Archive for October, 2007
Posted by privateofficernews on October 31, 2007
T.J. Maxx Security Officer Killed On The Job by; Rick McCann www.privateofficer.com
PITTSTON, Pa. October 31, 2007 11:40a.m. est
BREAKING NEWS-We have just learned that a security officer was killed this morning and are still gathering information and will post it as soon as we have further details. This is what we know so far.
A security guard is dead in an accident involving two trucks at a distribution center in Luzerne County.
State police say one truck stopped at the security gate as it was leaving the TJ Maxx Distribution Center on Tuesday at the Grimes Industrial Park near Pittston.
The driver of the truck could not get its doors open.
A second truck stopped and the driver got out to help.
Police say one of the trucks then started to roll and hit the security guard at the gate, killing him.
The guard’s name was not immediately released.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: officer down, private officer, security, security guard, security guard killed, security officer killed, t.j. maxx | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on October 30, 2007
ATLANTA GA. OCT. 30, 2007
IT’S HALLOWEEN AGAIN! EAT THE TREATS, BUT DON’T GET TRICKED!
This is just a brief reminder that although Halloween is a time for treats, it is also time for tricks and if you are working a security position on Tuesday October 30th or Wednesday October 31st, be on your toes!
Officers working high risk assignments such as banks, shopping malls, apartment complexes and schools should use caution when approaching a costumed individual especially under suspicous circumstances or in response to a complaint investigation.
Persons entering banks with masks should be asked to remove them and any weapons including baseball bats, play guns, swords, knives or clubs should be left outside the bank building.
If you are unsure whether or not the weapon is real, approach the subject in “the ready” position and DO NOT take chances. If necessary call for immediate back-up from your local police agencies.
Halloween is used as a time of crime and opportunity by criminals and you should not be tricked into believing that it’s all just a harmless prank.
If you are patrolling shopping malls or apartments be alert for the children, drive carefully and be observant. Again, this time of year gives shoplifters and robbers perfect cover and in years past has been a prime robbery day for jewelry stores, banks, armoured cars and the like so be alert!
When in doubt, approach the situation cautiously, unhurried and always in the ready position. Do not get sidetracked. Diversions can easily be used during these days and as you chase nothing, an armed robbery could be occurring two doors down.
Most of, www.privateofficer.com and The National Association Of Private Officer
wishes you a safe and uneventful Halloween!
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Posted by privateofficernews on October 30, 2007
Nashville TN. Oct. 30, 2007
A security guard at Vanderbilt University Medical Center was arrested today after she admitted that she stole $2,300 from a woman’s purse that she searched while on duty, police said.
The female victim was entering the emergency department through a metal detector at the time, police said in an affidavit.
The guard, Nikesia Monique Floyd, 26, worked for a private contractor at the hospital, a police affidavit states.The theft was discovered Oct. 11 when another visitor noticed $300 missing from her purse and approached Floyd about it, the police affidavit states.“Ms. Floyd initially denied taking the money, but later admitted to the theft in front of her supervisor and (Vanderbilt) officers,” the affidavit says.During a follow-up investigation by Vanderbilt detectives, Floyd admitted on Oct. 12 that she took $2,300 from the purse, the affidavit said. The money belonged to the victim and her husband, police said.Floyd was arrested and charged with theft over $1,000. Her bond was set at $10,000.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: hospital security, hospital theft, metro nashville police, music city, nashville, nashville tennessee, nikesia floyd, vanderbilt, vanderbilt hospital, vanderbilt police | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on October 30, 2007
Houston TX. Oct. 30, 2007
A man suspected of shooting a Houston police officer while he was being arrested was found dead in a field Sunday, KPRC Local 2 reported.
Police said Officer Victor Hill, who was not in uniform, arrested Eric Titov, 22, on suspicion of breaking into cars at the complex in the 18600 block of South Park View Drive near West Park View Drive at about 12:30 a.m.
Investigators said Titov, who was handcuffed, pulled out a gun and shot Hill in the chest.
Hill called for backup and was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in critical condition.
