BURLINGTON, Vt. — The big banners with red lettering, "Come Home, Brooke, We Love You!!" were up long before a planned candlelight vigil for the 12-year-old missing for a week.
But instead of saying prayers for Brooke Bennett's safe return, the 300 people at the Wednesday night gathering found themselves mourning the news that her body had been found a few hours earlier.
Brooke, who had just finished seventh grade at Randolph Union High School, disappeared on June 25 after being seen at a convenience store with her uncle, Michael Jacques.
As state police announced the grim news Wednesday evening, they said Jacques will face federal kidnapping charges.
Jacques, 42, has been in custody since Sunday on charges of aggravated sexual assault against a different underage girl. He has pleaded not guilty.
"Brooke Marie, I love you so much," her mother, Cassandra Gagnon, said near a large photo of Brooke on the town gazebo in the picturesque town of just over 5,000. "I just ask that justice be done for the person who took my baby away," she said, sobbing.
Jacques is married to Cassandra Gagnon's sister.
After searching in and around Jacques' home across town for days, police said they found the girl's body in a spot where the earth had been disturbed about a mile from the home.
"The painful discovery of Brooke's body today is tragic and heartbreaking," State Police Director Col. James Baker said. He called the death "clearly suspicious" but declined to give details before a planned briefing Thursday morning.
But in an affidavit unsealed earlier Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Burlington, the FBI said a teenager they identified as "Juvenile 1" told investigators she accompanied Jacques on June 25 as he tricked his niece into thinking she was going to a party and took her to his home to be initiated that day into a sex ring.
The girl said she was led to believe Brooke "would have sex with adult males" during the initiation, and that she herself had been forced into the ring.
In another blow to the family and town, Brooke's former stepfather, Raymond Gagnon, 40, of San Antonio, Texas, was formally charged Wednesday with obstructing justice in the case. He entered no plea at the federal hearing and was denied bail pending another hearing on Monday.
Lawyer John Pacht argued unsuccessfully that Gagnon cooperated with authorities who questioned him in Texas and should be released.
Police say that during their investigation, Jacques led them to a posting on the MySpace social networking site in which Brooke firmed up a planned rendezvous the next morning with someone whose online name was "Skittelmeup."
But forensic analysis showed the posting and reposting soon afterward came from a laptop that Jacques said belonged to his employer, Thermadyne, in Lebanon, N.H., according to the affidavit.
It said Gagnon told authorities he accessed the account, using login information from Jacques, from his laptop in San Antonio the night Brooke disappeared, and that he had downloaded child pornography onto the laptop, which police have not recovered.
Gary Finch, Brooke's homeroom and math teacher last year, spoke at the vigil. He said she was an energetic and enthusiastic learner whom he loved having in class.
"She was always volunteering, always with a smile on her face. Smart, creative. It's a tragedy. It's unbelievable. It's hard to comprehend. I didn't think anything like this would happen to such a great kid."
Finch said when school started last fall, Brooke was nervous about transferring from her small elementary school to the high school.
"She conquered that," he said. "She didn't conquer this."
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Final Farewell to Brooke
As I have been reporting all week Brooke Bennett went missing and finally police believe they have found her body. It is my belief that the sorry excuses of human trash need to be killed in a very gruesome fashion.
My prayers go out to the sane members of this little girl's family and I wish you did not have to go through the terrible ordeal of the loss of a child.
If I, through my blog and radio show can be of assistance feel free to let me know. I hope the SOBS that did this burn in hell.
Fabian
Brooke Bennett Update
(Author's note: The more I learn and read about this the more I am convinced that this little girl may have come to an awful demise solely to protect miscreants who wanted her for sex and molestation. This from people she most likely loved and trusted. My prayers are with the family as this all plays out. I do offer one queation - where does her mom fit into all of this.)
RANDOLPH, Vt. — A missing Vermont girl's uncle brought her home and took her upstairs to have sex, federal officials say in court papers.
