Latest news with #Winslow
USA Today
6 days ago
- USA Today
California Supreme Court denies resentencing bid by former NFL star Kellen Winslow II
The former Cleveland Browns tight end had claimed his football head trauma and previous sex abuse should be considered as part of a resentencing for him. The California Supreme Court has rejected a bid by former NFL tight end Kellen Winslow II to get his 14-year prison sentence reduced after he was convicted of sex crimes against five women in San Diego County, including the rape of a homeless woman in 2018. Winslow's attorney had filed the habeas corpus petition in March, arguing that recent criminal justice reform laws in California allowed for him to be resentenced to account for his history of head trauma in football and the alleged sex abuse he suffered as a minor. But the petition was denied by the Supreme Court July 23 with only a brief explanation. The court cited precedent and said a habeas corpus petition 'must include copies of reasonably available documentary evidence.' It also said that 'courts will not entertain habeas corpus claims that could have been, but were not, raised on appeal.' The latter reason was why his petition also was rejected by a state appeals court in January. Winslow, 42, currently is incarcerated at a prison in Chino, California, and is not eligible for parole until August 2028, according to state records. He played football at the University of Miami and was the No. 6 overall draft pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2004. What was Kellen Winslow II's argument? His attorney, Patrick Morgan Ford, asked the court to grant the petition or order an evidentiary hearing so that he may be returned to be returned for resentencing under the new sentencing laws. He ultimately sought a two-year reduction in his 14-year sentence, which was issued in 2021. 'Petitioner (Winslow) is not asking to be released from prison at this time, but he does meet the criteria for relief under (state law) AB 124, given the trauma (brain damage) he received in his life of football, physical and sexual abuse he was subjected to as a child, and the impact of his debilitating motorcycle accident' in 2005, Winslow's petition stated. The attorney argued the new laws would have changed the sentencing analysis and led to a more favorable sentence. He also noted Winslow was given neuropsychological testing 'which showed deficits caused by decreased blood flow in his frontal, temporal and occipital lobes, which is typical of traumatic brain injury.' The Supreme Court still found a procedural problem with the petition. Winslow previously filed an appeal of his sentence in 2021, when he sought 233 days of custody credit for time he spent on electronic monitoring. That appeal was pending when the new state laws went into effect, but Winslow's attorney didn't raise those issues at the time. The state appeals court previously said he should have raised those issues then and rejected his petition. Winslow's life in prison described Winslow agreed to a plea deal for his crimes, which included the rape of a woman who was unconscious in 2003. In a previous bid to get resentenced, Winslow said in a declaration filed with the court that 'I will always feel remorse for what I did to the victims in my case.' 'Since entering prison, he has devoted himself to the teachings of the Bible, to helping others, to self-improvement and a productive life outside of prison, a plan that will include ongoing therapy,' Winslow's petition to the state Supreme Court stated. 'He is actively programming in prison, and is described by the director of his Anger Management class as a role model to other participants in the group. He is on a strict running program training for marathons, and has other inmates in the program as well. Inmates have sent letters expressing their gratitude for his support during their dark and difficult struggles in prison.' Winslow's father Kellen, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, attended his son's trial in San Diego County and also claimed injuries from head trauma in football. Kellen Winslow II's attorney didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@
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Miami Herald
09-07-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Riverbed washes away in NC to reveal 1862 shipwreck is wrapped around older ship
A confounding act of nature has uncovered one of the nation's most unusual wartime shipwrecks in eastern North Carolina. The Union gunboat USS Picket spent much of the past 163 years buried in mud in the Tar River, about a 110-mile drive southeast from Raleigh. But for reasons unknown, up to 7 feet of riverbed has been scoured away, excavating parts of the 130-foot-long ship not seen since it sank in 1862, according to Nathan Richards, director of the Maritime Studies program at East Carolina University's Department of History. The discovery was made as Richards led an ECU field school at the wreck site, and divers started seeing details that are uncommon among Civil War military shipwrecks. The USS Picket is essentially two shipwrecks, or as Richards explains: 'An iron-hulled watercraft 'wrapped' in a larger wooden hull, integrating the earlier structure into the U.S. Army gunboat.' 'We are able to access previously unseen parts of the ship that have long been buried. Added to this, the site is well known for having very bad visibility for divers (mere inches), but we have been very lucky to have had several feet of visibility,' Richards told McClatchy News in a phone interview. 'The wreck is largely intact below deck level. ... It appears to not only be intact bow(s) to stern(s) but there is 7 (feet) of exposed structure in many places.' The Picket remains completely submerged, but two-thirds of the hull are now free of mud, providing the team with 'tantalizing clues' of how two distinctly different types of American ship building were merged in desperate times. Ship within a ship The USS Picket exploded in mid battle in 1862, killing 19 crewmen and the captain, historians say. Before that, it led the kind of history that makes for a great war story. It had been a flagship for Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, who led a notorious 'motley fleet' crewed by sailors who 'conformed to neither army nor navy standards,' reports. Its mission was to shut down North Carolina's ports and starve the Confederacy of supplies, and the fleet did its job well. The Picket was among the smallest of the fleet, and its unusual construction resulted from an urgency to expand the Union's naval capabilities. 