Ward Family Not Satisfied With Stewart Grand Jury Decision

((HT: WHEC-TV))

Understandably so...

After the Ontario County (NY) Grand Jury returned the idea that they were not going to come back with an indictment of Tony Stewart in the death of driver Kevin Ward, Junior in a race August 9th in upper New York state, the Ward family issued their own statement:

"Our son got out of his car during caution when the race was suspended. All the other vehicles were reducing speed and not accelerating except for Stewart, who intentionally tried to intimidate Kevin by accelerating and sliding his car toward him, causing the tragedy. The focus should be on the actions of Mr. Stewart. This matter is not at rest and we will pursue all remedies in fairness to Kevin.”

Here's team coverage of the Grand Jury decision


"I personally am very happy with the outcome," Canadaigua Race Director Greg Hixson said when interviewed Wednesday. "I've seen the videos, I was there, I saw it live and for Tony to be charged I think would have been another crime. It's unfortunate and my heart goes out to the Ward family, but having another life ruined because of it, I thought it would have been very unjust."

Prosecutors Think They Can Prove Hernandez's Fiancee/Girlfriend Lied

((HT: MyFoxBoston))

The prosecution in the Aaron Hernandez case feel they can prove that Hernandez's current fiancee/girlfriend has lied to investigators close to a dozen times to the grand jury in charge of the case.

Shayanna Jenkins could face up to 20 years in prison if found to have lied.

The defense team also said publicly that they would not object to pushing back the trial...

Here's the latest from the case
Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

Kraft And Belichick Interviewed In Lloyd Probe, Singleton Pleads Guilty

((HT: MyFoxBoston))

Aaron Hernandez's legal team made a motion to suppress evidence that they say was seized without a valid search warrant, but the judge in the case denied the motion earlier this week.

Photos and surveillance video from inside Hernandez’s home were part of the evidence list released by the prosecution and the material, apparently, shows him with a gun just hours after Odin Lloyd’s murder in 2013.

Text messages between Hernandez and Patriots coach Bill Belichick were also part of the evidence.
Belichick gave investigators a written statement after Hernandez’s arrest as did Pats owner Robert Kraft.

Here's the latest on a lot of different stuff
7News Boston WHDH-TV

In another development, Hernandez's cousin Tanya Singleton pleaded guilty to a criminal contempt charge. Prosecutors had apparently granted her immunity and Singleton refused to testify before the Hernandez grand jury.

Aaron Hernandez Cousin Pleads Not Guilty In Contempt Case

((HT: MyFoxBoston))

Another layer in the Aaron Hernandez case was shown in a Suffolk County (MA) court this morning...

The cousin who allegedly held the SUV used in the 2012 drive-by shooting at her home was in court this morning answering to a contempt charge. Tanya Singleton pleaded "not guilty" and was ordered confined to her Bristol, Connecticut, home with a GPS tracking device.

The criminal contempt of court charge comes from, prosecutors allege, her not testifying before a grand jury- even though she'd been granted immunity.

Here's the arraignment
Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

Hernandez Pleads Not Guilty In 2012 Drive-By Murders

((HT: MyFoxBoston))

In a session that lasted 20 minutes, former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez pleaded not guilty to all charges in front of a crowded court room that included family members of Daniel Abreu and Safiro Furtado.

Prosecutors allege that Aaron Hernandez killed the two in a drive-by shooting in 2012. The Suffolk County District Attorney alleges that Hernandez was getting more and more sensitive to people "testing or disrespecting him."

He rolled down the window of his SUV and allegedly told a friend in his SUV:
"I think I got one in the head and one in the chest."

Prosecutors then allege that Hernandez drove the SUV to his cousin's house in Connecticut and left it there. Hernandez attorney Charles Rankin claimed in open court that the state was poisoning the possible jury pool with the proceedings and a "one-sided grand jury proceeding."

Hernandez is still held without bail and will have his next appearance on June 24th.
Here's WHDH-TV's first-half of the noon newscast previewing what was going to happen in court
7News Boston WHDH-TV

All over the paranoia associated with a spilled drink at a Boston-area nightclub

Mookie Blaylock Up On 14-Count Grand Jury Indictment

A suburban Atlanta grand jury has returned 14 counts against the former Atlanta Hawks guard in the 2013 crash that killed Monica Murphy. The 14 counts include 2 counts of felony homicide by vehicle.

