Fiancée stubbed cigs out on me, poured boiling water in my lap and held a steam iron on my arm.. I never hit back
Burly Ian, 46, who is nearly 6ft and weighs 14stone, towered over 5ft Michelle Williamson. But that did not save him as she launched repeated savage attacks.
As Williamson began a seven-year jail sentence, Ian opened his heart to The Sun. His story shows that, while women remain the main victims of domestic abuse, men can suffer as well. Ian’s list of attacks include:
Scalded with a steam iron, boiling water poured over his genitals, cigarettes thrust up his nose and stubbed on his chest, and a gin bottle smashed in his mouth — on top of numerous punches and beatings.
Today he told DJ Jon Gaunt on SunTalk of the first time Williamson launched an unprovoked attack on him. He was left with heavy bruising when she punched him in the face after Ian spoke to female friend. Shattered Ian said he was too scared to tell pals what was happening at home and lied when pals asked him what happened.
Today he told Sun columnist Gaunt: “I was covering up for her behaviour. I was asked awkward questions at work and came up with the classic line that I had opened a cupboard door into my face.”
As he showed off scars that include burns and broken eye sockets, Ian said: “I expected to die. Her cruelty knew no bounds. I never retaliated because I knew I would have to kill her if I did — or she would just keep coming at me.”
Two women a week are killed by a current or former male partner. And one in four women experiences domestic violence in their lifetime. But Home Office figures also show two men die every three weeks at the hands of a partner or ex. One in five men suffers domestic violence, although this would include attacks by gay partners and relatives.
Businessman Ian’s 18-month relationship with Williamson began after they shared a taxi in Grimsby, Lincs. For 12 of those months he would wake praying he got through the day unscathed.
The attacks began with her usual rant: “You never tell me you love me. You never instigate sex.” In one vicious assault Williamson, 34, hit Ian so hard with a claw hammer it broke on the third blow to his shoulder. An iron was held close to his arm so the steam scalded him. He went on: “I had my teeth smashed out with a gin bottle once. She struck me on the knee repeatedly with a magnum of champagne after the thick glass vase she was using smashed, then she lashed me with the flex of a Hoover.” Ramming lit cigarettes up each of unsuspecting Ian’s nostrils and stubbing five out on his chest was another method of venting her anger.
Warped Williamson demanded Ian get an erection within five minutes of the attack — or she would give him “the beating he deserved”.
He was unable to comply and she pummelled him until she was too exhausted to continue. He recalled: “When she stopped I was so relieved to be free of pain it honestly didn’t occur to me to leave. She was proud of the injuries she inflicted and would send me to the shop to get her cigarettes straight after a beating.” Ian would be paraded in front of Williamson’s pals to reveal the cuts and bruises she inflicted. He said “Once she leapt from her chair and yelled, ‘My abuse hasn’t worked, you still don’t love me. Let’s see if a lap full of scalding water will help.’
"I heard the kettle click as it boiled. I was frozen to the spot. Surely she wouldn’t do it. But she walked in and poured the whole kettle into my lap. I screamed in pain and desperately tried to lift my jogging bottoms from my skin. Unbelievably, she went and refilled the kettle and did it again. I hobbled upstairs and as I prised the material away from my skin, it split like an orange. She told me I couldn’t go to A&E and called a chemist to deliver gauze bandages. I dressed the wounds myself. It took weeks to heal."
Williamson’s last attack, in April 2008, began with a savage punch to the back of the head that woke Ian at 4am. She then kicked him in the head. Ian fell to the floor, and was smashed over the head with a TV.
Ian said: “I was in so much pain and so tired. I heard her go to another room, screaming she would kill me — and I believed her.” Too weak to move, Ian stayed quiet and still — the only defence he knew.
Raging Williamson ordered Ian downstairs and as he slumped in a chair she took an iron bar and rained blows on his head. Desperate Ian told her he could not see but she continued, striking him from his shoulder down to his hand and then from his ribs to his feet until he was on the floor, unable to move. Satisfied at last, evil Williamson returned to bed.
