A young woman in Brooklyn was struck by a hit-and-run driver after trying to save her dog, which was struck by a DIFFERENT driver who reportedly sped off as well.

The 31-year-old, whose name has not been released, is in critical condition and a great many questions remain after this horrific incident – which took place as the woman and her friend were walking her two dogs on Friday night.

A close friend of the victim named Brian Linder says he and the woman were taking her pups for a stroll when a reckless driver slammed into her miniature Doberman pinscher, Pasquolino, who died instantly. Her other dog, a pitbull, is reportedly okay.

The woman did what any caring pet owner would and ran off into the street to attend to her dog. She reportedly knelt down beside her – which was when a completely different car reportedly slammed into her and then drove off.

Linder says his friend was having trouble breathing and was bleeding profusely from her head. She was rushed to the hospital and now has a recovery ahead of her – while she tries to wrap her mind around the loss of her dog AND the fact that not one, but TWO drivers were thoughtless enough to inflict harm and then flee the scene.

Police are still looking for the black jeep Wrangler that they say hit the woman – I’m guessing the victim and Linder were unable to identify the first car that hit the dog, since it probably happened so fast. Let’s hope this driver restores our faith in humanity by turning him or herself in to authorities. It’s one thing to make a reckless mistake while driving, and quite another to hide and try to get away with it.

Have you ever been involved in a hit-and run incident? Did police find the suspect?

Image via Michael Gil/Flickr 

A Dallas police officer has been fired after dash cam video caught him driving by a woman who was pleading for help as her children had just been kidnapped. The cop, 28-year veteran Senior Cpl. Les Richardson, was on his way to a burglary in progress when a woman came running up to his car, screaming, "That’s him, that’s him, right there!" Despite the fact that a dispatch call had just gone out saying shots had been fired and a woman's car rammed right in the area Richardson was driving, he snaps, "Right here what, baby? I’m on a call," and takes off.

The man who abducted the woman's two children, Steven Douglas, was reportedly the woman's ex-husband. He had rammed her car and then taken her kids at gunpoint. Police were taken on a high-speed chase and eventually killed him. The two children were returned safely to their family.

The woman, seeing a police car, was under the impression the cop had come to help and ran up to him, but Richardson either thought the other call was more important, or hadn't heard the new dispatch call, or something. What is clear is that he didn't think stopping and listening to what the woman had to say was important.

It's possible that he is accustomed to people coming up to his car for non-emergencies, and that he just wasn't thinking, but that is really no excuse for calling a woman "baby" and taking off before listening to what's wrong.

He was officially fired for his "inappropriate" comment to the mom -- as well as for smoking in his car, which can be seen on the video.

Check out his reaction:

See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.

As a 28-year veteran perhaps he shouldn't have been fired over one mistake, but investigators obviously thought it was justified.

Sometimes cops do get two things going on at the same time, and you've got to be able to prioritize. Unfortunately, Richardson didn't do that. At least the children are okay.

Should he have been fired?

Image via Dallas Police

A 33-year-old mom of three young children from Massachusetts, who says she “doesn’t have a butt” and, therefore, needs to wear a plastic derriere enhancer, allegedly discovered her accessory serves more than one purpose. Police say Jill Roy almost got away with stashing drugs, including heroin, under her fake butt.

Roy has been in trouble with the law before because of illegal substances and was on probation, according to police. She was arrested at a traffic stop a few weeks ago when cops say they noticed a passenger in her car was stashing items under her seat and looked to be suspicious. While she may have gotten away with her crime had her friend not LOCKED the car door on a cop (seriously, what was she thinking?), police say a bag containing pills fell from Roy's pants leg as they were questioning her outside of their patrol car.

And that was nothing compared with what they found on her at the police station.

A female officer was reportedly in the process of patting Roy down when she instructed the suspect to remove her “hard exterior underwear.” Roy became upset by the request, according to police, and it’s simple to see why: a “large bulge” in the second layer of underwear she was wearing reportedly contained two plastic bags containing 13 Oxycodone pills and $350 worth of heroin.

In addition to the hard drugs, cops uncovered bags of marijuana in the car Roy was driving, which reportedly belonged to a known criminal. The woman allegedly admitted the weed was hers.

Roy has been charged with drug possession with the intent to distribute, as well as a traffic violation.

In addition to serving time, let's hope Roy gets the help she needs so she can be a good mother to her three children.

