Dallas neighborhood
watch volunteer is
arrested in serial rapes
By Matt Pearce
LA Times
September 10, 2013
Who watches the
neighborhood watchman? A
neighborhood watch volunteer,
who vanished after police linked
him to a string of rapes that
have terrorized Dallas since
June, was arrested Tuesday in
Lousiana after apparently going
on the run.
DNA evidence has linked Van
Dralan Dixson, 38, to four of the
nine rapes committed in South
Dallas, Dallas police said. More
tests are pending.
The Dallas Police Department
said Dixson was arrested by the
U.S. Marshals Service.
After receiving a tip naming
Dixson as a suspect, police
took him to their headquarters
Wednesday for an interview
and to take a saliva swab, but
did not have enough evidence
to arrest him, officials said.
Police said Dixson was spotted
leaving his 2003 Saturn at a
McDonald's the next morning
and he was not seen again until
his arrest.
Dixson had been part of the Mill
City Community Assn.
neighborhood watch group
since January, Alendra Lyons,
president of Dallas community
group, told local media.
watch volunteer is
arrested in serial rapes
By Matt Pearce
LA Times
September 10, 2013
Who watches the
neighborhood watchman? A
neighborhood watch volunteer,
who vanished after police linked
him to a string of rapes that
have terrorized Dallas since
June, was arrested Tuesday in
Lousiana after apparently going
on the run.
DNA evidence has linked Van
Dralan Dixson, 38, to four of the
nine rapes committed in South
Dallas, Dallas police said. More
tests are pending.
The Dallas Police Department
said Dixson was arrested by the
U.S. Marshals Service.
After receiving a tip naming
Dixson as a suspect, police
took him to their headquarters
Wednesday for an interview
and to take a saliva swab, but
did not have enough evidence
to arrest him, officials said.
Police said Dixson was spotted
leaving his 2003 Saturn at a
McDonald's the next morning
and he was not seen again until
his arrest.
Dixson had been part of the Mill
City Community Assn.
neighborhood watch group
since January, Alendra Lyons,
president of Dallas community
group, told local media.
Police try to recover iPad video of
Zimmerman domestic dispute
[So why aren't they charging him
with destroying evidence after his
wife called the police?]
By Kevin Gray
Sep 10, 2013
(Reuters)
Police were trying to piece together video from
an iPad that captured a domestic dispute
between George Zimmerman and his estranged
wife to determine if any charges would be filed
in the case, a police spokesman said on
Tuesday.
Shellie Zimmerman used the iPad to film
the altercation on Monday, but George
Zimmerman later smashed the device into
pieces during the confrontation, said the
spokesman for the Lake Mary, Florida police,
Zach Hudson.
"We want to get more information off that iPad
so we can have a clearer picture of what was
going on," Hudson said.
Shellie Zimmerman called 911 on Monday and
said Zimmerman had threatened her with a gun
and punched her father in the face at an
Orlando suburban home where the couple lived
during George Zimmerman's murder trial in the
fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager
Trayvon Martin.
She later decided not to press any charges
against Zimmerman, who was briefly detained
for questioning by police.
Kelly Sims, a lawyer for Shellie Zimmerman,
said she does not plan to seek a restraining
order against him.
The couple blames each other for starting the
incident, Hudson said.
Police have sent the iPad to a crime lab to see
if the video footage can be recovered. The
video's contents will determine if either of the
couple is charged with domestic battery.
Under Florida law, police can make an arrest in
a domestic violence case even if a victim
decides not to press charges.
Zimmerman was acquitted in July of murdering
Martin as the 17-year-old walked back to the
townhouse where he was staying, ending a
case that polarized the U.S. public on issues of
race, gun and self-defense laws.
Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, blamed
Monday's incident on "fallout" from the Martin
case and Shellie Zimmerman's decision last
week to file for a divorce.
Shellie, 26, and her father arrived at the house
with a truck and trailer on Monday to remove
her belongings.
Since his acquittal, Zimmerman, 29, has been
pulled over twice by police for speeding.
CNN reported that O'Mara, who is now a legal
analyst with the cable TV network, does not
plan to represent Zimmerman in the domestic
dispute case or his impending divorce.