Titov ran from the scene, detectives said. He was found dead in a field on Barker Cypress Road near Saums Road on Sunday afternoon. Police have not said how he died.
Titov had several credit cards and driver’s licenses that did not belong to him, detectives said. Hill has been with the Houston Police Department for 14 years.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: eric titov, houston police, houston police shot, houston tx., officer down, officer shot, victor hill | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on October 30, 2007
Teaneck N.J. Oct. 30, 2007
A former lab technician at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, N.J., is under arrest and accused of having sex with a corpse, authorities said.
Anthony Merino, who had been working at the hospital for two weeks at the time of his arrest, is charged with desecrating human remains.
A security guard at the hospital saw Merino, 24, engaged in sexual activity with a 92-year-old deceased woman in the morgue on Sunday, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. The security guard immediately called Teaneck police, who came and arrested Merino.
“This heinous crime is a travesty,” hospital officials said in a statement. “We are horrified and saddened for the family of the patient and are completely empathic and sympathetic to them.”
Hospital officials said they immediately fired Merinio, who lives in Upper Manhattan. They also said that they did conduct a criminal background investigation and reference check on Merino before hiring him.Merino is being held and a judge ordered a psychological evaluation.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , anthony merino, heinous crime, holy name hospital, sex, sex with corpse, sex with dead person, strange sex, teaneck new jersey, teaneck police | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on October 30, 2007
Wai’anae Hi. Oct. 30, 2007
Police have opened a homicide investigation into the stabbing death yesterday of a woman in Kalihi.
The woman, 44, was found in the bedroom of her first-floor apartment unit at 2110 Kahaha St. on the mauka side of Gulick Avenue by a police officer responding to a 911 call of a domestic argument about 2:30 p.m., said Lt. Bill Kato, supervisor of homicide investigations.
Paramedics pronounced the woman dead at the scene at 3:23 p.m., according to City Emergency Services spokesman Bryan Cheplic.
According to booking information at the main police station, Melchor B. Adviento, 50, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder at 2:40 p.m. before being taken to the hospital.
The man was at The Queen’s Medical Center last night in critical but stable condition with an apparent stab wound to the upper torso, Kato said.
Two kitchen knives were found at the scene.
Kato said the patrol officer who investigated the 911 call arrived at the apartment and found the door locked. A man bleeding from the chest area answered the officer’s knock, and the officer entered and found the woman’s body.
In another domestic stabbing attack yesterday, police arrested a 25-year-old man in Wai’anae who they said stabbed his mother and sister during an argument.
The man also injured a construction site security officer who tried to prevent him from fleeing the scene, police said. The attacks at 85-128 Ala Walua were reported to police at 3:07 p.m.
Robert Rios III, 25, who has an outstanding $500 warrant, was arrested at 5:30 p.m. on Ala Walua on suspicion of assault. Two women, ages 44 and 24, were taken to The Queen’s Medical Center, where they were in stable condition, Cheplic said.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: robert rios III., security assaulted, security stabbed, stabbing, wai'anae hi. | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on October 30, 2007
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San Jose Ca. Oct. 30, 2007
A man with a handgun banged repeatedly on a car window before shooting out its tires and firing shots at a security guard in an attempted carjacking near San Jose’s Kelley Park early Sunday morning, police said.
It was around 1 a.m. when a woman and two of friends sat parked in an apartment building parking lot on Lucretia Avenue waiting to pick up people inside. After their friends got into the car, Sgt. Nick Muyo said, a man with a handgun approached the driver’s window.
Using the gun he pounded on the window and demanded she roll it down. The driver refused. As the gunman walked around the car toward the passenger window, the woman threw the car in the reverse and backed out of the parking lot, Muyo said.
The woman heard several gunshots as she left the apartment building’s lot.
After she drove a way the woman got out of the car to check the damage. As she noticed two of her tires had been punctured by bullets, she heard four more gunshots, Muyo said.
Police believe that those were fired by the carjackers.
A security guard at the building heard the first shots fired at the car and went to investigate, Muyo said.