Do you think police focus too much on drug arrests?

Image via e-Magine Art/Flickr

A 4-year-old preschooler from New Jerseyhas reportedly died from the respiratory disease enterovirus 68. This heartbreaking incident marks the first time the frightening illness, which has rapidly spread among several states, has been directly blamed for a child's death.

Eli Waller went to bed on the night of September 24 feeling just fine, according to his parents. The following morning, his poor parents discovered their precious child had died -- though it took weeks to uncover the reason he never woke up.

Health officials say Eli had asthma, but that "he had no other existing condition." The onset of enterovirus 68 was rapid and sudden -- and his parents didn't even have a chance to seek treatment for him.

Right now, experts say they have no idea where Eli may have contracted the disease. One other boy from his elementary school is being tested for enterovirus at a local hospital, but there isn't one single confirmed case in a town of 90,0000 people.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which identified 538 confirmed cases of the diseases in 43 states and the District of Columbia, believes there is no reason to think additional people won't experience symptoms in the New Jersey town.

A medical examiner in Mercer County confirmed that Eli's brain and lymph node swelling was a result of the dangerous strain.

More from The Stir: Enterovirus vs. Cold vs. Allergies: How to Tell Which Your Kid Is Suffering From

Other children have fallen seriously ill and one died recently from complications that may have resulted from the disease, but doctors haven't blamed enterovirus 68, specifically.

In Rhode Island, a 10-year-old girl died last week from a combination of bacterial and viral infections "associated with" enterovirus 68. And, in Colorado, CDC and health experts are attempting to figure out whether limb weakness and paralysis in nine children is a result of enterovirus 68.

Are you take preventative measures to ensure your child doesn't contract enterovirus 68?

Image via Dr. Farouk/Flickr

Michael Phelps has a problem. Like many of us do. We all have our issues issues and quirks and things we know we need to work on to be better at, well, life. And I'm happy to learn that Phelps is doing something about his problem -- he's getting help.

After his arrest for DUI, going 84 mph in a 45-mph zone, and crossing the double yellow line, Phelps took to Twitter to apologize profusely for his actions. Back in 2004, when he was only 19-years-old, Phelps was also charged with drunken driving. Back then he said he learned from his mistake, but he repeated that mistake as a 29-year-old man. He has now revealed that he is getting the help he needs. Phelps is entering rehab.

The past few days have been extremely difficult. I recognize that this is not my first lapse in judgment, and I am extremely disappointed with myself. I’m going to take some time away to attend a program that will provide the help I need to better understand myself. Swimming is a major part of my life, but right now I need to focus my attention on me as an individual, and do the necessary work to learn from this experience and make better decisions in the future.

I am really proud of him. We all make mistakes. Thankfully Phelps' mistake didn't cost him his life or the life of another. Thank goodness there wasn't a tragic accident. But that is not the chance anyone should take -- no one should ever drink and drive.

More from The Stir: What Do You Think: Michael Phelps Smokes Pot

Many look up to Phelps -- he's an Olympian, an incredible swimmer, and seems like a down-to-earth kind of guy. But he's not a mythical Superhero. He makes mistakes just like the rest of us and it's fantastic that he is owning up to these mistakes and doing something about it. Maybe it will help others recognize their own mistakes, their own need for help, and take action to better themselves as well.

Good luck, Michael. This battle is far more important than any swimming competition and I hope you succeed.

Are you glad Michael is getting help and talking about it?

Image via AdMedia/Splash News

It's not often I agree with Bill Maher. Like, almost never. But people never fail to surprise me, and on Friday night on Real Time With Bill Maher, the host had me wanting to give him a virtual high-five. Maher got into it with Ben Affleck on the subject of Islam, and basically took the Gone Girl actor to task for defending it.

Maher pointed out that liberals are funny for generally being big supporters of Islam, when that religion basically goes against everything else they applaud, like feminism and homosexuality. Not to mention freedom of speech.

The host addressed fellow panelist, author Sam Harris, and said, "You and I have been trying to make the case that liberals need to stand up for liberal principles ... freedom of speech, freedom to practice any religion you want without fear of violence, freedom to leave a religion, equality for women, equality for minorities, including homosexuals, these are liberal principles that liberals applaud for ... but then when you say in the Muslim world this is what's lacking, then they get upset."

