Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Here We Grow Again closing its doors

In case you missed it in the comments, the consignment shop Here We Grow Again will be closing its door at the end of the month. It's rough out there.

The specifics from Daphne:
I heard they closed as well :-( small businesses are just having a hard time all the way around in Waxhaw. We just announced the closing of our store as well-Here We Grow Again in Waxhaw (children's consignment store). Our doors officially close on April 30th after 3 years being in business.
I meant to post this last week, but I've been a little swamped at work and home, entertaining computers and visiting family. If you're looking for a deal on kid's stuff in the next few days, consider stopping by.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Danes in Waxhaw

If you had to pick a town commissioner to escort a handful of Danes around Waxhaw, who would you pick? And would it matter if they came as friend or foe? Either way, I'd pick Joyce Blythe.

And that's apparently what happened according to a town Facebook update. For those stubbornly refusing the siren song of Facebook, here's the details minus the pictures:
The Denmark delegation took a walking tour of downtown Waxhaw (led by Commissioner Joyce Blythe and Melvin Faris) and also visited the Alphabet Museum. The Danish delegation arrived in Raleigh in April 9 where they spent two days in Raleigh learning about the American education system prior to traveling to Waxhaw. Once they arrived at Cuthbertson on April 12, their visit included observing classrooms, meeting with student groups, and meeting with teachers. To learn more about our school system, the group met with UCPS Deputy Superintendent Dr. Mary Ellis; they also visited Kensington Elementary and Cuthbertson Middle School. They also visited the Museum of the New South in uptown Charlotte-a museum that traces the history of the Charlotte area and also focuses on the educational history of the area.
So many questions left unanswered. Why did a Danish delegation come to learn about America's education system? Why did they visit Waxhaw? What day did this occur? How come I can't find any mention of this trip in the media anywhere? This seems like something worth covering. Did Commissioner Blythe and Melvin Faris give them a better historic walk than those available to regular Waxhaw joes?

And so forth.

Signolia's still around?

Awhile back, I purchased a bottle of Signolia's Own Balsalmic Vinaigrette, made locally in Waxhaw if I'm not mistaken.

The mayor and others had been raving about it on Facebook, so I dipped my toe in and purchased a bottle for the equivalent of four bottles of Trader Joe's two three-buck Chuck. A little expensive as far as dressing is concerned, but figured we'd give it a whirl. It sat in the pantry for a while, but we eventually broke it out and it was a hit, especially with my wife.

Well, that bottle of balsamic vinaigrette eventually ran dry and I'm in the market for another. An email to Eve at Signolia's has gone answered, so I was wondering if anyone knows if Signolia's is still in business.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Easter egg hunt reminder

The Museum of the Waxhaws' egg hunt was postponed last weekend due to inclement weather. Just a reminder that it is on for tomorrow. We haven't done it for a few years, but the kids had a good time the last time we did this.

Here's the update straight from the horse's mouth Facebook feed:
EASTER EGG HUNT - Saturday, 4/23. Registration begins at 2:30 PM, and the hunt begins at 3:30 SHARP. You may arrive a little early, or stay a little late, and have your photo taken with the Easter bunny. Cost is $3 per child. For additional info, please call the Museum of the Waxhaws at 704-843-1832. Thanks, we hope to see you here!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

May First Friday flyer

As I mentioned, we got ice cream at the Dairy Barn yesterday.

However, I picked up a First Friday flyer. I can honestly say this is the most notice I've ever received on a First Friday event.

While there's nothing up at the First Friday Facebook page (what's up STMSPC?), I've scanned up the flyer so my dedicated readers get it as soon as possible. I just couldn't live with myself if just one of you had a sleepless night because you hadn't yet seen the latest First Friday flyer.

Enjoy.

2011 May First Friday Waxhaw flyer

Hayes Carll @ Daytrotter

Hayes Carll showed up at Daytrotter, so there's a freely downloadable performance for Hayes Carll there for those interested.

Since this a Hayes Carll post, I'd like to revise my opinion of his latest album KMAG YOYO. I originally wrote the following:
As for the music itself, after a couple listens thus far, my early grade is that it's nearly as good as his last album, Trouble in Mind.
Well, after spending a couple weeks listening to it and his other three albums on my lengthy commute, I've decided it's not nearly as good as his last two albums -- Trouble in Mind and Little Rock. Given the length of time between Trouble in Mind and KMAG YOYO, I was expecting (and obviously hoping based on my initial review) for something a lot better.

