The Season 4 premiere of Justified was full of big moments:? a body falling from the sky, an exploding car, a near-shootout between Raylan and a couple of teenagers, a firebrand preacher. But it was a pair of small moments toward the end that has me wondering what other mysteries might be in store this season.
After a long couple of days dealing with break-ins and bail jumpers and Arlo, Raylan retreats to his apartment above the bar and, while talking to his girlfriend, tucks away the bounty he got for turning in Jody Adair, the double-homicide suspect from Knoxville. Then the show cuts to Boyd, who?s moving a ceiling tile to toss a large stack of bills into a hiding place. The money came from Hiram, the Oxy dealer who was holding out on Boyd and who ended up being killed by Colt. As Boyd and Colt were leaving Hiram?s, Boyd said, ?For the record, this money doesn?t exist. Ava asks?anyone does?it wasn?t there.?
The show frequently plays Raylan and Boyd off each other to highlight the ways in which they are not that different. We know that Raylan is trying to save up money for his unborn child. But why is Boyd stockpiling cash, and why is he hiding it from Ava? While it?s not surprising that criminals would hide money from their partners, Ava is his girlfriend. I?ve never quite understood that relationship?Ava seems way too hot and way too smart for Boyd?but ?they had just earlier in the episode shared a genuine tender and romantic moment. Boyd had been scolding Cousin Johnny for something, and Johnny complained that Ava was worse because her prostitute had shot at a client. Boyd said he?d ?deal with Ava?s failings later,? but when Johnny left, he dropped it and made googly eyes with Ava.
So what is so important that Boyd is sneaking around? When he reaches up to throw the money up into the ceiling, there are other stacks there, so this isn?t the first time. The dwindling market for Oxy?thanks to Preacher Billy and the Last Chance Holiness Church?is a new development, so it?s unlikely he?s merely saving up to tide things over during a slow business week.
Is he mounting a legal defense fund for Arlo? Concocting a plan to bust him out of jail? Saving up to have a family with Ava? He?s up to something, that?s for sure.
For President Obama, the inauguration on Jan. 21 will be one of innumerable moments in the spotlight, albeit a significant one. But for the official inaugural poet -- for poetry itself -- it will be a singular event: Tens of millions of people all over the world will listen. In unison. To a poem. For many, it will be the only poem they hear for four years.
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Today, 1:17 PM
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Hi, I'm new here, a bit desperate and don't know where else to begin. We have a HUGE overdraft and visa card balance and a few store cards, a loan and the usual bills. We've recently had another baby and I've dropped some hours at work, my husband works all hours god sends and i think financially we're starting to spiral and I'm scared. My husbands ex wife has just had her maintenance payments increased from us also.
I've completed a SOA and I can see where we need to cut back on a few things. The problem is with one or two of them is that we're tied into contracts.
I cant see us ever not having any debts, we're both absolutely shocking with money too. balances don't seem to be going down, when they do I use the credit cards again because we'll be skint
I don't know whether to (or even if we can) consolidate so we have fewer payments going out. The hardest thing is getting our finances prioritized and or bank accounts straight. My husband gets paid weekly into our joint account, from here we pay all out bills. The only problem is we have a ?3,900 overdraft which we're up to the limit on. Because he gets paid weekly and bills are coming out all over the place, sometimes we go over our limit and some direct debits get returned. I cant figure out how to start from scratch and straighten this account out .
I get paid monthly into an account with no overdraft. We live off my monthly pay, pay for food, petrol, treats, clothes etc. I don't earn enough to pay all the bills. We still seem to have no money at the end of the month in this account either
According to my SOA we have over ?200 disposable income but I cant tell you we don't see this, I've no idea where is goes but it goes. My husbands weekly pay varies depending on whether he takes holiday/sick or does any over time. He has a really crappy hard job and we would love him to spend more time with us as a family but at the moment he works about 60-70 hours a week just to keep us afloat. The overdraft and visa are like a giant millstone around my neck. My husband doesn't deal with the finances at all. It's all left to me and I can't do it anymore without some help.
I'm sorry to pour my heart out but I don't know what else to do.
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Today, 1:32 PM
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Going out is costing your ?260 and holidays ?60 a month - if you cut down on going out by ?200 a month and cancel your holiday plans, things should look brighter.
Keep a spending diary to see where the other money is going and phone your mobile phone providers to see if you can change tariff befiore your contract ends.
