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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Apr 13, 2005 15:24:14 GMT -5
OKEECHOBEE, Florida (AP) -- A woman was arrested for allegedly forcing her 12-year-old daughter into prostitution and trading a 14-year-old daughter for a car.
The 39-year-old woman was charged with aggravated child abuse and sexual performance by a child. Both girls have been turned over to the Department of Children & Families.
The youngest girl and her mother were living out of their car, and would sell sex for food and an occasional shower at the men's homes, according to a report by Okeechobee County Sheriff's Detective K.J. Ammons.
The youngest daughter is three months pregnant, the report said; she was 11 when her mother first forced her to have sex with a man. The older daughter refused to be a prostitute and was allegedly sold for a car.
"She was sold to a man for a Mercury Cougar," Ammons said. "But he never gave the mother the vehicle." He was arrested in the case.
The youngest girl told detectives her mother took them out of school. "She said she was a good student and made A's and B's, and all she wants to do is go back to school," he said.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Apr 14, 2005 11:02:43 GMT -5
PALMDALE, California (AP) -- A 13-year-old pitcher was accused of clubbing a teenage friend to death with a baseball bat, moments after the friend apparently teased him at a concession stand following his baseball team's first loss of the season.
The teen suspect, whose name was not released, was arrested Wednesday for investigation of murder and was being held at Antelope Valley Juvenile Hall as authorities prepared to take the case to prosecutors.
He is suspected of killing Jeremy Rourke, 15, after the Tuesday night Pony League game in the desert city of Palmdale about 40 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
The boys had no history of fighting, said Tony Trevino, coach of the Dodgers, which had just defeated the suspect's team, the Angels, when the clubbing took place.
"That's what's so shocking and so appalling," he said. "What happened? What did we miss as a community? What did we miss as parents?"
At the playing field Wednesday night, a family friend read a statement from Rourke's parents, who urged people not to demonize their son's attacker.
He "is not a monster. He's a good boy who made a bad mistake. This is a mistake that will haunt both families for the rest of our lives," the statement said.
The suspect was the starting pitcher when his team was beaten for the first time in eight games by the Dodgers, a team that went into the game with a 1-6 record.
Deputies declined to provide further details of the attack. It occurred during a regular weekday night game that attracts children and their parents in this community of 116,000.
Ryan Gosporra, 15, said the incident began when Rourke cut in front of the suspect in the snack bar line. Neither he nor Trevino saw the attack that occurred after the last game of the night with about 40 people at the field.
But Trevino, 50, said witnesses told him the two boys teased each other before the suspect pulled a bat from his bag and hit Rourke in the knees, then the head.
After the attack, Trevino saw the suspect standing against a fence with his parents. "He looked scared. He was in shock," the coach said.
League officials said play would be suspended at the field for several days.
"We're really in a state of shock over this whole thing," league President Ken Curtis said. Rourke's father is a past president of the league.
A memorial was held at Highland High School, where Rourke attended classes. Students shared memories, and a bundle of pink and black balloons was released in honor of him.
"He's just a funny kid. He liked to make people smile," Gosporra said. "You could be in the worst mood, and he would make you laugh."
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Apr 17, 2005 11:12:55 GMT -5
Morrisville, Vt. (AP) --
A 17-year-old Morrisville youth was being held on $100,000 bail after police said he raided a tomb in a cemetery and removed a head from a corpse.
"We had a person voice their concerns about information they had heard on the street," said Chief Richard Keith of the Morristown Police Department.
Keith said police at first could not believe what they had heard. But when they went to Morrisville Cemetery and investigated, they found that someone had broken into a tomb, broken open the casket and removed a man's head.
"We had the funeral director come to the scene and we pulled the casket out. Yes, indeed, we found remains and they had been disturbed," Keith said.
Nickolas Buckalew, 17, later was arrested and charged with unauthorized removal of a dead body. He pleaded innocent to the crime.
Police believe they have a strong case against Buckalew because remains and evidence were found in a silo near the suspect's home outside the village and one-fifth of a mile from the cemetery.
"Within minutes we found the duffle bag with the remains in it and tools that were used to enter the tomb and the casket," Keith said.
The victim's widow, the only family member in the area, was told of the vandalism.
"The widow was in shock," the chief said. "She did not want any information. She did not want to know any details."
