5 People Have Caught Fire and 5 Have Died After Being Tasered Near Flammable Materials
By Ken Miller / AP
Updated: November 13, 2017 4:10 PM ET
(OKLAHOMA CITY) — The maker of Tasers (AXON) said Monday that at least 15 people have caught fire, and five have died, after being stunned while near flammable materials, similar to an Oklahoma man who was burned beyond recognition after he was shocked and reportedly got into his gasoline-soaked van.
Axon spokesman Steve Tuttle said the deaths include the man shocked Nov. 7 by a police officer in the town of Lindsey, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) south of Oklahoma City, although authorities say they are still investigating whether the man may have lit himself on fire.
“We’ve seen it happen,” Tuttle said. “It’s happened about 15 times in 24 years … out of about 3.5 million field uses” of the device, known as a conducted electrical weapon, or CEW.
“It’s a known situation. Thankfully it’s been a very rare event,” Tuttle said.
Investigators say the man in Oklahoma who caught fire was armed with a gun and was also carrying a lighter. An officer stunned him with a Taser, but the man managed to fight his way back into his van, where he burst into flames. Authorities say they’re still trying to determine whether the man used his lighter to start the fire or whether the Taser was the cause.
Scottsdale, Arizona-based Axon notes on its website that a Taser can cause flammable materials, including gasoline, to catch fire.
“Do not knowingly use a CEW in the presence of any explosive or flammable substance unless the situation justifies the increased risk,” the website states.
The names of the man and the officers involved in the confrontation have not been released. The dead man’s body was sent to the state medical examiner’s office for positive identification and to try to determine the cause of the blaze.
McClain County Sheriff’s Det. David Tompkins, who is taking part in the investigation, said it appears the officer was probably justified in using the Taser.
“Right now, I think it will be justified, unless something else comes up to change my mind,” he said.
Tompkins said investigators don’t yet know whether there is video of the confrontation because they have not been able to open and view the camera that was on the officer’s patrol vehicle. He said the dashcam has been sent to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to determine whether it was working at the time.
The dead man is believed to be a person who was reported to police in nearby Norman as possibly suicidal.
Norman police spokeswoman Sarah Jensen declined to release that person’s name.
WHARTON TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — Authorities are investigating a fatal fire that happened Sunday morning in Fayette County.
When Bryan Fonner looked over at his neighbor’s house in Wharton Township on Sunday morning, he saw smoke and thought she was using her wood-burning stove.
But he soon realized that something was wrong.
“It wasn’t a normal fire. It was too much smoke, too heavy smoke,” Fonner said, “and then we heard a bang, and that’s when we went over to see what was going on.”
Fonner and his wife tried to help, but the smoke and heat were just too much.
“Really couldn’t get in to her, no, because it was just too much smoke, and you could actually feel the heat on the outside of the house,” Fonner said.
It was too late for firefighters with the Farmington Volunteer Fire Department to make a rescue.
“When they arrived on scene, it was fully engulfed, and they were able to locate a victim inside the residence who was deceased,” Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Robert Broadwater said.
The victim is identified as 54-year-old Mary Campbell Spegar.
“Mary’s just a wonderful person. She’s the kind of person that would help you out in any way she could,” Fonner said. “She’s a wonderful neighbor. I just can’t say enough good things about her. She’s a great person.”
Campbell Spegar was born and raised in the Wharton Township community, and she’s very well-known and –liked. She’s also well-known in Uniontown where she worked in the Fayette County Courthouse as a public defender.
The state police fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire, which is not believed to be suspicious.
=
=======================
FAYETTE COUNTY, Pa. -
Friends and family are mourning the loss of a longtime Fayette County attorney on Sunday night.
Mary Campbell-Spegar died in a fire at her home early Sunday morning.
Close to 20 attorneys and judges gathered at the county courthouse to talk with Channel 11 about their colleague and friend.
"The district attorney's office lost a worthy opponent, but more importantly, we've lost a friend and the county has lost a zealous advocate,” said assistant district attorney Brent Peck.
Spegar was a prominent public defender in Fayette County for decades. Her dedication and passion for her clients is what set her apart from her peers.
On Sunday, just before 7:30 a.m., firefighters responded to Campbell-Spegar's home in the 100 block of Old Mill Road in Wharton Township to a neighbor's report of a fire.
State police in Uniontown say when they arrived the house was fully engulfed. The fire doesn't appear to be suspicious but is still under investigation.
"Mary was a fixture here in Fayette County,” said Common Pleas Judge Nancy Vernon. “She was well-known, she was very compassionate and kind. I never heard her say a negative thing about anyone.”
"She believed in her clients. I'm not sure anyone else in the county believed as much in her clients as she did," said former district attorney Jack Henecks.
Admiration for Campbell-Spegar went beyond the courtroom.
"She was a mother devoted to her son," said attorney Michelle Kelley. "It's hard for me to compare her devotion. She loved her Michael."
NOVEMBER 17, 2017 —
The National Transportation Safety Board has issued the report on the July 14, 2016 engine room fire aboard a 1958-built Luhr Bros towing vessel in which two crew members were severely burned, one of whom subsequently died.
