Teacher arrested again for being with minor www.privateofficer.com

Mobile Al. Nov. 29, 2007

A 54-year-old Washington County teacher, arrested in the summer after being accused of having sex with a 14-year-old boy, was arrested again Friday after deputies said they found her sitting next to that boy at a high school football game.
In July, Washington County Circuit Judge Jerry Turner set Charlene Schmitz’s bail at $40,000 on state charges of second-degree rape and second-degree sodomy, while barring the Leroy High School teacher from having any contact with the student.
While in jail Tuesday awaiting a hearing on the Friday arrest, Schmitz learned that a federal grand jury had indicted her on one count each of enticing a child by computer and enticing a child by cell phone.
A bail revocation hearing had been set for Tuesday but was canceled when federal authorities announced their indictment of Schmitz, Washington County Sheriff Richard Stringer said.
The whole case began when the boy’s mother approached investigators with a stack of sexually explicit e-mails that she claimed the teacher had sent to her son, Stringer said.
“There were graphic exchanges about oral sex,” Stringer said at the time of Schmitz’s June 22 arrest. “We questioned witnesses, and the boy confessed to what was going on. He said it had been happening since April, mostly at her residence.”
Special Agent Angela Tobon, a spokeswoman for the FBI in Mobile, said agents arrested Schmitz on the federal charges Tuesday. Schmitz will likely make her initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge today, Tobon said.
If convicted of the federal charges, Schmitz faces 10 years to life in prison.
Stringer said the boy’s mother was at the football game in Leroy on Friday when she noticed her son was not where she had left him in the stands. She also realized that Schmitz was missing from her seat.
A relative soon spotted the two sitting together and notified deputies who were at the stadium, Stringer said. Three deputies arrested Schmitz, who was charged with tampering with a witness, the sheriff said.
The Press-Register on Tuesday was unable to contact District Attorney Spence Walker or defense attorney Donald Briskman.
Schmitz remains on paid administrative leave with the Washington County school system, pending the outcome of the cases against her, Stringer said.
Leroy High School serves grades kindergarten through 12, and has 817 students.

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11 People arrested for check scheme www.privateofficer.com

Birmingham AL. Nov. 29, 2007

Eleven people are accused of participating in a bogus check-cashing scam that targeted six banks and caused more than $400,000 in losses, federal authorities announced Wednesday.
Darryl Cook, 47, of Lawrenceville, Ga., and Melvin Glenn Petty, 52, of Birmingham are among the defendants named in an indictment returned by a grand jury in Birmingham. The two men earlier were identified by federal officials as recruiting homeless people and drug addicts to cash counterfeit checks, paying them with crack cocaine for their work.
Cook and Petty are charged with conspiracy, counterfeiting securities (checks) and bank fraud. Cook also is charged with aggravated identity theft.
Prosecutors said the men’s scheme, running March to August, involved the use of bogus checks that looked as if they were drawn on real bank accounts belonging to businesses. Each of the checks, authorities said, were made payable to their nine co-defendants, who would cash the checks at different bank branches.
Others charged with bank fraud in the scheme are:
Derrick Elton Everett, 36.
Vera Mae Johnson, 36.
Otis Isaiah Boyd, 69.
Harold Madden, 42.
Lester Renfroe Russell Jr., 45.
Robert Lee Jones, 56.
Raymond William Boykin, II, 40.
Willie James Monroe, 77.
Willie Homes Jr., 71.
“Despite how organized, creative and daring the schemes may be, time after time, participants are caught and prosecuted,” said U.S. Attorney Alice Martin.

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Family Dog Skinned Alive! By; Rick McCann www.privateofficer.com

Vinemont Ala. Nov. 29, 2007

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals announced Wednesday that it’s offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for skinning alive a Vinemont family’s pet beagle.
The Cullman County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the animal cruelty case reported Nov. 18. A beagle named Anne was skinned alive on her back and sides. She was later euthanized. Another beagle owned by the family, Buttercup, also suffered minor cuts.
In its press release PETA said it believes that other animals in the area, and even residents, may be in danger as long as those responsible for the attack on the two beagles are at large. The group also is urging residents not to leave their animals outside unattended.

PETA cruelty caseworker Kristin DeJournett said usually the group offers $1,000 in cruelty cases. But in cases like the Vinemont one, it is offering $2,500.
“I’ve been working at PETA doing reward cases for three years and this is the worst I’ve seen,” DeJournett said. “When I saw the pictures I was horrified.”
PETA officials said that anyone with information about the case should call the Cullman County Sheriff’s Department at 256-734-0342. Kent Faulk.
Sheriff investigators tell us that they are working this as an active case and those responsible will face felony charges.