Today, 1:37 PM
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We don't always have a holiday to be honest and this year its looking unlikely I just thought I ought to put it in there in case we did have one. We don't always go out either, I've used that as any wine/beer we have in the house or if we have friends over and the odd night out but yes, I see we can make a difference here.
I'm going to call Vodafone this afternoon, out mobile phone tariff is rediculous but I've called them before and they can't do anything about it. I can't afford to pay my way out of the contract either.
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Today, 1:43 PM
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Hi, well done for getting it down - if possible could you put it into the "usual MSE SOA" - http://www.stoozing.com/msoc/soacalc.php
Some of the categories are different / lumped together - and there is a lot of missing info from this one (number of people / cars in house etc)
It also requires you to list the debts, payments / month & APRs which we really need to offer advice on the debts....
Is the salary both your wages together?
A couple of thoughts just now - don't consolidate ..... it rarely works
If one of you is paid monthly and the other weekly, I'd suggest a totally separate bank account for all your household bills - you would then both pay in a set amount to this account (either monthly or weekly) whenever you're paid
You need to put a figure in for car maintenance
Summer holiday is too high - as are Drinking & Eating Out
Why are you paying ?15 for your credit report each month????
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Today, 1:51 PM
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Hi, thank you.
I'll do that later today. I didn't include car maintenance as my husband is a mechanic and he sorts our cars out through work. The ?15 credit report is my husband, I keep asking him to cancel it and he says he will but never does. Because he has to ring up and do it I can't do it on his behalf.
Yes, I thought of a third account for the bills but because we're up to eyes in it I don't know how to sort one out so that the bills are paid on time while my husbands contribution builds up, if you get what I mean?
Today, 1:55 PM
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I definitely second the idea of you starting a spending journal to find out where the surplus money is going. It's an absolute eye opener. I thought I spent nothing last Saturday, for example, yet when I got the reciepts out of my purse & wrote it all down in my new 2013 spending journal, I found I'd spent ?15-99. Not a huge sum, but it all adds up, & I find I have a bit of a selective memory where my spending is concerned.
Today, 2:00 PM
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Firstly no problem is unsolvable. Remember that!
Just a few things that I would have a closer look into and see if you can cut/stop or even manage a small trim.
Mobile phones ? it might be worth stressing you are financially distressed and won?t be able to afford them. Food ? lots of ideas on here for cheap meals (not sure how much you could shave off but it all helps) Paid TV ? do you really need this? Cinema/Hobbies ? do you really need this? Drinking out ? do you really need this? Eating out ? you can get a lot of vouchers/deals etc on here to make it a bit cheaper. Credit expert ? what is this?
A spending diary is a total must if you can?t work out where the cash is going? Don?t worry I imagine this problem is experienced by everyone (me included!)
After those steps its worth seeing about getting high cost debt moved to cheaper rates (if possible). Lost of options are shown on the MSE site but I would stress, be sensible about what is achievable.
I?ve found the more involved you get in sorting out your financial problems the easier it gets and the more of a mind set it becomes. You might even surprise yourself and enjoy it (maybe).
I hope that helps a bit and isn?t too repetitive
Today, 2:18 PM
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Is the car really necessary? you only spend ?50 on petrol so you dont go very far in it.
Tallyhoh!
Stopped Smoking October 2000. Saved ?14,040 so far!
Today, 2:26 PM
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Thanks all!
The TV is stuck with us for a year I'm afraid. That's one of the contracts we're tied into. Along with the mobiles and Gas & Electric.
Oh the monthly wage was joint by the way. I earn ?1000 and my husband anything between 1600 and 1800 pm.
I'll start a diary, I did this once before but used to keep forgetting :s
No, we don't need drinking/eating out etc but I just see it as a little pleasure as we don't do much else to be honest. Maybe I'll change my mind about that though when I've got the real figures down on paper rather than an estimate. Still, I don't know how we'll ever see the back of our debts...I hate money
Today, 2:33 PM
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Quote:
Is the car really necessary? you only spend ?50 on petrol so you dont go very far in it.
My husbands petrol is paid for through work so that's just my diesel. I go to and from school and work. I also do a few on calls too so I'd need it then and my husband works really long hours which overlap mine but he also does on calls, it'd mean that one of us was car-less three times a week which isn't a prob when I'm at home but as I rely on my parents for child care and they dont live anywhere near me I prefer to use the car to get home from work to let them go home. I work 730am-730pm so using my car means I can get home 45min sooner for my mum to go home and do the 15mile journey. Does that make sense? sorry I'm typing as my daughter is using me as a c;liming frame!