Authorities are not sure of the motive of the crime. Court documents said the suspect allegedly talked of using the man's head as a bong or a pipe for smoking marijuana.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Apr 17, 2005 11:58:48 GMT -5
The Grand Rapids Press
ALLEGAN -- Sheriff's deputies make their share of methamphetamine busts in rural Allegan County, usually after tracking down clandestine drug labs.
But sometimes, the criminals make it easy.
Wednesday, police said a 34-year-old Otsego man tried to get past two security screeners at the Allegan County courthouse with an Altoids box full of 30 tiny meth baggies.
He didn't make it.
As part of his routine, Reserve Deputy Mike Johnson asked the man to remove everything metal from his pockets. When he saw the square tin, the deputy shook it.
"I didn't hear any of the mints rattling around. As soon as I opened it, I knew what it was," Johnson said.
He never expected to see someone bring meth into a courthouse, especially with a sign outside advising people they are subject to search. Deputies waiting with metal-detecting wands are clearly visible through the courthouse doors.
"I was just kind of shocked for a second," Johnson said. "I thought he was going to try to run or fight or something, but he didn't.
"He hung his head, and he came right out and admitted (that it was meth)," he said.
The man, at the courthouse for a hearing involving his son, was arrested and charged with drug possession. He was released pending arraignment and told police he forgot the meth was in his pocket.
Allegan city police, who made the arrest, also seized an undisclosed amount of cash from the man and have begun forfeiture proceedings.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Apr 10, 2005 18:46:18 GMT -5
LOVELOCK, Nev. (AP) - A Lovelock high school teacher was arrested on suspicion of exposing her breasts to students and possessing marijuana.
Lori Ann Robinson, 35, a special education teacher at Pershing High School, remained in jail Sunday in lieu of $537,211 bail.
"We've got a couple of complaints she had bared her breasts to several different students," said Steve Von Rumpf, a detective with the Nevada Division of Public Safety.
Von Rumpf declined to discuss specifics, but said the alleged incidents occurred over the last two years.
The case surfaced after authorities investigated her brother, Joey Wilson, 32, also of Lovelock - a small farm town 90 miles northeast of Reno.
Wilson remains in jail on suspicion of sexual assault in lieu of $535,000 bail.
The alleged flashing led to Robinson's arrest last week on suspicion of open and gross lewdness, Von Rumpf said.
She also was booked on suspicion that she failed to report child abuse, conspired to commit sexual assault and intimidated or dissuaded a witness.
Pershing High Principal Anita Fisk said the teacher's arrest shocked the community, but students and staff were carrying on.
"We are trying as a staff and a district to maintain what we feel is a safe and educationally sound environment," Fisk said.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Apr 19, 2005 11:16:24 GMT -5
A driver is recovering after a frozen sausage was thrown through the window of his moving car, breaking his nose. The man was driving near his South Woodham Ferrers home in Essex on Monday afternoon when the "bizarre incident" happened, the ambulance service said.
"He was driving his car when the offending item came through his open window and hit him on the nose," a spokesman said.
The 46-year-old managed to stop safely, before passers-by came to his aid.
The driver decided not to go to hospital, but lost a lot of blood and has been left with a swollen and painful nose, the service said.
"The man said he was making his way home after work and had the window down because it was such a nice afternoon," the spokesman added.
"He said he saw a car coming the other way and felt a searing pain in his nose. He managed to stop his car without hitting anyone else.
"His nose was undoubtedly fractured.
"I feel very sorry for him - it must have been an incredibly lucky or unlucky shot to get the sausage through a moving car window. I have never seen or heard of anything like this before."