Police said Blaylock left the northbound lanes of a Clayton County (GA) road, went into the southbound lanes, and crashed into the other car. Blaylock's license was suspended and had been told by physicians, according to the county district attorney's office, that he wasn't supposed to operate a car because of seizures that were being treated by medication.

Blaylock’s attorney, Don Samuel, said that doctors never told his client not to get behind the wheel of a car. He is refuting what the investigators are saying about the idea of Blaylock being told by doctors not to drive.

Blaylock has had several arrests involving 6 DUI charges in the past, but never had to serve any substantive time behind bars on any of the charges.

Here's the story from the time of the accident when the sheer volume of Blaylock's DUI's came forward...
((HT: 11Alive.com))

Blaylock could face up to 33 years in prison if found guilty in the upcoming trial.
No date has been set for the Blaylock trial.

Grand Jury Adds Assault, Battery, Bodily Harm Charges For Hernandez

((HT: MyFoxBoston))

And it all stems from the February incident with another inmate in the Bristol County (MA) House of Corrections...

The former Patriots tight end will be arraigned on those additional charges at an unknown date.

Here's the update on the litany of charges that seem to be adding up for Aaron Hernandez
Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

Aaron Hernandez Associate Arrested On Lying To Grand Jury

((HT: WHDH-TV))

And obstruction of justice and witness tampering involved with the investigation around the Odin Lloyd murder...

Nice hat trick...

Allegedly...

Oscar Hernandez, Junior (no relation to the ex-Patriots tight end) was arrested as a part of a gun trafficking investigation from Florida to Massachusetts. Three firearms involved in the shooting have been linked to the murder of Lloyd and Hernandez is charged with influencing the testimony of the man who reportedly sold the weapons.

Here's the early returns on the arrest...
WHDH-TV 7News Boston

Hernandez could get up to 20 years in prison on the witness tampering charges, up to 10 years on obstruction charges and up to five for false testimony.

He is set to appear in a court in Orlando to determine if bond will be allowed- and what amount that will be. He should be extradited to Massachusetts to face the charges after that, but the timetable isn't known for that part of the process at present.

Where Are The 2012 Indictments For Aaron Hernandez...???

((HT: MyFoxBoston))

One of the larger questions that the families involved with the 2012 night club murders in Boston associated with former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez have is: Where are the indictments...???

The families feel there is enough evidence either accessible or already in police possession that should be able garner a response by the state... and it's been eight months since the beginning of the process...

Just hasn't happened yet and families are getting understandably nervous about it...

Here's Ted Daniel to talk about how nervous they're getting in the process...
Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

DEVELOPING: Two Hernandez Associates Charged With Murder

((HT: MyFoxBoston))

Two associates of Aaron Hernandez have been indicted in the Odin Lloyd murder from 2013 according to the Bristol County (MA) District Attorney's Office. A grand jury returned separate murder indictments on both Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace- who have been the focus of the prosecution's efforts in getting someone allegedly involved in the Lloyd murder/Hernandez case

Both men will be arraigned on the charges, but a date has not been set for them to appear in court.

Wallace has previously pleaded not guilty to "accessory to murder after the fact" and is being held on $500,000 cash bail.
Ortiz has also pleaded not guilty to "accessory after the fact" and is being held on the same amount.

Aaron Hernandez is being held without bail in connection with the murder of the 27-year-old semi-professional football player's death.

Ortiz had been previously regarded by the prosecution as "unreliable" as a witness for the prosecution back in February after the state thought that they could have him as their star witness...
Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

More when we know more...

4 More Charged In Steubenville Rape Case

((HT: WTRF-TV))

The Steubenville High rape case continues to gather depth as four more individuals have been arrested in association with the case where Steubenville football players recorded a rape a 16-year-old on their camera phones, shuttled it around on social media, and were part of a conspiracy to make sure no charges were filed in and around the football team.

