Teens Accidentally Send Text Meant For Drug Dealer To Sheriff
A Helena teen sent out a text message last week looking to buy marijuana, only instead of texting the drug dealer, he hit a wrong number.
Who received it? The Lewis and Clark County sheriff.
The text message said: “Hey Dawg, do you have a $20 I can buy right now?”
Sheriff Leo Dutton initially thought someone was playing a joke on him, but quickly realized it was a real request for a drug exchange. “I’m thinking, ‘Hey this is odd,’ ” Dutton said. “I was looking around to see if there was someone outside my window playing a prank.”
He played along as if it were legitimate. “How much we talking?” Dutton replied to the teen.
The sender said he was close to the dealer’s house, so Dutton got the Missouri River Drug Task Force involved. A detective pretending to be the dealer agreed to meet the sender at a business at the north end of town at 6 p.m. last Wednesday, Dutton said.
Inside the business the detective spotted two male juveniles with an adult male. To ensure it was the right person, the detective called the number three times, Dutton said.
The detective called the teens over and showed them his badge. Dutton said the young boys turned white and their knees began to wobble. The group went outside to discuss the issue further and one of the teens passed out.
“Was it divine intervention or just bad luck?” Dutton said.
The adult male with the group turned out to be the father of one of the teens. He was a big, military-looking guy and he wasn’t happy, Dutton said. The drug detective got both of the teens’ parents involved and decided not to issue any citations.
“When the detective saw there were parents that wanted to be involved he took the right action and I’m really proud of the deputy,” Dutton said. “Trying to buy drugs is a crime, but it’s probably worse that they had to face their parents.”
(Source: Helenair.com)
Catholic High School Dean Loses Job After Gay Marriage
SPRINGFIELD – The athletic director at Cathedral High School lost her job this week, saying she was pressured to leave after marrying her female partner in August.
Christine M. Judd, who served as athletic director and dean of students, said she is no longer an employee of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield school system after a meeting Wednesday with administrators of the Catholic high school.
The diocese listed her departure as a resignation, but Judd said she is still exploring her legal options.
“I was given a choice of termination or resignation,” Judd said. “I’m hurt, but I wish nothing but the best for Cathedral, its students, the parents, the athletic teams, administration and faculty. I bleed purple (the school’s color).”
Judd, a Springfield resident, worked for the Catholic school for 12 years, beginning as a science teacher in 1998. She became dean of students six years ago and was given the added duties of athletic director three years ago.
“I married my partner this summer,” Judd said. “I was hoping that my loyalty, my professionalism the last 12 years would supersede the current hypocrisy that has already been shown with the Diocese of Springfield.”
Asked to elaborate on her claim of hypocrisy, Judd said she questions if there are lay persons who work for the Catholic diocese who divorce and remarry without an annulment, or employees who use birth control, or men who have had vasectomies, or individuals who are pro-choice on abortion.
Same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts in 2004.
Mark E. Dupont, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, said Judd did resign, but declined to respond to Judd’s comments, or on the issue of her marriage in August.
“Because it’s an employment matter, we are not at liberty to discuss the specifics,” Dupont said.
Judd said she knows she will find new employment.
She said state law gives her the right to same-sex marriage, but it is not allowed under diocesan policy, leading to her job loss.
“Cathedral had nothing to do with this,” Judd said. “This was a diocesan decision. In the end, the timing of this issue really affects the kids. That is where it has the most effect.”
Cathedral’s website describes Judd as “one of the key members of the faculty and staff who serve as positive role models for the students.”
Farrand Violette, who is the new football coach at Cathedral, has been named interim athletic director for the rest of this year, Dupont said. Violette has past experience as an athletic director at the New Leadership Charter School.
No decision has been announced yet regarding the dean of students position.
Judd said her decision to leave the school followed a meeting with the school principal, John Miller, and the business director.
“Without being specific to this matter, it should be clear that all employees of our Catholic schools are made aware of our policies and regulations,” Dupont said. “This includes language that clearly states that whenever by public example, an employee engages in or espouses conduct which contravenes the doctrine and teaching of the Catholic Church, that employee may be subject to disciplinary action. To do otherwise would be in contradiction to the values we believe in and are teaching in these same schools. So while we certainly want to be compassionate and understanding, we must be true to who we are.”
“We are certainly thankful to Ms Judd for her past service at Cathedral High School and wish her the best in the future,” Dupont said.
