Friday, March 15, 2013

Fortunes and Futures




Please Don't Be My Friend

 Misty VanHorn, of Sallisaw, Okla., was arrested for trying to sell her children on Facebook in order to get money to bail her boyfriend out of jail, CBS affiliate KWTV reports.


Police say the 22-year-old VanHorn tried to sell her children, ages 2 and 10 months, to an Arkansas woman via Facebook.



In a Facebook message, VanHorn reportedly offered up her 2-year-old, writing, "Just come to Sallisaw. It's only 30 minutes away and I give you all her stuff and let y'all have her forever for $1,000. But I have to have it before next week."


VanHorn was arrested by Sallisaw police after an acquaintance reported the situation to the Department of Human Services.

She is currently in the Sequoyah County Jail.

Misty doesn't seem to be clear on the purpose of Facebook.  To sell things she needs to go to Craigslist.

Not Part of the Program

Police say 64 year old, Michael Shepard, the owner of a community center that hosted Alcoholics Anonymous meetings was selling oxycodone before, after and in between meetings, according to KOMO news.

Seattle Police Sgt. Sean Whitcomb told the network, "it's like, show up early, stay late and get drugs in between."

Law enforcement received a report of the drug dealing in November 2012 according to the Associated Press.  In January and February, Shepard sold oxycodone to a police informant on five separate occasions. 
Undercover officers were there to witness the transactions.

Police say Shepard talked about drug deals during the meetings.  The center had more than 2000 members.

If convicted Shepard could get up to 20 years in prison and a million dollar fine.

Should we be thankful he wasn't selling alcohol?



Always have a Receipt

 Police were called to the Lake Hallie, Wisconsin Walmart on Thursday because a man was trying to return a printer without a receipt.  Of course, that wasn't the reason the police were called. The service desk employees noticed the customer had left a sheet of counterfeit  $100 dollar  bills in the printer.

Jarad Carr was told he couldn't return the printer but he wouldn't take no for an answer and refused to leave.

After police arrived he wouldn't speak to them and resisted arrest.  The police, also refused to take no for an answer and refused to leave...at least not without arresting Jarad who had outstanding burglary and armed robbery warrants in St. Croix County.

Upon his arrest, the police found three additional counterfeit bills and added charges of theft by fraud, forgery, and resisting arrest.  

 That is one lousy counterfeiter if he is using an ink jet printer from Walmart.



  


Dumb Things to Say on a 

Smart Phone


And out of Flori-duh? this week....Police in Florida have arrested a man for abusing the 911 emergency call system.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said Gary Alan Pockrandt called 911 not once...not twice..but three times  on Wednesday from his home in St. Petersburg to report his new phone wasn't working right.

Pockrandt was arrested after his third call in which he also,  lamented that his drug dealer was mad at him.

Deputies said that Pockrandt smashed his phone on the ground before being arrested.

"This is a new phone," the arrest report states. "So it is believed it only dials 911 until it is activated which Pockrandt was unable to do in his intoxicated state."   


For a phone to be a smart phone it needs a smart user.


 






34 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I suspect that counterfeiter was on his way to that AA meeting.

Cheryl P. said...

Hahah...you may be right. Along those lines the chick selling her kids and the moron calling 911 need to go to the (or any) AA meetings.

Just Keepin' It Real Folks said...

Dang, Misty was sellin' her kid for a rock bottom bargain basement price hey? Sure hope her boyfriend was worth it. And Michael was brilliant! A sure fire way to success with alcoholics is to trade one addiction for another. His AA center probably had a high success rate!

Wendy said...

ah, i love to wait for your comment twist at the end. YEP. I sure don't know how such a smart cookie like Misty didn't realize that FB is NOT where you sell stuff. But, maybe , wait, maybe she did. Just Maybe she was using her FB because she REALLY was/is a loving caring mother. She ONLY would sell to someone who she knew, or who knew someone she knew, or knew someone she knew that she knew. So you see...ya'all that she was not being a good MOM! And really, she was!

lisleman said...