In an affidavit, officials contend a teenage girl admitted helping Michael Jacques, Brooke Bennett's uncle, drop the 12-year-old off at a store on June 25, then pick her up and take her to his Randolph home for sex. Brooke has not been seen since.
The teen told agents she herself had been having sex with Jacques, 42, since she was 9 as part of a sex ring called Breckinridge, according to the U.S. District Court affidavit. She said she was told Brooke was going to be brought into the ring that day.
The teenager said she understood that as part of the initiation, Brooke "would have sex with adult males," according to the affidavit in U.S. District Court.
She and Brooke watched television for a while before Jacques told her to leave and took Brooke upstairs, the teen said. The girl left the house with her boyfriend and did not see Brooke again, she said.
Brooke's former stepfather was expected to be in court Wednesday to face federal charges that he destroyed evidence in connection with the search for Brooke.
Ray Gagnon, 40, will appear in U.S. District Court in Burlington, Vt., to answer an obstruction of justice charge. If convicted, the San Antonio, Texas, man could be sentenced to life in prison.
Investigators searching for the girl arrested both Gagnon and her uncle, a registered sex offender, this week on sexual assault charges. Brooke is not among the victims, according to police.
The girl's 42-year-old uncle, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Detectives still have not found Brooke. The Braintree, Vt., girl has been missing she was dropped off at a convenience store in downtown Randolph by her uncle. Surveillance video from the shop has been analyzed.
Gagnon reportedly traveled to the state from his Texas home to help out in the search for the girl.
Gagnon was married to Brooke's mother for about five years; Brooke lived with them in Alabama. The mother, Cassandra Gagnon, told the San Antonio Express-News that Gagnon came to Vermont to try to lend a hand after her disappearance made national news last week.
"We're not doing very good ... not very good at all," the child's weeping stepmother Janet Bennett told FOX News Wednesday.
Janet Bennett is married to Brooke's father James Bennett and said the family was frustrated over the lack of information they're getting on the case. She discounted the possibility that Brooke might have left on her own.
"She's not the type of girl who would run away," she said.
Gagnon was arrested Tuesday on federal child molestation charges in connection with a sexual assault investigation involving Brooke's uncle.
Gagnon was in federal custody Tuesday on a charge of aggravated sexual assault on a minor, according to Vermont State Police, but his arraignment was canceled reportedly because of problems with the paperwork.
The arrest is related to the case against Jacques, who was charged on Monday with sexually assaulting a young girl over a five-year period. The girl told police she had been enrolled in what police called a program for sex.
According to court papers, she told police that Jacques was to be her trainer in a "program for sex" and that she had met three men affiliated with the program.
Girls in the program were warned that "the first (girl) who does it lives and the second gets her throat cut," according to an affidavit filed Monday at Vermont District Court for Orange County.
Col. James Baker, head of the state police, said authorities were considering all possibilities, including that the sex ring was a ruse Jacques created to intimidate the girl into having sex with him.
State police say Jacques, a registered sex offender, also is a "person of interest" in Brooke's disappearance.
The charges against Jacques — and now Gagnon — grew out of the investigation into the disappearance of Brooke, who was last seen at 9 a.m. June 25 when Jacques dropped her off at a convenience store in Randolph.
Store surveillance video shows the two leaving the store together and then Brooke going left out the door while Jacques goes right.
Brooke had told family she was to meet a friend to visit the friend's hospitalized relative. Police now believe that was a lie and Brooke intended to meet someone she'd met on the Internet.
Police have described their investigation into Brooke's disappearance as involving social networking Web sites.
RANDOLPH, Vt. — A missing Vermont girl's uncle brought her home and took her upstairs to have sex, federal officials say in court papers.
In an affidavit, officials contend a teenage girl admitted helping Michael Jacques, Brooke Bennett's uncle, drop the 12-year-old off at a store on June 25, then pick her up and take her to his Randolph home for sex. Brooke has not been seen since.
The teen told agents she herself had been having sex with Jacques, 42, since she was 9 as part of a sex ring called Breckinridge, according to the U.S. District Court affidavit. She said she was told Brooke was going to be brought into the ring that day.
