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Families to Protest Possible Burial of Boston Bombing Suspect

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Hours after a Yale Divinity School graduate posted a blog offering a plot in a Hamden cemetery to the family of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev a protest is being planned.

On Monday, Paul Keane, who now lives in Vermont, wrote in his blog "The Anti Yale" that he would like to "donate a burial plot next to my mother in Mt. Carmel Burying Ground to the Tsarnaev family if they cannot obtain a plot." 

Family members of deceased buried at the cemetery said they are upset and plan to gather at Mt. Carmel Cemetery and hold a protest at 3:30 p.m.

Keane's family owns four plots in the Central Burying Grounds on Whitney Avenue, according to reports. His parents are buried in two of the plots, while the other two remain empty.

Keane wrote on Monday that the only condition is he offers the plot is "in memory of my mother who taught Sunday School at the Mt. Carmel Congregational Church for twenty years and taught me to 'love thine enemy'."

When NBC Connecticut called Keane on Tuesday, he said his only comment is" "Love thine enemy."



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Dogs Injured in Danbury Fire

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Two dogs were hurt in a two-alarm fire on Stillman Avenue in Danbury this morning.

Police said the fire is under control.

The extent of the dogs’ injuries are unknown. No humans were hurt.
 



Photo Credit: Chief Anthony Rongetti, Germantown Volunteer Fire Department

Noose Found in New Hartford Park Bathroom

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Police are investigating after a noose was found hanging in the men's bathroom at Brodie Park in New Hartford on Monday, according to Dennis Minor, the recreation director.

Staff found it hanging from the back of a door around 8 a.m. on Monday. Minor was at town hall when one of his staffers call and said it had been found.

Minor said he was at the park on Saturday and it wasn’t there. People were also at the park on Sunday and nothing was reported, he said.

The noose was found two days after Minor, who is black, made a campaign announcement at the park that he is beginning his campaign for First Selectman.

"My biggest concern is that people may think this is the way New Hartford is.  Like I said, 99-point-99 percent this is not the case, but cause of one rogue person, I would say, don't think that is the makeup of New Hartford," Minor said.  "I love this town."

 Minor has been the recreation director in New Hartford for 10 years.



Photo Credit: Town of New Hartford

Missing: 5-Foot-Tall Lobster

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When people pass by Gulf Shrimp in Southington, they stop. It’s hard to resist taking a photo with the 5-and-a-half foot tall lobster statue that stands out front.

But no one is taking photos with the massive crustacean now. Someone lobsternapped it.

A few weeks ago, a customer noticed that the lobster that has stood outside 240 Atwater St. in the Plantsville section of Southington for the last eight years was missing and told an employee.

The worker assumed that Camille Simoneaux, the co-owner of Gulf Shrimp, had taken it home to paint it, as she has in the past, Simoneaux said.

But, that was not the case.

Simoneaux said they realized over the weekend that the 150-pound fiberglass lobster was missing and called police to report the theft.

“It was a little comical to report a missing lobster. I was waiting for the chuckle on the other end. They took it seriously and knew exactly what I was talking about because so many people have seen it and noticed it when they drive by,” Simoneaux said.

The cost of the statue is estimated at around $2,000.

More importantly, the lobster is a landmark in the community and the owners want it back.

“It’s our landmark. People would know they could get fresh seafood and lobster here. We were attached to our lobster and we would like him back,” Scott Wishart, the sales manager, said. “It looks bare to me. we want our lobster back.”

Anyone with information about the lobster theft should call the Southington Police Department at 860-621-0101. 

 



Photo Credit: Gulf Shrimp Company

Calif. Limo Fire Survivor Describes Ordeal

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One of the survivors of the tragic limousine fire on California's San Mateo-Hayward Bridge is telling a heartbreaking story of loss.

Speaking with great difficulty, as if she were shell-shocked, Neila Arrellano, 36, of Oakland, said she lost five of her friends Saturday night after they were trapped by flames inside a stretch limousine on the bridge over the San Francisco Bay.