Police said they were investigating.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Apr 3, 2005 15:47:39 GMT -5
Pervert Glitter to return to Britain after 5 years.. and throw a party to celebrate Exclusive By Stephen Martin DEPRAVED Gary Glitter will fly home to Britain from the perverts' sanctuary of Cambodia in the next few weeks. With typical arrogance, the paedophile is even planning a PARTY to celebrate his return. Shameless former glam rocker Glitter, 60, has been in exile for five years since his conviction for downloading child porn. Now he says he has "served his time" and is coming back because he's "homesick". A cloak and dagger operation is under way among a handful of Glitter's few remaining pals to ease his return. Among those he has contacted is former beauty queen Lesley Campbell, who has known him for 20 years. Blonde Lesley, who met Glitter when she was in 70s dance troupe Hot Gossip, told a friend: "He's fed up with living over there. He thinks he's done his time living on the run. He's British and he wants to come home. He's nearly a pensioner now and wants to live the rest of his life back here." Scouser Lesley, 42, who now lives near Aberdeen, added: "He wants to meet up for a get-together. He knows what people think of him now and he knows it will upset a lot of people, but he's going to take his chances back in Britain." The thought of Glitter home on British soil will cause widespread revulsion, but as a UK citizen he cannot be stopped. It is unlikely he will dare return to his £1.6million penthouse flat off Baker Street in central London. Instead, he is expected to a look for a secluded country property where he can hide. Former junkie Glitter - real name Paul Gadd - was jailed for four months in November 1999 after police discovered 4,000 sickening child-sex pictures on his computer. He was caught after images of youngsters being raped and tortured were spotted on his computer when he put it in for repair at PC World in Bristol, near his then home in the West Country. He was placed on the sex offenders register after admitting 54 offences of downloading child porn between January and November 1997. Glitter was released early from jail after just eight weeks and staged a revolting stunt to celebrate his freedom in London's Regents Park. Wearing his trademark black wig and dark glasses, he strutted about for the cameras and proclaimed: "I have served my time. I want to put it all behind me and live my life." Amid mounting public outrage at his behaviour, he fled to Cuba. In August 2000 he came back to London but had to return to Cuba after a crowd of demonstrators marched on his house. Back in Havana, he fathered a baby boy with his lover Yudenia Martinez, a Cuban farmgirl. Cuban president Fidel Castro ordered him to be kicked out as undesirable and Glitter pitched up in Cambodia. He set up home in the capital Phnom Penh - a haven for paedophiles where £3 buys sex with girls as young as 11. He was later locked up accused of abusing young boys, but was not charged with any offences. He now lives in a five-bedroom mansion in Phnom Penh.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Apr 2, 2005 17:05:26 GMT -5
Posted: Friday April 1st, 2005, 6:12 PM
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A woman's apartment was cleaned out, and cleaned up by a burglar, police said. According to police, the woman returned home Thursday after being away for a week and discovered her television, computer and other items missing. The burglar had also helped himself to food and booze.
But this was not a thoughtless thief. Police said the rear sliding glass door, which the woman had left open, was closed and locked when she returned. In addition, "clothes and dishes had been washed and dried," according to the police report. Police Capt. Karl Leonard said it's possible the burglar knew the woman was going to be gone for a while and may have decided to take up residence in the interim.
"They probably didn't want to stay in a dirty apartment,' said Leonard, calling the case "very, very unusual."
"We've had burglaries in the past where people have fixed themselves a sandwich," he added. "But nobody's ever done the wash."
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Apr 1, 2005 2:00:23 GMT -5
Canadian Press Mar. 29, 2005 06:09 PM TORONTO - An accused drunk driver tried but failed to foil a police breathalyzer after stuffing his mouth full of feces. "I don't think alcohol alone would make you do something as disgusting as that," South Simcoe Police Insp. Tom McDonald said. "I've never heard of anything like this before," said the 28-year police veteran. Arrested Sunday after his Ford pickup was pulled over on a highway just outside Barrie, Ont., the 59-year-old driver was loaded into a cruiser and taken to a police station for testing. En route, Sgt. James Buchanan said the prisoner vomited, urinated and defecated in the rear of the squad car. After arriving at the station, he said the man grabbed a handful of his own waste "and placed it in his mouth, attempting to trick the breathalyser machine." It didn't work, Buchanan said. He alleged the machine registered two readings of intoxication from samples the suspect provided. Both were more than twice the legal limit. Officers called in paramedics to check the man. "They helped him clean himself up," McDonald said. "This fellow was in dire need of help. It's bizarre, but the effects of alcohol can make people do strange things." The motorist was charged with impaired driving, plus driving with more than 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood in his system. He was released on a promise to appear in a Bradford, Ont., court on May 12. South Simcoe Police do not identify people they charge. McDonald said the cruiser took two hours to clean using industrial cleansers, "and it's back on the road."
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Mar 30, 2005 10:24:59 GMT -5
BEIJING (Reuters) - A Shanghai online game player stabbed to death a competitor who sold his cyber-sword, the China Daily has said, creating a dilemma in China where no law exists for the ownership of virtual weapons.
Qiu Chengwei, 41, stabbed competitor Zhu Caoyuan repeatedly in the chest after he was told Zhu had sold his "dragon sabre", used in the popular online game, "Legend of Mir 3", the newspaper said a Shanghai court was told on Tuesday.
"Legend of Mir 3" features heroes and villains, sorcerers and warriors, many of whom wield enormous swords.
