NJ Supreme Court Approves Passenger Criminal Checks
An AP Story by Jeffrey Gold reports that the New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled 6-0 that police can run a criminal check on a passenger during a traffic stop. The driver and any passengers are seized when an officer stops a vehicle according to the ruling which reinstated the conviction of a passenger with outstanding warrants, a suspended license and carrying crack cocaine. Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote in his unanimous decision that checking the NCIC database “was within the scope of the traffic stop and did not unreasonably prolong the stop, there was no basis to suppress the evidence found.”

Teen being tried as an Adult in Pit-Bull dog attack
A Southern California 17-year-old teen is facing felony charges as an adult for allegedly siccing his pit bull on an 8-year-old boy. The Mercury News has the story here.

Doughnut Theft dismissed on criminal’s potential “Third Strike”
A Fifty-one-year old Tehachapi man with two felony strikes against him for previous robberies and several misdemeanor convictions over the past three decades will not face life in prison for stealing a package of donuts. Steven Mayer of The Bakersfield Californian has this Kern County story where prosecutors conceded that there were just “too many holes in the case” the alleged doughnut thief.

Mummified Body found Buried in Bathtub
In this very unusual and bizarre story from the NY Daily News, a partially mummified body was found buried in a bathtub filled with dirt in an abandoned Phoenix apartment that was stacked to the ceiling with garbage and human waste.