Watching the interview is painful. Arrellano utters words through tears and gasps. English is not her first language and it is also a bit of a challenge to understand everything that  she is saying.

But she did recount what she remembered, most of all, that there was smoke in the back of the limousine.

"I saw smoke in the back of the car," she said. "There is a smoke, there is smoke... Stop the car, stop the car. I told you, there is smoke...I said, 'Open the door.' But he didn't do anything. He was on the phone."

She also said none of her friends smoked cigarettes, and the fire came from under her seat in the back of the car.

In a separate interview, the limo driver, Orville Brown, told NBC Bay Area that at first he thought when he heard the word "smoke," he thought one of the nine women in the back of the limo wanted a cigarette. It wasn't until a short time later that he realized that smoke meant fire.

That's when he jumped into action, and started to dial 911, which was why he was on the phone. But at that point, he said, the limo was fully engulfed in flames.


Limousine Driver Described Fiery, Fatal Accident

Arrellano was part of a bachelorette party on their way to a Foster City hotel to celebrate their friend's wedding. The bride is among those who died.

Five of the nine women on board were unable to escape from the limo and died when flames and smoke spread through the rear of the passenger compartment.

Only four passengers were able to get out alive.  Three remained in the hospital Monday night suffering from smoke inhalation and burns.Arrellano, a nurse who works at the Fruitvale Health Center in Oakland, said she got out by sliding her body through the partitian in the front of the limo. She was the first one who got out safely.

She said she thought all of the women tried to get to the front of the vehicle because the flames were in the back. She wasn't sure if any of them tried to get out either of the back doors.

In three video clips posted below, Arrellano describes through tears how the events surrounding the fire unfolded.

  

 

View more videos at: http://nbcbayarea.com.

 

2 Injured in Enfield Propane Incident

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Two men were injured when a propane tank exploded inside Eastern Metal Treating, on Bacon Road in Enfield, as they were fueling a forklift on Tuesday afternoon.  

Mark Zarcaro, of Shaker Pines Fire Department, said the injuries are not life-threatening. 

Ambulances transported both men from the scene. One man suffered an arm injury, officials said.

The building is full of propane vapors, so authorities are waiting for a contractor to clear the air.
 



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Plane Flips Over in Meriden

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A small plane flipped while landing at Meriden-Markham Airport Tuesday afternoon.

The pilot didn't report anything abnormal when he attempted to land the Zenith Zodiak plane just before 2 p.m., according Jeff Price, the administrator at Meriden-Markham Airport. 

The plane touched down on the runway, but began to teeter from side to side until ti flipped, Price said.

The pilot, who is a man described to be 60 to 70 years old, has not been identified.  

Two other pilots at the airport ran to the crash scene and helped the pilot from the upside-down plane.

The pilot suffered scrapes on his face and was dazed, but did not appear to sustain any serious injuries, according to Price.  

He was taken to St. Mary's Hospital in Waterbury to be treated.

Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration have been called.  

The plane remained just off the runway and the airport remained closed, Price said.

 



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Fire Damages Wallingford Home

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A multi-family home in Wallingford was heavily damaged by fire on Tuesday.

Firefighters responded to 18 Dutton Street around 2 p.m. and found flames coming from the second and third floors of the home. The two upper floors suffered the most fire damage, according to fire officials.

No one was home at the time of the fire and no one was injured.

Firefighters from Meriden were called in to help put out the blaze.

The fire marshal is trying to determine what caused the fire.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Delaware Legalizes Gay Marriage

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A divided state Senate voted Tuesday to make Delaware the 11th state in the nation to allow same-sex marriage, after hearing hours of passionate testimony from supporters and opponents.

 

Less than an hour after the Senate's 12-9 vote, Democratic Gov. Jack Markell signed the measure into law.

"I do not intend to make any of you wait one moment longer," a smiling Markell told about 200 jubilant supporters who erupted in cheers and applause following the Senate vote.