It took an anonymous call from a neighbour to alert police and end the abuse. Ian sat trembling in the back of a police van and finally recounted his ordeal.
He said: “Admitting the truth was the hardest thing I’ve done. I was a shell of the man I was before, physically, emotionally and financially. The day the police came I was going to take an overdose. I could take no more.”
Last month Williamson was sentenced to a total of 18 years, to run concurrently, on three counts of actual bodily harm and two of GBH. She was cleared of attacking Ian with a mobile, a champagne bottle and electric flex.
Ian had enjoyed a successful career as a training consultant. Williamson put paid to that.
He said: “I thought she was very attractive, with a slight build, well spoken and with a great sense of humour. We moved into a flat together and got engaged. “But she punched me one night after she flew into a rage about my ex-lovers. I told a colleague I had walked into a door. Crazy as it sounds, I still loved her. But before I knew it the beatings were a regular occurrence. By then I was trapped. As a victim you can’t think logically. Your only thought is to keep your abuser happy. I didn’t think anyone would believe me. I was ashamed.”
After Williamson was arrested, Ian wound up in a Salvation Army hostel until he got her evicted. He discovered she had plundered his bank accounts, taken a second mortgage on his home and run up thousands in debt on credit cards in his name. His home was repossessed and he is now living in sheltered accommodation. Doctors have told him he needs reconstructive facial surgery.
Staff Reporters - The Sun (Jan 12, 2011)
As Williamson began a seven-year jail sentence, Ian opened his heart to The Sun. His story shows that, while women remain the main victims of domestic abuse, men can suffer as well. Ian’s list of attacks include:
Scalded with a steam iron, boiling water poured over his genitals, cigarettes thrust up his nose and stubbed on his chest, and a gin bottle smashed in his mouth — on top of numerous punches and beatings.
Today he told DJ Jon Gaunt on SunTalk of the first time Williamson launched an unprovoked attack on him. He was left with heavy bruising when she punched him in the face after Ian spoke to female friend. Shattered Ian said he was too scared to tell pals what was happening at home and lied when pals asked him what happened.
Today he told Sun columnist Gaunt: “I was covering up for her behaviour. I was asked awkward questions at work and came up with the classic line that I had opened a cupboard door into my face.”
As he showed off scars that include burns and broken eye sockets, Ian said: “I expected to die. Her cruelty knew no bounds. I never retaliated because I knew I would have to kill her if I did — or she would just keep coming at me.”
Two women a week are killed by a current or former male partner. And one in four women experiences domestic violence in their lifetime. But Home Office figures also show two men die every three weeks at the hands of a partner or ex. One in five men suffers domestic violence, although this would include attacks by gay partners and relatives.
Businessman Ian’s 18-month relationship with Williamson began after they shared a taxi in Grimsby, Lincs. For 12 of those months he would wake praying he got through the day unscathed.
The attacks began with her usual rant: “You never tell me you love me. You never instigate sex.” In one vicious assault Williamson, 34, hit Ian so hard with a claw hammer it broke on the third blow to his shoulder. An iron was held close to his arm so the steam scalded him. He went on: “I had my teeth smashed out with a gin bottle once. She struck me on the knee repeatedly with a magnum of champagne after the thick glass vase she was using smashed, then she lashed me with the flex of a Hoover.” Ramming lit cigarettes up each of unsuspecting Ian’s nostrils and stubbing five out on his chest was another method of venting her anger.
Warped Williamson demanded Ian get an erection within five minutes of the attack — or she would give him “the beating he deserved”.
He was unable to comply and she pummelled him until she was too exhausted to continue. He recalled: “When she stopped I was so relieved to be free of pain it honestly didn’t occur to me to leave. She was proud of the injuries she inflicted and would send me to the shop to get her cigarettes straight after a beating.” Ian would be paraded in front of Williamson’s pals to reveal the cuts and bruises she inflicted. He said “Once she leapt from her chair and yelled, ‘My abuse hasn’t worked, you still don’t love me. Let’s see if a lap full of scalding water will help.’