The teenager said she understood that as part of the initiation, Brooke "would have sex with adult males," according to the affidavit in U.S. District Court.
She and Brooke watched television for a while before Jacques told her to leave and took Brooke upstairs, the teen said. The girl left the house with her boyfriend and did not see Brooke again, she said.
Brooke's former stepfather was expected to be in court Wednesday to face federal charges that he destroyed evidence in connection with the search for Brooke.
Ray Gagnon, 40, will appear in U.S. District Court in Burlington, Vt., to answer an obstruction of justice charge. If convicted, the San Antonio, Texas, man could be sentenced to life in prison.
Investigators searching for the girl arrested both Gagnon and her uncle, a registered sex offender, this week on sexual assault charges. Brooke is not among the victims, according to police.
The girl's 42-year-old uncle, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Detectives still have not found Brooke. The Braintree, Vt., girl has been missing she was dropped off at a convenience store in downtown Randolph by her uncle. Surveillance video from the shop has been analyzed.
Gagnon reportedly traveled to the state from his Texas home to help out in the search for the girl.
Gagnon was married to Brooke's mother for about five years; Brooke lived with them in Alabama. The mother, Cassandra Gagnon, told the San Antonio Express-News that Gagnon came to Vermont to try to lend a hand after her disappearance made national news last week.
"We're not doing very good ... not very good at all," the child's weeping stepmother Janet Bennett told FOX News Wednesday.
Janet Bennett is married to Brooke's father James Bennett and said the family was frustrated over the lack of information they're getting on the case. She discounted the possibility that Brooke might have left on her own.
"She's not the type of girl who would run away," she said.
Gagnon was arrested Tuesday on federal child molestation charges in connection with a sexual assault investigation involving Brooke's uncle.
Gagnon was in federal custody Tuesday on a charge of aggravated sexual assault on a minor, according to Vermont State Police, but his arraignment was canceled reportedly because of problems with the paperwork.
The arrest is related to the case against Jacques, who was charged on Monday with sexually assaulting a young girl over a five-year period. The girl told police she had been enrolled in what police called a program for sex.
According to court papers, she told police that Jacques was to be her trainer in a "program for sex" and that she had met three men affiliated with the program.
Girls in the program were warned that "the first (girl) who does it lives and the second gets her throat cut," according to an affidavit filed Monday at Vermont District Court for Orange County.
Col. James Baker, head of the state police, said authorities were considering all possibilities, including that the sex ring was a ruse Jacques created to intimidate the girl into having sex with him.
State police say Jacques, a registered sex offender, also is a "person of interest" in Brooke's disappearance.
The charges against Jacques — and now Gagnon — grew out of the investigation into the disappearance of Brooke, who was last seen at 9 a.m. June 25 when Jacques dropped her off at a convenience store in Randolph.
Store surveillance video shows the two leaving the store together and then Brooke going left out the door while Jacques goes right.
Brooke had told family she was to meet a friend to visit the friend's hospitalized relative. Police now believe that was a lie and Brooke intended to meet someone she'd met on the Internet.
Police have described their investigation into Brooke's disappearance as involving social networking Web sites.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Christians under attack (again)
A married couple evicted from their apartment and fired from their
jobs as managers of the complex is taking the owner of the complex
to federal court. They claim their only offense was hanging a piece
of Christian artwork in the office.
For more than eight years, Daniel and Sharon Dixon managed the
Thornwood Terrace Apartments in Lake City, Florida. And for most of
that time, a stained-glass portrayal of a lily with the
phrase "Consider the Lilies … Matthew 6:28" hung in their office.
That was about to change when the company that owns the complex
hired a new regional supervisor.
"There had been other supervisors over this eight-plus year period
who had seen this particular art work of stained glass...," says
Matt Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel. The new supervisor had only
been on the job for roughly two months before she realized the
artwork contained scripture. But when she did notice the scripture,
she took rather severe action, notes Staver.
That action included firing both of the Dixons and evicting them
from their apartment. "We have now filed a discrimination lawsuit
claiming obvious and blatant discrimination based on their Christian
convictions in the workplace, and also a violation of the federal
Housing Act...," explains Staver.