At the time of the incident, the uninspected towing vessel The Admiral was moored alongside barges in the La Quinta Channel, Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, near Ingleside, Texas.
The vessel is powered by two 1,200 hp (895 kW)\ General Motors EMD 567C/ 645E main engines.
About 1635, the vessel’s starboard main engine oversped and then exploded, causing a fire in the engine room. The two crew members in the engine room were severely burned; one subsequently died. Damage to the vessel was estimated at $300,000. No pollution was reported.
The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the engine explosion and resulting fire was a misfiring cylinder that ignited lubricating oil in the sump of the engine.
The full NTSB report goes into considerable detail on the engines's history and maintenance record. Download it HERE.
DETROIT, MI (WXYZ) -
Detroit police say a worker trimming trees at a home in Detroit died when he fell from the bucket of his truck.
The worker for All Metro Tree Service was flipped out of his box when he cut the limb.
It happened around 10:30 a.m. near Margareta between Santa Rose and Stoepel on the city's west side. That's near 7 Mile and Livernois.
Right now, the worker has not been identified as they wait to notify his next of kin.
About All Metro Tree Service
Fully insured.
30 years in the tree industry.
Services:
-Pruning
-Trimming
-Removals
-Stump Grinding
-Crane service available
PITTSBURGH, PA --
A Pennsylvania couple is suing their local police department and Nationwide Insurance Co. after they were arrested when an insurance agent mistook their hibiscus plants for marijuana.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday by 69-year-old Edward Cramer and his 66-year-old wife, Audrey, claims the agent came to their Buffalo Township home Oct. 5 to investigate a fallen tree. The Cramers claim the agent took photos of their flowering hibiscus plant and sent the images to police.
The lawsuit claims officers with assault rifles arrested the couple Oct. 7 and held them for several hours inside a police cruiser, despite both of them telling the officers the plants were actually hibiscus.
The Cramers are seeking monetary and compensatory damages and court costs.
Neither Buffalo Township police nor Nationwide provided comment.
==================
BUFFALO TOWNSHIP, PA (KDKA) — A Buffalo Township couple says they were handcuffed and placed in a police cruiser for hours while police searched their property after an insurance agent mistook the couple’s hibiscus plant for marijuana.
The incident started back in September when a large tree from neighboring property fell onto the side of Edward and Audrey Cramer’s home, causing damage to the house and an antique garden tractor.
A press release alleges that when the Cramers’ insurance agent, Jonathan Yeamans, arrived at the home to assess the damage, Yeamans took photos of flowering hibiscus plants in their backyard and sent the photos to police, believing the plant was marijuana. The Buffalo Township Police Department then obtained a search warrant.
(Photo Credit: KDKA)
Police officers arrived at the Cramers’ home on Oct. 7 to search their property. Audrey, 66, was home alone at the time, and she says she answered the door wearing only a bra, a short top and underpants.
Officers allegedly pointed assault rifles at Audrey, told her to get her hands up and entered her home after informing her they had a search warrant, although they did not show it to her.
Audrey was allegedly handcuffed, placed under arrest and put in the back of a police cruiser, and she says officers refused her requests to put on pants and shoes.
“I didn’t want too many people to know what had happened because I really don’t like being stood outside in my underwear,” Audrey said.
When Audrey asked police what was going on, they told her they were searching for marijuana. Audrey says she told them it was hibiscus, but police said her husband lied to her about the plants.
(Photo Credit: KDKA)
According to the press release, Edward arrived home about half an hour after police began searching the Cramers’ property. Police allegedly pointed their guns at him, searched him and placed him under arrest. He was then handcuffed and put in the back of the squad car with his wife.
Edward says he repeatedly asked officers if he could show them that the hibiscus plants were not marijuana.
“They actually ignored me,” Edward said. “They wouldn’t even listen. I said, ‘I can show you pictures on the internet.’”
The Cramers say they were allowed back into their home without handcuffs after spending about four hours in the police cruiser. Officers had searched their property and Sergeant Scott Hess told them he didn’t think the hibiscus plants were marijuana.
The press release says the Cramers had to repair damage to their home caused while police were searching, and their insurance company sent them a policy notification letter almost three weeks after the incident claiming that marijuana had been found on their property and their insurance policy would be canceled if the plants were not removed.
The Cramers also say they’ve suffered emotional distress from the incident.
“I don’t sleep at night, and you don’t leave me at the house by myself,” Audrey said.
Attorney Al Lindsay filed suit on behalf of the Cramers on Thursday.
“By what logic [can police officers] take a 66-year-old woman like this lady in her underwear outside, place her under arrest, keep her cooped up in the back of a police car for four and a half hours?” Lindsay said.
The Cramers say they have lost their faith in police. Good for them: police are notorious thugs and criminals who get away with many illegal actions and violation of people's civil rights on a daily basis.
“I’m starting to understand why a lot of the public do not trust the police officers,” Audrey said. “I’m starting to see a lot on TV where I thought, ‘No, you have to be wrong because the police wouldn’t make such a bad mistake.’ Yeah, they would.”
The Cramers are suing Buffalo Township Police, Yeamans and Nationwide Insurance. So far, none of them have commented.
