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MI- Inmate dies at county jail

10-27-2009 Michigan:

A St. Joseph man convicted of abusing his 6-year-old daughter apparently committed suicide by hanging himself in the Buchanan County Jail on Saturday.

Sheriff Mike Strong told the News-Press on Monday that the body of inmate Adam R. Lee, 36, underwent an autopsy and the department is awaiting the toxicology report.

“As it stands right now, nothing seems out of the ordinary,” Mr. Strong said. “There was no indication to any of our medical staff that this guy was threatening or going to do this.”

The sheriff added that Mr. Lee’s cell mate had been removed the day before and Mr. Lee was only by himself for a short period of time before the incident happened.

Mr. Lee was sentenced to one year in jail last month by Associate Judge Keith Marquart, who found the defendant guilty of third-degree assault at the conclusion of a court trial in August.

The Class A misdemeanor assault charge stemmed from an incident during which Mr. Lee choked his 6-year-old daughter. His three children were living with a foster family at the time after children’s services removed them from the defendant’s home due to unsanitary living conditions.

During his sentencing, Mr. Lee admitted that he tried to kill himself in jail after his conviction and was depressed. But the defendant testified he was doing much better since starting on anti-depressants.

Carol Jenkins, a friend of Mr. Lee’s from their days at Lafayette High School, said she hadn’t talked to him in quite some time but the news still came as a shock.

“I hate that this happened. He was a good guy. I didn’t know that life was that bad,” she said. “This is going to have an effect on a lot of people.”

Sheriff Strong said the last death in the jail, which occurred about two years ago by his recollection, was due to an overdose.

“I don’t think we’ve had (a suicide) here in the last three, four or five years, but it happens in other institutions,” Mr. Strong said.

The sheriff added that if the department’s medical staff saw indications Mr. Lee intended to harm himself, they would’ve taken him out of his cell, dressed him in special clothing and kept a vigilant watch over him.

“That was not the case on this individual,” said Mr. Strong, who told the News-Press that his staff performed standard checks on Mr. Lee. “This was an isolated incident.” ..Source.. by R.J. Cooper

OK- Convicted sex offender dies after setting himself on fire

This one is very disturbing because police sat there, doing nothing to stop him for 30 minutes, claiming they were afraid he was armed. Normally, police would stop a person -under any circumstances- from committing suicide, why were there no attempts here?

10-23-2009 Oklahoma:

A convicted sex offender burned to death when he set himself on fire as authorities served a warrant at his rural Tulsa County home Thursday.

Tulsa County sheriff’s deputies and state Pardon & Parole Board officers were sent to a house in the 14100 block of East Apache Street to contact Johnnie Joe Hobbs, 47, Capt. John Bowman said.

After finding the house empty, the squad peered into a cargo van that sat in the cluttered yard about 3 p.m. Hobbs, who was inside the van, reached out and slammed the door shut, Bowman said.

He then doused the van with gasoline and ignited it, Bowman said. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Bowman said Hobbs had spent time in prison and had indicated that he would do anything to avoid capture.

“There are a lot of people that will do a lot of things to keep from going back to jail,” he said. “To use a flammable liquid to ignite where they are, I have not seen that before.”

Investigators from the Tulsa Fire Department searched through the charred van into the evening, working around piles of garbage that were scattered about the property on the northeastern edge of Tulsa County.

Bowman said that because of the volatile nature of the incident, firefighters didn’t immediately enter the van to douse the flames. There were concerns that Hobbs might have been armed, but no weapons were found after a preliminary search.

About 30 minutes after Hobbs set the vehicle ablaze, authorities entered it and discovered his body in the cab, Bowman said.

The deputies had intended to serve three protective orders on Hobbs, and the parole officers were sent to revoke his suspended sentence for a Muskogee County conviction, Bowman said.

A relative of Hobbs’ gave officials a key to the house, and two of his siblings were in the area as the van burned, Bowman said.