"I am elated," said Scott Forrest, 50, of Newark, who entered into a same-sex civil union last year with his partner of almost 21 years, Kevin.

Delaware's same-sex marriage bill was introduced in the Democrat-controlled legislature barely a year after the state began recognizing same-sex civil unions. The bill won passage two weeks ago in the state House on a 23-18 vote.

While it doesn't give same-sex couples any more rights or benefits under Delaware law than those they have in civil unions, supporters argued same-sex couples deserve the dignity and respect of married couples. They also noted that if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the Defense of Marriage Act, which bars married gay couples from receiving federal benefits, civil unions would not provide protections or tax benefits under federal law to same-sex couples in Delaware.

"All couples under the law should be treated equally by their government," Lisa Goodman told lawmakers near the end of Tuesday's three-hour debate. Goodman is president of Equality Delaware, a gay rights group that drafted the legislation and led the effort to get it passed.

Opponents, including scores of conservative religious leaders from across the state, argued that same-sex marriage redefines and destroys a centuries-old institution that is a building block of society.

"Let's be careful about the concept of social evolution," said the Rev. Leonard Klein, a Roman Catholic priest speaking on behalf of the bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington, which serves more than 200,000 Catholics in Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore.

"When you remove male and female from the definition of marriage, all bets are off," added Klein, who urged lawmakers to show an "appropriate humility" for thousands of years of human experience.

Under the bill, no new civil unions will be performed in Delaware after July 1, and existing civil unions will be converted to marriages over the next year. The legislation also states that same-sex unions established in other states will be treated the same as marriages under Delaware law.

The bill does not force clerics to perform same-sex marriages that conflict with their religious beliefs. But under an existing Delaware law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation, business owners who refuse to provide marriage-related services to same-sex couples for reasons of conscience could be subject to discrimination claims.

Delaware joins neighboring Maryland and the nearby District of Columbia as jurisdictions that have approved gay marriage. Last week, Rhode Island became the 10th state to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed, with independent Gov. Lincoln Chafee signing the bill an hour after its final passage.

Minnesota appeared poised to legalize gay marriage after the Democratic speaker of the state House said Tuesday that a gay marriage bill endorsed by the governor and likely to pass in the state Senate also now has enough backing in his chamber. The House will vote on the measure Thursday, and if it passes, the Democratic-led Senate could vote on it as soon as Saturday.



Photo Credit: Getty

Moose Antler Turns Up in Wallingford

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Every day, three times a day, Debbie Johnson drives around the parking lot of the Homewood Suites in Wallingford.  Friday morning, just up the hill from the "clean up after your pet" sign on a grassy area, she spotted something unusual.

"I said, 'What is that?'", said Johnson, the motel manager. "Is that a moose antler?"

She called her husband, who told her Connecticut does have moose now.  "I don't remember that from being a kid growing up in Wallingford," she said.

There's bark missing from a tree near where she found the antler, the tree she thinks the moose used "to get that thing off its head."

She and others from the Homewood Suites looked for the other antler and the moose itself without success.

A wildlife expert from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection believes the antler may not have come directly from a moose, but from someone who dumped the antler in Wallingford.

"Doesn't really seem like a likely spot where an antler would be," Andy Labonte said.  "Normally they drop the antlers at the end of January."

The antler may go on the wall near the front desk, she said, and there may be another new installation too.

"Yeah, moose crossing - I guess we need one in the parking lot seeing as how we have a moose on the loose," Johnson said.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Elderly Woman Victim of Enfield Home Invasion

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An Enfield woman in her 90s was the victim of a home invasion on Monday.

The elderly woman answered a knock at her door at her Windsor Street home thinking she was receiving a package.

"She opened the door and the person forced his way into the home, knocking her down," Chief Carl Sferrazza said.

The woman's daughter found her injured and bleeding. The victim could not remember many details about the man or the incident, but police believe it happened between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday.

