Logan County Jurors Hear Witness Testimony Regarding Shooting Of Lora Karras
Times Record
By Pat McHughes
Paris Express
March 26, 2016
The jury heard testimony Friday that when Lora Karras, 40, was shot three times and killed in March 2014 at her home near Scranton she may not have been the intended victim.
The jury heard that information when a taped interview between a Logan County Sheriff’s Office investigator and the man accused of her murder was played in court. On the tape, the accused, Josh Johnson, 40, of New Blaine, described an argument he’d had with Jennifer Johnson, who was then his wife, which led to her taking their two children and leaving their home. During the interview, conducted the night of March 19, 2014, a few hours after Karras was killed, Johnson told then-investigator Ray Gack what happened next.
“I loaded my gun,” Johnson told Gack. “I got in my truck and drove down there. I was hoping to get Robert.”
Robert Karras is the husband of the deceased. However, he wasn’t home. After Johnson arrived at the Karras home on Rodeo Arena Road, according to testimony presented Friday, he shot Lora Karras three times with a shot gun.
Johnson has been charged with first-degree murder and his trial opened Thursday in 15th Judicial District Circuit Court in Paris. Johnson has entered a plea of not guilty by reason of mental defect or disease. His lawyers — public defenders John Irwin of Morrilton and Aubrey Barr of Fort Smith — contend that Johnson suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder brought about by four tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Johnson served in the Marines.
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Saturday, March 26, 2016
Ohio Veteran Gets Back Stolen PTSD Service Dog
Veteran reunites with service dog after woman arrested for stealing it
FOX 8 Cleveland
Kaily Cunningham
MARCH 25, 2016
ALLIANCE, Ohio – A woman was arrested in Alliance on Friday after police found a dog inside her home she was accused of stealing.
Alliance police say Andrea Sindledecker, 34, allegedly stole a service dog from a man she was in a relationship with.
The man, a military veteran, lives in Delta, Ohio and had the dog for his post traumatic stress disorder.
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FOX 8 Cleveland
Kaily Cunningham
MARCH 25, 2016
 |
| Dog being reunited with his owner. Courtesy Alliance police. |
Alliance police say Andrea Sindledecker, 34, allegedly stole a service dog from a man she was in a relationship with.
The man, a military veteran, lives in Delta, Ohio and had the dog for his post traumatic stress disorder.
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Johnathan Michael Gilotti Murder Leads To More Arrests
More arrests in January 5 Lake Cyrus murder case of Johnathan Michael Gilotti
WIAT News
By Brandon Varner
Published: March 25, 2016
HOOVER, Ala. (WIAT) — The Hoover Police Department has made two more arrests in the shooting death of Lake Cyrus resident Johnathan Michael Gilotti on Jan. 5.
The Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office issued murder warrants in the names of 19-year-old De’Ron Keith Lucas of McCalla, and 16-year-old Darrian D. Bryant of Bessemer, according to a press release from the office. Lucas and Bryant were early suspects in the case, and were arrested at separate times.
Lucas was taken in on Jan. 7, and charged with “numerous felonies” that include car break-ins and the theft of the vehicle used in the murder in addition to the murder itself. He is currently in custody at the Tuscaloosa County Jail, according to the press release.
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Lake Cyrus community remembers lessons of slain war veteran Mike Gilotti
WIAT News
By Matt Fernandez
Published: March 25, 2016
HOOVER, Ala. (WIAT) — Many of Mike Gilotti’s neighbors spoke to CBS 42 News on Friday. The people that lived around Gilotti mostly said that this case reminds them to stay alert at all times.
An American flag still hung outside of the Iraq War veteran’s home on Friday. On that day, neighbors heard the news of the latest arrests.
“I think it is good they have been caught and apprehend now it’s time for the judicial process to do its course,” said resident Greg Stroud.
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Mike Gilotti Survived Iraq But Not Going to Alabama Gym
WIAT News
By Brandon Varner
Published: March 25, 2016
HOOVER, Ala. (WIAT) — The Hoover Police Department has made two more arrests in the shooting death of Lake Cyrus resident Johnathan Michael Gilotti on Jan. 5.
The Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office issued murder warrants in the names of 19-year-old De’Ron Keith Lucas of McCalla, and 16-year-old Darrian D. Bryant of Bessemer, according to a press release from the office. Lucas and Bryant were early suspects in the case, and were arrested at separate times.
Lucas was taken in on Jan. 7, and charged with “numerous felonies” that include car break-ins and the theft of the vehicle used in the murder in addition to the murder itself. He is currently in custody at the Tuscaloosa County Jail, according to the press release.
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Jonathan Michael “Mike” Gilotti (WBRC/Family photo)
Lake Cyrus community remembers lessons of slain war veteran Mike Gilotti
WIAT News
By Matt Fernandez
Published: March 25, 2016
HOOVER, Ala. (WIAT) — Many of Mike Gilotti’s neighbors spoke to CBS 42 News on Friday. The people that lived around Gilotti mostly said that this case reminds them to stay alert at all times.
An American flag still hung outside of the Iraq War veteran’s home on Friday. On that day, neighbors heard the news of the latest arrests.
“I think it is good they have been caught and apprehend now it’s time for the judicial process to do its course,” said resident Greg Stroud.
read more here
Mike Gilotti Survived Iraq But Not Going to Alabama Gym
Friday, March 25, 2016
Fort Hood Soldier Found Dead Was Iraq Veteran
Fort Hood identifies soldier found dead off-post
Army Times
Staff report
March 25, 2016
A Fort Hood soldier who deployed twice to support operations in Iraq was found dead at his off-post home on Tuesday, the Texas installation announced Thursday.
Army Times
Staff report
March 25, 2016
A Fort Hood soldier who deployed twice to support operations in Iraq was found dead at his off-post home on Tuesday, the Texas installation announced Thursday.
Staff Sgt. Steven Daniel Lewis, 33, lived in nearby Killeen and had been assigned to to 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, at Fort Hood since December 2013. His death is under investigation, according to a Fort Hood news release; further details were not provided. read more hereStaff Sgt. Steven Daniel Lewis was found dead at his off-post home. (Photo: Army)
Fort Bragg Soldier Charged After 2 Year Old Daughter Died
Bragg soldier charged in death of 2-year-old daughter
Army Times
Kevin Lilley
March 25, 2016
A Fort Bragg soldier faces murder and child abuse charges related to the December death of her 2-year-old daughter.
Fayetteville, North Carolina, police detectives arrested Spc. Jeanie Ditty, 23, on Thursday, according to a news release from the city's police department. Officers have also charged Zachary Keefer in the child's death; Keefer, reportedly Ditty's boyfriend and not the girl's father, remains at large.
Macey Ditty died Dec. 4, two days after arriving at a local emergency room with bruises all over her body and "life-threatening injuries consistent with child abuse," the release states. The injuries came within a day of the ER visit, medical personnel determined.
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Army Times
Kevin Lilley
March 25, 2016
A Fort Bragg soldier faces murder and child abuse charges related to the December death of her 2-year-old daughter.
Fayetteville, North Carolina, police detectives arrested Spc. Jeanie Ditty, 23, on Thursday, according to a news release from the city's police department. Officers have also charged Zachary Keefer in the child's death; Keefer, reportedly Ditty's boyfriend and not the girl's father, remains at large.
Macey Ditty died Dec. 4, two days after arriving at a local emergency room with bruises all over her body and "life-threatening injuries consistent with child abuse," the release states. The injuries came within a day of the ER visit, medical personnel determined.
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Gulf War Veteran With PTSD Arrested Trying To Get Kids Back
Capitol Police arrest man holding hunger strike at Statehouse
WIBW 13 News
By Melissa Brunner
Mar 24, 2016
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Day 11 of Raymond Schwab's hunger strike against the Kansas Department of Children and Families ended in handcuffs and a trip to the hospital.
Capitol Police arrested Schwab around 1 p.m. Thursday, as he prepared to begin a round-the-clock campout on the north steps of the Statehouse. As Schwab set up a chair, a Capitol Police officer approached and informed Schwab there was a warrant for his arrest. Schwab said he was weak and the officer allowed him to sit for a few moments before then placing him in handcuffs, walking him down the stairs and ushering him into a law enforcement vehicle.