The man noticed two men, one with a gun, near a parking garage at the complex. The men fired repeatedly at the guard, missing him, Muyo said.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call San Jose Police at (408) 277-4166.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , carjacking, robbery, san jose ca., san jose's kelley park | 1 Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on October 30, 2007
BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — Oct. 29, 2007
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer was killed Saturday after crashing her all-terrain vehicle in the Rotenberger Wildlife Management Area, the agency said.
Michelle Lawless, 47, had been working in the northwest corner of the management area near the L5 Canal and the Palm Beach County line when she apparently collided with a fixed object, wildlife officials said.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating.
Lawless began her career with the FWC’s law enforcement division in May 2003. She was assigned to Broward County. “Michelle was a diligent, accomplished officer who died doing what she did so well, protecting Florida’s natural resources. This is a painful loss to the entire agency, her family and friends,” said Maj. Brett Norton, commander of law enforcement for the region.
Illinois
Trooper McMillen was traveling to assist another officer, Oct. 28 when his patrol car was involved in a collision with two other vehicles.
Both vehicles were being operated by intoxicated drivers.
Trooper McMillen had served with the Illinois State Police for eight months and is survived by his wife.
Casa Grande AZ.
Sergeant Tate Lynch succumbed to injuries sustained when he fell from a wall while conducting training exercises with the Pinal County SWAT team. Sergeant Tate was a member of the inter-agency Pinal County SWAT team. The team was training at the Pinal County Detention Center, in Florence, where Sergeant Lynch was rappelling down a wall. During his decent, Sergeant Lynch fell and sustained serious head injuries. He was flown to Scottsdale Healthcare Trauma Center where he succumbed to his injuries a short time later.Sergeant Lynch had served with the Casa Grande Police Department for 7 years. He is survived by his wife and three children.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: all-terrain crash, florida fish and wildlife commission, michelle lawless, officer down, rotenberger wildlife management area | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on October 30, 2007
DERBY KS. Oct 29, 2007
The Wal Mart in Derby was evacuated after a strong chemical odor sickened many people inside.
123 people were triaged on the scene, 17 of which were transported to local emergency rooms. As of Monday, all 17 have been released.
The patients were suffering respiratory ailments which made them cough and vomit. Many of the patients were treated for minor symptoms at the scene.
It is believed the chemical originated from the photo lab area, but Derby fire officials don’t know the exact chemical that caused the problem. Meanwhile, the parking lot was blocked off by police while fire and ambulance crews treated the patients.
The Derby school district placed several school buses in the parking lot, which were on standby in case there was a need for mass transports to hospitals. All patients who went to the hospital, however, were taken by ambulances.
The store reopened shortly after 10:00 pm after fire officials and hazardous materials crews said the area was safe.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: derby ks., shoppers, walmart | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on October 30, 2007
Baton Rouge, LA. Oct. 29, 2007
Within 30 minutes of surveillance video airing on television newscasts, Baton Rouge police say they got the tips they needed to make an arrest in Wednesday’s murder of an elderly security guard. The murder happened at Pete’s Farmer’s Market on Airline Highway. Derrick Williams, 25, was charged with First Degree Murder and Armed Robbery. “
He is done, no more,” said Baton Rouge Police Chief Jeff LeDuff during a Friday afternoon news conference called to announce the arrest.The grainy surveillance video released by police shows a gunman arguing with 71-year-old security guard Alfred Mequet. The gunman demands money and attempts to open two cash registers. He opens fire, shooting and killing the guard. Before releasing the surveillance video to the media, the face of the victim was blurred and many segments that contained the victim’s voice were muted.The gunman was never able to open the cash registers, which were actually empty. The murder happened just before 5am, when the market was closed. “Literally within a half an hour of that video airing on television, our phones were ringing off the hook,” said police spokesman Sergeant Don Kelly. “We had tips coming in from throughout the community,” Kelly said.LeDuff says he agonized over whether to release the surveillance tape to the media. He now knows he made the right decision and applauds those who called in the tips needed to make the arrest. “Anyone who looked at that video, for those people who have never been involved in crime, to see the victim, and how callous and how unconcerned that young man was to take that shot. I don’t think there’s any question left for them. It’s the right thing to do,”
LeDuff said of the people who provided the tips. “He’s done,” LeDuff said.The victim’s wife, Linda Mequet, said Friday afternoon that she was relieved police had a suspect. She said she hopes Williams “never sees the light of day.” She said she would never miss his parole hearings, if he is convicted of the crime.