'At least three other Civil War ships were created in a similar way, but none survived to be studied by historians,' Maritime Studies graduate student Rebecca Kelley, who is writing a thesis on the wreck's construction, told McClatchy News in an email. The Winslow, built in 1845, represents one of the earliest examples of iron ship construction, and its hull is still intact, Kelley says. And because the wreck was encased in protective mud, much of the timber that made up the Picket's hull is also still there, she says. That makes the Picket a rare opportunity for researchers. The Picket's last day Little is known about the history of the Winslow, which was a barge built for New York's canal system, historians say. 'They are the least romantic type of ship. They often don't have stories associated with them or a spectacular romantic narrative that allow us to track them through history. Nothing really incredible happens to them,' Richards says. 'But it was transformed in multiple ways when it became the Picket. It was a witness to multiple battles as part of the Picket and was a flagship. It really went from a nondescript thing to something of prominence.' The Picket was used to transport Union troops and was a participant in a number of assaults on Confederate forces in North Carolina, Richards says. Its final battle was Sept. 6, 1862, when Confederates pulled off a surprise attack on federal troops near Washington, North Carolina, according to the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort. 'The gun boats, Picket and USS Louisiana began to shell advancing opponents. The Picket was only able to fire one gun before something went wrong onboard,' the museum reports. The cause of that explosion remains unclear. It could have been the ship's magazine exploding or its boiler, Richards says. Why the shipwreck is important The wreck of the Picket may deteriorate more rapidly now that it's no longer protected by mud, and that means the field school's use of emerging technology comes at a critical time. When completed, an updated 3D interpretation will tell the story of something bigger than a Civil War gunboat. The Picket represents emerging technology, industry and science from a time when the United States was evolving into a super power, Richards says. 'Faced with the 'rude test of war' both the Union and Confederate forces leverage technical know-how in many interesting ways,' Richards says. 'The adaptation of civilian craft into vessels of war is one major theme — and we aren't aware of too many cases where an iron vessel used in the New York canal trade was adapted so extensively and 'strangely.' 'Information from the wreck site provides a window into this period of experimentation and innovation under rare circumstances. Little of this seems to have been preserved in written records.' Kelley's thesis could be the most in-depth analysis made public on the ship's mysterious construction, Richards said.
Sunday World
08-07-2025
- Sunday World
US man who hijacked train for meth-fuelled joyride on birthday goes viral with mugshot
Jonathan Patrick Winslow celebrated his 57th birthday on July 4 by getting high on meth, stealing a Conch Tour Train and picking up passengers A Florida man who hijacked a Key West sightseeing train for a meth-fuelled birthday joyride picked up passengers along the way, it has emerged. Jonathan Patrick Winslow celebrated his 57th birthday on July 4 by getting high on meth, stealing a Conch Tour Train and picking up people, cops say Key West Police who later found him at the landmark Southernmost Point Buoy in the tourist town, say he told them 'today is my birthday' after he was placed under arrest According to an arrest report, Winslow is now facing three criminal charges after being accused of taking one of the popular tourist trains on a meth-fuelled joyride. Jonathan Patrick Winslow Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 8th Police received a report that a Conch Train had been stolen when they arrived at the Conch Tour Train Depot at 1802 Staples Avenue just before 11.30am on Friday. Now only were they told that it was being GPS tracked around downtown, but an arrest report states that Winslow, of Big Torch Key, had left his Kia behind at the depot, still running and 'with rock music playing on the radio.' According to police, an employee told officers that a man had come into the depot, claimed he used to work for the company years ago. Winslow is arrested Having asked for a tour of the train, he then got into one of the vehicles and drove off. The employee was 'confused,' thinking that Winslow may have had permission to take the train, however, he did not, police say. Authorities said Winslow had even picked up 'two random passengers' before another employee was able to retrieve the stolen Conch Train near Duval and United streets. Police later found Winslow at the Southernmost Point Buoy wher he 'exhibited rapid speech and appeared excited'. When he was told he was facing charges, he claimed he had just 'borrowed' the trolley, saying he used to work for the company and 'today is his birthday'. However, a report states that while being searched at the jail, a corrections deputy found a pipe in Winslow's pocket. Police said Winslow insisted it was 'a weed pipe' but they say it was a methamphetamine pipe. Winslow is facing charges of burglary, grand theft auto, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Records show he was being held at the Monroe County Sheriff's Office Key West jail facility on a $60,000 bond. In January, a group of masked teenagers took an empty NYC subway train for a joyride and even posted their entire escapade on Instagram. Two of the teens, including one with a prior criminal record, were busted in February and charged with reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and criminal trespass.