"Liberals have failed us," Harris agreed.

To which Affleck sarcastically replied, "Thank God you're here ... are you the person that understands the officially codified doctrine of Islam?"

"I'm actually well-educated on this topic," Harris responded. Yup, dude has basically made a career out of studying and questioning religion.

Anyway, a heated debate ensued, in which Batman Affleck said Maher's views on Islam were "gross," "racist," and "disgusting," Harris said the religion is "the motherload of bad ideas," and Maher pointed out, "It's the only religion that acts like the mafia that will f--king kill you if you say the wrong thing, draw the wrong picture, or write the wrong book."

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Are you Team Affleck or Team Maher when it comes to defending Islam?

Image via Rachel Maddow/Flickr

Police are investigating two separate deadly car crashes that took place in Southern California just hours apart from one another Friday night and Saturday morning. They resulted in the horrific deaths of 10 people-- including several teenagers returning from an amusement park.

In one crash, a 16-year-old unlicensed driver was the only survivor when his BMW sedan reportedly swerved off of Interstate 5, crashed, and caught on fire, killing the three teen boys and two teen girls who were passengers in the vehicle. All of the young people were returning home at around 2 in the morning from Knott's Berry Farm amusement park.

Police found the BMW with burn marks and its roof flattened. According to the California Highway Patrol, both boys and one of the girls were not wearing seat belts. The victims included 14- and 15-year-old boys who reportedly played on the same soccer team as the driver. The other passengers' identities have not been revealed.

The young survivor, Bradley Morales, was reportedly listed in serious but stable condition at Mission Hospital, where he is being treated for a large skull fracture and internal bleeding. Police believe he may have been speeding, but an investigation is ongoing. No charges have been filed against the boy, but according to California law, even teens under 18 who have a license are prohibited from driving late at night or carrying teen passengers unless an adult over 25 is in the car with them.

Five hours before this horrific crash, three vehicles reportedly collided on a quiet two-lane road in San Bernardino County. Five people in total died -- including four teens who were in a truck and had all recently graduated from the same high school. Two of the victims have been identified as 18-year-old Nathan Dominguez and 19-year-old Andrew Anthony Deleon. Only one person survived the crash -- the driver of a Honda Civic -- who was reportedly released from a hospital.

So many families are grieving this morning and our hearts go out to them all. 

Do you have rules about your teens and driving at night? Does it scare you? 

Image via The Tire Zoo/Flickr

Swings: the scourge of the skies. From the time my children were babies and I’d have to rescue them as they’d toddle unknowingly in front of someone’s fast-approaching feet to today when they’re compelled to take great flying leaps from the highest arc of the swing’s path, I’ve prayed for someone — anyone — to recognize playground swings as the menace they truly are, and ban them once and for all from every children’s play area in this great country of ours.

I’m kidding, of course. Swings are awesome, and if they’re a little dicey at times, well, that to me seems like a necessary rite of passage: you learn to respect the swing or you get kicked in the head. But one school district in Richland, Washington, has removed swings from every elementary school in town as part of their “modernization” efforts — and I suppose it’s only a matter of time until they start disappearing everywhere else, too.

The Richland school district says one of the reasons they’re getting rid of the swings is that they’re under pressure from insurance companies. According to a district spokesperson,

As schools get modernized or renovated or as we're doing work on the playground equipment, we'll take out the swings, it's just really a safety issue, swings have been determined to be the most unsafe of all the playground equipment on a playground.

Well, according to the CDC’s research back in 1999, that’s not completely true. That year, an estimated 205,850 playground equipment-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms, with half (53 percent) of the injuries involving public equipment occurred on “climbers.” (Also, 60 percent of those injuries occurred on overhead horizontal ladders, which I assume are what we think of as monkey bars.) About two-thirds (67 percent) of the injuries were related to the swings.

One Richland parent is in favor of removing the swings, because she believes it will be safer for her daughter:

When she starts elementary school, those swings can get crazy! I actually witnessed an accident with my own eyes one time. By the time you could do something about it (the child) was knocked out.

Oh boy. Look, we all know that a kid can get hurt by a swing, usually from walking in front of someone else’s swinging feet. That’s why our job as parents is to hover awkwardly near the swings when they’re too young to know better, so we can herd them away from the danger zone. When they’re old enough to swing, we stand there and push them, making sure they don’t topple out. And when they’re big enough to pump their own legs and do that awful thing where they jump out of the swing while it’s moving, then they’re typically old enough not to get booted unconscious.

