Former Texas teacher gets 60 days in jail for sexual relations with underage student

 

Former Texas white teacher gets 60 days in jail for sexual relations with underage student

Marka Bodine was arrested in April 2021

By Edward Era Barbacena

A former Texas teacher was sentenced this week to 60 days in jail and 10 years of deferred adjudication probation for sexually abusing an underage student, enraging the local community who felt the judge was too lenient. 

This is not the first time thar a white teacher got arrested for having a sexual relationship with student. 

Marka Bodine, 32, a former Tomball ISD teacher, pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual abuse of a child under 14. She must register as a sex offender following her jail sentence.

Bodine began a sexual relationship with the boy when he was 13 years old, authorities said. During their "relationship," Bodine sent the boy sexually explicit photographs and videos, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said. 

Bodine was arrested in April 2021 after the student called both the school and the Tomball police department, FOX 26 reported at the time. 

Some community activists criticized Bodine’s sentence as too lenient, FOX 26 reported. One activist, Quanell X, accused Harris County Judge Greg Glass of not being "qualified to protect the children of Houston and Harris County." 

Assistant District Attorney Jana Oswald had asked the judge for a 20- to 40-year sentence, "given the seriousness of her crime and the lasting effects of the crime and the impact on the child’s life," the Harris County District Attorney’s Office said. 

"Children are the most vulnerable members of our society. It is our duty to protect them, not harm them," the DA said. 

 

Anti-Marcos activist and defeated vice-presidential candidate Walden Bello arrested for cyber crime

Bello is an avowed far-left extremist and pro-communist ally of Leni Robredo who have sworn to fight against Marcos what ever cost 

By Edward Era Barbacena  

Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Director, PBGEN Remus B Medina, announced the arrest of Walden Bello pursuant to a Warrant of Arrest by operatives of the Project 4 Police Station (PS) this afternoon in Quezon City.

According to the report of PLTCOL Gilmore A Wasin, the chief of PS 8, the accused was identified as Walden Bello y Flores, 76 years old, Human Rights Activist, resident of Moncado St. Brgy. Holy Spirit Quezon City and was arrested at 5:00 p.m., August 8, 2022 at his residence.

Bello has an arrest warrant for the case of violation of R.A 10175 or Cyber ​​Crime Prevention Act of 2012 (2 counts) issued by Hon. Retrina Espe Fuentes, Presiding Judge of the Regional Trial Court, Eleventh Judicial Region, Branch 10, Davao City dated August 8, 2022 with Criminal Case Nos. R-DVO-22-04357-CR and R-DVO-22-04358-CR with recommended bail amounting to Php48,000.00 each.

The court issuing the arrest warrant will be notified upon the arrest of the accused.

“I congratulate the operatives of the Project 4 Police Station (PS) for their successful operation against the Wanted Person that resulted in the arrest of Bello. We will ensure the security of the accused while he is in our custody," said PBGEN Medina.

“I gladly commend the police of the QCPD for their relentless operation against the Wanted Persons. You can count on us intensifying this so that all those guilty are held accountable to the law," said PMGEN Felipe R Natividad, the Regional Director of the NCRPO. 

 

Georgia white couple charged with using their adopted children to make child porn

William and Zachary Zulock have been charged with using their two adopted children to make child pornography.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Georgia white couple has been charged with using their two adopted children to record child pornography, police said.

Walton County Sheriff’s Office raided a home in Loganville July 27 on reports that a man there was downloading child porn.

After interviewing the suspect, who was not identified, police said they learned there was another suspect in the county who was “producing homemade child sexual abuse material with at least one child who lived in the home,” the sheriff’s office said Thursday.

Around 11:30 p.m. that same night, executed a search warrant in Oxford at the home of William Dale Zulock, 32, and Zachary Jacoby Zulock, 35. 

Walton County’s Division of Family and Child Services joined deputies in responding to the home to help protect the two brothers who lived there.

During their search, deputies found evidence the pair, who were the children’s adoptive fathers, “were engaging in sexually abusive acts and video documenting this abuse,” the sheriff’s office said.

Early the next morning, the Zulocks were both booked at the Walton County Jail.

Both men were charged with aggravated child molestation, sexual exploitation of a child and enticing a child for indecent purposes, WSBTV reported. William Zulock was additionally charged with child molestation.

 

Woodridge man fired shots into Chicago park; police find handwritten notes about mass shootings in vehicle

Alexander Podgorny, 29, now faces five felony counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

By Edward Era Barbacena

 A Woodridge man was arrested Thursday in Englewood with five loaded guns, over 1,000 rounds of ammunition, and disturbing handwritten notes about mass shootings.

Chicago police say they intercepted the man after he fired a shotgun into a park.

Alexander Podgorny, 29, now faces five felony counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

"I think of Columbine, I think of all the other mass shootings that we hear about nationwide, and this hits home," said Alderman Stephanie Coleman of Chicago’s 16th Ward. "To know that this could have been us, it devastates me, but then it also gives me comfort that we have men and women that are serving and protecting us."