Today, 2:52 PM
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Here's the proper SOA. I think it's correct. I've had to group a few things together and put them under entertainment. I've also taken off the holiday.
[font=courier new]Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet
Household Information
Number of adults in household........... 2
Number of children in household......... 2
Number of cars owned.................... 2
Monthly Income Details
Monthly income after tax................ 1000
Partners monthly income after tax....... 1800
Benefits................................ 134.8
Other income............................ 0
Total monthly income.................... 2934.8
Monthly Expense Details
Mortgage................................ 728.5
Secured/HP loan repayments.............. 124
Rent.................................... 0
Management charge (leasehold property).. 0
Council tax............................. 80
Electricity............................. 40
Gas..................................... 60
Oil..................................... 0
Water rates............................. 35
Telephone (land line)................... 10
Mobile phone............................ 113
TV Licence.............................. 12.12
Satellite/Cable TV...................... 30
Internet Services....................... 10
Groceries etc. ......................... 360
Clothing................................ 20
Petrol/diesel........................... 50
Road tax................................ 18.66
Car Insurance........................... 77
Car maintenance (including MOT)......... 0
Car parking............................. 0
Other travel............................ 0
Childcare/nursery....................... 0
Other child related expenses............ 268
Medical (prescriptions, dentist etc).... 0
Pet insurance/vet bills................. 0
Buildings insurance..................... 10
Contents insurance...................... 8.68
Life assurance ......................... 47.99
Other insurance......................... 0
Presents (birthday, christmas etc)...... 43
Haircuts................................ 13
Entertainment........................... 200
Holiday................................. 0
Emergency fund.......................... 0
credit expert........................... 14.99
professional reistration................ 12.66
Total monthly expenses.................. 2386.6
Assets
Cash.................................... 0
House value (Gross)..................... 160000
Shares and bonds........................ 0
Car(s).................................. 1500
Other assets............................ 0
Total Assets............................ 161500
Secured & HP Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly.. .APR
Mortgage...................... 119000...(728.5)....3
Hire Purchase (HP) debt ...... 992......(124)......0
Total secured & HP debts...... 119992....-.........-
Unsecured Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly.. .APR
Visa card......................6300......186.8.....0
visa card......................200.......10........19.9 4
next directory.................550.......62........25.9 9
Argos card.....................600.......30........29.9
Total unsecured debts..........7650......288.8.....-
Monthly Budget Summary
Total monthly income.................... 2,934.8
Expenses (including HP & secured debts). 2,386.6
Available for debt repayments........... 548.2
Monthly UNsecured debt repayments....... 288.8
Amount left after debt repayments....... 259.4
Personal Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets (things you own)........... 161,500
Total HP & Secured debt................. -119,992
Total Unsecured debt.................... -7,650
Net Assets.............................. 33,858
Today, 3:50 PM
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Hi,
Just a few small ideas... - Entertainment is too high I'm afraid - Groceries is also high, try the old style board for great bargain and batch cooking ideas - Do you need both cars? You're only spending ?50 a month on petrol which implies they're doing relatively low mileage. When we got rid of our second one I was so shocked by how much we saved
More people will have better ideas too
Debt paid off ?0/?5500MFW #42 OP ?0/?2000Save ?12k in 2013 #079 ?0/?3000
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Quote:
Here's the proper SOA. I think it's correct. I've had to group a few things together and put them under entertainment. I've also taken off the holiday.
[font=courier new]Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet
Household Information
Number of adults in household........... 2
Number of childr
We've all had that friend who disappears for a month, only to emerge newly coupled and minus ten pounds. Or the friend who gets hitched and then develops a belly. What appears to be an individual phenomenon is actually deep seated in our social and psychological behavior. Food and love are inexorably linked, thanks to a complex hormonal reaction that affects our emotional attachments to loved ones?and our need for food.
Notably, early in the relationship, eating takes on weighted significance, according to Maryanne Fisher, a professor of psychology St. Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, whose research focuses on the evolutionary basis of romantic behavior. "Food is a way to display skills to a potential mate," Fisher told HuffPost Healthy Living. "You might buy nicer food or prepare better meals. It's fascinating how it can be used as part of the relationship."
