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OFFICER DOWN..EOW FLA. DEPUTY SHERIFF www.privateofficer.com
OFFICER DOWN..FLORIDA DEPUTY SHERIFF http://www.privateofficer.com
Wal-mart check cashing scheme nets man 8 year prison term www.privateofficer.com
Wal-mart check cashing scheme nets man 8 year prison term http://www.privateofficer.com
A federal judge in Mobile this morning sentenced a couple who admitted to using homeless people to cash bogus checks at Wal-Mart after Wal-Mart as they traveled the country.
Law enforcement authorities said Scott Douglas Myers, a convicted sex offender from Ohio, and his fellow travelers stole nearly $100,000 from 119 Wal-Marts.
“This was no small-scale operation,” U.S. District Judge William Steele said. “It was, in fact, a large-scale operation.”
The judge placed most of the blame squarely on Myers, sentencing him to eight years in prison — almost three years longer than the maximum term suggested under advisory sentencing guidelines. Steele said the nature of the offense and Myers’ extensive criminal record called for a harsher punishment.
At a separate hearing, Steele sentenced Myers’ girlfriend, Crystal Bowers, to three years and a month.
Myers protested the prosecution’s contention that he was the mastermind and leader of the criminal ring, but Steele remained unmoved. According to testimony from two co-defendants, Bowers and Myers called themselves Bonnie and Clyde, after a pair of notorious robbers who traveled the country during the Great Depression.
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Burglars fix snack for child they bring to crime www.privateofficer.com
Burglars fix snack for child they bring to crime http://www.privateofficer.com
The incident happened at the A Thru Z Childcare and Learning Center on Fairburn Road in southwest Atlanta.
The thieves stole a $30,000 security system, CD players, TVs and a laundry basket. Food and other items were tossed around the center. Police said the suspects stole the daycare’s telephones and the monitoring system but left the cameras.
Investigators said they believe the suspects brought a child along for the crime. Police said it appeared the people who broke into the daycare took time to fix the child a snack in the daycare’s kitchen. Cheese sauce, juice and ramen noodles were made
We’re going to say about $50,000 worth of equipment was stolen,” said assistant manager Sheila Gipson.
That includes an elaborate video monitoring system Gipson said was worth about $30,000.
“We can go back and play back and see what happened yesterday, the day before that and all month long, we could go back and see what happened. That was our prized possession,” said Gipson.
Gipson said not having the monitoring equipment hurts them because they have the system for everyone’s safety and to help parents feel more comfortable being away from their children.
The daycare center has been closed for the day. They hope to open again Tuesday.
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Police make several shoplifting arrests www.privateofficer.com
Police make several shoplifting arrests http://www.privateofficer.com
Police announced that they had made two shoplifting arrests this week as a result of complaints by loss prevention agents at two area stores.
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GA. police seek hospital worker accused of sexually assaulting patient www.privateofficer.com
GA. police seek hospital worker accused of sexually assaulting patient http://www.privateofficer.com
The female victim told police she had just come out of surgery at Kennestone Hospital when an orderly moved her from the recovery room to her private room. That’s when, she said, the orderly removed part of her gown and fondled her.
“She immediately recognized something was going wrong and reported it to Kennestone security,” said Officer Mark Bishop with the Marietta Police Department
Kennestone security identified the orderly as Raphael Telles. He gave a statement to his supervisor claiming it was all a misunderstanding. Since then, police have not been able to locate him.
“We’ve been trying to speak with him, of course, to get his side of the story. He has not come forward to us and there has been an arrest warrant secured for Mr. Telles for sexual assault,” said Bishop.
Telles’ whereabouts are unknown at this time. Police said Kennestone told them it is against their policy to have only one orderly remove patients out of recovery areas into private rooms.
“Our concern is there are other victims out there that maybe when it occurred they might have been under higher levels of anesthesia and maybe not so coherent enough to know or feel that something wrong has happened,” said Bishop.
Kennestone Hospital has fired Telles.
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Firefighter killed, 2 officers shot during stand-off www.privateofficer.com
Firefighter killed, 2 officers shot during stand-off http://www.privateofficer.com
The gunman might still be holed up in a burning home, and police sharpshooters have swarmed the neighborhood near South Big Bend Boulevard and Zephyr Place.
The dead firefighter has been identified as Ryan Hummert, 22.
Hummert was fatally shot as he got out of a Maplewood fire truck as it arrived at the scene of a vehicle fire about 5:45 a.m. today.
At 10:10 a.m. today, the American flag and a Maplewood city flag were both lowered to half staff outside Maplewood City Hall.
Meanwhile, a Maplewood police officer is in critical condition at another area hospital. The bullet struck the officer’s badge, which may have saved his life, a hospital spokeswoman said.
A second Maplewood police officer was shot in the right shoulder. He is being treated, but his condition was unavailable.
It all started unfolding before 6 a.m. today, when firefighters were responding to a vehicle fire on Zephyr Place.
“They were about to put out the fire, then I heard a couple of shots,” said one witness, Sanyog Rai, working at a 7-11 store on Big Bend. “I saw a cop holding his shoulder, and he fell down to the ground.”
The house fire started shortly after that. Officers surrounded the home, believing the gunman was inside.
Three hours later, dozens of police cars from a mix of area departments were still there. Many of the officers are crouching behind police cars with their weapons drawn. The St. Louis County police explosives unit rolled up after 9 a.m., as did an armored vehicle from the U.S. Marine Corps. FBI agents were suiting up in tactical gear.
Paul Kieselhorst, who lives about three blocks from the incident, said he heard four shots as his wife was leaving for work. Then, he heard a fifth shot. Kieselhorst saw an ambulance racing from the scene with lights and sirens blaring. He said police tactical units have evacuated a few people from adjacent homes.
“They still have the shooter holed up and people are at risk,” Kieselhorst said.
The manager of the 7-11, Anuj Srivastava, was at home asleep when the shooting happened. His second-floor apartment is across the street from the convenience store. He watched the explosion from the truck fire.
“When the truck exploded, I saw the fireball coming up over the house 150 feet up,” he said.
Casey Smith, who lives in the 7300 block of Zephyr Place, could hear helicopters hovering overhead about 8:45 a.m. today. She said she was virtually trapped in her home.
“A friend called to make sure I’m OK,” Smith said. “I’m not going outside. Usually, this is a quiet place. I’ve never felt threatened.”
Hummert, the firefighter who died, was a firefighter-paramedic with Maplewood. He has been with the city since last August, when he graduated paramedic school. He graduated from the St. Louis County fire academy this year. Hummert graduated Rockwood Summit High School in 2004 and was the son of the former mayor of Maplewood, Andy Hummert, and Jackie Hummert.
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Fla. police officer charged with bookmaking and racketeering www.privateofficer.com
Fla. police officer charged with bookmaking and racketeering http://www.privateofficer.com
Authorities around the country have not only been targeting slot machines, but also illegal sports gambling rings.
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Bomb left at front door of NC Walmart www.privateofficer.com
Bomb left at front door of NC Walmart store http://www.privateofficer.com
An employee opening the front door at Boone Wal-Mart found a bomb on Sunday morning that was later detonated by police.
“Surveillance footage shows a person jogging toward the front of the store, loitering at the front door as if placing the device, then fleeing on foot,” Boone Police Det. Matt Stevens said.
After Boone Police and firefighters arrived and assessed the situation, officials called the Wilkes County special operations bomb squad — the closest unit in the region.
The device, which police say could be considered an explosive or incendiary device, had been almost ignited by a slow fuse but had apparently fizzled.“I don’t think they were really skilled in bomb-making,” Capt. Doug Cotton, commander of the Wilkes County special-operations unit, said.
“I would say Internet level.”
Both the Boone and Wilkes unit swept the building and adjacent area and found no other devices.
The store and its parking lot were closed off until 9:30 as employees and shoppers waited nearby to hear the latest news.
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Private security force patrols Katrina damaged homes www.privateofficer.com
Private security force patrols damaged Katrina homes http://www.privateofficer.com
By David Hammer Staff writer
There were two men — armed with a semiautomatic handgun and a civilian version of military’s M16 assault rifle. A drug stash was nearby.
The intruders would ultimately find themselves in the custody of New Orleans police and National Guard troops at the close of the mid-May episode, more than two and a half years after Hurricane Katrina left the house in shambles. But the officers who got them to surrender were sent out by a program that few would associate with gun-toting law enforcement: the Road Home.
Financed by $4.6 million in federal housing grant money, Corporate Security Solutions employs 60 private security officers to patrol 8,100 Road Home properties in 22 southern Louisiana parishes, parcels that homeowners decided to sell to the state rather than rebuild or renovate. These buyout properties represent 7 percent of 115,000 Road Home grants paid so far. State officials estimate that when all is said and done, there will be about 9,000 total buyouts.
The officers patrol each night from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., following scheduled routes and responding to calls from neighbors. Each month, they find hundreds of trespassers entering the state-owned properties. Some are out to steal copper wire; some are dealing drugs; and some are simply looking for shelter.
The fact that few residents know the security team exists is a good sign to the public officials who have overseen the security company’s contract since September and soon must consider whether to renew it for another year.
“No news is good news,” said Joe Williams, a board member of the Louisiana Land Trust, the state-created, federally financed nonprofit that holds Road Home properties until they can be transferred to local parishes for redevelopment.
— Board scrutiny —
By and large, state officials, property maintenance contractors and community groups agree the security force is one of the more effective parts of a high-profile recovery program often marred by controversy.
Still, there are questions about whether taxpayers should be paying $100,000 a week to supplement normal police patrols. At the Land Trust’s latest public hearing, held July 11, new board member Donald Vallee, head of a New Orleans landlord association, asked why the state should use any federal money to field an extra security force.