"Her jewelry was missing and the TV set, as well as all of the phone lines appear to have been cut outside," Sferrazza said.

He urges residents who feel uncomfortable about a situation to call police and let officers investigate.

"We don't normally have this type of thing going on. We haven't had a rash of these, but you know, caution is a good thing to be practicing right now."



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Couple Held Captive Will Get Bulk of Ex-LAPD Manhunt Reward Money

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The bulk of the approximately $1 million reward offered during the Southern California manhunt for a murderous ex-police officer will go to a couple held captive by Christopher Dorner in the hours before he died in a fiery exchange with law enforcement, the LAPD announced Tuesday.

Two other parties – a tow-truck driver who spotted the fugitive at a gas station, and a ski resort worker who found Dorner’s burned-out truck in a ski resort area – will also receive a portion of the reward.

Twelve parties filed claims on the reward.

Among the rejected claimants are a man who claims to have predicted Dorner’s demise in detail, a woman who had a “vision” of a storage facility that may have belonged to Dorner but did not tell police, and a man who let officers use his cellphone after a deadly shootout with Dorner in Riverside, Calif.

Tuesday's ruling eliminates Rick Heltebrake, who was carjacked by Dorner, from receiving any reward money because although his phone call tipped agents to Dorner, law enforcement had already spotted and engaged in gunfire with the fugitive in Heltebrake's pickup truck, the memorandum notes.

Heltebrake in April said he intended to sue the city to get the money.

Held captive by Dorner in their Big Bear area cabin, Karen and James Reynolds will receive 80 percent of the reward.

The couple stumbled upon Dorner on Feb. 12. A former Navy reservist who served tours overseas, Dorner methodically tied up the pair, telling them he knew they had seen him on the news and that he did not want to hurt them.

He then left the cabin and, according to law enforcement, commandeered the couple’s Nissan sport utility vehicle. Dorner later crashed the Nissan and carjacked a white pickup truck, authorities said. A shootout, standoff and inferno inside a separate cabin followed the double car thefts.

After about 15 minutes in captivity, Karen Reynolds was able to roll onto her knees, scoot over to the bed and get onto her feet. She hopped into the living room, where she noticed her cellphone was on the coffee table, which she used to call 911. Agents found Dorner 30 minutes later.

Unlike the other parties who laid claim to the reward, the Reynolds were deemed “instrumental” in finding Dorner.

Daniel McGowan, who will receive 15 percent of the reward pot, was driving to work along an unpaved fire road in Big Bear Lake on Feb. 7 when he came across Dorner’s burning truck.

That discovery, the memorandum notes, gave law enforcement vital information that pinpointed Dorner’s location in the mountain community, where they zeroed in.

“Had Mr. McGowan failed to contact authorities in a timely fashion, Dorner would have had a chance to flee the area,” the memorandum reads.

A tow-truck driver whose sighting of Dorner resulted in a police pursuit and two police shootouts with the fugitive will receive the remaining 5 percent of the reward money.

R. Lee McDaniel spotted Dorner at an AM/PM gas station in Corona early in the morning on Feb. 7.

Remembering a news article describing Dorner’s truck as a gray Nissan Titan, McDaniel returned to his tow truck and used its scanners to read the license plate on a similar truck parked in the lot.

The men made eye contact before McDaniel drove away, followed by Dorner. As McDaniel started to call police, he saw an LAPD squad car pull into the gas station he just left. McDaniel drove across the median to tell officers who he had just seen.

A subsequent police pursuit of Dorner led to two shootouts, one of which left Riverside Police Officer Michael Crain dead and his partner critically hurt.

McDaniel’s role in the manhunt, although minimal, “confirmed Dorner’s presence in Southern California … specifically, his presence east of Los Angeles in the Inland Empire,” making his worthy of a portion of the reward, the memorandum noted.

A panel of three judges doled out the reward money based on whether the claimant contacted police with information that helped the investigation and whether that information led to Dorner’s capture.