Two players, Ma'Lik Richmond and Trent Mays, were convicted in the case and now four more individuals are up on charges after a grand jury investigation. Richmond was convicted of rape and sentenced to a year as a juvenile. Mays was convicted of rape and of using his phone to take a picture of the girl.

He was sentenced to two years in juvenile detention.

A special grand jury had investigated whether coaches and/or school administrators knew of the rape allegation, but failed to report that they knew- and exactly just how much they knew.

Here's the initial results brought forth...

Steubenville City Schools Superintendent Michael McVey has been indicted on five counts:

One count of tampering with evidence - a third degree felony
Two Counts of obstructing justice - a fifth degree felony
One count of falsification, a first degree misdemeanor
One count of obstructing official business, a second degree misdemeanor

McVey could face up to 7 years and 270 days in prison.

The second person is Lynnett Gorman- the principal of West Elementary in Steubenville- was charged with failure to report child abuse, a fourth degree misdemeanor. Gorman could face up to 30 days in jail.

The third is Seth Fluharty- wrestling coach and special education teacher at Steubenville High. He was also charged with failure to report child abuse. Fluharty could serve up to the same 30 day sentence.

The fourth is Matthew Bellardine, a former volunteer coach for the football team, who faces four charges including:

Underage persons offenses concerning ("beer or intoxicating liquor") - a first degree misdemeanor
Obstructing Official Business - a second degree misdemeanor
Falsification - a first degree misdemeanor
Contributing to the unruliness or delinquency of a child - a first degree misdemeanor

Bellardine could serve up to 1 year and 265 days in jail.

Here's the press conference in full with Ohio AG Mike DeWine
WTRF 7 News Sports Weather - Wheeling Steubenville

Here's the press release on the findings of the grand jury...

Mike Pouncey Speaks On Subpoena

((HT: WSVN-TV))

Miami media got to grab Miami Dolphins center Mike Pouncey for the first time after he was given a subpoena in a grand jury investigation involving the Aaron Hernandez case and the possibility of being called having to do with accusations that Hernandez may be involved in interstate gun trafficking either separate or apart from the murder investigation ongoing in Massachusetts at present...

Got all that...???
Here's the ambush...well, it's more like a cornering
WSVN-TV - 7NEWS Miam Ft. Lauderdale News, Weather, Deco

Mike Pouncey Served Subpoena In Hernandez Investigation

((HT: ESPN))

This was not how Dolphins center Mike Pouncey envisioned his trip to Foxborough...

About an hour after the game with the Patriots, he was served with a subpoena to appear in front of a grand jury related to his involvement with Aaron Hernandez and his possible dealings with interstate gun trafficking...

Lester Munson discusses...


Remember the Pouncey brothers were the ones who wore "Free Hernandez" hats in the off-season and were snapped in a photo wearing them.

Maurkice apologized.
Mike did not...

Greg Bedard of SI.com discusses Pouncey's possible issues on the "Joe Rose Show" on WQAM-AM Radio

Hernandez Girlfriend/Fiancee Arraigned On Perjury Charge

((HT: MyFoxBoston))

Depending on which side of the judicial world you ask, Shayanna Jenkins is either Aaron Hernandez's girlfriend or fiancee...

And the girlfriend/fiancee was in court today to answer to her perjury charge...

She was released on a personal recognizance after her arraignment in Fall River (MA) Superior Court. Prosecutors had sought $5,000 cash bail. And this is the prosecution's attempt to put pressure on her in order for her to flip and be a witness against her boyfriend/fiancee...

Remember, if she's regarded as a fiancee, she can't testify against Hernandez- which would be HUGE!!!

The prosecution, back in August, maintains that Jenkins lied to the grand jury- including information (or a lack of information) about where she allegedly threw out a box Hernandez asked her to “get rid of” after the Odin Lloyd murder.

Here's the hearing in full...
Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

The perjury charge carries a max of 20 years...

Defense attorney Janice Bassil said in open court that Jenkins answered every question in front of the grand jury and there's no evidence of perjury. Jenkins was also granted immunity for her testimony.

Hernandez Fiancee, Family, And Associate Indicted

((HT: MyFoxBoston))

Remember our old friend "reasonable doubt...?"

Well, he was reintroduced when Ernest Wallace decided during his bail hearing yesterday that it was only Aaron Hernandez that exited the car when Odin Lloyd was allegedly murdered in June. Wallace originally said it was Hernandez and Carlos Ortiz that exited the car when Lloyd was shot and killed.

So, today Fall River (MA) authorities brought charges on Hernandez's girlfriend/fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, was indicted on a single charge of perjury in connection to the murder investigation.

From My Fox Boston:

In August, the Hartford Courant reported investigators searched a storage unit in Connecticut rented to Jenkins because they believed she made "overt attempts to hide evidence" as well as to "hinder and mislead" the murder investigation. The newspaper reports surveillance video, text messages between Jenkins and her sister, as well as an interview with her sister, are all referenced in the documents as officials suggest Jenkins may have information regarding what happened to the handgun used in the shooting.

According to court documents, Jenkins was reportedly seen on surveillance video carrying a plastic bag believed to contain a "rigid object" from Hernandez's home and placing it into a car one day after Odin Lloyd was found dead. She returned to the home nearly a half hour later without the trash bag.

One of Jenkins' uncles told investigators Jenkins handed him and another uncle a cell phone and Hernandez asked for all of the weapons to be removed from the couple's North Attleborough home. The uncle claims the weapons were discarded "into the woods."

Jenkins was indicted at the same time the grand jury voted to indict Hernandez's cousin, Tanya Singleton, on a charge of conspiracy to commit accessory after the fact. Investigators say Ernest Wallace, who is charged with accessory to murder after the fact, told Singleton about the fatal shooting. She was held after refusing to testify before the Hernandez grand jury.

Carlos Ortiz had also previously pleaded not guilty to a gun charge in connection to the case after cooperating with investigators. A plea deal fell apart and Ortiz was indicted on a charge of accessory to murder after the fact as well today...

Here's the story...
Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

All this movement by the Massachusetts grand jury and authorities means that the Wallace testimony doesn't look to be any more credible and the prosecution is looking for some back up in order to convict...

"Chicago" Appears At Aaron Hernandez Grand Jury

((HT: MyFoxBoston))

Not the whole town... just the guy...

The associate of Aaron Hernandez identified as "Chicago," John Alcorn, appeared in front of a Boston grand jury that was discussing the double murder that Hernandez is linked to from 2012. But there is no proof on whether or not Alcorn actually testified.

Safiro Furtado and Daniel Abreu were killed in a drive-by shooting that has been linked to Hernandez, and Alcorn had been previously identified by Hernandez's cousin during questioning as having been driven by her on several occasions. Alcorn left his firearm in the car and told Hernandez's cousin that she was to keep it there for safe keeping so he didn't have to take it to work.

Alcorn's attorney, Matthew Dyer, told MyFoxBoston that his client was linked to a gun from the Furtado-Abreu shooting.

Here's the look from the grand jury...
Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

Belichick Addresses Hernandez For The First (And Only) Time, Probable Cause Hearing Postponed Simultaneously

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick addressed the whole Aaron Hernandez situation from the Patriots viewpoint for the first and only time- strangely, while Hernandez was undergoing a probable cause postponement hearing (what it looked like on the right from NFL Network's Albert Breer and his Twitter)

.

And Michael McCann, on his Twitter, makes an excellent point in all of this:

Great pt by my fmr boss MT @brianheff77 Pats likely planned BB press conf to coincide w/court hearing. Kept crime reporters out of Foxboro.

Belichick, much like families that disown their relatives, only mentioned Hernandez's name in his introduction.

"I've been advised to address the subject once. And it's time for the New England Patriots to move forward. Ultimately, the judge and the jury will determine accountability," Belichick admitted to the press while reading a fairly-lengthy statement in a 22-minmute press conference ( a long presser for Belichickian standards, anyway).

Watch it in full hyah, thanks to the NFL Network

Here's an excerpt from the opening statement, thanks to Boston.com
"It's a sad day. It's really a sad day on so many levels," Belichick said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family with the victim. I express my sympathy with everyone that's been impacted. "A young man has lost his life, a family has suffered a tragic loss." Belichick admitted that he was out of the country twice when the investigation started and was continued. "I and other members of our organization were shocked and disappointed in what we'd learned, having someone in the organization that is involved in a murder investigation," he said. "And after consultation with ownership we acted swiftly and decisively." He also said that they will look at their evaluation process when it comes to draft picks and whether or not they fit the Patriots way and mindset. Belichick admitted that guns have been a concern in the league since he first came into it back in 1975. Meanwhile, Boston authorities think he may have ties to the July 2012 murder of two others that we have talked about in the past here at OSG Sports. Here's Justin Michaels covering both ((HT: NECN))

Hernandez Grand Jury Reaches Out To Florida Victim

((HT: WTNH-TV))

Massachusetts Superior Court Judge Joan Alexander has ordered Alexander Bradley to appear in her court in front of a grand jury July 17th in Fall River, Massachusetts. Bradley is the gentleman who says he lost an eye after being shot by Aaron Hernandez in February.

Bradley had been fighting a subpoena saying that he needed to return to Florida for medical treatment a week before that date.

Bradley claims in a separate civil lawsuit against Hernandez that Bradley was shot by Hernandez as they were driving around after arguing inside a Miami strip club. At the time, Bradley told police he did not know who had shot him.

Attorney Robert Pickering argued Bradley's civil case has nothing to do with the North Attleboro investigation.

"The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is relying on a statement of a lawyer of Mr. Bradley that these crimes are strikingly similar to the crime in the Hernandez matter," he said. "Clearly this petition states that my client has never stated that."

Judge Alexander determined Bradley's medical treatment should not prevent him from being in Massachusetts a week later.

Here was the reporting as the third venue, a rented apartment, was being searched...
((HT: MyFoxBoston))
Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

OSG High: Steubenville HSFB Coach Gets Contract Extension... Really...

((HT: Salon.com, McDonough))

Katie McDonough lets us all know that Steubenville High head football coach Reno Saccoccia- for whatever he did (or "didn't do") in the rape case that involved two of his players- gets a contract extension...

In a previous Salon piece during the rape trial in Steubenville, McDonough divulged:

text messages seized from Mays’ cellphone indicate that Saccoccia had seen the video in which another student “joked” that “Trent and Ma’lik raped someone” as soon as it was released.

The day after the incident, Mays texted a friend: “I got Reno. He took care of it and shit ain’t gonna happen, even if they did take it to court. Like he was joking about it so I’m not worried,” according to an agent with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, who testified in the rape case.

He, as a hall of fame head football coach, member of the 300-win club, and someone who dines with the local sheriff, seemed to view himself as untouchable. So, the coach knew about the incident and failed to report it to school administrators and the authorities... in an official crime-reporting capacity...

Saccoccia also failed to discipline players who ferried photos of the victim to each other- until week 9 of the regular season. But his actions may have him in front of a grand jury soon...

FOSG Christi Paul discusses on "Raising America"
((HT: HLN))

Ex UGA FB Coach Donnan Indicted In Ponzi Scheme

Former UGA head football coach Jim Donnan and a business associate have been indicted on an 85-count grand jury decision over a Ponzi scheme. Donnan and Gregory Crabtree of have been charged with conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud, unlawful transportation of interstate securities, and money laundering.

Donnan was supposed to appear in court today to answer the indictment.

Donnan and Crabtree ran a West Virginia-base company called GLC Holdings that dealt, mainly, in closeout merchandise. Crabtree operated the business and Donnan recruited investors that he allegedly told would get a return on their investment of somewhere from 50-to-200 percent (or, in some reports upwards of 380-percent). Donnan used his star power to recruit sports figures to invest. Some of them included Dennis Franchione, Barry Switzer, Frank Beamer, and Tommy Tuberville.

Between September 2007 and October 2010, the indictment claims the two raised more than $81 million from 94 investors.

In February 2011, GLC was forced to file a voluntary bankruptcy petition. Donnan his wife had to file a personal bankruptcy claim with a reported $40-million debt given to creditors. A bankruptcy court approved a plan for the Donnans to address their debt repayment.

Here's how it was talked about at the time of the indictment...
((HT: 11Alive.com))