Security wrestles gun from woman at police station www.privateofficer.com

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Washington DC Feb 23 2008 A Reston woman armed with a pistol walked into D.C. police headquarters Thursday afternoon and attempted to take a guard’s gun before she was wrestled to the ground, authorities said.
Cynthia Nixon, 40, entered the building at 300 Indiana Ave. NW about 3:45 p.m. and pulled out a handgun, police said. She approached a private security officer who was guarding the door, demanding, “Give me your gun,” according to charging papers filed yesterday.
Nixon then pointed her handgun at the guard and pulled the trigger, but the weapon did not fire, according to the charging documents.
The guard, who works for Hawk One, which provides security for the building, wrestled the weapon from her, the court papers show. At the same time, several D.C. police officers walked in the front door, saw what was happening and helped take her into custody. No one was hurt.
Nixon was charged with assaulting a police officer while armed, authorities said. She was ordered held without bond by a judge yesterday in D.C. Superior Court.
The charging papers quoted Nixon as telling police that her plan was to “rob a police officer of his weapon.” Police found 36 rounds of ammunition, two bags of marijuana and two cigarettes filled with marijuana in a bag belonging to her, the charging documents said.
The police headquarters was equipped with metal detectors after a gunman got into the building in November 1994 and fatally shot three law enforcement officers and wounded another. The gunman, Bennie Lee Lawson Jr., had been questioned a week earlier about a triple slaying in the city. After shooting the officers, Lawson killed himself.
The building has since been renamed in honor of one of the victims that day, D.C. Police Sgt. Henry J. “Hank” Daly.

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Store robber goes to trial www.privateofficer.com

Store robbery suspect goes to trial www.privateofficer.com

PROVO Utah. Feb 23 2008 — Two video-store employees robbed at gunpoint said they’re sure the woman who stole $1,800 from their store’s safe was the same woman sitting in court Friday morning.
But Becky Vanzant’s attorney and family members strongly disagree and will come to court again March 5 for a pretrial conference on Vanzant’s charges of aggravated robbery, aggravated kidnapping, witness tampering and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person.
“She’s not guilty,” said her mother, Nan Nielsen, after the hearing. “She was home with me. I’ve got two dogs. If that front door is open, we all know. Or the back door.”
Nielsen and other family members don’t buy the story that Vanzant crept into the American Fork Hollywood Video store before midnight on Jan. 4, then hid under a table until the store closed.
The eyewitness testimony is shaky, they say. After all, the employees only looked at the robber for less than a minute before she told them to turn around and not look at her again.
However, the two victims testified during a preliminary hearing they were quite certain it was Vanzant, wearing a red knit cap and glasses, who crept out, pointed a gun at them and told them — in a deep voice — to turn around and not look at her again.
Melissa Cummins testified that Vanzant then walked her and her co-worker Teresa Wilkes to the office, duct taped their hands and feet together, duct taped their eyes closed and stole $1,800 from the store’s safe
“I felt really threatened the whole time,” Cummins said. “(She said) she would come find us if she got caught, that she would come kill us.”
After hearing that testimony, 4th District Judge Claudia Laycock ruled there was enough evidence to bind Vanzant’s case over for trial, but she agreed with prosecutors to dismiss an obstruction of justice charge.
American Fork police detective Tony Weinmuller testified that after talking with the two women, he formed a photo lineup.
“With the physical description and the indication of the voice — I’d been in the American Fork area for 12 years and had dealings with Becky over the years,” Weinmuller said. “She matched the physical description, primarily the voice.”
Both women picked out Vanzant’s picture from the photo lineup, then a blind voice test, Weinmuller said.
However, defense attorney Barbara Gonzales questioned Weinmuller about the other five pictures used in the lineup.
The robber was described as around 5 feet 3 inches tall, 100 pounds, in her 40s or 50s, with shoulder-length brown hair.
One picture was a 28-year-old woman at 140 pounds. Another was 245 pounds and 38 years old. One picture showed a woman whose hair was up in a ponytail and another picture was from a woman’s 2000 driver’s license.
“You chose Becky, put her in a photo lineup, because of a physical description and voice matched, but she doesn’t have a history of robbery,” Gonzales said.
“I don’t know,” Weinmuller said.
“So no other person that you know would fit this physical description?”
“She was a random person who came up in the discussions with other detectives,” Weinmuller said.
“Because of her voice, but not because of motive?” Gonzales asked, and Weinmuller agreed it had been because of her voice.
It was the voice that the employees relied on most, as they had been told not to look at their captor, then had a cloth and duct tape placed over their eyes.
After taping the women, Vanzant allegedly the robber asked for the safe’s combination.
As a stressed Cummins hesitated, she testified, the robber reminded her to do what “company policy” dictated.
Gonzales asked the detective if they interviewed a female former employee who had been named by the store’s district manager as a potential suspect. The woman had allegedly left the store on bad terms.
Her photo was in the lineup, Weinmuller said, but the employees didn’t pick it.