The City of Riverside and the Peace Officers Research Association of California pulled their portions of the reward money — $100,000 and $50,000 respectively — saying their pledges were contingent on the capture and conviction of Dorner, who died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in a burning cabin.

For the purpose of determining the reward recipients, “there is no requirement that a conviction have resulted, which of course would be impossible in view of the fact that Dorner is dead,” the memorandum stated.

The panel deemed Dorner was “constructively arrested or captured” when agents surrounded the cabin in which he was hiding on Feb. 12.

Dorner killed a newly engaged couple, including the daughter of a former LAPD captain, on Feb. 3 before slaying a Riverside police officer on Feb. 10, and a San Bernardino County Sheriff's detective on Feb. 13.

In a manifesto posted on online, Dorner said his ramapage would end when the LAPD cleared his name after he was fired from the force in 2008. He was accused of falsely accusing  fellow officer of kicking a suspect.

Burglars Caught on Video Stealing $15,000 from Church

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Police released surveillance video showing a burglary in progress at a church in Southern California on Tuesday — and they say the thousands of dollars stolen were headed for charity.

The video was captured May 1, between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., at the Forty Martyrs Armenian Church in Santa Ana, Calif.

Two of the men broke into the church, while the third acted as a lookout, according to police.

After rummaging through rooms and cabinets for about an hour, the burglars came across a safe containing $15,000.

The video shows one burglar leave the room and return with a crowbar, which the men use to rip the safe out of the ground.

The money was for the church's weekly bingo night, which was held the previous Friday, the church said.

"This was for charity. Nobody likes people who steal from charity," said Corporal Anthony Bertagna of the Santa Ana Police Department. "They collected money that they could have used for a lot better things than what these people will be using it for."

The first suspect was described as a white man, 30 to 35 years old, clean shaven. A second was described as a white man, 40 to 45 years old with a mustache, a bald head and a medium build. A third suspect was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and appeared to possibly be a Latino man, 35 to 40 years old, with a goatee and a thin build.

Anaheim and Irvine police are investigating similar burglaries have occurred at small businesses across Santa Ana. In each case, a safe containing money was taken.

Anyone with information can contact the Santa Ana Police Department at (714) 245-8665.

Police Step Up Search for Hit & Run Driver

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On Tuesday night, Bridgeport Police took new steps to find a hit-and-run driver who struck a 2-year-old boy on April 30. 

A week after the crash, Corey Gordon remains  in the intensive care unit at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Police Chief Joseph Gaudett is frustrated because no one has come forward with information on the driver and on Tuesday put dozens of police officers in the neighborhood where Corey was struck.

Police went door to door near Capitol Avenue and Main Street for hours, asked neighbors if they know anything about what happened and stopped drivers nearby, and hoped to get some clues.

“I made a promise to my son. I will break my back to make sure I find this man. I don't care what it takes,” Corey’s mother, Erika Parmlee, said.

She had just gotten Corey out of her car that night when he was hit and he has been at the hospital ever since with a serious head injury.

“He should be getting ice cream and playing in a playground, not going through something like this here, it's ridiculous,” Parmlee said.

Samuel Marino said he was parked in front of Corey’s mother and noticed a red scrape on his car after the incident. He is questioning if the driver hit him too during the getaway. He said he

“Someone hit my car here, the color…it must be red,” said Samuel Marino. “I’m going to have to talk to the police here and tell them about this,” Marino added.

Police said they needed more people to come forward with any information they had. It is critical to find that driver. 

“Style of car, color of car, anything would be very helpful,” Gaudette said.

“No one understands what I'm going through and no one ever will,” Erika Parmlee said.

She said her son’s condition has improved, but he still had a long road to recovery.

Bridgeport Police want to emphasize they need anyone to call them with information. You can remain anonymous.



