Briefly: National news
Falling branch kills little boy waiting for bus
Dix Hills, N.Y. A rotting tree branch weighing an estimated 750 pounds or more fell on a 4-year-old boy Friday, killing him as he and other children waited for a bus at a Dix Hills day camp, authorities said.
The boy, Justin Michaels, was waiting beneath the tree just before 4 p.m. when the large branch snapped and hit the boy’s head on the grounds of the Park Shore Country Day Camp, Dix Hills Fire Chief Larry Feld said.
Michaels was sitting on the ground about 10 feet from the tree, with a counselor and several other campers, including his 8-year-old sister, Toni Ann Michaels. She received scratches on her back but was not taken to the hospital, said Det. Sgt. Paul Dodorico, of the Homicide Squad. Nobody else was injured.
Teen hurt in ATV crash at Jackson’s ranch
Santa Barbara, Calif. A 15-year-old boy riding an all-terrain vehicle at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch was hospitalized in good condition after the vehicle flipped, according to a published report Friday.
A security guard at the ranch directed paramedics to the victim of Thursday’s accident, who was at or near the main house, the Santa Barbara News-Press quoted unidentified county officials as saying.
Sgt. Chris Pappas of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department confirmed early Friday that there was an accident at Neverland involving an all-terrain vehicle. He had no other details.
The boy was brought out of the ranch by a helicopter and then taken by ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where he was listed in good condition, the newspaper said.
Boy falls on arrow, piercing his neck
West Melbourne, Fla. A 7-year-old boy fell on an arrow and was impaled in the neck, narrowly missing his jugular vein, officials said.
The father of the boy, whose name was not released, drove him 30 miles to a fire station for help. The boy was hospitalized in stable condition after Thursday’s accident and was expected to survive, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said.
The boy fell while holding the arrow and playing in his back yard in rural central Florida, his father told paramedics.
After piercing his neck near the jugular vein, the arrow nearly passed all the way through to the boy’s spine, said Lt. Dave Hover of the Brevard County Fire Rescue’s Station, where the boy went for emergency treatment.
Firefighters cut about 6 inches off the arrow so he could be flown to an Orlando hospital.
Gas thief sentenced to public humiliation
Salisbury, Md. A woman who stole $4.52 worth of fuel was ordered to stand outside the gas station Friday wearing a sandwich board sign that declared: “I was caught stealing gas.”
Sherelle Purnell obeyed the court order, although by the time she arrived 90 minutes late to her noon sentence, the crowd of people that gathered to watch her had dispersed.
“There were parents who came with their children, wanting to teach them a lesson,” said Jan Phipps, manager of Gordy’s Tiger Mart, which pushed for the unorthodox punishment.
Purnell, 18, who was caught on surveillance tape speeding away from the gas pump, walked along the convenience shop’s grassy storefront as passing drivers honked horns and made catcalls.
Men face charges after assaulting rabbit
Castro Valley, Calif. Lucky the bunny is living up to her name.
It had seemed like luck had run out: Strapped to a powerful explosive with a lit fuse, Lucky was tossed into a lake.
But the explosive didn’t blow up, and the rabbit was pulled out of the water.
Now Lucky’s owner and his friend face misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty after photos of the July 13 incident surfaced on the Internet.
Nick Sigmon, 18, and Paul Collins, 20, are accused of taping an illegal M-1000 – a large firecracker equivalent to a quarter stick of dynamite – to the rabbit and throwing her into Lake Don Castro.
Sigmon said he fished Lucky out of the water to save her from drowning. But prosecutors charged the two lifeguards on Wednesday. Two other men who were present during the incident may also face charges.
“I think that a lot of people are judging us without knowing us at all,” Sigmon said. Asked why he fitted Lucky with the explosive, he said, “Um, that’s a real tough question to answer.”
Sigmon said he adopted the bunny after almost running over her with his car, but can no longer care for her because he’s starting college this fall at University of California, Santa Barbara, where he plans to study biology.
Someone found the photos on the personal Web site of one of the suspects and posted them on Craigslist, the popular Internet bulletin board, where the House Rabbit Society in Richmond saw it.
Lucky is recovering at a foster owner’s home, where she’s snacking on hay pellets and doing well.