Misty doesn't seem to understand many life's rules.
counterfeiter Jarad might want to look-up Misty. They could brain storm together.
Funny Michael Shepard and Gary Alan Pockrandt have much in common even though they are opposite ends of the country.

Cheryl P. said...

I thought those prices sounded low but then I don't know the going rate for small children. Let's just assume that the boyfriend is NOT worth it. (I think the tip off here is that he needs bail money)



I am so glad you said that about the brilliance of that plan. I thought the same thing that for a moron he is rather a genius bringing together 2000 people that have addictive personalities and sell them addictive drugs. As business models go...that is a sure money maker.

Cheryl P. said...

Wendy, I love your positive thinking. You are the kind of friend all of us long for. The kind of person that can recognize all the good intentions behind stupid mistakes. You may be right. MAYBE she would only sell her children to people that she considers friends. I, on the other hand, am a big ole nasty cynic full of rancid skepticism and I think maybe she was drunk as a skunk and wasn't thinking clearly. I am the kind of person that people hide behind counters to avoid.

Cheryl P. said...

Basically, what you are saying, lisleman, is that these four could be buddies if only they lived near each other and weren't going to be locked up in the near future. Maybe they can become Facebook friends. (I don't know how prison works...do they get to use Facebook?)

AletaObrien said...

OMG, to leave the counterfeit bill still in the printer? DOH! Well, we should be glad that people doing stuff like this aren't smart....
But the sell the children thing had me laughing... ok, just keep in my mind that my husband has a warped sense of humor and he absolutely loves his son.. but the other day, my husband said, "So, how much do you think we could get for our son?" As IF and he would be the first to say, but he comes up with crazy things like that. I wonder if he read the same story that you did. Lol

Cheryl P. said...

It is surprising that so many crooks are just so bad at it. The fail rate on crime seems fairly high.


I bet I would find your husband funny. The thing about the worth of a baby is there isn't enough money in the world to come up the that number but on a bad afternoon when they are around 15 and are surly and impossible...20 bucks might be the right price.


You will have to ask Greg if he saw that story?

babs (beetle) said...

I am finding it hard to believe that people like this really do exist! Selling a baby on FB? Leaving forged money in a printer to take back to the store, then causing a scene so the police were called? Priceless!

Riot Kitty said...

Shepherd didn't get it...he'd have a better audience at an NA meeting! (I saw this as someone who has benefited from AA btw. ;)

Cheryl P. said...

Every week I think there just has to be an end to the stupidity and there won't be any weird stories ...and yet every week there are tons of these little local oddities in the various press releases. How can people make these types of decisions?

Cheryl P. said...

Riot Kitty, you and I think alike. When I first wrote that I said something about, he could of upped his sales over at a NA meeting but I was concerned that people would get the distinction between AA and NA. (not to mention, not everyone gets my rather twisted way of looking at things) But you are right Shepherd didn't get it,

Margaret said...

"To sell things she needs to go to Craigslist." You, my dear, crack me up!

Cheryl P. said...

Why thank you, Margaret!! Hope all is going well at your end these days. How is the preparation for Listen to Your Mother coming along?

Life, Laughter and Paris said...

I don't think it's legal to sell your kids on Facebook. You're only allowed to give them away (but possibly get a tax receipt).

Robyn Engel said...

Yeah, surely Jarad could've afforded a Laser Jet from Best Buy.


That's sad and sick that someone would try to sell their kids on FB. A spouse/partner, I could understand, but not the young and innocent.


I love your posts, Cheryl.
Happy St. Paddy's Day and weekend.


xoRobyn

Cheryl P. said...

I am pretty sure that somewhere in the Facebook rules there is something that limits child trafficking. I doubt that any rules are attached to Craigslist....seems that anything goes over there. This woman hasn't put a very high value on her kids, so really she shouldn't even bother with the tax receipt. It would just trigger an audit and god knows she and her boyfriend probably have things to hide.