RELATED: Do you have the sex life you want? Find out if one of these issues is coming between you and the sex life you deserve!
If the food is a display?say, if one partner cooks food for another, or one buys a fancy dinner for the other?that's preferable, because those who are newly in love tend not to eat much. As Fisher noted in her essay on the subject, those who are newly infatuated produce an overabundance of "reward hormones" like norepinephrine. In turn, those produce feelings of euphoria, giddiness, and energy. But they also suppress appetite in many, according to Fisher.
But as with all things, "love hormones" that go up must come down, and, in extreme cases, that can lead to obesity. One 2008 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill study found that women who were married were twice as likely to become obese as their peers who were single. Those who were cohabiting, but not married, were 63 percent more likely to become obese than single women. Men didn't emerge unscathed: married men were also twice as likely to grow obese, though cohabiting men were no more likely to be obese than their single counterparts.
RELATED: Turn up the heat in the bedroom with these foods proven to boost libido.
For one thing, weight gain includes an element of social contagion. If one spouse has poor eating habits, such as a lack of portion control or a preference for unhealthy foods, that may extend to the other spouse. And, as nutritionist Joy Bauer explained during a segment on TODAY about the subject, there is little motivation to stay away from the cozy snacking:
Most importantly, if you?ve settled down with someone, you?re no longer facing the competition of the dating field. That means you may have less incentive to stay in shape and look your best. Plus, your lifestyle starts to revolve around food a bit more. As a couple, you probably stay in and cozy up (with food) on the couch more often than you did when you were single.
Did you gain weight during the course of a relationship or after marriage? Did you lose weight falling in love? Tell us in the comments!
More on Huffington Post Healthy Living: 7 Celebrities Who Faced Cervical Cancer How Much Water Should I Really Drink? How Many Calories Do These Winter Activities Burn?
Vaccine schedule safety: IOM Report to release Jan. 16Public release date: 9-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Christine Stencel news@nas.edu 202-334-2138 National Academy of Sciences
Roughly 90 percent of American children receive most childhood vaccines as advised by the federal immunization schedule. However, some parents spread out their children's immunizations over a longer time frame and a small fraction object to having their children immunized at all. Their concerns arise in part from the number and timing of doses that children receive; the schedule entails 24 immunizations by age 2 given in amounts ranging from one to five injections during a pediatric visit.
The Childhood Immunization Schedule and Safety: Stakeholder Concerns, Scientific Evidence, and Future Studies, a new report from the Institute of Medicine, examines evidence about the schedule's safety and recommends the best way to conduct any needed investigations. Members of the committee that wrote the report will discuss their conclusions and recommendations during a one-hour telephone briefing starting at 11 a.m. EST Wednesday, Jan. 16.
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DETAILS:
Advance copies of the report will be available to reporters only beginning at noon EST Tuesday, Jan. 15. The report is embargoed and not for release before 11 a.m. EST Wednesday, Jan. 16.
Reporters:
To obtain an embargoed copy and receive call-in information for the telephone briefing, contact the National Academies' Office of News and Public Information; tel. 202-334-2138 or e-mail news@nas.edu. More information on the study is available at http://www.iom.edu/Activities/PublicHealth/ChildhoodImmunization.aspx.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Vaccine schedule safety: IOM Report to release Jan. 16Public release date: 9-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Christine Stencel news@nas.edu 202-334-2138 National Academy of Sciences
Roughly 90 percent of American children receive most childhood vaccines as advised by the federal immunization schedule. However, some parents spread out their children's immunizations over a longer time frame and a small fraction object to having their children immunized at all. Their concerns arise in part from the number and timing of doses that children receive; the schedule entails 24 immunizations by age 2 given in amounts ranging from one to five injections during a pediatric visit.
The Childhood Immunization Schedule and Safety: Stakeholder Concerns, Scientific Evidence, and Future Studies, a new report from the Institute of Medicine, examines evidence about the schedule's safety and recommends the best way to conduct any needed investigations. Members of the committee that wrote the report will discuss their conclusions and recommendations during a one-hour telephone briefing starting at 11 a.m. EST Wednesday, Jan. 16.
###
DETAILS:
Advance copies of the report will be available to reporters only beginning at noon EST Tuesday, Jan. 15. The report is embargoed and not for release before 11 a.m. EST Wednesday, Jan. 16.
