First Drip
First Drip (9/17/15): Cyclist killed Sunday had recently escaped homelessness
PostedByRyan Pitkin
on Thu, Sep 17, 2015 at 10:35 AM
Al Gorman, the cyclist killed as the result of a chain-reaction car wreck last Sunday, had reportedly found a home just months before his death after struggling for at least seven years with homelessness. Gorman was killed at the corner of Hawthorne Lane and Parkwood Avenue, between the NoDa and Plaza Midwood neighborhoods, a corner many cyclists say is one of Charlotte's most dangerous. About 70 members of the cycling community attended a vigil for Gorman on Tuesday night, and placed a "ghost bike" at the intersection, with signs reminding drivers to slow down.
A 3-month-old boy who was taken from his home last night has been found, according to CMPD officials, and returned to his mother. Police responded to a domestic disturbance at the boy's home last Thursday night and the mother told police his father left with him and that he was poorly clothed and in danger. Officers are still looking for the baby's father, Donte Hill Sr., who they say has an outstanding warrant for probation violation.
The owner of a west Charlotte Red Roof Inn has been stripped of his franchise following allegations that it was used as a hub for teen prostitution, often involving human trafficking. The owner, Chandresh Patel, released a statement saying he was recently made aware of the crimes, which he said were committed in the past, and is taking action resolve the issues. Patel, however, profited from the prostitution, according to investigators.
A 14-month-old baby who was burned in an explosion on Tuesday is still in the hospital with life-threatening injuries resulting from burns over 40 percent of her body. The infant was burned when a gas can exploded at her family's North Charlotte home while they were burning trash in the backyard. In a Facebook post from the father, he said that doctors have told him that if his daughter, Emily Hinton, does pull through she will need multiple surgeries throughout her life.
People in Hawaii and southern California were on tsunami alert following an 8.3-magnitude earthquake in Chile yesterday. The alert was later downgraded to an advisory, as conditions did not reportedly indicate a tsunami threat. At least five people in Chile were reported killed as a result of the earthquake.