(Additional reporting by Barbara Liston in
Orlando; Editing by Leslie Gevirtz)
Do some Florida police try to
protect George Zimmerman?
by Maura Larkins
It seems that the story that claimed Zimmerman
rescued a family from a van was invented by a
police officer who was a fan of Zimmerman. No
one, including himself, mentioned his presence
at the accident until some days after the
incident.
Now we have police saying Zimmerman didn't
have a gun while his own lawyer admits that he
had a gun holstered under his shirt. Just how
much effort did the police put in toward
disarming Zimmerman?
Shellie Zimmerman Changes Her
Story, Says George Didn't
Threaten Her With a Gun
By Josh Voorhees
Slate
Sept. 10, 2013
George Zimmerman's wife, Shellie, called 911
on Monday afternoon to report that her
husband was threatening her and her father
with a gun. In a recording of that frantic call,
Shellie can be heard telling the dispatcher that
George had "his hand on his gun and he keeps
saying step closer." "Step closer and what?" the
dispatcher responds. "And he's going to shoot
us," Shellie Zimmerman replies. Later in the
call, Shellie can be heard warning her father to
stay away from her husband: "Dad, get inside
the house; George might start shooting at us."
The local police force responded by sending
eight units—including officers in tactical gear—
to the home, and the story quickly went national
following an initial report from local CBS affiliate
WKMG that George Zimmerman was in police
custody after an "incident involving a gun with
another person." Turns out, however, that while
everyone involved can pretty much agree that
there was definitely some type of "incident," it
now appears as though it was one that did not
directly involve a gun.
"We didn't find a gun," Lake Mary police
spokesman Zach Hudson said late Monday
night. "We didn't find anything that
indicated he had a gun on his person."
[Maura Larkins' comment: Apparently the
police didn't pat down George
Zimmerman. His own lawyer admits he had
a gun under his clothing. Shellie had said
he had his hand on his gun. She has not
retracted that statement. She merely says
that she didn't see the gun. These
statements are not contradictory. Of
course, she's not in a good position to file
charges since she was convicted of
perjury for trying to hide money given to
Zimmerman for his murder defense.]
Meanwhile, Shellie Zimmerman, who is seeking
a divorce from her husband, declined to press
charges after he was briefly held in
investigative detention, and now says she had
her original story wrong, according to
police (via the Associated Press):
Hours later, after police converged on the
home Monday in an Orlando suburb and after
speaking to her attorney, she changed her
story, said Lake Mary Police Chief Steve
Bracknell. She said she never saw a gun and
that she and her father, whom she said
Zimmerman had punched in the face, had no
interest in pressing charges.
In a somewhat odd and confusing twist,
however, there is still one person saying
that George Zimmerman was in fact
carrying a gun yesterday: His defense
lawyer, Mark O'Mara, who nonetheless
stressed that his client says he didn't use
it to threaten anyone. "The gun was
holstered under his shirt, and it stayed
there the whole time," O'Mara said,
according to the Orlando Sentinel.
"I know the 911 tape suggests that Shellie was
saying something but I think that was
heightened emotions. ... There may have been
some pushing and touching. That happens a lot
in divorce situations."
Police said Tuesday that they could still pursue
domestic violence charges against George
Zimmerman, or possibly even Shellie or her
father if the evidence warrants. Officers say
they plan to look at surveillance video from
cameras outside the house, along with footage
possibly taken on Shellie's iPad that was
allegedly smashed during the encounter,
before making a decision. Still, as of Tuesday,
Hudson suggested that based on what they
currently know they remain convinced that "a
gun is not a part of the equation."
Zimmerman domestic dispute
[So why aren't they charging him
with destroying evidence after his
wife called the police?]
By Kevin Gray
Sep 10, 2013
(Reuters)
Police were trying to piece together video from
an iPad that captured a domestic dispute
between George Zimmerman and his estranged
wife to determine if any charges would be filed
in the case, a police spokesman said on
Tuesday.
Shellie Zimmerman used the iPad to film
the altercation on Monday, but George
Zimmerman later smashed the device into
pieces during the confrontation, said the
spokesman for the Lake Mary, Florida police,
Zach Hudson.
"We want to get more information off that iPad
so we can have a clearer picture of what was
going on," Hudson said.