Accidents happen, of course. Accidents happen everywhere, and you can’t just take away every single risk because 1) that’s crazy, and 2) children turn EVERYTHING into a risk. My youngest son broke his foot jumping down exactly two shallow carpeted steps into our sunken living room, for crying out loud. I couldn’t have predicted that if I’d hunkered over a particularly paranoid Kid-Injury Magic Eight Ball for a week straight.

For me, it seems like the risk/reward balance comes out in favor of the swings. Sure, you can get hurt on one, but it’s far more likely that you’re going to be perfectly fine as you enjoy that iconic childhood sensation of whooshing back and forth through the air. That’s the feeling of pure freedom for a kid — do we really want to take it away on the small chance something bad could happen?

What do you think about banning swings from schools and possibly city playgrounds? Are you in favor or opposed?

Image via johnnyjet/Flickr

We've all had that moment when we're confronted by a panhandler and wonder, "Should I give this person my money?" On the one hand, you want to help those less fortunate. But you also wonder if perhaps this person isn't really destitute and is just scamming you? There's really no way to tell unless you follow the person around, or you catch a beggar in a brand new car. Which of course wouldn't happen. Oh, wait, it did happen! Yep, a man who had been regularly doling out money to an elderly panhandler saw the woman get into a shiny, bright red Fiat. And he went ape.

Daniel Ayala approached the woman in Oklahoma City and let loose on her, ranting:

Listen, I work hard for my money. That’s why people like you take advantage of people like me. This is bullshit! ... I did not eat on Thursday to give you four dollars ... You drive a better car than me!

Apparently the man had given the woman at least $15 in the past week -- money he said he could have used to get to work. He then threatened that if he saw the woman in the car again, he would smash her window.

Witness Brandi Newman, who also was someone who had helped out the beggar in the past, began filming the scene when she recognized the panhandler get into the car. That's when Ayala confronted her.

Her video has since gone viral, racking up three million views on Facebook.

I don't blame this man a bit for his anger. I'll never forget one of my first encounters with scamming. A man approached me on a bridge in Washington, D.C. He was in a suit and carrying a suitcase. He said his car had just broken down and he had no money on him and he was desperately trying to get home. There were numerous holes in his story, but I was young and naive and gave him a dollar.

A week later, the same man rushed up to me, breathless, with the same story. I let him have it!

On the other hand, I have seen people who clearly have major issues -- probably mental illness -- that make them unemployable and I want to help them out. I figure anyone living on the streets needs my change more than I do. I've been fortunate in so many ways -- just the fact that I wasn't born with a mental illness makes me lucky. So I always try to give.

But I won't lie -- videos like this harden one's heart.

However, was this woman really scamming? What do we know about the car she's in? Maybe it's a family member's or friend's car. Maybe someone donated it to her. Remember the woman who drove a Mercedes but who was on food stamps? It looks like the woman is trying to explain something to the man, but we can't hear what. And whatever she's saying isn't calming him.

More from The Stir: Homeless Man Saves Newborn Who Isn't Breathing After Mom Goes Into Labor at Truck Stop

The worst part of this video is that it may keep money from people who do truly need it. And that this good-hearted man has had his trust broken.

Have you ever felt scammed in this way?

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Image via KFOR

A couple with a brand new baby were stopped by a police officer who threatened to call child protective services on them for ... well, it's hard to tell. Why the car, driving in Sandusky, Ohio, was originally pulled over is difficult to tell too, but when the cop ran the plates, he found nothing. This didn't seem to stop him from wanting to check the car though. Soon, he was coming up with a litany of excuses to get the couple out of the car. When the passenger, new dad Andre Stockett, refused and kept asking the cop to clarify why he and his girlfriend had to step out of the car, the cop eventually threatened to call CPS.

First, the cop tells Stockett that he looks like a wanted man, but Stockett denies that he's him. The cop even calls Stockett "Mr. Newell," the name of the man with warrants on him -- and Stockett has to correct him, saying, "But that's not me!"

The officer, Christopher Denny, asks for his identification, but Stockett refuses, saying he is within his rights. Stockett repeatedly asks why they've been pulled over, and Denny changes his story.

First, he says that a drug dog got a "hit" on the car, which Stockett laughingly denies.