Photo Credit: Family Photo

Calif. Coroner IDs 5 Limo Fire Victims

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The cornoner of San Mateo County, Calif.,  released the names on Tuesday of the five women who died Saturday night in a fiery limousine tragedy on the San Mateo Bridge.

The women were part of a bachelorette party -- four women survived -- to celebrate Neriza Fojas' marriage when the Limo Stop 1999 Lincoln Town Car limousine they were in caught fire for an unexplained reason. The women were trapped inside and died.

The women who died all lived in California: Michelle Estrera, 35, of Fresno; Anna Alcantara, 46, of San Lorenzo; Neriza Fojas, 31, of Fresno; Jennifer Balon, 39, of Dublin; and Felomina Geornga, 43, of Alameda. All were nurses.

John Balon, Jennifer Balon's husband, told NBC Bay Area on Tuesday that several of the women invited to the bachelorette party on Saturday night had been at his daughter's 10th birthday party at Dublin Bowl earlier in the day. They returned home for dinner, and then his wife headed out for what was supposed to be a night of fun in Foster City at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

"She kissed me goodbye and she left with her friends," Balon said. 

It was his last kiss. The limo she was in caught fire on the San Mateo Bridge about 10 p.m., trapping her and four others inside. The driver, Orville Brown, wasn't injured.

Now, Balon is left to raise his daughter, Jillian, and 1-year-old son, Jayden, on his own.

"She was a very, loving, sweet mom...she nurtured them," Balon said. "They won't have her in their lifetime. They won't have a mom."

A relative told NBC Bay Area that Fojas was recently married here in the United States, but she was also planning a wedding in the Philippines on June 19. 

She was preparing to get her master's degree, according to Christina Kitts, who said that Fojas lived in Hawaii while she reviewed for her nursing exam, then took a job in Oakland, for two years before moving to Fresno, where she had been a nurse at Community Regional Medical Center for a year.

Community Regional released a statement about Fojas and Estrera, who worked for them in Fresno as nurses.

"Neriza Fojas and Michelle Estrera were exemplary nurses who dedicated their lives to helping others. These two outstanding nurses were loved by their patients, colleagues and staff at our hospital. Both were good friends, stellar nurses and excellent mentors who served as preceptors to new nurses. On behalf of everyone at Community Regional, we offer our condolences to their family and friends. We will dearly miss these two special people who have touched our lives during their time at Community Regional."

 

The brother-in-law of another victim, Anna Alcantara, says her family is also heart broken. Alcantra was also a wife and mother of two children.

"It's hard to imagine the pain they had gone through and now the pain the husband and kids are going through," Resty Padojino said.

Four women did survive the horrific accident. Three were still hospitalized on Tuesday. Jasmine Deguia, 34, of San Jose and Amalia Loyola, 48, of San Leandro were at Valley Medical Center in San Jose. They were upgraded to "fair" condition on Tuesday.

Stanford Medical Center would not discuss the details of Mary G. Guardiano, 42, of Alameda. According to reports, though, she had been released.

Nelia Arrellano, 36, of Oakland had been released from Stanford earlier on Monday, and spoke emotionally about the deaths of her friends.

Meanwhile, state Public Utilities Commission spokeswoman Terrie Prosper said  that the commission is looking into whether the operator of the limo, Limo Stop of San Jose, willfully misrepresented the seating capacity to the agency. If so, Limo Stop could be penalized $7,500 for each day it was in violation. Limo Stop's owner, Kultar Singh, has expressed his sympathies, but deferred all comments to his attorney, who did not immediately respond for comment.
 
Limo Stop is licensed and has shown evidence of liability insurance, Prosper said. The company has seven vehicles with a seating capacity of up to eight passengers listed with the commission, and it has not been the target of any previous enforcement action.
 
The CPUC, which regulates limousines, requires that all carriers have a preventive maintenance program and maintain a daily vehicle inspection report, Prosper said. Carriers also certify that they are have or are enrolled in a safety education and training program, she said.
 
Prosper said requirements for emergency exits only apply to buses, and limousines are not required to have fire extinguishers.
 
