Police are calling a January burglary of a northwest suburban home "disturbing"--not just because of the stolen goods, but because the young burglars killed goldfish to avoid leaving "any witnesses." According to TribLocal, a Nintendo game system, CD player, 30 video games, 30 DVDs, a BB gun, jewelry and fire safe containing personal papers and photographs were stolen from an Arlington Heights home sometime between Jan. 22 and Jan. 24. When the homeowners returned, not only did they find their belongings stolen, but found their goldfish had been poisoned. Someone had poured hot sauce, mustard, ketchup and spices into their fish tank, and all three fish were dead.

The founder of two chains of natural foods grocery stores has been arrested in a child prostitution sting in Phoenix. Sunflower Farmers Market CEO Michael Gilliland, 52, was accused of soliciting sex online with someone who identified herself as an underage girl. He faces a charge of felony child prostitution. Gilliland resigned from Sunflower, which has locations in seven states. He also founded Wild Oats Markets Inc., which was bought by Whole Foods Market in 2007. Gilliland was one of eight men arrested in the sting. Sunflower said he told the company he believed he was not guilty and would be exonerated. Mr Gilliland was not available for comment on the charges.

Police caught Maksim Gelman in a subway station after he allegedly went on a killing spree. Gelman is accused of stabbing his mother, stepfather and girlfriend to death. He then went on the run, carjacking and stabbing a victim and then fatally running over a person crossing the street.

While butter sometimes gets a bad rap for its effects on cardiovascular health, it isn't often that the creamy spread is accused of being an accessory to murder. However, a stick of butter was allegedly the weapon of choice for a Sicilian couple looking to bump off the woman's ex-husband. The Italian paper Corriere della Sera reports that the lovers used the butter to suffocate Calogero Lo Cocco, 40, thinking that the dairy product would melt in the man's esophagus before his death was investigated. According to the AFP, the pair told the police that Lo Cocco arrived drunk at their house and attacked them. When they tied him up in self-defense, he unexpectedly collapsed and died.

A student in a Texas high school says she’s waiting tables to pay the fine she got after she reportedly swore in a teacher’s classroom. The fine started out as $340, but ballooned with fees and court costs.

A man who threatened to skin and burn his mother alive and snapped her kitten's neck with his hands poses too great a risk to be released on bail, a judge said Tuesday.

Provincial court judge Chris Cleaveley denied bail for Michael Mercredi, who was arrested at his mother's house at Spences Bridge, about 132 kilometres southwest of Kamloops, on Nov. 29.

Mercredi is charged with uttering threats, although prosecutor Joel Gold told the court the Crown will also soon press animal-cruelty charges in relation to the killing of the kitten.

The court was told Mercredi's mother and two younger brothers have lived in fear of him for months.

Mercredi has threatened his family many times, the judge was told. Most recently, he threatened to skin his mother, burn her and throw her off the bridge if she did anything to threaten his freedom. He also said he would burn down their house, regardless of whether they were in it or not.

The RCMP was called by the Cook's Ferry band, which told officers they had a growing problem with a non-band member. Mercredi is a member of the Kamloops Indian Band.

When interviewed by police, the mother said she sometimes slept in her car with her youngest son because she was afraid to be in the house with Mercredi.

She described how he killed the family's kitten. He broke its neck with his hands after warning it not to scratch him, Gold told the judge. His brothers saw the killing and watched him leave the house to dispose of the body in an empty lot across the street.

The mother also told police her son killed an adult cat several days earlier, by strangling it and smashing its head against a wall, the judge was told.

Mercredi suffers mental instability, his family indicated to the police, but also uses drugs, the Crown lawyer noted.

"She wants him to get help," Gold said.

Defence lawyer Rob Bruneau, acting as duty counsel for the man, said Mercredi denies he killed the kitten. He also denies he is a risk to the public, saying his problems relate only to his family.

But Cleaveley said Mercredi poses too great a risk to his family to be released.

"He is a young man abusing drugs and alcohol, his life is really out of control," said the judge.

"He's a man who must be detained for the safety of his immediate family. He is out of control right now and poses a substantial risk to his family."
© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

Read more: http://www.canada.com

Seven high school students in suburban Philadelphia were arrested Monday following the kidnapping and assault of a 14-year-old, a local newspaper reported.
The victim had been hung from a fence post at an apartment complex, Upper Darby Police Superintendent Mike Chitwood was quoted as saying by the Daily Times of Delaware County.

"We're dragging them out in handcuffs," Chitwood said of the suspects as the arrests were happening.

"We want to send home a message that this type of behavior will absolutely not be tolerated," he added. "They hanged this kid from a steel fence. We have the video of them actually hanging this kid from the fence."

The victim did not sustain physical injuries but he did suffer "extreme mental anguish," Chitwood said.

Video of the assault will be released at a press conference at 1 p.m. ET, he added.

The suspects, all 16 or 17 years old, attend the Upper Darby High School.

A man in a Swedish village  was denied use of the toilet facilities.  He took revenge, and he was arrested.

Three teenagers are facing armed robbery charges after the mother of one of the boys allegedly checked them out of school so they could help her rob a bank.

Authorities say 35-year-old Tawander Simmons of Stone Mountain checked out her son, 17-year-old Benny Brice and two other boys from Stephenson High School on Friday morning. Police say the four then robbed a Wells

Read more: Fox News

Florida police say Julie Powers Schenecker admitted to killing her teen son and daughter this week. She shot her son first for 'talking back' while she was driving, and then later shot her daughter while she was studying on the computer.

A woman is being held by Dallas police  after an argument with her mom allegedly got out of control. Police say a neighbor reported seeing her run over her mom with her car. Police say the incident could be downgraded.

A man who police say was trying to sell his dark blue BMW M3 was in critical condition after a purported buyer made off with it.  The alleged car thief hit a cab  and ran away; police investigating the incident opened the trunk.  They are looking for this man.

The young boy's music teacher witnessed the gun fall out of his pocket during class. Investigators say the gun was loaded, but no rounds were in the chamber.