FDA Clears Drug Eliquis For the Prevention of Strokes, Alternative for Warfarin For Anti-Clotting–3rd Time is the Charm

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The drug was twice denied approval and the FDA wanted additional data before approval could take place.  Patients with artificial heart valves should not take the drug as it was not studied in that population yet.  Bristol-Meyers Squibb is the manufacturer and it will be co-marketed with Pfizer.  They are a little late to the game as Pradaxa was approved about 2 years ago as an alternative for Warfarin.  There are no regular blood tests required to monitor as there is with Warfarin.  Eliquis could prove to be better drug however since it is in a newer class of drugs.  In addition there is Xarelto that also competes in this arena.  In the clinical trial of 18,000 patients those taking Eliquis had fewer strokes.  BD 

FDA Approves Pradaxa–An Alternative to Warfarin To Treat Blot Clots Associated With Atrial Fibrillation

---

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that it approved an anticlotting drug called Eliquis, developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Pfizer Inc. It's a potential blockbuster in a new category of medicines to prevent strokes.

The agency previously rejected the drug twice, most recently in June, awaiting additional data from company trials.

The FDA cleared the pill for treating the most common type of irregular heartbeat, atrial fibrillation, in patients at risk for strokes or dangerous clots.

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/20445496/fda-clears-anticlotting-drug-eliquis

Dr. Oz on Technology and Doctors–It’s Not About Medicine Depending Technology And Not Doctors But Rather About Developing an Awareness of Tools & Technology That Have Value And Are Available…

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This was a very “touch” interview of sorts. He makes good points as far as having “public” systems available with technology. Very carefully the word “nudge” is used which I think is the right terminology. He’s right with the new tools we have coming out but I don’t think the title here for this interview was maybe correct? I do not believe he is saying that the future of medicine is technology and not the doctors, again my opinion here. I would say more so he’s telling all to “pay attention” to some of the tools that are out there, and there are some good ones. Granted we get los in the “app for everything” concept that seems to breed today and finding the “value” in what we do see as being something we can use is a task. There’s crap out there too, but again I think he’s suggesting to look for the tools out there than can guide and educate.

Sure the car is mentioned but you have to ask yourself if we are ready for this or is the best scenario in a mall as he talks about to find time to educate yourself. I say this as when you are getting in a car to drive and go somewhere you have one thing on your mind, going somewhere, where as at a mall you are not focusing on operating a car but are walking around and looking anyway. Myself I don’t want a car to tell me what’s wrong with me right now as it could be a distraction and some of the technologies that are available could be included in time, but when you are bringing in healthcare at a time when you need to be on time for an appointment, its not the right time to disrupt. We all learn at times when it is either convenient or productive when we have “time” so to constantly throw analytics in your face whenever you want to go somewhere could spoil the party if you will.


We have a lot of years without a car telling us our heart rate and other information it could offer and thus so to move too quickly in this area without some “technology baby steps” could send a good thing over the edge too quickly, we all still need to adapt, thus I think this article was just a little out of context with what Dr. Oz was trying to say here, keep all things in context I say. 

When it comes to “context” today I have a couple my favorite videos that make this point better than I can with writing additional text on the topic and here’s the links to both posts and videos.  Give them a look and see what you think as unless you know some of the mechanics today on how formulas and math are used, it’s easy to get swept away and there’s a lot of great steroid marketing out there today to do just that as it makes money and has gone beyond just pharmaceutical companies advertising. 

Pharma has done it for years, why, because it works so take time and think about what is being presented and search out what you consider to be value, and it’s not always easy today.  At times when I give some deep thought to some of what I see out there, I do laugh at times, and other times it makes me mad that some of the marketing is done strictly for money and lacks value, but we all need to make those decisions for ourselves and sort it out.  BD 

Big Data/Analytics If Used Out of Context and Without True Values Stand To Be A Huge Discriminatory Practice Against Consumers–More Honest Data Scientists Needed to Formulate Accuracy/Value To Keep Algo Duping For Profit Out of the Game

Context is Everything–More About the Dark Arts of Mathematical Deception–Professor Siefe Lecture Given at Google’s New York Office–Big Healthcare Focus

http://www.businessinsider.com/dr-oz-on-the-future-of-medicine-2012-12

As The Fiscal Cliff Approaches, Time To Reflect With A Little Music For Thought: “This Is Not America”

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There was a move made a while back called “The Falcon and the Snowman” and it was about who selling America out and it was a good movie and the soundtrack alone was equally as good as the movie and one song that sticks in my brain today is this one as a “normal” environment we have known for years is changing and are we in a place that is no longer familiar to us in many ways…in watching our government with trying to agree and collaborate with solutions, which doesn’t seem to be going very well, this song keeps kicking around in my head (lyrics below) “this could be a miracle”?  How many snowmen are there out there?  Anyway the lyrics seem to somewhat say this is not the same as the country I grew up in as we watch current events and values get replaced  with new ones that seem to leave out some of the greatness of the past, inequality seems to be the big one that comes to mind. 

A little piece of you
The little peace in me
Will die
For this is not America
Blossom falls to bloom
This season
Promise not to stare
Too long
For this is not a miracle
There was a time
A storm that blew so pure
For this could be the biggest sky
And i could have
The faintest idea
Snowman melting
From the inside
Falcon spirals
To the ground
So bloody red
Tomorrows clouds
A little piece of you
The little piece in me
Will die
For this is not America
There was a time
A wind that blew so young
For this could be the biggest sky
And i could have the faintest idea
This could be the biggest sky
This could be a miracle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJRF8xGzvj4

Hospital Facility Fees Up for Discussion Again as Out of Pocket Costs Rise for Patients When Hospitals Buy Physician Practices And Appear to be Growing

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Facility fees are allowed by Medicare for hospitals to charge and these are tacked on, separate from medical services received.  More and more of these types of charges are appearing on medical bills, especially ones set up for outpatient services.  Sometimes insurers do not pay the fees and thus some patients begin looking for doctors who do not have this charge.  Facility fees are amounting up to a billion dollars a year that Medicare pays, so you wonder what is accomplished here as practices can charge more that are owned by hospitals too so does Medicare get the double whammy when they are trying to save money? 

So as a patient, pay attention if you can to if your doctor’s practice was sold to a hospital as you may begin seeing those soon.  The story quotes one woman getting a facility or services fee for 8k, so of course that was negotiated down by the insurance company and and she ended up having to pay over a thousand of that fee.  Better disclosure is certainly needed as they are not always posted either.  They all do it and back in 2009 I wrote about the fee that Cleveland Clinics charge and the $55.00 fee looks rather small compared to what is being charged now with some of these fees.  BD

Cleveland Clinic “facility fee” or “hospital services fee” has Patients up in Arms

---

One family accustomed to paying about $120 in out-of-pocket costs for doctor visits and other medical services was outraged when their costs for similar visits soared to $1,000, Mullin said.

The reason for the increase: The physician practice had been bought by a local hospital, and “all of a sudden everything was charged differently,” said Mullin, a Republican.