Joan Claybrook, the top federal auto-safety regulator under President Jimmy Carter, said the stretch limousine industry is poorly regulated because the main agency that oversees car safety doesn't have enough money to prioritize investigating the small businesses that modify limos after they leave the assembly line.
 
Instead, the agency tends to focus more on problems with new cars and major recalls, she said.

A nonprofit recall website shows that the 1999 Lincoln Town Car has been subject to five recalls: In 2000, tires, jack equipment, and the front seat belts were recalled. In 1998, the suspension was recalled.
 
U.S. Department of Transportation data shows five people died in three separate stretch limo accidents in 2010, and 21 people died in another three stretch limo accidents in 2011.

 

 Associated Press writers Sudhin Thanawala in San Francisco and Gosia Wozniacka, and NBC Bay Area's Christie Smith, Kris Sanchez, Lori Preuitt and Kinsey Kiriakos contributed to this report.

 



Photo Credit: Courtesy of Bolan family

Manchester Teen Found

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Police have cancelled a Silver Alert for a 14-year-old Manchester teen who had been missing since 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Darryl Smith has been found and he is safe, according to police.

An alert was issued when he disappeared after riding his bicycle at Pope Park in Hartford on Tuesday afternoon. 



Photo Credit: Manchester Police

San Diego Man Arrested in 37-Year Cold Case Murder

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More than 37 years after a Tucson woman was killed, homicide investigators believe they have solved the cold case homicide with the arrest of a San Diego man.

Tucson Police have identified Bruce McCullough as the suspect in the March 1976 murder of his then-girlfriend Donna Smith.

McCullough, 28, at the time of Smith’s death fled the Tucson area and assumed another identify, officials said.

Then, in 2013, homicide investigators got a break in the case when they learned that not only was McCullough using his identity again but that he had been living in San Diego.

With the help of San Diego police, detectives found McCullough, 66, and arrested him on May 2. He is now in custody facing a charge of first degree murder and extradition to Arizona.

Smith, 20, (pictured right) was found dead inside her home on March 19, 1976.

Investigators say she had been dead for several days before she was discovered.

Her mother is still living in Tucson. Detectives said they were able to visit her and give her the news of McCullough’s arrest.

More Local Stories

 



Photo Credit: Tucson Police Department

WATCH: Dodgers' Kemp Gives Fan the Jersey Off His Back

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Dodgers' outfielder Matt Kemp gave his hat to a Dodger fan. And his jersey. And his cleats.

A soon-to-be viral YouTube video of Kemp went live Monday night and shows Kemp giving the shirt off his back to a 19-year-old Dodgers fan sitting in the front row near third base at San Francisco’s AT&T Stadium. Joshua Jones has been battling brain cancer for three years.

Kemp sauntered up to the stands after a game against the Giants Sunday, shook the fan’s hand and signed his baseball. Kemp took off hat and reached across the fence, then, in quick succession, pulled off his jersey and cleats and handed them to the fan, as a stadium full of San Francisco Giants fans cheered.

"I didn't even know," Joshua Jones told NBC4. "My dad talked to the third-base coach and he surprised me."

"I'm still kind of amazed by it," Jones added.

The video, embedded below, was uploaded by YouTube user “stayinhigh4209,” who wrote:

“Matt Kemp is sucha great person. He came over after the game and made one of my best friends night.”

He indicated that the Dodger fan who received Kemp’s treasure trove of baseball items was “fighting a tough battle.”

Fans of the video left supportive comments after watching the video, many saying it brought them to tears.

“All professional athletes should take a lesson. This is what class looks like!” wrote YouTube user Shawn Dempsey.

Singer in Grammy-Nominated Band Accused of Murder-for-Hire

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The frontman of the Grammy-nominated Christian heavy metal band As I Lay Dying was arrested Tuesday, accused of trying to hire someone to kill his wife.

