New York Post, Monday, August 19, 2019nypost.com12
Several migrants jumped
into the sea from a Spanish
rescue boat Sunday in a
thwarted bid to reach shore
in Italy, where the govern-
ment’s hard-line interior
minister, Matteo Salvini, has
refused to let the 107 passen-
gers disembark.
“We have been warning for
days, desperation has its lim-
its,” said Open Arms founder
Oscar Camps, who released a
video showing four migrants
wearing orange life vests
swimming toward Lampe-
dusa island. Crew members
from the humanitarian
group’s ship swam quickly to-
ward them so they could be
brought back aboard.
In the evening, Open Arms
urgently requested permis-
sion to enter Lampedusa’s
port so the migrants, aboard
for 17 days, could finally get
off. It said their psychological
and physical conditions are
“at risk.”
“If the worst happens, Eu-
rope and Salvini will be re-
sponsible,” the group tweeted.
In its formal request made
by the boat’s captain, Marc
Reig Creus, Open Arms also
offered an alternative solu-
tion: to transfer the 107 onto
another, “adequate” ship that
could swiftly reach the Span-
ish port of Algeciras, where
Spain has said the migrants
could disembark, given the
dramatic situation of passen-
gers and crew. APDispirited
migrants
jump ship
Four Louisiana men say
they’ll plead guilty to
charges that they tried to
bribe a Mississippi sheriff
with $2,000 in casino chips
to win jail contracts.
Michael LeBlanc Sr. of Ba-
ton Rouge, Michael LeBlanc
Jr. of Prairieville, Tawasky
Ventroy of Opelousas and
Jacque Jones of LaPlace
have filed notices in federal
court in Jackson saying
they’re ’fessing up.
The case in-
volved selling
phone service and
commissary goods
to jail inmates. A state
corrections boss was con-
victed of taking more than
$1.4 million in bribes. APChips are
down for 4
By LEE BROWNWell, this bites.
A Whole Foods employee
from New Jersey was bitten
by a black-widow spider at
work — and then fired be-
cause he was too terrified
to return to his post, a new
lawsuit claims.
Richard Highsmith, 33,
was placing produce
on a shelf at the su-
permarket’s Pa-
ramus branch on
Aug. 5, 2017,
when he was
bitten on the
arm by the
venomous
arachnid,
which had
crawled out of a
crate, court docu-
ments say.
“The black widow’s
venom was so potent that it
progressed and caused tem-
porary paralysis” to High-
smith’s arm, his suit claims.
The fang attack caused
Highsmith to take a month
off from his job, during
which time he went to “var-
ious hospital stints” and
“hand therapy sessions,” ac-
cording to the papers.
Highsmith was finally
cleared to return to work —
but says he was too trauma-
tized to go back to the fruit-
and-vegetable section.
“[Highsmith] suffered de-bilitating anxiety and panic
attacks just thinking about
coming across another
black widow spider while
working in the produce de-
partment,” says his suit,
which is due to be heard in
New Jersey federal court.
The worker sent his boss
texts and an e-mail telling
him about “the anxiety, fear
and emotional dis-
tress he was experi-
encing in having
to work in pro-
duce” and
begged for “a
reasonable ac-
commoda-
tion,” such as a
transfer to an-
other depart-
ment, according
to the suit.
Highsmith claims
in the court papers
that he never heard back.
Despite clearly express-
ing his “desire to return to
work,” he was eventually
wrongly fired for “job aban-
donment,” the lawsuit
claims.
Highsmith is seeking lost
wages, damages and law-
yers’ fees and costs.
Whole Foods didn’t reply
to requests for comment,
and Highsmith couldn’t be
reached.
Additional reporting by
C.J. Sullivan
[email protected]Deadly
spider in
produce
Suit vs. Whole Foods
A man convicted of a New Jersey street-corner murder that
police witnessed will serve more than a half-century behind
bars, according to a report.
Paul Carter, 35, fatally shot Anthony Johnson, 33, in Salem in
2016, NJ.com reported. He was sentenced to 65 years in prison.
“Your lack of remorse is chilling. Your arrogance is dark and
deep-rooted,” Johnson’s mother, Helen McNeal, told Carter.
She also said, “Your fear is obvious.” APKiller gets 65 yrs., barbs from vic’s mom
TheImageDirect.comKatie’s keeping calm.
Hours after her longtime
love, Jamie Foxx, was
spotted palling around
with a model in LA
Saturday, Katie Holmes
walked it off with a sunny
smile in Chelsea. Tom
Cruise’s ex and Foxx
started dating under the
radar in 2013 and were
last seen together at the
Met Gala in May.court in Jackson saying
they’re ’fessing up.volved selling
phone service and
commissary goods
to jail inmates.
corrections boss
victed of taking more than