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Police seek suspects in Kohl’s robbery www.privateofficer.com

Police seek suspects in robbery of Kohl’s store www.privateofficer.com

Columbia SC Feb 23 2008 — Richland County deputies say a 47-year-old woman is responsible for stealing items from a department store on Two Notch Road and they believe she had the help of another suspect.

Investigators say they are still trying to determine who the second suspect is that helped 47-year-old Karen Knightner take merchandise from the Kohl’s Department Store in Columbia.

Investigators say the incident happened on February 13, when Knightner tried to shoplift several items from the store, when an employee approached her.That’s when deputies say Knightner initiated a physical altercation with the employee. Officers say the employee was able to take back some of the items.But investigators say Knightner and the unknown second suspect took a Kohl’s two-way radio and name tag before leaving the store.

Deputies have issued an arrested warrant for Knightner.

When she’s arrested, she will be charged with strong arm robbery, officers say.

If you have any information that could help investigators, call Crimestoppers at 1-888-559-TIPS or you can e-mail a tip to the Crimestoppers website.

Callers will remain anonymous and are eligible for a cash reward if the information they provide

leads to an arrest.

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Truck driver injured trying to detain shoplifter www.privateofficer.com

Civilian injured trying to stop shoplifter www.privateofficer.com

Visalia CA. Feb 23 2008 A truck driver was injured Thursday when he tried to stop a fleeing shoplifter at Office Depot in central Visalia, police reported.
Driver Randy Collins, 57, was delivering a load at the back of the store when he saw a man running out a rear emergency door, Visalia Police Department Sgt. Steven Phillips said. The shoplifter had left his Dodge Caravan running outside, Phillips said. The incident occurred at 12:09 p.m.
Collins of Manteca tried to detain the shoplifter by reaching through the Caravan’s driver’s-side window and putting a headlock on him, Phillips said. But the man drove away, dragging Collins for about 150 yards, according to a police report.
The driver deliberately steered toward a parked car in an effort to dislodge Collins, officials said.
Collins then released his grip, Phillips said, and his momentum threw him into the parked car. Collins complained of pain to his shoulder and head and was taken to Kaweah Delta Hospital.
The shoplifter escaped. He faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon and petty theft if caught, Phillips said.
Office Depot is in the 2500 block of South Mooney Boulevard.

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Shoplifter blames memory for her crimes www.privateofficer.com

Shoplifter blames memory on her crimes www.privateofficer.com

Chandler AZ. Feb 23 2008 A Chandler woman arrested on suspicion of shoplifting from a Kohl’s department store and possession of methamphetamine blamed both on forgetting what she put in her pockets, authorities said. Police arrested Vanessa Theresa Romero Wednesday night at the Kohl’s on Arizona Avenue near the Santan Freeway after she walked out of the store with a costume jewelry necklace in her pocket she didn’t pay for, police said. They also found a small baggie of meth in her pocket when they searched her. Police said Romero told them she was in the store shopping for dresses for her daughter to wear to Romero’s boyfriend’s wake but didn’t buy any. She told them that while shopping she saw the necklace, put it in her pocket to buy later and continued shopping.
She said she forgot the necklace was in her pocket and walked out of the store without paying for it, police said.When questioned about the drugs, Romero said she found the bag of meth on the ground at a friend’s house earlier in the day and picked it up so the kids wouldn’t get it, the report said. She said she put it in her pocket and then forgot about it.Romero was booked on one count of possession of a dangerous drug and one count of shoplifting, court documents show.

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Security agent punched, shoplifter charged with robbery www.privateofficer.com

Store security agent punched, shoplifter charged with robbery www.privateofficer.com

New York February 22, 2008 — Manhattan Borough A homeless man was arrested for stealing $1,800 worth of clothing from Macy’s, cops said yesterday.
A store loss prevention agent spotted Crispulo Ynoa, 41, allegedly trying to leave the Herald Square store with the unpaid-for merchandise at 7:05 p.m. Saturday.
The agent attempted to stop him, and a struggle ensued in which Ynoa punched him in the face, police said. Store security officers and employees were able to subdue the suspect and take him into custody and notified NYPD.

Officers took Ynoa into custody and transported him to the precient for booking.
Ynoa was charged with robbery, grand larceny and resisting arrest.

