Private party turns into riot www.privateofficer.com

Framingham Ma. Nov. 24 2007

A near riot broke out at a local restaurant on Thursday in what police say started as a minor altercation between several people and ended up with two police officers facing down several hundred disorderly persons.
Several party goers began cussing at police officers Paul Duncan and Pamela Buford who were working a private security detail at the Aegean Restaurant and began calling them pigs and becoming loud and aggressive toward the officers.
One group also tried to wrestle a taser gun away from officer Duncan as he was making an arrest and officers quickly put a call out for assistance.

Neither Duncan nor Bufford were injured, and all available police officers, more than 10, rushed to the restaurant to break up the hostile crowd, the lieutenant said.
“This was a very dangerous situation,” Shastany said. “The danger was as high as it gets. Mobs don’t respond well to police.”
Two people were arrested during the 12:10 a.m. incident: James R. Brown, 26, of Clinton, and Daniel Maldonado, 28, of Cape Coral, Fla.
The Aegean Restaurant was hosting a Thanksgiving Eve party, with Duncan and Bufford were working a paid detail.
Around midnight, one of the employees told Duncan a man was causing a problem inside the bathroom. Duncan began to confront the intoxicated man, but Brown intervened, Shastany said.
“The new guy said, ‘I know this guy. I’ll take care of him,’ ” the lieutenant said. “Duncan said they have to leave and the guy (Brown) shrugged his shoulder, and with a smirk said, ‘Whatever,’ and started walking toward the bathroom.”
The men ignored Duncan’s order to leave. The first man swore at Duncan and was baiting him, saying “Arrest me, arrest me,” Shastany said.
Duncan reached toward the drunken man when Brown elbowed the officer in the stomach, the lieutenant said.
As Duncan tried to take the struggling Brown into custody, he crowd whipped into a frenzy.
“The crowd was riotous,” said Shastany. “The officer felt several hands on his body, trying to pull him off. … He took out his Taser, and people were trying to take his Taser away. Officer Bufford tried to assist him and both officers were fighting for their survival.”
While the officers handcuffed Brown, Aegean security staff kept the crowd at bay.
Once outside, the officers called for assistance over the radio, while the crowd followed them outside. One person returned Duncan’s tie, which was ripped off during the fight.
The arriving officers helped break up the crowd.
Inside, one man, later identified as Maldonado, kept grabbing another man. The officers separated them to prevent a fight, but Maldonado continued screaming. He was arrested.
Brown was charged with assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.
Maldonado was charged with disorderly conduct.
Both Brown and Maldonado were released without bail after their Framingham District Court arraignments yesterday and are due back in court on Jan. 2 for a pretrial conference.
Shastany said the Police Department’s licensing unit would investigate to see if the Aegean Restaurant is at fault for the events.
“It’s much too early to speculate about that,” he said.

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Canadian border gateway for smuggling drugs, people and now tobacco www.privateofficer.com