Staver says looking at the actual artwork in question illustrates
even more so how absurd the whole ordeal is.
jobs as managers of the complex is taking the owner of the complex
to federal court. They claim their only offense was hanging a piece
of Christian artwork in the office.
For more than eight years, Daniel and Sharon Dixon managed the
Thornwood Terrace Apartments in Lake City, Florida. And for most of
that time, a stained-glass portrayal of a lily with the
phrase "Consider the Lilies … Matthew 6:28" hung in their office.
That was about to change when the company that owns the complex
hired a new regional supervisor.
"There had been other supervisors over this eight-plus year period
who had seen this particular art work of stained glass...," says
Matt Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel. The new supervisor had only
been on the job for roughly two months before she realized the
artwork contained scripture. But when she did notice the scripture,
she took rather severe action, notes Staver.
That action included firing both of the Dixons and evicting them
from their apartment. "We have now filed a discrimination lawsuit
claiming obvious and blatant discrimination based on their Christian
convictions in the workplace, and also a violation of the federal
Housing Act...," explains Staver.
Staver says looking at the actual artwork in question illustrates
even more so how absurd the whole ordeal is.
Brooke Bennett Update
CHELSEA, Vt. — The stepfather of a missing 12-year-old girl has been arrested on federal child molestation charges in connection with a sexual assault investigation involving her uncle.
Brooke Bennett's stepfather Ray A. Gagnon, 40, was in federal custody Tuesday on a charge of aggravated sexual assault on a minor, according to Vermont State Police.
The arrest is related to charges against Brooke's uncle, Michael Jacques, who was charged on Monday with sexually assaulting a young girl over a five-year period. The girl told police she had been enrolled in what police called a program for sex.
According to court papers, she told police that Jacques was to be her trainer in a "program for sex" and that she had met three men affiliated with the program.
Girls in the program were warned that "the first (girl) who does it lives and the second gets her throat cut," according to an affidavit filed Monday at Vermont District Court for Orange County.
Col. James Baker, head of the state police, said authorities were considering all possibilities, including that the sex ring was a ruse Jacques created to intimidate the girl into having sex with him.
( Author's note: It occurs to me that this poor girl was in a mess and hopefully at the very least this probe will keep other girls safe from these monsters.)
State police say Jacques, a registered sex offender, also is a "person of interest" in Brooke's disappearance.
The new charges and second arrest do not involve Brooke, who vanished last week, police said.
The Vermont U.S. Attorney's office said Gagnon, of San Antonio, Texas, will appear in court Wednesday to answer a charge of obstruction of justice. An arraignment originally scheduled for Tuesday was postponed. Gagnon is accused of destroying evidence in connection with the probe into Bennett's disappearance. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
Brooke's father James Bennett told FOX News that Brooke's mother had been married to Gagnon after his marriage to her.
Bennett said Cassandra and Ray Gagnon separated about four years ago, but he wasn't sure whether the couple had divorced.
Brooke lived in Alabama with Gagnon and her mother for six years, Bennett said.
Police said Gagnon's arrest was related to the Sunday arrest of Jacques, 42. He pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge of aggravated sexual assault against the now-14-year-old girl over a five-year period, ending last month.
"This arrest is a result of Gagnon sexually assaulting another minor in the Royalton, Vermont, area during the summer of 2007," police said in a news release issued early Tuesday.
The alleged victim in the Jacques case, identified in court papers as "A.R.", told police Jacques was to be her trainer in a "program for sex." She said she had met three men affiliated with the program.
Jacques is being held for lack of $250,000 bail.
Police did not say when or where Gagnon was arrested, but he is being held at Vermont's Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield.
The charges against Jacques — and now Gagnon — grew out of the investigation into the disappearance of Brooke, who was last seen at 9 a.m. June 25 when Jacques dropped her off at a convenience store in Randolph.
Store surveillance video shows the two leaving the store together and then Brooke going left out the door while Jacques goes right.