The higher bills reflected “facility fees.” For years, hospitals that own physician practices and outpatient clinics have been allowed by Medicare to tack on these fees, separate from bills for doctors’ services, for the use of the facilities. As hospitals buy up medical practices and set up outpatient treatment centers, more of these fees are showing up on patients’ bills.

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-12-23/national/36017221_1_facility-fees-hospitals-face-medicare-costs

FDA Approves New Drug for Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis, Sirturo –First New Drug in 40 Years for TB

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Amongst all the recalls Johnson and Johnson has had a good year with FDA approvals including this one as there has not bee anything new approved in years.  There is an inhaled TB vaccine in the works from a few years back.

Inhaled Tuberculosis Vaccine More Effective Than Traditional Shot

Probably more recent in the news was the “Occupy” location in Atlanta where homeless people were testing positive for TB.  The new drug is pretty hefty with warnings as well and is to be used after other medications have failed and carries the black box warning as it is considered a new class of drugs and there could be more deaths attributed to it’s use.    This type of TB is rare in the US but growing in other countries and TB is spread through the air.  BD

Atlanta Occupy Location Tests Positive for Tuberculosis and May Have to Relocate Again

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The Food & Drug Administration today approved the first drug to treat multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, Johnson & Johnson’s (NYSE: JNJ) bedaquiline (Sirturo), an important breakthrough in the global fight against one of the world’s deadliest diseases.

Made by J&J’s Janssen Therapeutics division, based in Titusville, NJ, bedaquiline is meant for patients who have failed to respond to all other treatments.

It works by blocking an enzyme critical to the replication of M.tuberculosis bacteria, and the company said it is the first new drug in 40 years to attack TB via a new mechanism of action.

http://www.xconomy.com/new-york/2012/12/31/fda-approves-jj-drug-for-multi-drug-resistant-tuberculosis/

[PA] Never forgetting Iris Ramos, her life stolen in her cop husband's murder-suicide

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In her mother's kitchen Iris Ramos was shot twice in the head by her husband, Philadelphia police officer Orlando Ramos. He then  fatally shot himself. Iris underwent emergency surgery at Episcopal Hospital, but died the following day. "Police said the couple's 5-year-old daughter was in the house at the time of the shooting."
Orlando: November 24, 1984.
Iris: November 25, 1984.
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder suicide pennsylvania state politics]

[GA] Another domestic violence call to Officer Difiore's house

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...[Savannah-Chatham Police Officer Ralph] Difiore is at least the fifth metro officer investigated for a domestic violence incident this year... Officers noted that Pooler police had frequently responded to the couple’s residence for domestic disputes... A neighbor says they called police on the couple at least half a dozen times.... 

SAVANNAH POLICE OFFICER ON LEAVE AFTER BATTERY ARREST
Savannah Morning News
By Lesley Conn
Posted: October 26, 2012
[Excerpts] A Savannah-Chatham police officer has been placed on administrative leave following his arrest in a domestic violence incident. Ralph Joseph Difiore, 46, has been charged with battery/domestic violence and disorderly house after Pooler police responded Oct. 20 to a call from a neighbor. Difiore is at least the fifth metro officer investigated for a domestic violence incident this year. Difiore’s girlfriend, Heather Cook Walters, 35, faces the same two charges. A Jan. 17 court date was set for both... Officers responded about 12:40 a.m. based on a neighbor’s concerns that he could hear yelling, things being thrown and a woman crying in the couple’s residence. Officers noted that Pooler police had frequently responded to the couple’s residence for domestic disputes and determined that in this case, “mediation and separation was not the answer”... Their accounts to police differ in the Oct. 20 call. Difiore contends Walters was severely drunk and “stumbling all over the place.” She began swinging and clawing at him when he tried to get her into bed, he told police. When officers questioned Walters, they noted that at no time did she appear unsteady on her feet or falling-over drunk. She denied ever striking Difiore, but said he choked her and threw a foot stool at her... [Full article here]

SCMPD OFFICER PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE AFTER ARREST
WTOC
By Alex Bender abender@wtoc.com
Posted: Oct 24, 2012
[Excerpts] Savannah-Chatham Metro officer Ralph Difiore is on administrative leave... A neighbor says they called police on the couple at least half a dozen times.... They were both released on bond Wednesday. They will be back in court in January. [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety history hx repeated mutual combat alleged georgia state politics]

[WA] Benton County Sheriff's Deputy Abel Campos resigned Friday before he could be fired for allegedly hitting his wife

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"It's very difficult for me. Part of me believes when someone does something, they should be fired and not given an opportunity to resign."
~ Benton County Sheriff Steve Keane

PREVIOUS POST:
[WA] Benton Co. Sheriff's Deputy Campos walks away from domestic violence charges - Benton County sheriff's Deputy Abel Prieto Campos walks away from domestic violence charge despite hair pulled out of his wife's head and signs of physical assault on the side of her head because she recanted and her mother backed away...

BENTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY RESIGNS
Tri-City Herald, Bellingham Herald
By Paula Horton
Published: November 3, 2012
[Excerpts] A Benton County sheriff's deputy resigned Friday before he could be fired for allegedly hitting his wife earlier this year... Sheriff Steve Keane waited until after the criminal case was resolved to complete the internal investigation and make a decision on any disciplinary action. Keane said he intended to terminate Campos, but Campos turned in his resignation when he reported to the disciplinary hearing Friday morning. "I believe an assault did occur," Keane told the Herald. "I believe Abel assaulted his wife and I believe I had enough to terminate him"... The sheriff said if he had not let Campos resign, the deputy could have filed a grievance and an arbitrator would have decided if the firing was justified. Arbitration is a "very expensive process," and when a witness changes her story five different times, there's no guarantee sheriff's officials could get an arbitrator to agree with the decision, he said. "It's very difficult for me. Part of me believes when someone does something, they should be fired and not given an opportunity to resign," Keane said... "The biggest thing an officer has is his credibility. People want to know you have honest officers," Keane said. "If he's been arrested for a crime and have victims recanting, I think it leaves doubts in citizen's minds. It left doubt in my mind"... The criminal case was dismissed Oct. 12 just before the trial. Richland's prosecutor said he had to drop the charges because the witnesses backed out of testifying... [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety recant washington state politics teflon police union arbitration fop]

[MO] Dana Ison's police officer husband quit his job, shot her mother, killed Dana, then killed himself

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Dana Thompson-Ison
Dana Thompson-Ison's husband Landon quit his 9-year Lamar Missouri police officer job in August of 2012 by just not showing up. Both his friend - Barton County Sheriff Mitchell Shaw, and Landon's boss - Lamar Police Chief Ron Hager, say they didn't pry by asking Landon Ison why he didn't report for work. 2 months later, on October 9th 2012, Landon Ison shot and killed his wife Dana, shot and critically wounded her mother Cheryl Thompson, then left the home with his shotgun and shot and killed himself. Landon and Dana Ison have two sons and yes, they were present at the home at the time of Dana and Cheryl's shooting.



WHERECOULDDANA AND CHERYLHAVE TURNEDFORHELP?


CHIEF HAGER:
...said Ison had offered no explanation for failing to report in August, thus relinquishing his job, and that Hager had not asked for one...