It's not a bad album by any means, but it won't make it into my rotation more than Trouble in Mind or Little Rock, which likely means it won't make it into my rotation very often. And unlike his previous two albums where there are multiple mix CD worthy songs, there's really not much on his latest album that I'd include on a mix CD.

Broom Shop reopens... with a caveat

Mark Hernig's ye olde Kick 'n Stitch Broom Shop, which closed its doors in March, is back in business, but outside the cozy confines of Waxhaw.

There was a notice posted on the wall of the Dairy Barn that it had reopened down Hwy 75 towards Mineral Springs somewhere. A more competent blogger would've taken a picture so he had all the details for his devoted readers, but not this one. I sometimes forget I'm walking around all day with a camera at my side.

Perhaps this blogging mishap will draw more customers to the Dairy Barn as people flock there to check out the sign I neglected to take a picture of. Will the Dairy Barn will be laughing all the way to the bank.

It's good to hear that he's still in business making old timey brooms though.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Out on the town

Business was booming at Maxwell's Tavern this evening. A crowd of people were still waiting outside for seats as late as 7:00pm to be seated.

My family was one of the customers seated beforehand. Normally we have a pretty good experience at Maxwell's, but our service was moving a little slower than normal. It took quite a while to even get a coffee refill, enough so that even our server commented on it.

And my ribeye steak was lackluster this go-around; it wasn't as pink as I expected after ordering it medium and I think the cook forgot to put the seasoning on it because it tasted rather plain. I almost wanted to ask for a little Montreal steak seasoning because it was quite bland. The steak I'd gotten there a week earlier was much tastier. Further illustration: I'm not a huge fan of their fries, but this evening, I focused more on them than on my ribeye. The server

We headed over to the Dairy Barn afterward to get some soft serve ice cream despite the fact the kids didn't eat as well as they should've. I played my youngest in some spirited games of Connect 4 and checkers that were surprisingly competitive before ultimately heading home after a nice night on the town.

Tasty rumor?

I'm not one to pass along rumors, but apparently the word over at Union County Mommies is that Lorenzo's Pizza will be taking over at Marino's old location.

I've never eaten at Lorenzo's, but have heard it's great pizza, so this would be fantastic news if true. Can anyone verify?

Thanks Laura for the tip.

Mark D with Union County Weekly now

I noticed that Mark D (or Mark DiBiasio) of the Village Scribe Online fame is now writing for the Union County Weekly. Village Scribe Online maintains one of the coveted yet rarely updated spots on my blogroll of Waxhaw-related links off to the side.

I'm not sure how long he's been at it there, but here's a link to the first article of his that I came across -- a piece touching upon the numerous complaints about the proposed animal control ordinance in Waxhaw that I linked to in an earlier post.

Read the whole thing to get a feel for the bevy of complaints about the initial proposal.

Who put together the original proposal? I was just wondering who thought it necessary and/or desirable to have Waxhaw residents paying more per animal than Charlotte residents.
The draft ordinance stipulates a $20 annual license fee for spayed or neutered animals, $40 if not. By comparison, the City of Charlotte charges $10 license for spayed or neutered and $30 for fertile animals.
It seems like a lot of law-abiding pet owners will be penalized if the current proposed ordinance passes.

Garage sale

We've had family visiting, so my wife decided to do a garage sale in an effort to de-clutter the house and hopefully make a few bucks. For my thoughts on the family garage sale, read on. If you don't care, you'd best skip this post.

* Last Saturday's weather interfered with with the sale. While the weather wasn't as bad as hyped in our area, there was still a noticeable lack of customers perusing our desirable wares. I must say based on the news reports, it's clear Waxhaw got off pretty easy compared to other parts of North Carolina.

* If you're thinking of having a Sunday garage sale, don't waste your time. I'm just saying...

* In one last garage sale note, my wife has decided to take one for the team and have another this upcoming Saturday. All the stuff is already laid out in the garage, so might as well give it one last hurrah. So if you have any desire to come help clean out our garage of all this stuff...