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Dogs taken from mall worth $30,000 www.privateofficer.com

Los Angeles CA. Nov. 29, 2007 County sheriff’s deputies arrested a 45-year-old man Tuesday for allegedly breaking into a La Mirada pet shop twice and stealing more than $30,000 worth of purebred puppies. Surveillance video and a partial license plate number from a witness led investigators to the home of Walter Franklin Steward, who lives within a mile of the Puppy Love pet store, said Sheriff’s Det. Marcus Sierra.Of the 26 puppies stolen, two were recovered from the suspect’s home. The rest were believed to have been sold and are probably still alive, Sierra said.On Tuesday, four days after the second break-in, owner Paul Ro said Steward had been in the store before. “I recognized the suspect as someone who came in and asked a bunch of questions about the puppies before the first break-in,” he said. “But I didn’t know him at all.”Ro said he’s grateful that a suspect had been arrested and still hopes the other stolen puppies will be found.”I didn’t realize how much the news and people would care about our case,” Ro said. “But people love puppies.”On Nov. 7, security cameras recorded someone breaking into the shop and shoving 16 puppies into a black trash bag. On Friday, Ro told authorities that his shop had been broken into again while a strip mall security guard was on a break. Ro said some of his friends who are dog breeders have helped replenish his supply of puppies for his busiest season — the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Authorities are asking people who bought puppies from Steward to contact the sheriff’s Norwalk Station at (562) 863-8711.”The puppies are considered stolen property, so we are hoping that people will turn them in,” Sierra said. “Despite what happened, there are still a lot of good people out there that will do the right thing, even if it hurts.”

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Shopping center guard aids in burglary arrest www.privateofficer.com

Shopping center security assists police in burglary www.privateofficer.com

Tempe AZ. Nov. 29, 2007

Police caught a suspected teen car burglar targeting cars in Tempe Marketplace Monday and also nabbed the boy suspected of buying the stolen goods.A
17-year-old Tempe teen and his 16-year-old friend, who lives in Scottsdale were both arrested and taken to Maricopa County’s Southeast Juvenile Detention Center. The 17-year-old faces possible burglary charges and trafficking in stolen property and the 16-year-old faces one possible charge of trafficking in stolen property.
A security guard patrolling Tempe Marketplace about noon saw the 17-year-old attempting to remove a stereo from the dashboard of a parked vehicle near the Barnes & Noble book store. But when the security guard confronted the boy, he ran away. Police captured him a short time later a block southwest of the shopping center.During questioning, the boy admitted to burglarizing another vehicle the day before in the same area. He told police the name of the boy he sold it to and police also tracked him down.

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Another security officer arrested for impersonating police www.privateofficer.com

Atlanta Georgia November 29, 2007

In the past three weeks an alarming number of private security officers have been arrested for criminal impersonation of a police officer in various parts of the country.
At least 6 different cases have popped up including one where a university security officer made a traffic stop well off campus property and implied that he was a police officer.

As private security agents, we may investigate and detain and in some states make a citizen’s arrest when a crime has been committed in our presence just like any other citizen. But many security officers cross the line and make traffic stops, detain people without lawful cause which equates to kidnapping, use excessive force and do a lot of crazy things that give private security a bad name!

If you’re undertrained or not trained at all and don’t know what your duties, scope of authority and rights are, please contact our office, The National Association of Private Officers and we will gladly send you a free training manual! You can also email us at adminassist@privateofficer.com

Here’s the lastest crazy act of a security officer;

BENSALEM PA. – Harry V. Hackert allegedly did what no real cop would ever do: He used his Ford Explorer rigged with lights and sirens to pull over someone and then waved a loaded gun in the driver’s face while screaming.
Turned out that a real cop was down the street, watching Hackert’s entire act with his video camera, police said.
Hackert, a 50-year-old security guard who lives in Bensalem’s Regency Apar-tments on Brown Avenue, was charged on Monday with impersonating a police officer, a misdemeanor that carries a penalty of two years in jail, police said.
Hackert might have pretended to be a cop before, police said. A similar complaint was made recently by a woman who was pulled over but that man was never caught, police said. Police are encouraging anyone with a similar experience to call Bensalem detectives at 215-633-3671.
According to court documents: Hackert was driving his Explorer when he went through a red light at Knights and Street roads and then activated his lights and sirens before he “pulled over” another vehicle. Hackert walked up to the car with a loaded .38-caliber pistol, a gun preferred by police decades ago, and yelled at the driver. At that point, Bensalem officer Ray Forcina approached Hackert, who put the gun registered to him in a holster hanging from his belt. Hackert was then arrested.
Hackert told Forcina that he worked for the Delaware County Department of Corrections, which proved to be untrue, police said. Hackert actually works for a private security firm.
Hackert made a genuine effort to look like a cop. Besides the lights and sirens, he had a fake badge that appeared to be issued by the Philadelphia Police Department. It even had a strip of black tape across it to look like the bands police stretch across their badges to signify the death of a police officer, police said.

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Shoplifter dies after being handcuffed www.privateofficer.com

Morgan Hill Ca. Nov. 29, 2007
Morgan Hill police say a 47-year-old Greenfield man died after supermarket security guards detained him on suspicion of stealing $700 worth of food and alcohol.
Authorities say the man ran out of the store Tuesday afternoon, where security guards caught up with and handcuffed him. The man then reportedly lost consciousness a short time later and the security agents called for an ambulance.
The man was taken to St. Louise Regional Hospital where he died.
His identity has not been released yet pending notification of family and police are investigating the death but are unsure right now of the cause saying that the man may have had medical conditions or there may have been illegal drug use.
An autopsy will be preformed to determine that cause within the next 24 hours.

