Six dead bodies at Anthony Sowell's house, police sources say(alleged serial killer on the loose)

[Algorem]

Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer

By Mark Puente, The Plain Dealer
October 30, 2009, 8:58PM

Updated at 9:55 p.m.

Scores of law enforcement officers continued their search for convicted sex offender Anthony Sowell Friday night, while investigators temporarily ended their work at Sowell's home after finding the bodies of possibly six people inside and outside the house.

Investigators intend to continue digging at the Imperial Avenue property today in a search for more bodies. Sowell, 50, has lived in the home since 2005.

Police found two of the bodies on Thursday. When a third was discovered Friday afternoon in the basement's dirt floor, it triggered a more extensive search. Vans from the coroner's office were lined up outside the East Side house as a cadaver dog sniffed at patches of yard without grass.

Cuyahoga County Sheriff Anthony E. Sowell " is the most wanted man in Cleveland right now," said police Lt. Thomas Stacho...



Read more: http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/10/police_find_third_body_still_s.html

[XemaSab]

1. Yet another reason why real preverts should be locked up for life

n/t

[BR_Parkway]

6. But we'd have to let some potheads out to make room for them

much better to tell the convicted sex offender he has to register where he lives and can't live within so many feet of a school or playground.

I mean, if you stopped locking up folks for pot AND had all the true sex offenders behind bars for life, then crime reporting statistics would go down - and so would the budget - we can't have that

[kenichol]

8. I can see the problem with that

In states like New Mexico which give convicted felons their voting rights back after they complete their parole terms, you'd have the pot smokers voting for liberal Democrats while the pedophiles would be voting so-called 'conservative' Republican.
Yup, we can't have the pinko, commie, pot-smokers out there voting among us.
(sarcasm symbol)

[Altoid_Cyclist]

11. This is a speech by Eric Holder that goes well with your post.

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Attorney General Eric Holder at the Vera Institute of Justice’s Third Annual Justice Address
~ Thursday, July 9, 2009

One specific area where I think we can do a much better job by looking beyond incarceration is in the way we deal with non-violent drug offenses. We know that people convicted of drug possession or the sales of small amounts of drugs comprise a significant portion of the prison population. Indeed, in my thirty years in law enforcement, I have seen far too many young people lose their claim to a future by committing non-violent drug crimes.

One promising, viable solution to the devastating effect of drugs on the criminal justice system and on American communities is the implementation of more drug treatment courts. Drug court programs provide an alternative to incarceration for non-violent offenders by focusing on treatment of their underlying addiction. Program participants are placed in treatment and routinely tested for drug use – with the imposition of immediate sanctions for positive tests balanced with suitable incentives to encourage abstinence from drug use. These programs give no one a free pass. They are strict and can be extraordinarily difficult to get through. But for those who succeed, there is the real prospect of a productive future.
Read more:
http://www.justice.gov/ag/speeches/2009/ag-speech-090709.html

Another link to facts & figures on the number of prisoners in for nonviolent drug offenses.
http://www.atlanticfreepress.com/news/1/9905-how-serious-is-obama-about-ending-failed-war-on-drugs.html

[Pavlovs DiOgie]

14. Do you realy believe there are that many people in prison for pot?

I find it pretty hard to swallow as the pot laws keep getting more and more permisive. Hell most places you can get caught with an ounce and face no serious charges.

[GReedDiamond]

15. According to NORML...

...as of October 12, 2006, it is "nearly one in eight":

http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7071

...while, according to the U.S. Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, "2,310,984 prisoners were held in federal or state prisons or in local jails," which works out to approximately 288,873 POWs (Prisoners of Weed).

Almost 300,000 incarcerated for touching marijuana, I'd say that's almost 300,000 too many.

Additionally, at the link, you will also see that as of 2005, 20% of State sentenced inmates were for "drug" offenses, or one of every five persons incarcerated.

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/prisons.htm

Taking 20% of the prison population out of the prison system would save an enormous amount of revenue, which could certainly be used for more productive programs/needs.

[Pavlovs DiOgie]

26. Well your link seems to make a different case,

from the norml link

statistics on the total number of state and federal drug prisoners (BJS October 2005 Bulletin: "Prisoners in 2004" -- NCJ 210677) suggests that there are now approximately 33,655 state inmates and 10,785 federal inmates incarcerated for marijuana offenses

A far cry from 300k.

However 44k is a lot of people for weed offenses.