Podgorny was arrested near Moran Park, located at 57th Street and Racine Avenue, after police responded to a ShotSpotter alert around 3:30 a.m. Thursday.

An arrest report obtained by FOX 32 from the Cook County Circuit Court Clerk states that police located Podgorny near his minivan. Police said his driver’s side and passenger side doors were open.

Documents state that in his pocket, Podgorny had a loaded semi-automatic handgun.

When police searched his vehicle, four other guns were recovered, including a shotgun and an AR-15.

All of those firearms were "readily accessible and ready to be fired" – according to Podgorny’s arrest report.

Plus, police said they found at least 300 spent shell casings of various calibers, over 1,000 rounds of ammunition, and handwritten notes that "contained incoherent rants and references to mass shooting events."

In his vehicle, officers also located a hatchet and a pruning saw, according to the arrest report.

Based on their discoveries, CPD alerted the FBI and ATF.

"All I can do is be grateful that no one was shot, that none of our children – that I’m not calling their parents or visiting their homes because they are no longer with us," said Coleman.

Chicago’s 16th Ward Alderman Stephanie Coleman said she credits ShotSpotter technology and officers' quick actions.

"They were able to find this person that could have done a heinous, heinous act of just hatred, discourse of divisiveness to our community," said Coleman.

Police said they recovered a FOID card from Podgorny and completed a Clear and Present Danger form.

According to his Facebook page, Podgorny studied at the University of Illinois.

Police say Podgorny currently lives in Woodridge. No one answered at Podgorny's listed address.

Requests for a statement from Podgorny’s father, who is an attorney, went unreturned Friday.

Podgorny appeared in bond court Friday and bail was set at $300,000 cash.

Podgorny – who police said does not have a prior criminal record – is due back in court Friday, Aug. 12.

Texas man gets more than 7 years for role in January 6 riot Guy Reffitt was a member of the

 

Texas man gets more than 7 years for role in January 6 riot

Guy Reffitt was a member of the Texas Three Percenters militia group

By Edward Era Barbacena

A federal judge on Monday sentenced a white Texas man to more than seven years in prison for storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

The sentence for Guy Reffitt, a member of the Texas Three Percenters militia group, is the longest so far imposed among hundreds of Capitol riot cases. 

Reffitt told fellow militia members he planned to drag House Speaker Nancy Pelosi out of the Capitol building by her ankles, "with her head hitting every step on the way down," according to a court filing.u

Reffitt was the first person to go on trial for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, in which supporters of then-President Trump halted the joint session of Congress for certifying Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory.

His prison sentence — seven years and three months — is two years more than the previous longest prison sentence for a Capitol riot defendant. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler had requested 15 years for Reffitt, calling him a domestic terrorist who wanted to physically remove and replace members of Congress.

U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich rejected prosecutors' contention that an "upward departure for terrorism" was warranted in Reffitt's case. It was the first time that prosecutors have requested that sentencing enhancement for a Jan. 6 case.

Friedrich, however, questioned why Reffitt would merit the terrorism enhancement when many other rioters engaged in violence and made similarly disturbing threats.

On Monday, Reffitt offered an expletive-laden apology to police officers, lawmakers and congressional staffers who were at the Capitol on Jan. 6. 

Defense attorney Clinton Broden asked for Reffitt to be sentenced to no more than two years in prison. Broden noted that Reffitt didn't assault any law enforcement officers or enter the Capitol building.

Videos captured the confrontation between outnumbered Capitol police officers and a mob of people, including Reffitt, who approached them on the west side of the Capitol.

Reffitt was armed with a Smith & Wesson pistol in a holster on his waist, carrying zip-tie handcuffs and wearing body armor and a helmet equipped with a video camera when he advanced on the officers, prosecutors said. He retreated after an officer pepper sprayed him in the face, but he waved on other rioters who ultimately breached the building, prosecutors said.

The jury found him guilty of obstructing Congress' joint session, of interfering with police officers outside the Capitol and of threatening his two teenage children if they reported him to law enforcement.

Reffitt's 19-year-old son, Jackson, testified that his father told him and his sister, then 16, that they would be traitors if they reported him to authorities and warned them that "traitors get shot."

Reffitt lived with his wife and children in Wylie, Texas, a Dallas suburb. He drove to Washington, D.C., with Rocky Hardie, a fellow member of the Texas Three Percenters militia group.

Hardie testified that both of them were armed with holstered handguns when they attended Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally before the riot. Hardie also said Reffitt gave him two pairs of zip-tie cuffs in case they needed to detain anybody.

Reffitt is one of seven Capitol riot defendants to get a jury trial so far. Jurors have unanimously convicted all seven of them on all counts in their respective indictments.