Shellie Zimmerman called 911 on Monday and
said Zimmerman had threatened her with a gun
and punched her father in the face at an
Orlando suburban home where the couple lived
during George Zimmerman's murder trial in the
fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager
Trayvon Martin.
She later decided not to press any charges
against Zimmerman, who was briefly detained
for questioning by police.
Kelly Sims, a lawyer for Shellie Zimmerman,
said she does not plan to seek a restraining
order against him.
The couple blames each other for starting the
incident, Hudson said.
Police have sent the iPad to a crime lab to see
if the video footage can be recovered. The
video's contents will determine if either of the
couple is charged with domestic battery.
Under Florida law, police can make an arrest in
a domestic violence case even if a victim
decides not to press charges.
Zimmerman was acquitted in July of murdering
Martin as the 17-year-old walked back to the
townhouse where he was staying, ending a
case that polarized the U.S. public on issues of
race, gun and self-defense laws.
Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, blamed
Monday's incident on "fallout" from the Martin
case and Shellie Zimmerman's decision last
week to file for a divorce.
Shellie, 26, and her father arrived at the house
with a truck and trailer on Monday to remove
her belongings.
Since his acquittal, Zimmerman, 29, has been
pulled over twice by police for speeding.
CNN reported that O'Mara, who is now a legal
analyst with the cable TV network, does not
plan to represent Zimmerman in the domestic
dispute case or his impending divorce.
(Additional reporting by Barbara Liston in
Orlando; Editing by Leslie Gevirtz)
Do some Florida police try to
protect George Zimmerman?
by Maura Larkins
It seems that the story that claimed Zimmerman
rescued a family from a van was invented by a
police officer who was a fan of Zimmerman. No
one, including himself, mentioned his presence
at the accident until some days after the
incident.
Now we have police saying Zimmerman didn't
have a gun while his own lawyer admits that he
had a gun holstered under his shirt. Just how
much effort did the police put in toward
disarming Zimmerman?
Shellie Zimmerman Changes Her
Story, Says George Didn't
Threaten Her With a Gun
By Josh Voorhees
Slate
Sept. 10, 2013
George Zimmerman's wife, Shellie, called 911
on Monday afternoon to report that her
husband was threatening her and her father
with a gun. In a recording of that frantic call,
Shellie can be heard telling the dispatcher that
George had "his hand on his gun and he keeps
saying step closer." "Step closer and what?" the
dispatcher responds. "And he's going to shoot
us," Shellie Zimmerman replies. Later in the
call, Shellie can be heard warning her father to
stay away from her husband: "Dad, get inside
the house; George might start shooting at us."
The local police force responded by sending
eight units—including officers in tactical gear—
to the home, and the story quickly went national
following an initial report from local CBS affiliate
WKMG that George Zimmerman was in police
custody after an "incident involving a gun with
another person." Turns out, however, that while
everyone involved can pretty much agree that
there was definitely some type of "incident," it
now appears as though it was one that did not
directly involve a gun.
"We didn't find a gun," Lake Mary police
spokesman Zach Hudson said late Monday
night. "We didn't find anything that
indicated he had a gun on his person."
[Maura Larkins' comment: Apparently the
police didn't pat down George
Zimmerman. His own lawyer admits he had
a gun under his clothing. Shellie had said
he had his hand on his gun. She has not
retracted that statement. She merely says
that she didn't see the gun. These
statements are not contradictory. Of
course, she's not in a good position to file
charges since she was convicted of
perjury for trying to hide money given to
Zimmerman for his murder defense.]
Meanwhile, Shellie Zimmerman, who is seeking
a divorce from her husband, declined to press
charges after he was briefly held in
investigative detention, and now says she had
her original story wrong, according to
police (via the Associated Press):
Hours later, after police converged on the
home Monday in an Orlando suburb and after
speaking to her attorney, she changed her
story, said Lake Mary Police Chief Steve
Bracknell. She said she never saw a gun and
that she and her father, whom she said
Zimmerman had punched in the face, had no
interest in pressing charges.