CHIEF HAGER:
...said Ison was a good officer in the more than nine years he served on the Lamar police force...

SHERIFF SHAW:
...“because of the close personal relationships we all had with Officer Ison”...

SHERIFF SHAW:
...said he was aware that his friend had quit his job with the Lamar police. He said Ison never told him why, and he chose not to force the issue by asking... 

SHERIFF SHAW:
...said he was strongly affected by the events because he went to both death scenes and that he and his family "have known the Isons forever. "This is a terrible surprise, a terrible thing... It was a friendship"...

SHERIFF SHAW:
...acknowledged being a close friend of the couple, said he did not necessarily know all that was going on in their relationship...

Dana, never forgottenDana Ison worked at AOK Youth Development Services, an organization that works with under-privileged children... 

...Dana graduated from Pittsburg State College with her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Services and later received her Master’s Degree in Social Services from Missouri State University. She was a social worker for About Our Kids Youth Development Services in Lamar and director of After School care... [LINK]

...Dana was the Director Social Worker for the About Our Kids Youth Development, Director of After School Care and PEP Coordinator in Lamar, Missouri. She always enjoyed working with and helping children... [LINK]


I invite those who pray
to keep Cheryl's recovery,the Ison children,
and everyone brokenhearted
by this
in your heartsand on your list. 
Memorial contributions may be made to the Ison Children Fund at Metropolitan Bank, 1105 Gulf, Lamar, Mo. 64759



FORMER LAMAR POLICEMAN INVOLVED IN MURDER-SUICIDE; MOTHER-IN-LAW HAS LIFE THREATENING INJURIES [LINK]
koamtv.com
October 9, 2012
12:11 PM CST:
Authorities are investigating an overnight shooting death in southwest Missouri. The Missouri Highway Patrol is leading the investigation of a shooting outside of Lamar shortly after 1 a.m...
1:50 PM CST:
The Missouri Highway Patrol confirms two people are dead and another person is in critical condition at a Springfield hospital. A press conference is scheduled for 2 p.m...
3:10 PM CST:
A former Lamar policeman has shot and killed his wife [Dana Ison], shot and injured his mother-in-law [Cheryl Thompson], then shot and killed himself... It's unclear why Thompson was at the home but she went to get help from neighbors who called 911 before 1 a.m... Landon Ison's body was found at a different location at about 2:30 a.m.  Authorities say he shot himself with a rifle. In August Landon Ison resigned from the Lamar Police Department, but authorities say he just stopped coming to work. Landon and Dana Ison had two children.  They were at the home at the time of the shooting but were not injured are currently with family...  While the couple was still married, that had separated earlier in October. Dana Ison worked at AOK, an organization that works with under-privileged children
5:15 PM CST:
Statement released by Kathy Jenkins, AOK Board of Directors President: "Dana Thompson Ison was a beloved friend, coworker, daughter, sister and mother. She was an invaluable member of the AOK family as a social worker and school-age program coordinator. She also led the mentoring program and offered counseling and assistance to anyone in need. She loved the children and they loved her. She was passionate about making a difference in their lives and she did. Words cannot express our sorrow at her passing"...

WHERECOULDDANA AND CHERYLHAVE TURNEDFORHELP?
Lamar Police Officer Landon Ison
ONLINE FIRST: FORMER LAMAR POLICEMAN SUSPECTED IN APPARENT MURDER-SUICIDE
Nevada Daily Mail
By James R. Campbell
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
[Excerpts] A somber panel of law enforcement officers announced Tuesday afternoon that a former Lamar city policeman was suspected of shooting his estranged wife to death, seriously wounding his mother-in-law and then driving to a remote area of Barton County before turning his rifle on himself about 90 minutes later. Landon Ison, 32, a member of the Lamar Police Department for 9 1/2 years until inexplicably failing to report for duty Aug. 7, was found near his blue Ford Explorer by a Barton County deputy sheriff about 2:30 a.m., Tuesday. Reading from preliminary reports, Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Mike Watson said the man was suspected of going to his 33-year-old wife Dana's home about 6 1/2 miles southwest of here shortly before 1 a.m., Tuesday, and shooting her to death. Flanked by Barton County Sheriff Mitchell Shaw and Lamar Chief of Police Ron Hager, Watson said Ison was also suspected of shooting his mother-in-law, 67-year-old Cheryl Thompson of Springfield, who was airlifted to Cox South Hospital in her hometown. Watson said Thompson was listed in serious condition... Cheryl Thompson had managed to walk to a neighbor's house after she was shot and that the neighbor called 9-1-1... The Isons' two juvenile boys were in the home when their mother and grand-mother were shot... Watson declined to say what type of rifle was believed to be the murder-suicide weapon, how many times Mrs. Ison and her mother were shot or what room of the house the shootings were believed to have taken place in. Hager said Ison had offered no explanation for failing to report in August, thus relinquishing his job, and that Hager had not asked for one... The chief said Dana Ison had worked for AOK Youth Development Services in Lamar... Shaw said he was strongly affected by the events because he went to both death scenes and that he and his family "have known the Isons forever. "This is a terrible surprise, a terrible thing," the sheriff said. "Everyone knows the family. They're hard-working, good people. It was a friendship"... [Full article here]

WHERECOULDDANA AND CHERYLHAVE TURNEDFORHELP?
FORMER LAMAR OFFICER KILLS WIFE, WOUNDS MOTHER-IN-LAW; EX-POLICEMAN TAKES OWN LIFE
The Joplin Globe
By Jeff Lehr news@joplinglobe.com
October 9, 2012
[Excerpts] Landon L. Ison never offered a reason for abruptly quitting his job as a Lamar police officer two months ago. He moved out of the house he shared with his wife and two sons at the start of this month. Then shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday, emergency responders were called to the troubled family’s home about a mile southwest of Lamar after Ison reportedly shot and killed his wife, Dana I. Ison, 33, and critically wounded her mother, Cheryl J. Thompson, 67... [Lamar police Chief Ron] Hager said Ison was a good officer in the more than nine years he served on the Lamar police force since being hired in January 2003. Before that, he had served as a dispatcher with the Barton County Sheriff’s Department... Barton County Sheriff Mitchell Shaw said he asked the state patrol to serve as the lead investigative agency in the shootings “because of the close personal relationships we all had with Officer Ison”... Landon Ison filed for divorce in January. Court records indicate that Ison and his wife both submitted parenting plans to the court. But the record shows that the case was dismissed by both parties on July 11. Shaw, who acknowledged being a close friend of the couple, said he did not necessarily know all that was going on in their relationship. “Whenever I was around, they seemed to have a good relationship,” Shaw said... The sheriff said he was aware that his friend had quit his job with the Lamar police. He said Ison never told him why, and he chose not to force the issue by asking... Dana Ison worked for AOK Youth Development Services. Kathy Jenkins, president of AOK’s board of directors, released a statement praising her contributions as a social worker and school-age program coordinator. “She loved the children and they loved her,” the statement read. “She was passionate about making a difference in their lives and she did. Words cannot express our sorrow at her passing”... The Lamar Police chief and the Barton County sheriff said there have been no previous reports of domestic violence involving Ison and his wife. [Full article here]