Reporters:
To obtain an embargoed copy and receive call-in information for the telephone briefing, contact the National Academies' Office of News and Public Information; tel. 202-334-2138 or e-mail news@nas.edu. More information on the study is available at http://www.iom.edu/Activities/PublicHealth/ChildhoodImmunization.aspx.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
This undated handout photo provided by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) shows National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson. The nation's tax law is so thick and complicated that businesses and individuals spend more than 6 billion hours a year complying with filing requirements. That's the equivalent of 3 million people working full-time, year-round. A report by Olson says: "The existing tax code makes compliance difficult, requiring taxpayers to devote excessive time to preparing and filing their returns," (AP Photo/Christopher Germano, IRS)
This undated handout photo provided by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) shows National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson. The nation's tax law is so thick and complicated that businesses and individuals spend more than 6 billion hours a year complying with filing requirements. That's the equivalent of 3 million people working full-time, year-round. A report by Olson says: "The existing tax code makes compliance difficult, requiring taxpayers to devote excessive time to preparing and filing their returns," (AP Photo/Christopher Germano, IRS)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Too intimidated to fill out your tax return without help? Join the club.
At nearly 4 million words, the U.S. tax law is so thick and complicated that businesses and individuals spend more than 6 billion hours a year complying with filing requirements, according to a report Wednesday by an independent government watchdog.
That's the equivalent of 3 million people working full-time, year-round.
"If tax compliance were an industry, it would be one of the largest in the United States," says the report by Nina E. Olson, the National Taxpayer Advocate.
The days of most taxpayers sitting down with a pencil and a calculator to figure out their taxes are long gone, Olson said. Since 2001, Congress has made almost 5,000 changes to U.S. tax law. That's an average of more than one a day.
As a result, almost 60 percent of filers will pay someone to prepare their tax returns this spring. An additional 30 percent will use commercial software. Without the help, Olson says, most taxpayers would be lost.
"On the one hand, taxpayers who honestly seek to comply with the law often make inadvertent errors, causing them to either overpay their tax or become subject to IRS enforcement action for mistaken underpayments," Olson said. "On the other hand, sophisticated taxpayers often find loopholes that enable them to reduce or eliminate their tax liabilities."
Olson ranks complexity as the most serious tax problem facing taxpayers and the Internal Revenue Service in her annual report to Congress. She urges lawmakers to overhaul the nation's tax laws, making them simpler, clearer and easier to comply with.
Momentum is building in Congress to overhaul the tax code for the first time since 1986. But Washington's divided government has yet to show it can successfully tackle such a task.
President Barack Obama and Republican leaders in Congress say they are onboard, though they have rarely seen eye to eye on tax policy. They struggled mightily just to avoid the year-end fiscal cliff, passing a bill that makes relatively small changes in the nation's tax laws.
Undaunted, the top tax writer in the House says he is determined to pass reform legislation this year.
"This report confirms that the code is 10 times the size of the Bible with none of the good news," said Rep. Dave Camp, chairman of the House and Ways and Means Committee. "Our broken tax code has become a nightmare of loopholes and special interest provisions that create added complexities and costs for hardworking taxpayers and small businesses."
"Comprehensive tax reform will make sure everyone is playing by the same rules and help businesses create more jobs and invest in their workers," Camp said.
The general formula for tax reform is widely embraced on Capitol Hill: Eliminate or reduce some tax credits, exemptions and deductions and use the additional revenue to pay for lower income tax rates for everyone. There is, however, no consensus on which tax breaks to scale back.
That's because Americans like their credits, deductions and exemptions ? the provisions that make the tax law so complicated in the first place. Would workers want to pay taxes on employer-provided health benefits or on contributions to their retirement plans? How would homeowners feel about losing the mortgage interest deduction?
Those are the three biggest tax breaks in the tax code, according to congressional estimates. Together, they are projected to save taxpayers nearly $450 billion this year.
In all, taxpayers will save about $1.1 trillion this year by taking advantage of tax breaks, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation, the official scorekeeper for Congress. That's almost as much as individuals will pay in income taxes.
To avoid angering millions of constituents who rely on popular tax breaks, politicians prefer to endorse tax reform without getting into specifics. Instead, they say they want to reform the tax code by eliminating special interest "loopholes" that help only small but well-connected groups of taxpayers.
