Stupid People of the Week

SLED charges Hampton Police Chief with assault, 3rd degree battery

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has charged the Hampton Police Chief with assault and battery 3rd degree.

SLED charged police chief Perry McAlhaney on Thursday.

According to a warrant, on or around Nov. 4, 2023, McAlhaney was involved in an altercation in Hampton.

The warrant says the victim was hunting on the Hampton property from a deer stand located in a tree. The victim received permission and paid approximately $500 to the property owner to allow him access on the property.

The warrant goes on to say McAlhaney arrived on scene and accused the victim of trespassing. McAlhaney retrieved a chainsaw and began cutting down the tree the victim was in.

The victim recorded the incident and provided the footage to SLED.

McAlhaney provided a statement to SLED admitting to attempting to cut the tree down while the victim was sitting in the deer stand.

McAlhaney has been booked into the Hampton County Detention Center.

Source; WTOC

New York State Police academy recruit arrested after trying to seize officer’s gun

A recruit with the New York State Police was arrested after attacking a training officer and attempting to grab his firearm.

According to New York State Police, 22-year-old Jose L. Valeriano of Hyde Park, New York was a recruit trooper at the State Police Academy at Cazenovia College. On July 23, Valeriano indicated he wanted to resign his position and leave the academy. While making arrangements with a trooper assigned to Cazenovia as a training officer, Valeriano began to behave erratically and lunged at the trooper. Troopers report Valeriano grabbed the officer’s firearm and attempted to remove it from its holster.

The training officer was able to subdue Valeriano and place him into custody with the help of other academy staff members. The training officer suffered a minor injury during the incident and was treated at a hospital and then released.

Troopers report at no time did Valeriano gain custody of the firearm.

Valeriano was charged with assault in the second degree and attempted robbery in the second degree, both Class D felonies. He was arraigned and remanded to the Madison County Jail on $2,500 bail.

Per the Madison County District Attorney’s Office, Valeriano posted bail and was released on July 24.

Source; CBS 6 Albany

New York judge who threatened to shoot Black teens during profane rant at party should be removed, commission says

A New York state judge who engaged in a prolonged, offensive rant after a melee erupted at a high school graduation party should be removed from office, a judicial watchdog panel ruled.

State Supreme Court Justice Erin Gall, 53, invoked her authority as a judge to try to get uninvited guests arrested, threatened to shoot Black teenagers and bragged that her 18-year-old son had “put the smackdown” on another partygoer, the state Commission on Judicial Conduct said in its report issued Monday.

The report included multiple police bodycam videos showing the incident unfold.

The commission found that Gall, a white Republican who has served as an elected judge in upstate Oneida County since 2012, “created at least the appearance that she harbored racial bias,” which could undermine public confidence in her integrity.

The judicial conduct panel said that “impropriety permeated” Gall’s conduct after the July 1, 2022 graduation party at a friend’s house got out of hand. “Her wide array of misconduct severely undermined public confidence in the judiciary and in her ability to serve as a fair and impartial judge,” the commission said in recommending her removal.

Gall, who has been sitting on the bench during the two years it took for the judicial commission to complete its investigation, is now suspended with pay — her salary is $232,600 a year — while New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, decides her fate. Meanwhile, her attorney, Robert Julian, said Tuesday that she’ll appeal the panel’s determination.

Gall testified during the investigation, saying that the violent skirmishes at the graduation party triggered memories of a 1990 assault she suffered as a college student. Julian did not dispute his client’s comments, but said she was in a “state of fear, dismay, frustration and exhaustion” when she made them.

According to the report, Gall attended the party at a friend’s home in New Hartford, New York, with her husband and three teenage children. The party’s hosts hired a bartender and provided a keg of beer that guests could serve themselves from.

A large number of apparent party crashers showed up after 11:30 p.m., the panel said. Four Black teenagers arrived after learning of the party from a live video feed, and the driver then lost his car keys, the report said.

Arguments and fights broke out between invited and uninvited guests, and officers from several law enforcement agencies responded.

Police body camera footage showed Gall telling the Black teenagers, “You got to leave! You’re not going to find your keys. You got to call an Uber and get off the property.”

She then said, “Well, you’re going to get in an Uber, buddy, or you’re going to get a cop escort home. That’s how it’s happening. That’s what I’m telling you right now. That’s how I roll. That’s how I roll. That’s how Mrs. G rolls. That’s how Judge Gall rolls. We’re clearing this place out.”

