You had to expect it........

"I'm not willing to stand here and let my civil rights be violated when it's not science based," stated Kaci Hickox.





Kaci Hickox, a nurse who had been working with Ebola patients in Sierra Leone, arrived at Newark Airport NJ on Oct 24 2014.  She was detained at the airport for 7 hours and then was placed in an isolation tent after a second temperature reading on her showed that she had a fever.  Hickox immediately complained that her isolation was unfair as well as the conditions in the isolation tent, which had no running shower and a port-a-potty were sub-standard.  She spent the weekend waging a media war with Gov Christie's 21 day quarantine policy for returning health care workers.  Hickox tested negative for the virus and was allowed to leave for her home state on Maine on Oct 27 2014.

I applaud all that the health care workers are doing to treat the patients with Ebola in West Africa and I had actually been on her side for a few days but her defiant whining has left me standing on the opposing side of her argument now.  I find it difficult for someone who evidently knew about Ebola and the 70% fatality rate that it has been shown to have, to travel and work with these patients..... to not think that there would be some kind of ramification upon yourself when you did return to the United States.  I also can not believe that you had no clue as to what had been happening in the US after Mr Duncan's death from Ebola.  Common sense would dictate that there had to be some sort of check instituted for exposure and future risk after that incident.

I lost respect for you when you went home with a continued defiance and threats to sue over your "loss of civil liberties" rants.  You should be very happy to know that while the US health care system is struggling with how to deal with the possibility of further instances of Ebola in the US, they have an ironclad set of rules governing disease management and livestock.  Yes, Kaci........... the government cares a lot more about animals here than they do about you.


I will start out easy then...........  I want to travel from the east coast of the US to the west coast to stay with friends for a couple of months.  Since it is a long trip, I will be bringing my dog Mumbles with me.  The rules state that Mumbles has to go in baggage since he unfortunately will not fit under the seat in a carrier until I run him through a blender.  In order for my dog to be loaded on the plane, he has to have the required carrier etc, etc as well as health papers.  That means that I have to take Mumbles to the veterinarian, at cost and have him sign off on a complete health exam stating that he is disease free.  On his return flight, he may also be required to have an updated health check since we stayed so long in another state.

Now for the more difficult regulations......... let's say that my friend in New Mexico has invited me to trailer my horse up there to spend a week or two trail riding from my imaginary home in Texas.  I can just throw caution to the wind, hook up the trailer and head off into the sunset, hoping that I am not pulled over after I cross the state lines or I could actually follow the regulations in place.  Those regulations include..... basic CVI (certificate of veterinary inspection) which includes identification of the horse and has the horse's temperature recorded on it.  The certificate must be made no more than 30 days before the planned trip.

In addition, there must be proof of ownership, proof of a negative C-ELISA test, a negative Coggins test, state the testing lab used, dates tested and results, it has to be free of ticks and showing no symptoms of equine piroplasmosis.  Here is the kicker though and I suppose I could whine that the state would be impeding my right to travel freely and enjoy my vacation......... there are six specific counties that horses are not allowed into from Texas if there has been a, as in only one, confirmed case of equine piroplasmosis.  That means that the one confirmed case could have been miles from my horse and it had never had any contact at all with mine but I am still barred from crossing the state line with my horse.

The reason states do this is to prevent the animals in their state from possibly being exposed to an infection that may not exist within their borders.  The result of an infected animal coming in contact with other livestock can be catastrophic.  The "cure" in the US for an outbreak of hoof and mouth disease is eradication, as in all the animals that may have had any contact with the infected ones are killed.  If the farmer next door were to import an infected animal by bending the rules of importation a bit, that infected animal could potentially lead to the destruction of several surrounding herds and leave those farmer's holding the financial loss.

Hickox has now gone home to Maine and has taken the stance that she will defy any self quarantine directives and has threatened to sue the state now.  Just this morning, her and her boyfriend took a 40 minute bike ride followed by the police.  I don't agree that she should be locked away in her home since they do live in a very rural area and the exercise would be good.  I do not agree with her defiant attitude though and that makes me nervous about how far she will push the envelope of no contact.

There are those who feel that the states are imposing quarantines are denying an individual of their personal liberty is wrong and I side with those who do not find it wrong.  The treatment of Ebola is evolving almost on a daily basis but there are still many questions as to how it is transmitted or even what is "safe."  A restriction of contact with other people for 21 days is not unreasonable and actually is safer for the masses.  When the needs of the masses outweigh the needs of one individual, a state or nation has to rule in favor of the masses.

One specific example of how much the government cares for "livestock" more than it does returning citizens who may have been exposed to diseases would be the race career of a South African horse named Variety Club.  In 2013, after winning the prestigious Queen's Plate in South Africa, the owners petitioned the Dubai Racing Club for an exemption of the quarantine rules so that the horse could ship directly there to compete.  The request was denied so they could not race in several important races there.

They also were forced to abandon their hopes of bringing the horse to the US to race in the Breeders cup races as well.  Their horse would be forced to stay totally indoors, with no exercise or sunlight.... at an airport for 60 days.  They had requested that the horse be allowed a treadmill but that was denied as well and it was decided that it would not be fair to their horse to have to endure that for just one race.

The traditional trip for a horse to race in Dubai is about six months..... not 21 days.  It begins with a 3 week quarantine in Cape Town followed by three months in Mauritius, one month in England and then additional restrictions once the horse arrives in Dubai.  The European Union requires this restriction because of an African horse sickness that is similar to malaria in people.  It is vector-born, not contagious, is seasonal and only found in the south of African in the wet summer months.  They keep a disease free zone in Cape Town where any horse is quarantined and shipped from and that is surrounded by an observation zone to further protect the free zone and in this way, no case has ever shipped out of Africa.  In 2011 though, there was a breach of the observation area and the European Union instituted the restrictions now in place.