Brooke had told family she was to meet a friend to visit the friend's hospitalized relative. Police now believe that was a lie and Brooke intended to meet someone she'd met on the Internet.
Police have described their investigation into Brooke's disappearance as involving social networking Web sites.
Brooke Bennett's stepfather Ray A. Gagnon, 40, was in federal custody Tuesday on a charge of aggravated sexual assault on a minor, according to Vermont State Police.
The arrest is related to charges against Brooke's uncle, Michael Jacques, who was charged on Monday with sexually assaulting a young girl over a five-year period. The girl told police she had been enrolled in what police called a program for sex.
According to court papers, she told police that Jacques was to be her trainer in a "program for sex" and that she had met three men affiliated with the program.
Girls in the program were warned that "the first (girl) who does it lives and the second gets her throat cut," according to an affidavit filed Monday at Vermont District Court for Orange County.
Col. James Baker, head of the state police, said authorities were considering all possibilities, including that the sex ring was a ruse Jacques created to intimidate the girl into having sex with him.
( Author's note: It occurs to me that this poor girl was in a mess and hopefully at the very least this probe will keep other girls safe from these monsters.)
State police say Jacques, a registered sex offender, also is a "person of interest" in Brooke's disappearance.
The new charges and second arrest do not involve Brooke, who vanished last week, police said.
The Vermont U.S. Attorney's office said Gagnon, of San Antonio, Texas, will appear in court Wednesday to answer a charge of obstruction of justice. An arraignment originally scheduled for Tuesday was postponed. Gagnon is accused of destroying evidence in connection with the probe into Bennett's disappearance. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
Brooke's father James Bennett told FOX News that Brooke's mother had been married to Gagnon after his marriage to her.
Bennett said Cassandra and Ray Gagnon separated about four years ago, but he wasn't sure whether the couple had divorced.
Brooke lived in Alabama with Gagnon and her mother for six years, Bennett said.
Police said Gagnon's arrest was related to the Sunday arrest of Jacques, 42. He pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge of aggravated sexual assault against the now-14-year-old girl over a five-year period, ending last month.
"This arrest is a result of Gagnon sexually assaulting another minor in the Royalton, Vermont, area during the summer of 2007," police said in a news release issued early Tuesday.
The alleged victim in the Jacques case, identified in court papers as "A.R.", told police Jacques was to be her trainer in a "program for sex." She said she had met three men affiliated with the program.
Jacques is being held for lack of $250,000 bail.
Police did not say when or where Gagnon was arrested, but he is being held at Vermont's Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield.
The charges against Jacques — and now Gagnon — grew out of the investigation into the disappearance of Brooke, who was last seen at 9 a.m. June 25 when Jacques dropped her off at a convenience store in Randolph.
Store surveillance video shows the two leaving the store together and then Brooke going left out the door while Jacques goes right.
Brooke had told family she was to meet a friend to visit the friend's hospitalized relative. Police now believe that was a lie and Brooke intended to meet someone she'd met on the Internet.
Police have described their investigation into Brooke's disappearance as involving social networking Web sites.
Monday, June 30, 2008
An Update on Brooke Bennett
Author's Note: Whereas the FBI has only named him a person of interest I would submit that this freak and pervert was one of the last to see Brooke alive. I hope and pray that she is alive and unharmed. Thank you to the FBI for their diligent work in this matter.)
CHELSEA, Vt. — A probe into the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl zeroed in on her uncle Monday, with police calling him a "person of interest" and searching his home while he was being arraigned on sex charges in an unrelated case.
Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, a registered sex offender who was one of the last people to see Brooke Bennett before she vanished, pleaded not guilty to aggravated sexual assault and was being held on $250,000 bail.
The alleged victim, a relative of Jacques', was a girl who says Jacques assaulted her over a five-year period, beginning when she was 9 years old and ending a few weeks ago, Orange County State's Attorney Will Porter said.
