Another candidate for the Hang 'em High Club

What could a 7 year old possibly do that would warrant his being beaten to death with a metal mop handle?

Easley father charged in death of 7-year-old son

Photo from WYFF4.com

Greenvilleonline.com
By Anna Simon
STAFF WRITER

EASLEY -- A 40-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the death of his 7-year-old son Friday at his home near Easley, according to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department.

The boy was found dead at his home in by EMS workers who responded to a 9:30 a.m. call about a child in possible cardiac arrest, said Susann Griffin, spokeswoman for the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.

James Theodore Dickerson Jr., 40, of 215 W. Church Road, was charged with one count of homicide by child abuse and one count of unlawful neglect of a child, according to arrest warrants.

The deceased child, Jeremy Wade Dickerson, was a first grader at Hunt Meadows Elementary School in Anderson County School District 1, said Anderson Deputy County Coroner Don McCown.

The boy suffered multiple injuries, McCown said, but declined to elaborate, saying the injuries would be documented by an autopsy Saturday.

When paramedics arrived at the mobile home on a country road outside Easley, they found the father on the phone with 911 and attempting CPR on the child who was in the father’s bedroom, McCown said.

The father said he had put the child in his bed because he wasn’t feeling well, McCown said.

According to the warrant the child was beaten with a metal mop handle.

A five-year-old boy, brother of the dead child, also had injuries and was removed from the home and placed in DSS custody, Griffin said.

Only the father and two boys lived in the mobile home, McCown said. The mother, who lives in Liberty, and the father are involved in a “bitter” custody dispute and the father had custody of the two boys, McCown said.

The mother went to see her sons Thursday and wanted to take them to her home for Thanksgiving dinner, but the father wouldn’t let her see them, McCown said. She spoke with the boys on the phone later that night, McCown said.

When the 5-year-old was taken from the home, he was worried about who would care for his cat, a gray tabby named RC, Griffin said. Animal Control was contacted to keep the cat safe, she said.

It wasn’t known Friday evening whether there were any prior indications of abuse, Griffin said.

From a number of academic awards in his room, the 7-year-old appeared to be a gifted, intelligent child, McCown said.

“It’s a very tragic event,” McCown said.

Hang 'em high

Normally I'm a peaceful kinda gal. Although, there are times when I think public hangings might not be such a bad idea. If this guy is guilty of this, he is a prime candidate:

WYFF News Greenville, SC

Greenville Man Accused Of Raping 5-Year-Old

Alleged Incidents Took Place Over Several Weeks

POSTED: 6:09 pm EST November 25, 2008

CHESTER, S.C. -- A Greenville man has been arrested after being accused of raping a 5-year-old girl.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said Stephen E. Beasley, 32, is charged with first degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

According to the arrested warrant, Beasley raped the child at her Chester home between June 1 and July 11, 2008 while the child’s mother was at work.

SLED investigators say the child told her mother about the alleged abuse, and the mother called police.

Beasley was arrested in Greenville Tuesday. He is being held at the Chester County Detention Center.

SLED’s Pee Dee Agents and The Chester County Sheriff’s Office assisted with this investigation.
If convicted, Beasley could face up to 30 years in prison.

The WMDs have been found!!!

Some more odd names

(All names are either first or middle names, no last names)

Kesra Venun
Werbert
Zadgery
Carpentellis
Tremenous

Another beautiful poem from Rod McKuen

Photo from Mainetoday.com

THE MORNING OF MY LIFE
(from official Rod McKuen site)

The planting
of my new life
now begins.
Not starting over,
for this month
I'll be little more
than one year old
having had my birth
the night I fell down
in your arms last year
only to rise up
and fall back down again.

And so it is
the morning of my life.
Here I am,
naked, like a child man
open to you always.

In some other life
I started building
all I've built for you,
never knowing you
never knowing
it would be you.

The planting of my new life
now begins
and you will be the farmer
tending me till harvest.

- from "Calendar Poems, " 1968, 1988

Strange names

Being the strange person that I am, and being intrigued by strange names (see post below), I've decided to start a new category listing the strange names I come across in the news. I already have several doozies:

DEJONQUAVI

SHALONTEZ

TYRASSASSAZZION

Have you come across any stranger than this?

What kind of parent names their child "Wyatt Earp"?

It's sad that this man was shot, for whatever reason, and my condolences go out to the family. The suspected shooter's name intrigues me though...Wyatt Earp...what on earth would possess someone to name their child Wyatt Earp??? It takes all kinds, I guess.

Story courtesy Greenvilleonline.com

October 31, 2008

Authorities seek suspect in Greenville slaying

By Nathaniel Cary
STAFF WRITER

Authorities have named a suspect in the shooting death of a man Wednesday and are continuing to search for him this morning.

Wyatt Earp Harper, 51, of 33 Seventh St. Judson in Greenville, has been charged with murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and unlawful weapons possession in the death of Lonnie Bernard Oglesby, 53, of Anderson, who was shot in a yard at 114 A Taylor St. and later died Greenville Memorial Hospital.

Master Dep. Michael Hildebrand of the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said investigators were able to "locate witnesses" who provided information in the case.

Hildebrand said they still had not determined a motive for the case, which happened between Greenville’s West End and Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital.