Qiu and a friend jointly won their weapon last February, and lent it to Zhu who then sold it for 7,200 yuan (464 pounds), the newspaper said.
Qui went to the police to report the "theft" but was told the weapon was not real property protected by law.
"Zhu promised to hand over the cash but an angry Qui lost patience and attacked Zhu at his home, stabbing him in the left chest with great force and killing him," the court was told.
The newspaper did not specify the charge against Qiu but said he had given himself up to police and already pleaded guilty to "intentional injury".
No verdict has been announced.
More and more online gamers were seeking justice through the courts over stolen weapons and credits, the newspaper said.
"The armour and swords in games should be deemed as private property as players have to spend money and time for them," Wang Zongyu, an associate law professor at Beijing's Renmin University of China, was quoted as saying.
But other experts are calling for caution. "The 'assets' of one player could mean nothing to others as they are by nature just data created by game providers," a lawyer for a Shanghai-based Internet game company was quoted as saying.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Mar 21, 2005 9:39:36 GMT -5
STRASBURG, Va. (AP) - A police chief was ordered held without bail Monday on charges of driving drunk twice in one day. Middletown Police Chief Roger Ashley has been held in jail since his arrest Saturday. An April 11 trial was scheduled after a court appearance Monday.
Ashley was arrested the first time in his unmarked police car and a second time, five hours later, in his personal vehicle, Strasburg Police Chief Marshall Robinson said.
Officers responded to the first arrest after Robinson's car had run into a vehicle on Route 11 in this northern Virginia community.
Robinson was arrested a second time in his personal vehicle, police said.
Robinson's status as chief of Middletown was to be reviewed by town leaders later Monday.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Mar 29, 2005 15:16:31 GMT -5
DALLAS, Texas (CNN) -- A former top official of the Boy Scouts of America has been charged with downloading child pornography from the Internet after federal investigators found images of children engaging in sex acts on his computer.
Douglas S. Smith Jr. is scheduled to appear before a federal judge Wednesday in Fort Worth, Texas, said Kathy Colvin, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Dallas.
"We anticipate Mr. Smith will enter a guilty plea at that time," she said.
Smith retired from the Boy Scouts in February after a 39-year career with the youth organization, based in suburban Dallas. He had been placed on administrative leave when the group learned he was under criminal investigation, and stepped down soon afterward, BSA spokesman Greg Shields said.
Smith, a former Eagle Scout, previously served as the Boy Scouts' director of programming, Shields said.
"As a professional scouter, he was in more administrative positions -- most recently developing programs -- and not in direct contact with the youth," Shields said.
Shields said the Boy Scouts are "shocked and dismayed" by Smith's arrest, but the group has cooperated with investigators in the case.
"We surrendered his work computer to authorities," he said.
Smith surrendered to authorities Friday and was released without bond, according to court records. There was no immediate comment from his attorney.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Mar 24, 2005 2:12:41 GMT -5
By Associated Press
March 22, 2005, 1:33 PM EST
LISBON, Conn. -- A state trooper was suspended for 15 days without pay after he was recorded on a 911 tape saying "too bad" to a caller seeking help for a man injured in a motorcycle accident.
State police said the dismissive answer by Trooper Robert Peasley did not affect the response time to the accident involving Justin Sawyer, 21, who died of a severe head injury a week after the crash last August. Peasley was suspended on Monday.
Russell Shepard, a friend of Sawyer's, called 911, which was routed to the state police barracks in Montville. When he reported the accident, Peasley said, "Yeah ... too bad," and hung up, according to a tape obtained by WTNH-TV.
Shepard said he was shocked, believing he reached a wrong number.
Another friend made a second call. "Yeah," the officer responded. "Help will get there. Shouldn't be playing games."
A third emergency call was answered by a different dispatcher, who asked about Sawyer's condition and advised those nearby to not touch him.
"I am absolutely outraged every time I hear that `too bad' and then click," said Sawyer's father, Jim Sawyer. "I only know that I would have felt a whole lot more comfortable if I had heard people responding on the end of that 911 call with some heart and caring."
State police said the comments by Peasley, an 18-year-veteran, were unprofessional, and the agency apologized if "our actions added to the family's pain."
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Mar 18, 2005 0:49:43 GMT -5
MOORHEAD, Minn. - Having a vanity plate that reads "TIPSY" may not be such a great idea after all. Josiah Johnson, 23, said his license plate might have tipped off the Clay County sheriff's deputy who pulled him over Friday after he left Coach's Sports Pub in Moorhead.
