Shawnee Jewelry Store Robbery Murder Attempt

Vergal Clemmons and Crystal Slaughter were charged today with attempted first degree murder and aggravated robbery in connection to last week's shooting and robbery at a jewelry store in Shawnee, KS.  Although it took Lenexa's finest a couple of days to catch up with them, evidence from the Johnson County Crime Lab finally pointed the finger in the right direction.

Like an ebony version of Bonnie and Clyde, Vergal Clemmons and Crystal Slaughter  shot up the Jewelry Shoppe at 7753 Quivira Road on June 23rd while attempting to burglarize it.  Clemmons is a felon and was illegally in possession of a firearm during the robbery / shooting so he will be charged with that as well.  The 71 year old owner of the Jewelry Shoppe was shot during the robbery, but was taken to the hospital in stable condition.  Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe said today that the charges against Clemmons and Slaughter were the result of an extensive investigation by the Lenexa Police Department and the Johnson County Crime Lab operative.

We interviewed a nearby resident who claimed that "Lenexa's finest had my entire neighborhood on lockdown, every time I would pull into my own neighborhood they were eyeballing me".  Anyone familiar with Lenexa knows that the police swarm constantly around the neighborhood and it is difficult to believe that anyone would be dense enough to attempt armed robbery in that jurisdiction.  Lenexa is one of those places in Kansas City where you really do need to go 35 mph when posted.

Not surprisingly, Vergal Clemmons is from Kansas City, Kansas, and his partner Crystal Slaughter was in fact a resident of Lenexa, this would lead us to believe that she had scoped out the place, then summoned the help of thug gangsta Clemmons to assist in shooting the 71 year old owner and robbing him blind.  Luckily, they failed miserably and bond has been set at $500,000 for Clemmons and at $250,000 for Slaughter.

How is it that in this day and age of cameras and advanced surveillance criminals still think that they can rob a bank, convenience store, or in this case a jewelry store?  Listen up people, if you are in a public place, you are most likely on camera whether you are aware of it or not.

Kansas City Man Rapes Unconcious Woman

Take a look at Mr. Melvin L Jackson of Kansas City. Mr Jackson, it seems, was just walking down the street mindin' his own bidness when he happened upon a woman lying on the sidewalk near 34th & Troost. Of course, he stopped to see if he could help the poor lady when his penis (allegedly) fell out of his pants and into the woman who was unconscious on the street.

This poor woman wakes to witnesses screaming for the man to get off of her. Police soon catch up to Jackson who has his zipper still open. When questioned by Police, the man said he thought the woman was dead. Oh well, that makes it OK then, carry on sir - sorry to bother you. WTF?

This happened at 11:30 in the morning, in broad daylight, on a public sidewalk. Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters-Baker said that in all her years in the prosecutor's office you think you've seen everything, but this is a new one.

What a sick fuck. Mr Jackson is being held on a $70,000 cash only bond.

FBI Embarrassed by Westboro Baptist Church Meeting

Earlier this year, Westboro Baptist Church was invited to the FBI Training Center in Quantico, VA. NPR reported last week that the meetings were for training purposes, but were discontinued this spring after the Assistant Director of the FBI found out about the program and voiced concerns about having the church on their property. There has also been some public outrage since the news broke as well.

Other controversial groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan, have been invited to help with FBI training in the past. Law enforcement tries to learn as much as they can about the group and their point of view to be able to effectively deal with them and similar extremest groups in the future. This is not endorsing anyone's views, it's training. Much like learning about a serial killers thought processes to help stop the next one.

The bottom line is that the FBI trainers thought this might be helpful, and probably was. It would be better left out of the public eye, and WBC certainly doesn't deserve any more attention. But let's face it, they have not broken any laws, and their idiotic speech is protected by the First Amendment whether you like it or not.

NFL Lockout Talks Resume

After the last discussions between NFL owners and players took a step backwards, talks have reportedly resumed. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, NFL Players Association head DeMaurice Smith have been joined by several owners and players in hopes of ending the lockout.

The group will be meeting at a law firm located in Minneapolis. Some of the more well-known participants include Colts center Jeff Saturday and Giants owner John Mara. These will be the fifth set of "secret" talks between the owners and players. The talks are only scheduled to take place today, but could also extend into Friday if both groups feel it is neccessary.

While reports on how much progress the players and owners have made varies, both sides appear to be running out of time to get something done. Training camps are scheduled to open in three weeks, and the Hall of Fame Game is August 7.

Slumping Royals Drop Second Game to Padres

The Royals' series vs. the San Diego Padres got off to a bad start, as Kansas City dropped game one 4-3. Game two didn't go any better, as the Royals once again couldn't get their offense going, losing 4-2.

Kansas City has a disturbing trend this season of allowing struggling players to have a coming out party, and this game was no different. San Diego pitcher Clayton Richard (4-9), who had been winless in his last 12 starts, absolutely shut down Kansas City's offense. Kansas City got solid pitching once again from Felipe Paulino, who has slowly turned into the best pitcher on the Royals' staff. Paulino (0-2) has yet to record a victory for Kansas City, although that can largely be blamed on a lack of run support.

The lone bright spot for Kansas City offensively was Jeff Francoeur, who continues to make the best case for Kansas City's All-Star representative. Francoeur scored the Royals' first run, and hit a solo homerun in the seventh. He also flashed some defensive skill as well, throwing out Anthony Rizzo in the third inning for an outfield assist.

Kansas City wraps up its series with San Diego today at 2:35. Bruce Chen (4-1) will start for Kansas City, making his second appearance since returning from injury.