Then Denny says that they were driving without their lights on. Stockett points out that it's not dark outside.

Then Denny changes tactics again, this time saying that the driver and mother of the baby, Karthyn Said, looks "nervous." Erm, yeah, she's nervous all right. Because they've got a 2-week-old baby in the back and cops aren't exactly known to always be prudent with their arrests -- or their guns.

Explaining why he won't get out of the car, Stockett says, "I'm scared for my life." Can't exactly blame him after Ferguson.

Denny threatens to arrest him for "obstruction," and Stockett asks, incredulously, "Obstruction for what?"

At some point, Denny threatens to hand their baby over to CPS.

Finally, the couple do get out of the car and both are arrested.

Sandusky police Assistant Chief Phil Frost told the Sandusky Register that Officer Denny did nothing wrong, and he believed that Stockett might be a wanted man. No explanation as to why he kept changing his stories. As for his threatening to call CPS, Frost says he did not see it as a threat, but something to comfort the parents about where the baby would be going. Wow, that's quite a comfort.

No drugs were found in the vehicle. Frost said he has "counseled" the cops on mentioning CPS during stops.

Stockett is going to fight his obstruction of justice charge.

More from The Stir: Police Officer Fired for Not Helping Mom Whose Kids Had Been Kidnapped (VIDEO)

It's a slippery slope indeed ... if a person who resembles a wanted man actually IS a wanted man, and he's stopped by cops and let go, then public outrage ensues. However, citizens have rights, and it is their right not to be hassled by police when they've done nothing wrong.

Check out the video. What do YOU think should have happened?

See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.

Image via Sandusky Register/YouTube

In my neighborhood, our school bus frequently has to honk at drivers who obliviously zoom past on the opposite side of the street despite the bus’s flashing lights and sign that requires oncoming drivers to stop. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed drivers honking at the bus, though, which is probably because we don’t have a ton of traffic in our small town. In busier Brooklyn, however, plenty of motorists have a habit of laying on the horn when buses slow their commute times, and one mom is doing her best to educate drivers to be more thoughtful.

Christine Salerno is planning to personally hand out self-made flyers to drivers to let them know that when they angrily honk at the bus, they negatively affect her 3-year-old daughter, who has a neurodevelopmental disorder called Rett syndrome. I completely sympathize with this mom ... but I also think she’s fighting a seriously uphill battle. 

Salerno’s daughter Lily is sensitive to loud noises as a result of her disorder, and she gets anxiety attacks in the mornings when drivers honk at her preschool bus. According to Salerno,

She starts grabbing on the bus and doesn’t want to get on it. It’s a horrible way to leave my child every morning.

The family moved to the Ditmas Park neighborhood a month ago so Lily would have a shorter commute to her school, which caters to children with special needs. Salerno says the change has been positive overall, except for the honking drivers. To try and take a direct approach with the horn-leaners, Salerno has created a flyer which she says she’ll be personally handing to drivers. It reads, “Think before you honk,” and here’s the rest of her message:

“We’ll see how it goes,” Salerno says. “Hopefully, I won’t get punched.”

I really feel for her, and for her little girl. I think her sign is well-written, although I think it might be improved a bit by specifically calling out why the honking is so upsetting (IE, explaining that it causes anxiety), and maybe some drivers will even take this message to heart and think twice before honking next time.

But I guess I also think the sort of person that honks at a school bus is probably ... well, an asshole. I think if being delayed for a few seconds by a bus loading up little kids makes someone blast their horn out of frustration, knowing that it bothers one of those kids isn’t likely to change their behavior.

So I’m hoping the best for this mom, but I also hope she finds some other solutions that make things less tough for Lily. Earmuffs, maybe, or headphones that play soft music.

Do you think this mom is justified in asking drivers not to honk at the bus? And do you think drivers will respond well to her signs?

Image via juliettecezzar/Flickr, Christine Salerno

Now that the media hype surrounding Michael Brown's killing and the subsequent riots have died down, it's easy for some people to forget what happened that day. However, one group is intent on keeping the issue in the headlines in the most unusual way. A flash mob interrupted a performance by the St. Louis Symphony in honor of the slain teen. Take a look.

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The look on the patron's face at 1 minute and 17 seconds in proves why displays like this can do good. She seemed shocked, bewildered, and confused. Perhaps, for some, Michael Brown's tragic death had already started to become a distant memory, a bleak part of our history rather than a continued struggle. But the fact of the matter is police continue to profile and target minority men.

