Woman accused of holding sex-and-drug parties with teenage boys

By: Associated Press | Friday, January 21, 2005 9:21 PM PST ∞

ARVADA, Colo. -- A 40-year-old woman held sex and drug parties with teenage boys, telling police she wanted to be a "cool mom," authorities say. Sylvia Johnson allegedly provided marijuana, methamphetamine and alcohol to eight boys at parties she hosted at her suburban Denver home in 2003 and 2004. According to court papers, she admitted having sex with five of the boys.

One of the boys told his mother, and Johnson was arrested in December and charged with offenses including sexual assault and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

According to court papers, Johnson told investigators she was not popular in high school and had finally started "feeling like one of the group."

"She described herself as a 'cool mom'," police said.

Authorities did not say how many children she has or whether any of them were at the parties.

A message left at the number listed for Johnson was not immediately returned.

Paris Hilton investigated in petty theft case, authorities say

Associated Press

WEST HOLLYWOOD -- Hotel heiress Paris Hilton is being investigated for suspicion of petty theft, authorities said.

"There was an incident, and she is alleged to have taken something," sheriff's Deputy Steve Suzuki said Thursday without disclosing further details.

Calls to Hilton's publicist, Gina Hoffman, were not immediately returned.

On its Web site, the television show "Celebrity Justice" posted a video of Hilton as she bought several magazines at a newsstand and was given change. It goes on to show her grabbing her infamous sex video and walking off with it.

Gerry Castro, an employee at Swing News in West Hollywood, told "Celebrity Justice" that Hilton became enraged after spotting the sex video "One Night in Paris" on sale at the newsstand.

"She threw her 80 cents change at me and took the video and said, 'I'm taking this and I'm not buying it,"' Castro told the show.

Castro declined to comment when contacted Friday by The Associated Press.

The sex tape surfaced in 2003 just before the launch of Hilton's television series, "The Simple Life." She has said she was embarrassed and humiliated that the tape ever became public.

Deputies were expected to present the misdemeanor case next week to prosecutors, who will then decide whether to file any charges, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The Sheriff's Department decided to announce details of the Dec. 15 incident after getting numerous phone calls from reporters, Suzuki said.

Half-ton man drops nearly 500 pounds

Associated Press

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Patrick Deuel is half the man he used to be. Deuel, 42, was scheduled to leave the hospital as early as Friday, seven months after he checked in in grave condition, at 1,072 pounds. After undergoing stomach-reduction surgery in October, he is down to 610 pounds and is healthier.

Now, the Valentine, Neb., man looks forward to the simple things others take for granted, such as taking out the trash and shoveling snow.

"We've given him (another) shot at life ... and I hope he seizes on it," said Dr. Fred Harris, leader of the nine-person medical team responsible for Deuel's care at Avera McKennan Hospital.

Deuel was admitted on June 4. Heart failure, diabetes, high blood pressure and other problems caused by severe obesity threatened to kill him. He had trouble breathing and was malnourished because so many of his calories came from foods high in fat and carbohydrates. He had been housebound for seven years and bedridden for months.

Deuel could someday go back to work if he sticks to his diet, keeps building his strength and increases his level of activity, his doctor said.

"My hope is Patrick will be able to remain mobile enough to get out of the house and get a job," Harris said. "He could have a career in motivational speaking. He's got the smarts."

Harris knew surgery was Deuel's best chance but said Deuel needed to show he was healthy enough to undergo the operation. Deuel was put on a 1,200-calorie-a-day diet and started exercising, and was soon strong enough for surgery.

Deuel said he is not particularly worried about sticking to a diet once he returns home; he used to be a cook and restaurant manager.

He said eventually he would like to get down to 240 pounds -- although the last time he saw that on the scale was when he was in sixth grade.

FAA probes helicopter pilot who played hero during flood

Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY -- A helicopter pilot who rescued a family from an overflowing river, then sought donations for them in exchange for a bird's-eye view of flood-devastated areas is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Jeremy Johnson flew numerous rescue-and-supply missions as part of the relief effort when the Santa Clara River in southern Utah overflowed its banks and devoured 40 homes. One mission included his last-minute rescue of Rolf and Renae Ludwig and their children, who were only able to grab a change of clothes before the flooded river washed away their mobile home.

Later, Johnson gave what amounted to joyrides above the wreckage to anyone willing to donate money to help the Ludwigs, raising about $20,000 in two days.

Johnson said the FAA told him he failed to give the required seven days' notice before offering the rides. Federal authorities also questioned whether he was registered as a charity with the Treasury Department.

"I'm afraid they're going to suspend my license," Johnson said Friday.

He may also have violated FAA rules when he carried explosives and an explosives expert across the river -- at the request of local rescue officials -- to help free up a blockage on the river that was contributing to the flooding.

That matter is being reviewed separately by the FAA's Hazardous Materials Division, but no investigation has been ordered yet, said Allen Kenitzer, a spokesman for the FAA.

For the potential violations, Kenitzer said, Johnson may face "as little as a reprimand or as much as a revocation of his certificate."