Chip Elkins, who owns Miles Paint & Body Shop located next to the market where the killing happened, knew the victim and had performed work on his vehicle. He, too, expressed joy at the news of Williams’ arrest. “I wish they could bring him by here for about 15 minutes before they take him to jail,” Elkins said.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , alfred mequet, baton rouge, baton rouge police, derrick williams, pete's farmer market, robbery, security guard killed during robbery | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on October 30, 2007
Petaluma Ca. Oct. 29, 2007
Two Marin City residents were arrested Thursday after one of them allegedly stole items from a supermarket in the Gateway Shopping Center and they then scuffled with a security guard, said Sgt. Mark Hunter of the Petaluma Police Department.
A security guard in Lucky’s Supermarket at Lakeville Street and Caulfield Lane reportedly observed Michelle Suhrke, 31, put electronic equipment, alcohol and other items in her purse. Suhrke left the store at around 4:45 p.m. without paying for the items, and the security officer then approached her in the parking lot.When the security guard attempted to place her under citizens arrest for theft and started retrieving the items from her purse, Suhrke bit and struck the guard, and called for help from Richard Bonner, 37, who was waiting for her in the parking lot, Hunter said.
Bonner began assaulting the guard as all three people struggled for the purse containing the stolen items. The guard eventually was able to secure the purse, and the two suspects then ran to a parked car and drove off.The guard was able to obtain the license plates of their vehicle, and at around 9:30 p.m., deputies from the Marin County Sheriff’s Department located and arrested them at the request of Petaluma police.They were booked into Sonoma County Jail for attempted robbery, and Bonner also was held without bail for violating conditions of his parole.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: gateway shopping center, loss prevention, lucky's supermarket, michelle suhrke, petaluma cal., police, retail theft, richard bonner, robbery, security, security assaulted, shoplifting | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on October 30, 2007
Salem Ore. Oct. 29, 2007
A man and a woman were arrested Thursday night at the Oregon State Hospital after driving to the psychiatric facility in a stolen car containing methamphetamine and attempting to help a patient escape, officials said Friday.
“The escape attempt was foiled by our ward staff and security staff, both of whom did a good job,” interim hospital Superintendent Maynard Hammer said.
Staff members became suspicious when they spotted a vehicle with Washington license plates drive onto the hospital campus Thursday night, Hammer said. A person got out of the car to look at a security fence behind the hospital’s two maximum-security wards, then the car left.
Later, the suspects returned. About 10 p.m., hospital employees reportedly caught them tampering with a security fence outside the hospital’s 124-year-old J Building, just south of Center Street NE. The suspects were in possession of cutting tools, officials said.
Staff members and responding Salem police officers detained the suspects until they were arrested by Oregon State Police.
Arrested were Thomas E. Boring, 29, of Gresham, and Monica Holbert, 50, of Vancouver, Wash. Both were taken to Marion County jail.
Boring faces charges of conspiracy to commit escape, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, criminal mischief and possession of methamphetamine. Holbert faces charges of conspiracy to commit escape and conspiracy to commit criminal mischief.
State police reported that the suspects drove to the area in a 1994 Ford Explorer that was stolen in Vancouver. Methamphetamine was found during a search of the vehicle, police said.
Hospital officials aren’t aware of any connection between the suspects and the patient thought to be involved in the failed escape, Hammer said.
Hammer declined to identify the criminally committed patient, citing laws protecting patient privacy. He confirmed that the patient has a history of escape attempts.
“I think we know where this patient’s interests lie, so we’ll be extra-vigilant for a while,” Hammer said.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: escape, monica holbert, oregon state hospital, oregon state police, private officer, salem oregon, security, thomas e. boring | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on October 26, 2007
Richmond County Ga. Oct. 26, 2007 Investigators say that a man may have used a stolen police uniform in an attempt to commit a crime and are urging the public to be cautious.