More than 840 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the riot. Over 340 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors. More than 220 have been sentenced, with nearly half of them receiving terms of imprisonment. Approximately 150 others have trial dates stretching into 2023.

 

Iran vows to build nuclear weapons if provoked, turn NY into ‘hellish ruins’

By Edward Era Barbacena

Iran has reportedly threatened to build nuclear warheads and warned that it has the capability to turn New York into “hellish ruins” — amid stalled efforts to reinstate a nuclear deal between the county and world powers.

Two Telegram channels with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps posted a 2-minute video Saturday that vowed to quickly start building nuclear bombs if the “US or  Zionist regime make any stupid mistakes,” according to Iran International, a London-based news outlet.

The video claims secret underground facilities in Fordow, near Qom, are close to working to turn the Islamic Republic into a nuclear power — and warned that its “peaceful nuclear program” could morph into a weaponized one with ease.

The video claims secret underground facilities in Fordow, near Qom, are close to working to turn the Islamic Republic into a nuclear power — and warned that its “peaceful nuclear program” could morph into a weaponized one with ease.

“The nuclear facilities of Fordow have been built deep under mountains of Iran and are protected against trench-busting bombs and even nuclear explosion,” the video reportedly states. “All infrastructures required for nuclear breakout have been prepared in it.”

The haunting video also claims that the Islamic Republic has ballistic missiles capable of “turning New York into hellish ruins.”

The clip at one point shows President Biden and cites Iran’s purported secret Emad nuclear project, which began in 1989 and was later stopped by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog in 2003.

Former President Donald Trump withdrew the US from a 2015 nuclear deal with the country during his presidency and immediately imposed economic sanctions on Tehran, but Biden raised the idea of renegotiating the pact when he took office in January 2021.​​

However, indirect talks between the US and Iran stalled last month and no new negotiations are planned. ​

Iran has enriched about 60 percent of the uranium for the fissile material needed to build a nuclear bomb. If the nation nears the 90 percent threshold, that would be enough to power a nuclear bomb within a “few weeks,” Iran International reported.

Iran’s nuclear chief, meanwhile, said the Islamic Republic has the technical know-how to develop an atomic bomb, but has no plans to produce one.

The disturbing new footage comes just weeks after New York City’s Emergency Management Department released a 90-second public service announcement on what to do if the Big Apple comes under nuclear attack.

The PSA laid out three actions residents should take — with the first step being to get inside as quickly as possible before shutting every door and window.

“The likelihood of a nuclear weapon incident occurring in/near New York City is very low,” an agency spokesperson told The Post. “However, it’s important New Yorkers know the steps to stay safe. The new PSA encourages New Yorkers to take key, simple steps in the event of such an incident.”

 

Strange 'alien' holes discovered on the ocean floor

NOAA has asked the public for suggestions on what they could be.

By Edward Era Barbacena

Source: Live Science

Explorers have discovered a series of mysterious, "perfectly aligned" holes punched into the seafloor roughly 1.6 miles (2.6 kilometers) beneath the ocean surface, and they have no idea who or what made them.

The strange holes were spotted by the crew of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Okeanos Explorer vessel as they investigated the Mid-Atlantic Ridge — a mostly unexplored region of the Earth's seafloor that is part of the world's largest mountain range. 

The holes form a straight line and appear at regularly repeating distances, and they are surrounded by tiny mounds of sediment. This isn't the first time that holes have been spotted in the area; two marine scientists from the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service also spotted mysterious hollows in the ocean floor during a dive in 2004.

"These holes have been previously reported from the region, but their origin remains a mystery," the NOAA researchers wrote on Facebook(opens in new tab). "While they look almost human made, the little piles of sediment around the holes make them seem like they were excavated by... something."

"These holes have been previously reported from the region, but their origin remains a mystery," the NOAA researchers wrote on Facebook(opens in new tab). "While they look almost human made, the little piles of sediment around the holes make them seem like they were excavated by... something."

In 2004, scientists proposed that an organism living in or sifting through the seafloor's sediment made the holes, but because no one has seen such creatures make them, their exact origins are unknown. Public speculation under the NOAA post's Facebook page ranged widely — from cracks in the floor's surface made by escaping gas, to underwater human craft digging for treasure, to ants, aliens and even starfish doing cartwheels.

The unresolved mystery is reminiscent of an underwater "yellow brick road" to Atlantis(opens in new tab) that ocean explorers discovered on top of an underwater mountain near Hawaii in May. Scientists explained that discovery — they suspected that heating and cooling of the seafloor across multiple volcanic eruptions created the strange path.

What is creating the holes, on the other hand, may take a little longer to figure out. The researchers will continue to explore the region until September as part of the Voyage to the Ridge 2022 expedition, which aims to map out the region's coral reefs(opens in new tab) and sponge habitats alongside studying the region's hydrothermal vents and its fracture and rift zones. Maybe if they're lucky, they might just catch the hole-maker in the act.