Cosby attorney questions why accuser took so long to come forward

Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA -- The attorney hired to defend comedian Bill Cosby from allegations he fondled a female acquaintance questioned Friday why the woman took a year to come forward.

The woman was formerly an employee at Temple University, Cosby's beloved alma mater. She told police this month in her native Canada that Cosby fondled her at his suburban Philadelphia mansion in January 2004.

"It's pointedly bizarre because it's been a year since it allegedly happened, and she is coming forward," said Cosby's attorney, Walter M. Phillips Jr. "It will be vigorously defended."

He said he expected investigators would need some time before deciding whether to file charges and that he did not think authorities in Pennsylvania had interviewed the accuser yet.

Durham Area Regional Police in Ontario had referred the case to police in Cheltenham Township, the Philadelphia suburb where Cosby has a home. Neither Cheltenham Police Chief John Norris nor prosecutors in Montgomery County returned repeated messages left Friday.

The accuser's telephone number in Ontario was not listed and she could not be reached for comment.

The woman, now in her mid-30s, left Temple in April and returned to Canada. She previously played basketball at the University of Arizona.

Arizona women's basketball coach Joan Bonvicini said the woman left to pursue a new career after failing to find work coaching a team.

"She's always been honest and upstanding. ... I've never known her to lie," Bonvicini said Friday of her former player.

Cosby, 67, best-known as a warm, wisecracking TV dad, has provoked debate this past year with blunt remarks on personal responsibility aimed at the black community.

In 1997, his son Ennis was murdered while changing a tire in Los Angeles. Later that year, the long-married Cosby acknowledged a brief affair with the mother of Autumn Jackson, a young woman convicted of extorting him. Cosby testified that he had quietly sent $100,000 to Jackson and her mother over the years, even though he doubted he had fathered her.

Cosby is synonymous with Temple. He frequently attends university events and is the school's de facto commencement speaker.

Thornhill Cosby, 83, of Philadelphia, a Cosby uncle, also questioned the woman's motives.

"I can't understand this woman waiting a year to make these remarks against him," he said. "Bill is a fine fellow. He's helped a lot of people. We've known he's a millionaire, and everybody out there is trying to get some of his money."

Cosby postponed a town hall meeting in Cleveland on Thursday and has postponed three upcoming appearances in Florida, his publicist David Brokaw said. Brokaw would not say whether the postponements had anything to do with the recent allegations.

The Louvre agrees -- in principle -- to shooting of 'The Da Vinci Code'

Associated Press

PARIS -- Scenes for the film adaptation of the best-selling novel "The Da Vinci Code" can, in principle, be shot in the Louvre, but details must still be worked out, the director of the famed museum said Friday.

"There is really a very strong desire to see the movie for this book, which has world renown, shot in the Louvre," Henri Loyrette told France-Inter radio. "It is a yes in principle from our side."

Filming the adaptation of Dan Brown's mystical thriller is expected to start in June, with Oscar-winner Ron Howard directing. Tom Hanks will play Robert Langdon, a symbologist in a race to solve the murder of an elderly member of an ancient society that has protected dark secrets since the early years of Christianity.

"The Louvre is not a movie set. It is a place that receives an average of 20,000 visitors a day," Loyrette said. "That means the times really available for shooting are Tuesday closing day and nights.

"All the discussions must be taken up with the production because it is bound to be a busy shoot, with financial implications," he said.

Talks should begin very soon, he added. Sony Pictures has said it plans to release the film May 19, 2006.

"The Da Vinci Code" will mark Hanks' third collaboration with Howard and his producing partner Brian Grazer. The three previously worked together on "Splash" and "Apollo 13."

Howard won a best-director Oscar in 2002 for "A Beautiful Mind."

"The Da Vinci Code" is a mix of code-breaking, art history, secret societies, religion and lore, all wrapped up in short, fast-paced chapters. Several other books have tried to debunk its contentious allegations -- namely, that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and sired a bloodline.

Bronze swords stolen from monuments at Gettysburg military park

Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- A bronze sword was stolen this week from a monument at Gettysburg National Military Park, the second such theft in a little over four months.

The sword was pried or broken off a stone monument to the 8th Pennsylvania Cavalry dedicated in 1890, probably vanishing between Monday and Wednesday, the National Park Service said. The first sword was reported missing Sept. 15 from a bronze sculpture of Brig. Gen. Alexander Hays, dedicated in 1915.

Replacing the swords and repairing damage could cost as much as $4,200, Katie Lawhon, a park service spokeswoman, said Friday.

"We're concerned that somebody may be doing it to sell them," she said.

The 6,000-acre Gettysburg National Military Park is at the site of the decisive Civil War battle of July 1863.

Markers occasionally disappear from the park's 1,300 monuments. About 20 years ago, a thick bronze plaque with a battle scene was stolen. It later turned up at a Baltimore scrap yard, Lawhon said.

Adams County Crime Stoppers has offered a reward of $1,000 for information that leads to a conviction. The thefts are punishable by a sentence of up to 10 years and a $100,000 fine.

On the Net:

Gettysburg National Military Park: http://www.nps.gov/gett