* I don't really do garage sales, but I will help prepare for them as needed. So while my wife was manning the garage sale, I drove into Monroe to drop off alkaline batteries and old computer equipment at the Monroe Earth Day Festival. With multiple rapscallions afoot, I've seen firsthand the sheer number of acid-filled batteries that are required to power the toys of the 21st century.

So I started collecting them. Every year or so, I'll take my collection (along with some failed laptop batteries collected at the office and other miscellanea) to the Monroe Earth Day Festival, where they graciously collect materials such as this so they can be properly disposed of.

Anyone know of a place closer to Waxhaw that recycles this kind of stuff for free? Just wondering.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Waxhaw Yoga has moved

If you blinked in early April and just opened your eyes, you might've just noticed that Waxhaw Yoga has moved into the little plaza across from Ski Trail Lane. They used to be holed up over at the Eight Legs Gallery near Fox's Pizza.

According to their website, the move occurred in early April. What can I say? I don't drive up Providence Road very much and on those rare occasions I do, I'm more likely to be caterwauling to Billy Joe Shaver than actually paying attention to my surroundings.

On a less important side note, I bought a massage gift certificate from Waxhaw Yoga (from massage therapist Michelle Karmon) last Christmas for my wife that she has yet to cash in. Given past behavior, she'll use it shortly before expiration after I've been hounding her for weeks not to waste it.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Observer drops Neighbors section...

...and replaces it with the Union News.

I got a preview on Saturday and the real deal on Sunday. Giving it a quick once over, there appeared to be little on Waxhaw in the debut issue.

But it appears designed to give the Union County Weekly and the Waxhaw Exchange a run for its money.

I'm not sure if they plan to make this a free weekly available to everyone or, like the Neighbors section before it, available only for subscribers. I suspect the latter.

New Gazette

Another new issue of the Waxhaw Gazette is out and the Waxhaw-related material:

* An article on the upcoming 5K

* Reminders about the upcoming Spring Fest and the accompanying Food & Drink Weekend. I've posted on this here and here.

Check it out.

Photographers running amok in Waxhaw?

Bloggers have their own slang and a bleg is a blog post that is solely a request for information. And since I'm a blogger, I figure I better start acting like one by using the applicable lingo.

This post (along with the last one) fits that description.

My wife went for a walk this evening and said professional-looking photographers were all over downtown Waxhaw. She estimated the photographers (and potential hangers-on) at 20.

Anyone know why?

Just Wing It still slinging chicken?

Anyone know?

My wife called Saturday around 5.30pm to order some wings from them (for the first time) and no one answered the phone.

So we ended up getting pizza and wings from Papa Johns.

I found it odd that they didn't answer their phone during prime dining hours.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Charlotte media starting to play catch-up?

The Charlotte Observer finally published their article on the Bonnie & Clyde fiasco I think I mentioned on this Waxhaw blog many times before.

As someone who has kept a relatively close eye on this issue (despite its ties to Waxhaw), I found it rather lackluster. Maybe there can be a Sunday follow-up on how the media covered the story in the first place.

WBTV has an obligatory piece as well for what it's worth. And if you thought the Observer article was lackluster...

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Bonnie & Clyde at it in SC

Per this WLTX article, Justin Aldrich and Anna Hoard, the purported Bonnie & Clyde robbers, were arrested in Forest Acres, SC doing what they're trained to do. A snippet:
Forest Acres, SC (WLTX) -- Police arrested a man and a woman from Cornelius, North Carolina after they say the two broke in to a Forest Acres home on Monday.

Investigators with the Forest Acres Police Department say the suspects may be connected to other incidents outside the town.

Officers charged Anna Lee Hoard with second degree burglary, driving without a license, and possession of marijuana and Justin Ryan Aldrich with second degree burglary.

Officials say Aldrich will soon face charges in Horry County.
And it appears their wheels are still running just fine, as the red Jeep Cherokee makes a cameo in the story as well.
On Monday, a Forest Acres resident returned home for lunch, when he found a Red Jeep Cherokee backed into his driveway, with Hoard sitting in the driver's seat, police say.

