'Frosty the Snowman' Arrested at Maryland Parade

iStockPhoto/Thinkstock(BALTIMORE) -- A Chestertown, Md., man was arrested during a Christmas parade on Saturday, accused of scuffling with police and kicking at a police dog while dressed as Frosty the Snowman, according to Maryland's The Star Democrat.

Kevin Michael Walsh, 52, allegedly became agitated when a dog-handling officer tried to escort him away from the crowd, according to Sergeant John A. Dolgos.

Walsh says that he has dressed as Frosty in the parade for the last ten years and claims that he was wrongfully arrested. He says an officer “hassled” him after he commented on the police dog’s presence.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Older Craigslist Killings Suspect Was a 'Mentor' to Arrested Teen

Giorgio Fochesato/Vetta/Getty Images(AKRON, Ohio) -- The mother of one of the suspects in the Craigslist killings said her son has a "caring heart" and even served as a mentor to the high school student who was arrested with him in connection with three murders and one attempted murder.

Richard Beasley, 52, who worked as an unpaid chaplain, was arrested on Nov. 16, along with Brogan Rafferty, 16, for allegedly luring victims through a job advertisement that was posted on Craigslist seeking extra help working on an Ohio cattle farm.

Victims were told to bring all of their belongings, as they would also be living on the farm, which does not exist.

"In my wildest dreams, I just couldn't imagine him harming someone," Carol Beasley said of her son.

Beasley, who has known Rafferty since the teen was 8 years old, said her son tried to help the boy, who she said had difficulty in school following his parents' divorce.

"Richard tried to mentor him, get him into history," she said, adding that Rafferty is "a really nice kid."

She said the boy and her son would go fishing, play video games and deliver food to the needy, according to ABC affiliate WEWS.

Although her son had previously spent time in jail and had been arrested on charges of aggravated trafficking in drugs and compelling prostitution, Carol Beasley said he was adamant he would never go back.

"Although he did a lot of types of things, it seems that he worked with people on the border—drug addicts, street people—I just don't know if he crossed over the line or what happened," she said.

Despite being a mentor and working with his church, Richard Beasley was struggling financially, his mother said.

Police said they believe robbery was the motive in the three murders and one attempted murder.

"I've lived long enough to know that you have to be prepared for anything," Beasley said. "I'm just praying they've got the wrong people."

Rafferty is being held at the Muskingum County Juvenile Detention Center, and Beasley is in custody at the Summit County Jail on a $1 million bond.

A judge has imposed a gag order so that no further information about the case could be released.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Penn State Victim, Mother Watched Vigil Anonymously

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images(LOCK HAVEN, Penn.) -- Fifty people of all ages gathered Saturday to support Penn State’s alleged child sex abuse victims, unaware that “Victim 1,” as the high school boy was identified in a grand jury presentment, was inside a parked car a short distance away watching them.

The mother of the high school boy who said he was abused by Jerry Sandusky, told ABC News that she and her son watched the vigil Saturday night in Lock Haven, Pa., after hearing about it online and that it “meant a lot to him and his family.”

Victim 1, who according to his testimony, was 11 or 12 years old when he was first sexually abused by the 67-year-old former defensive assistant coach, endured such intense bullying following Sandusky’s arrest that he had to withdraw from his school.

The boy’s mother, who spoke exclusively to Good Morning America, said students at her son’s high school blamed him for triggering the sex abuse scandal that led to the firing of Joe Paterno, the beloved head coach who oversaw the university’s Nittany Lions football team for 46 years.

Paterno’s attorney, J. Sedgwick Sollers, told ABC News the former coach was saddened to hear about the bullying.

“Coach Paterno strongly condemns harassment or bullying of any kind, and he asks anyone who truly cares about Penn State to conduct themselves honorably and with respect for others,” Sollers said.

According to the grand jury report, Victim 1 suffered sexual abuse while he would stay overnight at Sandusky’s home in a bedroom in the coach’s finished basement and at least once other time in his school gymnasium, where Sandusky would volunteer. The boy originally met Sandusky through The Second Mile program for at-risk youth, which was founded by the coach.

The boy’s mother first alerted authorities of her suspicions in 2009, kicking off a two-year investigation that culminated in the arrest of the former coach on 40 counts of child sexual assault.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Police Still Interviewing Witnesses in Shopping Rage Incident

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- Police are reportedly still undecided about whether they will press charges against the Black Friday shopper who doused 20 people in pepper spray at a Los Angeles Walmart.

The woman was released pending further investigation as authorities decide whether they will file charges, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.

The woman, who has only been identified as a Latina in her 30s, turned herself in around 8:30 p.m. Friday. She was released pending further investigation.

"There are a lot of victims and witnesses that need to be interviewed to determine what the appropriate actions are," Officer Bruce Borihanh told ABC News.

The woman became notorious during the Black Friday frenzy when she allegedly used pepper spray on shoppers in different areas of a Walmart store Thursday night to gain quick access to the deals on her list.