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Right For Life Truck Impounded, Driver Arrested For Vulgarity www.privateofficer.com

Right For Life Truck Impounded, Driver Arrested For Vulgar Messages www.privateofficer.com

Atlanta Georgia November 29, 2007

ATLANTA, Georgia, November 27, 2007 Bob Roethlisberger was arrested and jailed over Thanksgiving weekend in a northern suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, on the charge of “Disorderly Conduct” for driving Operation Rescue’s Truth Truck bearing signs with photos of aborted babies.
The Truth Truck was impounded.Gwinnett County Police Department officers arrested Roethlisberger Saturday after telling him that signage on the Truth Truck was “vulgar and obscene.” According to Operation Rescue, officers ransacked the back of the Truth Truck without a warrant and ordered Roethlisberger to change or remove the signs. When he refused, he was arrested and incarcerated for three days before being released on $1,000 bond.
The Truth Truck was released from impound late Monday, however both the signs and the mounting hardware on the truck were damaged. The damage occurred says the pro-life group when police forcibly ripped the signs off the sides of the truck. Monetary damage to the property is estimated to be in the thousands of dollars.”
It is obvious that these police officers, under the direction of Major Thomas Bardugon, engaged in a serious incident of unconstitutional content-based discrimination and illegal distruction of property,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “Bob fully cooperated with officers, but refused to compromise on his message, which is unequivocally protected by the First Amendment. The officers misused their authority to punish Bob for expressing a viewpoint that ran counter to theirs. The arrest was nothing less than an egregious abuse of power
.”Newman says he discussed the matter with Major Bardugon who refused to drop the charges and threatened to arrest Newman if he drove the Truth Truck through Bardugon’s jurisdiction.
The Truth Truck was in Georgia because of a recently introduced Human Life Amendment that is scheduled to be considered by the State Legislature in January. The Truth Truck’s mission was to help draw the attention of Georgians to the reality that abortion brutally takes an innocent human life, and emphasize the need to ban the grisly procedure.
Operation Rescue manages a fleet of Truth Trucks that have traveled tens of thousands of miles from coast to coast over the past seven years. The right to display those images has been upheld in courts across the nation. Operation Rescue suggests that the courts have also ruled that obscenity laws do not apply to aborted baby images.”
We intend to vigorously fight these unjust charges, and will seek a remedy for our property loss,” said Newman. “We cannot allow the illegal use of police authority to bully us into silence, when such silence could cost innocent human lives.”
County Police Chief Charles Walters was unavailable for comment on this story. Operation Rescue is asking pro-lifers to contact the police chief to the police chief to demand that the charges against Roethlisberger, and reimbursement for damages to the Truth Truck.
To politely express concerns: Chief of Police Charles M. Walters 770-513-5000.

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Deputy stabs self; sets off manhunt www.privateofficer.com

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Deputy stabs self; sets off massive manhunt www.privateofficer.com

Broward County Florida November 29, 2007

A Broward sheriff’s patrol sergeant lied when she claimed an assailant stabbed her on Sunday but won’t face any criminal charges or discipline from the agency, officials said Wednesday.”We’re going to get her some help,” said sheriff’s spokesman Elliot Cohen, explaining that Sgt. Lisa DiSavino had been experiencing personal problems and admitted that those issues led her to stab herself in the stomach and make up the story that she was attacked.DiSavino, 29, had said she was stabbed while on patrol in Tamarac early Sunday.
The seven-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office was treated at Broward General Medical Center and released hours later to continue her recovery at home. She could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
DiSavino is off duty while she recovers from the wound, and officials have offered her additional help through the Sheriff’s Office’s employee assistance program, Cohen said.DiSavino’s call for help about 2 a.m. Sunday, in which she said she was stabbed by a man she had approached at a bus stop along Commercial Boulevard, led to an all-out search for a suspect who officials eventually learned did not exist.The agency for at least six hours on Sunday sent K-9 units, a helicopter and SWAT team members to the area surrounding the bus stop, where part of the search saw deputies combing through bushes. They were looking for a man who wore a Miami Dolphins jersey, just as DiSavino had described, officials said at the time.
Officers from neighboring police departments joined in the search.There were echoes of “not again” from law enforcement officials and residents, with the reported attack coming at a time when violence aimed at South Florida officers has spiked, with the Broward Sheriff’s Office feeling the brunt of it.Only three weeks ago, the agency buried Corrections Deputy Paul Rein, who was shot to death with his own gun on Nov. 7.County inmate Michael Mazza, whom Rein was driving to court that day, was charged in the killing.Rein was the third South Florida law officer slain in the line of duty since August, the tragedy preceded by the Sept. 13 shooting death of Miami-Dade Police Officer Jose Somohano in a South Miami-Dade shootout and the Aug. 10 shooting of Broward Sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Reyka outside a Pompano Beach Walgreens.The prime suspect in Somohano’s death was shot dead by police during a confrontation in Pembroke Pines the night of Sept. 13.Reyka’s murder remains unsolved.

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