Now he faces third-degree drunken driving charges after his blood-alcohol level allegedly registered twice the legal limit.
Johnson said he bought the personalized license plate for his Jeep to describe the way it rode - then kept it as a joke when he got a Chevy Silverado because he likes to party.
"It doesn't mean I drink and drive," he said. "It just means I have a good time."
Johnson, who was slated to appear in court March 22, said he'll never drink and drive again.
"I feel really stupid," he said.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Mar 18, 2005 0:54:21 GMT -5
VANCOUVER (CP) - A Vancouver woman has filed a lawsuit against Cirque du Soleil alleging one of its clown's acts went terribly wrong.
Maria Miller had a stage-side seat at the July 2003 performance of Alegria Cirque du Soleil. Her lawyer, Val LeBlanc, said a clown tumbled across the stage towards the audience and was meant to stop. "It was supposed to thrill the audience, but a tether either broke or wasn't attached properly," he said Tuesday.
The lawsuit claims the burly performer tumbled into Miller, causing her numerous soft-tissue injuries.
She alleges negligence on the part of two performers and the circus.
Miller is suing for her personal injuries, income loss and expenses because of the incident.
The circus hasn't filed a statement of defence.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Mar 20, 2005 11:27:40 GMT -5
NORTH PLATTE, Nebraska (AP) -- Former mobster-turned-chef Henry Hill, whose gangland experiences inspired the movie "GoodFellas," has been charged with felony drug possession.
Police said Hill's luggage was searched on August 15 at the North Platte Regional Airport and methamphetamine and cocaine was found.
On Friday, Lincoln County Judge Kent Florum sent him to district court on a felony charge of drug possession.
Hill, portrayed by Ray Liotta in "GoodFellas," had sought refuge in the witness protection program after agreeing to testify against his former mob bosses from New York.
However, he left the witness protection program and now lives in North Platte with his wife, who is from the area. He has been working as a chef and helping establish an Italian restaurant.
Hill also wrote "The Wiseguy Cookbook," released in 2002.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Hill said he had been addicted to the mobster lifestyle.
"But you overcome it I think. I mean, you succeed," he said.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Mar 5, 2005 5:38:19 GMT -5
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (March 4) - Police arrested an 8-year-old boy who allegedly had a violent outburst in school, head-butting his teacher and kicking an assistant principal, when he was told he couldn't go outside to play with other students.
The 4-foot pupil was led away from Rawls Byrd Elementary School in handcuffs Tuesday and charged with disorderly conduct and assault and battery.
"It's not something that happens every day," Maj. Stan Stout said of what could be the department's youngest arrest ever.
Stout said the chair-tossing, desk-turning outburst occurred after a teacher, and later the assistant principal, attempted to stop the boy from joining his classmates.
The child was later released to his parents.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Mar 8, 2005 1:26:27 GMT -5
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho - After defendant Austin Later lost his temper and threw a file across a courtroom, 7th District Judge Jon Shindurling threw the book at him, adding years to his sentence.
Later, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated battery in exchange for nine other felony charges being dropped. Shindurling first sentenced Later on Thursday to five to 15 years in prison.
Later then yelled profanities at the court and threw the file, hitting a clerk.
Shindurling then changed the sentence to the maximum 15-year penalty.
Bonneville County Prosecutor Dane Watkins Jr. said officials were deciding whether to charge Later for the courtroom incident.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Mar 5, 2005 0:46:31 GMT -5
Unfortunately, club owners are notoriously cheap, as any one who was ever worked or played in a club can attest to, and no matter how many laws are passed, they'll still cut corners at every opportunity, until the inevitable happens, then of course it's too late As Trexx said, be wary, be alert, don't expect club owners to ever have their patrons best interests, or safety at heart. Scope out an exit strategy when going into a club, you never know what could happen and forewarned IS forearmed. The Vai show I just went to was in an old silent movie/vaudeville theater probably at least 80 years old, and didn't look up to code(from what I've heard the wiring isn't too good, or grounded properly either, an "accident" just waiting to happen, and it was PACKED, I have no doubt that they oversold way past capacity..I had the exits checked out and noted from the time I walked in, and kept an eye on the best way out if anything were to happen..sucks that one has to do that instead of just enjoying the show, but it's better to be one of the ones who get out alive in the event of a fire etc, than to be trapped inside.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Mar 4, 2005 9:43:08 GMT -5
From The Boston Globe:
PROVIDENCE -- Victims of the deadly February 2003 fire at The Station nightclub had virtually no chance of escaping the inferno, as the air temperature inside much of the building reached 1,800 degrees within 90 seconds, according to a report released yesterday by federal fire safety specialists.
