MEMPHIS - An 18-year-old from Knoxville was hoping to get high with a new friend; instead she was kidnapped, hauled to Memphis and forced into prostitution.
The alleged pimp, Charles "Chuck" Kizer, 52, kept a hatchet under his car seat in case the teen or others he controlled got out of line, according to federal charges. She told FBI agents Kizer threatened to use the hatchet to chop her head off.
Kizer is scheduled to go on trial Aug. 1 in federal court in Memphis, to face charges of commercial sex trafficking of the teen, and two women, by force, fraud or coercion, which can bring a prison sentence of 15 years to life.
Kizer has pleaded not guilty, said his attorney, Randy Alden, assistant federal public defender.
According to an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Michael Saltsman, Kizer showed the teen before-and-after photos of another prostitute, Kim Vaughn, 36 - before she died and was dumped near an Ohio rest stop, and after her body was placed in a casket. He threatened to put the teen in a casket if she tried to run.
Kizer liked to scare women by implying, or at times stating outright, that he was a murderer, women told the FBI. In reality, Vaughn's death was ruled an accidental drug overdose.
Vaughn's relatives told federal agents that Kizer prostituted her in Nashville, Knoxville and Ohio.
During the teen's two-week ordeal in August, she said she was raped by Kizer, beaten, threatened and forced out on the streets of West Memphis, Ark., and Memphis to sell her body. She told federal agents Kizer kept a gun, sleeping with it under his pillow.
At one point the teen got in touch with her mother, who pleaded in vain with the pimp to bring her daughter back to Knoxville, according to the allegations.
She was rescued by Memphis police Sept. 1 after Kizer left her alone with a cellphone so she could meet a john while he darted home to retrieve his gun, which he had forgotten.
She called 911 and police arrived just as Kizer returned, according to federal documents.
The FBI began investigating Kizer.
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Tuesday, July 5, 2011
"We, the jury, find the defendant not guilty"
- It began three years ago with a mystery that turned into an unthinkable crime. A community outraged, a family torn apart, and a nation's attention focused on one woman. After 91 witnesses and 30 days of testimony - stunning revelations, a family accused, disturbing evidence and even more disturbing behavior - finally a shocking verdict. "48 Hours" takes you inside one of the most dramatic murder trials in recent memory.
Today's verdict was not what most of the impassioned observers outside the Orlando courthouse were expecting.
"We, the jury, find the defendant not guilty."
On July 5, 2011, Casey Anthony was acquitted of murder, acquitted of manslaughter and acquitted of child abuse.
She was convicted only of four misdemeanors: All of them about lying to investigators.
Today's verdict was not what most of the impassioned observers outside the Orlando courthouse were expecting.
"We, the jury, find the defendant not guilty."
On July 5, 2011, Casey Anthony was acquitted of murder, acquitted of manslaughter and acquitted of child abuse.
She was convicted only of four misdemeanors: All of them about lying to investigators.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
New App Allows Parents to Monitor Their Teens' Driving
LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA (RNN) - A new app allows parents to monitor their teens' driving even when they're not in the car.
My Max Speed for Android, developed by a parent himself, logs users speed every 5 seconds as they travel. The data is stored in a spreadsheet, and each speed recording can be tapped to display the exact location it corresponds with.
"This is really a teenage monitoring system for parents to monitor how fast their kids are driving," said Wayne Irving, CEO of Iconosys, the company that developed the app. "I have four kids, I'm focused on building apps that I need for myself."
Parents can pre-set a speed limit for their kids inside the app. If they break that speed, the parents receive a text message with the recorded speed, as well as a Google map showing their location.
"You can pre-set the phone, 'I don't want my kid going over 74 mph.' Even if they're not in my car, if they're in a friend's car, and they're traveling at 80 or 90 mph, as a parent, I want to know that. I want to be able to call them and ask 'Who's driving?'" Irving said.
"This isn't just for parents who have kids with cars," he added.
If you don't have kids behind the wheel but get pulled over yourself, the app can serve as a check on law-enforcement, allowing the driver to verify their speed with an officer's radar
gun.
The feature particularly comes in handy when being ticketed for a secondary offense. In many states, officers can't pull someone over for an offense like not wearing a seatbelt, but can ticket a driver for failing to wear a seatbelt if they're also pulled over for a primary offense like speeding.
The app, available in the Android marketplace or at Iconosys.com, is free with ads, or $4.99 for an ad-free version.
"We're really focused on family safety and wholesome, quality service apps that make sense, not just gimmicks," Irving said.
Copyright 2011 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
My Max Speed for Android, developed by a parent himself, logs users speed every 5 seconds as they travel. The data is stored in a spreadsheet, and each speed recording can be tapped to display the exact location it corresponds with.
"This is really a teenage monitoring system for parents to monitor how fast their kids are driving," said Wayne Irving, CEO of Iconosys, the company that developed the app. "I have four kids, I'm focused on building apps that I need for myself."
Parents can pre-set a speed limit for their kids inside the app. If they break that speed, the parents receive a text message with the recorded speed, as well as a Google map showing their location.
"You can pre-set the phone, 'I don't want my kid going over 74 mph.' Even if they're not in my car, if they're in a friend's car, and they're traveling at 80 or 90 mph, as a parent, I want to know that. I want to be able to call them and ask 'Who's driving?'" Irving said.
"This isn't just for parents who have kids with cars," he added.
If you don't have kids behind the wheel but get pulled over yourself, the app can serve as a check on law-enforcement, allowing the driver to verify their speed with an officer's radar
gun.
The feature particularly comes in handy when being ticketed for a secondary offense. In many states, officers can't pull someone over for an offense like not wearing a seatbelt, but can ticket a driver for failing to wear a seatbelt if they're also pulled over for a primary offense like speeding.
The app, available in the Android marketplace or at Iconosys.com, is free with ads, or $4.99 for an ad-free version.
"We're really focused on family safety and wholesome, quality service apps that make sense, not just gimmicks," Irving said.
Copyright 2011 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Nike Promoting Drug Use?
Critics are blasting Nike for replacing its signature "Just Do It" slogan with the phrases "Dope", "Get High" and "Ride Pipe, ” on some of their new T-shirts.
Calling the new slogan as "irresponsible" and in "poor taste, " critics ask Niki to recall their newest product. Travis Tygart, the CEO of the US Anti-Doping Agency, told reporters: "Athletes have had their lives ruined by the use of performance-enhancing drugs, and it is totally irresponsible that Nike is now actively promoting it for profit."
Boston's mayor, Thomas Menino, asked a Niketown store to remove the display from its window. In a letter sent to the general manager, he criticized Nike for failing to take drug abuse seriously. "Your window display of T-shirts with drug and profanity wordplay are out of keeping with the character of Boston's Back Bay, our entire city and our aspirations for our young people... not to mention common sense," Mr Menino said in the letter.
In Oregon, home to Nike's headquarters, an anti-drug group also condemned the slogans in a letter it sent to 1,500 people - including members of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "It's gone past edgy," said Tom Parker, spokesman for the Oregon Partnership. "Sure it is the language of skateboarders and surfers, but it's also the language of addicts."
What do you think?
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