May 29, 2008

Mystery still surrounds lake wedding shootings

(Not your typical shotgun wedding.
Obviously, it was in the south...)
A shooting at an outdoor wedding ended in chaos as a man sped off to find help for the three victims loaded into the back of his pickup (redneck ambulance?). Arriving Pope County sheriff’s deputies found a woman lying in the truck’s bed with a gunshot wound to the head. A man next to her had blood pumping down over his body from a wound his (red)neck. Another man sat in the back, suffering from a chest wound.
As deputies got to Piney Creek, they found another woman with a gunshot wound to the wrist, according to their initial reports.
But now, three days after the shooting, the chief prosecutor said that trying to piece together what went wrong Saturday remained difficult. There were reports that the suspect's dog and the wedding couple's dog got into a fight, and it escalated from there (Was Michael Vick there?).
“There’s a lot of people with a lot of different perspectives,” Prosecutor David Gibbons said. “It’s difficult to say what caused it.” Police arrested Patrick Paul Duvall, 29, of Russellville, in a restaurant parking lot shortly after the shootings. Duvall will go before a Pope County judge Wednesday for a bond hearing. The bride and groom are recovering in a Little Rock hospital, while the two others shot were still at a Russellville hospital.
The Pope County public defender’s office said Tuesday they would find out at the court hearing whether they’d be assigned to Duvall’s case. Gibbons said he did not know whether Duvall had spoken to a lawyer since his arrest. A phone number for Duvall listed on a police report was disconnected (...and Sarah, Mayberry's town phone operator was on a moonshine bender).
Police have said about 50 people attended the wedding along the creek, known in the community as a good place to picnic or swim on a hot day (and open fire on a wedding party). Duvall apparently opened fire without knowing the bride or groom (guess they should have invited him), both of whom suffered gunshot wounds during the attack.
A police mugshot of Duvall after his arrest showed he had a split lip and what appeared to be a puffy, bruised face. When asked about Duvall’s injuries, Gibbons said “there are a lot of folks being investigated” for their role in the melee (Billy Bob, Beulah, Cletus, Cooter, Faylene, Bobby Jo, Earl, Floyd, Harley, Junior, Bubba, Cindy Lou, Buck, Daisy, Joe Bob, Abner, Lester, Scooter, Peggy Sue, Buford, Jesse, Elmer, Millie, Betty Lou, Eunice, Beau, Loretta, Doreen, Vern, Clem, Travis, Chester, Lou Ann, Delbert, Waylon, Belle, Clyde, Horace, Jeb, Arlen, Rowena, Jethro, Twyla, Francine, Hoyt, Jolene, Raylene, Zeke, & Willard?).
Gibbons declined to name those injured in the attack, saying those identities remain part of the investigation (Billy Bob, Beulah, Cletus, Cooter, Fay... NEVER MIND).
Duvall faces four counts of first-degree felony battery, which each carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a $15,000 fine. Duvall also faces a felony vehicle-theft charge.

May 3, 2008

Texas man arrested after trying to cash $360 billion check



FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) --
Charles Ray Fuller must have been planning one big record company. The 21-year-old North Texas man was arrested last week for trying to cash a $360 billion check, saying he wanted to start a record business, authorities said. Tellers at the Fort Worth bank were immediately suspicious (Well, give them a big gold star for being immediately suspicious)-- perhaps the 10 zeros on a personal check tipped them off, according to investigators.
Fuller, of suburban Crowley, was arrested on a forgery charge, police said. He was released after posting $3,750 bail. Fuller said his girlfriend's mother gave him the check to start a record business, but bank employees who contacted the account's owner said the woman told them she did not give him permission to take or cash the check (I guess she only had $359 billion in her account), according to police.
In addition to forgery, Fuller was charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon and possessing marijuana (He was on drugs? Really?), Fort Worth police Lt. Paul Henderson said. Officers reported finding less than 2 ounces of marijuana and a .25-caliber handgun and magazine in his pockets, police said.
Fuller couldn't be located for comment by The Associated Press on Friday because there were no phone listings for him in the Fort Worth area. (Maybe he needed to pay a past due phone bill of $360 billion...)