The most detailed and comprehensive analysis yet on the tragedy, the report showed in chilling computer simulations how, just 40 seconds after the fire began, tongues of flame and billowing black smoke began overwhelming patrons even at the far end of the club with astonishing speed. The blaze killed 100 people, many of whom perished trying to escape through the front door, and injured 200 others.
''You can understand now the crush of the crowd at the front door, trying to get away any way they could," said William Grosshandler, chief of the Fire Research Division of the US Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology, which conduced the study.
But the agency found that if the venue's owners had installed a sprinkler system that met generally accepted standards, the fire would have been mostly suppressed by that same 40-second mark, with little or no loss of life. At the time, the club was not legally required to have sprinklers.
Relatives of those killed in the fire said after the briefing yesterday that the findings show that the club's owners, brothers Michael and Jeffrey Derderian, could have prevented the tragedy.
''It's just horrible to know that they placed people in their establishment in such terrible danger," said Eileen DiBonaventura of North Dighton, whose 18-year-old son, Albert, died in the fire. ''This never should have happened."
The federal investigators are now recommending that all nightclubs across the country, regardless of capacity or age, be constructed or retrofitted with sprinklers.
That recommendation was one of 12 contained in the report, the product of a two-year investigation. The report also urged tighter restrictions on the use of flammable materials in nightclubs, improvement in exits, and an end to the exemption of older clubs from new and revised fire regulations.
Institute officials, who began yesterday's presentation at the Providence Marriott by pointing out the ballroom's emergency exits, can only make recommendations for changes to building codes, standards, and practices and have no regulatory authority. While the recommendations come from some of the government's top scientists, they cannot be enforced unless state or local governments adopt them.
The agency also does not assign blame for the tragedies it investigates, and, by statute, its investigators cannot be called as witnesses in any criminal case or lawsuit.
The institute's investigation confirmed what state and local fire officials have said since the tragedy: The fire at the West Warwick club was started by an indoor fireworks display fired onstage during a performance by the heavy metal rock band Great White. The fire's rapid spread was blamed on flammable soundproofing material installed in the club, which had a low ceiling and no sprinklers.
Lawyers for the Derderians could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Due to the magnitude of the tragedy, the fire had already prompted numerous changes in building codes and fire safety recommendations before the institute's findings were released.
The National Fire Protection Association, a Quincy-based nonprofit, changed its voluntary national standards to call for a sprinkler system in every new nightclub with a capacity of 50 or more persons and in every existing nightclub with a capacity of 100 or more.
In Massachusetts, state officials placed severe restrictions on the use of indoor pyrotechnics immediately after the fire and assembled a task force to recommend further changes.
Last year, Governor Mitt Romney signed legislation requiring any nightclub with an occupancy of 100 or more to install sprinklers by Nov. 15, 2007. Venues with an occupancy of less than that will also be forced to install sprinklers if they are cited for occupancy violations twice within one year.
The changes also established criminal penalties for creating dangerous conditions in buildings open to the public, including blocking exits or entrances, failing to maintain fire protection systems, storing flammables or explosives, and using pyrotechnics without a permit.
In Rhode Island, lawmakers adopted a similar sprinkler law for venues with a capacity of 150 or more. But a disappointed Frank Sylvester -- the fire chief in Lime Rock, R.I., who helped create the new standards and attended yesterday's briefing -- said some business leaders in the state are already complaining that the mandatory changes are too costly.
''There is no such thing as too expensive when it comes to human life," he said.
Although its investigation is finished, the institute -- which is also analyzing the World Trade Center collapse in New York after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks -- said the report on The Station fire is considered a draft and will be finalized after comments from the public are accepted. The comment period ends April 4.
In a civil lawsuit pending in US District Court, approximately 240 survivors and relatives of those killed in the fire have sued 47 defendants, including the club's owners, the band, the maker of the soundproofing material, and officials charged with inspecting the building for fire safety.
There is also an ongoing criminal case against the Derderians and Daniel Biechele, the former tour manager for Great White, each of whom is charged with 200 counts of manslaughter.
Yesterday, Bruce Morin, a Rhode Island Workers' Compensation Court judge, ordered the Derderians to pay death benefits and lost wages to the families of four nightclub employees killed in the fire. The Derderians did not have workers' compensation insurance.
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