A man claiming to be a sergeant with the sheriff’s office called Paulos Cleaners and Laundry, 2525 Peach Orchard Road, on Oct. 19 and said he would be picking up the uniforms in place of Deputy Ronald Phillips. The man, who is described as black and 6 feet tall, took four uniforms from the cleaners, according to a sheriff’s report. A day later, police received a report that a man had called the Ace Cash Express on Walton Way and claimed to be investigating check fraud for the sheriff’s office. When he arrived at the store, he was wearing a pair of pants similar to the ones stolen the previous day and a long-sleeve, gray shirt with a sheriff’s tab on the right shoulder, according to sheriff’s Maj. Ken Autry. The man left the store and did not return after a suspicious clerk demanded to see his badge.
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Maj. Autry said the FBI and Homeland Security were notified after the theft, as were other departments in the area. He said anyone suspicious of an officer should demand to see a badge.
“It’s perfectly legitimate for citizens to ask those questions,” he said.
The sheriff’s department is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case. Anyone with information can call the office at (706) 821-1080.
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Posted by privateofficernews on October 26, 2007
Oak Brook, IL – Oct. 26, 2007
Police this week arrested a woman who shoplifted more than $17,000 worth of merchandise, some from Oakbrook Center, and connected her to a retail theft ring traveling the country hitting malls.
Urrutia Carolina, 28, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, was charged with felony retail theft and possession of stolen merchandise.
“They’re very good at it,” said Oak Brook Police Sgt. Tami Shuey, standing beside a table with the merchandise police found in a rental van after arresting the woman Tuesday night.
The store manager at Victoria’s Secret in Oakbrook Center, Route 83 and 22nd Street, called police after watching the woman leave the store with dozens of bras in a shopping bag without paying for them.
“Two people had just come in and cleaned out a shelving unit basically, a store cabinet thing,” Shuey said. “They filled up their bag, exited the store and while they were leaving they dropped a bra.”
Police said Carolina, like many sophisticated shoplifters, used a well-known device to get past the electronic detectors in the store.
Aided by Oakbrook Center security, police found Carolina hiding between cars in the parking lot, and eventually found her van with duffle bags full of merchandise. The bras stolen from Victoria’s Secret sold for $50 apiece or more.
A male helping Carolina got away, fleeing on foot, police said.
“We had documentation that within the last couple of days they have shipped out hundreds of pounds of merchandise through different avenues to different states,” Shuey said.
Oak Brook Police Chief Tom Sheahan said an intelligence unit he formed earlier this year with other police agencies alerted his department Tuesday the gang was in the area.
“It’s as organized as organized crime because it is organized crime,” Sheahan said. “They stay in hotels in the area at night, and then they go out and steal all day.”
Oak Brook Police Detective Tom Russell said such gangs hit one shopping center a day.
“They’ll stay at one mall one day and go to another mall the next day,” Russell said. “They’ve gotten away with it. Otherwise, they wouldn’t keep doing it.”
Sheahan said police are working with Limited Brands, Walgreens, Wal-Mart and other retailers to keep track of the gangs.
Shuey said the arrest this week is part of a gang of six individuals who keep returning to Oak Brook. Shuey said the van they found had a U.S. atlas with towns circled with malls in every state. Shuey said Illinois had 18 mall towns circled.
Oak Brook tactical officer Bob Christopherson said the couple hit only three stores Tuesday, and he said not all of the retailers had in-store security.
“They’ve been trained to call police when they see someone doing something suspicious,” Christopherson said. “They’re getting better at calling right away. The training worked well, I guess.”
Shuey added Carolina bonded out after posting a $75,000 bond.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: loss prevention, mall security, mall thefts, oak brook il, private officer, retail theft, security, shoplifting, shopping mall | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on October 26, 2007
ATLANTA GA. Oct. 26, 2007
School resource officers, sworn police officers or deputy sheriffs have been in schools across the country for years. And with the police presence has come increased arrests, physical police response in cases of fights and student outbreaks and some schools which have looked more like rioting city mobs then school campuses. Police using teargas and pepper spray and tasers to subdue and quell student fighting, outbreaks and disturbances. In recent weeks there have been numerous school shootings and school hostage situations some as large and scary as the shootings earlier this year at Virgina Tech.