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Security assaulted, Univ. of Ala student arrested www.privateofficer.com

Security officer assaulted, University of Ala. student arrested www.privateofficer.com

TUSCALOOSA Al. Feb 23 2008 — University of Alabama safety Rashad Johnson was arrested around 2:55 a.m. today for misdemeanor disorderly conduct during a disturbance in The Legacy bar on the strip near campus, according to spokesman Robert Fourt of the Tuscaloosa Police Department. Johnson made $500 bond as was released shortly after being booked.
Police say Johnson, 22, pushed a Legacy security officer near the door of the bar, knocking him out of the doorway and onto the ground.
“They were escorting another subject out, and that’s when Mr. Johnson tried to intervene in their escorting of this subject,” Fourt said. “Once at the door, he knocked one of the security officers to the ground. Our officers then moved in and took him into custody.”
According to a release issued by the TPD this morning, “a large crowd had gathered during the incident and additional officers with TPD and UAPD responded to assist with crowd control. One TPD officer received a minor abrasion to his knee during the arrest, but did not require medical attention.”
According to Fourt, Johnson was the only person arrested as a result of the incident.
Johnson led Alabama in tackles (94) and interceptions (six) as a junior this past season. He started all 13 games and was voted first-team All-Southeastern Conference by the league’s coaches.
This makes the second football arrest in the past week. Defensive lineman Jeremy Elder was arrested Sunday night and charged with two counts of first-degree robbery.

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Shopping mall gives away money! www.privateofficer.com

NEW YORK Feb 23 2008 – A New York shopping mall is doing its part to stimulate the struggling U.S. economy by giving away $20,000 in cash to unsuspecting passers-by, hoping that handing out $50 bills will boost consumer confidence.
People dressed as Uncle Sam and the Statue of Liberty started handing out $1 bills around the borough of Queens earlier in the week, then began shelling out $50 bills at the Atlas Park shopping center on Friday.
Recipients are asked to spend or invest the money and told that if people have confidence in the economy it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The handouts will continue for two months until reaching $20,000, equivalent to $0.05 per square foot of retail space.
The mall owners say the private-sector effort will “supplement” the $168 billion stimulus package signed into law by U.S. President George W. Bush on February 13.
Atlas Park owner Damon Hemmerdinger noted that tax rebates in the stimulus plan won’t reach consumers for months.
“It (the stimulus package) is important and I’m not at all critical of it, but I’m watching layoffs and bankruptcies and pain and suffering,” Hemmerdinger said. “That’s not enough. We shouldn’t wait for anybody else to solve our problems.”
Hemmerdinger estimated that if every shopping center in the country gave away cash using the same formula it would pump $340 million back into the sagging economy.
One economist, while acknowledging the giveaway may not have much impact on the $13 trillion U.S. economy, but said the gesture could boost consumer confidence.
“It moves us in the right direction,” said Frank Tinari, professor emeritus at Seton Hall University. “It’s taking money out of savings or profits and pumping it back into the economy

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School security officer killed in hit and run www.privateofficer.com

High school security officer killed in hit and run www.privateofficer.com

Chicago IL. Feb 23 2008 Bobby Jackson’s life ended violently early Saturday when he was struck by a vehicle that dragged him nearly a block before leaving the scene.
Now, relatives of the 48-year-old father of four want the hit-and-run driver to “do the right thing.”
“Turn yourself in. Maybe you made a mistake or got scared or something. Just turn yourself in,” Jackson’s brother Matthew Jackson told reporters on Saturday.
Bobby Jackson was struck around 3 a.m. near the intersection of Garfield and Damen, Chicago Police said.
He was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital about 20 minutes later.

The vehicle — described by witnesses as a Chevy Monte Carlo that is royal blue but looks purple — was last seen westbound on Garfield.
Police are reviewing video footage from surveillance cameras near the accident scene.
For the last 1½ years, Jackson, who lived in the 800 block of West Argyle, was a security officer and assistant wrestling coach at Harlan High School on the South Side. Students there nicknamed Jackson “Thirsty” because of his zest for keeping them in line, the school’s principal, Reggie Evans, said.
“He would always talk to the students in a language students would understand. He was direct. He was forceful. He followed the rules, and he made sure the kids followed the rules,” Harlan’s ROTC director, Virgil Kirklin, told Chicago news NBC5.
Anyone with information on the hit-and-run is asked to call the Wentworth Area detective division at (312) 747-8380.

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Woman steals $7 Million from Credit Union-Faces Life In Prison www.privateofficer.com

Louisville KY. Feb 23 2008 For almost four years, Patricia Helen Sherman hid stacks of $100 bills in her pockets and carried them out of the Obelisk Federal Credit Union in New Albany, Ind., where she worked as head teller, federal investigators say.
Sherman, 50, of Louisville, eventually took $7 million — an average of $152,454 a month — and gambled most of it away at Ohio River casinos, authorities said when they charged her with embezzlement in U.S. District Court last fall.