The man spoke with Hoard, who told him that her friend was checking to see if the home belonged to another friend, according to officers. That's when Alrich walked from around the home, got into the Jeep, and the jeep drove away, investigators say.
And like clockwork, the Forest Acres authorities also have already released the two on bond like the Concord police before them. Although bond was set at $75000 this time, so I do believe it is getting higher with each capture.

So keep your eyes peeled for a red Jeep Cherokee; your possessions just might depend on it.

See this post for all my other Bonnie & Clyde related posts.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Power outage

In parts of Waxhaw on Saturday evening, families were forced to spend more time together and just talk due to a power outage caused by downed trees. Our kids were at a sleepover and as everyone surely knows, you don't need power to have a fun sleepover.

For the rest of us, who may or may not have put on headlamps to pass the time as we demanded answers from our elected officials to no avail, we made do until ultimately going to bed. We woke up around 2am, meaning the power was out no more than 7 hours.

On a positive note, our area appears to have avoided the monstrous baseball-sized hail splashed on the tv news, which no doubt would've caused significant damage to area cars and structures.

Charlotte Observer finally on the case?

I hear the Charlotte Observer interviewed Caleb Allen, his mother, and uncle this weekend.

So perhaps they've finally decided to cover this story.

My previous posts on it are here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Be forewarned: school lunches rising

Brian Carlton has an article in the latest issue of the Union County Weekly on the $0.15 increase in school lunches.
Next fall, it will cost 15 cents extra for a student to eat lunch at a public school in Union County. The price hike is due to a federal mandate, which requires the cost to climb.

...

The increase affects students at all schools. This means beginning July 1, elementary school lunches will increase to $1.95 while middle and high school lunches will cost $2.05.
On first reading, I thought this was just do to rising prices of oil, which is increasing the price of all food if you hadn't noticed. After a second look, I see this is due to a federal mandate requiring the cost of school lunches to increase.

It appears this is compliments of the child nutrition bill that was pushed through by President Obama and the Democrats.

And to think I thought the major disadvantage of this bill would be to eliminate the cheese stick dippers, which I hear are rather good. Good enough that I plan to try them myself before the year is out since I am not confident they will be back next year.

South Charlotte Weekly on Allen dismissal

The only print media source to truly cover the Bonnie & Clyde fiasco is the Charlotte Weekly family of papers. So it's no surprise they've covered both the expected dismissal of charges against Caleb Allen, the wrongly accused 'Clyde,' and the unfortunate dismissal of charges against two other suspects due to police missteps.

Anyone who's been following this whole tale should read the whole thing. A snippet:
Now, prosecutors have dropped all charges against the three, stating that a combination of a misidentification of Allen as one of the suspects and the mishandling of a search warrant by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police has left the cases too flimsy to take to trial. Police public information officer Robert Fey said last week that the department will not comment on any of the cases or the dismissal of the charges.
While my post earlier in the week touched upon many of the same details, the Charlotte Weekly article written by Mike Parks, Frank DeLoache and Josh Lanier does an excellent job providing overview of the overall story and pulling out the nuggets in the release document. I suspect if Diana Allen had not hooked up with the Charlotte Weekly, Caleb would still be charged for this crime.

If you haven't read any of my posts on this, you might want to reconsider because it's a good story, especially now that the charges against Caleb Allen have finally been dropped. It's got a little bit of everything: break-ins totaling thousands of dollars, drugs, mom on stakeout, roadside confrontations, a high speed chase on a flat tire, an influential Waxhaw blogger, police missteps, media, and innocent man fighting for and ultimately winning his freedom. (Which one doesn't belong?)

It's because this story is so captivating that I'm so very surprised that none of the local media, save Tara Servatius and the oft mentioned Charlotte Weekly newspapers, had any interest in telling it. It's a great story to tell.

Union County Weekly on white van

The Union County Weekly ran an article last week on the white van and alleged kidnapping attempt discussed previously here and here.

