Stupid people of the week

Farrah and a 76 Mustang Cobra II

Ex-Sen. Eichorn, charged with soliciting minor, released to halfway home despite FBI revelations

Justin Eichorn, the former Republican Minnesota state senator who resigned last week after being charged with soliciting a minor for sex, was ordered to be released from a county jail and into a halfway home on Wednesday as he awaits his trial.

His release is significant, especially after new revelations about his case were made public late last week after the FBI searched his home.

Eichorn, of Grand Rapids, was arrested in Bloomington on March 17 in a sting operation after police allege he inquired about an online sex ad they planted, with a detective posing as a 17-year-old girl.

Magistrate Judge Shannon G. Elkins says she based her decision on Eichorn’s “strong ties to the community” and his lack of a criminal record. Elkins also believes he isn’t a flight risk since he hasn’t left the U.S. in more than 17 years.

Eichorn’s arrest, charges and cover-up allegations

When Eichorn, 40, arrived at the arranged meet-up spot on March 17, officers swooped in and arrested him without incident, finding a condom, cash and two cellphones in his possession, according to police.

He was initially charged with prostitution in Hennepin County, but that charge was soon superseded by federal charges of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. The investigation is ongoing.

Eichorn was ordered last week to surrender his passport, wear a GPS monitor, and he’s barred from having a firearm and any unsupervised or unapproved contact with minors. Additionally, he’s barred from unsupervised or unapproved use of any devices with an internet connection.

A judge then ordered Eichorn to remain in jail until Wednesday’s court hearing after prosecutors say he tried to cover up evidence, including allegations he tried to have a laptop removed from his St. Paul apartment, and a phone was found reset to factory default settings. He also allegedly lied about having a firearm in the residence, but a handgun was discovered inside.

Eichorn’s resigns amid bipartisan push for expulsion

Following his arrest, there was a bipartisan call for his resignation at the State Capitol. GOP Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson was set to introduce a motion to expel him on Thursday, but Eichorn headed off the vote by stepping down.

“This is the right thing to do for his family and the Senate,” Johnson said. “We are ready to move on and do the important work that needs to be done at the Capitol.”

Eichorn’s downfall came just days after he co-authored a bill with other Senate Republicans to define “Trump derangement syndrome” as a mental illness under state law. It’s unclear if his colleagues will proceed with that bill.

Eichorn was also among the lawmakers calling for the resignation of DFL Sen. Nicole Mitchell, who was charged last year with burglarizing her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home. Mitchell pleaded not guilty and has refused to step down. Her trial is set to start in June.

Walz calls special election for Eichorn’s seat

Gov. Tim Walz announced the special election to replace Eichorn’s seat is set for April 29, with a primary to be held on April 15.

There is already a list of Republicans and at least two Democrats running. Whoever replaces him will be on the ballot again next fall for the 2026 general election.

There are still some huge items on the legislative agenda, including a two-year state budget that needs to get passed before the end of session on May 19.

This is the third special election of this session, and the second in the senate.

Source; CBS News

Sydney ‘science nerd’ may face jail for importing plutonium in bid to collect all elements of periodic table

A “science nerd” who wanted to collect all the elements of the periodic table could face jail time after ordering radioactive material over the internet.

But Emmanuel Lidden, 24, will have to wait to learn his sentence after breaching nuclear non-proliferation laws by shipping samples of plutonium to his parents’ suburban Sydney apartment.

Lidden pleaded guilty to offences under Australia’s Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act that carry a possible 10-year jail sentence, and is due to receive his sentence from the judge Leonie Flannery on 11 April.

The importation sparked a major hazmat alert, with Australian Border Force (ABF) officials, firefighters, police and paramedics all attending the scene in August 2023.

Far from there being any intention of building something nefarious like a nuclear weapon, Lidden’s lawyer John Sutton described his client as an “innocent collector” and “science nerd” who had been left flipping burgers after being sacked from his job because of the investigation.

“He did not import or possess these items with any sinister intent … these were offences committed out of pure naivety,” Sutton told Sydney’s Downing Centre district court on Friday.

“It was a manifestation of self-soothing retreating into collection, it could have been anything but in this case he latched on to the collection of the periodic table.”

Lidden had also been a keen collector of stamps, banknotes and coins.

But prosecutors said describing the young man as a simple collector and science nerd was a mischaracterisation.

“Collectors” seeking illegal material created a market that might not have otherwise existed, the court was told.

Sutton argued that border force officials had engaged in duplicitous and unfair conduct by returning some of the material to Lidden after initially seizing it.

“[Lidden] knew this was a radioactive substance but he was allowed to possess it, and perhaps he thought it was because it was a minimal quantity,” Sutton said.

“There was no Sherlock Holmes detection here by the ABF, the packages had [Lidden’s] address and his name … investigators were aware he had obtained this material and it was in a very small quantity.”

Source; The Guardian

Part-time instructor at Fresno State University calls for death of Trump, Musk

A part-time instructor at Fresno State University called for the deaths of President Donald Trump and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk.

“I have a dream for this to happen much sooner rather than later,” part-time instructor Katherine Shurik posted on Instagram on Jan. 11, 2025.

The post included a photo of Trump in a casket with former president George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush, former president Bill Clinton and former first lady Hillary Clinton, former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama and first lady Melania Trump all looking on.

She included the hashtags, “#FelonTrump #TraitorTrump #RapistTrump #DieTrump #TrumpDead,” in the Instagram post.

A video of Shurik posted Saturday on X by the account Oreo Express showed her saying that she would give extra credit to her students who attended a protest against Elon Musk and Tesla.

Saturday was the “Tesla Takedown’s Global Day of Action,” which included over 200 protests across the country. The website for the effort instructs people to “Sell your Teslas, dump your stock, join the picket lines. We’re tanking Tesla’s stock price to stop Musk. Stopping Musk will help save lives and protect our democracy.”

Musk, the founder and CEO of Tesla, has struck the ire of Americans across the country for his auditing of programs and departments in the federal government for efficiency and eliminating redundancy.

Since January, multiple Tesla dealerships as well as Tesla vehicles have been vandalized by protesters.

In the X video posted by Oreo Express, Shurik says, “I’m Katherine Shurik, I am actually trying to get a NOW chapter, National Organization of Women off the ground here in Fresno, I’m an anthropologist and a professor at the university here.”

She added, “I teach an activist anthropology course. I am trying to get my students involved as well. The next week they do get extra credit for coming to the protest.”

On Facebook, Shurik shared a photo of a tombstone that had the words inscribed, “Donald J. Trump, June 14, 1946 to now would be good,” according to a report from The San Joaquin Valley Sun.

Shurik added words to the post that read, “And take Musk and the rest of the Nazi (Republican) party members with you too!”

Another post shared on Instagram by Shurik says “Marked safe from watching a lying terrorist rapist, who wants to eliminate the Constitution swear to abide by the Constitution.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Fresno State University said, “While Fresno State firmly believes in the principles of free speech, we strongly condemn the abhorrent social media posts and comments made by one of our part-time instructors.”

The university added that, “As these views were published by the employee as a private citizen, they do not represent our University in any way. Fresno State firmly denounces wishes of death against any elected official, particularly the President of the United States – these go against our core educational values and are not consistent with our Principles of Community. As Americans and educators, we pride ourselves on democratic dialogue, not words of derision and contempt about the most important political figure of our country.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to Shurik for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.

Source; Fox News

Category: "Teh Stoopid", Crime, Stupid Criminals