Gall tried to get the police to arrest the Black teenagers for trespassing, saying, “I’ve done this for a million years. I’m a lawyer. I’m a judge. I know this.”

She also yelled at the teenagers to “Get off the property! And’s that’s from Judge Gall! I’m a judge!,” using a profanity.

Both Gall’s husband and her 18-year-old son were involved in the fighting, and Gall told officers that her son “put a smackdown once he got hit.”

She also said, “My husband and son got hit first . . . but they finished. Like I taught ’em.”

In a written response to the commission’s report, Gail’s lawyers wrote: “The Respondent’s son was slapped, hit, knocked to the ground, kicked in the head and body and beaten by four or more of the uninvited individuals. Her husband, in an attempt to rescue their son and stop the fight, began pulling teenagers off of the pile and was assaulted himself in the process. He sustained bruising and swelling to both ears and his shirt was torn.”

The body camera footage shows that Gall alternated between complaining that the officers weren’t arresting anyone and assuring officers that she was on their side.

“Listen, but guess what, the good part is – the good part is I’m always on your side,” she said. “You know I’d take anyone down for you guys. You know that.”

Gall told police that the Black teenagers “don’t look like they’re that smart. They’re not going to business school, that’s for sure.”

She also said that if the teenagers were to come back looking for their keys, “you can shoot them on the property. I’ll shoot them on the property.”

Gall’s behavior was “as shocking as anything I have seen in my 40 years of judicial ethics enforcement,” said Robert H. Tembeckjian, the commission’s administrator and counsel.

Source; CBS News

Influencer went to the West Bank to see if Palestinians support Hamas – he almost didn’t make it out alive

Comedian and social media influencer Zach Sage Fox traveled to the West Bank to see if Palestinian people truly support the Hamas terror group. He almost didn’t make it out alive.

Fox, who went viral earlier this year when his “Gaza Graduation” video featured anti-Israel protesters in New York City struggling to correctly answer basic questions about the Israel-Hamas war, has been on a crusade to educate his followers since the terror attacks of October 7. He recently brought his popular man-on-the-street style interviews to the West Bank, a contentious territory that Palestinians hope to establish as an independent state along with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

Fox, a “loud and proud” Jewish American, was in Israel to create content when a member of his production team offered him the opportunity to enter the West Bank alongside a Muslim producer and cameraman. Fox knew it could be a dangerous project but was interested because American journalists are rarely able to secure unfettered access to Palestinians.

“Israelis are literally not allowed into Palestine; they’re not allowed into the West Bank. However, I’m not Israeli, I’m an American Jew, and it doesn’t say ‘Jew’ on my passport. So, I was told, ‘As long as you don’t say you’re Jewish, you know, they’re not going to kill you on the spot,’” Fox told Fox News Digital.

“I really looked in the mirror that night and I said, ‘I think I could pass for Italian,’” Fox continued. “I’m going to take the risk.”

To get ready for the daring trip, Fox removed his signature flair, such as jewelry and nail polish, and wore the most “masculine” outfit he had. He didn’t tell most of his friends and family back in America about his plans, explaining that they would likely have talked him out of it.

During the journey, Fox told anyone who asked he was an Italian American and was able to cross the border into the West Bank without issue, which he felt was “kind of shocking.”

Fox began his time in the West Bank with a prearranged interview with a man who was described to him by his Muslim producer as a “very smart and civil,” “somewhat moderate” thinker who holds a Master’s degree and speaks good English. They sat down at a coffee shop in Ramallah, the Palestinian “capital” located near Jerusalem.

The man denied that “innocent Israelis” were killed during the attacks of October 7, expressed support for Hamas and suggested rape never occurred during the barbaric attacks.

“I realized quickly, if this is someone being presented to me as one of the more educated people, I might be in for a real shock,” Fox said.

Then he hit the streets to find locals and recorded a series of spontaneous interviews while walking around Ramallah. But Fox said “things got very contentious very quick” once he hit the streets.

“It was like one after another, massive love and support for Hamas,” Fox said.

“I was specifically looking for younger people thinking, OK, someone here is not going to support Hamas. And they all do,” he continued. “It really ranged from sympathy to actual love and admiration for Hamas…. I thought I would find at least some people who were not diehard Hamas supporters, and I couldn’t find one.”

Fox found several people walking West Bank streets who were quick to express support for the Hamas terror group and declared Israeli hostages should not be released. He said things grew particularly dicey when he tried to interview a woman whose hair was fully covered.