Obama has repeatedly said he wants to eliminate tax breaks for hedge fund managers and companies that buy corporate jets. Throughout the recent fiscal cliff debate, House Speaker John Boehner said he favored raising additional tax revenue by reducing unspecified tax loopholes rather than raising income tax rates.
Olson defines "loopholes" as tax breaks that benefit someone else. She warns that targeting only narrow provisions won't raise enough revenue to significantly lower rates or make the law much simpler.
"That's what we've been trying to say to taxpayers, that the special interests are us. It's not just oil and gas or whatever you want to point your finger at," Olson said. "That's not where the money is."
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Online: National Taxpayer Advocate: http://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/2012AnnualReport
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Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephenatap
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) ? An Iowa man charged with killing his mother and kidnapping another woman hours after being released from prison made disturbing drawings while behind bars, prompting prison officials to warn police about his release.
Court documents released Wednesday show Iowa Department of Corrections officials told Sac County Sheriff Ken McClure shortly before Kirk Levin's Jan. 1 release that they had discovered a notebook with explicit writings and drawings of a woman being raped.
McClure declined comment on whether he took action in response, but noted the agency routinely contacts him when inmates move to the area. Department of Corrections spokesman Fred Scaletta declined comment.
Police say Levin, 21, has confessed to choking and stabbing his mother, Marilyn Schmitt, to death within 36 hours of leaving the Mount Pleasant prison and moving back to her farmhouse in Early in northwestern Iowa. He's charged with first-degree murder.
Levin was released after serving two years on a five-year burglary sentence, which was reduced under a law that routinely cuts sentences in half. A judge also gave Levin credit for time served in Wisconsin, where he was sent for violating his parole in a car theft case. Prison officials say they had to release Levin without supervision once his sentence ended.
McClure found Schmitt's body in a blood-soaked bedroom Jan. 3 after going to check on her, after her son was arrested in connection with the kidnapping of 21-year-old Jessica Vega. Schmitt had been stabbed in the head and leg and had a belt wrapped around her neck, according to court documents.
"I don't know that there's words to describe it," McClure said. "It was a sad deal for a whole lot of people."
In a police statement released Wednesday, Vega described Levin luring her into a barn and tying her up during a kidnapping that ended only when a car accident allowed her to escape.
Vega said she knew Levin from talking with him online. Early Jan. 3, she heard someone calling her name outside her apartment in Storm Lake, 15 miles from Early. She said she was shocked to see Levin, who said his car had broken down and he needed a ride home. She agreed.
When they arrived at his mother's house, Levin convinced her to get out of her car so he could "show me something" in a barn, Vega wrote. She said she agreed on the condition that he be quick because she needed to go to work. She said Levin closed the barn door and told her to take a seat.
"He was walking to get the rope and said, 'I'm kidnapping you.' I thought he was kidding and I said I'm not a kid. So he said, 'woman-napping you.' So I laughed & when he got the rope I knew he was serious," she wrote. "We were on the floor struggling. I had no way out and he kept telling me that he didn't want to hurt me so to stop struggling."
Vega said she figured her only way out was to get around other people, and she told Levin she'd do whatever he asked if they went to get her daughter, Victoria. She said he tied her hands and feet with rope, put her in the car and drove toward the apartment she shared with her sister.
She was riding in the backseat, but Levin said that made him nervous. She suggested he put her in the trunk, where she had tools she thought she could use to hit him. He did, but Vega's idea backfired. She could hardly breathe in the trunk and furiously kicked to get Levin's attention. He then stopped and put her in the front seat.
Levin eventually drove the speeding car into a ditch, and two passersby offered to help. Levin tried to hide Vega from the couple, covering her face with one of her daughter's sweaters.
"He gets out of the car and tells them that it's no use, that the car is stuck, that he doesn't live far so he'll just walk there," she wrote.
Vega got out and reported her kidnapping to police. Deputies found Levin hiding in a barn on his mother's property. Court records say he confessed to the kidnapping and told detectives he'd had "fantasies of kidnaping and rape" dating back to his teenage years.
Court documents in Wisconsin detail other instances in which Levin was caught while planning sexual assaults.
McClure went to Schmitt's home after he could not reach her by phone. Police say Levin had killed his mother before he drove her car to Storm Lake to meet Vega.
Police recovered a knife handle, a broken knife blade, blood samples, rope, and duct tape during searches of the home and two vehicles.