AND REALLY?
THE SHERIFF AND CHIEFDIDN'T KNOW,
THEY DIDN'T ASK,
THEY DIDN'T TRY,
THEY WON'T ADMIT?
IT DOESN'T
MAKE SENSE. 
JANUARY 2008 CASEWORKER OF THE MONTH DANA ISON
Adoption Exchange Association
Pittsburg, Kansas
We have been lucky enough to have the same worker, Dana Ison, thru all of our adoptions. We are about to finalize our 2nd and 3rd adoptions next month. We have known Dana for over 4 years now. She has always made her self available to anything we need or want. She is always friendly and offers whatever support we need at anytime, and makes time for us no matter what, even if we just need to talk to someone. Dana is great at getting in contact with our children’s workers, when we need or want something and are unable to get in contact with them ourselves. Our children all look forward to visits with her, even our oldest who at one time had a great fear of caseworkers. After some struggles we have witnessed with other families and their workers, we know we are truly blessed to have been given Dana, and hope that with our next adoption we will be able to work with her... [LINK]


TOPIX EXCERPTS  [LINK]
Posted in the Independence Forum

...Statement released by Kathy Jenkins, AOK Board of Directors President: "Dana Thompson Ison was a beloved friend, coworker, daughter, sister and mother. She was an invaluable member of the AOK family as a social worker and school-age program coordinator. She also led the mentoring program and offered counseling and assistance to anyone in need. She loved the children and they loved her. She was passionate about making a difference in their lives and she did. Words cannot express our sorrow at her passing"...

...Dana used to babysit my son and daughter during summer breaks! I never had to worry about my children in her care! She was the sweetest girl! My kids loved her! She will be greatly missed! Prayers go out to Cheryl and the family!...

...Barton County Sheriff Mitchell Shaw said he asked the state patrol to serve as the lead investigative agency in the shootings “because of the close personal relationships we all had with Officer Ison”...

...Does anyone know Cheryls condition?...

...My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, especially those precious boys. Also praying for a full recovery for Cheryl. So very tragic and so so sad...

...wondering if anyone knows how Cheryl is doing? lets continue to pray for her and all this family...

...Cheryl is in a medical induced coma. They have reapplied her tongue and inserted a feeding tube. They plan to ship her to St. Louis for reconstructive surgery. Cheryl graduated from IHS in 63. Beautiful person both inside and out. Please everyone pray for the family as well as Cheryl. Going to be a long haul...

...Dana's service will be Tuesday the 23rd. Please coninue to pray for Cheryl...

...I agree Cheryl is one of the nicest people you could ever meet. I am praying for her and family...

...Thank you so much for the updates on Cheryl. Since many of us do not want to intrude on the family's privacy during these extreme times, it is great that we can be informed about Cheryl and her recovery. Please tell her family many friends and coworkers from Standard Motors think of her and pray for the family daily. Again thanks so much for keeping us informed and God Bless.




EXCERPTS FROM FACEBOOK POSTS:

We have a long road ahead of us. But you guys along with our friends have been our rock. I cant explain, dont have answers as to why this happened...

...She is off the vent. Waking up more...

...Update on Cheryl: she made it thru her first surgery with no problem. They fixed her boned around eyes, cheek, and face. Put metal plates in where needed...

...Cheryls doing great. Alert, awake, writing sentences on paper. She will be moved out of the ICU today to an observation room. Surgery next week will be major. They r building her a jaw/cheek bone...

...These past couple of weeks have made me look at life differently. PLEASE tell ur loved ones that u love them every day. Dont take them for granted. If u fight, make up b4 you leave or go to bed. You never know if its ur last day on earth. God bless!...

...Update on Cheryl: she made it thru her 12 hr reconstructive surgery without difficulty. They were even able to do some skin grafting...

...Cheryl is finally waking up since her 12hr surgery on Wednesday. She is doing good... She is writing up a storm!...

...Cheryl continues to progress well. She is awake and alert. Has been up in her chair. Skin graft is taking. She is well aware of things... I ask for continued prayers for the family...

...Cheryl continues to progress well. She is truely a miracle. She is a woman of faith...
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder suicide missouri state politics relatives children child abuse]

[AL] 4 years ago today Marshall County Sheriff's Investigator David Lowe was shot and killed by his wife Kathy

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4 years ago today Marshall County Sheriff's Investigator David Lowe was shot and killed by his wife Kathy. I thought I'd look up whether the case had been resolved yet and it has. After two mistrials, Kathy Lowe pleaded guilty last March to manslaughter in her husband’s death. Judge Tim Jolley sentenced her to three years probation, and gave her credit for time served in jail.


Previous post:
[AL] Kathy Lowe will be tried 3rd time in shooting death of her Sheriff's Investigator husband, David - Kathy Lowe will face a third trial in November for the November 11, 2008 death of her husband David Lowe. David, a former Marshall County Sheriff's Office deputy and investigator for the Marshall County District Attorney's office, was found shot twice in the back and side, at the Horton home the couple shared.

KATHY LOWE TO PLEAD GUILTY
The Sand Mountain Reporter
By Elizabeth Summers
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
[Excerpts] GUNTERSVILLE — Kathy Lowe was expected to plead guilty to manslaughter Wednesday... David Lowe had served as an investigator for the Marshall County Sheriff’s office and District Attorney’s office prior to his death. “Given the circumstances, this is a fair resolution to the case,” [Blount County District Attorney Pamela] Casey said Wednesday. “Now the state, Kathy Lowe and the families involved can move on with their lives.” Casey said Lowe was expected to be sentenced to 10 years in prison but would be allowed to petition for probation. “I wanted her to have that felony on her record,” Casey said. “We won’t oppose if she asks for probation. “But this way, we will have a resolution, and she won’t be entitled to any of the life insurance money.” Kathy Lowe had been on trial in September 2010 and December 2011. Both trials ended in mistrials after jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict... “I was going to ask she be put in jail until the trial because she was doing things to try and taint the jury pool”... Kathy Lowe admitted shooting David following a day-long argument and alleged she had been held hostage by David most of the day at gunpoint. Her defense attorney, John Paul Burson, also argued Kathy Lowe had suffered emotional and physical abuse at the hands of David Lowe for much of their married life. During both trials, prosecutors countered Kathy Lowe had plotted to kill David Lowe over several months so she could cash in several life insurance policies. Since David Lowe’s death, the family’s Horton home had burned to the ground. The fire, reported just before 3 a.m. on March 4, 2011, was deemed arson by the Marhsall County Arson Task Force. No one has been charged... The couple’s son, Brian, died Nov. 3 following a lengthy battle with a chronic illness. [Full article here]

KATHY LOWE PLEADS GUILTY TO MANSLAUGHTER
WHNT
by Carson Clark
March 14, 2012
[Excerpts] Kathy Lowe has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in her husband’s death. She entered the plea Wednesday afternoon in Marshall County. Lowe was put on trial twice for the 2008 death of her husband, David Lowe.  However, both trials ended in hung juries. A manslaughter plea carries a sentence of 10 years.  However, Judge Tim Jolley sentenced her to three years probation, and gave her credit for time served in jail.  Lowe will not have to serve another day behind bars. She will have to pay a $5,000 fine. Lowe admitted to killing her husband, David, but claims she acted in self-defense. The crime happened in Marshall County, but the Blount County District Attorney’s office prosecuted the case because David Lowe was an investigator for the Marshall County DA’s office. Prosecutors contend Lowe shot her husband to collect insurance money.  However, the defense says Lowe was a battered wife who couldn’t take the abuse any longer. [Full article here]