"I heard the kettle click as it boiled. I was frozen to the spot. Surely she wouldn’t do it. But she walked in and poured the whole kettle into my lap. I screamed in pain and desperately tried to lift my jogging bottoms from my skin. Unbelievably, she went and refilled the kettle and did it again. I hobbled upstairs and as I prised the material away from my skin, it split like an orange. She told me I couldn’t go to A&E and called a chemist to deliver gauze bandages. I dressed the wounds myself. It took weeks to heal."
Williamson’s last attack, in April 2008, began with a savage punch to the back of the head that woke Ian at 4am. She then kicked him in the head. Ian fell to the floor, and was smashed over the head with a TV.
Ian said: “I was in so much pain and so tired. I heard her go to another room, screaming she would kill me — and I believed her.” Too weak to move, Ian stayed quiet and still — the only defence he knew.
Raging Williamson ordered Ian downstairs and as he slumped in a chair she took an iron bar and rained blows on his head. Desperate Ian told her he could not see but she continued, striking him from his shoulder down to his hand and then from his ribs to his feet until he was on the floor, unable to move. Satisfied at last, evil Williamson returned to bed.
It took an anonymous call from a neighbour to alert police and end the abuse. Ian sat trembling in the back of a police van and finally recounted his ordeal.
He said: “Admitting the truth was the hardest thing I’ve done. I was a shell of the man I was before, physically, emotionally and financially. The day the police came I was going to take an overdose. I could take no more.”
Last month Williamson was sentenced to a total of 18 years, to run concurrently, on three counts of actual bodily harm and two of GBH. She was cleared of attacking Ian with a mobile, a champagne bottle and electric flex.
Ian had enjoyed a successful career as a training consultant. Williamson put paid to that.
He said: “I thought she was very attractive, with a slight build, well spoken and with a great sense of humour. We moved into a flat together and got engaged. “But she punched me one night after she flew into a rage about my ex-lovers. I told a colleague I had walked into a door. Crazy as it sounds, I still loved her. But before I knew it the beatings were a regular occurrence. By then I was trapped. As a victim you can’t think logically. Your only thought is to keep your abuser happy. I didn’t think anyone would believe me. I was ashamed.”
After Williamson was arrested, Ian wound up in a Salvation Army hostel until he got her evicted. He discovered she had plundered his bank accounts, taken a second mortgage on his home and run up thousands in debt on credit cards in his name. His home was repossessed and he is now living in sheltered accommodation. Doctors have told him he needs reconstructive facial surgery.
Staff Reporters - The Sun (Jan 12, 2011)
Angry Ex-girlfriend Goes Ballistic, Rips Off Man's Scrotum
Talk about a ball buster.
An Indiana man was rushed to the hospital Wednesday after his scrotum was the victim of a vicious attack by an ex-girlfriend, The Smoking Gun reports.
The victim told police that his former girlfriend, Christina Reber, stormed into his apartment as he was innocently sitting at his computer. Reber, who he had severed ties with a few days earlier, first struck him on the head and then grabbed his scrotum and began “squeezing as hard as she could.” Naturally, he told officers that he “was in incredible pain when [she] grabbed his scrotum and began digging in her fingers.”
The police report indicates that the scrotum area was “completely torn loose from his body.” Reber reportedly “refused to let go of his scrotum,” but that the victim was finally able to remove his balls from her vice-like grip.
As if the story isn’t already good enough, the victim, who has not been identified, was taken to BALL MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. As far as we know, the hospital is not only for scrotum-specific injuries.
In an interview two days after the incident, the man told police that after his ex was done breaking his balls, his family jewels are so swollen that he is unable to work, and he isn’t sure if there will be permanent damage.
Reber was charged with two felonies: aggravated battery and illegally entering the victim’s home. She was also charged with a misdemeanor domestic battery.