Once a horse has made it through the six month process to international status, they are free to travel with the lighter restrictions and quarantines that are imposed but that means it will be months before the horse ever returns to it's native soil, if ever.  Evidently, the hopes of an owner for a chance at millions in purses is not enough to have a quarantine reduced or modified but if you are returning from an active Ebola area and stomp your feet enough, they are bent for you.

The states have an ability to reasonably protect their citizens and in this case, from a disease that has a high mortality rate, is expensive to cure and still is not very well understood in how easily it seems to be transmitted within healthcare workers.  Her quarantine is also not false imprisonment because the state would have to be shown that they were completely erroneous in their reasons for wanting her to not have contact with other people within a specific time frame.  Mr Duncan's family cried that it was so unfair in how he was treated until two of his nurses had to battle the same disease.

We do owe a great debt to those heath care individuals who donate their time to help world-wide but we do not have to be placed at possible risk when they return from an area that is dealing with a deadly, contagious disease.



Hats off to Bayou Renaissance Man for the story idea.

Related post on this blog:

http://wreckvhavoc.blogspot.com/2014/10/they-cant-travel.html



http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/kaci-hickox-shakes-reporter-hand-promises-give-ebola-article-1.1992687

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/quarantined-ebola-nurse-kaci-hickox-released-jersey/story?id=26479917

http://www.dogjaunt.com/posts/u-s-airlines-requirements-for-health-certificates/

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/29/sports/south-african-horse-gets-his-star-turn.html?_r=0

https://www.usrider.org/EquestrianMotorPlan.html

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wps/portal/aphis/ourfocus/importexport?1dmy&urile=wcm%3apath%3a%2Faphis_content_library%2Fsa_our_focus%2Fsa_animal_health%2Fsa_import_into_us%2Fsa_entry_requirements%2Fct_us%2Bstate_and_territory_animal_import_regulations

http://livestocktrail.illinois.edu/dairynet/paperDisplay.cfm?ContentID=603

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/10/30/why-kaci-hickox-may-lose-a-legal-battle-against-ebola-quarantine/

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/editorial-home-kaci-article-1.1993132


Update Nov 3 2014:

A judge in Maine has given into Hickox's foot stomping and has ruled in her favor.  The judgement applies only to her and her whining about being quarantined for possible Ebola exposure.  It states that she does not have to submit to the stricter rules of the quarantine but must instead submit to direct active monitoring, notify officials of any change in her health status and must coordinate her travel outside of the home with officials.  She has also stated that the fight has not ended for her and she will continue to press for the more lenient versions of monitoring for returning individuals.




http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/03/health/ebola-kaci-hickox-interview/index.html?hpt=hp_t3


Update Nov 10 2014:

Hickox and her boyfriend, Ted Wilbur, have announced that they are both leaving Fort Kent ME after her 21 day quarantine ends this week.  Wilbur has withdrawn from the college that he was enrolled at there and they have only stated that they will be traveling to southern Maine first.  Wilbur it seems was upset that the University of Maine had requested that he not attend classes for a period of time.

The university has stated that they were sorry that they were not able to accommodate Wilbur in the manner he prefered and he now characterizes their efforts as insufficient.  They added that they have gone to great lengths to educate individuals about the threats of Ebola but that they still had concerns about the health and security of individuals.  They tried to accommodate his wishes but were unable to please him.

Sadly, again......... did you not see this coming?  If you vocally state that you are going to make your own rules about how you should be treated after exposure to Ebola, do you really think others are going to trust you or want to risk their future health by being with you?  I think this all could have been avoided if you had just quietly accepted the quarantine in the first place.




http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/09/health/ebola-nurse/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

I was dressed like what?

Carrie Gipson, 37, was stopped around 2 am on Mosher Rd in Gorham ME on Oct 26 2014 for driving in the wrong lane.  She was dressed in a complete Hello Kitty costume and riding shotgun was a stuffed Hello Kitty doll.

The police suspected that she was driving under the influence but she refused to take a breathalizer test at the scene.  She was slapped in handcuffs and arrested on the charge of refusing the test.  Her passenger had no a word to say in her defense and it is not known if it was wearing it's seat belt.  Gipson was booked and photographer with the costume on, which police state is correct since it will match the description on the officer's report.

Gipson is just another in a long list of individuals who manage to get arrested for DUI while wearing their holiday costumes.  Catherine Butler, 26, evidently enjoyed the whole booking process so much that she managed to do it twice in about three hours on Oct 25 2014.  Butler was first pulled over in Gates NY at about 2 am on Buffalo Rd for driving without her headlights on and arrested for DUI.  She was still wearing her zombie make-up from a Halloween party she had attended and after she had been arrested, she was picked up by a friend and taken home.

Three hours later, Butler was again pulled over and arrested on Buffalo Rd, this time for swerving across the road.  She had removed her zombie make-up but she was still very much under the influence.  She was again taken down to the police department and booked for another DUI.  The police have stated that she has been arrested for DUI four times in Monroe county, going back as far as 2006.  The charges had all been reduced violations and they added that this weekend's charges with probably be just misdemeanors.

On Nov 1 2013, police pulled over Kristine Gagnier, 26 was pulled over in Orange county FL after she was observed driving erratically.  Gagnier, who evidently is quite an accomplished wakeskater, was not so accomplished at passing a sobriety test.  The officer stated that she was dressed in what appeared to be a nude body suit that was marked for the cuts of pork on a pig as well as wearing zombie colored contacts.