Tim Lambesis, who is the lead singer and co-founder of the San Diego-based band, asked an undercover detective on Tuesday afternoon to murder his estranged wife, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. Authorities said Lambesis was arrested at an Oceanside, Calif., business without incident.

Officials said they learned on May 2 that Lambesis may have solicited someone to kill his wife, who is a resident of neighboring Encinitas. A search of court records has determined that Lambesis' wife, Meggan, filed for divorce in North County last September.

Described as a straight-edged Christian metal band, As I Lay Dying formed more than a decade ago and has released eight albums, including the Grammy-nominated An Ocean Between Us, which came out in 2007, according to band publicity.

The band is also a mainstay of the San Diego Music Awards, nominated last year for Best Hard Rock Album for Decas, and winning for Best Hard Rock the year before that. In 2008, 2007 and 2005, the band took home the SDMA statuettes for Artist of the Year. As I Lay Dying is slated to embark on a cross-country tour with Massachusetts metal band Killswitch Engage later this month.

Lambesis has been charged with solicitation of another to commit murder. He has been booked into the Vista Detention Facility.

Tim Pyles, a DJ at FM94/9 and contributor to NBCSanDiego.com's SoundDiego blog, said that he was "bummed" by the news.

“There’s a lot of people who look up to him," Pyles said. "He’s just broken a lot of hearts if it’s true.”

 

 



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Police Charge Norwich Man With Baby’s Death

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Police have arrested a 22-year-old Norwich man charged in connection with the death of a 13-month-old girl last Thursday. 

The child was in the care of the mother's boyfriend, Michael A. Rios, 22, of Norwich, when she sustained injuries, according to police.

When Rios brought the baby to William W. Backus Hospital on May 2, he told staff she fell off the bed, according to the affidavit.

Medical staff called the DCF hotline and said the baby was unconscious and had bleeding on the brain, court documents state.

Even after being placed on a ventilator, the baby was unresponsive and LifeStar medical helicopter transported her to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford, where doctors performed surgery to relieve pressure to the skull, but the baby died, police said.

When investigators spoke with Rios, he said he'd put the baby on the bed, given her medication for an ear infection and left her alone as he went to the kitchen, according to the affadavit. That is when he heard her fall from the bed onto the hardwood floor, police said.

Doctors told investigators that did not explain the extent of the baby's injuries and police told Rios that.

As the questioning continued, Rios said he was caring for the baby on April 30 and was tossing her into the air and catching her under the armpits, as he usually did, then brought her to the bathroom to comb her hair.

He had placed the baby so she was sitting on the bathroom vanity next to the sink, the affidavit states, and the baby became lethargic and dizzy, fell into the sink and her forehead hit the faucet, Rios told police. 

She cried for about two minutes and Rios soothed her, but did not seek medical treatment, according to the affidavit.

The baby's mother told investigators that she did not leave the baby alone with Rios until April 21, about two moths after they started dating. 

She took the baby to the hospital on April 30 to be checked for the bruise on her forehead and ER staff determined she was fine, police said.

On May 2, he again tossed the little girl into the air and caught her and her head snapped forward and backward, he said, according to the affidavit. 

Then, he gave the baby the medicine, left her alone while he went to the kitchen, and heard a bang when the baby fell off the bed, he said, according to police.

When Rios went to investigate, the baby was not breathing right. 

Rios said he shook her "very hard," and performed CPR in a panic, then brought the baby to the hospital, he said, according to police.

The office of the medical examiner ruled the baby's death homicide, caused by blunt head trauma, and determined that her injuries were inconsistent with a fall from a bed.

She suffered from a subdural hematoma to the left side of the brain, a hematoma to the spinal cord, hemorraging on both optic nerves and mouth contusions.

Police arrested Rios on a warrant at 2:20 p.m. on Monday. He was charged with first-degree manslaughter and risk of injury to a minor and released after posting a $100,000 surety bond.

He is due in court on May 16.



Photo Credit: Norwich Police
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