Sherman could get her hands on the money because she had oversight of cash in the vault as well as the credit union’s ledger that tracks the cash, according to documents filed with the case.
Sherman now claims the money is entirely gone, authorities say. She faces up to 30 years in prison and is expected to enter a guilty plea in the next three weeks.
The staggering scale of the theft — estimated by the FBI to be one of the largest embezzlements against a U.S. financial institution by an employee — stunned co-workers and employees at General Mills, the former Pillsbury plant on Grant Line Road where the credit union is based.
Customers of Sherman recalled her as a sincere person who was good with people.
“The first thing I thought was: How do you take that kind of money and nobody notices?” said Barbara Anderson, executive director of the Haven House homeless shelter who first met Sherman when she worked at a Jeffersonville credit union.
“We used to tease and cut up and laugh all time,” Anderson said. “Nicest person you’d ever want to know.”
Roger Miller, union president at General Mills, said Sherman was like all the employees he encountered at Obelisk — “friendly and real professional.” Obelisk forced to merge
While credit union officials said no federally insured customer accounts were affected, the fallout meant a swift end to Obelisk. Federal regulators placed the insolvent credit union in conservatorship and it was merged last summer into the larger Columbus, Ind.-based Centra Credit Union.
A bond company paid $2 million toward covering the loss, but roughly $5 million had to be written off as an expense, according to National Credit Union Administration reports.
Centra, meantime, has a civil lawsuit pending against Sherman in Floyd County Superior Court in an attempt to collect anything that might still be left.
Federal investigators declined to comment on why Obelisk’s internal controls took so long to discover that money was missing. The embezzlement occurred over 46 months starting around June 2003, officials say.
But a press release from the U.S. attorney’s office in Indianapolis in November announcing the case against Sherman and her intention to plead guilty noted her role at the business.
As head teller, Sherman ordered and replenished cash for the vault. She also was in charge of reconciling and overseeing vault activity while keeping the credit union’s general ledger, and ensuring the ledger agreed with a physical count of cash on hand, according to records filed with the case.
To conceal the missing funds, Sherman altered the ledger account to reflect the amount of cash on hand and made sure she was present to help the credit union’s supervisory committee count the cash and provide an “adjusted” report to cloak her activities, the records said.
Finally, on a Friday afternoon last March after closing, a co-worker thought the amount of cash shown on the vault ledger account was more than it should be and asked Sherman about it. She wound up confessing to Ralph Lily, the former chief operating officer at Obelisk, the records said.
The credit union immediately reported the situation to the National Credit Union Administration, the federal regulator for such institutions, and contacted New Albany police, which brought in the FBI after learning the amount involved.
Auditors from outside the credit union were brought in early the next week, according to the court records, and determined that Sherman’s estimate of taking about $6 million was actually $7,012,900.
Susan Dowd, the assistant U.S. attorney who is prosecuting the case, and FBI agents who investigated it, declined to comment.
Before going to work at Obelisk, Sherman underwent a personal bankruptcy and had other financial problems, according to records at local courts in Floyd County, Ind., and Jefferson County, Ky.
It’s not clear, however, whether her supervisor or the Obelisk board of directors knew of those problems or whether knowing about them would have prevented her from being hired.
Jim Mills, market president for Centra in southern Indiana, said he doesn’t know what practices Obelisk used to check job applicants or to safeguard against fraud. But Mills said he stands by Centra’s procedures.
“If I was there, I can tell you (a $7 million theft) wouldn’t have happened,” he said.
Banks and credit unions routinely use criminal background checks and pre-employment credit checks to identify people who might be considered a risk to steal money, said David A. Reed, founder of CU Doctor LLC, a Fairfax, Va., law practice that specializes in credit union security, collections and operations.
While a bankruptcy might not prevent someone from getting hired, having unpaid judgments “would be a really big flag,” Reed said. Sherman’s debts
In 1998, a finance company won a civil judgment against Sherman in Jefferson County, Ky., for an unpaid $2,296 debt, resulting in an order sent to her then-employer, the Census Credit Union in Jeffersonville, to have her wages garnisheed.
American General Financial took Sherman to Floyd Superior Court claiming she defaulted on an August 1999 loan of $550 — at 36 percent interest. It was satisfied in February 2002, records show.
Sherman’s 1998 U.S. Bankruptcy Court filing shows $34,017 in credit card bills and loans. Among the debts she listed were $9,000 borrowed from her father to buy a car. She also listed a $4,500 loan from him.
Her father, Ted Sparks Sr., died in May 2000.
Mills, who did not know Sherman and declined to comment about the embezzlement charge she faces said he feels the same bafflement about her that he hears from customers coming in to the credit union.
“Everything I’ve heard about Patti Sherman is that she was a really nice lady,” he said.

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