(Source: Masslive.com)
Unlikely Reunion: Nurse Discovers Estranged Father As Patient In Hospital
He vanished from her life 41 years ago, when she was just a few months old.
But when nurse Wanda Rodriguez walked in to a cancer patient’s room last week and saw his face, she knew.
In an astonishing twist of fate, the New York woman’s father, Victor Peraza, was looking back at her.
‘He looks right at me and I realise: He looks like me and I look like him,’ she told American media.
Ms Rodriguez, an assistant head nurse at the Calvary Hospital, was consulting with a doctor over the admission of a new terminal cancer patient.
Then she heard the patient’s name – and she froze. ‘I said to myself, “Oh my God!”,’ she told the New York Post.
It was her father’s name – but could it be him?
Her mother had always said she looked like her father. So Ms Rodriguez took a chance.
‘I needed to go to his room. I had to see him,’ she said. ‘I was really shaking. I said, “Hi, how are you? Are you comfortable?”‘ Then, she told American reporters, she asked if he had any children.
‘Yes, I do, but my kids are grown,’ he replied. ‘I have an older daughter Gina and a younger daughter Wanda.’
Ms Rodriguez put her head in her hands and started to cry. She rushed from the room. ‘I thought I was going to faint,’ she said. But, fighting for control, she walked back in and told her father that she was his daughter.
‘I know,’ Mr Peraza replied.
Ms Rodriguez’s mother married Mr Peraza when they were high school sweethearts in the New York borough of the Bronx. She had no idea that he was still in the city and had moved to Queens as a bank employee.
She confirmed what both father and daughter already believed.
Hospital officials said the pair had been incredibly lucky. There are seven other units at Cavalry, and had Mr Peraza been admitted to any of them, they never would have met.
Now Mr Peraza has met three of his five grandchildren and been reunited with her mother.
Though he had to be shifted to another unit because of the family conflict, Ms Rodriguez is still seeing him before and after her shifts.
She often sits with him even if he is asleep.
‘He keeps begging me for forgiveness and says, “I wasn’t a good father,”‘ she told reporters.
‘I tell him, the past is in the past. You can’t change the past. I love you.’ Her father is dying – but she is hoping he will reach his 61st birthday next week.
‘He’s at peace,’ she said. ‘He said, “Wanda, I’ve met you. I’m OK. I’m ready to die.’
(Source: DailyMail.co.uk)
Christian Blogger: How Christians Spoil Sex
Christian marriage.
Hot sex.
Let’s try that again:
Christian marriage; hot sex.
It doesn’t quite go together does it?
Passionate, toe-curling sex isn’t normally associated with Christianity or even spirituality in general.
At least that’s what Jonathan Acuff, a Belief Blog contributor and author of “Stuff Christians Like,” argues in a recent blog. He says Christians need to do a better job of connecting God with a vibrant sex life.
That’s what we’ve been told. That God and sex don’t go together. And if you say something enough times, people start to believe it’s true…. You can’t have both in the same bottle. They’re oil and water. Cats and dogs. Spencer and Heidi. They just don’t go together.
Acuff, who is married, says Christians shouldn’t just teach abstinence. They should also teach that while sex before marriage is bad, “sex when you’re married is awesome.”
He says Christians damage sex in four ways:
They teach guilt, not abstinence.
They have very few ways to discuss it.
They write 10 books about lust for every one book about the gift of sex.
They’ve “made the crayon box pretty small” (they’re afraid of being creative during sex).
Acuff says it’s time Christian couples realize passionate sex is God’s idea.
We’ve bought the lie that the world gets to have wild, crazy sex and Christians, holy folks like us, have to have black-and-white, two-dimensional sex. But what if that’s wrong? What if the God who overflows us with love and hope and mercy wants that part of our lives to be as big and as colorful as two married people could possibly imagine?
(Source: CNN)
Lecrae On A Mission With ‘Rehab’
Lecrae ‘REHAB’ Interview from Rapzilla.com on Vimeo.
There is much to see and do where Lecrae’s latest project “Rehab” is concerned. Buzz is building about the album’s release and Reach Records is going into overdrive with pre-order sales and merchandise availability. Check out the video above for Crayola’s Rapzilla interview on the entire process, and see below for his own words on where his heart lies with this album and with Christ.
Rehabilitation is a process.
I’m currently undergoing a certain type of rehab. Spiritually, I’m being conformed into the image of Christ. It’s painful because the old me, my flesh, is resistant and hates the process. To be completely honest, this year alone I’ve battled legalism, depression, anxiety, and selfishness. Not only are those things difficult and frustrating for myself and people around me, but they are also a hideous offense to God. They are sins and/or the results of sin.