‘SLAP ON THE WRIST’: KATHY LOWE GETS PROBATION; SENTENCE UPSETS VICTIM’S BROTHER, HIS WIFE
The Sand Mountain Reporter
By Elizabeth Summers
Friday, March 16, 2012
[Excerpts] Curtis Lowe will always remember his brother, David Lowe, as a friend to many, willing to help in any way possible. But on Wednesday, he felt his brother’s memory was forever tainted when David’s wife, Kathy Lowe, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the case involving her husband’s death in 2008 and received what Curtis feels is a “slap on the wrist” for punishment... [Judge Tim] Jolley then handed down a 10-year suspended jail sentence and ordered Kathy Lowe to spend three years on supervised probation and pay a $5,000 fine, court costs, $750 to attorneys and a $100 victim-assessment fee. “Justice wasn’t served,” Curtis Lowe said... Patricia Lowe, Curtis’ wife, had hoped a third trial would end with a guilty verdict and a sentence of jail time for Kathy Lowe. “I would have liked to have seen a third trial,” she said. “I think she should have served some time in jail. She hasn’t spent a day there yet, that I am aware of. But she will have to face the Lord and she won’t be able to walk away from that.” Lowe pleaded guilty to Marshall County Circuit Judge Tim Jolley to the Class B felony. She was represented by Albertville attorney John Paul Burson... Patricia Lowe said she felt disappointed with the case’s outcome. “We felt she might try to make a plea deal, and that is what she did in the end,” Patricia Lowe said. “Knowing she will have a felony on her record, knowing she won’t ever be able to vote again and knowing she won’t get any of the insurance money means a lot to us”... From the beginning, Kathy Lowe and her defense attorneys maintained she and her children, Amanda and Brian, suffered mental and physical abuse at the hands of David Lowe over the years. She claimed she acted in self-defense that night in 2008, following a daylong fight with David Lowe, where he allegedly held her hostage and threatened her with a gun during the day. Prosecutors painted her as an adulteress who had plotted to kill David Lowe for months as a way to collect on more than $100,000 in life insurance policies... [Full article here]
officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder female perp perpetrator alabama state politics]

[PA] Never forgetting Iris Ramos, her life stolen in her cop husband's murder-suicide

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In her mother's kitchen Iris Ramos was shot twice in the head by her husband, Philadelphia police officer Orlando Ramos. He then  fatally shot himself. Iris underwent emergency surgery at Episcopal Hospital, but died the following day. "Police said the couple's 5-year-old daughter was in the house at the time of the shooting."
Orlando: November 24, 1984.
Iris: November 25, 1984.
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder suicide pennsylvania state politics]

[GA] Another domestic violence call to Officer Difiore's house

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...[Savannah-Chatham Police Officer Ralph] Difiore is at least the fifth metro officer investigated for a domestic violence incident this year... Officers noted that Pooler police had frequently responded to the couple’s residence for domestic disputes... A neighbor says they called police on the couple at least half a dozen times.... 

SAVANNAH POLICE OFFICER ON LEAVE AFTER BATTERY ARREST
Savannah Morning News
By Lesley Conn
Posted: October 26, 2012
[Excerpts] A Savannah-Chatham police officer has been placed on administrative leave following his arrest in a domestic violence incident. Ralph Joseph Difiore, 46, has been charged with battery/domestic violence and disorderly house after Pooler police responded Oct. 20 to a call from a neighbor. Difiore is at least the fifth metro officer investigated for a domestic violence incident this year. Difiore’s girlfriend, Heather Cook Walters, 35, faces the same two charges. A Jan. 17 court date was set for both... Officers responded about 12:40 a.m. based on a neighbor’s concerns that he could hear yelling, things being thrown and a woman crying in the couple’s residence. Officers noted that Pooler police had frequently responded to the couple’s residence for domestic disputes and determined that in this case, “mediation and separation was not the answer”... Their accounts to police differ in the Oct. 20 call. Difiore contends Walters was severely drunk and “stumbling all over the place.” She began swinging and clawing at him when he tried to get her into bed, he told police. When officers questioned Walters, they noted that at no time did she appear unsteady on her feet or falling-over drunk. She denied ever striking Difiore, but said he choked her and threw a foot stool at her... [Full article here]

SCMPD OFFICER PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE AFTER ARREST
WTOC
By Alex Bender abender@wtoc.com
Posted: Oct 24, 2012
[Excerpts] Savannah-Chatham Metro officer Ralph Difiore is on administrative leave... A neighbor says they called police on the couple at least half a dozen times.... They were both released on bond Wednesday. They will be back in court in January. [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety history hx repeated mutual combat alleged georgia state politics]

[WA] Benton County Sheriff's Deputy Abel Campos resigned Friday before he could be fired for allegedly hitting his wife

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"It's very difficult for me. Part of me believes when someone does something, they should be fired and not given an opportunity to resign."
~ Benton County Sheriff Steve Keane

PREVIOUS POST:
[WA] Benton Co. Sheriff's Deputy Campos walks away from domestic violence charges - Benton County sheriff's Deputy Abel Prieto Campos walks away from domestic violence charge despite hair pulled out of his wife's head and signs of physical assault on the side of her head because she recanted and her mother backed away...

BENTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY RESIGNS
Tri-City Herald, Bellingham Herald
By Paula Horton
Published: November 3, 2012
[Excerpts] A Benton County sheriff's deputy resigned Friday before he could be fired for allegedly hitting his wife earlier this year... Sheriff Steve Keane waited until after the criminal case was resolved to complete the internal investigation and make a decision on any disciplinary action. Keane said he intended to terminate Campos, but Campos turned in his resignation when he reported to the disciplinary hearing Friday morning. "I believe an assault did occur," Keane told the Herald. "I believe Abel assaulted his wife and I believe I had enough to terminate him"... The sheriff said if he had not let Campos resign, the deputy could have filed a grievance and an arbitrator would have decided if the firing was justified. Arbitration is a "very expensive process," and when a witness changes her story five different times, there's no guarantee sheriff's officials could get an arbitrator to agree with the decision, he said. "It's very difficult for me. Part of me believes when someone does something, they should be fired and not given an opportunity to resign," Keane said... "The biggest thing an officer has is his credibility. People want to know you have honest officers," Keane said. "If he's been arrested for a crime and have victims recanting, I think it leaves doubts in citizen's minds. It left doubt in my mind"... The criminal case was dismissed Oct. 12 just before the trial. Richland's prosecutor said he had to drop the charges because the witnesses backed out of testifying... [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety recant washington state politics teflon police union arbitration fop]

[MO] Dana Ison's police officer husband quit his job, shot her mother, killed Dana, then killed himself

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Dana Thompson-Ison
Dana Thompson-Ison's husband Landon quit his 9-year Lamar Missouri police officer job in August of 2012 by just not showing up. Both his friend - Barton County Sheriff Mitchell Shaw, and Landon's boss - Lamar Police Chief Ron Hager, say they didn't pry by asking Landon Ison why he didn't report for work. 2 months later, on October 9th 2012, Landon Ison shot and killed his wife Dana, shot and critically wounded her mother Cheryl Thompson, then left the home with his shotgun and shot and killed himself. Landon and Dana Ison have two sons and yes, they were present at the home at the time of Dana and Cheryl's shooting.