AKWESASNE, Ontario – Mohawk police spotted a red van with swiped license plates riding through the reservation on a recent night looking like it was loaded down with something heavy. It was. After a brief pursuit, the officer pulled over a vehicle that smelled like a humidor. Garbage bags packed with more than a ton of golden cut tobacco filled the back from floor to ceiling.
Another night, another illegal load of tobacco headed to Canada from the United States through this Mohawk reservation. Akwesasne, which stretches into northern New York, is by far the busiest spot for cigarette smuggling along the northern border.
While the U.S.-Canada border runs some 4,000 miles through mountains, plains and some of the largest freshwater lakes on the planet, the security challenges posed by Akwesasne are unique. A bit smaller than the Bronx, the reservation straddles New York state, Quebec and Ontario and is sliced by the St. Lawrence River. Border crossers here pass through land controlled by four distinct governments: New York state, U.S.-side Mohawks, Canadian-side Mohawks and Ontario. This geopolitical complexity has helped make Akwesasne a go-to gateway for smugglers at least since Prohibition. Right now, cigarette smuggling is big. “They take advantage of the geography and the jurisdictional nightmare,” said Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Michael Harvey.
Tobacco smuggling caught on after Canadian officials boosted cigarette taxes in 2001 to combat smoking. Criminals can sneak in their own cigarettes and retail them for as little as $10 a carton, compared to $80 or more for legal cartons. Mounties are seizing almost 17 times more tobacco than in 2001. Last year, they seized 472,000 cartons across Canada _ 90 percent originating from this Mohawk reservation. Harvey said the tobacco is trucked north to the territory, where factories on the American side of the reservation, known as St. Regis, can pump out millions of cigarettes a year. Others simply smuggle bulk tobacco through the reservation, presumably to be made into cigarettes up north. Sneaking the goods into Canada is a cat-and-mouse game. Smugglers zip across the river at night in low-profile duck boats with no lights to the Ontario portion of the reservation, which is an island.
Then they can take a bridge to Cornwall, Ontario. Or they can boat a dozen miles down-river to any number of coves or marinas on the Canadian shore. In winter, they can drive trucks or snowmobiles over the ice. Once in mainland Canada, it’s an easy drive to Montreal, Ottawa or Toronto. The contraband cigarettes, often sold at “smoke shacks” on Indian land in Canada, look like any other, except without labels or boxes. They are packed parallel in clear plastic resealable bags. Harvey said the Canadian-based organized crime groups behind tobacco smuggling will sometimes bring ecstasy or hockey bags full of marijuana back down to the United States. Still, it does not appear U.S. officials view Akwesasne as a comparable floodgate for illegal immigrants, drugs or money _ which are their primary U.S. northern border concerns.

U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Mark Henry said Akwesasne is a geographic challenge, but it is among several that agents focus on in their Northeast patrols. The Border Patrol does not keep seizure figures for Akwesasne. But the agency’s Swanton sector _ which stretches 295 miles from northern New York to New Hampshire _ last year made 1,119 arrests for alien smuggling, a bit less than one in five of all such arrests along the northern border. Chief Andrew Thomas of the St. Regis Tribal Police said smugglers exploit opportunities wherever they find them and the reservation’s reputation as a “gateway” is unwarranted. “That happens here, that happens points east, that happens points west,” he said. “We seem to get all the attention.” Thomas has 16 officers to patrol the American side of the reservation, a flatland of woods, fields, modest houses and a bunch of gas stations that sell can sell tax-free fuel and cigarettes. Thomas said tobacco is “not a high priority with my agency.” In his view, cigarette smuggling would disappear overnight if Canada would simply lower tobacco taxes. “We have smuggling issues that my office focuses on, and that’s the drug trade, weapons and illegal immigrants and illegal aliens,” Thomas said. “Those are the real criminal issues that we deal with.” Law enforcement officials say Mohawk authorities on both sides of the border routinely cooperate in crackdown efforts, which are aggressive. Mounties have seized dozens of smugglers’ pickup trucks and minivans (many with back seats removed to make room for more product ) this year alone. This summer, they teamed up with the U.S. Coast Guard to patrol the river under a pilot project called Shiprider. On the U.S. side, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it has seized 16 tractor loads of tobacco headed to Akwesasne in the past 18 months. But police actions involving Akwesasne can still be complicated by jurisdictional issues. Many Mohawks remain deeply connected to their land and sovereign heritage, a point of view summed up by a prominent banner hanging along the main highway here reading: “This is Mohawk Land Not NYS Land.” Consider that the St. Regis Tribal Council, the American-side government, lists six factories registered with the tribe to manufacture cigarettes, but there appears to only be one with federal approval. Art Resnick of the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau said a federal license is required for manufacturing tobacco products, even on Indian land. The Mounties believe there are about a dozen unlicensed operations on the American side of Akwesasne and one gearing up on the Canadian side, Harvey said. Canadian officials are concerned that the cigarettes flow funds organized crime, cuts into tax revenue and exposes citizens to health risks. But on recent rainy day as Harvey showed the sheltered inlets favored by smugglers, he stressed that is not just a Canadian problem. “It doesn’t matter what the commodity is,” Harvey said. “We have to be concerned that the stuff is getting through.”