The obvious cure is ALWAYS seeing and savoring more of Jesus. But HOW do we do that in this world of distractions competing for our affections?
Take me for example, I spent the last few months recording my album, rigorously checking my Twitter and Facebook, moving to a new area, traveling on weekends, filming videos, having family outings, date nights, meetings, and interviews. Where in that whirlwind do I find fresh affection for Jesus? Where do I demonstrate to my children that Daddy is different than other entertainers out there?
Many of us need to stop and reflect on God. I’ve found nothing like the solace and restoration of being somewhere my phone and laptop don’t go; where I don’t know what the latest movie is; where all the luxuries and distractions of my life are stripped away and I’m left to focus on Jesus and his mission.
Therefore, at the height of my new album REHAB, I plan to be in Southern Sudan.
Sudan has been obliterated by war for so long, resulting in over two million casualties. They have only known roughly 15 years of peace since 1956, and they are currently operating under a peace agreement that will be up for renewal next year. At the time of voting, the Sudanese will decide whether they want to remain one country or be split in two. I believe it is of critical importance for people to see that the Gospel impacts every area of culture. I want to give them hope in Christ. So, I won’t see the iTunes charts on release day. I won’t know what Billboard, fans and critics have to say about it. I’ll be consumed with the Master and His work.
If you plan on buying my project, thank you. But I want to ask you to go a step further.
With thousands of casualties in Sudan and the everyday reality that over a billion people live off less than a dollar a day, I ask you: can you live off a dollar less for a day?
Will you start today and be a part of the Rehab mission in Sudan?
To truly support rehab, specifically the rehabilitation of a war-torn country, means engaging life beyond the music. I’m asking you to sacrifice, really steward $1. I’m partnering with Red Revolution Ministries and pastors from The Village church to train pastors and community leaders who are passionate about spreading the Gospel despite the current situation in Sudan. But there are many pressing resources needed to help the people of Sudan spread the never-ending hope of Jesus, and your contribution of a dollar or more would help provide those resources.
Supporting my music benefits both of us. You potentially get music you enjoy, and I get your support. But supporting the rehabilitation of Southern Sudan doesn’t yield you any visible benefits. It’s purely sacrificial, which is exactly what Christ wants from his followers. So in the process of aiding rehabilitation for the Sudanese, you undergo rehab too–by letting go of self. Your flesh, your earthly desires, or skepticism may fight with you, but I pray you’d allow God to work in and through you to serve those you don’t know and may not think about.God knows them and loves them deeply; please help us share that truth.
(Source: Reachrecords.com)
Fortune Tellers Being Regulated To ‘Weed Out’ False Prophets And Con Artists
Starting this week, fortune tellers in Warren, Mich., must be fingerprinted and pay an annual fee of $150 — plus $10 for a police background check — to practice their craft. The new rules are among America’s strictest on palmists, fortune readers, and other psychics — and part of a growing push to regulate a business that has never been taken, or overseen, very seriously. But officials in Warren, a town of 138,000 near Detroit, say it’s time to weed out tricksters. “We had no mechanism of enforcement to protect people against unsavory characters,” Warren City Council member Keith Sadowski says. “We want to be sure there is some recourse in case we do get somebody who is not legitimate.”
Regulating an industry that deems itself clairvoyant, has no standard education requirements and yet rakes in cash for revealing spiritual truths may itself be an act of faith. It also might make good economic sense: just over one in seven Americans consulted a psychic or fortune-teller in 2009, according to the Pew Forum for Religion and Public Life. That could be 30 million or more of us.
Municipalities are now struggling to manage such activities. Annapolis, Md., only issues what it calls “fortune-telling licenses” if its police force concludes the applicant is “of good moral character.” Last year Will County, Ill., decided to count fortune tellers as official businesses, along with tattoo parlors and dog watchers. Three years back, Salem, Mass., famous for its 17th Century witch trials — and something of a magnet for spiritual artisans — tightened its rules on background checks for psychics, while easing its cap on the number of local fortune tellers allowed in town.
Warren’s beefed-up regs came about this spring when Matt Nichols, a Warren police officer, told the city council that the town appeared vulnerable to fortune-telling crime. Once a year since at least 2005, Nichols says he has had to try to convince a psychic to return jewelry or cash taken from a client in exchange for performing spells or to free them from curses. But since no regulations barred such acts, criminal charges weren’t an option. “We are not looking to do anything to oppress people’s beliefs,” argues Nichols, also a member of the National Association of Bunco Investigators, a non-profit group dedicated to combating scams and cons. “We are looking to specifically identify crime and people who prey on the vulnerable.”