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WIBW 13 News
By Melissa Brunner
Mar 24, 2016
When he launched his hunger strike March 14, Schwab said DCF used unsubstantiated allegations to take his and his wife Amelia's five children out of the home. The couple also believes Schwab's use of marijuana for treatment of pain and post-traumatic stress disorder is a factor. Schwab is a Gulf War veteran and the couple lives in Colorado, where use of medical cannabis is legal.
Capitol Police arrested Schwab around 1 p.m. Thursday, as he prepared to begin a round-the-clock campout on the north steps of the Statehouse. As Schwab set up a chair, a Capitol Police officer approached and informed Schwab there was a warrant for his arrest. Schwab said he was weak and the officer allowed him to sit for a few moments before then placing him in handcuffs, walking him down the stairs and ushering him into a law enforcement vehicle.
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Marine To Donate Kidney to National Guardsman "Brother"
He's my brother: Marine donates kidney to Nat'l Guardsman
WXIA
Kaitlyn Ross
March 25, 2016
Time was rapidly running out for a National Guardsman to receive a kidney transplant before his military contract expired.
Dustin Brown was in Stage 5 kidney failure and about to lose his insurance when another service member stepped up to help.
"We're all on the same team," Marine Corps Veteran Temple Jeffords said. "He's my brother just as much as any other person out there wearing the uniform."
Temple didn't hesitate when he saw Brown was in need.
"One of the things the Marine Corps teaches you is you're all brothers and sisters," Temple said. "That you're all part of the same family."
Dustin was about to deploy as a medic last fall when he found out his kidneys were failing.
He couldn't complete his mission to help people.
read more here
WXIA
Kaitlyn Ross
March 25, 2016
National Guardsman Dustin Brown stands with his wife and young son holding a sign that demonstrates his plight - he needs a kidney.ATLANTA - In less than 24 hours, a local patriot will undergo life-saving surgery.
Time was rapidly running out for a National Guardsman to receive a kidney transplant before his military contract expired.
Dustin Brown was in Stage 5 kidney failure and about to lose his insurance when another service member stepped up to help.
"We're all on the same team," Marine Corps Veteran Temple Jeffords said. "He's my brother just as much as any other person out there wearing the uniform."
Temple didn't hesitate when he saw Brown was in need.
"One of the things the Marine Corps teaches you is you're all brothers and sisters," Temple said. "That you're all part of the same family."
Dustin was about to deploy as a medic last fall when he found out his kidneys were failing.
He couldn't complete his mission to help people.
read more here
PTSD: "It's like a tornado going through a quiet town."
Living with post traumatic stress – a Hull soldier's story
By Hull Daily Mail
Posted: March 25, 2016
SCOTT Moore's voice trembles slightly as he describes an ordeal that began almost two decades ago.
The 42-year-old from west Hull is a former soldier in the Yorkshire Regiment who served in Bosnia and Northern Ireland in the 1990s and he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
It is a condition that has cost him two marriages, a livelihood and even his enjoyment of New Year's Eve.
Even more seriously, in November 2014, it led to him attempting to take his own life.
"I'd just had enough," he says. "I went and got the drugs I needed – I knew exactly what I was doing and what it would take to kill me."
Indeed, as doctors would tell him later, he had taken enough medication to kill ten men.
But he did wake up, and was informed by medics at Hull Royal Infirmary that his lengthy prescription of drugs to heal his physical pain had saved him.
"Because I was taking so many painkillers I'd become immunised to them," Scott says.
Scott is far from alone in his suffering. A report commissioned by veterans' charity Help For Heroes last November estimated more than 61,000 former soldiers suffer from mental health problems after they leave the Forces.
It was the second time Scott had attempted to take his own life. The first had been in 1998 when he was still serving. Within a year he left active service.
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By Hull Daily Mail
Posted: March 25, 2016
The condition's impact on his day-to-day life has been wide and varied. He suffers from flashbacks, sleeplessness and occasional involuntary fits of rage. . he says, trying to explain its nature.
The 42-year-old from west Hull is a former soldier in the Yorkshire Regiment who served in Bosnia and Northern Ireland in the 1990s and he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
It is a condition that has cost him two marriages, a livelihood and even his enjoyment of New Year's Eve.