In an affidavit released afterward, Vermont State Police Detective Sgt. William Jenkins said the girl told police that when she was 9 or 10, she was told — in a telephone call and in a note left under her pillow — that she had been selected for enrollment in a "program for sex" and that Jacques was to be her trainer.
The alleged victim, identified only as "A.R." in court papers, said she was told two other girls were in the program, too.
"The first who does it lives and the second gets her throat cut," she told police, according to the affidavit.
At Jacques' home in Randolph, meanwhile, Vermont State Police called in state police units from Connecticut and Massachusetts and used a helicopter and dogs to search Jacques' home and an adjoining property. Troopers swarmed around Jacques' home — a large two-story house — beginning around 4 a.m. Monday.
Police haven't named him as a suspect in Bennett's disappearance, and seemed last week to be ruling him out. They wouldn't answer questions Monday, pending a 4 p.m. briefing.
Jacques, who is married to the sister of Bennett's mother, dropped Bennett off at a Cumberland Farms convenience store in Randolph on Wednesday after she told family members she was going to meet a friend and visit a relative of the friend's in the hospital.
Police believe that was a lie, and that Bennett may have bound for a meeting with an unknown individual she had been communicating with through MySpace.com, the social networking site. On Friday, Vermont State Police director James Baker said the MySpace communications were the main focus of the probe.
Surveillance video from the store showed Bennett and Jacques leave the store and go in separate directions.
Bennett, who just finished seventh grade at Randolph Union High School, has not been seen since. She is the subject of Vermont's first-ever Amber Alert, which was issued Friday.
In court Monday, a pallid Jacques — handcuffed and shackled at the waist — entered a not guilty plea through public defender L. Brooke Dingledine, who persuaded Judge Theresa DiMauro to grant bail over the objections of Porter.
Jacques has 1993 convictions for kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault and there is "a threat of prejudicial violence to this particular juvenile complainant," said Porter, in arguing for no bail. "Her personal safety was threatened."
He also noted the serious nature of the crime, which could lead to a life prison term, and said Jacques had violated his probation.
"There's no condition or series of conditions that could guarantee the safety of the juvenile complainant in this case," said Porter.
Dingledine said Jacques has a full-time job as an operations manager for a company in West Lebanon, N.H., owns his home and a rental property next door, has strong family ties and a family that depends on his income.
DiMauro said she was considering barring Jacques from leaving the county, but Dingledine — who called the corroborating evidence on the sex charge "very sparse" — said he needed to get to work. So the judge ordered a 24-hour curfew — except for work — if he makes bail.
Relatives of Bennett watched from the gallery as Jacques made his appearance.
The world in general.
I have been watching the past few weeks as we continue to get news of higher gas, higher, food, higher inflation, higher this and higher that. I expected to see people become more hermit-like in their lives since gas and food were driving a stake in the heart of people. What I see is something quite to the contrary - people are still buying their cigarettes and beer and other luxuries while at the same time griping about how it is tough and tight.
Last evening I saw a news story (CBS) of this woman who works .5 miles from her home telling the reporters she had to choose between gas for getting to work or food. The hoopla over gas and food prices are being hyped because this is an election year otherwise that story would have never made it to the news floor.
What I am trying to get at is yes we have a higher gas price (our fault for our greedy consumption), higher food prices (we are wasteful - simply go to an all you can eat buffet), and we have to be less worried with luxuries and more concerned with necessities.
Do I like paying higher prices? NO but I do understand supply v. demand as well as what is a need and a want. We as Americans are truly spoiled and want to live extravagant lifestyles as long as we do not have to pay the piper.
Last evening I saw a news story (CBS) of this woman who works .5 miles from her home telling the reporters she had to choose between gas for getting to work or food. The hoopla over gas and food prices are being hyped because this is an election year otherwise that story would have never made it to the news floor.
What I am trying to get at is yes we have a higher gas price (our fault for our greedy consumption), higher food prices (we are wasteful - simply go to an all you can eat buffet), and we have to be less worried with luxuries and more concerned with necessities.
Do I like paying higher prices? NO but I do understand supply v. demand as well as what is a need and a want. We as Americans are truly spoiled and want to live extravagant lifestyles as long as we do not have to pay the piper.