In a somewhat odd and confusing twist,
however, there is still one person saying
that George Zimmerman was in fact
carrying a gun yesterday: His defense
lawyer, Mark O'Mara, who nonetheless
stressed that his client says he didn't use
it to threaten anyone. "The gun was
holstered under his shirt, and it stayed
there the whole time," O'Mara said,
according to the Orlando Sentinel.
"I know the 911 tape suggests that Shellie was
saying something but I think that was
heightened emotions. ... There may have been
some pushing and touching. That happens a lot
in divorce situations."
Police said Tuesday that they could still pursue
domestic violence charges against George
Zimmerman, or possibly even Shellie or her
father if the evidence warrants. Officers say
they plan to look at surveillance video from
cameras outside the house, along with footage
possibly taken on Shellie's iPad that was
allegedly smashed during the encounter,
before making a decision. Still, as of Tuesday,
Hudson suggested that based on what they
currently know they remain convinced that "a
gun is not a part of the equation."
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Why This Website
Stutz Artiano Shinoff
& Holtz v. Maura
Larkins defamation
SDCOE
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Elementary School
Law Enforcement
CTA
CVE
Stutz Artiano Shinoff
& Holtz
Silence is Golden
Schools and Violence
Office Admin Hearings
Larkins OAH Hearing
Stutz Artiano Shinoff
& Holtz v. Maura
Larkins defamation
SDCOE
CVESD
Castle Park
Elementary School
Law Enforcement
CTA
CVE
Stutz Artiano Shinoff
& Holtz
Silence is Golden
Schools and Violence
Office Admin Hearings
Larkins OAH Hearing
George Zimmerman and Neighborhood Watch
Is Zimmerman the new O. J. or is he truly invincible?
Acquitted of murder, he seems to be defining himself as a lawbreaker. Will the law catch up
with him as it did to O.J.?
Is Zimmerman the new O. J. or is he truly invincible?
Acquitted of murder, he seems to be defining himself as a lawbreaker. Will the law catch up
with him as it did to O.J.?
George Zimmerman may be right to think he's invincible: police don't seem upset that he
violently destroyed evidence after a spat with his wife during which she called 911.
violently destroyed evidence after a spat with his wife during which she called 911.
George Zimmerman's Wife
Says He Is 'Selfish,' Feels
'Invincible'
Sept. 6, 2013
By SENI TIENABESO
ABC News
via Good Morning America
George Zimmerman's Wife Files for
Divorce
George Zimmerman's wife says she
doesn't know the man she's been married
to for almost seven years and doesn't
think she "ever really knew him at all."
In an exclusive interview with ABC News
shortly after her attorney filed for divorce
from the Florida man acquitted in the
death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin,
Shellie Zimmerman said she is left with a
shattered life.
"I stood by my husband through
everything and I kind of feel like he left me
with a bunch of broken glass that I'm
supposed to now assemble and make a
life…It's just heartbreaking," she said.
Shellie Zimmerman, 26, stood by her
husband throughout the ordeal that began
on Feb. 26, 2012 when her husband shot
and killed the unarmed teenager and
came to an end when a Florida jury
acquitted him of murder in July.
But less than two months later, she filed
for divorce.
"I have a selfish husband. And I think
George is all about George," she said.
She claims that at times he was
verbally abusive and hurt her
"emotionally, but never physical."
"I think I'm realizing that I have been
married to a person for almost seven
years, and I don't think that I ever really
knew him at all," Shellie Zimmerman said.
Shellie Zimmerman said her husband is
not only driving too fast, referencing the
two incidents in which her husband has
been pulled over for speeding recently,
but also living too fast since his acquittal.
She says he spent maybe three or four
nights at their home with her before she
moved out in mid-August. She says she
believes the not guilty verdict has left her
husband feeling "invincible" and since
then has been "making some reckless
decisions."
See Shellie Zimmerman's Divorce Filings
She is asking for "equitable distribution" of
their assets including anything her
husband might gain from a defamation suit
he has filed against NBC as well as equal
share of their debts. She is also seeking
sole custody of their two dogs. According
to the financial disclosure form, she said
she is unemployed and listed her monthly
expenses as $755. Since they separated
George Zimmerman has given her $4,300
for living expenses and the source of
funds appears to be his legal defense
fund.