Since Brown's death, there have been several more shootings of unarmed men by police. That's a fact certainly not lost on the protesters. They sang an old civil rights anthem, "Which Side Are You On?" It's an important question. As the singers added to the end, "Justice for Mike Brown is justice for us all."

After their performance, the protesters left the auditorium peacefully and the orchestra went on as scheduled. Though hopefully, they changed the significance of that trip to the symphony for all those who were there. Hopefully, it made them think about and empathize with all those who continue to be affected by unfair treatment and police brutality.

What do you think of this flash mob performance?

Image via YouTube

A man was reportedly been killed because he "poked" a friend's girlfriend on Facebook. The man, Richard Rovetto, died after an argument in which his pal, Scott Humphrey, reportedly punched him several times during an argument over why he "poked" his friend's girlfriend. Rovetto, who was a father of one, apparently died after several punches, and the "death blow" occurred after he hit his head on the ground.

The argument over the "poke" occurred in Nottingham, England, and started after the pair were coming back from a stag party. Apparently they began going at it in a cab, but then the fight continued after they got out of the cab.

The court heard how Humphrey asked Rovetto, "If you're such a good friend why did you poke my missus?"

The prosecutor argued that Humphrey accused his pal in the cab of contacting his girlfriend in the past, and then more recently sending her a poke -- which he interpreted as being flirty. Rovetto denied he knew it was the man's girlfriend -- but obviously Humphrey wasn't buying that excuse.

Damn, people get so insane about Facebook. This isn't the first time we've heard of people getting into deadly arguments over a Facebook thing. Usually it's some kind of wall post or relationship status change. This is the first I've heard of a poke triggering someone's death. I didn't even know pokes were considered to be a flirtation. Occasionally I've gotten pokes and ignored them. Once I asked a man why he was "poking" me and what it meant. He replied, "I have no idea."

A young woman in Brooklyn was struck by a hit-and-run driver after trying to save her dog, which was struck by a DIFFERENT driver who reportedly sped off as well.

The 31-year-old, whose name has not been released, is in critical condition and a great many questions remain after this horrific incident – which took place as the woman and her friend were walking her two dogs on Friday night.

A close friend of the victim named Brian Linder says he and the woman were taking her pups for a stroll when a reckless driver slammed into her miniature Doberman pinscher, Pasquolino, who died instantly. Her other dog, a pitbull, is reportedly okay.

The woman did what any caring pet owner would and ran off into the street to attend to her dog. She reportedly knelt down beside her – which was when a completely different car reportedly slammed into her and then drove off.

Linder says his friend was having trouble breathing and was bleeding profusely from her head. She was rushed to the hospital and now has a recovery ahead of her – while she tries to wrap her mind around the loss of her dog AND the fact that not one, but TWO drivers were thoughtless enough to inflict harm and then flee the scene.

Police are still looking for the black jeep Wrangler that they say hit the woman – I’m guessing the victim and Linder were unable to identify the first car that hit the dog, since it probably happened so fast. Let’s hope this driver restores our faith in humanity by turning him or herself in to authorities. It’s one thing to make a reckless mistake while driving, and quite another to hide and try to get away with it.

Have you ever been involved in a hit-and run incident? Did police find the suspect?

Image via Michael Gil/Flickr 

A Dallas police officer has been fired after dash cam video caught him driving by a woman who was pleading for help as her children had just been kidnapped. The cop, 28-year veteran Senior Cpl. Les Richardson, was on his way to a burglary in progress when a woman came running up to his car, screaming, "That’s him, that’s him, right there!" Despite the fact that a dispatch call had just gone out saying shots had been fired and a woman's car rammed right in the area Richardson was driving, he snaps, "Right here what, baby? I’m on a call," and takes off.

The man who abducted the woman's two children, Steven Douglas, was reportedly the woman's ex-husband. He had rammed her car and then taken her kids at gunpoint. Police were taken on a high-speed chase and eventually killed him. The two children were returned safely to their family.

The woman, seeing a police car, was under the impression the cop had come to help and ran up to him, but Richardson either thought the other call was more important, or hadn't heard the new dispatch call, or something. What is clear is that he didn't think stopping and listening to what the woman had to say was important.

