felix Anton Engler, Fugitive In International Fraud Scheme, Arrested After Vegas DUI","slideshow_id":"221257","vertical":"crime"},{"entry_id":"1725680","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/31\/plain-jane-bandit-downey_n_1725680.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/237484\/slide_237484_1200243_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/237484\/slide_237484_1200243_small.jpg","title":"'Plain Jane Bandit' Strikes Again, Hits Bank Of America In Downey, Calif.","slideshow_id":"237484","vertical":"crime"},{"entry_id":"1724781","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/08\/01\/melanie-melanson-missing_n_1724781.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/242025\/slide_242025_1308501_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/242025\/slide_242025_1308501_small.jpg","title":"Melanie Melanson Missing: Soil Samples, Cadaver Dogs Help Revive Cold Case","slideshow_id":"242025","vertical":"crime"},{"entry_id":"1729908","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/08\/01\/no-balls-ruling-italy-illegal_n_1729908.html","content_type":"tweet","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/242313\/slide_242313_1318274_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/242313\/slide_242313_1318274_small.jpg","title":"'No Balls' Now Illegal To Say To A Man In Italy, Court Rules (TWEETS)","slideshow_id":"242313","vertical":"crime"},{"entry_id":"1720706","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/30\/paige-johnson-missing_n_1720706.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/36735\/slide_36735_316254_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/36735\/slide_36735_316254_small.jpg","title":"Paige Johnson Missing: Tip Leads Authorities To Search Wooded Kentucky Area","slideshow_id":"36735","vertical":"crime"},{"entry_id":"1720399","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/30\/nazi-motorcycle-gang-undercover-cop_n_1720399.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/241943\/slide_241943_1306689_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/241943\/slide_241943_1306689_small.jpg","title":"Nazi Motorcycle Gang Bust: Undercover Operation Leads To Arrests Of 6 Aryan Nations Members","slideshow_id":"241943","vertical":"crime"},{"entry_id":"1725231","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/31\/lynn-jackenheimer-youtube_n_1725231.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/239423\/slide_239423_1242030_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/239423\/slide_239423_1242030_small.jpg","title":"Lynn Jackenheimer YouTube Appeal Aims To Catch Ohio Mom's Killer","slideshow_id":"239423","vertical":"crime"},{"entry_id":"1727826","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/08\/01\/catherine-murch-kids-shooting-death-missouri_n_1727826.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/242147\/slide_242147_1314197_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/242147\/slide_242147_1314197_small.jpg","title":"Catherine Murch, St. Louis Mom Found Dead With Kids; Police Back Away From Murder-Suicide Theory","slideshow_id":"242147","vertical":"crime"},{"entry_id":"1721127","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/30\/alexander-olivieri-killing_n_1721127.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/241781\/slide_241781_1302975_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/241781\/slide_241781_1302975_small.jpg","title":"Alexander Olivieri Accused Of Killing Bridgett Frisbie 'Execution Style'","slideshow_id":"241781","vertical":"crime"},{"entry_id":"1730710","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/08\/01\/vivian-gaspar-guerrero-missing-fbi-washington_n_1730710.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/39995\/slide_39995_1024720_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/39995\/slide_39995_1024720_small.jpg","title":"Vivian Gaspar-Guerrero Missing: FBI Searches For Washington Teen Who Vanished July 31","slideshow_id":"39995","vertical":"home"},{"entry_id":"1715755","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/29\/drew-peterson-murder-trial-wife-kathleen-savio_n_1715755.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/239931\/slide_239931_1314304_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/239931\/slide_239931_1314304_small.jpg","title":"Drew Peterson Trial For Murder Of 3rd Wife Kathleen Savio Set To Start","slideshow_id":"239931","vertical":"crime"},{"entry_id":"1723287","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/31\/dr-lynne-fenton-psychiatrist-aurora-shooting-disciplined_n_1723287.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/240288\/slide_240288_1263944_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/240288\/slide_240288_1263944_small.jpg","title":"Dr. Lynne Fenton, Psychiatrist Of Aurora Shooting Suspect, Was Disciplined For Drug Prescriptions","slideshow_id":"240288","vertical":"crime"},{"entry_id":"1729679","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/08\/01\/amish-beard-cutting-case-_n_1729679.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/198718\/slide_198718_495781_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/198718\/slide_198718_495781_small.jpg","title":"Amish Beard Cutting Case: Defendants Reject Plea Deals","slideshow_id":"198718","vertical":"crime"},{"entry_id":"1715732","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/29\/protesters-arrested-oak-ridge-y-12_n_1715732.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/30210\/slide_30210_773399_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/30210\/slide_30210_773399_small.jpg","title":"Protesters Arrested At Oak Ridge's Y-12 Nuclear Site","slideshow_id":"30210","vertical":"crime"},{"entry_id":"1713129","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/28\/neil-prescott-joker-reference-maryland-shooting-suspect_n_1713129.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/239802\/slide_239802_1254051_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/239802\/slide_239802_1254051_small.jpg","title":"Neil Prescott Makes 'joker' Reference, Threatens Boss In Maryland Shooting Plot","slideshow_id":"239802","vertical":"crime"},{"entry_id":"1719985","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/07\/30\/james-holmes-criminal-complaint-murder_n_1719985.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/240228\/slide_240228_1262392_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/240228\/slide_240228_1262392_small.jpg","title":"James Holmes Criminal Complaint Outlines First-Degree Murder Charges Against Alleged Shooter","slideshow_id":"240228","vertical":"crime"}]

According to Fox19, Jones' attorney, Eric Deters, filed a motion to dismiss charges against the former cheerleader stating: "The Commonwealth does not have a single witness that there was any sex. There is not a single sealed text message that would reflect there was sex in any state, much less Kentucky. There is no confession. There is no admission. There is only speculative conjecture."

Jones continues to maintain her innocence and says the allegations against her have been fueled by gossip.

"The biggest challenge of teaching high school is rumors," she told Fox19. "That's what this is. This whole thing has gotten completely out of control. At the end of the day, everyone will know the truth."

Jones first made headlines when she landed on Nik Richie's blog, The Dirty, in 2010.

Richie's website featured postings about Jones from anonymous sources, who alleged the former cheerleader had sex with the entire Bengals team, had STDs, and even engaged in sexual intercourse in her classroom. Jones sued Richie, citing defamation, libel and invasion of privacy, Forbes reported in March.

Jones spoke about her issue with The Dirty during an interview with Anderson Cooper in November of last year, saying, “One day I was this credible teacher that they looked up to and listened to. The next day I was a slut to them. I had a student come in and say I cannot come into my classroom and learn because you had sex in here and you're a slut.”

Motions to dismiss the case against the former cheerleader were scheduled to be heard on July 30.

Get Alerts

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.