The store had brought out a crate of discounted Xbox video game players, and a crowd had formed to wait for the crate to be opened. The woman began pepper spraying shoppers in order to get closer to the crate, according to Police Sgt. Jose Valle.

Shopper John Lopez wasn't hit, but compared the scene to a riot.

"[The victims'] faces were red," he told ABC News Radio. "This one guy was coming up to my wife going, 'Call an ambulance! Call an ambulance!'"

During the melee, the woman was able to pay for her purchases and slip away before police arrived, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Police Raid House in Search of Missing Orlando Mother of Three

Thinkstock/Getty Images(ORLANDO, Fla.) -- Police raided an Orlando, Fla., home overnight as they probed the 10-day disappearance of Michelle Parker, the mother who vanished the same day she and her ex-fiancé aired a dispute on The People's Court.

"Roughly 12 guys piled out, banged on the door, [and] yelled 'search warrant, search warrant,' and basically took everybody out of the house," neighbor Don Partin said.

The home belongs to Dale Smith Sr., the father of Parker's ex-fiancé, Dale Smith Jr., according to reports.

Smith Sr. was removed from the home in handcuffs, witnesses told ABC News affiliate WFTV. Two women, another man and some children also were taken out of the house, according to witness reports.

"They took everybody out, sat them in the yard," Partin said. "And then the cops went in, and the crime lab went in and pretty much everybody from all departments showed up."

It was unclear what initiated the raid.

Parker, 33, has been missing since Nov. 17, the day The People's Court aired an episode that exposed the tumultuous relationship between her and Smith Jr., the father of her two children.

Parker disappeared after she dropped her 3-year-old twins off at the Smith's house, the last place Parker was seen.

Police and Parker's parents have been saying Smith Jr. is not a suspect.

Appearing on the courtroom show, Parker and Smith battled over whether she had to pay for a $5,000 engagement ring she tossed away during one of their spats. The judge ruled the two should split the cost.

In the episode, the couple hurled accusations at each other and fought nastily. A court reporter called their relationship a "fatal attraction."

Parker's parents amped up their search for their daughter this weekend, even offering a $50,000 reward for any information leading to her whereabouts.

That reward had an expiration date of Sunday to motivate tipsters to act soon.

"If you know something, you know it," Parker's mother Yvonne Stewart said.

Parker's mother wanted a time limit on the reward money to encourage people with tips to come forward immediately.

"She's worth millions of dollars to me and my family, but I think $50,000 is an awesome amount," said Stewart.

Earlier this week, Parker's family released her final voicemail and a new batch of photos in the hope that someone would recognize the missing mother of three.

Parker left a nine-second message for her father on the day before she vanished, asking him to call her.

"Anything families can do to keep their case in front of the media and the public, they should do," said Brad Garrett, an ABC News consultant and former FBI special agent.

Parker's family has conceded that Smith's relationship with Parker was volatile, but Smith has also been described as a dedicated and loving father who cared for Parker, even when the two didn't get along.

While police do not currently consider Dale Smith a suspect, they have not ruled him out as a possibility.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Death Row Inmate Blasts Oregon Governor Over Execution Halt

David J. Sams/Getty Images(SALEM, Ore.) -- A two-time murderer, who was scheduled to die by lethal injection in December, blasted Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber for not allowing executions for the remainder of his term.

“I feel he’s a paper cowboy,” convicted murderer Gary Haugen, 49, told the Statesman Journal in a phone interview. “He couldn’t pull the trigger.”

Haugen said he was looking forward to his execution, scheduled for Dec. 6, because he wanted to protest a criminal justice system he viewed as broken.

Kitzhaber announced a stop to all executions on Tuesday, saying that he felt the death penalty was “compromised and inequitable.” The governor, who held Oregon’s top job from 1994 to 2002 and was elected again in 2010, is also a doctor, and cited the oath of “do no harm” in announcing his decision.

Capital punishment was reinstated by referendum in Oregon 27 years ago. Since then, the state has only executed two men, the last one 14 years ago, during Kitzhaber’s previous term in office.

Haugen, who has already had two reprieves, said he would be exploring his legal options to find out what it would take to carry forward his execution.

“I think there’s got to be some constitutional violations,” he said, adding, “You don’t bring a guy to the table twice and then just stop it.”

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Suspected Craigslist Toll Now at 3 Dead, 1 Wounded

Giorgio Fochesato/Vetta/Getty Images(AKRON, Ohio) -- The discovery of two new bodies in shallow graves could bring to three the death toll from a Craigslist ad that police say lured victims into a lethal robbery scheme in Ohio.

Police are trying Saturday to identify the two new victims.

A caller's tip on Friday morning led police to a body buried in a shallow grave behind Rolling Acres Mall in Akron, Ohio. The body might be that of Timothy Kern, 47, of Massillon, a missing man who answered the Craigslist ad. Kern has not been seen in over a week, according to FBI spokeswoman Vicki Anderson.

