Stupid people of the week

’50 Chevy at the Speedway

Fire at nursing home sparked by police chief’s cigarette, security video shows

Authorities have ruled a fire that burned down a Missouri nursing home over the summer was accidental.

But it’s still shocking what caused it: a cigarette smoked by the local police chief.

On the morning of Aug. 7, firefighters arrived at the Vienna Point Residential Care Center to find the building engulfed in flames.

The blaze could be seen venting through the roof.

According to the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s report, strong winds and limited water supply kept crews from stopping the fire from spreading.

No injuries were reported, but the building was a total loss.

Initial findings listed the cause as undetermined due to the extensive damage.

However, the investigation was revised on Nov. 5 after insurers provided security video from the night of the fire.

That video footage shows Vienna Police Chief Shannon Thompson arriving at the facility just before midnight on Aug. 6 in response to an accidental 911 call.

After smoking a cigarette and placing it in a planter near the front entrance, Thompson returns several minutes later and appears to stop at the planter before leaving.

About 90 minutes later, video shows a small glow develop in the planter, which transitions into open flames that spread to the building’s entrance.

Thompson later told investigators that he tried to put the cigarette out before leaving and said he didn’t think it could start a fire. He also noted the cigarette he smoked is designed to self-extinguish.

Investigators concluded the fire was accidental. It started when the cigarette was placed near combustible material and smoldering embers weren’t noticed.

Even though the fire was an accident, Thompson could still face charges. Prosecutors have not decided whether they will file charges.

Source; Fox10TV

‘He’s not authorized to do that’: Mechanic driving York County cruiser pulls over driver

Paperwork obtained by CBS 13 shows that a man was pulled over not by a police officer, but by a mechanic.

On the night of September 12, York County Sheriff Bill King says a caller said he was pulled over near Waterboro by an unmarked car that flashed blue lights at him.

Then, the driver in the cruiser pulled up to the side with his lights deployed and lectured him for speeding.

The report says the driver then took off but never told the person he pulled over if he was a police officer. The caller did not believe that he was.

“The individual that was stopped said, ‘I just didn’t know if this guy was a police officer or not.’ My deputy said he was going to handle it. We spoke with our mechanic. Our mechanic admitted that he did it. He took full responsibility for what happened,” King said.

The mechanic was authorized to drive the cruiser. King says the mechanic was driving one of the department vehicles back to the station for maintenance, but he was not allowed to pull people over.

“He’s not authorized to do that. The person pulled over. He pulled up alongside the individual and told him to slow down,” King said. “We’ve never had anything like this occur in the past. But again, mechanics are authorized to drive vehicles.”

When the mechanic was questioned, he admitted to deputies he had a bad day and pulled someone over. According to paperwork, the mechanic called it a “moment of weakness.”

But the driver he pulled over did not file a complaint or press charges. King did not believe the mechanic broke any laws and issued a one-day suspension as a punishment. The suspension has already been served.

“He was disciplined. At this point, we don’t believe it rose to a criminal issue,” King said. “I think he has certainly learned his lesson.”

King says Maine State Police and the York County District Attorney were notified. The latter says it is still reviewing whether to take any action.

Source; WGME

Former U.S. Navy SEAL Convicted of Transporting Explosives to Throw at Law Enforcement at California Protests

After a five-day jury trial and approximately three hours of deliberation, a federal jury convicted Gregory Vandenberg, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, of intending to use explosives against law enforcement officers at the June 14, 2025, “No Kings Day” protests in California.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Thursday, June 12, 2025, Gregory Vandenberg, 49, was traveling from El Paso, Texas, to San Diego, California, to attend the “No Kings Day” protests, which were scheduled for Saturday, June 14, 2025. While in New Mexico, Vandenberg visited a travel center off Interstate 10 near Lordsburg and purchased six large mortar fireworks, which are designed to shoot high into the air and explode, and 72 M-150 firecrackers, which are designed to sound like gunfire. During this visit, he told the store clerk that he intended to throw fireworks at police officers at the upcoming protests. He asked detailed questions about the amount of gunpowder in the fireworks, their explosive impact, and their ability to harm others. He also discussed taping multiple fireworks together to increase their explosive impact. Vandenberg emphasized that he was not interested in the color or display of the fireworks—only in their ability to cause explosions and harm law enforcement.