Taylor Bigler - The Daily Caller (Fri, April 6, 2012)
An Indiana man was rushed to the hospital Wednesday after his scrotum was the victim of a vicious attack by an ex-girlfriend, The Smoking Gun reports.
The victim told police that his former girlfriend, Christina Reber, stormed into his apartment as he was innocently sitting at his computer. Reber, who he had severed ties with a few days earlier, first struck him on the head and then grabbed his scrotum and began “squeezing as hard as she could.” Naturally, he told officers that he “was in incredible pain when [she] grabbed his scrotum and began digging in her fingers.”
The police report indicates that the scrotum area was “completely torn loose from his body.” Reber reportedly “refused to let go of his scrotum,” but that the victim was finally able to remove his balls from her vice-like grip.
As if the story isn’t already good enough, the victim, who has not been identified, was taken to BALL MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. As far as we know, the hospital is not only for scrotum-specific injuries.
In an interview two days after the incident, the man told police that after his ex was done breaking his balls, his family jewels are so swollen that he is unable to work, and he isn’t sure if there will be permanent damage.
Reber was charged with two felonies: aggravated battery and illegally entering the victim’s home. She was also charged with a misdemeanor domestic battery.
Taylor Bigler - The Daily Caller (Fri, April 6, 2012)
Shenay Jackson Poured Bleach In Ex-Boyfriend's Lap While He Was Driving, Police Say
Hell truly hath no fury like a woman scorned. That's the only available explanation for why one woman poured bleach in a man's lap while he was driving.
Shenay J. Jackson, 19, of Gainesville, Fla., is accused of doing just that this past week to her former boyfriend, according to Newser.
Jackson pushed her ex in the face as he was driving, according to the arrest report filed by Gainesville Police Officer Kimano Edwards. Then she opened a bottle of beach and poured it on his lap. "(Jackson's) actions caused the victim's clothes to be soaked with bleach which produced a burning sensation to the victim's groin," Edwards wrote in the report,according to the Gainesville Sun. As a result, the man, who has not been identified, had to pull over and remove his clothes due to the burning caused by the bleach. Edwards wrote that the man's clothes were "freshly soaked with bleach causing severe discoloration" while there were "puddles of bleach" inside his vehicle.
Meanwhile, Jackson claimed she got into an argument with her ex and merely picked up the bottle of bleach and shook it, which caused the bleach to get on her ex, theSun-Sentinel reported.
Jackson was charged with simple battery, a first-degree misdemeanor, and, as of Thursday, was being held at the Alachua County jail, according to the Miami Herald.
David Moye - Huffington Post (Fri, April 6, 2012)
Shenay J. Jackson, 19, of Gainesville, Fla., is accused of doing just that this past week to her former boyfriend, according to Newser.
Jackson pushed her ex in the face as he was driving, according to the arrest report filed by Gainesville Police Officer Kimano Edwards. Then she opened a bottle of beach and poured it on his lap. "(Jackson's) actions caused the victim's clothes to be soaked with bleach which produced a burning sensation to the victim's groin," Edwards wrote in the report,according to the Gainesville Sun. As a result, the man, who has not been identified, had to pull over and remove his clothes due to the burning caused by the bleach. Edwards wrote that the man's clothes were "freshly soaked with bleach causing severe discoloration" while there were "puddles of bleach" inside his vehicle.
Meanwhile, Jackson claimed she got into an argument with her ex and merely picked up the bottle of bleach and shook it, which caused the bleach to get on her ex, theSun-Sentinel reported.
Jackson was charged with simple battery, a first-degree misdemeanor, and, as of Thursday, was being held at the Alachua County jail, according to the Miami Herald.
David Moye - Huffington Post (Fri, April 6, 2012)
Girlfriend stabs boyfriend after heated argument
A heated argument between a boyfriend and girlfriend led to a stabbing on Roosevelt Boulevard early Sunday morning, police said.