Hobbs was the subject of protective orders in both Tulsa and Rogers counties, court records indicate. He also had been convicted of showing obscene material to a child, lewd molestation and making lewd proposals to a child. ..Source.. by MATT BARNARD and NICOLE MARSHALL World Staff Writers

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Tulsan burns himself to death

10-23-2009 Oklahoma:

The convicted sex offender sets himself afire as authorities attempt to serve him with a warrant.

A convicted sex offender burned to death when he set himself on fire as authorities served a warrant at his rural Tulsa County home Thursday.

Tulsa County sheriff's deputies and state Pardon and Parole Board officers were sent to a house in the 14100 block of East Apache Street to contact Johnnie Joe Hobbs, 47, Capt. John Bowman said.

After finding the house empty, the squad peered into a cargo van that sat in the cluttered yard about 3 p.m. Hobbs, who was in the van, reached out and slammed the door shut, Bowman said.

He then doused the van with gasoline and ignited it, Bowman said. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Bowman said Hobbs had spent time in prison and had indicated that he would do anything to avoid capture.

"There are a lot of people that will do a lot of things to keep from going back to jail," he said. "To use a flammable liquid to ignite where they are, I have not seen that before."

Investigators from the Tulsa Fire Department searched through the charred van into the evening, working around piles of garbage that were scattered about the property on the northeastern edge of Tulsa County.

Bowman said that because of the volatile nature of the incident, firefighters didn't immediately enter the van to douse the flames. There were concerns that Hobbs might have been armed, but no weapons were found after a preliminary search.

About 30 minutes after Hobbs set the vehicle ablaze, authorities entered it and discovered his body in the cab, Bowman said.

The deputies had intended to serve three protective orders on Hobbs, and the parole officers were sent to revoke his suspended sentence for a Muskogee County conviction, Bowman said.

A relative of Hobbs' gave officials a key to the house, and two of his siblings were in the area as the van burned, Bowman said.

Hobbs was the subject of protective orders in both Tulsa and Rogers counties, court records indicate.

He also had been convicted of showing obscene material to a child, lewd molestation and making lewd proposals to a child. ..Source.. by Matt Barnard 581-8408, Nicole Marshall 581-8459

MD- Former Associated Press bureau chief for city kills self

10-23-2009 Maryland:

The former chief of the Associated Press' Baltimore bureau committed suicide at his Forest Hill home Saturday evening, a day after he was charged with multiple counts of sexual child abuse, the Harford County sheriff's office told the Aegis newspaper.

John Edward Woodfield Sr., 80, had been free on $100,000 bond since Friday, according to the sheriff's office, when his wife asked deputies to check on him Saturday. When deputies entered Woodfield's home, they found his body in a second-floor bathtub, holding a handgun, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy by the state medical examiner's office ruled his death a suicide.

Woodfield was charged Friday with sexually molesting two boys, ages 7 and 10, for about five years, according to charging documents reported by the newspaper. The boys reported the incidents to members of the county's child advocacy center.

The newspaper said in an article published Wednesday that when Woodfield's wife confronted him about the accusations, he threatened to kill himself if police became involved.

The paper reported that Woodfield was charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a minor, a second-degree sex offense and a third-degree sex offense.

It also reported that in a call to the sheriff's office Saturday, the wife reported that her husband had found the weapon and bullets she had hidden earlier.

According to the AP, Woodfield worked for the news service for 30 years and was the Baltimore bureau chief for 19 years before retiring in 1991. ..Source.. by Richard Irwin

Fear of attacker prompted prison suicide

10-23-2009 New Zealand:

A prisoner, who had been raped by another inmate, killed himself after learning his attacker was being brought back to the same prison, prison sources say.

The Corrections Department says an independent review into Michael Graham Maxwell's death means it cannot comment.

However, Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Trust manager Ken Clearwater said knowing that the convicted attacker, gang member Dean Noble, was coming back to the prison would have had a "massive effect" on Maxwell.

"It would definitely traumatise him. Even [if they were kept separate] just that Noble was within the same space would have affected him."

Maxwell's funeral was held on Tuesday in Hoon Hay.