WHERECOULDDANA AND CHERYLHAVE TURNEDFORHELP?


CHIEF HAGER:
...said Ison had offered no explanation for failing to report in August, thus relinquishing his job, and that Hager had not asked for one...

CHIEF HAGER:
...said Ison was a good officer in the more than nine years he served on the Lamar police force...

SHERIFF SHAW:
...“because of the close personal relationships we all had with Officer Ison”...

SHERIFF SHAW:
...said he was aware that his friend had quit his job with the Lamar police. He said Ison never told him why, and he chose not to force the issue by asking... 

SHERIFF SHAW:
...said he was strongly affected by the events because he went to both death scenes and that he and his family "have known the Isons forever. "This is a terrible surprise, a terrible thing... It was a friendship"...

SHERIFF SHAW:
...acknowledged being a close friend of the couple, said he did not necessarily know all that was going on in their relationship...

Dana, never forgottenDana Ison worked at AOK Youth Development Services, an organization that works with under-privileged children... 

...Dana graduated from Pittsburg State College with her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Services and later received her Master’s Degree in Social Services from Missouri State University. She was a social worker for About Our Kids Youth Development Services in Lamar and director of After School care... [LINK]

...Dana was the Director Social Worker for the About Our Kids Youth Development, Director of After School Care and PEP Coordinator in Lamar, Missouri. She always enjoyed working with and helping children... [LINK]


I invite those who pray
to keep Cheryl's recovery,the Ison children,
and everyone brokenhearted
by this
in your heartsand on your list. 
Memorial contributions may be made to the Ison Children Fund at Metropolitan Bank, 1105 Gulf, Lamar, Mo. 64759



FORMER LAMAR POLICEMAN INVOLVED IN MURDER-SUICIDE; MOTHER-IN-LAW HAS LIFE THREATENING INJURIES [LINK]
koamtv.com
October 9, 2012
12:11 PM CST:
Authorities are investigating an overnight shooting death in southwest Missouri. The Missouri Highway Patrol is leading the investigation of a shooting outside of Lamar shortly after 1 a.m...
1:50 PM CST:
The Missouri Highway Patrol confirms two people are dead and another person is in critical condition at a Springfield hospital. A press conference is scheduled for 2 p.m...
3:10 PM CST:
A former Lamar policeman has shot and killed his wife [Dana Ison], shot and injured his mother-in-law [Cheryl Thompson], then shot and killed himself... It's unclear why Thompson was at the home but she went to get help from neighbors who called 911 before 1 a.m... Landon Ison's body was found at a different location at about 2:30 a.m.  Authorities say he shot himself with a rifle. In August Landon Ison resigned from the Lamar Police Department, but authorities say he just stopped coming to work. Landon and Dana Ison had two children.  They were at the home at the time of the shooting but were not injured are currently with family...  While the couple was still married, that had separated earlier in October. Dana Ison worked at AOK, an organization that works with under-privileged children
5:15 PM CST:
Statement released by Kathy Jenkins, AOK Board of Directors President: "Dana Thompson Ison was a beloved friend, coworker, daughter, sister and mother. She was an invaluable member of the AOK family as a social worker and school-age program coordinator. She also led the mentoring program and offered counseling and assistance to anyone in need. She loved the children and they loved her. She was passionate about making a difference in their lives and she did. Words cannot express our sorrow at her passing"...

WHERECOULDDANA AND CHERYLHAVE TURNEDFORHELP?
Lamar Police Officer Landon Ison
ONLINE FIRST: FORMER LAMAR POLICEMAN SUSPECTED IN APPARENT MURDER-SUICIDE
Nevada Daily Mail
By James R. Campbell
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
[Excerpts] A somber panel of law enforcement officers announced Tuesday afternoon that a former Lamar city policeman was suspected of shooting his estranged wife to death, seriously wounding his mother-in-law and then driving to a remote area of Barton County before turning his rifle on himself about 90 minutes later. Landon Ison, 32, a member of the Lamar Police Department for 9 1/2 years until inexplicably failing to report for duty Aug. 7, was found near his blue Ford Explorer by a Barton County deputy sheriff about 2:30 a.m., Tuesday. Reading from preliminary reports, Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Mike Watson said the man was suspected of going to his 33-year-old wife Dana's home about 6 1/2 miles southwest of here shortly before 1 a.m., Tuesday, and shooting her to death. Flanked by Barton County Sheriff Mitchell Shaw and Lamar Chief of Police Ron Hager, Watson said Ison was also suspected of shooting his mother-in-law, 67-year-old Cheryl Thompson of Springfield, who was airlifted to Cox South Hospital in her hometown. Watson said Thompson was listed in serious condition... Cheryl Thompson had managed to walk to a neighbor's house after she was shot and that the neighbor called 9-1-1... The Isons' two juvenile boys were in the home when their mother and grand-mother were shot... Watson declined to say what type of rifle was believed to be the murder-suicide weapon, how many times Mrs. Ison and her mother were shot or what room of the house the shootings were believed to have taken place in. Hager said Ison had offered no explanation for failing to report in August, thus relinquishing his job, and that Hager had not asked for one... The chief said Dana Ison had worked for AOK Youth Development Services in Lamar... Shaw said he was strongly affected by the events because he went to both death scenes and that he and his family "have known the Isons forever. "This is a terrible surprise, a terrible thing," the sheriff said. "Everyone knows the family. They're hard-working, good people. It was a friendship"... [Full article here]

WHERECOULDDANA AND CHERYLHAVE TURNEDFORHELP?
FORMER LAMAR OFFICER KILLS WIFE, WOUNDS MOTHER-IN-LAW; EX-POLICEMAN TAKES OWN LIFE
The Joplin Globe
By Jeff Lehr news@joplinglobe.com
October 9, 2012
[Excerpts] Landon L. Ison never offered a reason for abruptly quitting his job as a Lamar police officer two months ago. He moved out of the house he shared with his wife and two sons at the start of this month. Then shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday, emergency responders were called to the troubled family’s home about a mile southwest of Lamar after Ison reportedly shot and killed his wife, Dana I. Ison, 33, and critically wounded her mother, Cheryl J. Thompson, 67... [Lamar police Chief Ron] Hager said Ison was a good officer in the more than nine years he served on the Lamar police force since being hired in January 2003. Before that, he had served as a dispatcher with the Barton County Sheriff’s Department... Barton County Sheriff Mitchell Shaw said he asked the state patrol to serve as the lead investigative agency in the shootings “because of the close personal relationships we all had with Officer Ison”... Landon Ison filed for divorce in January. Court records indicate that Ison and his wife both submitted parenting plans to the court. But the record shows that the case was dismissed by both parties on July 11. Shaw, who acknowledged being a close friend of the couple, said he did not necessarily know all that was going on in their relationship. “Whenever I was around, they seemed to have a good relationship,” Shaw said... The sheriff said he was aware that his friend had quit his job with the Lamar police. He said Ison never told him why, and he chose not to force the issue by asking... Dana Ison worked for AOK Youth Development Services. Kathy Jenkins, president of AOK’s board of directors, released a statement praising her contributions as a social worker and school-age program coordinator. “She loved the children and they loved her,” the statement read. “She was passionate about making a difference in their lives and she did. Words cannot express our sorrow at her passing”... The Lamar Police chief and the Barton County sheriff said there have been no previous reports of domestic violence involving Ison and his wife. [Full article here]

