PROBE: Hoping To Clear The Air, Johnny Doc Campaign Only Muddies The Waters
An indictment last summer against electrical contractor Donald “Gus” Dougherty, a longtime friend but no relation to the union leader, alleged that Gus Dougherty had provided sweetheart deals for John Dougherty on a Wildwood condo and on renovations to his Philadelphia rowhouse. Seeking to undercut the issue yesterday, John Dougherty’s lawyer, Henry Hockeimer, sent an e-mail to reporters stating: “I have been assured on numerous occasions by key people within the U.S. Attorney’s Office — and as recently as a few weeks ago — that John Dougherty has never been, nor is he currently, the target of any investigation.” But “target” is a carefully defined term among federal prosecutors. It refers to a person already linked to a crime by substantial evidence, according to the U.S. Attorneys Manual. When Hockeimer was asked yesterday if Dougherty has been the subject of a federal investigation, Hockeimer replied: “The statement I issued is the only comment I will make. I’m not going beyond that.” [via DAILY NEWS]
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KILLADELPHIA: Nameless Statistic No Longer Nameless
Police this morning identified a 29-year-old man who was shot to death in West Philadelphia yesterday. James Perkins, of the 5700 block of Haverford Avenue, was shot in the neck, back and leg around 10 a.m. in the 100 block of North Conestoga Street near Arch Street, police said. Perkins was transported by medics to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and pronounced dead at 10:42 a.m. Police reported no arrests. [via INQUIRER]
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Woman Spent Two Years On The Toilet, Boyfriend Brought Food And Water
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 35-year-old woman who sat on her boyfriend’s toilet for so long that her body was stuck to the seat by the time he called police had a phobia about leaving the bathroom, her boyfriend said. “I didn’t do this to her. It was her choice. She is an adult, she made her own decision. It was my fault I should have gotten help for her sooner — I admit that. But after a while, you kind of get used to it,” her boyfriend, Kory McFarren, said in a phone interview from their Ness City home. The case drew nationwide attention after Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple said it appeared the Ness City woman’s skin had grown around the seat in the two years she apparently was in the bathroom. “We pried the toilet seat off with a pry bar and the seat went with her to the hospital,” Whipple said. “The hospital removed it.” McFarren, 36, said he can’t be certain how long Pam Babcock stayed in the bathroom because “time just went by so quick I can’t pinpoint how long.” He said she had a phobia about leaving the bathroom because of beatings she received in her childhood. “It just kind of happened one day; she went in and had been in there a little while, the next time it was a little longer. Then she got it in her head she was going to stay — like it was a safe place for her,” McFarren said. [via ASSOCIATED PRESS]