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Space center guard arrested for shooting at police www.privateofficer.com

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. Nov. 24 2004– A heavily-armed security guard at the Kennedy Space Center is accused of shooting at his wife while wearing a bulletproof vest.
Joseph Brian Odom was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, use of a weapon in commission of a felony, child abuse and wearing a bulletproof vest during a felony.
Brevard County Sheriff’s deputies said they were called at about 2 a.m. to a home in an unincorporated area near Cocoa after a report that Odem, 30, fired at his wife.
Deputies saw Odom exit the home wearing a military-style ballistics vest and carrying a shotgun and a rifle, sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Andrew Walters said.
A sheriff’s deputy fired three times at Odom, striking him once in the chest, after he disregarded orders to drop the weapons.
The single shot did not injure Odom because of the bulletproof vest, but was significant enough to knock him down, Walters said.
Odom also fired one of his weapons after the deputy shot his weapon.
No one was injured during the incident.
The deputy, whose name was not released, is on administrative leave per sheriff’s office policy while administrators investigate whether the deputy was justified in shooting, Walters said.

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Funny money at the casino nets arrest www.privateofficer.com

Port Orchard Wa. Nov. 24 2007

What started out as a night of gambling at the Suquamish Clearwater Casino in Port Orchard, Washington, quickly took on a criminal role.
Law enforcement officers responding to the scene found two women in possession of counterfeit currency, methamphetamines and forged documents. Both women have been treated at the local hospital, and one taken into custody.Officers from the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Department responded to a call Thursday, after security staff at the Clearwater Casino observed two women passing counterfeit currency. Casino surveillance had captured the women loading funds onto a gaming card by paying with fake money, and immediately contacted authorities, while keeping track of the women’s movements across the casino gaming floor.
Sheriff’s Deputies arriving on the scene located the two women, who are currently unnamed and identified only as a 51 year-old female and a 30 year-old female accomplice. A search of the 51 year-old female revealed that she was in possession of two counterfeit $20 bills and one phony $10 bill. A K-9 unit was used for more detailed search of the suspect’s van in the casino parking lot, which revealed a quantity of methamphetamines and scales.A search of the 30 year-old female revealed that she had $230 in counterfeit currency hidden in her shoe. The suspect also had a backpack in the van, which was filled with methamphetamines and drug paraphernalia. The backpack also contained a large cache of credit cards, checks, a social security card, W-2 Form and bank account information – all bearing other people’s names.When questioned about the items in her possession, the 30 year-old female stated that she had been smoking methamphetamines with several men earlier in the day. The female claimed that these men gave her the counterfeit money and placed the items in her backpack, but told Deputies that she did not know who they were.
At this point in the investigation, the older female began complaining that her back was giving out and that she could not feel her legs. As a result, she was transported to the local hospital while the younger female was transported to the local jail.
Due to the nature of the incident, the jail could not admit the suspect without medical clearance. Upon hearing this, the woman began convulsing and became unresponsive. An ambulance was called and the female arrived at the hospital just as the older suspect was being released and transported to the jail.The 51 year-old female was booked into jail on charges of possessing methamphetamines and suspicion of forgery. Deputies state that there is sufficient evidence to charge the younger female, when released from the hospital, on charges of suspicion of forgery, identity theft and possession of methamphetamines with intent to deliver.

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Woman’s finger severed during purse snatching www.privateofficer.com

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. Nov. 24 2007— A man was being held in the Gwinnett County Jail without bond after he was accused of tearing a finger off a woman’s hand during a purse snatching.
Caesare R. Pinkins, 21, was charged with multiple felony counts of robbery and aggravated battery.
Gwinnett Police Corporal Illana Spellman said the incident took place about 2 p.m. on Wednesday in the parking lot of a Kroger store in Lilburn, a suburb about 25 miles northeast of Atlanta.
She said Pinkins drove by the victim, swiped the purse and stepped on the gas.
“As the suspect drove away, one of the victim’s fingers was pulled off,” Spellman said.
Attempts by surgeons to reattach the severed finger were unsuccessful.

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POLICE STILL SEEK SECURITY OFFICER KILLER by; Rick McCann www.privateofficer.com

TEMPE AZ. NOV. 24 2007
The headline in the Jan. 29, 2006, edition of The Arizona Republic read: “Shooter kills 1 man, wounds 1.”The story began: “Esau Arturo Heras-Holguin wasn’t armed, but he chased a man down an alley who had just shot someone in a bar fight. That decision cost Heras-Holguin his life.”The 28-year-old uniformed security guard from Phoenix was attacked by a gunman nearly a half-mile from where he worked at Club Macarena in Glendale, according to police. Club Macarena is across the street from where the shooter claimed his first victim.”