Investigators believe Harper is still in the area and should be considered armed and dangerous, Hildebrand said.

Anyone with information may call CrimeStoppers at 23-CRIME.

3 months+ and still no job

Well, here we are 3 months and 2 weeks since I was laid off from my job. The job market in this area is horrible. I've put in approximately 30 applications and still no luck in landing anything. My unemployment compensation will run out in about 2 1/2 months. I have no idea what we will do then. One of my sons has a part-time job and has been looking for full time, the other is still looking also. Then the news comes today that the BMW plant here will be laying off over 700 contract workers in December. I don't know what will become of us. I just wish I could see some light at the end of the tunnel..that wasn't a train!

Waiting for supper!

Hannibal and the ice cubes

Hannibal loves water...Spooky, not so much

Hannibal and Spooky's big brouhaha

Rod McKuen the greatest poet of our time

(source of photo unknown)

AUTUMN AS IT IS (Rod McKuen Official site)

Autumn as a season
and autumn in a life
are different
than I first expected.
The first, an abstract;
the second, a subtract.

The leaves turn crimson,
the hair turns white.
The leaves fall down,
as do testicles and
the firmest breast.

The dream goes on
for trees and man.
The difference is
the tree survives
the harshest winter,
but man may get
a simple cough
and raw will be
the days that follow.

It is as it is. It was as it was.
Nothing changes
but the scenes and seasons.
Worry not. It is only life
and that is all we have.
It often isn’t much
but nearly always quite enough.

-from A Safe Place to Land, 2002

These dolphins are AWESOME!

One year ago today...

We miss you Papa.

Hannibal's at it again

Hannibal and his mousie

Pete's Pond Revisited

In past posts I have raved about the wonders of Pete's Pond (aka Wildcam Africa). This fantastic site is presented by National Geographic. The number of different species that visit the pond is quite diverse. There are frequent visits by impala, kudu, wildebeest, ostriches, elephants and numerous other animals and birds. We have even been lucky enough to view some big cats. Recently a pack of wild dogs was released near the pond and they have been coming every now and then. Their visit today was one of the best. Wild dogs say hello to Fatty, the resident Nile crocodile. The video is a bit long at 10 minutes but well worth it for anyone with an interest in wildlife. Many thanks to the "pondie" who captured this! Enjoy!!!

I'm in the poor house now...

Well, it's official. I'm unemployed as of today. It was so hard to leave. I told my boss today, with total honesty, that it was the best job I'd ever had. Did I bitch and moan and groan on occasion...sure I did. But all in all, still the best ever. Most of the people I worked with were top-notch (some of the others, not so much). Same with the boss. He could drive me absolutely batty sometimes but he always went the extra mile for me because he knew that when I walked in that door every morning that I was there to give 110%.

What now? I'm frantically searching for another job but the job market is not so great right now (to put it mildly). I do have an interview on Monday...WISH ME LUCK!

Hannibal and Spooky

Donations

To those of you who have been kind enough to donate to the "heat pump fund" I offer my sincere appreciation. I wasn't able to do everything at once so I got the heating unit in and am working on the air conditioning.

Once again, thanks so much for your generosity!

This is where I work...sigh.

My life just keeps getting better and better...yeah, right.

Cox CustomMedia Inc. to close at the end of April

Nearly 90 people will lose their jobs

Nearly 90 people are losing their jobs with the shutdown of a homegrown custom publications company in Greenville County.

Cox CustomMedia Inc. has notified the state Commerce Department that it will be closing its operation at 122 Smith Hines Road, said Kara Borie, department spokeswoman. The closure will affect 87 employees, with the first round of layoffs scheduled for April 30, Borie said.

The company produces newsletters for apartment complexes, retail chains and assisted-living communities and other printed marketing materials.

It was founded in 1989 as Resident Update Newsletters Inc. by Greenville businessman Todd Taylor. He sold a stake in the business to a private equity firm before selling the entire company in 2000 to Cox Enterprises Inc., the Atlanta-based media conglomerate.

Cox Newspapers, the newspaper division of Cox Enterprises, said in a brief statement that it had sold Cox CustomMedia to a competitor, Uhlig LLC of Overland Park, Kansas. But Cox didn’t mention the lost jobs or say whether the dismissed employees would be getting any severance package.

Cox said the sale was based on its "strategic decision to focus on its news-driven and direct mail advertising properties coupled with Uhlig’s desire to expand its profile."

Uhlig also produces custom publications. Its holdings include a newsletter company called Illustratus.

Mark Uhlig, the Kansas company’s chief executive, said in the statement released by Cox that Cox CustomMedia "has been a pioneer in the development of high-quality custom periodicals, and has contributed greatly to the marketplace we share. We are very pleased that we will be able to combine our respective strengths in the years ahead."

An Uhlig spokeswoman said her company didn’t have anything to add beyond the statement.

Taylor, who left Cox CustomMedia in 2005, said Uhlig apparently figured "it made more sense for them to fold (the Greenville facility) under their operation in Kansas City."

Taylor said he thought the talented employees at Cox CustomMedia would quickly find other jobs.

"I feel very confident those folks are going to land on their feet," he said.

New Eagles Video!!!