Local police are apparently no closer to identifying the suspect at this point. Per the article:
Although Waxhaw police officers thoroughly checked the area immediately after the report, so far they’ve had no luck identifying the man or his van. “We’ve had absolutely no updates on the situation,” Waxhaw Police Chief Michael Eiss reported. “But we’ve stepped up patrols all around the area in response to reports of van sightings in other parts of Waxhaw.” Similar reports describe a man parked in other Waxhaw neighborhoods with the driver inside taking notes.
No real details as to why it took nearly ten days for word of this incident to get out to area neighborhoods (via this blog for example) and another three days after this before it hit the Charlotte media. Publicizing the reasons it took so long for this incident to come to light might help local law enforcement make the necessary modifications to their protocols so future kidnapping attempts can more quickly be brought to the public's attention. A more vigilant public may have been a valuable asset in capturing this guy.

Per the article:
“The Waxhaw Police Department has always been very responsive,” said James Mynatt, President of the Camberley Homeowner’s Association. “They passed the information on to me as HOA president, and we’ve done our part to get the word out to our residents.”

...

When word of this began to spread beyond Waxhaw, Deputy Sherriff Mica Crenshaw with the Union County Sheriff’s Office says his office got involved to ensure no misinformation got disseminated. Crenshaw sent out a release Friday, March 25, to inform the public about what had transpired. Since then, calls have come in about white vans in Marvin and Waxhaw, but in each case deputies found the driver had a legitimate reason to be in the area. Crenshaw urges people to call 911 or Crime Stoppers at 704-283-5600 immediately if they have any information about this case.
I'm guessing the notice I received from the WAA was a direct result of the sheriff's department release. There's no mention of how quickly the Waxhaw Police informed the president of Camberley's HOA about the incident.

For the record, it did go up on Crime Reports on March 18th, but only those who dutifully check those reports would've been aware of a kidnapping sans details. And since the details of the crime are not included on Crime Reports, it's only of limited value in comparison to a public release by local law enforcement.

Wine & Beer events announced

The Wine & Beer events (as part of Food & Drink weekend) have been announced.

Details are included on the ticket order form, available here in PDF form.

But in honor of Friday, here's the illustrated nitty-gritty for you fine folks:

Wine & Beer Events @ Waxhaw's Food & Drink Weekend

Mayor on WFAE's 'Charlotte Talks'

Mayor Daune was on WFAE's 'Charlotte Talks' radio show with Director of Planning Greg Mahar yesterday.

Unlike her appearance on WIXE last week, this one is available online for those that missed it.

A streaming version is available here and a downloadable MP3 version (for posterity's sake of course) can be grabbed here.

Enjoy.

ps. If anyone found an MP3 copy of the mayor and Katie Ross on WIXE, I'd love to hear it.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

A little tidbit on historic district

There hasn't been a whole lot of linkable material on the public hearing for the proposed historic district. However, the Union County Weekly ran a letter to the editor from Shell Holston, a historic property owner in last Friday's issue.

Read the whole thing for his description of the hearing, which lasted 5 hours. This jives with my description in my follow-up hearing post.

I confirmed with Katie Ross that 10 of the 12 of those who spoke in favor of the historic district live within the larger proposed historic district. I followed up with a question as to how many of these ten would be subject to the historic district rules (ie. they own a historic property). When I hear back, I will update accordingly.

UPDATE 4/07: Quick as a fiddle, Katie got back to me. Eight of the twelve people who spoke in favor will be subject to the rules imposed by the overlay.

Lost weekend

Not much going on this humble blog last weekend. The kids and I took a camping trip to Reed's Gold Mine. It was fun, but a tad bit cold in the mornings. Who knew that an old poorly insulated sleeping bag would not keep me warm enough to sleep as temperatures neared freezing? I've never been so thankful for the sun to rise.

If you're looking for a fun day trip, I recommend it especially if you've never been. A neat place and we walked out with three small pieces (read flakes) of gold after thorough panning. Don't bother breaking into my place to steal them though.

While gold prices are high, our finds were so small that I'm confident you'll never find them.

And with playing catch-up on Monday and the Tuesday storm taking out power at my place of business, things have been nearly as hectic this week as well.

To make up for my absence, I'll share a Maxwell's Tavern rumor with you: the word on the street (at least according to an unnamed waitress) is that they will soon be phasing out the Wisconsin cheddar soup as it gets warmer. Since it's only available on certain days (and rarely do these days coincide with the days I dine there), this is something of a bummer.