The shooting occurred Jan. 27, 2006, at Famous Sam’s bar, 4343 W. Glendale Ave. Jim Ledgewood, 30, a Scottsdale architect, was wounded. The bullet struck Ledgewood in the left temple, severing a facial nerve, destroying his eardrum, grazing an artery and lodging in his skull.Now, he can’t hear in his left ear or see with his left eye. There is also paralysis on that side of his face.Summary: Two off-duty Glendale police officers and Heras-Holguin were working nearby, heard the shots and gave chase. Heras-Holguin, the unarmed security guard, confronted the gunman about two homes away from Famous Sam’s and was shot and killed.The gunman fled and has not been found.They said that the foot chase by Heras-Holguin probably saved the two off-duty police. Investigators have been unable to offer a description of the shooter other than to say he was a Hispanic male with a medium build wearing dark clothing.Police hope people who have provided anonymous leads will call back. Investigator: Detective Roger Geisler, a cold-case investigator for the Glendale Police Department.What bothers police most: “Sadly, two people lost their lives here, one of them literally and the other with loss-of-life issues due to a debilitating head wound,” Geisler said. “We’re looking for new leads to bring somebody to justice.” New technology’s role: DNA evidence has been preserved in the case, but no match has been found, Geisler said.
How you can help: To offer information, call the Glendale police tip hotline at 623-930-3399; or e-mail police at coldcase@glendaleaz.com.
Anonymous calls can also be made to Silent Witness at 1-800-343-TIPS.

The National Association of Private Officers has now joined in with the local police and is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the officer’s murder. Mr. Richard McCann, president of the association also stated that he intends on asking America’s Most Wanted to profile this case.

HIGH TECH SECURITY AT N.C. CAPITOL www.privateofficer.com

RALEIGH N.C. Nov. 24 2007 – Before members of the public can do business at some state government buildings, they will first be photographed, screened and scanned by a new computerized guard.
The device, a touch-screen kiosk, scans a visitor’s driver’s license, takes a photo and prints a unique badge for the visitor to display — all in less than a minute. The LobbyGuard system can screen visitors against a database of people who are considered security risks. And the electronic records of the visit, including the photograph, are stored on a secure server.
The State Capitol Police, which is responsible for security at 150 state government buildings covering 5 million square feet of office space, billed the system as a necessary anti-terrorism tool in justifying the purchase. The division used more than $22,000 in federal Department of Homeland Security grants this year to buy three kiosks, software and supplies. And Capitol Police Chief W. Scott Hunter said he wants to apply for more grants for more kiosks.
Homeland Security money — hundreds of millions of federal dollars — flows freely to communities across the nation. The spending has led to criticism that small cities and towns are gearing up for terror attacks that are unlikely to ever happen. The Department of Homeland Security has worked to better distribute the money on a need basis.
In purchasing documents and memos, officials pitched LobbyGuard as an anti-terror tool — a device that would allow authorities to track visitors to a building if it were the target of an attack. Hunter said in an interview that the system would also help his officers protect the public and state employees from crime. LobbyGuard allows the police to flag at the front door potentially risky visitors who might wish to harass a state employee or official, Hunter said. It replaces the paper logs that the police were already using to monitor activity at state buildings.
“We’re not there to keep people out. We’re there to just regulate people coming in,” Hunter said.
The state government complex is hardly a hub of crime. In the past year, the Capitol Police wrote eight incident reports or citations for suspicious activity, according to Capitol Police records. Most of those incidents involved panhandling.
Hunter said the records don’t reflect the cases of unauthorized people roaming the halls of state government buildings.
To enter state buildings, visitors need some form of photo identification, which hasn’t changed from when the police kept paper logs. Once signed in, visitors are often allowed to roam unescorted.
Beyond paper
The kiosks are currently in the Administration, Albemarle and Archdale buildings. The buildings house many state departments, including the Governor’s Office.
“The sheer volume of visitors that you have in these buildings, you need something more than paper,” said Kevin Allen, president of LobbyGuard Solutions, which is based in Raleigh.
Allen said the system was created by a Raleigh software company that didn’t have a receptionist. The company set up a computer, camera and printer in the lobby for visitors to check themselves in. So many visitors began asking about the system that its creators decided to market it, Allen said. Sales have tripled each year since 2005. LobbyGuard now has more than 500 customers, Allen said.
The current self-contained kiosk with a touch screen, a built-in camera and a printer has been around since 2006. Several Wake County schools and the state Department of Public Instruction use the system to screen visitors against sex offender registries, Allen said.
Is the risk real?
But inevitably, when supporters list the benefits of LobbyGuard, they mention its usefulness in the event of a terrorist attack.
“We hope to God that we never, ever need that,” Hunter said. “Is my concern here in the North Carolina government complex international terrorism? No. It’s not. It’s domestic terrorism.”
Veronique de Rugy, a critic of anti-terror spending, said the state’s use of federal terrorism money to buy LobbyGuard fits a nationwide hysteria over terrorism.
“What’s the probability of the city of Raleigh, no offense, being attacked by terrorists?” asked de Rugy, a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University outside Washington. “This is the perfect excuse for politicians, whether at the federal level or state and local level, to get some money and spend it on stuff.”
Hunter said the kiosks give the police more sophisticated tools to provide security.
“The question is, do you use pencil and paper and remain in the paper generation,” he asked, “or do we move to the technology generation?”