It's possible that he is accustomed to people coming up to his car for non-emergencies, and that he just wasn't thinking, but that is really no excuse for calling a woman "baby" and taking off before listening to what's wrong.

He was officially fired for his "inappropriate" comment to the mom -- as well as for smoking in his car, which can be seen on the video.

Check out his reaction:

See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.

As a 28-year veteran perhaps he shouldn't have been fired over one mistake, but investigators obviously thought it was justified.

Sometimes cops do get two things going on at the same time, and you've got to be able to prioritize. Unfortunately, Richardson didn't do that. At least the children are okay.

Should he have been fired?

Image via Dallas Police

A 33-year-old mom of three young children from Massachusetts, who says she “doesn’t have a butt” and, therefore, needs to wear a plastic derriere enhancer, allegedly discovered her accessory serves more than one purpose. Police say Jill Roy almost got away with stashing drugs, including heroin, under her fake butt.

Roy has been in trouble with the law before because of illegal substances and was on probation, according to police. She was arrested at a traffic stop a few weeks ago when cops say they noticed a passenger in her car was stashing items under her seat and looked to be suspicious. While she may have gotten away with her crime had her friend not LOCKED the car door on a cop (seriously, what was she thinking?), police say a bag containing pills fell from Roy's pants leg as they were questioning her outside of their patrol car.

And that was nothing compared with what they found on her at the police station.

A female officer was reportedly in the process of patting Roy down when she instructed the suspect to remove her “hard exterior underwear.” Roy became upset by the request, according to police, and it’s simple to see why: a “large bulge” in the second layer of underwear she was wearing reportedly contained two plastic bags containing 13 Oxycodone pills and $350 worth of heroin.

In addition to the hard drugs, cops uncovered bags of marijuana in the car Roy was driving, which reportedly belonged to a known criminal. The woman allegedly admitted the weed was hers.

Roy has been charged with drug possession with the intent to distribute, as well as a traffic violation.

In addition to serving time, let's hope Roy gets the help she needs so she can be a good mother to her three children.

Do you think police focus too much on drug arrests?

Image via e-Magine Art/Flickr

A 4-year-old preschooler from New Jersey has reportedly died from the respiratory disease enterovirus 68. This heartbreaking incident marks the first time the frightening illness, which has rapidly spread among several states, has been directly blamed for a child's death.

Eli Waller went to bed on the night of September 24 feeling just fine, according to his parents. The following morning, his poor parents discovered their precious child had died -- though it took weeks to uncover the reason he never woke up.

Health officials say Eli had asthma, but that "he had no other existing condition." The onset of enterovirus 68 was rapid and sudden -- and his parents didn't even have a chance to seek treatment for him.

Right now, experts say they have no idea where Eli may have contracted the disease. One other boy from his elementary school is being tested for enterovirus at a local hospital, but there isn't one single confirmed case in a town of 90,000 people.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which identified 538 confirmed cases of the diseases in 43 states and the District of Columbia, believes there is no reason to think additional people won't experience symptoms in the New Jersey town.

A medical examiner in Mercer County confirmed that Eli's brain and lymph node swelling was a result of the dangerous strain.

More from The Stir: Enterovirus vs. Cold vs. Allergies: How to Tell Which Your Kid Is Suffering From

Other children have fallen seriously ill and one died recently from complications that may have resulted from the disease, but doctors haven't blamed enterovirus 68, specifically.

In Rhode Island, a 10-year-old girl died last week from a combination of bacterial and viral infections "associated with" enterovirus 68. And, in Colorado, CDC and health experts are attempting to figure out whether limb weakness and paralysis in nine children is a result of enterovirus 68.

Are you take preventative measures to ensure your child doesn't contract enterovirus 68?

Image via Dr. Farouk/Flickr

Michael Phelps has a problem. Like many of us do. We all have our issues issues and quirks and things we know we need to work on to be better at, well, life. And I'm happy to learn that Phelps is doing something about his problem -- he's getting help.

After his arrest for DUI, going 84 mph in a 45-mph zone, and crossing the double yellow line, Phelps took to Twitter to apologize profusely for his actions. Back in 2004, when he was only 19-years-old, Phelps was also charged with drunken driving. Back then he said he learned from his mistake, but he repeated that mistake as a 29-year-old man. He has now revealed that he is getting the help he needs. Phelps is entering rehab.