New Gazette

A little late, but a late hyperlink is better than no hyperlink. That's what my mother always said.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Charges finally dropped in Bonnie & Clyde case

According to Tara Servatius on Friday's show, charges have been dropped against Caleb Allen. Of course, I could find nary a mention of this in any Charlotte media source.

However, I did get confirmation today from the family of Caleb Allen that the charges have in fact been dropped.

Here's what the document says about dropping the charges against Caleb:
The prosecution is dismissing the above case for the following reason(s):

The eyewitness' identification of Defendant as the man she saw leaving her driveway seconds after the break-in was based on a single, fleeting encounter. He is a stranger to her. Officers now believe she may have been mistaken. She also misidentified Defendant's suspected accomplice, a woman whom police now believe was not involved. That woman has credible witnesses who will vouch for her and say she was at work out-of-county when the break-in occurred.

Similarly. the identification of this Defendant by an out-of-county police officer from a grainy store surveillance video is now cast in doubt. The male subject seen in that video wears a ball cap that obscures part of his face and he is seen only briefly from 8 distance. The same officer also misidentified Defendant's suspected accomplice as a woman whom police now know was actually in jail on the day of the break-in. She couldn't possibly have been involved.

Other evidence suggests the break-in may have been comitted by other suspects who drive a vehicle similar to the one Defendant drives. The victim's property stolen in this break-in was later located in those other suspects' bedroom.

At this time police have too little evidence to prove that Defendant and the other suspects are part of a conspiracy. Without that proof, jurors would be forced to choose which of the known suspects actually committed the break-in. They are certain to have reasonable doubt and would find this Defendant not guilty.
It's crystal clear after reading this that the only circumstantial evidence they had against Caleb Allen is the fact:
  1. he owned a red Jeep Cherokee
  2. he was misidentified by an eyewitness
  3. he was misidentified in the grainy gas station video by an out-of-county police officer
After all of this, it only took how many weeks after his mother clued them into the real suspects to drop the charges? At this point, you can safely say the Charlotte police botched this one. But wait there's more...

Surprisingly (or not at this point), they are also dropping the charges against Justin Aldrich. Reasons range from the initial charges against Allen to not obtaining a search warrant when they searched the house Aldrich and Hoard were renting. Here's the explanation on Justin Aldrich in its entirety:
The prosecution is dismissing the above case for the following reason(s):

This Defendant was linked to these offenses primarily by his possession of property stolen from several break-ins; however, his proven possession of that property came days or weeks after the break-ins, and the evidence is somewhat inconclusive.

Weeks after a victim's iPad was stolen in a break-in, Defendant sold it to a pawn shop. Standing alone, his mere possession of the stolen is insufficient to prove he either stole it or knew it was stolen.

Other items stolen in several break-ins were found in a rented bedroom that he and a codefendant shared; however, neither of them was present when police first searched that room. Neither of them gave permission to search the room and the officers had no search warrant. Defendant's landlord kicked in their locked bedroom door and invited officers to enter and search the room. He had no authority to do that. Officers later decided to withdraw and seek a search warrant, but the application they submitted to the Magistrate includes a description of the things they'd already seen in Defendants' bedroom, which they describe as things "similar to items listed in breaking and entering reports ..." Arguably this taints the application and undermines the validity of the search warrant, making it more likely than not that a court would suppress all evidence flowing from the search of the bedroom.

In addition to this and several other complications, there is the problem of codefendant Carl Allen. who was identified by a witness who told police she saw him leaving her home seconds after it was broken into. Allen drives a vehicle like the one linked to this Defendant, and another witness identified him from a store surveillance video, strengthening police suspicion that Allen was involved in this break-in. Although the identification of Allen is now in doubt, his suspected involvement in the case will linger to create reasonable doubt as to this Defendant. Police cannot currently prove the existence of a conspiracy among all three defendants, but nor can they exclude that possibility. Without such a proven link, jurors would be forced to decide which of the known suspects actually committed the break-ins. They are certain to have reasonable doubt and would find this Defendant not guilty.
And similar, if not verbatim reasoning, is used to justify dropping the charges against Anna Hoard. In its entirety:
The prosecution is dismissing the above case for the following reason(s):

This Defendant was linked to these offenses primarily by her possession of property stolon from several break-ins; however, her proven possession of that property came days or weeks after the break-ins, and the evidence is somewhat inconclusive.