Read Shellie Zimmerman's Financials
Affidavit
George Zimmerman's legal team told ABC
News there would be no comment on the
divorce filing. George Zimmerman's
brother Robert tweeted "Pray for them."
Last week Shellie Zimmerman pled
guilty to perjury for lying about the
couples' finances when the judge was
initially setting bail for her husband.
After a judge handed her 100 hours of
community service and a year's probation,
Zimmerman told ABC News last week that
she did not know if she would stay married.
Says He Is 'Selfish,' Feels
'Invincible'
Sept. 6, 2013
By SENI TIENABESO
ABC News
via Good Morning America
George Zimmerman's Wife Files for
Divorce
George Zimmerman's wife says she
doesn't know the man she's been married
to for almost seven years and doesn't
think she "ever really knew him at all."
In an exclusive interview with ABC News
shortly after her attorney filed for divorce
from the Florida man acquitted in the
death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin,
Shellie Zimmerman said she is left with a
shattered life.
"I stood by my husband through
everything and I kind of feel like he left me
with a bunch of broken glass that I'm
supposed to now assemble and make a
life…It's just heartbreaking," she said.
Shellie Zimmerman, 26, stood by her
husband throughout the ordeal that began
on Feb. 26, 2012 when her husband shot
and killed the unarmed teenager and
came to an end when a Florida jury
acquitted him of murder in July.
But less than two months later, she filed
for divorce.
"I have a selfish husband. And I think
George is all about George," she said.
She claims that at times he was
verbally abusive and hurt her
"emotionally, but never physical."
"I think I'm realizing that I have been
married to a person for almost seven
years, and I don't think that I ever really
knew him at all," Shellie Zimmerman said.
Shellie Zimmerman said her husband is
not only driving too fast, referencing the
two incidents in which her husband has
been pulled over for speeding recently,
but also living too fast since his acquittal.
She says he spent maybe three or four
nights at their home with her before she
moved out in mid-August. She says she
believes the not guilty verdict has left her
husband feeling "invincible" and since
then has been "making some reckless
decisions."
See Shellie Zimmerman's Divorce Filings
She is asking for "equitable distribution" of
their assets including anything her
husband might gain from a defamation suit
he has filed against NBC as well as equal
share of their debts. She is also seeking
sole custody of their two dogs. According
to the financial disclosure form, she said
she is unemployed and listed her monthly
expenses as $755. Since they separated
George Zimmerman has given her $4,300
for living expenses and the source of
funds appears to be his legal defense
fund.
Read Shellie Zimmerman's Financials
Affidavit
George Zimmerman's legal team told ABC
News there would be no comment on the
divorce filing. George Zimmerman's
brother Robert tweeted "Pray for them."
Last week Shellie Zimmerman pled
guilty to perjury for lying about the
couples' finances when the judge was
initially setting bail for her husband.
After a judge handed her 100 hours of
community service and a year's probation,
Zimmerman told ABC News last week that
she did not know if she would stay married.
Shellie
Zimmerman tells
Fla. police her
husband George
did not threaten
her
Max Ehrenfreund
Washington Post
September 10, 2013
George Zimmerman’s
estranged wife Shellie
Zimmerman called
police Monday, saying
that her husband had
punched her father in
the face and that he
was threatening them
with a gun. It is the
most recent evidence
of tensions between
Shellie Zimmerman
and her husband,
who was acquitted two
months ago in the
shooting death of
Trayvon Martin after a
widely controversial
murder trial.
A few hours later,
however, Shellie
Zimmerman, who
filed for divorce last
week, told police
that she did not see
a weapon, and
authorities will not
press charges against
her husband:
...George Zimmerman
has been involved
with a domestic case
at least once before.
In 2005, Zimmerman’s
former fiancee filed
for a restraining
order against
Zimmerman, alleging
domestic violence.
Zimmerman
responded by
requesting a
restraining order
against his then-
fiancee. --Associated
Press
Zimmerman has
also been stopped
twice for speeding
since his acquittal.
His wife said in an
interview with ABC
last week that she felt
her husband was
behaving recklessly.
For opinion writer
Jonathan Capehart,
the recording of
Shellie Zimmerman’s
call to police recalled
memories of the trial.