The girlfriend, identified as Jatae Tisdale, was arrested after police recovered the knife used in the stabbing inside Tisdale’s purse. Officers said Tisdale stabbed her boyfriend once in the torso in the area of Roosevelt Blvd. and Jackson Lane around 4:30 a.m.
Medics transported the victim to Atrium Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
Officers said the two had been arguing and Tisdale had cut the boyfriend’s tires prior to the stabbing.
Tisdale was arrested and charged with felonious assault with a weapon and is currently being held in the Middletown City Jail, according to a release. Tisdale is scheduled to be in court on Monday morning.
Staff Report - Newscenter 7 (Sun, June 24, 2012)
The girlfriend, identified as Jatae Tisdale, was arrested after police recovered the knife used in the stabbing inside Tisdale’s purse. Officers said Tisdale stabbed her boyfriend once in the torso in the area of Roosevelt Blvd. and Jackson Lane around 4:30 a.m.
Medics transported the victim to Atrium Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
Officers said the two had been arguing and Tisdale had cut the boyfriend’s tires prior to the stabbing.
Tisdale was arrested and charged with felonious assault with a weapon and is currently being held in the Middletown City Jail, according to a release. Tisdale is scheduled to be in court on Monday morning.
Staff Report - Newscenter 7 (Sun, June 24, 2012)
Bride Accused of Murdering Groom Hours Before Wedding
A bride-to-be is charged with murder after allegedly stabbing her fiance just hours before the couple's wedding was to start nearWhitehall, Pa.
Na Cola Darcel Franklin, 31, and her fiance Billy Rafael Brewster, 36, were planning to tie the knot at 10 a.m. on Saturday, but at some point during the night, Franklin and Brewster began arguing,Steve Luksa, first deputy to the Lehigh County District Attorney, told ABCNews.com.
In the heat of the argument, Franklin allegedly stabbed Brewster twice with a kitchen knife, police said.
"One of the stab wounds punctured his heart," Luksa said.
When police arrived at the apartment, shortly after 2 a.m., they found Brewster bleeding from chest wounds on the second floor landing. He was transported to the Lehigh County Trauma center and pronounced dead at 3:24 a.m., less than seven hours before the wedding.
Luksa said the couple was not alone in the apartment when the stabbing took place. The couple's children, and extended family members were also present because of the impending nuptials.
Franklin was arrested and charged with one count of criminal homicide, Luksa said.
During her arraignment Saturday afternoon, Franklin told District Judge Donna Butler, "You got to check again," unable to comprehend that Brewster was dead, the Allentown Morning Call reported. She cried, rocked herself back and forth and eventually choked out, "I ... did ... not ... kill ... him ... on ... purpose."
She is being held in Lehigh County Prison without bail, Luksa said.
When Franklin told Bulter via the video conference arraignment that she wanted to go home, Butler responded, "You are not going home any time in the near future."
Sydney Lupkin - Good Morning America (Mon, August 13, 2012)
Na Cola Darcel Franklin, 31, and her fiance Billy Rafael Brewster, 36, were planning to tie the knot at 10 a.m. on Saturday, but at some point during the night, Franklin and Brewster began arguing,Steve Luksa, first deputy to the Lehigh County District Attorney, told ABCNews.com.
In the heat of the argument, Franklin allegedly stabbed Brewster twice with a kitchen knife, police said.
"One of the stab wounds punctured his heart," Luksa said.
When police arrived at the apartment, shortly after 2 a.m., they found Brewster bleeding from chest wounds on the second floor landing. He was transported to the Lehigh County Trauma center and pronounced dead at 3:24 a.m., less than seven hours before the wedding.
Luksa said the couple was not alone in the apartment when the stabbing took place. The couple's children, and extended family members were also present because of the impending nuptials.
Franklin was arrested and charged with one count of criminal homicide, Luksa said.
During her arraignment Saturday afternoon, Franklin told District Judge Donna Butler, "You got to check again," unable to comprehend that Brewster was dead, the Allentown Morning Call reported. She cried, rocked herself back and forth and eventually choked out, "I ... did ... not ... kill ... him ... on ... purpose."