Just this week a fight at a Florida school involved more than 300 students who also caused major damage at the school and took a small army of police and teargas to quell the disturbance and bring order. Another such incident on Thursday in Greesboro North Carolina where police there had to call several times for reinforcements and used teargas to help bring a large fight in a high school gym under control. Several smaller incidents in other school districts this week including Nashville Tennessee and a school in Michigan and New Jersey causes law enforcement to question whether or not students are getting more violent amongst themselves and against the police. Frequent outbreaks in schools across the nation do appear to be a common place
occurrance.
Here’s an example from incidents in New Jersey during a one week period.
VINELAND NJ — Police arrested 14 students in less than a week on a variety of charges ranging from assault to weapons possession and disorderly conduct. Eight students were arrested during a brawl that police said could be gang-related.
In the most recent incidents, police arrested three teens at Vineland High School and Landis Middle School about 2 p.m. Wednesday.
The following details were released Wednesday by police about the rash of student arrests:
· A 15-year-old male student was charged with possession of two pocketknives at Landis Middle School. The juvenile, who said he was afraid other students would attack him, was charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon and released to his parents.
· A 16-year-old male was charged with possession of a razor blade at Vineland High School 9-10.
· Another 16-year-old boy was charged with disorderly conduct at the 9-10 building when he attempted to fight another student on a bus during dismissal.
· Eight boys, ranging in age from 14 to 16, were charged with disorderly conduct when police broke up a large fight in a field on the north side of Chestnut Avenue at Spring Road on Tuesday afternoon.
Detective Lt. Tom Ulrich said police believe the fight was gang-related, but he declined to elaborate.
“This fight occurred at 2:30 after school was dismissed, and we’re working with school administrators to determine exactly why it occurred.”
Ulrich said several other youths involved in the fight escaped on foot.
· A 15-year-old boy was charged with assault on a school employee for allegedly pushing a security guard at Vineland High School 11-12 on Tuesday afternoon.
The juvenile allegedly refused to sit down on a bus and was told to get out of the vehicle by the security officer. He refused and pushed the officer in the process. The teen was held at the county detection center.
· Around 1:30 p.m., another 15-year-old boy was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest during a disturbance at the tennis courts at Vineland High School 9-10.
The suspect did not show up for morning class and was marked absent. He refused orders from security and staff to leave the school property, and Officer Brian Pooley of the Juvenile Unit used pepper spray during the arrest of the unruly teen.
· One person was arrested during a disturbance at a Vineland High School football game last Friday night.
Salman A. Yusuff Jr., 18, of Walnut Manor Apartments on East Walnut Road was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Police ordered several people to leave the school property because of a disturbance in the bleachers, but Yusuff refused and resisted when officers attempted to handcuff him.
Yusuff is a senior at the high school, according to police.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: atlanta ga, school fights, school riots, student crime, student disorder, vineland nj | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on October 26, 2007
Long Island N.Y. Oct. 26, 2007
A Verizon employee at a Green Acres Mall store in Valley Stream racked up about $2,400 on fraudulently obtained credit cards after stealing at least 35 customers’ identities, authorities said yesterday.
Durraine M. Dunn, 26, of 117-11 169th St., Jamaica, pleaded not guilty in a Hempstead courtroom yesterday, a day after her arrest on fraud and forgery charges. She is being held on bail of $120,000 bond or $60,000 cash. Police said Dunn swiped the information while working as a trusted customer representative at the wireless provider’s store”The victims in this case did nothing wrong,” Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice said. “They went to a legitimate store and gave the information required to open an account and purchase a cell phone.”