She was returning from a Halloween party and told the officer that she had only two drinks.  The officer didn't believe that she was acting like she was after only two drinks.  He filmed the sobriety test that she did not pass with a BAC of .121 compared to Florida's limit of .08.  She was booked for DUI and after submitting to another test at the police station, she was allowed to change out of the strange pig costume.

Riley Sheahan, who had been playing for the Grand Rapids Griffins, was pulled over on Oct 29 2012 in Grand Rapids MI while driving down the wrong side of the road.  He managed to blow a .30 on the breatalizer which put him into the special category under Michigan law of being super drunk.  He also handed the police a friend's driver's license so he was charged for that as well.  What makes it all so very special is that he was pulled over while wearing a "Tinky Winky" teletubbies costume.

He twice failed the field sobriety tests and refused to take a breathalizer test then as well.  he changed his mind when he was taken to the police station and that is where police discovered that he had his Canadian driver's license hidden in his wallet.  He had been charged in 2010 with public intoxication and minor alcohol consumption in Indiana while he was a freshman at Notre Dame.

I am sure that there will be more drunks in costume that will have their "look" saved for a long time.....





http://www.rochesterhomepage.net/story/d/story/rochester-woman-arrested-for-two-dwis-on-the-same/30123/fMYOyPpHikuyt56zx_uqnw

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/woman-arrested-dwi-3-hours-zombie-makeup-article-1.1991066

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/maine-woman-arrested-kitty-costume-drunk-driving-article-1.1988838

http://www.wgme.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/gorham-police-stop-hello-kitty-woman-drunk-driving-24576.shtml#.VFD8NfnF-Sp

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2536833/Hilarious-dashcam-video-shows-zombie-eyed-woman-wearing-pig-costume-shes-busted-DUI.html

http://tampa.cbslocal.com/2013/11/06/police-girl-dressed-as-a-pig-with-zombie-contacts-arrested-for-dui/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2239403/Riley-Sheahan-Super-drunk-hockey-star-charged-DWI-dressed-purple-Teletubbies-suit.html

There must have been an easier way.......

The call came into the police station at around 8:00 pm on Oct 28 2014 and police were dispatched to investigate a brutal murder.  They were headed to 130 Secatogue Ave in Farmingdale NY where there had been a report of a woman's body lying in the street.  The police found a woman who seemed to be in her 60's lying in front of the apartment and she had been beheaded.

It was only about twenty minutes later that police found another body, this one of a man who appeared to be in his 30's.  His body was located about a mile away from the first scene, on a section of LIRR tracks.  He had apparently jumped in front of an eastbound LIRR train, committing suicide.  Police had not released much information yet but the two victims appear to be related.  The man was hit by the train at 8:15 pm at the Clinton Ave crossing in Farmingdale.  The deaths have reportedly caused half a dozen trains to be delayed or cancelled as well as the evacuation of the train that hit the male victim.  There has been no report yet as to how many more trains will be affected by the investigation.

It has been reported that the woman who was murdered is the mother of the man who committed suicide.  They are tentatively stating that it looks as though this was a murder suicide but they are not speculating on anything else at this time.  It is difficult to imagine what could have gone so terribly wrong as to lead to such a brutal murder followed by subjecting someone else to nightmares caused by throwing yourself in front of a train.

Hopefully there will be some kind of explanation and closure for this crime.




http://longisland.news12.com/news/police-2-bodies-found-in-farmingdale-1.9557487

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/police-investigate-murder-suicide-farmingdale-article-1.1990870

http://pix11.com/2014/10/28/person-jumps-in-front-of-lirr-train-after-allegedly-beheading-woman-in-farmingdale-sources/

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Man-Kills-Beheads-Woman-Suicide-LIRR-Train-Farmingdale-280731252.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/possible-murder-suicide-in-suburban-nyc-halts-commuter-line/



Update Oct 29 2014:

At first, neighbors thought it was some sort of Halloween prank.  They saw the man drag a body from the apartment building and then kick the head some 20 feet across the street.  The man then jumped in front of the train a short time later and his body was found on the tracks almost a mile away.  The neighbors realized that it was no prank when they went outside to try and remove what they thought was part of the prank... the woman's body.

They stated that they knew when they lifted her, it was far from a prank.  Police state that the woman was killed inside an apartment because there was blood all over the floor.  The gruesome evidence continued with a path going down the stair as if the man had dragged her body down the stairs and out into the street.  Police are not tying this murder-suicide to terrorism right now but they are leaving all avenues of thought open for the moment, as they continue investigating what may have caused the incident.





http://nypost.com/2014/10/29/man-possibly-beheaded-woman-jumped-in-front-of-train-cops/

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/10/29/police-say-ny-man-beheads-woman-before-jumping-in-front-train/


Update Oct 29 2014:

Police have identified both individuals involved in the apparent murder-suicide.  The woman killed was Patricia Ward, 66, and she had been killed by her son Derek, 35.  Patricia was a professor at SUNY for 28 years and was well liked, well known and well respected.

Police state that she suffered from multiple stab wounds as well as other injuries including broken ribs.  They have recovered the murder weapon as well.  They report that her son Derek had a psychiatric record that dates back over a decade.  He also has a brief criminal record as well as being chronically unemployed.

They have reported that Derek used a knife to kill and behead his mother.  He then dragged her outside where her head and body ended up in separate locations.  He then walked in front of the train within 20 minutes.  He had been carrying a Smith&Wesson pistol and 100 Valiums on his person when he died.  Neighbors of the luxury apartment where Patricia lived are still stunned as to how they could have first viewed her body as a Halloween prank.  The police have not released if they know of a motive for the murder yet.





http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/suny-farmingdale-professor-id-beheaded-woman-article-1.1991722


Update Oct 30 2014:

Police have now reported that they believe the murder-suicide was a domestic dispute gone horribly wrong.  Patricia had last been seen at around 4 pm that afternoon and they believe that Derek killed her and sat with her body for some time before dragging her outside.  Her and her son had only moved into the building about three months prior to the incident and neighbors described her as serious and quiet.