That makes sense, given the harm unscrupulous fortune tellers can inflict. Psychic Gina Marie Marks pleaded guilty Wednesday in Florida to grand theft and organized fraud. One of her victims testified that Marks swindled her of $312,926.29 — and convinced her to get a tattoo, to boot. It’s now “a constant reminder of the psychological abuse I endured at the hands of this false prophet,” she told a Broward County judge.
But other observers, peering into their own crystal balls, see new worries. Michael Steinburg, of the Michigan branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, suggests Warren’s policy may jeopardize those practicing yoga or predicting the weather. “It makes it illegal to say incantations to give good luck without having a license,” he told TIME. The ACLU has also defended the free-speech rights of Maryland fortune-teller Nick Nefedro, who won his case in June to operate a shop in the Washington, D.C., suburbs. (In that case, the judge even challenged a common stereotype: “We are not, however, persuaded that all fortune telling is fraudulent,” Clayton Greene, Jr., wrote.)
But the transparency that regulation requires seems to be in short supply. Several psychics contacted by TIME refused to discuss their practices. Others, like members of the Astrology Association of St. Petersburg, Fl., fear discrimination may result. Some psychics, sensing which way the wind is blowing, are developing codes of ethics to ensure honest clairvoyance. Southern California medium Linda Mackenzie, for example, promises to not use her powers for personal gain or revenge. Allie Theiss, a psychic in Wooster, Ohio, posts a confidentiality agreement on her website and assures potential customers that readings are done without regard for a client’s race, gender, creed, color or sexual orientation.
Not all psychics fear tougher government oversight. “I think it’s wonderful,” Julia Mary Cox, a Michigan psychic plying her craft near Warren, says of the town’s new rules. “There are so many people practicing out there, doing it under false pretenses, giving honest people a bad name.” But she concedes she wishes Warren’s new rules could more clearly separate true fortune tellers from false seers. “They are not looking at any training,” she notes. “I have a college degree, I have a background in religion and philosophy and English, and I have experience doing this.” While all that may be true, it’s also irrelevant. Cox concedes there’s nothing like a driver’s test for oracles. “There aren’t any classes you can take where you say, ‘Here are three boxes. Which box holds the apple?’” But given Americans’ hunger to know the unknowable — and their willingness to pay for it — it’s a safe bet that psychics are going to keep on peddling predictions, regulated or not.
(Source: TIME.com)
‘Traumatized’ Passenger Sues American Airlines Over Emergency Landing
SEATTLE — A woman has sued American Airlines, saying she was traumatized when the plane she was on ran off the runway at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
In the lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court, passenger Jewel Thomas said she has suffered severe mental and emotional problems because of the incident on Sept. 22, 2008. American Flight 268, a Boeing 757, was flying nonstop from Seattle to New York when it made an emergency landing at O’Hare, skidding onto the grass next to the runway.
“That day changed my whole life – it changed my whole world,” Thomas said, adding: “This is one problem I can’t solve.”
The woman from Bellevue, Wash., said she is on unpaid disability from her job at Microsoft. Though an experienced world traveler, she said she is no longer able to fly and will sometimes “freak out” when she hears an airplane.
No physical injuries were reported among the 185 passengers or seven crew members, and the aircraft had little damage beyond its landing gear and several blown tires.
Thomas contended in her lawsuit that shortly after takeoff, the flight crew received multiple warnings about problems with the plane’s electrical system. Following a reference handbook, the crew switched the plane’s standby power for some systems to the main battery, although the handbook noted the battery could provide backup power for only 30 minutes.
Thomas’ lawsuit alleges that the flight crew should have diverted sooner to another airport before the battery ran out and key systems were crippled. It accused American Airlines and the plane’s two pilots of negligence and seeks unspecified damages.
Andrea Huguely, a spokeswoman for the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline, said that the company had not seen the complaint and had no comment.
The lawsuit claimed the captain was aware the main battery charger wasn’t functioning and of the battery’s 30-minute reserve, but the crew elected to continue the flight to New York.
Thomas’ lawyer, Alisa Brodkowitz, said a transcript of cockpit conversations “showed a real ignorance of flight systems.”
The lawsuit alleged that while the plane’s crew tried to troubleshoot the problem for several hours, critical systems began to shut down. The cabin public address system failed and eventually all power to the passenger cabin went out, including the lights.