The past few days have been extremely difficult. I recognize that this is not my first lapse in judgment, and I am extremely disappointed with myself. I’m going to take some time away to attend a program that will provide the help I need to better understand myself. Swimming is a major part of my life, but right now I need to focus my attention on me as an individual, and do the necessary work to learn from this experience and make better decisions in the future.

I am really proud of him. We all make mistakes. Thankfully Phelps' mistake didn't cost him his life or the life of another. Thank goodness there wasn't a tragic accident. But that is not the chance anyone should take -- no one should ever drink and drive.

More from The Stir: What Do You Think: Michael Phelps Smokes Pot

Many look up to Phelps -- he's an Olympian, an incredible swimmer, and seems like a down-to-earth kind of guy. But he's not a mythical Superhero. He makes mistakes just like the rest of us and it's fantastic that he is owning up to these mistakes and doing something about it. Maybe it will help others recognize their own mistakes, their own need for help, and take action to better themselves as well.

Good luck, Michael. This battle is far more important than any swimming competition and I hope you succeed.

Are you glad Michael is getting help and talking about it?

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It's not often I agree with Bill Maher. Like, almost never. But people never fail to surprise me, and on Friday night on Real Time With Bill Maher, the host had me wanting to give him a virtual high-five. Maher got into it with Ben Affleck on the subject of Islam, and basically took the Gone Girl actor to task for defending it.

Maher pointed out that liberals are funny for generally being big supporters of Islam, when that religion basically goes against everything else they applaud, like feminism and homosexuality. Not to mention freedom of speech.

The host addressed fellow panelist, author Sam Harris, and said, "You and I have been trying to make the case that liberals need to stand up for liberal principles ... freedom of speech, freedom to practice any religion you want without fear of violence, freedom to leave a religion, equality for women, equality for minorities, including homosexuals, these are liberal principles that liberals applaud for ... but then when you say in the Muslim world this is what's lacking, then they get upset."

"Liberals have failed us," Harris agreed.

To which Affleck sarcastically replied, "Thank God you're here ... are you the person that understands the officially codified doctrine of Islam?"

"I'm actually well-educated on this topic," Harris responded. Yup, dude has basically made a career out of studying and questioning religion.

Anyway, a heated debate ensued, in which Batman Affleck said Maher's views on Islam were "gross," "racist," and "disgusting," Harris said the religion is "the motherload of bad ideas," and Maher pointed out, "It's the only religion that acts like the mafia that will f--king kill you if you say the wrong thing, draw the wrong picture, or write the wrong book."

[code][/code]

Are you Team Affleck or Team Maher when it comes to defending Islam?

Image via Rachel Maddow/Flickr

Police are investigating two separate deadly car crashes that took place in Southern California just hours apart from one another Friday night and Saturday morning. They resulted in the horrific deaths of 10 people-- including several teenagers returning from an amusement park.

In one crash, a 16-year-old unlicensed driver was the only survivor when his BMW sedan reportedly swerved off of Interstate 5, crashed, and caught on fire, killing the three teen boys and two teen girls who were passengers in the vehicle. All of the young people were returning home at around 2 in the morning from Knott's Berry Farm amusement park.

Police found the BMW with burn marks and its roof flattened. According to the California Highway Patrol, both boys and one of the girls were not wearing seat belts. The victims included 14- and 15-year-old boys who reportedly played on the same soccer team as the driver. The other passengers' identities have not been revealed.

The young survivor, Bradley Morales, was reportedly listed in serious but stable condition at Mission Hospital, where he is being treated for a large skull fracture and internal bleeding. Police believe he may have been speeding, but an investigation is ongoing. No charges have been filed against the boy, but according to California law, even teens under 18 who have a license are prohibited from driving late at night or carrying teen passengers unless an adult over 25 is in the car with them.

Five hours before this horrific crash, three vehicles reportedly collided on a quiet two-lane road in San Bernardino County. Five people in total died -- including four teens who were in a truck and had all recently graduated from the same high school. Two of the victims have been identified as 18-year-old Nathan Dominguez and 19-year-old Andrew Anthony Deleon. Only one person survived the crash -- the driver of a Honda Civic -- who was reportedly released from a hospital.

So many families are grieving this morning and our hearts go out to them all. 

Do you have rules about your teens and driving at night? Does it scare you? 

Image via The Tire Zoo/Flickr