Derek had spent 45 days in jail in 2006 for carrying 100 Valium pills and the pistol, not what had been previously reported as him carrying them at the time of his death.  He had also been arrested in 2003 on a charge of criminal mischief.  The police state that his mental health became worse after his grandfather died in 2013 and it seemed that he was acting out more often.  His parents, Patricia and John, 66, divorced many years ago and his only sibling, Robert, died in 1997.  The police added that there had been no prior history of domestic problems between Derek and his mother.  We probably will never know what exactly triggered such a violent end to both of them.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/suny-farmingdale-professor-id-beheaded-woman-article-1.1991722

Thanks but just throw away the key this time.......

"He understood the nature of his actions and took responsibility for them," stated attorney Glenn Hardy.




Norberto Torres, 47, quietly pleaded guilty on Oct 28 2014 to sodomizing and forcing oral sex on a Harlem NY neighbor's child on June 14 2013.  His guilty plea will prevent the now 6 year old victim from having to testify at a trial.  Norberto though had evidently not learned much during his previous incarceration for murder.  That is correct....... Torres was convicted in the brutal stabbing death of Sister Virginia Thomann, 65, in Jan 1987 at a Bronx NY shelter.

Sister Virginia Thomann was found dead in her office at My Brother's Place, a shelter at 342 Willis Ave, in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx.  A counselor and several residents returned from a Super Bowl Party  a little after midnight on Jan 26 1987.  They became concerned because her office door was closed at the time and she had always left it open, so they forced it open.  Thomann was found slumped onto the floor and had been stabbed four times in the neck.  Police at the scene believed that her killer probably was someone she knew since there were no signs of a struggle and her office door had been closed and locked after the murder.

The police had stated on Jan 27 1987 that they were seeking a former resident, Norberto Torres, for questioning.  He had evidently been asked to leave the home on Saturday for breaking the house rules of no drugs or alcohol and he had begun using drugs again.  He returned on Sunday, Jan 25 to gather his belongings along with a small sum of money.  Torres had argued with the staff at the shelter and demanded that they return more than the $100 they had given him but eventually did leave.  Police state that he returned again that Sunday night and stabbed Thomann to death in her office.

Torres was arrested that Tuesday on the charge of second degree murder in connection with her death.  He  was convicted and sentenced to 15 years to life but was paroled in 2009 after only serving 20 years of the sentence.  Torres is on parole for life and had been placed in a transitional home in Hamilton Heights NYC, where he met the victim of his next crime.  He was staying in the home when he met the young girl and her mother and managed to abuse her.

The woman's boyfriend found out about the abuse and his being the suspect and he took it upon himself to beat up Torres.  Torres ended up in the hospital with a broken skull and underwent surgery for bleeding in his brain, something he did take the time to whine about in court today.  He made it a point to state that he still suffers from health issues from the beating and injury but they did not affect his ability to plead guilty.  The plea saves the young victim from testifying but it also spares Torres from a lengthy trial that would probably end up with his receiving another life sentence.  He may well receive that though because he was on a lifetime of probation and the new conviction is certainly a violation of the probation.

Sister Virginia Thomann, a Sister of the Good Shepard, had only been working at the shelter since the previous fall.  She had been born in Cambria County PA and trained as a registered nurse before joining the Good Shepard Order in 1945.  For over 400 years, the Good Shepard order has been dedicated to helping and sheltering the poor.  She worked in a variety jobs in health and child care before applying to My Brother's Place, which had been founded in 1982 by Rev James McDonald.  She joined three other staff members who lived there and worked as a receptionist, book keeping and organizing the various voluntary religious services for the 12 residents.  Her funeral service was held privately but there was a public memorial service on the day following her funeral.

It would seem that the young man who had been a victim of circumstances when he was 19 and needing help.......... did not learn the lessons that a long prison sentence should have taught him.  He did not last long on the outside and the crime he did commit to get sent back, was horrific.  He does deserve to spend the rest of his days behind bars with no other chances for parole.





http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/man-killed-nun-admits-sexually-abusing-5-year-old-girl-article-1.1989368

http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1987/Murdered-Nun-s-Life-Legacy-of-Compassion/id-c366fbdb90c92733f9d84bc33ec163f5

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/31/nyregion/o-connor-eulogizes-nun-slain-at-shelter-in-bronx.html

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/27/nyregion/nun-65-is-slain-in-the-basement-in-bronx-shelter.html

Hook up the double-wide....... you're cancelled!

"Remember you can't believe everything you read," wrote June Shannon.




I will admit that I have only managed to force myself to watch 10 minutes of one episode of "Here comes Honey Boo Boo" before I felt my brain begin to liquefy and seep out of one ear.  It was curiosity that led me into that viewing since it seemed that everyone was talking about the show.  It began with the appearance of Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson on TLC's reality show "Toddlers & Tiaras" and her appearance soon went viral.

Even then I did not think that watching a video clip of a child drinking "go-go juice" made from Red Bull and Mt Dew was anything I needed to add to my life.  Alana was six when the show "Here comes Honey Boo Boo was created for her in 2012 and TLC thought that it needed to include her whole family.  It would seem that reality shows had moved far out into left field at times, far from "Big Brother" and "Survivor"......... almost any strange and wacky family could potentially be a hit with the viewers they targeted.