She is being held in Lehigh County Prison without bail, Luksa said.
When Franklin told Bulter via the video conference arraignment that she wanted to go home, Butler responded, "You are not going home any time in the near future."
Sydney Lupkin - Good Morning America (Mon, August 13, 2012)
Brenda Christine White On Trial For Trying To Hit Ex-Husband By Driving Car Into Building
The attorney of a Utah woman charged with ramming an SUV through an office building to hit her estranged husband says she was on a large amount of anxiety medication and was "not in her right mind."
Attorney Jason Schatz made the argument Tuesday during the start of the trial for 36-year-old Brenda Christine White.
"On that day, Brenda White's body was behind the wheel of that Ford Explorer," Schatz said. "What's in dispute is why this happened."
The incident happened in 2006 but there have been several appeals because her defense attorneys have appealed to use the argument that White was under extreme emotional distress.
Authorities said White hit her ex-husband twice with her Ford Explorer after crashing through the office building in Salt Lake County.
Jon Robert White said he initially ran from a parking garage when he saw his ex-wife in the SUV. He said he ran between two parked cars, jumped over a concrete wall, and into an office, before his ex-wife crashed through the glass doors and hit him. He said he got up and ran but she drove down a hallway and chased him, hitting him again.
He said he hid in a closet until a maintenance man found him.
Brenda White's attorneys say she did not intend to kill her ex-husband. Schatz said she suffered from panic attacks and anxiety and on that day she had taken a lot of medication.
"At some point in our lives we have all done or said something that we wouldn't have done if we were in total control of our body," Schatz said.
Associated Press - Huff Post Weird News (Sat, Aug 18, 2012)
Attorney Jason Schatz made the argument Tuesday during the start of the trial for 36-year-old Brenda Christine White.
"On that day, Brenda White's body was behind the wheel of that Ford Explorer," Schatz said. "What's in dispute is why this happened."
The incident happened in 2006 but there have been several appeals because her defense attorneys have appealed to use the argument that White was under extreme emotional distress.
Authorities said White hit her ex-husband twice with her Ford Explorer after crashing through the office building in Salt Lake County.
Jon Robert White said he initially ran from a parking garage when he saw his ex-wife in the SUV. He said he ran between two parked cars, jumped over a concrete wall, and into an office, before his ex-wife crashed through the glass doors and hit him. He said he got up and ran but she drove down a hallway and chased him, hitting him again.
He said he hid in a closet until a maintenance man found him.
Brenda White's attorneys say she did not intend to kill her ex-husband. Schatz said she suffered from panic attacks and anxiety and on that day she had taken a lot of medication.
"At some point in our lives we have all done or said something that we wouldn't have done if we were in total control of our body," Schatz said.
Associated Press - Huff Post Weird News (Sat, Aug 18, 2012)
Police: Angry Ex-Girlfriend Triggered US Airways Bomb Hoax
A bomb hoax in Philadelphia that turned a Dallas-bound flight around and led to a full-scale SWAT response was apparently triggered by a spiteful ex-girlfriend who telephoned authorities to say her former beau was aboard the US Air flight armed with liquid explosives, police told ABC News.
According to authorities, Christopher Shell, a salesman in his 20's who travels between Philadelphia and Dallas, had no explosives and is cooperating with authorities. He appears to have been the victim of a cruel joke.
When asked how Shell reacted when police took him off the plane, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Joseph Sullivan said at a news conference, "He was obviously very alarmed as I would be if heavily armed police entered a plane to take me off...he was certainly stunned."
However, in an unlikely coincidence, Shell had been sped through security by a friend at the airport and posted a message to his Facebook page that getting through security had been a breeze.
The note would have been innocuous in any other circumstance, officials said. In the context of the phoned-in threat alarms went off and bomb techs, cops, FBI agents and K-9 dogs descended on the flight and conducted a full search.
