Latest news with #Midvale
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Op shop worker quits after telling his bosses there was a 'bullet with your name on it' and threatening them with bikies - before asking for his job back
An op shop worker who allegedly threatened to unleash bikies on his bosses and told them there was 'a bullet with your name on it' has lost his claim he was unfairly sacked. Thor Dewar argued he quit in the 'heat of the moment' from Pek Care Op Shop, in Midvale, in Perth 's eastern suburbs, but should have been given the chance to retract his resignation. However, Pek Care objected to Mr Dewar's unfair dismissal application, on the basis it had not dismissed him, but rather he had resigned. The charity claimed Mr Dewar was given verbal warnings about his conduct and performance, and after a customer complaint in September last year, it issued a formal written warning and provided him with an opportunity to improve his behaviour. The concerns included allegations Mr Dewar had watched 'demonic videos', played inappropriate music at work and repeatedly used the female toilets despite being told to stop. It was also alleged Mr Dewar accused a co-worker of using drugs, gambling and having sex with numerous men and told his co-workers he had been in jail with one of the organisation's volunteers, who he alleged was charged with murder. The organisation said it intended to raise the issues during a September 6 meeting, but claimed Mr Dewar 'hijacked the conversation and resigned'. During the meeting, the worker allegedly told the manager and corporate manager that he knew bikies and they would 'be after Pek', 'you better watch your back' and 'there is a bullet with your name on it'. He also allegedly made threatening gestures with a clenched fist and then said 'I'm done' and 'I'm out of here'. The manager asked Mr Dewar for his keys, and after collecting his personal items, he allegedly threw the keys at his colleagues. Later, the worker texted the corporate manager to ask about returning to the job and whether he had been fired, but was told he had resigned. Mr Dewar said he felt as if nothing he said would be believed due to his previous incarceration, and he felt undervalued and underappreciated as an employee. When asked whether he disliked Pek's management, Mr Dewar stated he had a lot of respect for them which was lost after their last conversation. When pressed on why he would remain in employment at an organisation he disliked so much, he noted financial pressures and obligations requiring him to hold down a job. He admitted to using the female toilets at work due to the poor condition of the men's bathrooms. FWC commissioner Paul Schneider found while Mr Dewar resigned in the heat of the moment, Pek should have provided him with an opportunity to clarify the resignation after he cooled down rather than immediately accepting it. But he found that the worker made 'direct threats to the personal safety' of his managers, causing them to be 'concerned for their personal wellbeing' and his threats alone justified his dismissal.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
DoJ drops charges against Utah doctor accused of destroying Covid vaccines
The US Department of Justice dropped charges on Saturday against Michael Kirk Moore, the Utah doctor accused of destroying more than $28,000 worth of government-provided Covid-19 vaccines and administering saline to children instead of the shot. Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, announced the news in a statement on the social media platform X, saying the charges had been dismissed under her direction. 'Dr Moore gave his patients a choice when the federal government refused to do so,' Bondi said. 'He did not deserve the years in prison he was facing.' According to a 2023 press release from the US attorney's office in Utah, Moore distributed at least 1,937 fraudulent vaccination record cards in exchange for either direct payment or required donations to a specific charity. The minors he gave saline shots to were under the impression, at the request of their parents, that they were receiving a Covid-19 shot. Moore ran the operations from a plastic surgery center in Midvale, Utah, and was charged, along with three other co-defendants, with conspiracy to defraud the United States. Far-right congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene thanked Bondi in a statement on X and called Moore a 'hero who refused to inject his patients with a government-mandated unsafe vaccine'. The Utah senator Mike Lee also weighed in, saying on X that he was glad Moore could remain a free man and that countless Americans endured lies and lockdowns during the pandemic. Moore was indicted by the justice department in 2023. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, which also included conspiracy to convert, sell, convey and dispose of government property, and the conversion, sale, conveyance, and disposal of government property. The fake vaccination records were sold under Moore's scheme for $50 each, and operations allegedly ran between May 2021 and September 2022. Attorneys for Moore argued that the regulations set at the time by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were unconstitutional. The charges against Moore were brought in when Biden was president, but Covid-19 conspiracists and skeptics have been embraced in the new administration under Trump. Recently, the Trump administration canceled a $766m award to Moderna on the research and development of H5N1 bird flu vaccines, and officials announced new restrictions and regulations for Covid mRNA vaccines. The US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has for decades baselessly sowed doubt about vaccine safety, contrary to scientific research, thanked Moore in a statement on X back in April. 'Dr Moore deserves a medal for his courage and his commitment to healing,' Kennedy Jr said.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Charges dropped against Utah doctor accused of throwing away $28,000 in COVID vaccine doses