“This Palestinian man comes up, and he starts screaming in Arabic, and my translator and producer tells me he’s very upset,” Fox said.

Fox recalled the man yelling “something about modesty,” and that females shouldn’t speak for all Palestinians. Fox attempted to ignore the man, but he only grew more agitated and started calling additional Palestinian men for support.

“They start screaming in Arabic, and I’m still just trying to be professional and go on and interview people. Eventually, my producer tells me he’s threatening to hurt us if we don’t delete the footage. I’ve never had anything like this happen in my entire career… never, no one threatened violence,” Fox said.

“Then that violence turned into death threats very quickly,” Fox added, noting that he initially pushed back and refused to delete the footage. “The Arabic started getting louder, more men started coming.”

Fox said he’s probably “crazy,” and wanted to continue to stand his ground, but pivoted when his Muslim cameraman said he was terrified for his life.

“Eventually I cave because my cameraman tells me they’re threatening to kill us… we deleted a bunch of the footage in front of him,” he said.

“Then my producer and my cameraman grab my arm, we run to the car, and it was a pretty eye-opening experience,” he continued. “We really bolted out of Palestine… luckily they didn’t chase us to the car.”

Fox enlisted a team of IT specialists who were able to recover some of the footage, and every interview that was salvaged made the viral “Wild West Bank” video. He lost some valuable footage but said he’s “happy to be out of there alive” and is thrilled he recovered enough footage to make an impact.

“Wild West Bank” has been viewed over 4.7 million times on X alone.

Fox noted that many Jewish people don’t refer to the West Bank as “Palestine,” but he decided to use that moniker in his video and subsequent conversations about it for “kumbaya purposes.”

“Obviously there’s a land that Palestinians are living in, and the dream would be that there’s a two-state solution, at least for me. However, once I got there, I realized that dream seems further than ever,” Fox said.

Last month, the Department of State urged Americans to avoid the West Bank because of “terrorism and civil unrest.”

Source; FOX News

Customs officers seize illegal drugs twice in one week from the same traveler

US Customs and Border Protection officers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport seized illegal drugs twice from the same traveler in one week, according to a news release.

The first seizure took place July 14 when a 43-year-old man was referred to officers for a secondary inspection upon arrival on a flight from Amsterdam. During the inspection, officers found more than “12 pounds of ketamine in both liquid and powdered form, nearly two pounds of codeine, and nearly three ounces of Gamma Hydroxybutyrate.”

According to a public information officer, the man put the drugs into bottles made for other products like rubbing alcohol.

The man, who is a US citizen, was arrested and turned over to the Port of Seattle Police Department.

Shortly afterward, officials said, the man posted bail and again attempted to board a flight to London. Border Protection officers found more than one-half pound of ketamine in his checked bag.

So far this year, officers have carried out more than 43,000 drug seizures, according to the agency.

“CBP officers at the Seattle Tacoma International Arrivals Facility work diligently to keep dangerous drugs from the streets of our community. CBP officers also utilize their unique border search authority to prevent persons from taking dangerous drugs out of the United States, thus stopping a threat to other countries,” said Brian Humphrey, director of field operations for the agency’s Seattle office.

“Led by Seattle Area Port Director Rene Ortega, our officers work tirelessly to protect our nation’s air, land and sea borders,” Humphrey said.

The man is now facing charges under Washington state law for possession with the intent to distribute ketamine, officials said.

Source; CNN

Heat-stricken tourist airlifted to hospital after skin melts off feet in Death Valley

A man was rescued from the oppressive heat of one of the country’s hottest National Parks after the skin melted off his feet, according to the National Park Service.

Park rangers said a 42-year-old Belgian tourist suffered third-degree burns when he lost his flip-flops in the sand dunes of Death Valley.

“The ground temperature would have been much hotter than the air temperature, which was around 123 degrees,” officials said.

His family called authorities for help and other parkgoers helped them carry the tourist to the parking lot, the release stated.

Authorities reported the tourist suffered third-degree “full-thickness” burns on his feet. A National Park ranger said, “The skin was melted off his foot.”

Park rangers instantly recognized the man required a hospital due to his burns and pain level, but Death Valley was so hot that it was dangerous for a helicopter to land.

The rangers had to drive the man to higher elevations in an ambulance where the temperature was 109 degrees. Mercy Air transported the man to University Medical Center in Las Vegas.

Source; Local 12

Category: "Teh Stoopid", Crime, Police, Stupid Criminals