AND REALLY?
THE SHERIFF AND CHIEFDIDN'T KNOW,
THEY DIDN'T ASK,
THEY DIDN'T TRY,
THEY WON'T ADMIT?
IT DOESN'T
MAKE SENSE. 
JANUARY 2008 CASEWORKER OF THE MONTH DANA ISON
Adoption Exchange Association
Pittsburg, Kansas
We have been lucky enough to have the same worker, Dana Ison, thru all of our adoptions. We are about to finalize our 2nd and 3rd adoptions next month. We have known Dana for over 4 years now. She has always made her self available to anything we need or want. She is always friendly and offers whatever support we need at anytime, and makes time for us no matter what, even if we just need to talk to someone. Dana is great at getting in contact with our children’s workers, when we need or want something and are unable to get in contact with them ourselves. Our children all look forward to visits with her, even our oldest who at one time had a great fear of caseworkers. After some struggles we have witnessed with other families and their workers, we know we are truly blessed to have been given Dana, and hope that with our next adoption we will be able to work with her... [LINK]


TOPIX EXCERPTS  [LINK]
Posted in the Independence Forum

...Statement released by Kathy Jenkins, AOK Board of Directors President: "Dana Thompson Ison was a beloved friend, coworker, daughter, sister and mother. She was an invaluable member of the AOK family as a social worker and school-age program coordinator. She also led the mentoring program and offered counseling and assistance to anyone in need. She loved the children and they loved her. She was passionate about making a difference in their lives and she did. Words cannot express our sorrow at her passing"...

...Dana used to babysit my son and daughter during summer breaks! I never had to worry about my children in her care! She was the sweetest girl! My kids loved her! She will be greatly missed! Prayers go out to Cheryl and the family!...

...Barton County Sheriff Mitchell Shaw said he asked the state patrol to serve as the lead investigative agency in the shootings “because of the close personal relationships we all had with Officer Ison”...

...Does anyone know Cheryls condition?...

...My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, especially those precious boys. Also praying for a full recovery for Cheryl. So very tragic and so so sad...

...wondering if anyone knows how Cheryl is doing? lets continue to pray for her and all this family...

...Cheryl is in a medical induced coma. They have reapplied her tongue and inserted a feeding tube. They plan to ship her to St. Louis for reconstructive surgery. Cheryl graduated from IHS in 63. Beautiful person both inside and out. Please everyone pray for the family as well as Cheryl. Going to be a long haul...

...Dana's service will be Tuesday the 23rd. Please coninue to pray for Cheryl...

...I agree Cheryl is one of the nicest people you could ever meet. I am praying for her and family...

...Thank you so much for the updates on Cheryl. Since many of us do not want to intrude on the family's privacy during these extreme times, it is great that we can be informed about Cheryl and her recovery. Please tell her family many friends and coworkers from Standard Motors think of her and pray for the family daily. Again thanks so much for keeping us informed and God Bless.




EXCERPTS FROM FACEBOOK POSTS:

We have a long road ahead of us. But you guys along with our friends have been our rock. I cant explain, dont have answers as to why this happened...

...She is off the vent. Waking up more...

...Update on Cheryl: she made it thru her first surgery with no problem. They fixed her boned around eyes, cheek, and face. Put metal plates in where needed...

...Cheryls doing great. Alert, awake, writing sentences on paper. She will be moved out of the ICU today to an observation room. Surgery next week will be major. They r building her a jaw/cheek bone...

...These past couple of weeks have made me look at life differently. PLEASE tell ur loved ones that u love them every day. Dont take them for granted. If u fight, make up b4 you leave or go to bed. You never know if its ur last day on earth. God bless!...

...Update on Cheryl: she made it thru her 12 hr reconstructive surgery without difficulty. They were even able to do some skin grafting...

...Cheryl is finally waking up since her 12hr surgery on Wednesday. She is doing good... She is writing up a storm!...

...Cheryl continues to progress well. She is awake and alert. Has been up in her chair. Skin graft is taking. She is well aware of things... I ask for continued prayers for the family...

...Cheryl continues to progress well. She is truely a miracle. She is a woman of faith...
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder suicide missouri state politics relatives children child abuse]

[AL] 4 years ago today Marshall County Sheriff's Investigator David Lowe was shot and killed by his wife Kathy

To contact us Click HERE
4 years ago today Marshall County Sheriff's Investigator David Lowe was shot and killed by his wife Kathy. I thought I'd look up whether the case had been resolved yet and it has. After two mistrials, Kathy Lowe pleaded guilty last March to manslaughter in her husband’s death. Judge Tim Jolley sentenced her to three years probation, and gave her credit for time served in jail.


Previous post:
[AL] Kathy Lowe will be tried 3rd time in shooting death of her Sheriff's Investigator husband, David - Kathy Lowe will face a third trial in November for the November 11, 2008 death of her husband David Lowe. David, a former Marshall County Sheriff's Office deputy and investigator for the Marshall County District Attorney's office, was found shot twice in the back and side, at the Horton home the couple shared.

KATHY LOWE TO PLEAD GUILTY
The Sand Mountain Reporter
By Elizabeth Summers
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
[Excerpts] GUNTERSVILLE — Kathy Lowe was expected to plead guilty to manslaughter Wednesday... David Lowe had served as an investigator for the Marshall County Sheriff’s office and District Attorney’s office prior to his death. “Given the circumstances, this is a fair resolution to the case,” [Blount County District Attorney Pamela] Casey said Wednesday. “Now the state, Kathy Lowe and the families involved can move on with their lives.” Casey said Lowe was expected to be sentenced to 10 years in prison but would be allowed to petition for probation. “I wanted her to have that felony on her record,” Casey said. “We won’t oppose if she asks for probation. “But this way, we will have a resolution, and she won’t be entitled to any of the life insurance money.” Kathy Lowe had been on trial in September 2010 and December 2011. Both trials ended in mistrials after jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict... “I was going to ask she be put in jail until the trial because she was doing things to try and taint the jury pool”... Kathy Lowe admitted shooting David following a day-long argument and alleged she had been held hostage by David most of the day at gunpoint. Her defense attorney, John Paul Burson, also argued Kathy Lowe had suffered emotional and physical abuse at the hands of David Lowe for much of their married life. During both trials, prosecutors countered Kathy Lowe had plotted to kill David Lowe over several months so she could cash in several life insurance policies. Since David Lowe’s death, the family’s Horton home had burned to the ground. The fire, reported just before 3 a.m. on March 4, 2011, was deemed arson by the Marhsall County Arson Task Force. No one has been charged... The couple’s son, Brian, died Nov. 3 following a lengthy battle with a chronic illness. [Full article here]