Bible v. Cell-phone
I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible
Like we treat our cell-phone?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?
This is something to make you go...hmm...where is my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to
worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid
the bill.
Makes you stop and think, "What are my priorities?"
Like we treat our cell-phone?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?
This is something to make you go...hmm...where is my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to
worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid
the bill.
Makes you stop and think, "What are my priorities?"
True Words
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were
driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a
parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his
brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches!
The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started
yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy.
And I mean, he was really friendly.
So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? That guy almost ruined your
car and sent us to the hospital!'
That is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of
the Garbage Truck.' He explained that many people are like garbage
trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full
of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up,
they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you.
Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and
move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at
work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that
successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.
Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets,
so..... 'Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who
don't.'
Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take
it!
driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a
parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his
brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches!
The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started
yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy.
And I mean, he was really friendly.
So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? That guy almost ruined your
car and sent us to the hospital!'
That is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of
the Garbage Truck.' He explained that many people are like garbage
trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full
of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up,
they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you.
Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and
move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at
work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that
successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.
Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets,
so..... 'Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who
don't.'
Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take
it!
Brooke Bennett: UPDATE Relative arrested!!
MONTPELIER, Vt. — The uncle of a missing 12-year-old girl — one of the last people to see her before she vanished — has been arrested on unrelated sex charges developed as part of the investigation into her disappearance, Vermont State Police said.
Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, who dropped off Brooke Bennett at a convenience store Wednesday and was seen leaving it in a different direction on a surveillance camera video, was charged with aggravated sexual assault against a minor — the victim wasn't Bennett.
She remained missing Sunday, despite an intensive search by state police, the FBI and other agencies.
Jacques, who is married to Bennett's mother's sister, is listed on Vermont sex offender registry. He was convicted of sexual assault and kidnapping in 1993.
The arrest came as the result of information uncovered by investigators assigned to the disappearance. The victim wasn't identified.
He was being held at the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, pending an arraignment in Orange County District Court on Monday. If convicted, he could get 10 years to life in prison.
Related
Jacques and a cousin of Bennett's dropped the girl at Cumberland Farms in Randolph about 9 a.m. Wednesday, police said. On the video, which was released Friday, the two are seen in the store, where Jacques makes a purchase with Bennett at his side. They walk out together, and then part ways.
Her grandmother reported Bennett missing 12 hours later, and on Thursday an Amber Alert — the first in Vermont history — was issued for Bennett.
Police have said they believe Bennett may have been headed to meet someone with whom she had been communicating online. On Friday, Vermont State Police director Col. James Baker said the investigation centered on contacts involving Bennett on the MySpace.com social networking site.
No suspects have been named in her disappearance.
Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, who dropped off Brooke Bennett at a convenience store Wednesday and was seen leaving it in a different direction on a surveillance camera video, was charged with aggravated sexual assault against a minor — the victim wasn't Bennett.
She remained missing Sunday, despite an intensive search by state police, the FBI and other agencies.
Jacques, who is married to Bennett's mother's sister, is listed on Vermont sex offender registry. He was convicted of sexual assault and kidnapping in 1993.
The arrest came as the result of information uncovered by investigators assigned to the disappearance. The victim wasn't identified.
He was being held at the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, pending an arraignment in Orange County District Court on Monday. If convicted, he could get 10 years to life in prison.
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Jacques and a cousin of Bennett's dropped the girl at Cumberland Farms in Randolph about 9 a.m. Wednesday, police said. On the video, which was released Friday, the two are seen in the store, where Jacques makes a purchase with Bennett at his side. They walk out together, and then part ways.
Her grandmother reported Bennett missing 12 hours later, and on Thursday an Amber Alert — the first in Vermont history — was issued for Bennett.
Police have said they believe Bennett may have been headed to meet someone with whom she had been communicating online. On Friday, Vermont State Police director Col. James Baker said the investigation centered on contacts involving Bennett on the MySpace.com social networking site.
No suspects have been named in her disappearance.
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