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Security officer kidnapped, robbed www.privateofficer.com

Cleburne Tx. Nov. 24 2007

Three armed suspects used zip-ties to bind a security officer Nov. 15 before ransacking the office buildings on a gas well site operated by J. Irwin.
Johnson County Sheriff’s Deputies responded about 7 p.m. to the aggravated robbery call from the J. Irwin Gas well site on County Road 1225.According to reports, a security officer at the site was leaving the building when he was approached by three individuals with thick Mexican accents, each armed with semiautomatic handguns. The suspects ordered the security officer to follow them to a storage bin on the property.The suspects then bound the officer to the storage bin with zip-ties.
According to reports, the suspects then ransacked the security officer’s vehicle, office and several other buildings on the property. They took the security officer’s wallet and a large sum of cash from the buildings.The suspects’ primary targets, according to reports, were a Kubota farm tractor and a new Caterpillar backhoe. The suspects could not start either piece of machinery, so they made off instead with the GPS tracking unit from each vehicle.The suspects were last seen driving a red Chevrolet north on CR 1225 toward Farm-to-Market Road 1434. According to reports, the dually 1990-1991 pick-up has a loud exhaust system. Attached to the pick-up was a 30 to 35 foot flatbed gooseneck trailer with no running lights.Anyone with information about the suspects is asked to contact the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center at 817-556-6060 or the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Investigative Division at 817-556-6058.

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Police officer retires after 50 years of faithful service www.privateofficer.com

HARTFORD CT. NOV. 24, 2007

On April 4, 1968, in the hours following the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., enraged Hartford residents burned down the Stop & Shop Supermarket on Albany Avenue.Almost all the businesses in the city’s North End went up in flames — forcing police officers to shut down major roadways.Patrolman Donald R. Healey, who was then in his second decade as a Hartford police officer, stayed on his motorcycle, blocking traffic, for eight hours that night, so the firetrucks could get safely to the burning buildings.
It was mayhem,” said Healey of the burning and looting that went on for three days. The police department set up bunks at the old Morgan Street jail so cops like Healey — who stands about 6 feet tall and carries himself with the persona of a John Wayne character — could get some shut-eye.That was but one of the half-century of memorable moments for Officer Healey, 72, who retires today after 50 years with the Hartford Police Department.
He is believed by Hartford officials to be the longest-serving police officer in the nation. Now, it’s time to “smell the roses” with his wife of 46 years, Judith.Healey this week recalled some of the significant moments in a long, well-respected career. Such as the morning of Jan. 18, 1978, when the roof caved in at the Hartford Civic Center.”You’ve got to suit up,” Healey recalled his lieutenant’s orders about 4 a.m. “It snowed so hard that the roof collapsed. It was a good things that it happened early in the morning. There was a game there the night before and a lot of people could have been hurt,” Healey said.Just another day’s work for “Heals,” as he is known to his fellow cops and countless friends.”
It’s an historic moment,” said Hartford Police Chief Daryl K. Roberts. “He’s been here longer than I’ve been alive. He’s an example of what our officers should become. He was dedicated to providing a good service and stayed committed to doing something he had a passion for.