Having said that the prison/pen/jail population at the time in 2004 was over 2.1 million so we are talking about nearly 2% of the total prison population as POW's (prisoners of weed) assuming my math is correct.


2% is a lot but... possession of less than an ounce will not land you in jail in most states unless you are near a school.

I personally think POT should be legal been smoking it for 20+ years myself. I don't think pretending that the majority of people in prison for POT are in for smoking a joint is anything but hyperbole.

[WhiteTara]

17. Absolutely. The court system claims millions of

dollars in fees and in many cases forfeiture laws kick in BEFORE the trial. It's very profitable. Even with "lenient" laws, the fines and fees are still there.

[Wounded Bear]

19. Don't forget the prison-industrial complex...

It is no coincidence that more stringent mandatory sentencing laws, for drugs and other offenses, have spiraled upward along with the number of privately owned and operated prisons.

Gotta keep the inmates incarcerated to boost the bottom line.

[WhiteTara]

23. you are so right

and welcome to DU :hi:

[Alexander]

18. It's not a question of "beliefs" but "facts". And yes, that many people are in prison for pot.

Don't believe me, look up the facts.

Or maybe you don't want to.

[Pavlovs DiOgie]

25. Spare me your BS

or maybe you just want to fling poop!

[John Q. Citizen]

20. mosy place it's a feloy to pass a joint. It's furnishing, Even simple possesion is still a felony

most states.

And of course under federal law possession is a felony.

[Pavlovs DiOgie]

27. Complete horse dooky

I bet you cant name three states where what you say is true.

[tabasco]

21. More than 100,000 Americans become felons every year

for having pot plants. Even just one plant.

Yes, many of them are in jail.

[Pavlovs DiOgie]

28. Not even close to true.

From NORML's website

statistics on the total number of state and federal drug prisoners (BJS October 2005 Bulletin: "Prisoners in 2004" -- NCJ 210677) suggests that there are now approximately 33,655 state inmates and 10,785 federal inmates incarcerated for marijuana offenses.


Thats 44k total which includes people that have been incarcerated for multiple years. That would make the yearly figure even lower.

[struggle4progress]

22. Marijuana Arrests For Year 2007: 872,721 Tops Record

September 15, 2008 - Washington, DC

Police arrested a record 872,721 persons for marijuana violations in 2007, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual Uniform Crime Report, released today. This is the largest total number of annual arrests for cannabis ever recorded by the FBI.

Cannabis arrests now comprise nearly 47.5 percent of all drug arrests in the United States ...

Of those charged with marijuana violations, approximately 89 percent, 775,138 Americans were charged with possession only. The remaining 97,583 individuals were charged with "sale/manufacture" ...

http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7698

[flvegan]

2. Mmmm...sweet, pending punishment.

[tomm2thumbs]

3. 'possibly six' sounds a bit ominous

[3waygeek]

4. Anthony Sowell? Isn't he a conservative columnist?

He occasionally runs in the AJC.

[bitchkitty]

5. I believe you're thinking of Thomas Sowell. n/t

[Turbineguy]

7. Oh, so

Thomas is Anthony's evil twin.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. More like father & son.

They are almost 30 years apart! :P

[shadowknows69]

10. Fuck me running.

:( It's a mad world.

[jaksavage]

12. Is he worthy of the death penalty?

Assuming Sowell is the perp.

[Algorem]

13. breaking-Cleveland cops say they caught him

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/10/police_stationed_outside_house.html

Police say Anthony Sowell, suspect in murders on Cleveland's East Side, arrested
By Michael Sangiacomo
October 31, 2009, 12:32PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio — ...

Sowell is being held in the 4th District jail on Kinsman Avenue. Police are expected to provide details about the arrest at a briefing that will begin shortly.

Police are also setting up a mobile command center at East 123rd Street and Soika Avenue where they are asking people with missing relatives to bring anything with potential DNA evidence. They hope it will help investigators determine the identity of the dead people found inside Sowell's Imperial Avenue home...


Friday night, people tearfully approached police clutching photos of long missing relatives, wondering if they were among the bodies found...

Police had no idea how many bodies they will find at the home...

[truthisfreedom]

16. This is a horritlble, horrible story. Multiple times, women reported that they were attacked by

this man and yet he remained free to assault, rape and kill again.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/10/police_find_third_body_still_s.html

An unconscionable level of incompetence and irresponsibility.

[Liberal_in_LA]

24. the two that lived didn't file charges