Vandenberg, who has no stable employment and lives primarily out of his car, also made several statements demonstrating his knowledge of explosives and past special forces experience. He encouraged the clerk to join him at the protests and repeatedly expressed a desire to throw fireworks at law enforcement officials at the protests in California. He also discussed handing out fireworks to others at the event and noted that he would not get hurt because he knew what he was doing. When purchasing the fireworks, he falsely told the cashier that he was not from this country when she asked for his I.D., and he asked if the store was going to track him. Employees, alarmed by his comments, recorded his license plate and contacted law enforcement.

Federal agents tracked Vandenberg to Tucson, Arizona, and arrested him the following morning while he was sleeping in his car at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Vandenberg initially claimed to be traveling for work and later falsely stated he was visiting friends in Phoenix that weekend, though he was unemployed at the time.

A search of his vehicle revealed the purchased fireworks, along with clothing displaying antisemitic, anti-Israel, and extremist symbols—including a t-shirt with an image of the Al-Qaeda flag and a t-shirt calling for the destruction of Judea. FBI agents also discovered that the home screen on Vandenberg’s phone consisted of an image of the Taliban flag. It was further discovered that Vandenberg wore a t-shirt into the store that stated “AMALEK” in large letters on the front—a t-shirt that Vandenberg had specially made and that he stated meant the “destroyer of Jews.”

A review of his phone showed violent and extremist content, including antisemitic, anti-Israel and anti-U.S. materials, as well as messages discussing the upcoming protests. A review of his phone also showed messages suggesting Vandenberg was upset with the U.S. government, including President Trump, because he viewed the U.S. government as being controlled by Israel and the Jews.

Vandenberg was convicted of transportation of explosives with intent to kill, injure or intimidate and attempted transportation of prohibited fireworks into California. Following the verdict, the Court ordered that Vandenberg remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. At sentencing, Vandenberg faces 10 years in prison.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Tucson Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Phoenix Field Office, Tucson Police Department, U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Grant Gardner, Richard Williams, and Joni Stahl are prosecuting the case.

Source; US Attorneys Office District of New Mexico

Ex-congressional IT aide accused of stealing 240 government phones and selling them at pawn shop

A former congressional IT aide is accused of abusing his trusted access to steal roughly 240 taxpayer-funded cellphones worth more than $150,000, shipping them to his Maryland home and selling most of them at a pawn shop, federal prosecutors say.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Monday that Christopher Southerland, 43, of Glen Burnie, Md., was arrested and charged in a federal indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court, accusing him of stealing about 240 government-issued cellphones from the U.S. House of Representatives.

According to evidence reviewed by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and her office, Southerland worked from about April 2020 through July 2023 as a system administrator for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

In that role, Southerland was authorized to order mobile devices for committee staff, prosecutors said, giving him direct access to the internal system used to procure government-issued phones.

From January 2023 through May 2023, Southerland allegedly used that authority to order roughly 240 new cellphones and have them shipped directly to his home, despite the committee having only about 80 staff members at the time.

Prosecutors say Southerland later sold more than 200 of the phones to a nearby pawn shop, converting the government property into personal cash.

As part of the alleged scheme, Southerland instructed a pawn shop employee to sell the devices “in parts,” investigators say, a move designed to bypass the House’s mobile device management software, which allows officials to remotely monitor and secure government phones.

The scheme began to unravel when one of the stolen phones was sold intact rather than dismantled, according to prosecutors.

That device ultimately ended up listed on eBay and was purchased by an uninvolved buyer. When the buyer powered on the phone for the first time, a contact number for the House of Representatives Technology Service Desk appeared on the screen, the DOJ said.

The buyer called the number, prompting House officials to investigate and discover that multiple phones ordered under Southerland’s account were unaccounted for, prosecutors said.

The case is being investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake Green for the District of Columbia, with assistance from other federal prosecutors.

Source; Yahoo!

Category: Crime, Police, Stupid Criminals