"Do we think it might be [Kern]? Maybe," Anderson said. "He's missing. We haven't been able to find him. It could possibly be, but we just don't know that yet."

Hours later and 90 miles away in Noble County, police discovered another shallow grave containg the remains of a white man. The body did not have any identification on him.

An online posting advertising a job working on an Ohio cattle farm is being eyed as a common link in the deaths. The ad has already been implicated in the death of one man and the injury of another.

Both of the first two victims, one of whom is from Florida and the other, South Carolina, had responded to the ad. They were told to bring all of their belongings, as they would be living on the farm.

The man from South Carolina was shot in the arm but managed to escape and inform authorities.

As police investigated the shooting, they found the body of 51-year-old David Pauley of Florida in a shallow grave outside Caldwell, Ohio, about 80 miles east of Columbus.

Authorities believe robbery was the motive, and on Nov.16 took two suspects into custody: a 16-year old high school student identified by ABC News' Columbus affiliate WSYX as Brogan Rafferty, and 52-year-old Richard Beasley.

Craigslist, an online marketplace that hosts ads for a wide variety of sales and services, has been blamed for a number of crimes and deaths, including the 2009 murder of a New York masseuse allegedly killed by a Boston medical student she met through the website, and the 2010 murder of a Tacoma, Wash., man in a home robbery committed by people pretending to be interested in a diamond ring he'd advertised on Craigslist.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

$50,000 Reward For Missing Mom Only Good Through Weekend

ABC News(ORLANDO, Fla.) -- A $50,000 reward has been offered for information leading to Michelle Parker, the Orlando mother who went missing over a week ago after appearing on "The People's Court." But in an unsual twist, the reward is good only until Sunday.

"If you know something, you know it," said Parker's mother, Yvonne Stewart.

Parker's mother wanted a time limit on the reward money to encourage people with tips to come forward immediately.

"She's worth millions of dollars to me and my family, but I think $50,000 is an awesome amount," said Stewart.

Earlier this week, Parker's family released her final voicemail and a new batch of photos in the hope that someone would recognize the missing mother of three.

Michelle Parker, 33, left a nine-second message for her father on the day before she vanished, asking him to call her.

"Anything families can do to keep their case in front of the media and the public, they should do," said Brad Garrett, an ABC News consultant and former FBI special agent.

Parker disappeared on Nov. 17 after she dropped her 3-year-old twins off at the house of their father, her ex-fiance Dale Smith, with whom she had a tumultuous relationship. Smith's house was the last place Parker was seen.

Police have said that her ex-fiance is not a suspect, but details about their stormy life together that sent them to "The People's Court" have begun to emerge.

Appearing on the courtroom show, Parker and Smith battled over whether she had to pay for a $5,000 engagement ring she tossed away during one of their spats. The judge ruled the two should split the cost.

Parker's family has conceded that Smith's relationship with Parker was volatile, but it has also described Smith as a dedicated and loving father who cared for Parker, even when the two didn't get along.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Analysts: Thanksgiving Night Openings Were Successful, Here to Stay

GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Despite the scuffles, the pepper-spray and the stampedes, the midnight openings on Black Friday were a success, say retail analysts.

The CEOs of Target, Toys R Us, and Best Buy said that crowds were more than their stores could even handle. The success of the venture means that early Black Friday openings are in for the long run.

The dark side of Black Friday, however, was on full display. At a Walmart outside of Phoenix, Ariz., a grandfather was slammed onto the floor by police suspecting him of shoplifting. He told officials that he had tucked a video game into his waistband so he could save his grandson from the riotous shoppers.

In Los Angeles, police searched for a woman accused of using pepper-spray to get ahead in a line outside of Walmart. At least 20 people were injured in the incident. On Saturday an unidentified woman turned herself in, although police have not released any details.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Curiosity Starts Nine Month Journey to Mars

NASA/JPL-Caltech(CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.) -- NASA's Curiosity was successfully launced to Mars on Saturday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

Curiosity is a 2,000 pound nuclear-powered mobile chemistry lab loaded with x-ray sensors, 3-D cameras and lasers.  Its mission is to look for evidence of habitats that might have once supported life. The rover is the largest and most complex ever sent to another planet.

Curiosity will travel 354 million miles to Mars over nine months.  It will land in a giant crater and spend nearly two earth years exploring the landscape using ten different sensors. The rover will also measure harmful radiation on Mars that could be a big problem for humans that might one day travel to the red planet.

The complicated landing will use technology never tried before. The spacecraft will hit the Martian atmosphere at more that 13,000 miles per hour. A jetpack called a skycrane will fire rockets and gently lower the rover into a giant crater. Engineers say everything has to work perfectly.

Just getting to Mars has never been easy. NASA engineers are well aware that the history of Mars exploration is littered with disappointment. Out of 40 Mars probes launched from Earth, 26 have failed. Just this month Russia tried launching a Mars mission, which is now stalled in Earth orbit.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio