Fla. teens charged in beating to be tried as adults www.privateofficer.com

Florida teens charged in beating to be tried as adults www.privateofficer.com

Polk County Fla. April 10 2008

BREAKING NEWS

Prosecutors in Polk County Florida today, just a short time ago, decided to charge all seven Polk County teenagers – accused of pummeling a 16-year-old and videotaping it for YouTube and MySpace – as adults. The prosecutors say that the savage way that the teens beat the 16 year old girl and the fact that all of those arrested acted cohesively in concert in the crimes justifiys such action.

The other consideration was the fact the 16 year old victim was forced into a vehicle and taken to another location during her ordeal which prompted deputies to charge several of the teens with much more offenses including kidnapping.

The eighth teen involved is 18 years old and is already considered an adult under the law.

All eight teenagers now face charges of battery and kidnapping, which is punishable of up to life in prison. Three face an additional charge of tampering with a witness, which holds up to a 5-year prison term.

Polk County officials identified the teens involved as Mercades Nichols, 17; April Cooper, 14; Brittni Hardcastle, 17; Kayla Hassell, 15; Brittany Mayes, 17; Cara Murphy, 16; Zachary Ashley, 17; and Stephen Schumaker, 18. All are from Lakeland except Hassell, who is from Mulberry. Schumaker and Ashley served as lookouts during the beating, authorities said.

The teens’ first appearance in adult court is scheduled for Friday at 1 p.m.

Email us/adminassist@privateofficer.com

Posting shoplifter mugshots on line brings debate www.privateofficer.com

Posting of shoplifter mug shots on line brings debates www.privateofficer.com

PHOENIX AZ. April 10 2008— Mug shots taken of shoplifting suspects and then posted online have spurred debate over the rights of people who may or may not have committed a crime.
Avondale has joined the list of cities posting mug shots over the Internet.
The photos show adults arrested and accused of shoplifting, even if they haven’t been convicted of a crime.

Avondale police officials said it’s a way of helping merchants by cracking down on shoplifting, which peaked at 94 reports in October.
The American Civil Liberties Union and defense attorneys say the practice may infringe on citizens’ rights. “I think we have to look at this from a public-policy perspective and ask if the program is effective,” said Alessandra Soler Meetze, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona.
“This is part of a growing trend to penalize people who are arrested, no matter if they’re cleared later,” she said.
In Arizona, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office displays convicted DUI offenders’ photos.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department posts photos online of suspects booked into its jails for about three days.
Avondale becomes the first metro Phoenix city to zero in on shoplifting through the same tactic.
Stores “keep on losing merchandise. And with that, they keep on losing profit,” said Sgt. Memo Espinoza, an Avondale police spokesman. “Our purpose is not to embarrass the individuals.”
Store managers like the picture posting and think it’s a deterrent.
Janet Becchina, who manages a Walgreens in Avondale, said she fights store theft daily, sometimes confronting shoplifters without bothering to contact police.
She already hangs photos of shoplifters at the store, but posting their pictures online could be extra helpful, Becchina said.
Viewing the photos could help her employees recognize suspects if they enter her store, she said.

Email Us/ adminassist@privateofficer.com

Send news, comments or questions

Join Us/myspace.com/privateofficernews

Be Part of our New Social Network—Join now! www.privateofficer.com

Security officer injured by fleeing shoplifters www.privateofficer.com

Security officer injured by fleeing shoplifter www.privateofficer.com

BERLIN BOROUGH NJ April 10 2008– Four people were arrested in connection with separate shoplifting incidents at a Kmart here Monday, police said
The first occurred at 1:30 p.m. at the store, in the 300 block of South White Horse Pike, when three people — Mark Zadroga, 27; Donlee Wheeler, 28, and Meghan McCrane, 29, all of Atco — were stealing tools from the store’s outdoor retail section, police said.

Police said the three were throwing tools over the fence and loading them into a car.

A security officer was injured, police said, but details of the injury were not available.

Police located the three at the Traveler’s Lodge in Atco about two hours later.Zadroga and Wheeler were charged with robbery and taken to Camden County Jail on $50,000 bail. McCrane was charged with conspiracy and taken to Camden County Jail on $25,000 bail.

At 6 p.m., in the same shopping center, police arrested Louis Panetta, 29, of Berlin.

Police said Panetta had been shoplifting at the Kmart and Dollar General; when he was approached by a police officer, he fled on foot. He was eventually arrested and charged with resisting arrest and two counts of shoplifting, police said. Panetta was released pending a court hearing.

Email Us/ adminassist@privateofficer.com

Send news, comments or questions

Join Us/myspace.com/privateofficernews

Be Part of our New Social Network—Join now! www.privateofficer.com

Retail Security News www.privateofficer.com

Retail Security News Round-Up www.privateofficer.com

April 10 2008

ANDERSON SC— Anderson police have charged a 25-year-old man with shoplifting after he allegedly stole a bottle of cologne after altering price tags and paying about $12 for three items worth $244.
Dhalil Watson of 301 Fallstaff St. was arrested about 8:20 p.m. Friday at Belk’s in Anderson Mall, according to the incident report.
Mr. Watson is accused of attempting to conceal a $68 bottle of Usher cologne while paying for two $90 jackets, priced at $1.98 each, and a $64 pair of shorts, priced at $8, the report states.
In Anderson, shoplifting is punished by a fine of $1,087.50 or 30 days in jail.
Mr. Watson’s status in Anderson Municipal Court is not immediately known.

Johnson City TN.
On April 5, 2008 at approximately 6:46 PM officers of the Johnson City Police Department responded to Wal-Mart, 2915 W Market St, in reference to shoplifting in progress. Troy Wilder (W/M 1-6-1984) of 1303 N Barton St, Johnson City, TN was arrested after he attempted to steal two trailer hitch locks and then fled on foot from loss prevention staff. While running from loss prevention staff, Wilder brandished a black pocket knife and attempted to cut a pursuing loss prevention officer. When officers arrived on scene Wilder attempted to run from officers. Wilder was arrested for Shoplifting, Aggravated Assault, and Evading Arrest. He is currently being held in the Washington County Detention Center under a $27,000 bond. Arraignment is schedule for April 7th, 2008 at 13:30hrs.

White Township IND.

State police at Indiana are searching for a man and a possible accomplice who made off with at least $2,500 worth of electronic equipment and luggage from a Kmart at Indiana Mall Sunday afternoon.
According to police, a man entered the rear storage area of the White Township store at 2 p.m. and got two large suitcases. He forcibly entered an electronics room in the storage area and took a large number of electronic items, including DVDs and navigation systems, putting them into the suitcases.
He fled through a back door. Police believe the man may have had an accomplice because he used a portable handheld radio to communicate with someone before leaving the scene.
The man is described as white with blond hair, early to mid 20s, approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall with a medium build.

A woman tried to hide about $121 worth of stolen goods in a trash can when she went through check-out at the East Lampeter Township Wal-Mart store, police said.The plan didn’t work, and the woman ended up being charged with retail theft police said.Police said Kelly Marie Weinhold, 24, of 170 S. Eastland Drive, picked up a plastic kitchen-size trash can at the 2034 Lincoln Highway East store on Wednesday and filled it with various merchandise that included clothing, food items, and cosmetics.Before heading to the cashier, the woman had an employee tape the lid on the trash can, police said.Police said Weinhold paid for the trash can but not for the items she allegedly concealed in it. Store security officers, who allegedly had seen the woman place the items in the trash can, detained her as she exited the store and turned her over to police.

Orangeburg County SC
A shoplifting spree ended when the suspects locked their keys inside the getaway car, officials say.Deputies were sent to Wal-Mart around 6:45 p.m. Monday after employees called 911 about a trio of suspected shoplifters, according to an Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office incident report.The employees said they were watching as the three women took things from the store and made trips to a white Jeep Cherokee in the parking lot.Deputies located the women. In the first woman’s purse, deputies said they found two pairs of shorts, two towels, a pair of socks, pliers and scissors.In the second woman’s purse, they found a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, beads, a T-shirt, shorts, furniture wipes, two shirts, glue remover and two plastic containers, the report said.Deputies said the third woman had some make-up, socks, jeans, a pair of Reese’s peanut butter cups and a bottle of lotion.Deputies could see a Wal-Mart bag inside the vehicle through the tinted window. They couldn’t examine the bag, however, because the Jeep’s owner had locked the keys inside.The three women, ages 25, 28 and 65, were arrested and charged with shoplifting.

Email Us/ adminassist@privateofficer.com

Send news, comments or questions

Join Us/myspace.com/privateofficernews

Be Part of our New Social Network—Join now! www.privateofficer.com

Child rapist gets two life sentences www.privateofficer.com

Round Rock TX April 10 2008
After only 15 minutes of deliberation, a Williamson County jury sentenced a Round Rock man this afternoon to two life sentences for sexually assaulting a girl.
The jury of 10 men and two women found James Ross, 29, guilty this morning of both sexual assault of a child and sexual assault.
District Judge Ken Anderson said the sentences will run concurrently.
Ross showed no emotion as the verdict was read.
According to witnesses, Ross raped the girl once when she was 15 in 2001 and again when she was 17 in 2003. The victim testified Tuesday that she did not come forward with the allegations until last year, when she said she thought Ross might be targeting another girl to assault.
Ross had been previously convicted of indecency by sexual contact with a 13-year-old child.
Ross was indicted by a Williamson County grand jury in March on charges of sexual assault of a child, sexual assault and prohibited sexual assault.

Security officer involved in fatal shooting www.privateofficer.com

Memphis, TN April 9 2008

By: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

www.privateofficer.com

The Memphis Police Department is investigating a shooting involving a private security officer which occurred at Tony’s Bar & Grill in the 3100 block of South Mendenhall near Knight Arnold road.
Police say a bar customer “created a disturbance.” He was being disorderly and unruly according to witnesses and the security officer and he was asked to leave the premises.
Investigators say someone flagged down a passing police car on South Mendenhall around midnight, Tuesday, April 08, 2008, and told the officer that a man had been shot. Police say when they arrived on the scene, they found Andre McLaren, 38, lying dead in the parking lot of the business.
According to investigators, the security officer told police McLaren became unruly and was escorted outside of the bar. The guard says McLaren then started doing donuts in the parking lot and the security officer went to confront him and that is when he felt the McLaren was aiming for him so he fired his gun at the truck, hitting the driver several times.
The vehicle came to a stop resting up against a light pole.
Investigators are questioning the security officer. It is unknown of any charges will be filed.

Email Us/ adminassist@privateofficer.com

Send news, comments or questionsJoin Us/myspace.com/privateofficernews

Be Part of our New Social Network—Join now! www.privateofficer.com

Career shoplifter “works the system” www.privateofficer.com

Webster NY April 10 2008

Webster Police were summoned to the Kohl’s Department store on Holt Road in Webster at 1:43 p.m. on Tuesday for a report of a woman being held by store security.
According to police, Rhonda L. Lawton, age 39, of 32 West Street in the Village of Macedon, entered the store with nothing in her hands, proceeded to a department, picked up a Dyson vacuum cleaner, then tried to claim she was returning it for a store credit. She then exited the store with the vacuum cleaner and was apprehended by store security.

Lawton , who has an extensive police history of thefts, drugs and assorted other larcenies, was arraigned on Petit Larceny charges and released on pre-trail, to reappear in Webster Town Court on April 16. The March 25 arrest was not the first link the Kohl’s store had with Lawton .
She was also charged with Petit Larceny involving an incident September 9 of 2007, when she reportedly entered the store empty handed, picked up bedding from the store bedding department and returned it to the customer desk for store credit for $205.19. She repeated the process on 9/10, leaving the store with a $239.99 credit for a KitchenMaid mixer and on September 10 for $174.41 for another mixer. Lawton pulled the same stunt in February of this year, with another vacuum cleaner and left the store with a store credit of $328.98

On Tuesday, Macedon Police Officer Bill Powell reported the arrest of Rhonda L. Lawton for Criminal Trespass 2nd and Petit Larceny for an incident on Monday at about 3:00p.m. It is allegedly she entered a residence on Canandaigua Road in the Town of Macedon and removed a set of wicker patio furniture that did not belong to her. She was evicted from this residence in September 2007 and told repeatedly that she was not allowed on the property. She is scheduled to appear in the Town of Macedon Court on 4/22/08 at 6:00PM. In statements to police, Lawton admitted she knew the furniture did not belong to her. She told police she made two trips to the house to remove the ill-gotten goods.

Rhonda Lawton’s career of stealing for a living that included drugs, began 20 years ago, when she was 18 years old. “Her police record reads like a novel,” said one police official. Rhonda has logged 31 prior arrests including 9 felonies and 21 misdemeanors. She netted 2 felony convictions and 20 misdemeanor convictions. She has been a familiar face in Wayne County courts and jail and a constant charge of the probation system. She went to state prison for a 1997 Grand Larceny guilty plea and was sentenced to 2-4 years. She got out of Bedford Hills Prison for women in May of 2000, but went back to Bedford when her parole was revoked in December. She saw free daylight again in August of 2001.
Lawton ’s crime spree went unabated with arrests in Newark in 2002, in Ontario County malls in 2004, a Fairport DWI in 2006 and another Petit Larceny arrest in Palmyra in 2007. Those are the times she was actually caught; law officials hate to think of the crimes committed that went unnoticed.
Rhonda Lawton is the oldest child. A younger brother, Todd and his wife, Wendy Lawton are the complete other end of the spectrum. They both served in the military and lead lives without the shadow of Rhonda’s crimes. Todd today is a successful welder and foreman, now working in Texas on a special job.
Wendy recalled one of the first times she saw an arrest in the Times involving Rhonda. It appeared in the same paper as her and Todd’s engagement announcement. Wendy and her family would soon learn about the sordid history and reputation of Rhonda.
So, why did Todd, who came from the same family setting as his older sister, take a different path through life? “I wish I could tell you. I can’t explain it, I can’t understand it,” said Wendy. “What is so sad is that Rhonda is brilliant,” she added. The brother and sister-in-law said they hated playing the “bad guy” in the latest incident, pressing charges against a family member. It was a home they owned on Canandaigua Road in Macedon where Rhonda helped herself to some furniture.
Along the way, Rhonda has had several children with different partners. Her 18 year-old son currently is being raised by Rhonda’s mother. Two middle children are living with their father. Rhonda currently resides with a man in the Macedon apartment with their new 3 month old baby. “I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the courts did not want to throw her in jail, just because she has a three month old child, “said Macedon Police Sergeant John Colella.
Wendy Lawton said she was not surprised by the officer’s statement.
“She (Rhonda) knows how to work the system.”

Email Us/ adminassist@privateofficer.com

Send news, comments or questions

Join Us/myspace.com/privateofficernews

Be Part of our New Social Network—Join now! www.privateofficer.com

Wal-Mart rape suspect captured www.privateofficer.com

Orlando Fla. April 10 2008

By: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

www.privateofficer.com

Police quickly went to work hunting a sexual predator after authorities say that a Wal-mart was raped in the store’s parking lot.
Police say that the victim had exited her car and was on her way to the store located at 8100 block of south John Young Parkway when she was approached by a man who was armed with a handgun.
The incident took place Tuesday about 6:15 a.m. as the victim, 35, stopped to pick up a few items.

A man with a tattoo on his forearm approached, forced her back into her car at gunpoint and made her drive behind the store, where he raped her, deputies said.

Police and sheriff investigators working on several leads were able to capture the suspect they identify as, David Welker, 24, who now faces one count of armed sexual battery, two counts of kidnapping, one count of robbery with a firearm and one count of aggravated assault with a firearm.
Police say that the second count of kidnapping is because the victim’s 15-month-old daughter was inside the car during the attack.

Email Us/ adminassist@privateofficer.com

Send news, comments or questions

Join Us/myspace.com/privateofficernews

Be Part of our New Social Network—Join now! www.privateofficer.com

Police arrest 3 students for bomb scare www.privateofficer.com

Police arrested 3 students for bomb scare www.privateofficer.com

AMARILLO, Texas April 10 2008

By: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

www.privateofficer.com

A bomb threat at a local school may have been just a prank to some students but not to police.
Caprock High School was cleared out Tuesday after threats were found written on walls in four locations, including girls’ restrooms, said Amarillo police Cpl. Jerry Neufeld.
Police and emergency personnel searched the school but there was no evidence of a bomb and students returned to classes, said Becky McIlraith, spokeswoman for the Amarillo Independent School District.
Police officers investigated the incident and questioned students and teachers and through their investigation was able to identify three girls who were responsible.
The girls — ages 14, 15 and 16 — are being held at the Youth Center of the High Plains on charges of making a false alarm or report, a state jail felony, Neufeld said.
They were being held pending a hearing in the next couple of days, Neufeld said.

Email Us/ adminassist@privateofficer.com

Send news, comments or questions

Join Us/myspace.com/privateofficernews

Be Part of our New Social Network—Join now! www.privateofficer.com

School band leader charged with rape www.privateofficer.com

Columbia PA. April 10 2008

By: Bryan Hill

Security News Magazine

www.privateofficer.com

 

A former band director at Varina High School in Richmond Virgina has been arrested in Pennsylvania for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a female student there, according to published reports in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Robert E. Richards, 33, of Columbia, Pa., was charged by police in Columbia and West Hempfield Township, Pa., with two counts each of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and corruption of a minor and one count each of statutory sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault, according to newspaper reports in the Columbia Ledger and the Intelligencer Journal.
School officials placed Richards on paid leave yesterday, said Lindsay Leiphart, district board and community services coordinator for the Columbia Borough school district in Lancaster County. Richards is free on $175,000 bail, Leiphart said.
The alleged relationship included several sexual encounters at his home and in Columbia Junior/Senior High School, where Richards serves as band director, according to the reports. The student was 16 at the time of the relationship.
Richards was a band teacher at Varina in eastern Henrico County from September 1998 until June 2001. According to his biography on the Columbia Junior/Senior High Web site, he graduated from James Madison University.

Email Us/ adminassist@privateofficer.com

Send news, comments or questions

Join Us/myspace.com/privateofficernews

Be Part of our New Social Network—Join now! www.privateofficer.com

ON DUTY with The Chaplain www.privateofficer.com

Fruitport Township MI. April 10 2008

Responding to fatal accidents, delivering bad news to loved ones and encountering dangerous situations is part of the job for a police officer.
But at the end of the day, who do officers turn to for support — or more importantly — spiritual guidance?
For Fruitport Township police officers, it’s David J. Hulings, a senior pastor for First Congregational Church in Fruitport. He recently volunteered to be the department’s chaplain.
“It’s kind of a lone-ranger world. They’re out there taking care of everyone. No one really takes care of them,” Hulings said of law-enforcement officials.
“The images they see every day stick with them. There is no one picking up the pieces,” he said.
The chaplain program is the first for the township and appears to be one of the last “individual department” programs in the Muskegon County area.
Even cities like Muskegon, Muskegon Heights and Norton Shores do not have their own chaplain.
Neither does the Muskegon Township Police Department, though Police Chief Don Schrumpf likes the idea.
“There’s definitely a place for it,” Schrumpf said.
On a county level, there is a Muskegon County Jail chaplain available for inmates, said Undersheriff Dean Roesler. For county deputies, Roesler said a chaplain group is available through the Michigan State Police, but not directly through the sheriff’s department.
Roesler believes providing spiritual leadership to a department is a valuable service.
“An officer witnesses various tragedies from fatal car accidents to suicides to homicides. The buildup of pressures is inherent to the job. If an individual isn’t connected to a church, a chaplain can provide that function,” Roesler said.
Hulings, a longtime resident of Fruitport, has been tuned in to the community for years. The 53-year-old pastor also is a motivational speaker and soccer coach at Fruitport Community Schools and Western Michigan Christian Schools.
He also has plenty of experience working with law enforcement. He led a chaplain program in Florida from 1989-1992 for a group of patrol officers, secret service officials, U.S. Coast Guard officials and a sheriff’s department. During that time he realized how important it is to minister to leaders in a community.
“You can, as a police officer, be open with everyone. But no one is really set up to take care of you. Who’s ministering to the officers?” Hulings said. “My focus is the officers of Fruitport and their families.”
Hulings said the township’s program was created after he spoke with Police Chief Paul Smutz. The two men have known each other for years, but came in contact again last fall after township officers responded to a break-in at Hulings’ church.
After some discussion about the department, Hulings offered up his services. Smutz — who has been in law enforcement for about 15 years — thought it was a great idea.
“I’ve been doing this job a long time. I don’t think there is enough emphasis for officer support in this profession with what we’re dealing with,” Smutz said. “There is a stigma: If you need help or you need someone to talk to, you’re considered ‘mental.’ No one wants to say they want to talk to a psychiatrist.”
And when officers “bottle up” what bothers them, it affects their families, Smutz said.
“The problem is you don’t want to bring it home. You don’t want to go home and expose all of it to your family,” he said. “Most of the time officers tend to bottle up issues or hold in one particular issue that bothers them. For one officer it could be a child-abuse case, but an officer without kids might not be as sensitive to it.”
Smutz said his staff has responded well to Hulings, especially because meetings with him are kept confidential.
“The response from officers has been positive,” he said. “From the chaplain standpoint, they can call him and say, ‘Can I meet you for dinner?’ It’s nice to debrief a little bit.”
Hulings said his program is “laid back” and that’s the way he plans to keep it. He said he is committed to being “available” to officers, but won’t force the issue.
“I don’t chase them. They contact me,” he said.

Email Us/ adminassist@privateofficer.com

Send news, comments or questions

Join Us/myspace.com/privateofficernews

Be Part of our New Social Network—Join now! www.privateofficer.com

Officer works smart, retires with plenty of cash www.privateofficer.com

from Buffalo News
BUFFALO, NY April 10 2008– Officer Patrick McDonald — who earned the highest pay ever recorded for a Buffalo cop — has retired from the Police Department, allowing him to receive a pension bigger than most police officers’ annual earnings.
McDonald made history last year when he worked as many as 363 days, bringing in nearly $123,000 in overtime, plus his regular pay, to earn a total of $189,457.
McDonald, who retired Tuesday, is now expected to receive a pension that exceeds $100,000 each year.
“He had a good run,” said Lt. Sean O’Brien, who was McDonald’s supervisor for about the past four years. “He could make more money sitting at home doing nothing than he did coming to work.”
McDonald, who joined the police force Oct. 17, 1966, made few arrests in recent years but earned a reputation for writing a fair number of traffic tickets.
“He’d show up to work. I’ll just leave it at that,” said O’Brien, who also serves as the police union’s sergeant-at-arms, when asked about McDonald’s arrest record.
McDonald, who was among the most senior officers in the department, took full advantage of a policy that gives overtime based on seniority. He worked 4,684 hours in 2007 — the equivalent of 12.5 hours a day every day of the year. Sometimes he stayed at work to cover for officers who called in sick. Other times, he signed up for special details.
Overall, the overtime windfall allowed McDonald to earn $119,608, with $51,796 from overtime, in 2006 and $189,456, with $122,774 in overtime, in 2007.

It’s those last years that are likely to be the basis of McDonald’s pension.
As a Tier 1 police officer — someone who started working for local government before 1971 — McDonald qualifies for a pension based on his last year of employment. The final-year earnings used for the calculation, however, could be subject to a cap, equal to roughly 20 percent more than his prior year’s earnings.
Neither state nor local officials have calculated McDonald’s actual pension.
Based on the number of years McDonald worked, his final years’ salaries and the pension formula, The Buffalo News estimated his pension at more than $100,000 a year.
McDonald could not be reached to comment Tuesday.
Many of McDonald’s fellow officers believe that even in retirement, he will never stop working. He will probably pick up more shifts at security guard jobs they say he already has, although some suggest he should consider enjoying his time off.
“With the pension he’s getting, I don’t know why he’d do anything else but enjoy himself,” said John P. King, a retired Buffalo police lieutenant, who was McDonald’s partner 27 years ago.
“That’s what retirement is all about,” said King
Buffalo police spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge said the department wishes McDonald well in his retirement.
“Officer McDonald was a very familiar face in the downtown area. Whether it was Sabres games, festivals or other events in the downtown area, Officer McDonald was always there,” said DeGeorge. “In a lot of ways, you could call him ‘Mr. Downtown.’ ”

Email Us/ adminassist@privateofficer.com

Send news, comments or questions

Join Us/myspace.com/privateofficernews

Be Part of our New Social Network—Join now! www.privateofficer.com

Probation violator pulls gun on officers www.privateofficer.com

Clark County Indiana April 10 2008

By: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

www.privateofficer.com

Probation officers and agents who work for municipal, county and federal agencies face real danger everyday and are seldom recognized for their role in the justice system.
On Tuesday, in a small county in Indiana just across the river from Louisville Kentucky, those dangers became evident to a local probation officer and the community as he was faced with a violent confrontation with a probation violator.

Deputies say Amanda Overstreet was meeting with her probation officer when she was told that she had a violation and would be taken into custody. The probation officer notified the Clark County Sheriff’s Office who sent a deputy to the office to pick up Overstreet. during the wait for the deputy’s arrival, Overstreet and the probation officer waited and things seemed normal until the arrival of the sheriff’s deputy.
It was at that point, when the deputy walked in to take custody of Overstreet that things went very bad. Overstreet pulled a handgun from her purse before she could be handcuffed and pulled the trigger but the gun did not fire.
The officers were able to snatch the gun away from Overstreet and subdue her without anyone getting injured.
Overstreet was arrested and is now being held on a $100,000 bond at the Clark County Jail in Jeffersonville. Overstreet faces numerous new charges after the incident.
It is not known if the probation officer was armed or why Overstreet had not been handcuffed prior to the arrival of the deputy.

Email Us/ adminassist@privateofficer.com

Send news, comments or questions

Join Us/myspace.com/privateofficernews

Be Part of our New Social Network—Join now! www.privateofficer.com

Suspected jewel thief accussed in second theft www.privateofficer.com

from the Atlanta Journal Constitution

Atlanta Ga. April 10 2008

Police say The Shane Company in Alpharetta wasn’t the only victim of an employee suspected of pocketing $1.2 million in jewels.
Suspect Sara Lane Tolar, 30, of Marietta had found a job at another jewelry store and, after working there only three weeks, had already absconded with two watches worth $17,000, police said.

At the time of her arrest late last month, police were only aware of the Shane Co. case. Then, Tolar told them she was working at Capetown Diamond Corp. in Roswell.
“I didn’t know she was working at the other jewelry store,” said Alpharetta Detective Corey Miller.
Capetown Diamond Corp.’s management wasn’t aware anything was missing from its inventory, Miller said.
Tolar is charged in the theft of $1.2 million in expensive pieces from The Shane Company and $17,000 from the other store.
She faces charges of theft by receiving and theft by deception after allegedly attempting to sell some of the stolen jewelry to a Marietta jewelry store on Good Friday.
Additional charges from Cobb County may be forthcoming, said Cobb Detective David Dunkerton.
Tolar remains in the Cobb County jail. Alpharetta police will present evidence to a grand jury this month.
Miller said Tolar apparently worked alone.
Tolar worked at the Shane Company for about 18 months, but was fired in February after a store audit, Miller said.
Tolar had been working at Capetown Diamond Corp. in Roswell for two or three weeks when she was arrested.
In February, a routine company-wide audit at The Shane Company showed a discrepancy of items in the books and items in-house, Miller said.
The company determined that Tolar had been responsible for inventorying all the pieces they believed were stolen, he said.
From state records, Miller learned Tolar had transactions with jewelry stores in Cobb County.
Miller alerted Dunkerton to be on the lookout for stolen jewelry that Tolar might be selling.
The next day, a jeweler in Marietta notified Dunkerton that a woman approached him about selling him some jewelry. When the woman returned, she was arrested.
A search of her car revealed stolen jewelry worth about $63,000, Miller said. It was then the woman confessed and said she was already working at another jewelry store, he said.
Dunkerton said Tolar named or described 14 places where she had sold items.
Thus far, about 50 pieces have been recovered, Miller said. He estimated their value to be in the six-figure range. Most of the pieces were valued between $2,500 and $15,000.
“Most of that will be gone,” Dunkerton said. “After 30 days, the precious metal dealers will dismantle the pieces and melt down the gold and create their own or sell the scrap gold to a wholesaler.”

Email Us/ adminassist@privateofficer.com

Send news, comments or questions

Join Us/myspace.com/privateofficernews

Be Part of our New Social Network—Join now! www.privateofficer.com

Security officer cleared in fatal shooting www.privateofficer.com

Memphis TN. April 10 2008

By: Bryan Hill

Security News Magazine

April 10 2008

Police investigating a shooting that occurred on April 8th, 2008 in the parking lot of Tony’s Bar & Grill in the Southeast area of Memphis which involved a security officer has now been ruled it a justified homicide.
Memphis police say the shooting, the city’s 50th homicide resulted when an unruly patron was ejected from the bar and then drove his vehicle making doughnuts in the parking lot before he headed directly at the security officer who then opened fire killing the driver, andre McLaren, 38.
A passing police officer was flagged down by customers and an investigation by the Memphis Police Homicide Squad found that the use of force by the security officer was justifed since the security officer feared for his life and had no choice but to protect himself.
Police did not release the security officer’s name or whether or not he was working for a security agency or was employed by Tony’s as a regular employee.

Email Us/ adminassist@privateofficer.com

Send news, comments or questions

Join Us/myspace.com/privateofficernews

Be Part of our New Social Network—Join now! www.privateofficer.com