The ex-girlfriend and a man believed to be a current boyfriend are now in custody, sources said. According to sources, they appear to have perpetrated the hoax bomb threat and are being questioned by federal authorities in Philadelphia. Neither the FBI nor the U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia would comment. No charges have been brought against anyone at this time, sources say.
"This is no joke," Sullivan said. "These will be federal charges...they're going to be very serious charges."
He said authorities did not yet have a motive for the hoax.
"It's just an incredibly foolish and irresponsible thing to do," he added. "And bottom line, it's criminal."
Passenger Kurt Weber, 54, was sitting in seat 4D when the incident unfolded. Before the plane turned around, Weber said a pilot came over the intercom and said they were having "trouble with instruments" and needed to turn around. Weber is a consultant for the Archery Trade Association and was on his way to a trade show,
Upon landing, Weber saw several emergency and police vehicles racing out. The girl sitting next to him said, "I'm sure glad we are not going where those guys are going." Moments later, the plane taxied near the emergency vehicles and authorities boarded the plane.
"It was like Seal Team Six," Weber said. "The SWAT team from Philly, they were pretty awesome."
"These guys entered from the rear of the plane," he said. "Next thing I know, it almost sounded like a stampede. Here are four Philadelphia SWAT guys, all in black with laser sights on their weapons, weapons drawn and focused on this guy."
Weber said that the team had the man handcuffed and on the ground "in seconds."
"Then the bomb techs got on the plane and the SWAT team took positions throughout the plane and authorities explained clearly to the passengers what had happened that led to the raid," he said. "The pilot was calm, the flight attendants were calm and helpful."
Philadelphia police received a call around 7 a.m. from a person stating that a specific individual had explosive liquid on him and was attempting to get it past TSA and onto the Dallas flight.
Authorities later discovered that the person implicated on the tip call was on the flight to Dallas that had departed at 7:39 a.m. and ordered it to return, according to ABC News' Philadelphia affiliate WPVI.
The man was being questioned, his luggage was searched and no explosives were found. No explosives were found on the plane.
All 69 passengers and five crew members on flight 1267 are safe.
"As soon as we had the situation on the plane secure, I did speak to all the passengers and they were briefed as to what was going on," Sullivan said. "All the passengers were extremely cooperative and very understanding, despite the fact that they were all shaken up."
Philadelphia police officers, FBI bomb technicians and SWAT officers boarded the plane once it had landed and was moved to a safe location. The flight was deemed safe and able to depart for its destination.
"It was a hoax all the way through," one official involved in the investigation told ABC News.
Richard Esposito and Christina Ng - ABC News (Fri, Sep 7, 2012)
According to authorities, Christopher Shell, a salesman in his 20's who travels between Philadelphia and Dallas, had no explosives and is cooperating with authorities. He appears to have been the victim of a cruel joke.
When asked how Shell reacted when police took him off the plane, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Joseph Sullivan said at a news conference, "He was obviously very alarmed as I would be if heavily armed police entered a plane to take me off...he was certainly stunned."
However, in an unlikely coincidence, Shell had been sped through security by a friend at the airport and posted a message to his Facebook page that getting through security had been a breeze.
The note would have been innocuous in any other circumstance, officials said. In the context of the phoned-in threat alarms went off and bomb techs, cops, FBI agents and K-9 dogs descended on the flight and conducted a full search.
The ex-girlfriend and a man believed to be a current boyfriend are now in custody, sources said. According to sources, they appear to have perpetrated the hoax bomb threat and are being questioned by federal authorities in Philadelphia. Neither the FBI nor the U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia would comment. No charges have been brought against anyone at this time, sources say.
"This is no joke," Sullivan said. "These will be federal charges...they're going to be very serious charges."
He said authorities did not yet have a motive for the hoax.
"It's just an incredibly foolish and irresponsible thing to do," he added. "And bottom line, it's criminal."
