The Northern Light

Issue date: 2/6/07 Section: Say What?

Media Credit: Kyle von Bose

Man allegedly zaps wife's grandmother
NORTH BONNEVILLE, Wash. - A man who said he used a stun gun on his wife's 79-year-old grandmother was arrested for investigation of domestic assault.

Aaron de Bruyn, 26, was cited with fourth-degree domestic violence assault on Jan. 24 and released from the Skamania County jail the next day, Police Chief Calvin Owens said. The grandmother wasn't injured.

De Bruyn said he was arguing with Rosemary Garlock, who accused him of abusing his 7-month-old son when he swatted the boy's diapered bottom to stop him from grabbing electrical wires.

When she refused to leave, he said he shocked her on her right shoulder as she sat on the living room couch.

De Bruyn said he had the 50,000-volt Taser X26 energy weapon to protect against burglars. He said he called authorities, saying he had a relative in his house who would not leave.

De Bruyn's stun gun was confiscated.



Pot-running Arizona granny gets 3 years
SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. - A 62-year-old grandmother who prosecutors said ran drugs to support her bingo habit has been sentenced to three years in prison and a $150,000 fine.

Acting on a tip, state police stopped Leticia Villareal Garcia near Bisbee in southeast Arizona in February 2005 and found 214 pounds of marijuana stuffed into the trunk of her car.

Garcia has maintained her innocence, telling the judge at her sentencing Jan. 26 that she was unaware of the grass as she headed for a bingo game.

Garcia testified at her trial in November that her son's godfather had borrowed her car the day before. Her lawyer, Robert Zohlmann, said she had been used as a "blind mule" to unknowingly haul drugs.

Garcia said she often played bingo, occasionally winning several thousand dollars at a sitting, although her only regular income was a $275 monthly welfare check she received for caring for a granddaughter.

"The underlying issue is that she's got a bingo problem, which explains why an otherwise nice person might get sucked into something like this," prosecutor Doyle Johnstun told the jury.



Duck shot by hunter cheats death again
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Perky is one tough bird.

The ring-neck duck survived being shot and spending two days in a hunter's refrigerator - and now she's had a close brush with death on a veterinarian's operating table.

The one-pound female duck stopped breathing Jan. 27 during surgery to repair gunshot damage to one wing, said Noni Beck of the Goose Creek Wildlife Sanctuary. Veterinarian David Hale revived the bird after several tense moments by performing CPR.

"I started crying, 'She's alive!'" Beck said.

Perky is recovering with a pin installed in the fractured wing, and probably will not have more surgery because of her sensitivity to anesthesia, Hale said.


Eagle lugging a deer head causes outage
JUNEAU, Alaska - About 10,000 Juneau residents briefly lost power Jan. 28 after a bald eagle lugging a deer head crashed into transmission lines.

"This is the story of the overly ambitious eagle who evidently found a deer head in the landfill," said Gayle Wood, an Alaska Electric Light & Power spokeswoman. The hefty bounty apparently bogged down the eagle, which failed to clear transmission lines as it flew away from the landfill, she said. When a repair crew arrived, they found the eagle carcass with the deer head nearby.

The eagle "got a hold of a little bit more than he could handle," Wood said.

Power was out less than 45 minutes.


Texas man wins fight with vicious pit bull
CONROE, Texas - A 65-year-old retired truck driver who was attacked by a vicious pit bulldog during a neighborhood walk choked the dog to death as he defended himself.

Von Pardue suffered bites on his arms and hands during the Jan. 31 attack, which occurred shortly after Pardue began his routine morning walk. Pardue was treated at a local hospital, and the dog's owners could face misdemeanor charges, police said.

Pardue said he heard barking and readied himself when he realized the dog was coming for him.

"I turned to face him, and when I saw it was pit bull, I knew I was in trouble," Pardue said. "I put my hands up and I hollered at him. He immediately jumped to my throat."

Pardue shielded his body by grabbing the dog's head and ears, but the dog shook loose and started biting his right hand. Pardue kneed the dog in the ribs, spurring it to let go of his hand, and then grabbed the dog by its thick collar.

Pardue said he then dragged the dog to his house while maintaining a firm grip on its neck. His wife called police from the house. When the police arrived, Pardue was on the ground with the dog and still holding onto the collar.

Police said Pardue's grip was so tight that he strangled the dog. Pardue said he didn't know the dog was dead until it was unresponsive when police tried to move it.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools