Example – Dr. Scott Becker was separated from his daughter, April when she was only a few months old. April’s mom left him and took their only daughter with her.

About 10 years later, Becker created a website totally dedicated to finding his daughter AprilBecker.com. Becker spent thousands of dollars and countless hours in hopes of reuniting with his long-lost daughter. Finally, just a few weeks ago, April performed a Google Search and entered the words “Scott Robert Becker looking for April” and the website popped up.

She sent her dad an email and he responded with a question that he thought she would instinctively know the answer to, “Are you a green baby?”. Having been born on St. Patrick’s day, she answered in the affirmative and after 30 years – father and daughter were reunited.

Becker’s website has since been pulled.

Rodney Bradford is a Brooklyn teen who was accused of a robbery that took place on October 17 and was held on Riker’s Island for 12 days!!!

Turns out that Bradley had been wrongly identified at the scene by a “witness” who claimed to see him there. In fact, he was at his father’s home in Harlem – nowhere near where the robbery took place in the Farragut section of Brooklyn. Even other, multiple witnesses coming forward to say they saw Rodney at his father’s wasn’t enough to clear him from being a suspect.

It was only thanks to a status update on Facebook, “Where my IHOP?” that they were able to trace Bradley’s electronic “fingerprint” back to his dad’s computer back in Harlem.

The family is taking the position that Facebook saved Rodney. Pretty scary. Robert Reuland, Bradford’s attorney said it well…”It reflects the pervasiveness that Web sites and social networking has on our lives.”

You can read the story in its entirety as it appeared in the New York post by clicking here.

Here’s a good one. Some bonehead (excuse the pun) placed an ad on Craigslist asking if anyone needed some “420 help”. Do any of YOU know what this even means? If I didn’t read about his arrest, I would think he’s a math tutor for the SAT’s.

Turns out that is not the case. 420 is a term used for POT – you know, the kind people smoke, not the kind you cook in. 420 alludes to the time during the day back in the ’70s when kids in a California High School would get together and smoke. Anyway, police responded to Christopher Gray’s ad and bought a bag for $45 before they busted him. I guess if criminals were really smart they would do something else for a living.

But the big Craigslist story today is that of music composer Joseph Brooks. That name may not ring a bell to you, but his most popular song might. He’s the guy who wrote “You light up my life” – a song that was at the top of the charts forever back in 1977 and for which Brooks won an Oscar. Here’s a 71 year old man who has been running ads on Craigslist (and other “talent” sites) luring young girls to his apartment with the help of his assistant.

These ads would say Brooks was looking for the next big thing, a new face, preferably aged 18-22 to make into a star. His assistant, named Shawni Lucier would screen the girls and even make travel arrangements, with the thought being that if the victim was traveling, they’d be less inclined to put up a fight because they were too exhausted. All of the assaults occured between 2005-2008 but someone from 1970 also had a claim that was deemed beyond the statute of limitations.

Once he had them, he would tell them that the project he was involved in called for them to play a prostitute. He then asked them to drink and take off their clothing and then attack.

Now Brooks is facing over 80 counts of rape, sexual assault and other charges. Lucier is scheduled to turn herself in next week, when she will face 9 counts of criminal solicitation.

Stay tuned….to get the full story from the Chicago Tribune, click here.

http://muttmedia.net