He died in Christchurch Hospital on Friday after being found in his Christchurch Men's Prison cell on October 10.

Maxwell was repeatedly raped in Christchurch Men's Prison in 2005, after being placed in the same cell as Noble, a violent gang member.

A prison source said Maxwell, 24, committed suicide after other inmates taunted him that Noble was being brought back to the prison.

The source said Noble had been sent to another prison following his rape conviction in May last year.

"He [Noble] was reclassified after six months of good behaviour, and returned."

Maxwell's lawyer, Shannon-Leigh Litt, said Maxwell had been in Rolleston Prison.

He was transferred back to Christchurch Men's Prison, and "he finally snapped", she said.

He feared for his safety for testifying against Noble, Litt said.

Other sources confirmed Noble was back in Christchurch Men's Prison.

Clearwater said prisoners' taunts would have been done for "entertainment".

"Even for the young fellow to come forward over the Dean Noble thing was massive," Clearwater said.

"It was so brave of him to do it within that system and he's carrying all that and all that goes with it and knowing Noble was coming back – it would have been horrible."

Litt said she was planning to sue Corrections for failing to look after Maxwell's mental wellbeing.

Maxwell's sister, Tania Maxwell, said Corrections "had failed him in every way possible".

"They should never have taken him back. He was worried about his safety because of what happened with Noble."

Tania Maxwell had not had any communication from Corrections since her brother's death.

The prison source said Michael Maxwell was in a "security block rather than an at-risk unit".

In a security block, he would have had his own clothes and the means to take his life, the source said.

The independent Prison Inspectorate was reviewing Maxwell's death.

Assistant regional manager Ian Bourke said Corrections would not comment on the case during the review and while the death was subject to a coroner's inquest. ..Source.. The Press

TX- El Paso police officer facing sex charge kills himself

10-20-2009 Texas:

EL PASO — An El Paso police officer, arrested in March on a charge of aggravated sexual assault, committed suicide Tuesday, his attorney said.

Javier Alonzo, 43, a 16-year veteran of the El Paso Police Department, was suspected of assaulting a woman Feb. 24 at a home in West El Paso.

He was scheduled to appear at a court hearing this week, said his attorney, Joe Spencer. ..Source.. by Adriana M. Chávez / El Paso Times

UK- 'Help me...I'm burning': Harrowing 999 call of girl, 13, killed in blaze started by her father

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Teacher facing sex charge commits suicide

10-3-2009 Canada:

A Toronto high school teacher charged earlier this week with having inappropriate sexual contact with two minors committed suicide this morning.

Sources confirmed that David Dewees killed himself by jumping in front of a train at High Park subway station on Saturday. Police and TTC officials said that a man had died after being injured on the tracks at the station around 8 a.m., but would not release his identity.

"He was an excellent teacher, he was very popular with the kids," said Sheila Ward, the school board trustee who represents the ward that includes Jarvis Collegiate Institute, where Dewees had been teaching English and Latin for six years.

"When I heard about the charges, it was a surprise to me."

Dewees was arrested on Thursday. He was said to have befriended two boys while working at the Ontario Pioneer Camp in Port Sydney, Ont. Later, he allegedly had inappropriate contact with them over the Internet.

The 32-year-old was facing charges of invitation to sexual touching and luring.

Some staff and social workers are expected to gather at Jarvis Collegiate tomorrow, and grief counsellors will be on hand Monday to help students deal with the death.

"It's a very sad and troubling event that's happened," said Toronto District School Board chair John Campbell, adding that his thoughts are with the man's family. "At the same time, we are very troubled by the police charges and allegations."

On ratemyteachers.com, posters who identified themselves as his students commented on his sense of humour.

"I don't know which was funnier: when he made up the "Senex Salvius fundum habebat" song to the tune of "Old McDonald" on the spot or "domus ambulans" as the Latin word for RV. What a character!" wrote one.

"Mr. Dewees reads poetry with the most passion and enthusiasm I've ever witnessed," posted another. ..Source.. by Adrian Morrow, Staff Reporter