They thought that they had found a great mixture of love, candor, warmth and comedy surrounding Alana with her mother June, her father Sugar Bear and her sister's Anna, Jessica and Pumpkin.  TLC felt that they had found a very honest and blunt family willing to let people into their home and life.  I did not need to see more than I did of the program to know that just because a lot of people watched and talked about it, it was not even good television.  Somehow, somewhere, it was decided that American's would go hog wild over "Hickspoilation" television and "Honey Boo Boo" was added to the line-up of shows like Breaking Amish, Duck Dynasty, Buck Wild and Party Down South.

What I find difficult to understand is how the television executives did not see the train wreck coming from the day they launched their new show.  The program premiered on August 8 2012 and featured Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson, her mother, June "Mama June" Shannon, her father, Mike "Sugar Bear" Thompson and her sisters: Lauryn "Pumpkin" Shannon, Jessica "Chubbs" Shannon and Anna "Chickadee" Shannon.  The television executives had gotten at least one small thing correct..... they could not have the show based entirely on the exploits of just one small child.

There were significant questions about the whole Shannon clan shortly after they hit the airwaves.  June spent time in jail in 1998 for cashing bad checks and was jailed in 2004 for stealing $3,000 from the safe at a McDonald's she managed in McDonough GA but that charge was later dismissed.  She was arrested and jailed in 2008 on contempt of court charges involving $643 in child support she owed her mother who had been raising Anna.  She spent four days in jail and faced another 30 days if she hadn't managed to cough up the money.  Her landlord, Michael Nelson had sued the Thompson's in 2007 for $1,500 owed him for rent and dues and he states that he never saw any of that money.

Mama June has made public claims that everything she had been charged with had been dropped over the years but it seems that the charges were only dropped in some when she managed to scrap up the money to pay off the amounts disputed.  June and her partner Thompson were charged by child services after Alana was videotaped dancing on a bar top for money and their parenting skills were called into question but the charges were later not pursued by the agency.

June has been living with Michael "Sugar Bear" Thompson, 40, for about 9 years and he is also not without a criminal history.  In 1998 he was convicted on charges from going on a small crime spree.  He broke into and robbed several campers at hunting camps and set one of the campers on fire.  He was sentenced to five years in jail in GA, was released and returned shortly afterwards for being in possession of a gun.

Mike "Sugar Bear" Thompson

He and June began their relationship in May 14 2004 and he is the father of Alana but not the other three daughters.  He and June exchanged vows in a commitment ceremony in May 2013 but they were never actually married.  In fact, Mama June has never married any of the father's of her children and it has been speculated that she chose not to so that she could collect child support and welfare payments for the girls.

It had first been announced that he and June would be getting married on the television program but it was quickly leaked that even though they were going all out on a camo wrapped wedding, it was really only going to be for show.  They were just going to exchange vows and it was really only a public commitment ceremony.  Mike has been working at Snow Co General Contractors in McIntyre GA for the last 8 years and according to their website, they mine and process kaolin, a white clay used in many industries.

David Dunn

June's oldest daughter, Anna "Chickadee" Shannon, did not know her father David Dunn, 34, until he was released from prison.  He had been sent to prison when she was four years old over child support payments, was returned to prison in 1995 when he was sentenced for stealing a handgun and returned again in 1998 for stealing cartons of cigarettes.  He now works in construction and has stated that he has not seen his daughter very often.  He stated that they had wanted him to sign his rights away to Anna but he refused to do so because he has always wanted his daughter to know her daddy was.

He has claimed that June does not allow him to see his child and hasn't for years.  Anna had spent most of her childhood living with her grandmother after June left her there to run off with another boyfriend.  Her grandmother eventually won sole custody of the oldest daughter and June was forced to make child support payments.  Anna was lured back the family nest because it was felt that her pregnancy would add to the program's story line at the time.

Anna herself is now in the middle of child/father issues since the birth of her daughter Kaitlyn at age 18.  The father of the baby is said to be her long time boyfriend Caleb Clark from Griffin GA.  He and Anna dated for about two years and he was present at the birth of Kaitlyn.  He has since tried to have a paternity test done so that he can confirm his status as her father but so far, Anna has refused he stated.  He added that she had told him that the only way that she would agree to it was if he joined the show as one of the cast.  He has been reported as working towards a career in law enforcement and he hopes to have contact with his daughter in the future.

This past year, Anna married Michael Cardwell after dating Mitch Brewer for a brief time.  His family owned a roller rink and construction companies and it was viewed as an attempt to leave the family home.  Cardwell was shown proposing to Anna on New Years Eve but it has since been released that he did that on Dec 19th and she had moved out of the family home months before the program showed it on screen.  She and Cardwell moved to the nearby town of Ivey GA in September but viewers were led to believe that Anna was still living at the family home in McIntyre GA.  The couple were married on May 3 2014 and have since moved to Alabama where he works as a truck mechanic.

June's daughter Jessica "Chubs" Shannon also has a father with a criminal record.  It has been reported that June had only dated Michael Anthony Ford, 37, for a few months before she got pregnant with their child.  Ford himself served time for for a conviction in 2005 for sexual exploitation of a child over the Internet.  He served two years on that charge, which also put him on the sex offenders registry.  He also has been charged in the past for passing bad checks and shoplifting at the WalMart where he worked.  Ford has stated that he has paid June $300 a month for child support of Jessica but he has not been allowed to visit with his daughter.  He added that he has only been able to meet with her five times since her birth.

It seems that no one is sure or knows who Lauryn's father is but there are plenty of family stories as to who he could be.  June's parents have stated that they don't have any idea as to who he may be and that June may not even know.  Her father has stated though that even though they suspect that June never married any of the girl's fathers so she could collect welfare and child support, they are still very proud of her and their show.