Manhattan-based Verizon Communications launched an internal probe to determine what happened and is working with authorities, said David Samberg, a spokesman for the wireless company. Det. Sgt. Thomas Reilly of Nassau’s Crimes Against Property Squad said investigators believe Dunn stole identities only of customers she helped – not any from the wireless provider’s customer database.During routine transactions, Dunn dealt with picture identification cards and Social Security numbers as well as birth dates, police said.Dunn used the information to apply for credit cards she had sent to her Jamaica address, officials said. She charged gift cards, shoes, air conditioners and flat-screen televisions, Reilly said. Authorities began investigating Dunn after a Maryland man filed an Aug. 17 missing-wallet report with the Port Authority at Kennedy Airport.Transactions made with the unidentified man’s credit card were traced to a shoe store at Green Acres Mall. An employee of the store who recognized Dunn said she made the purchase. A search warrant served at Dunn’s home Tuesday turned up numerous forged credit card applications and customers’ personal information, authorities said.Customers of the Verizon store and of a Sprint store at Green Acres, where Dunn worked more than a year, should have their credit reviewed, Rice said. She also urged customers to call Nassau’s identity theft hotline at 516-571-0677.
Alisa Madden, 30, of Lynbrook, ran a credit check after reading about the fraud on Newsday.com, and everything appeared OK. She had purchased a cell phone at the mall’s Verizon store in August. “It makes me feel violated,” she said. You take for granted all the information you put out here until something like this happens.”
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , cellphones, durraine m. dunn, green acres mall, identity theft, long island new york, verizon | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on October 26, 2007
ANCHORAGE, Alaska Oct. 26, 2007 — A man was killed with a frying pan, dismembered and then his body parts were bagged and placed in a freezer, police said.
The body of the victim, 38-year-old Terry Lee Jackson, was discovered Saturday when a woman went to open up her freezer, police said.
Authorities are still searching for the woman’s grandson, 22-year-old Elmer Seetot, who shares the apartment with her.
A warrant charges Seetot with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
Police claim the murder happened after the two men drank and fought Friday night.
The grandmother, Ruth Seetot, told police she went to bed early Friday night because she hadn’t been feeling well, but woke up briefly when her grandson came in. Later, she got up to use the restroom and saw reddish-colored water in the bathtub, but thought it might have been a dream, she told police.
The next morning, she told police her grandson was still there, but was crying and was upset.
“I accidentally killed Terry,” he told her, according to an affidavit. “He boxed me then I grabbed a skillet and hit him in the head.”
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: anchorage alaska, anchorage police, dismembered body, elmer seetot, terry lee jackson | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on October 25, 2007
HOLLYWOOD FLA. Oct. 25, 2007 – Broward Sheriff’s Deputy Maury Hernandez walked into a news conference at Memorial Regional Hospital on Thursday, his left leg shaking, his right hand clutching a cane and his left arm in a sling.Wearing his uniform and his badge, Hernandez drew applause from fellow law enforcement officers with each inspirational step.Hernandez was shot in the head during a traffic stop in Pembroke Park 80 days ago and, from the start, was not expected to survive. Thursday morning, in his first public comments since the Aug. 6 shooting, he talked about getting back to work.
I would like to go back to my regular job as soon as possible,” said Hernandez, smiling and surrounded by family and doctors who laughed and clapped and wiped away tears of joy. The deputy seemed almost embarrassed at all the attention.”I’m very honored. I don’t think I deserve all this,” he said.His brother, Hallandale Beach Police Officer Josue Hernandez, said he expects the deputy to be released from the hospital as early as Friday.Maury Hernandez returning to work is a very real possibility, according to his doctors and acting Sheriff Al Lamberti.Dr. Luis Rodriguez, a neurosurgeon who treated Hernandez, said the deputy’s recovery has gone so well that, although pieces of the bullet are still lodged in his head and he remains partially paralyzed on his left side, a 100 percent recovery is possible.”I’m sure there’s some medical explanation for what happened here,” Lamberti said.Still, he and others felt compelled to call the recovery “miraculous.”Hernandez and his family thanked colleagues and others for their prayers and financial assistance since the shooting that nearly took his life.