Thomas said that after the cabin lights went out, passengers were told to prepare for a rough landing at O’Hare, and that many began to pray. She said she was terrified and called her children on her cell phone, leaving messages saying she loved them.
The plane eventually diverted to Chicago, where the crew declared emergency upon landing.
(Source: Huffington Post)
Grown Ups Starting To Text As Much As Teens
(CNN) — Grown-ups don’t text as much as teens — at least not yet. A new survey suggests they may be catching up.
About 72 percent of adult mobile phone users send text messages with their phones, according to a report released Thursday from the Pew Research Center. That’s up from 65 percent just a year ago.
About 87 percent of teenagers use their phones to tap out messages to each other, the survey said. And they’re way busier. Teens send an average of 50 text messages a day, five times more than the 10 that adults send daily.
“Texting among adults has reached the mainstream … ,” said Amanda Lenhart, a senior research specialist at the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project and the author the report. “Of course, none of these adult groups hold a candle to teens when it comes to texting, who swamp adults in messages sent per day by a factor of five.”
But while they’re texting more, Americans still have mixed feelings about mobile phones. In a nutshell: They like their own, but they hate yours.
Almost all mobile phone users, 91 percent, say having the phone makes them feel safer, and 88 percent say they like how the phone helps them make plans with family and friends.
But nearly as many, 86 percent, say they think it’s rude when other people repeatedly check their phones during meetings or conversations.
And how’s this for getting attached to your mobile device? About 65 percent of adults said they sleep with their cell phone either on or right next to their bed.
The findings come from a nationwide telephone survey of 2,252 American adults conducted between April 29 and May 30, 2010. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Teen findings were based on a representative group of 800 teens, ages 12-17, and their guardians conducted from June 26 to September 24, 2009. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.]
The report was the second in as many weeks from Pew showing older internet users catching up to the habits of their younger counterparts.
Last week, a report showed that users over 50 are the fastest growing group on social-networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Between April 2009 and May, the percentage of internet users 50 and up who said they use social-networking sites has risen from 22 percent to 42 percent, according to the survey.
Respondents 65 and older reported a 100 percent increase, while those between 50 and 64 jumped 88 percent.
By comparison, the number of users from 18-29 who said they use networking sites rose a much more meager 13 percent.
Driver Stops Train In Time To Avoid Woman On Tracks
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Aug. 30) — New York City’s latest good guy is a subway motorman who brought his speeding train to a halt within 70 feet of a woman who had fallen off the platform and lay sprawled, face-down, on the tracks.
But Francis Lusk says he was just doing his job.
“I don’t feel like a hero,” he said, blushing, on CBS’ “The Early Show” today.
“I did basically what my job was … to make sure everybody gets home safely,” he said.
The woman tumbled off the Manhattan subway platform at about 7 a.m. Saturday as the 370-ton train headed right for her.
Photos of the still-unidentified woman in New York’s Daily News showed her laying across the tracks. Onlookers screamed and waved for the train to stop, the newspaper said.
Lusk, 36, saw her, brought his train to a halt and radioed for help.
He also blared the horn, worried that platform onlookers might put themselves in danger by trying to help the woman, who was near the electrified third rail.
“When I got my train to a complete stop, I blew the horn to make sure the customers froze in their tracks,” Lusk said on NBC’s “Today” show. “With the electricity still on, the more people down there, the worse it could possibly get.”
He said he doesn’t know why the woman left the platform as the train came into the Fifth Avenue and 59th Street station on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
“As I was entering, I just happen to see the lady just walking, she just walked right off the edge of the platform,” Lusk said on “The Early Show.”
“I quickly brought my train into a controlled stop,” he said.
He was confident he would stop in time and didn’t panic.
“I wasn’t worried about stopping,” he said on CBS. “I was just more worried about if she tried to move because she was so close to the third rail. That would have been a lot worse of a situation for her.”
Lusk, who had asked for the power to be turned off, went down into the tracks to see if she was OK or felt dizzy.
“At this point, I don’t know what’s wrong, if it’s a medical issue,” he said on CBS.
The woman told him she was bleeding, he said. “I had tissues in my pocket so I gave them to her so she could blot the blood,” he said.
Rescuers arrived quickly and the woman was taken to a hospital, the Daily News said. She was bleeding from a cut above her left eye, the paper said.
A doorman on his way home to Queens said it was a close call.
