Some Colorado Springs City Council candidates in the April 2 election have faced restraining orders, financial struggles or both. The Gazette searched El Paso County and 4th Judicial District court filings and other records for cases involving the 11 city council candidates, vying for three at-large seats, and the four mayoral candidates.The following was found during background checks for council candidates Randy Tuck, Regina English, Tony Gioia, Wayne Williams, and Gordon Klingenschmitt and mayoral candidates Lawrence Martinez and Juliette Parker. The rest of the candidates did not have noteworthy local criminal or civil records, The Gazette found. Randy Tuck Tuck, retired after a more than 30-year career in the construction industry, has been taken to court by collections agencies and other companies more than a dozen times in the past decade. Since 2010, judgments or default judgments have been entered against him for debts totaling more than $30,000, according to … [Read more...] about Financial troubles, protective orders in Colorado Springs candidates’ pasts
Personal protection orders
Judge Invalidates Miami’s Landmark Homeless-Protection Order from 1998
One of the country's landmark homeless-protection laws is now gone.Continue ReadingEven with those protections in place, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida said that Miami cops were blatantly harassing the homeless — including spraying homeless Miamians with power-washers and arresting a woman who was in dire need of medical care and likely died due to the detainment. The ACLU also argued the City of Miami was just trying to terminate the agreement as a way to sweep homeless residents out of the rapidly gentrifying downtown area.But U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno today terminated the Pottinger consent-decree. The ACLU had filed a competing motion to hold the city in contempt of the Pottinger agreement, but Moreno threw that out.The ACLU fought for roughly a decade to pass the agreement in the first place. In 1988, the rights group teamed up with more than 5,000 homeless Miamians to sue the city. The group said Miami cops were intentionally harassing … [Read more...] about Judge Invalidates Miami’s Landmark Homeless-Protection Order from 1998
Texas man targeted by a hitman fights for the life of the person who ordered the murder – his son
By all accounts, the Whitakers were a perfect family living in a community outside of Houston, Texas. That was all shattered on Dec. 10, 2003, when the family of four was gunned down as they entered their home. Tricia Whitaker, a retired teacher, and her 19-year-old son, Kevin, died from their injuries. The dad, Kent, survived as did their son, Bart. "I think, "Oh my God, he shot all four of us,'" Kent Whitaker told "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant. The investigation into the shooting revealed an intricate plot and a ruthless conspiracy to eliminate three of the four Whitaker family members. The mastermind of the plot? Bart, who hated his family and wanted their money. In 2007 he was tried and convicted of hiring the hit man to kill his family and hurt him, too, to cover up the crime. He was given the death penalty. This is where most cases end; not this one. Since his son was convicted, and to the disbelief of some, Kent Whitaker has fought to save Bart from being executed. … [Read more...] about Texas man targeted by a hitman fights for the life of the person who ordered the murder – his son
A day before Temple murder-suicide, victim sought protective order against her husband
Shelly Splittgerber, in seeking the protective order, cited family violence as the reason, according to the Daily Telegram.According to documents obtained by the newspaper, Matthew Splittgerber was ordered to "not commit any act against either person that would result in physical harm, bodily injury, assault or sexual assault, or threaten or cause anyone to fear imminent physical harm, bodily injury, assault or sexual assault."He also was ordered not to go within 200 yards of places associated with his estranged wife or Corden, according to court documents. Sheriff's deputies were unable to serve the papers to Matthew Splittgerber because they couldn't find him, the Daily Telegram reported. … [Read more...] about A day before Temple murder-suicide, victim sought protective order against her husband
South Lyon councilman ordered to stay away from colleague
Mark Hicks The Detroit News Published 10:28 AM EST Nov 29, 2018 A South Lyon councilman is barred from sitting at the same table as a female colleague following allegations he harassed her. Mary Parisien told fellow council members and audience members during a meeting Monday night that she had won a year-long personal protection order in Oakland County Circuit Court this week against Carl Richards. Parisien alleges she went to police after a local business contacted her Oct. 31 to say Richards had been there “bragging about looking into the windows of my home” and then “made a series of grossly inappropriate comments about my person, my body.” The Police Department investigated and turned the matter over to the city prosecutor for a warrant review, Lt. Chris Sovik said Wednesday. “After reviewing the report, the city prosecutor failed to issue a warrant against Richards for window peeping due to a lack of evidence,” he wrote in an … [Read more...] about South Lyon councilman ordered to stay away from colleague