Saturday Odds and Ends

Sanders v. CMPD Et al - Back in April Charlotte resident Rickey Sanders picked up three teenage girls and apparently took them to a hotel off Tyvola Road. What happened next is pretty hazy.

According to WCNC: "The girls say they ended up at the Hilton near Tyvola Road where they went with Sanders to a hotel room. At some point, detectives say Sanders pulled out a box cutter, sexually assaulted one girl and attempted to assault another. When the teens ran from the room, they alerted staff at the front desk who called police."

Sanders was located and CMPD charged him with 3 counts of felony kidnapping, 1st degree sex offense, sexual battery and damage to property. The Mecklenburg County Arrest Record is here. WCNC News ran the story several times during newscasts on April 8 and April 9, 2010.



Then on April 27, 2010 WCNC a story titled "Fugitive Files" which highlighted accused rapist Daniel Rodriguez and included Rickey Sanders by reporting: "And the last of our five greatest hits is Rickey sander. He’s charged with kidnapping and raping a teen. VCAT caught up with him earlier this month."

Since then the charges have apparently been dismissed and Sanders released from jail.

On Monday Sanders filed suit in US Federal court against the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, CMPD Officer Mike Melendez and WCNC News as well as former news reporter Mark Boone, claiming his (Sanders) civil rights were violated.

Sanders has been convicted in the past of weapons violation and child abuse.

CMPD Animal Control - It didn't get much coverage outside of Tony Burbeck's report that aired on WCNC News two weeks ago.

While it was not the bombshell that the Marcus Jackson story provided is does show that CMPD is now a breeding ground for unethical and just down right wrong behavior.

From WCNC:

Pictures taken inside Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Animal Care and Control and posted on Facebook have prompted an internal investigation and a reminder about the appropriate use of social media sites.

A former volunteer at Animal Care and Control says it is sad enough the animals are there, but now it appears someone was having fun at their expense.

Animal Care and Control says 65 percent of the animals that come there will be euthanized.

In the first picture, a cat has a cigarette in its mouth, what appears to be earphones in its ears and a knife with an exposed blade between its paws. The caption says: “Had a little too much fun with a tranquilized feral cat."

In the second picture, someone is holding a kitten with a pen in its mouth. The caption says: "Angry kitty wants to write you a note."

The third picture shows a ferret without hair. The caption says: "Apparently somebody thought it would be fun to Nair Brenna." Nair is a hair removal product.

These pictures were posted to a CMPD Animal Care and Control veterinary technician’s Facebook page.

Animal Care and Control confirms these pictures prompted an ongoing internal investigation.

The rest of the story is here.

Cedar Says: Hard to tell what is going on, but it sure doesn't make CMPD's ACC Unit look very professional.

Cedar Posts Update: Looks like this story is now getting some traction. WBTV has posted a report that aired Monday's 6PM Newcast. Details are here.

TSA Stands Firm - While the mainstream media runs with stories of congressmen speaking out against the TSA , odd grope reports, pilot union objections and ACLU concerns they are missing the quiet stealth like attack in the making. The TSA will no doubt also be caught off guard by this protest in the making.



Across the US at many college campuses students are preparing for a short break and in doing so have been tweeting away about the TSA and opt out program.

Seems college students like the idea of getting groped and are planning to opt out in mass.

Other grid locking ideas from the under 25 crowd run from mooning, to requesting "new latex gloves" before the extensive and invasive pat down, "after all who knows what type of disease the last guy being groped had".

Keep in mind that college students make up a large percentage of travelers after Thanksgiving so if it's bad over the Thanksgiving weekend it will only get worse as the public vs the TSA fight goes all out.

UPDATE: Charlotte's WBTV News picks up the protest movement "National Opt-Out Day" here.