Passenger Kurt Weber, 54, was sitting in seat 4D when the incident unfolded. Before the plane turned around, Weber said a pilot came over the intercom and said they were having "trouble with instruments" and needed to turn around. Weber is a consultant for the Archery Trade Association and was on his way to a trade show,
Upon landing, Weber saw several emergency and police vehicles racing out. The girl sitting next to him said, "I'm sure glad we are not going where those guys are going." Moments later, the plane taxied near the emergency vehicles and authorities boarded the plane.
"It was like Seal Team Six," Weber said. "The SWAT team from Philly, they were pretty awesome."
"These guys entered from the rear of the plane," he said. "Next thing I know, it almost sounded like a stampede. Here are four Philadelphia SWAT guys, all in black with laser sights on their weapons, weapons drawn and focused on this guy."
Weber said that the team had the man handcuffed and on the ground "in seconds."
"Then the bomb techs got on the plane and the SWAT team took positions throughout the plane and authorities explained clearly to the passengers what had happened that led to the raid," he said. "The pilot was calm, the flight attendants were calm and helpful."
Philadelphia police received a call around 7 a.m. from a person stating that a specific individual had explosive liquid on him and was attempting to get it past TSA and onto the Dallas flight.
Authorities later discovered that the person implicated on the tip call was on the flight to Dallas that had departed at 7:39 a.m. and ordered it to return, according to ABC News' Philadelphia affiliate WPVI.
The man was being questioned, his luggage was searched and no explosives were found. No explosives were found on the plane.
All 69 passengers and five crew members on flight 1267 are safe.
"As soon as we had the situation on the plane secure, I did speak to all the passengers and they were briefed as to what was going on," Sullivan said. "All the passengers were extremely cooperative and very understanding, despite the fact that they were all shaken up."
Philadelphia police officers, FBI bomb technicians and SWAT officers boarded the plane once it had landed and was moved to a safe location. The flight was deemed safe and able to depart for its destination.
"It was a hoax all the way through," one official involved in the investigation told ABC News.
Richard Esposito and Christina Ng - ABC News (Fri, Sep 7, 2012)
Arizona woman runs down husband with car for not voting: police
An Arizona woman, in despair at the re-election of Democratic President Barack Obama, ran down her husband with the family car in suburban Phoenix on Saturday because he failed to vote in the election, police said on Monday.
Holly Solomon, 28, was arrested after running over husband Daniel Solomon following a wild chase that left him pinned underneath the vehicle.
Daniel Solomon, 36, was in critical condition at a local hospital, but is expected to survive, Gilbert police spokesman Sergeant Jesse Sanger said.
Police said Daniel Solomon told them his wife became angry over his "lack of voter participation" in last Tuesday's presidential election and believed her family would face hardship as a result of Obama winning another term.
Witnesses reported the argument broke out on Saturday morning in a parking lot and escalated. Mrs Solomon then chased her husband around the lot with the car, yelling at him as he tried to hide behind a light pole, police said. He was struck after attempting to flee to a nearby street.
Obama won the national election with 332 electoral votes compared with 206 for Republican challenger Mitt Romney. Arizona's 11 electoral votes were won by Romney.
David Schwartz -Reuters (Tue, Nov 13, 2012)
Holly Solomon, 28, was arrested after running over husband Daniel Solomon following a wild chase that left him pinned underneath the vehicle.
Daniel Solomon, 36, was in critical condition at a local hospital, but is expected to survive, Gilbert police spokesman Sergeant Jesse Sanger said.
Police said Daniel Solomon told them his wife became angry over his "lack of voter participation" in last Tuesday's presidential election and believed her family would face hardship as a result of Obama winning another term.
Witnesses reported the argument broke out on Saturday morning in a parking lot and escalated. Mrs Solomon then chased her husband around the lot with the car, yelling at him as he tried to hide behind a light pole, police said. He was struck after attempting to flee to a nearby street.
Obama won the national election with 332 electoral votes compared with 206 for Republican challenger Mitt Romney. Arizona's 11 electoral votes were won by Romney.
David Schwartz -Reuters (Tue, Nov 13, 2012)