KATHY LOWE PLEADS GUILTY TO MANSLAUGHTER
WHNT
by Carson Clark
March 14, 2012
[Excerpts] Kathy Lowe has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in her husband’s death. She entered the plea Wednesday afternoon in Marshall County. Lowe was put on trial twice for the 2008 death of her husband, David Lowe.  However, both trials ended in hung juries. A manslaughter plea carries a sentence of 10 years.  However, Judge Tim Jolley sentenced her to three years probation, and gave her credit for time served in jail.  Lowe will not have to serve another day behind bars. She will have to pay a $5,000 fine. Lowe admitted to killing her husband, David, but claims she acted in self-defense. The crime happened in Marshall County, but the Blount County District Attorney’s office prosecuted the case because David Lowe was an investigator for the Marshall County DA’s office. Prosecutors contend Lowe shot her husband to collect insurance money.  However, the defense says Lowe was a battered wife who couldn’t take the abuse any longer. [Full article here]

‘SLAP ON THE WRIST’: KATHY LOWE GETS PROBATION; SENTENCE UPSETS VICTIM’S BROTHER, HIS WIFE
The Sand Mountain Reporter
By Elizabeth Summers
Friday, March 16, 2012
[Excerpts] Curtis Lowe will always remember his brother, David Lowe, as a friend to many, willing to help in any way possible. But on Wednesday, he felt his brother’s memory was forever tainted when David’s wife, Kathy Lowe, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the case involving her husband’s death in 2008 and received what Curtis feels is a “slap on the wrist” for punishment... [Judge Tim] Jolley then handed down a 10-year suspended jail sentence and ordered Kathy Lowe to spend three years on supervised probation and pay a $5,000 fine, court costs, $750 to attorneys and a $100 victim-assessment fee. “Justice wasn’t served,” Curtis Lowe said... Patricia Lowe, Curtis’ wife, had hoped a third trial would end with a guilty verdict and a sentence of jail time for Kathy Lowe. “I would have liked to have seen a third trial,” she said. “I think she should have served some time in jail. She hasn’t spent a day there yet, that I am aware of. But she will have to face the Lord and she won’t be able to walk away from that.” Lowe pleaded guilty to Marshall County Circuit Judge Tim Jolley to the Class B felony. She was represented by Albertville attorney John Paul Burson... Patricia Lowe said she felt disappointed with the case’s outcome. “We felt she might try to make a plea deal, and that is what she did in the end,” Patricia Lowe said. “Knowing she will have a felony on her record, knowing she won’t ever be able to vote again and knowing she won’t get any of the insurance money means a lot to us”... From the beginning, Kathy Lowe and her defense attorneys maintained she and her children, Amanda and Brian, suffered mental and physical abuse at the hands of David Lowe over the years. She claimed she acted in self-defense that night in 2008, following a daylong fight with David Lowe, where he allegedly held her hostage and threatened her with a gun during the day. Prosecutors painted her as an adulteress who had plotted to kill David Lowe for months as a way to collect on more than $100,000 in life insurance policies... [Full article here]
officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder female perp perpetrator alabama state politics]

Former California Police Officer Indicted and Arrested on Civil Rights Charges for Sexually Assaulting Woman While Transporting Her to Jail

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Bryan Benson, a former Anderson, Calif., police officer, was arrested today on charges of deprivation of civil rights for sexually assaulting a woman while transporting her to jail and of trying to conceal his criminal conduct, announced the Justice Department. Benson, 28, was charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of California and unsealed today.  He is charged with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of causing a false entry to be made in a document or record with the intent to impede investigation into his conduct. The indictment alleges that on May 29, 2010, Benson sexually assaulted the arrested woman, resulting in bodily injury and involving aggravated sexual assault and kidnapping.  The indictment further alleges that Benson obstructed justice by warning the woman not to report the crime, and that he caused a police dispatcher to falsely record his location in the dispatch logs in an effort to conceal his offense. If convicted, Benson could face a maximum sentence of life in prison and a fine of $250,000 on the deprivation of civil rights charge, and 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 on both the obstruction and false-entry charges. This case is being investigated by the FBI.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Steven Lapham and Michelle Prince for the Eastern District of California and Trial Attorney Chiraag Bains from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. An indictment is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The Daddy Rock

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The December 20, 2012, episode ofAmerican Heroes Radio will feature a conversation with retired NYPD policeofficer Michael J. Kannengieser, the author of The Daddy Rock.
Topic: The Daddy RockDate: December 20, 2012Time: 1500 PacificListen Online:http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lawenforcement/2012/12/20/the-daddy-rock
Michael J. Kannengieser is “aretired New York City police officer who lives on Long Island, in New York withhis wife and two children. Michael worked as the Managing Editor for Fiction atThe View from Here Magazine; a U.K. based literary publication. Currently, heis employed at a performing arts college as an Instructional TechnologyAdministrator. He has been published at The View from Here, and in Newsday, aLong Island newspaper. Michael speaks as a guest lecturer on campus.”  Michael J. Kannengieser is the author of TheDaddy Rock.
According to the book descriptionof The Daddy Rock, “Roger Price is a retired NYPD officer battling depressionafter his wife and young daughter are killed by a drunk driver. He is contactedby a woman who claims that he is the father of her twenty-two year olddaughter, Bonnie, who has leukemia and needs his bone marrow to survive. WhenBonnie is diagnosed with leukemia, neither Claire, Brad, nor their otherchildren are a match for Bonnie which stirs Claire's suspicion that Roger isactually her biological father. After learning about Bonnie and the possibilitythat he is her father, and that she is gravely ill, he vows to help her.Roger's bone marrow is a match, and DNA proves he is her father. Bonnie thenundergoes dangerous "conditioning" with radiation prior to receivingRoger's tissue donation. At the same time, Roger's best friend, Danny, also aretired NYPD detective, is pursued by gang members that he arrested while hewas a rookie. They served their sentences and are seeking revenge.”
About the Watering HoleThe Watering Hole is policeslang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work andlife.  Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.
About the HostLieutenant Raymond E. Foster was asworn member of the Los Angeles PoliceDepartment for 24 years.  Heretired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal JusticeManagement and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from CaliforniaState University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work.Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University,Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a Criminal JusticeDepartment chair, faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute andUniversity.  He has experience teachingupper division courses in law enforcement, public policy, law enforcement technology and leadership.  Raymond is an experienced author who haspublished numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines suchas Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine,and Police One.  He has appeared on theHistory Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subjectmatter expert in technological applications in law enforcement.
Listen,call, join us at the Watering Hole:
Listenfrom the Archive:http://www.americanheroesradio.com/daddy_rock.html
Program Contact InformationLieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD(ret.), MPAeditor@police-writers.com909.599.7530
Facebook Event: http://www.facebook.com/events/434413409941484