Houston, TX – A housekeeper is accused of stealing jewelry from nine of the homes that she worked in over the past few years.  Mary Jones Smith, 57, is charged with aggregate felony theft.  She has allegedly stolen over $350,000 worth of jewelry from her clients in the Champions area of north Harris County.  In four of those cases, the clients were suffering life-threatening diseases and Smith was a caregiver.  She sold the jewelry to local pawn shops and gold buyers.  She is being held in Harris County Jail on …

Carlsbad, CA –A woman is filing charges against the city of Carlsbad claiming she was let go from the fire department because she was a woman. Brittany McMahon, 28, started training as a probationary firefighter in January, 2010.  She said she completed every test and skill with no problem, but then three weeks before the probationary period was to end, she was told to resign or be terminated.  Upon the advice of the union rep she resigned so she could work in a different city. No reason was given as …

Orlando, FL -A 4-year-old boy was found drowned in his neighbor’s swimming pool in Pine Hills on Sunday.  The boy’s mother told Orange County deputies that her son was missing.  Deputies began to search the area and saw a pool in the back yard of a neighbor’s house.  When they looked over the fence, they saw a small pair of shoes next to the pool.  The boy was found face down in the pool.  Deputies performed CPR on the boy and he was taken by firefighters to the hospital, but …

Houston, TX —An intoxicated driver who struck and killed a bicyclist and then fled the scene was arrested in his home on Monday night.  Jerad Thomas was driving a friend’s cargo van when he hit a 53-year-old man who was riding his bike southbound on Jones Road near Fallbrook.  The bicyclist was taken to the hospital where he died a short time later.  Police were able to track the owner of the van because the license plate fell off at the scene.  The owner of the van had loaned the …

San Diego, CA –A jockey who became famous riding Zenyatta to 16 straight wins, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence this summer after winning the opening day stakes race at Del Mar.  Michael Earl Smith, 46, changed his plea from not guilty to guilty on Jan. 9.  Smith was arrested and booked into county jail after he was pulled over for weaving on the road in his Land Rover.  He had just left a restaurant near the Del Mar Racetrack and was stopped near Carmel Valley Road and Via …

Greensburg, PA —A Pennsylvania woman will possibly do prison time for serving beer to teens at her son’s high school graduation party.  Three of the teens who were at the party were killed in a DUI car crash after leaving the party.  Susan Sanders-Watt, 60, pleaded guilty to four counts of corruption of minors and reckless endangerment and 17 citations of serving alcohol to minors. Her sentencing will occur in about three months. The incident occurred on June 26, 2010.  Michael Simpson, 19, the driver of the car, and two …

Miami, FL –  An American Airlines flight from Brazil to Miami experienced such severe turbulence that six crew members were injured.  Two hours after take off, American Airlines Flight 980 unexpectedly hit turbulence that took the crew by surprise.  Some of the crew smashed against the ceiling.  One crew member was hit by a food cart that flew up into the air.  Many of the passengers were screaming and crying. One of the passengers was an emergency room doctor and he was able to help the injured until the plane …

HUNTINGTON BEACH – An apartment fire left four families and three pets without homes on Wednesday night and caused about $75,000 in damages.  The fire occurred in an apartment on the 7900 block of Stark Drive at about 5:50 p.m.  A plumber was repairing pipes in the wall and the torch he was using started a fire.  The flames spread to a bedroom and a bathroom.  When the fire spread through a skylight, more firefighters were brought in to keep it from moving to units on the third floor.  …

Temple, TX — A school bus flipped on its side after being hit by a tractor-trailer, sending 29 children and 3 adults to the hospital on Tuesday. The accident occurred on Farm-to-Marker Road 93 at about 7:30 a.m.  A hardware truck ran a stop sign and struck an Academy school district bus.  The bus driver was knocked unconscious and a 9-year-old boy was ejected through the escape hatch in the bus roof.  Out of the 29 children taken to the hospital, three were admitted.  One child was in critical condition.  …

Santa Ana, CA –Itzcoatl “Izzy” Ocampo was charged with four counts of murder today for the killing of four homeless men. The charges include special allegations of multiple murders, lying in wait and use of a deadly weapon. The minimum sentence if convicted is life in prison without parole. Ocampo would be eligible for the death penalty if convicted, but it is unknown if the district attorney will seek it.  The four men who were stabbed to death are James Patrick McGillivray, 53, killed in Placentia on …