“She was moaning,” Raymond Rosario told the Daily News. “She couldn’t get up.
“It seemed like it wasn’t going to stop,” he said of the subway train. “It came so so close. I never saw anything like that. She was very lucky.”
Lusk, whose grandfather was a motorman, finished up his shift and went home in the early afternoon, the paper said.
(Source; GNN.com)
Man 21, Passes Himself Off As A 14 Yr Old For Youth Football
TAMPA – A 21-year-old man impersonated a 14-year-old by playing in a youth football league and attempted to enroll at a Hillsborough County Middle School, according to league and school district officials.
Julious Threatts, 21, used the name Chad Jordan to register and play for the Town N’ Country Packers on Aug. 21, said Packers athletic director Ray McCloud. The Packers are made up of 13- and 14-year-olds and play in the Tampa Bay Youth Football League on Aug. 21.
On Tuesday, he attempted to enroll at Webb Middle School at 6305 Hanley Road, again under the alias, Chad Jordan.
Steve Hegarty, Hillsborough County School District spokesman, said Threatts showed up alone and without the proper paperwork at Webb. Threatts told administrators he was homeless.
Hegarty said the Department of Child and Families was called in, while Threatts waited in the cafeteria where he was given a snack.
According to Hegarty, Webb Principal Marcos Murillo walked through the cafeteria at that point and saw Threatts. Hegarty said Murillo told him, “He looks too old to be in middle school.”
Threatts was moved to the social worker’s office, where Threatt’s cell phone rang. Hegarty said one of the administrators in the room answered. The voice on the other end said she was Threatts’ mother, which is when his true identity became known.
Later Tuesday, Threatts was arrested on trespassing charges at the school.
According to police records, Threatts said he was a runaway and used the alias, “Chad Jordan,” the same name he used on a forged birth certificate to play for the Town N’ Country Packers. Threatts remained in the Hillsborough County Jail on Saturday. In addition to the trespassing charge, he also is being held on charges of violating probation in a 2009 burglary case, records show.
McCloud, the Packers athletic director, said the team became suspicious of Threatts when opposing coaches recognized him.
When it was brought to McCloud’s attention that Threatts was an impostor who played for an opposing youth football coach the previous year, McCloud called a meeting with Threatts.
“I brought him into this room with seven of our board members and coaches and said, ‘Come on now, tell us the truth, who are you?’ ” McCloud said. “He looked me right in the eye and said, ‘I swear I am who I say I am. I’m Chad Jordan.’
“This guy had us all fooled. I mean this guy acted just like a little kid. Everything about him was a little kid. He’s a total scam artist.”
Threatts is 5-foot-11, 160 pounds, which is 10 pounds under the 170 pounds to play varsity level (13 and 14-year-olds) in the TBYFL.
McCloud, who estimates he has more than 200 football players and cheerleaders within the Town N’ Country Packers organization, said the volunteers who handled Threatts’ paperwork couldn’t remember which parent or guardian vouched for Threatts on the required forms. McCloud said Threatts’ form was not notarized, which is the case with many of the Town N’ Country Packer players.
“Our volunteers are overwhelmed,” McCloud said.
Besides the forged birth certificate, McCloud said Threatts’ elaborate story included his parents died and he had moved from Seattle with his brother. There also was a lengthy e-mail from an alleged scout at the high school recruiting service Rivals.com analyzing Chad Jordan.
McCloud said he believed Threatts also forged the e-mail. The e-mail, which circulated heavily among TBYFL coaches, said Chad Jordan was “a very special prospect” who “hasn’t signed” but has “offers from USC (University of Southern California), Texas and Florida.” The email included quotes and lengthy statistics.
When TBYFL president Scott Levinson learned about Threatts, Levinson said, “I was angry. My goal is to protect kids, to make sure they’re all safe and taken care of.
“We’re going to investigate this to the full extent.”
Citrus Park Bills Athletic Director Mike Black said he hopes so, and not because Threatts scored two touchdowns in the Packers’ 35-0 victory over the Bills.
“We need to do whatever it takes to make sure this type of thing doesn’t happen again,” said Black, who has been involved with the Bills more than eight years. “Believe me, I understand that some people are going to try and take advantage of the system, but we need to work to stop those people.
“(TBYFL) should not be about winning. It should be about trying to help kids learn and grow into better people by playing football.”
Besides playing for the Packers this year, McCloud said he discovered Threatts played in another youth league last year and for the Seahawks in the TBYFL two years ago.
(SOurce: MSNBC)