Mike "Sugar Bear" Thompson and June have stated that they have been with each other since May 14, 2004.  June had been dating the man who has sunk her into this latest scandal....... Mark McDaniel.  It has been reported that he abused Anna, her oldest daughter in 2002 and 2003 but the charges involving that abuse were dismissed.  He was indicted in 2003 on charges of aggravated child molestation and aggravated on his young victim which basically are not charges that could occur from "accidentally" touching a child in an improper way.  In 2004 he was sentenced to 10 years in prison on aggravated child molestation charges in a different case in Spaulding County.  He had been found guilty of forcing a young girl to perform oral sex on him and was released in March 2014 after serving that sentence.  He is a registered sex offender and had been living in Decatur GA and has not spoken publicly since his release.

June has and still is insisting that she has had no contact with the pedophile since he was sent packing off to jail but there definitely has been trouble brewing in the trailer park since spring.  This past September, the married couple who is not married split up and Mike Thompson moved out of the family home.  June stated that she had found out the Thompson was cheating on her and using online dating sites.

The news just keeps falling off the pumpkin wagon though because it seems that June was never really over her relationship with McDaniel. It has been reported that she has kept a box full of photos of her and McDaniel and that has been the source of many an argument between her and Thompson.  Now it also seems that June was the one to be off cheating on Thompson with.......... McDaniel.  Yes, the pedophile who was accused of molesting her own daughter when she was 8 years old.  The news broke of her being back with McDaniel after pictures surfaced of her together with him in a motel room bed together.  She even had convinced her daughters to state that the pictures could not have been real and that they had been photo-shopped to damage her reputation.

People could almost believe that if there wasn't the parade of other photos that have surfaced of the two of them together.  June has been very busy taking care of her new "old" man in the past few months.  She has bought him a used car when she went and purchased two of them at a dealership... to the tune of $25,000 cash.  She reportedly stated that one of the cars was for her daughter and the other one was for a friend.  She has also been photographed while out hunting for a new home.  I suppose this is so that McDaniel can have someplace very comfortable to bunk at after all those years of prison cells.

TLC was obviously "shocked" that this could have happened to the cast of one of their favorite, truthful and housewarming families.  They immediately announced that they would put a hold on releasing the next season of "Here comes Honey Boo Boo" which had already been filmed and was in the can waiting to air.  It did not take them long to figure out that they nuclear waste in the can when the public questioning and outcry began.  Anna has stepped forward and publicly stated that it was her, at 8 years old, that McDaniel had molested and not some far-flung distant relative as was first assumed.

I have to question WTF was she thinking by starting up again with a man who went to prison for ten years for child molestation.  Even if she had not been a "star".......... there is nothing a man like that could offer but more grief and trouble.  I can certainly see why Anna lived with her grandmother all those years and why she ran off to get married and move away from the cesspool in Georgia.  TLC has stated that they will extend an offer to assist all of the children, especially Anna, with counseling or whatever other help they may need.

What they do need is to be taken away from Mama June with the release of the latest pictures.  There have been reports that child services is now going to investigate the family and home life at June's home.  They will be concerned with whether June can or has made sure that her daughter's have been kept safe from a convicted sex offender.  She does not seem to "get it" very well but then, she did not believe her daughter Anna when she was a child and accused McDaniel of molesting her.

Supposedly, June has been placing the earnings of her children in trust accounts for them and it would be nice if that is the actual truth.  At least they will have some funds to live on after the crash and burn of the television show.  Thompson still has his job, maybe his earnings and has not made any comment publicly about what June has been doing.  June on the other hand, seems to be spending up a storm while she has been romancing her old boyfriend.  It would be nice if she has managed to save some of her earnings from the program............ she may need it for lawyer's fees in the coming months.

I do hope that nothing has happened to the children since McDaniel has been around but it is crazy to think that it wouldn't eventually happen.  June is living in a houseboat on "de Nile" but maybe this will be the wake-up call she needs to finally straighten out her life.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/mama-june-daughter-victim-mom-child-molester-boyfriend-article-1.1986790

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/10/24/honey-boo-boo-canceled-amid-sex-offender-scandal-report-says/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2195277/A-sex-offender-arsonist-thief-The-ex-partners-Honey-Boo-Boos-larger-life-mom-revealed.html

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/here-comes-honey-boo-boos-mama-june-denies-dating-sex-offender-20142410

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2807833/Mama-June-pictured-house-hunting-MONTH-man-accused-molesting-daughter-Anna-reality-star-mom-claimed-haven-t-10-years.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/10/here-comes-honey-boo-boo-tlc-origins_n_2270519.html

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/10/23/honey-boo-boo-in-limbo-after-sex-offender-report/

http://www.bustle.com/articles/33046-here-comes-honey-boo-boo-annas-boyfriend-michael-is-actually-her-husband-now

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2198693/Teenager-sparks-fears-custody-battle-claims-father-Honey-Boo-Boos-niece.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2805607/Lauryn-Pumpkin-Shannon-14-rubbishes-reports-Mama-June-dating-convicted-child-sex-offender-ex-calls-photo-evidence-Photoshopped.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2804914/Mama-June-rekindled-old-flame-weeks-splitting-husband-Sugar-Bear-man-convicted-molesting-CHILD-known-her.html

http://atlantablackstar.com/2013/01/07/where-does-honey-boo-boos-money-go/

http://starcasm.net/archives/169716

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2807269/Honey-Boo-Boo-shock-claim-Mama-June-s-adult-daughter-victim-child-molester.html

http://www.nationalenquirer.com/celebrity/revealed-inside-honey-boo-boos-white-trash-clan