The alleged gunman, David Maldonado, 24, remains in custody at the Broward Main Jail, charged with attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: deputy hernandez, hollywood florida, maury hernandez, officer down, officer shot, private officer | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on October 25, 2007
GROVE HILL AL. – A former Coffeeville English teacher was found guilty Wednesday on two counts of enticing a minor for immoral purposes.
Sharon L. Rutherford, 32, was arrested last year on multiple charges stemming from alleged sexual contact with at least four of her students, including soliciting at least one of them to kill her husband.
The solicitation charge is still pending against Rutherford. No date for that trial has been set.
Soon after Rutherford’s arrest in April 2006, authorities dropped rape and sexual abuse charges against her when they determined that two of the boys mentioned in those charges were older than Alabama’s age of consent, 16. The remaining enticement charges involved boys who were 14 and 15 at the time.
The jury began deliberations shortly before 4 p.m. and reached a verdict about three hours later.
The enticement charges, class C felonies, carry a potential sentence of up to 10 years on each count. A sentencing hearing has been set for Dec. 10.
Attorneys and witnesses declined to comment on the case due to a gag order put in place by Presiding Circuit Court Judge Thomas Baxter.
The jury heard testimony Wednesday from one of the younger students and watched a videotape of his statement from April 7, 2006.
The student said on the tape and on the stand that on one occasion Rutherford asked another one of his teachers to send him and another boy to Rutherford’s classroom.
The student said that once he arrived, Rutherford “brushed her hand” across his pelvic area, and made sexually suggestive remarks to him and other boys who were “hanging out” in her classroom.
Rutherford told the boys they “wouldn’t last five minutes with her” sexually because they were young, and she was experienced, the student testified.
Defense attorney Richard Jensen called only two witnesses for the defense: the same student who testified for the prosecution and that student’s mother.
Rutherford sat through the trial attentively, showing little emotion.
Jensen said Rutherford had immoral and reprehensible sexual affairs with the two older students, and she should be “fired and her teaching certificate pulled.” But, he said, she did not entice the younger students.
One of the two older boys testified Tuesday that he met Rutherford at a graveyard and had sex in her vehicle after she told him to meet her there.
Another older boy, a special-education student, testified Tuesday that he and the teacher carried on a sexual affair from 2004 through 2006 at Coffeeville High School.
The boy estimated they had sex a hundred times or more, but he said he didn’t care for Rutherford.
The teacher was in love with that student, according to Jensen, and prosecutors introduced into evidence a stack of love poems she wrote and gave to the student.
On Tuesday, Jensen said the older boys told the principal about their relationships with Rutherford when they got into trouble at school over an unrelated matter and needed a way to get out.
Rutherford’s husband, James Rutherford Jr., filed for divorce May 5, 2006. They have two daughters, 2 and 11 years old.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: coffeeville teacher, grove hill sex case, sharon l. rutherford, teacher student sex | 1 Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on October 25, 2007
WAUKESHA WI -Oct. 25, 2007 A town of Eagle man who said he had quit drinking for more than a year was cited for retail theft at a Mukwonago Wal-Mart after he reportedly took seven bottles of alcohol off the store shelves and downed them in the liquor aisle in 15 minutes
The man, 43, was cited for retail theft after the incident at the Wal-Mart Supercenter, 250 E. Wolf Run, at about 5:30 p.m. Oct. 14, Mukwonago police records show.
Mukwonago Police Chief Fred Winchowky said the man was seen on store security video drinking seven 12-ounce bottles of Jack Daniels Lynchburg Lemonade in a 15-minute period. When confronted by a store official, the man initially denied it, but he smelled of intoxicants, Winchowky said.
Reviewing a police report on the matter, Winchowky added the man said he was a recovering alcoholic who’d been dry for 16 months until that date, when he went to the store with his wife, who was unaware of what he was doing.
“He went down that aisle and he said ‘I just couldn’t control myself,’” Winchowky said. “He stated he was upset he broke his 16-month streak and he didn’t know how he was going to tell his wife.”
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , loss prevention, private officer, retail theft, shoplifting, walmart, waukesha walmart, waukesha wi | Leave a Comment »