Weeks after a victim's iPad was stolen in a break-in, Defendant's boyfriend sold it to a pawn shop. Standing alone, his mere possession of the stolen jPad is insufficient to prove this Defendant personally possessed it, stole it or even knew it was stolen.

Other items stolen in several break-ins were found in a rented bedroom that she and her boyfriend shared; however, neither of them was present when police first searched that room. Neither of them gave permission to search the room and the officers had no search warrant. Defendant's landlord kicked in their locked bedroom door and invited officers to cuter and search the room. He had no authority to do that. Officers later decided to withdraw and seek a search warrant, but the application they submitted to the Magistrate includes a description of the things they'd already seen in Defendants' bedroom, which they describe as things "similar to items listed in breaking and entering reports ...." Arguably this taints the application and undermines the validity of the search warrant, making it more likely than not that a court would suppress all evidence flowing from the search of the
bedroom.

In addition to this and several other complications, there is the problem of codefendant Carl Allen, who was identified by a witness who told police she saw him leaving her home seconds after it was broken into. Allen drives a vehicle like the one linked to this Defendant, and another witness identified him from a store surveillance video, strengthening police suspicion that Allen was involved in this break-in. Although the identification of Allen is now in doubt, his suspected involvement in the case will linger to create reasonable doubt as to this Defendant. Police cannot currently prove the existence of a conspiracy among all three defendants, but nor can they exclude that possibility. Without such a proven link, jurors would be forced to decide which of the known suspects actually committed the break-ins. They are certain to have reasonable doubt and would find this Defendant not guilty.
All in all, the Charlotte police did a less than stellar job on this case using their rush to judgment as some of the reason the Bonnie & Clyde break-ins will likely never be properly charged. But Justin Aldrich and Anna Hoard could still face charges in the Concord break-in that ultimately got them arrested.

One of many lingering questions: will the Charlotte media that touted the arrest of 'Clyde' and splashed Caleb Allen's face all over the news bother to offer any corrections/retractions? I was a little surprised when they neglected to even cover the Herald Weekly's stories. At this point, I would not be surprised if they failed to mention another word about the case.

Besides Tara, of course. There is plenty to discuss on this case today if she chooses to. And I suspect the Herald Weekly (or that family of newspapers) will offer some fitting conclusion when it next goes to press.

UPDATE: Here's the original document in Scribd for those interested:
20110401151758342

Sunday, April 3, 2011

We're a go for the Town & Country 5K

Well, my wife is. As for me, I have a tee ball game to assist in coaching and as we all know, an assistant coach's job is never done.

Because of the game, I'm a little bummed out I won't be able to get any pictures of this year's winner (or my wife) as they go zooming by. Oh well.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Marathon madness

Our friend Tim has a blog detailing his journey as he runs twelve marathons in the Carolinas in twelve months. This blew my mind as I visualized the pounding my ankles and knees would take from running this much and it isn't pretty.

He's two marathons down at this point, leaving ten more to go, so you can follow the muscle-cramping shin-splitting journey in all its glory here. (At least that's how I envision it. Tim might dispute that description.)

And if you thought twelve marathons was a lot, here's a snippet of his encounter running into other marathon junkies:
So I started to talk to a gentleman named Joe. As I was telling him about my quest for 12 in 12 he HUMBLED me, in a nice way, by what his achievements in the last 365 days have been….33 marathons in 365 days!!! As he talked, and I didn’t another young man walked up that knew Joe and introduced himself as Daniel. I was then Humbled once again with his achievements in the last 365 days of 55 marathons!!! I also met a 55 year old on his 73rd lifetime race, and ran with a 67 year old on his 173rd life time marathon!!! Ya’ll think I’m crazy?!!
Marathons runners are truly one of a kind.

Tim recently started a personal training business called Get Fit Carolinas. He will apparently have a booth set up at this Saturday's WAA opening day festivities at the fields of Kensington Elementary, perhaps dishing out marathoning gossip, perhaps not. I will miss it unfortunately, but if I find gold in them thar hills this weekend, it'll all be worth it.