“Healey, a graduate of Bulkeley High School, was working at Andy’s service station on the Berlin Turnpike when his childhood friend Charles J. Fisher Jr. suggested they join the Hartford police department.The year was 1957, and the job promised to provide stable pay and secure employment.It did that, and gave him his identity.”It’s entirely what he is,” said Healey’s daughter Staci. “He looks like a policeman. He wore that role well.”"He’s always been a decent guy,” said Fisher, who has known Healey since they were 15. “We’ve only had one argument, over a danish,” he joked. “When you do something for 50 years, that shows a love and dedication for the job. The guy’s got heart.”Although there have been tough times, Healey said, he can recall only the good, and sometimes the funny.
Once he and another officer, Tom Grodecki, were assigned to serve as motorcycle escorts for Gov. Ella Grasso during her second term. It might have been a plum assignment if the ride from the State Armory to the Hilton hadn’t been so brutally cold. It was below zero and the windchill factor was 15 below.The next morning Grodecki says he telephoned Healey, seeking sympathy.”Heals, I can’t get up.”"Neither can I,” he said Healey responded. “We became real good friends.”Grodecki, like many of Healey’s peers, retired and went on to work for the state. But Healey stayed.

It was as much his social life as anything. We try to romanticize community policing. It was a natural thing for a guy like Don.”Healy gave up his motorcycle years ago; his cruiser, No. 64, will soon have someone else behind the wheel.There were many late-night shifts that turned into days for Healey, who exercised the power to stop traffic for dignitaries, presidents and ordinary citizens during 44 of the 50 years on the force that he spent in the traffic division. He was the public voice of Hartford-area traffic for many years, broadcasting over the radio from the top of the Traveler’s Tower on highway conditions in Greater Hartford.

This morning at 8 a.m., Healey will report to his supervisor’s tiny cubicle on Main Street for his final shift.But he is likely to get there about 7:45 a.m., because coming to work 15 minutes early and leaving 15 minutes late has always been his practice, one of his supervisors, Sgt. Thomas Null, said.”He loves the people. I like his old-school work ethic. He didn’t care about the money. It was public service,” Null said.Earlier this month, Chief Roberts presented Healey with a gold ring, shaped like a police officer’s badge.He and Judith are planning a trip to Florida to visit their daughter Kelli and their grandchildren.As Healey walked into the traffic division’s offices on Wednesday, he was reminded that his days were numbered and that the people in this town would miss him.”Hey, Heals. Did you get your ticket yet?” said a guy from public works.”My ticket?” Healey said.”Your ticket to Florida,” the man pressed.”Oh, yeah, it’s all paid for,” said Healey.

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Monkey meat,religous freedom and criminal charges center of trial www.privateofficer.com

NEW YORK N.Y. Nov. 24, 2007 – From her baptism in Liberia to Christmas years later in her adopted New York City, Mamie Manneh never lost the longing to celebrate religious rituals by eating monkey meat.
Now, the tribal customs of Manneh and other West African immigrants have become the focus of an unusual criminal case charging her with meat smuggling, and touching on issues of religious freedom, infectious diseases and wildlife preservation.
The case “appears to be the first of its kind relating to that uniquely African product,” defense attorney Jan Rostal wrote in a pending motion to dismiss. “Unfortunately, it represents the sort of clash of cultural and religious values inherent in the melting pot that is America.”
At the center of the case in federal court is a modest woman with nine children and a history of domestic discord.
The case dates to early 2006, when federal inspectors at JFK Airport examined a shipment of 12 cardboard boxes from Guinea.
They were addressed to Manneh and, according to a flight manifest, contained African dresses and smoked fish with a value of $780.
Instead, stashed underneath the smoked fish, the inspectors found what West Africans refer to as bushmeat: “skulls, limbs and torsos of non-human primate species” plus the hoof and leg of a small antelope, according to court papers.
Three days later, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents were at Manneh’s door, where she told them she ran a smoked fish importing business.
According to the agents, she initially denied ordering any bushmeat from Africa or ever eating it while in the United States.
But after she consented to a search, the agents came across a tiny, hairy arm hidden in her garage.
“Monkey,” she explained, claiming the arm was sent to her out of the blue “as a gift from God in heaven.”
Federal prosecutors hit Manneh with smuggling charges that accused her of violating import procedures and suggested she was a menace to man and beast alike.
A criminal complaint cited evidence that the illegal importation of bushmeat encourages the slaughter of protected wild animals.
More ominously, the complaint warned of “the potential health risks to humans linking bushmeat to diseases like Lassa fever, Ebola, HIV, SARS and monkeypox.”
Defense attorney Rostal has countered by accusing the government of picking on a poorly educated immigrant.
Her client’s only offense, she said, was her inability to grasp Western attitudes and highly technical regulations regarding bushmeat.
Defense papers also argue that the U.S. demand for the meat involved in the Manneh case — from Africa’s green monkey population — is “too small to have any significance for conservation.”
Manneh, 39, testified last year that before arriving in the United States more than 25 years ago, monkey meat was critical to her religious upbringing.
At age 7, “I was baptized and they used that for the baptizing ceremony,” she told a judge.
Manneh is already serving a two-year sentence in state prison for trying to run over a woman she suspected of sleeping with her husband, Zanger Jefferson. If convicted of the federal charges she faces up to five more years in prison and deportation.
“The government’s taking a woman away from her children,” complained Jefferson, who’s struggling to raise the children alone. “It’s very depressing, especially with the holidays right around the corner.”
The prosecution also has dampened spirits at the church in Staten Island where Manneh and other African immigrants once packed the pews to practice a religion blending Christianity and tribal customs.
One of the few worshippers left, Leona Artis, says the congregation’s appetite for monkey meat is deeply misunderstood.
Take Thanksgiving.
“Where some people have turkey, we’ll have monkey meat,” Artis said. “I’ve been eating it all my life. It’s delicious.”
Baptisms, Easter, Christmas, weddings — all are occasions for eating monkey, Manneh’s supporters said in a sworn statement filed with the court.
The statement was vague about how the meat is obtained, but explains that it always arrives dried and smoked. Once blessed by a pastor, “we usually prepare it by cooking it for several hours into a stew,” they said.
For them, the exotic import is more than just food.
“We eat bushmeat,” they said, “for our souls.”

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Store security agent killed during shoplifting www.privateofficer.com

Store security shot, killed during shoplifting www.privateofficer.com

Chicago IL. Nov,24 2007

The start of the busy holiday shopping season turned violent at a tiny, tidy clothing store on Chicago’s Southwest Side on Friday afternoon when a security guard was shot and killed.
Just before 1 p.m., a trio of thieves walked in to Get M Girlz at 2547 W. 63rd, announced a robbery, and started to unload racks of clothing.
One of the robbers began struggling with the store’s security guard, and in a matter of seconds, the guard had been shot several times in the chest, according to Chicago Police.
As the thieves bolted from the business, Harold D. Long Jr., 22, of the 800 block of North Sacramento, lay dying.
He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.
Long’s family said he had worked at the store for about 1½ years and was going to school in hopes of one day opening his own business.
“He was very dedicated to his job,” said his sister, Shauntamika Friley, 25, adding that her brother had planned to start his own security service.
Friley said her brother, who she thought was supposed to be off Friday, was a generous and loving uncle. “He was the type of person when he loved you, he really loved you,” Friley said.
A second person in the store, a female sales clerk, was uninjured in the holdup.
“There are witnesses,” said Chicago Lawn District police Cmdr. Leo Schmitz. Police said they’ve received some helpful leads.
One shopkeeper in the area said the clothing store had been targeted by robbers before. Police said store owners need to be especially careful during this season.
“This is the time of year where if you’re selling a lot, these bad guys know you’ve got a lot,” Schmitz said.
Harvey Hobson, who owns the What’s Poppin’ popcorn and candy store across the street, said he’s concerned about his own shop. He said he thinks the clothing store had been robbed at least two other times and that thieves tried to hold up a nearby dry cleaners in recent weeks but left after learning cash receipts had been deposited.
The slain security guard “was a nice young man,” Hobson said. “I hated to hear that happened to him — he was just a real good guy.”

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