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2809636/Mama-June-allowed-child-molester-boyfriend-touch-Honey-Boo-Boo-ugly-secrets-emerge.html

http://www.tmz.com/2014/10/26/mama-june-bought-car-boyfriend-molested-daughter-dating/

http://www.tmz.com/2014/10/26/mama-june-shannon-child-molestation-touching-honey-boo-pictures-photo/?adid=pubexchange_huffpost_entertainment

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/10/27/mama-junes-kids-could-be-taken-away-by-child-services/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/27/mama-june-lose-custody_n_6054414.html



Update Oct 28 2014:

It seems that June has continued to drive her four-wheeler even deeper into the mud.  She still is denying that she has been carrying on with her "ex" pedophile, sex offender boyfriend even though the life she built around her flash-in-the-pan show is crashing faster than the Hindenburg.  Her oldest daughter Anna has confirmed that she was the victim in both cases that were brought against Mark McDaniel.  Her ex boyfriend had stated in 2012, that she had told him then that McDaniel had threatened Anna if she ever told anyone about the abuse.  The ex boyfriend added that McDaniel had told Anna that he would kill her and her grandparents if she ever told them about what he had done to her.

In June 2003, McDaniel was indicted for child molestation, aggravated child molestation and aggravated sexual battery in Henry County but that case was soon dropped.  He was then indicted in Spaulding County for rape, child molestation, aggravated child molestation, enticing a child for indecent purposes and aggravated sexual battery.  The grand jury there accused McDaniel of showing Anna, who wasn't even 10 years old, sexually graphic videos, fondling and sexually assaulting her.

McDaniel made a deal to plead out and was allowed to plead guilty to only the aggravated child molestation charge and was sentenced to ten years.  Anna has stated that she told her mother, June, who did not believe her and accused Anna of trying to hurt her.  Anna moved out of her mother's home after the assault and lived with her grandparents after the assault.  She moved back in at the beginning of the show to try and patch things up with her mother.  She has since become public about the abuse because of the betrayal she feels from her mother again dating the man who abused her when she was a young child.  She added that she would never let her young daughter anywhere near McDaniel.


June can deny all she wants but her actions and photographs taken in the last few months prove otherwise.  Oddly, a basic background check on the couple by FOX411 found that McDaniel's name came up as an associated name at a Stockbridge GA address from 1996 to 2009.  June is also listed at that same address from 2001 to 2007 which is the strange part if she has had nothing to do with McDaniel since he was jailed.......... he was tossed in jail in 2004 but he is still listed with the same address as her.

It has been reported that Thompson knew about some of what June had been doing with the guy she supposedly didn't care about and had nothing to do with.  It looks as though he had taken a dive to the mat this year when he was blamed for their break-up.  It seems to be very obvious that June was the one who had been running around and not with just any guy she picked up in a bar.  The pictures that have shown up go back several months and show that he has had contact with June's children, including the one with Alana which was taken in the beginning of September.

I have to wonder what she will be doing when Jessica's father, Ford eventually gets out of jail.  He was sentenced to a maximum of four years on a charge of sexual exploitation of a child over the internet and had ten years of probation tacked onto that.  He is currently in jail now for a charge of child abandonment and will be on the sex offenders registry as well when he gets out.  It has been reported that Child Protective Services in GA have opened a case to investigate June, her relationship with McDaniel and what may have transpired with him being around the children.  In the very least, I can't imagine that he is allowed to have contact with minor children.  Thompson is reportedly also getting ready for a custody fight for his daughter Alana now that it has been proven that June has had McDaniel visiting with the children.  It may be the best thing for all those children to be as far away from June and her poor choices until she can prove that she knows what is best for her girls.

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/10/28/june-shannon-was-involved-with-another-man-on-sex-offender-registry/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2811468/Police-report-details-sickening-sexual-assaults-Mama-June-s-eldest-daughter-Anna-suffered-hands-boyfriend-just-eight.html


Update Oct 29 2014:

Radar Online has released the copy of the report involving Anna and McDaniel and it shows that Anna's grandmother, Sandra was the one who lodged the complaint.  it also reveals that on at least one occasion, then 3 year old Lauryn witnessed the abuse.  Evidently McDaniel molested Anna numerous times in June's bed while June was away at work.  The report states that on at least one occasion, Lauryn was on the bed, watching while he abused Anna.

Dekalb County officers can not do anything to prevent McDaniel from being around June or her children.  The only one that he can not be around is Anna because of the prior abuse.  He has evidently served his time and is not barred by any court order from being in contact with children.  Child services can investigate the circumstances but will probably not be able to do anything about the children unless it can be proven that they are in danger.

Thompson may well have the better case in trying to move forward in gaining custody of his daughter Alana.  She is only one year older than Anna was when she was abused and McDaniel has proven that he did not care back then what he did to damage a child.... Anna or Lauryn.  June has been acting very happy to have McDaniel around but seriously.... what has she been thinking?  Did she really think that he would be a new addition to the cast of the show?  Did he think that he has finally found the money train after doing ten years time?

Anna has continued to hit the talk show circuit and stated that her mother has said that there would be hell to pay if they tried to take away her daughters.  Anna has the right idea........ June, you did this all to yourself.  Anna has also stated that while she wants her own daughter to have a relationship with her mother June, she will not feel safe leaving her with June if McDaniel is still in the picture.




https://amradaronline.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/markamcdaniel-signed1.pdf

http://gawker.com/mama-junes-3-year-old-forced-to-watch-sister-get-molest-1652172421

http://www.tmz.com/2014/10/28/mama-june-boyfriend-questioned-child-molestation-kids-safety/


Update Nov 2 2014:

It has been reported that June will not..... yes, not receive a large chunk of the money she would have received for this season's episodes that are completed and in the can.  TLC is citing the morals clause in her contract for the huge deduction in pay.  The rest of the family will be receiving their full pay for this season even though it will not be airing.  They are concerned about the welfare of the children that may have contact with her new/old pedophile boyfriend.