Cheryl P. said...

You are so right. Jarad has at least $300 (counterfieit but still) that he could of used to get a decent printer. Are we to assume that the quality of his work makes it difficult to pass off as real???
That is the real mystery on the FB post. Why wasn't she trying to get rid of her loser of a boyfriend instead of the kids. Something tells me she is nucking futs.
You are the best Robyn!! Your comments always make me smile.
Happy St. Paddy's Day to you too!

meleahrebeccah said...

I am completely speechless over the woman who tried to sell HER CHILDREN for bail money. WHAT THE FUCK!

"Misty doesn't seem to be clear on the purpose of Facebook. To sell things she needs to go to Craigslist." - Okay, that REALLY made me laugh. LOUDLY.

"If convicted Shepard could get up to 20 years in prison and a million dollar fine." A MILLION DOLLAR FINE? Wowzah.

"That is one lousy counterfeiter if he is using an ink jet printer from Walmart." Honest to god, that's exactly what I was thinking! ABahahhaHAhHAhHAhHAhHAh

"Flori-duh" - OMG. Love.

Cheryl P. said...

That woman is clearly out of her mind. I think it is a good thing that this happened so her kids got put with someone that won't try selling them in the future. How can a mother be that awful?


Yeah, that is some kind of sentence and fine. A million dollars!!! I guess he doesn't really have to worry about paying fines though, he'll already be in jail. What are they going to do to him? Can't very well threaten him with going to jail.



I am just so curious why he didn't take some of his counterfeit money and go to a place that has top of the line laser printers. I am thinking he is a really bad counterfeiter.

momto8blog said...

selling kids on Facebook?! oh my gosh, what a sad situation for everyone.

abeerfortheshower said...

Would people actually want to buy a 2 year old, though? I don't even want to make one of those for free. I couldn't imagine paying $1000 for one.

Linda R. said...

I only have one question. What is the point in fining a person a million dollars when they are in jail? I don't think doing laundry or making license plates pays that well. ;)

Cheryl P. said...

Evidently this is new as far as Facebook goes but not new to other Internet sites such as Ebay. We are living in a sad world when people stoop to these levels. I guess the good news is that the two children are being kept safe now and away from their mother. Their mom needs some serious help.

Cheryl P. said...

Oh yeah, we bleeding heart grandmothers would of paid WWWAAAYYYY more than that but of course there is the fact it's illegal and we grandmother types wouldn't be comfy in jail. I think two year olds are the sweetest little things on the planet. (well along with 1,3,4, 5, and so forth) If and when you ever have kids (or do you have one or some now??) you will think he or she is adddorrrrraaabbbbleeee.

Cheryl P. said...

I thought the same thing, Linda. The only reason I can even think of why they would impose a fine is to confiscate the proceeds that were a result of the drug business. He won't be making any real money in the slammer.

winopants said...

The oxy story reminds me of the episode of breaking bad where Jessie goes to recovery meetings with his fellow drug dealers to look for more customers. Makes you wonder how often things like this happen!

meleahrebeccah said...

"I am thinking he is a really bad counterfeiter."

Um yeah And really dumb!

Margaret said...

Busy busy busy!!!! And how are you doing? :)

Nicky said...

Thank you for sharing these stories, Cheryl. Especially the first one. Not because I now know to sell my children via Craigslist instead of Facebook or anything. No, nothing like that.

Cheryl P. said...

I have never seen Breaking Bad but I hear from people that they are addicted (no pun intended) to it. I wouldn't be surprised if those types of things happen fairly often. Everyone is looking for an angle to sell whatever they are trying to sell.

Cheryl P. said...

We all know that you children are awesome and there is no way you would let them out of your sight. There does seem to be some strange things happening out there on social media though. Who knew that someone would try to sell their kiddos?