Even more seriously, in November 2014, it led to him attempting to take his own life.
"I'd just had enough," he says. "I went and got the drugs I needed – I knew exactly what I was doing and what it would take to kill me."
Indeed, as doctors would tell him later, he had taken enough medication to kill ten men.
But he did wake up, and was informed by medics at Hull Royal Infirmary that his lengthy prescription of drugs to heal his physical pain had saved him.
"Because I was taking so many painkillers I'd become immunised to them," Scott says.
Scott is far from alone in his suffering. A report commissioned by veterans' charity Help For Heroes last November estimated more than 61,000 former soldiers suffer from mental health problems after they leave the Forces.
It was the second time Scott had attempted to take his own life. The first had been in 1998 when he was still serving. Within a year he left active service.
read more here
Five Star Veterans Center Gets Makeover From Home Depot
Veterans Center gets makeover thanks to Home Depot help
Florida Times Union Jacksonville.com
By Saphara Harrell
Mar 24, 2016
Volunteers and veterans were hard at work Thursday painting, digging and mulching at the Five Star Veterans Center.
Two rooms are being painted and fitted with new sinks, while the side of the building is getting plants, mulch and a basketball hoop.
Joshua Peterson didn’t know about the basketball hoop, but was excited when he heard.
He’s been living at the Five Star Veterans Center for about a month, one of 29 veterans currently residing there. The 24-year-old recently got out of the Army and is trying to save up while he attends Everest University. He plans to be out of the center by June.
Peterson said all the veterans pitch in at the center, using their diverse talents to help out.
Five Star’s CEO, Col. Len Loving, echoed that statement, saying the facility wouldn’t be able to operate without the help of the veterans who clean, landscape, wash dishes, and do whatever else needs to be done.
He said the facility serves in-need veterans, but they don’t always fit into the homeless stereotype. “They’re not pushing carts down the street,” Loving said. “Many have cars and have lived in their cars.”
Florida Times Union Jacksonville.com
By Saphara Harrell
Mar 24, 2016
Volunteers and veterans were hard at work Thursday painting, digging and mulching at the Five Star Veterans Center.
The one-story, white cinderblock building, which serves as a transitional facility for homeless veterans, is getting small renovations thanks to a Home Depot group called Team Depot which supplied materials and labor for the project.
Photos by Will.DickeyWesley Johnson, an employee with Home Depot, paints a room Thursday at the Five Star Veterans Center in Jacksonville.
Two rooms are being painted and fitted with new sinks, while the side of the building is getting plants, mulch and a basketball hoop.
Joshua Peterson didn’t know about the basketball hoop, but was excited when he heard.
He’s been living at the Five Star Veterans Center for about a month, one of 29 veterans currently residing there. The 24-year-old recently got out of the Army and is trying to save up while he attends Everest University. He plans to be out of the center by June.
Peterson said all the veterans pitch in at the center, using their diverse talents to help out.
Five Star’s CEO, Col. Len Loving, echoed that statement, saying the facility wouldn’t be able to operate without the help of the veterans who clean, landscape, wash dishes, and do whatever else needs to be done.
He said the facility serves in-need veterans, but they don’t always fit into the homeless stereotype. “They’re not pushing carts down the street,” Loving said. “Many have cars and have lived in their cars.”
Thursday, March 24, 2016
One Week After Stand Down Homeless Veteran And Child Have Home
Veteran single father living in shelter with toddler now has a home
NBC 3 News Las Vegas
BY SANDRA GONZALEZ
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23RD 2016
LAS VEGAS (KSNV News3LV) — A homeless veteran and his one-year-old daughter now have a place to call home. We first introduced you to them last week as they were getting some much-needed help.
Eric Jackson was pushing a stroller with his daughter Jerica inside, last week at the Veterans Stand Down event at Cashman Center. He was looking for a place to live. A week later, the army veteran is in his own apartment.
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NBC 3 News Las Vegas
BY SANDRA GONZALEZ
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23RD 2016
Eric Jackson was pushing a stroller with his daughter Jerica inside, last week at the Veterans Stand Down event at Cashman Center. He was looking for a place to live. A week later, the army veteran is in his own apartment.
read more here
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