The federal government on Saturday dismissed charges against a Utah plastic surgeon accused of throwing away COVID-19 vaccines, giving children saline shots instead of the vaccine and selling faked vaccination cards. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on the social media platform X that charges against Dr. Michael Kirk Moore, of Midvale, Utah, were dismissed at her direction. Moore and other defendants faced up to 35 years in prison after being charged with conspiracy to defraud the government; conspiracy to convert, sell, convey and dispose of government property; and aiding and abetting in those efforts. The charges were brought when Joe Biden was president. 'Dr. Moore gave his patients a choice when the federal government refused to do so,' Bondi wrote. 'He did not deserve the years in prison he was facing. It ends today.' Felice John Viti, acting U.S. attorney for Utah, filed the motion Saturday, saying 'such dismissal is in the interests of justice.' The trial began Monday in Salt Lake City with jury selection. It was expected to last 15 days. Messages sent to the U.S. Department of Justice, Viti's office in Salt Lake City and to Moore were not immediately returned Saturday to The Associated Press. A federal grand jury on Jan. 11, 2023, returned an indictment against Moore, his Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah Inc., others associated with the clinic and a neighbor of Moore's. The indictment alleged more than $28,000 of government-provided COVID-19 vaccine doses were destroyed. They were also accused of providing fraudulently completed vaccination record cards for over 1,900 doses of the vaccine in exchange for either a cash or a donation to a specified charitable organization. The government also alleged some children were given saline shots, at their parents' request, so the minors believed they were getting the vaccine. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., a leading anti-vaccine activist before becoming the nation's top health official, posted his support for Moore in April, saying on X that Moore "deserves a medal for his courage and his commitment to healing!' During his confirmation hearings in January, Kennedy repeatedly refused to acknowledge scientific consensus that childhood vaccines don't cause autism and that COVID-19 vaccines saved millions of lives. In a follow-up X post on Saturday, Bondi said Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene brought the case to her attention. ___ Thiessen reported from Anchorage, Alaska.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Health
- Washington Post
Charges dropped against Utah doctor accused of throwing away $28,000 in COVID vaccine doses
The federal government on Saturday dismissed charges against a Utah plastic surgeon accused of throwing away COVID-19 vaccines , giving children saline shots instead of the vaccine and selling faked vaccination cards. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on the social media platform X that charges against Dr. Michael Kirk Moore, of Midvale, Utah, were dismissed at her direction.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Charges dropped against Utah doctor accused of throwing away $28,000 in COVID vaccine doses
The federal government on Saturday dismissed charges against a Utah plastic surgeon accused of throwing away COVID-19 vaccines, giving children saline shots instead of the vaccine and selling faked vaccination cards. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on the social media platform X that charges against Dr. Michael Kirk Moore, of Midvale, Utah, were dismissed at her direction. Moore and other defendants faced up to 35 years in prison after being charged with conspiracy to defraud the government; conspiracy to convert, sell, convey and dispose of government property; and aiding and abetting in those efforts. The charges were brought when Joe Biden was president. 'Dr. Moore gave his patients a choice when the federal government refused to do so,' Bondi wrote. 'He did not deserve the years in prison he was facing. It ends today.' Felice John Viti, acting U.S. attorney for Utah, filed the motion Saturday, saying 'such dismissal is in the interests of justice.' The trial began Monday in Salt Lake City with jury selection. It was expected to last 15 days. Messages sent to the U.S. Department of Justice, Viti's office in Salt Lake City and to Moore were not immediately returned Saturday to The Associated Press. A federal grand jury on Jan. 11, 2023, returned an indictment against Moore, his Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah Inc., others associated with the clinic and a neighbor of Moore's. The indictment alleged more than $28,000 of government-provided COVID-19 vaccine doses were destroyed. They were also accused of providing fraudulently completed vaccination record cards for over 1,900 doses of the vaccine in exchange for either a cash or a donation to a specified charitable organization. The government also alleged some children were given saline shots, at their parents' request, so the minors believed they were getting the vaccine. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., a leading anti-vaccine activist before becoming the nation's top health official, posted his support for Moore in April, saying on X that Moore "deserves a medal for his courage and his commitment to healing!' During his confirmation hearings in January, Kennedy repeatedly refused to acknowledge scientific consensus that childhood vaccines don't cause autism and that COVID-19 vaccines saved millions of lives. In a follow-up X post on Saturday, Bondi said Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene brought the case to her attention. ___ Thiessen reported from Anchorage, Alaska.