New York Post
07-07-2025
- New York Post
Florida man hijacks Key West sightseeing train for meth-fueled joyride on birthday
All aboard the crazy train! A man in Florida was arrested on his birthday Friday after authorities caught him absconding with a trackless sightseeing train, and even picking up passengers, while high on meth. Jonathan Patrick Winslow was celebrating his 57th trip around the sun on a raucous Independence Day when he turned up at the Conch Tour Train Depot in Key West and allegedly weaseled his way into conducting one of their vehicles. 4 Jonathan Patrick Winslow, 57, was arrested after hijacking a trackless sightseeing train. MCSO Winslow allegedly bamboozled a well-meaning employee into forking over the keys after claiming he used to work at the company years prior and requesting a tour of the train, according to an arrest report obtained by WPLG. The confused employee was left in the dust when Winslow allegedly sped away, thinking that surely the stranger must've had permission to take the train. He did not have permission to take the train, police said. Officers responded to the depot when the stolen train was reported. It could be tracked via GPS, but was apparently already downtown. Authorities had a general idea of who they were looking for almost immediately, as Winslow had left his Kia still running in the parking lot of the depot blasting rock music, according to an arrest report. Police were able to nab Winslow and the train was intact. He'd somehow cajoled two oblivious strangers into joining him for the ride, authorities said. 4 Winslow was high on meth when he nabbed the train. Local10/MCSO Winslow 'exhibited rapid speech and appeared excited' even when police told him about the charges he'd face. He claimed he only 'borrowed' the train, again insisted he used to work for the company and noted that 'today is [my] birthday,' according to the report. 4 Winslow even managed to corral two passersby into taking the ride with him. Facebook/Conch Tour Train Winslow was carted off to the county jail. When he was being searched, a corrections deputy allegedly found a pipe hidden in his pocket. Winslow tried to insist that it was 'a weed pipe,' but authorities said it was a methamphetamine pipe. The short-lived conductor faces charges for burglary, grand theft auto and possession of drug paraphernalia. 4 Winslow tried to plead with the cops, explaining that 'today is his birthday.' Local10/MCSO In January, a group of masked teenagers took an empty NYC subway train for a joyride and even posted their entire escapade on Instagram. Two of the teens, including one with a prior criminal record, were busted in February and charged with reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and criminal trespass.
Forbes
27-06-2025
- Science
- Forbes
The Chilling Reason That Monday Is ‘Asteroid Day' — And Why To Celebrate It In Arizona
Artwork of an asteroid and planet earth. It's officially Asteroid Day on Monday, June 30, when astronomers from around the world come together to raise public awareness about the risks and opportunities brought by space rocks. Asteroids have been in the news a lot in 2025. It all started with 2024 YR4, which was predicted to strike Earth on December 22, 2032, before further observations allowed astronomers to refine its orbit and rule out a direct hit. Now, it appears to be heading for the moon instead. Then, the 2008 DG5 asteroid — known to be larger than 97% of others — zipped by Earth in early June. Tunguska Event So why Jun. 30 for the United Nations-sanctioned "Asteroid Day?" On that date in 1908, an asteroid about 330 feet (100 meters) in diameter entered Earth's atmosphere and exploded above Siberia in Russia. It destroyed 770 square miles (2,000 square kilometers) of Siberian forest. This is the Tunguska event, the largest recorded asteroid impact on Earth. One hundred seventeen years later, it's a reminder of what can happen at any time. Meteor Crater Although stony asteroids tend to explode before they strike Earth in what's known as an airburst — which occurred over Tunguska and also over Chelyabinsk, Russia's seventh-largest city, in 2013 — some leave impact craters on Earth. One of the world's best-preserved and most iconic meteorite impact sites is Meteor Crater, 20 minutes west of Winslow, Arizona. It was formed around 50,000 years ago when a 150-foot-wide iron-nickel asteroid traveling at 26,000 mph carved out a crater nearly a mile wide, 2.5 miles in circumference, and over 550 feet deep. It's a fitting venue for Asteroid Day in Arizona, an event combining science and stargazing. Asteroid Day In Arizona The concept of Asteroid Day originated from Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart, Danica Remy from the planetary defense non-profit B612 Foundation, and Brian May, Queen guitarist and astrophysicist, who founded it in 2014. This year, Schweickart will speak at Meteor Crater, along with astronomer Scott Manley and Mary Robinette Kowal, author of the Lady Astronaut series. Meteor Crater will host daytime events from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. MST, with Lowell Observatory from nearby Flagstaff will host evening activities from 5-11 p.m. MST. Expect programs about how scientists look for asteroids, their impacts on Earth, and how Apollo astronauts studied Meteor Crater to prepare for their voyages to the impact-scarred moon. There will also be a talk on sun-grazing comets from Lowell Observatory's comet expert Dr. Qicheng Zhang. 'God Of Chaos' Bound to be under discussion on Asteroid Day is asteroid Apophis, an asteroid as wide as the Empire State Building is tall, which will come closer to Earth than orbiting geosynchronous satellites in a very rare event. The ominous flyby will occur on Friday, April 13, 2029 — less than four years away. If Apophis did strike Earth, it could spread devastation across a radius of hundreds of miles, according to killing millions of people if it struck a highly populated metropolitan area. However, it's not a threat. Despite its enormous size, Apophis will not impact Earth in 2029, but its very close pass is a once-on-a-lifetime opportunity to gather data that could be critical for humanity's future. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