He writes that
although George
Zimmerman appears
to have a pattern of
violent behavior, he
has never faced
legal consequences
for it:
“I’m really, really
afraid,” she said. “I
don’t know what he’s
capable of. I’m really,
really scared.” At one
point, she yells at her
father to “get back
inside; George might
start shooting at us.”
Listening to the call, my
thoughts went to
Witness No. 9 in the
Zimmerman case. She
was the relative who
called the Sanford Police
Department just days
after Zimmerman killed
Trayvon on Feb. 26,
2012. During the call,
she accused Zimmerman
of being a racist, saying,
“He would start
something. He’s a very
confrontational
person. It’s in his
blood. Let’s just say
that.” . . .
Since Zimmerman was
acquitted in July, he has
been in the news for touring
the headquarters of the
manufacturer of the gun
he used to kill Trayvon
and for two speeding
violations. He was let off
with a warning each time.
Today, Zimmerman
was not arrested, but
he was questioned by
police. And because
Shellie and her father
have declined to
press charges against
Zimmerman, he was
free to go. “We have
no victim, no crime,”
Lake Mary police
chief Steve Bracknell
said.
The night
Zimmerman shot and
killed Trayvon he
called the non-
emergency line at the
Sanford, Fla., police
department. “These
[expletive], they
always get away,” he
said. Just a little bit of
history repeating, I
suppose.
--Jonathan Capehart
[Maura Larkins
comment: The night
before he killed
Traymon,
Zimmerman argued
with his wife and
she left to stay with
her father.]
Zimmerman tells
Fla. police her
husband George
did not threaten
her
Max Ehrenfreund
Washington Post
September 10, 2013
George Zimmerman’s
estranged wife Shellie
Zimmerman called
police Monday, saying
that her husband had
punched her father in
the face and that he
was threatening them
with a gun. It is the
most recent evidence
of tensions between
Shellie Zimmerman
and her husband,
who was acquitted two
months ago in the
shooting death of
Trayvon Martin after a
widely controversial
murder trial.
A few hours later,
however, Shellie
Zimmerman, who
filed for divorce last
week, told police
that she did not see
a weapon, and
authorities will not
press charges against
her husband:
...George Zimmerman
has been involved
with a domestic case
at least once before.
In 2005, Zimmerman’s
former fiancee filed
for a restraining
order against
Zimmerman, alleging
domestic violence.
Zimmerman
responded by
requesting a
restraining order
against his then-
fiancee. --Associated
Press
Zimmerman has
also been stopped
twice for speeding
since his acquittal.
His wife said in an
interview with ABC
last week that she felt
her husband was
behaving recklessly.
For opinion writer
Jonathan Capehart,
the recording of
Shellie Zimmerman’s
call to police recalled
memories of the trial.
He writes that
although George
Zimmerman appears
to have a pattern of
violent behavior, he
has never faced
legal consequences
for it:
“I’m really, really
afraid,” she said. “I
don’t know what he’s
capable of. I’m really,
really scared.” At one
point, she yells at her
father to “get back
inside; George might
start shooting at us.”
Listening to the call, my
thoughts went to
Witness No. 9 in the
Zimmerman case. She
was the relative who
called the Sanford Police
Department just days
after Zimmerman killed
Trayvon on Feb. 26,
2012. During the call,
she accused Zimmerman
of being a racist, saying,
“He would start
something. He’s a very
confrontational
person. It’s in his
blood. Let’s just say
that.” . . .
Since Zimmerman was
acquitted in July, he has
been in the news for touring
the headquarters of the
manufacturer of the gun
he used to kill Trayvon
and for two speeding
violations. He was let off
with a warning each time.
Today, Zimmerman
was not arrested, but
he was questioned by
police. And because
Shellie and her father
have declined to
press charges against
Zimmerman, he was
free to go. “We have
no victim, no crime,”
Lake Mary police
chief Steve Bracknell
said.
The night
Zimmerman shot and
killed Trayvon he
called the non-
emergency line at the
Sanford, Fla., police
department. “These
[expletive], they
always get away,” he
said. Just a little bit of
history repeating, I
suppose.
--Jonathan Capehart
[Maura Larkins
comment: The night
before he killed
Traymon,
Zimmerman argued
with his wife and
she left to stay with
her father.]