I guess that means that her and McDaniel are going to put that new house purchase on hold and start filling out applications at burger joints.



http://www.tmz.com/2014/11/01/here-comes-honey-boo-boo-salary-cancelled-season-mama-june-money/


Update Nov 3 2014:

The dirt keeps flying and the hole that June has been digging just keeps getting deeper.  Her oldest daughter Anna has now claimed that she knows where the money came for the two Nissan's June bought less than a month ago from a Georgia dealership.  She states that there is $30,000 missing from her trust account, the account that was set up for her by June for her payments from the television show.  June has repeatedly stated that she did not but McDaniel a car but apparently one of the Nissan's was delivered to a "friend" in Decatur GA.  That friend evidently used the same address as the one that McDaniel has listed on his sex offender registry.  I am going to go with the age-old.... if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck...... it's a duck.

June has also been spotted in the past few days with Thompson in her immediate company but he reportedly collapsed on Sunday from stress.  An ambulance was called to the home and he was released after being checked out by medical personal.  If she thinks that she is circling the wagons and putting up a reunited front for the public, I think very few are going to buy her latest actions as being genuine.  It would be interesting if the supposed trust funds that all the girls have exist and/or have been raided as well.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2819732/Did-Mama-June-raid-abuse-victim-daughter-s-trust-fund-pedophile-Anna-claims-mother-stole-30-000-trust-fund-buy-sex-offender-boyfriend-Nissan.html

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/11/03/mama-june-reportedly-will-not-be-paid-in-full-by-tlc-sugar-bear-collapse/


Update Nov 12 2014:

Anna Cardwell has stated that there is a reason why her younger sister Lauryn has been so enthusiastically defending her mother during this scandal.  She reports that Lauryn believes that McDaniel is her biological father and is angry that Anna has continued to tell interviewers about his past crimes.

She thinks that McDaniel may have originally come around after being released from jail to "surprise" Lauryn and that may have led her to believe that he is her father.  It has been reported that Lauryn is the only child of the four girls that no one is sure who the father is.  That certainly is some sort of surprise but not the one that I would want for my child.  June has repeatedly stated that she and McDaniel are not even seeing each other but the photo evidence proves otherwise.

Even if McDaniel is the biological father of Lauryn, I don't think getting to hang out with him is the best way to renew a family connection.......... maybe a few letters or a phone call would do.  I definitely would not want him having an actual relationship with her.




http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2830239/Honey-Boo-Boo-s-eldest-sister-Anna-says-sister-Pumpkin-believes-mother-s-child-molester-boyfriend-father.html



Update Nov 13 2014:

June has come out again to try and defend her meetings with McDaniel and now is stating that she was not dating him but rather.......... met with him a couple of times to ease Lauryn's mind.  She added that Lauryn did not believe Anna's story and had doubts that McDaniel was not her father but she needed to ask him those questions herself.  She has finally stated that Lauryn's father was the other sex offender she had dated and the same one who is the father of Jessica........ Michael Ford.

Evidently, Lauryn could not have written to McDaniel was in prison to get the answers she needed?  I am at a loss as well as to why June has waited this long to state that she has known Lauryn's father is Ford and why she felt a face to face meeting was needed.  He isn't a dad to be very proud of either since he was caught during the television program "To Catch a Predator" in 2005 and served time for the sexual exploitation of minors.

My only hope is that the girls will be able to walk away from this trash-heap of emotional damage with the help of people who are much more grounded and sane.




http://www.etonline.com/news/153842_exclusive_mama_june_sits_down_with_et/


Update Nov 14 2014:

It seems that June has been riding quite a bumpy road for years when it comes to her children.  Her mother Sandra Hale was given guardianship of Anna in 2003, the same woman who led the police to arresting McDaniel for molesting Anna a year before.  June was ordered to pay $100 a month in child support but by 2009 she was $4,144.62 in arrears with those payments.  She was arrested because she was willfully and continuously refusing to make the payments for her oldest daughter's care.  The charges were dismissed a few months later, presumably because she had either caught up with what was owed or a deal had been struck in order to catch up the money owed.

It seems kind of crazy that you would not pay that small amount to help care for a child that has gone through what she had been forced to do by McDaniel.



http://www.tmz.com/2014/11/14/mama-june-child-support-daughter-anna-chickadee-child-molester/


Update Nov 19 2014:

It would seem that Mike "Sugar Bear" Thompson is back in June's life because he has to be there, not because they are trying to patch things up.  It has been reported that Georgia CPS very quickly began an investigation of the situation at June's home after it was reported that she was back seeing McDaniel.  They have only allowed they girls to stay with June if there was another adult in the home besides June.

Georgia CPS suggested that Thompson move back into the home while their investigation continues.  Thompson is evidently not very happy about having to live with June again but Alana had missed having him around.  The two reportedly can't stand to even be in the same room together and Thompson is understandably unhappy about being used as a pawn in June's attempt to keep custody of the girls.

June did not help her image any with her interview on the Dr Phil program.......... she can be seen as a compulsive liar and someone who is drawn to being with criminals.  Her explanations of the recent photos of her and McDaniel either glide past an answer or they are so unbelievable that it just points straight towards her.  At this point, there does not seem to be much she can do to dig herself out of the pit she has dug for herself.



http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2014/11/honey-boo-boo-scandal-mama-june-sugar-bear-house/

http://www.tmz.com/2014/11/17/dr-phil-mama-june-child-molester-dating-mark-mcdaniel-video/