They’re doing a good job, but the question is: Do we need it?” Vallee said during his first board meeting.
As time goes on, the structures are supposed to be demolished or restored, lessening the need for constant surveillance, Vallee said.
The latest Corporate Security Solutions status reports indicate its officers have checked on all 8,100 Road Home properties sold to the state, including just two in Acadia Parish and one in Iberville Parish. But about half of the properties are just vacant lots. There would be even fewer dwellings to secure, except FEMA stopped paying for demolitions before the Road Home could buy most of its parcels.
The Land Trust has been negotiating with FEMA to try to get the federal agency to pay for removing more buildings on the state-purchased properties, but so far there has been no agreement.
Vallee says his skepticism is merely an attempt to intensify the board’s scrutiny over contracts. But Al Sterling of H&O Investments, one of the firms cutting grass and removing debris on the Road Home properties, said his crews rely on the security forces for protection.
“It makes me nervous and uncomfortable to think what would happen if we don’t have the security forces we do now,” he said at the Land Trust meeting.
— Lack of understanding —
One thing that was clear at the meeting was board members’ lack of understanding of the security team’s work. That was initially true for neighborhood groups, too — at least in the spring.
The unmarked patrols previously generated fear and confusion among neighbors, some of whom called police on the Road Home officers.
Until recently, the Corporate Security Solutions officers wore generic black security T-shirts and were easily impersonated by thieves. An April 18 incident report filed by the officers said sheriff’s deputies in Chalmette found a man, wearing the easily purchased black shirt, allegedly stealing copper wire and a compressor from a Road Home property.
But the contractor has apparently handled that problem after meeting with neighborhood groups and local police officials to hear their concerns.
During one meeting this spring, Lakeview residents and New Orleans Police Department Sgt. Doug Eckert helped the security company understand operations of the neighborhood’s special crime prevention district and persuaded it to change its uniforms to khaki shirts with CSS patches and to clearly mark its vehicles.
“It was an excellent meeting,” said Lakeview resident Mary Anne Colwart. “All present had a better understanding of the problem
CSS’ project manager for the Road Home contract, Robert Halladay, told the neighbors, and the Land Trust board, that his officers have had extensive weapons training and federal background checks, that each was upon hiring fingerprinted by the FBI. The force includes several former police officers and soldiers, he said.
— Sobering picture —
The security force responded to 1,883 incidents in June alone. Most stemmed from routine problems, such as debris or a broken window, but 538 involved signs of entry, while 145 involved complaints about loitering and 19 involved vandalism, according to monthly reports to the Land Trust. Halladay said at least seven incidents in the past few months involved trespassers with weapons.
CSS officers sometimes find evidence that decrepit storm-damaged homes have been turned into drug houses, and they pass that information along to law enforcement.
Each night, the Road Home security officers ride in various types of white vehicles — cars, pickups, SUVs, most with identifying decals but some still unmarked — on 35 different patrol routes, mostly in Orleans and St. Bernard parishes.
The Land Trust controls about 3,700 properties in each of those two parishes. Jefferson, St. Tammany and Plaquemines parishes each has more than 100 properties.
A review of incident reports from recent months paints a sobering picture of why the security patrols may be necessary. In many cases, a former owner or former owner’s relative has returned to live in the home sold to the Road Home, ignoring orders to vacate — and inhospitable conditions — because the person has nowhere else to go.
The Road Home forces at times are less forgiving of such trespassing than police. For instance, on the rainy night of April 18, Mikel Starr, an officer with subcontractor Inner Parish Security Corp., found a man in a full leg cast sleeping on a cot in a pup tent inside a Road Home property on Tupelo Street, in the Lower 9th Ward. The tent was littered with beer cans and junk food wrappers.
The man said his parents sold the house to Road Home, “but he had no place else to stay,” Starr reported. Starr goes on to say that Halladay ordered him to have the man arrested, but when police arrived, they refused.
“The officer . . . informed me due to his broken leg and it used to be his home that he would not be arresting him,” Starr wrote. “When he left he only took the clothes on his back and his crutches.”
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Smash and grab thief takes $10,000 jewerly from Macy’s www.privateofficer.com
Smash and grab thief takes $10,000 jewelry from Macy’s http://www.privateofficer.com
A burglar who took less than two minutes to smash through a side door at Macy’s department store and grab several thousand dollars worth of jewelry is being sought by Tyler police.
A little after 6 a.m. Saturday morning, Tyler Police Department officers responded to a burglar alarm call in the 4700 block of South Broadway Avenue.
Two officers working another burglary alarm call nearby arrived at Macy’s to find that a door by the southwest entrance of the building was broken out
“They (the officers) cleared the building and determined the suspect had left,” said Tyler Police Department Sgt. Bill Goecking.
Goecking said that, once inside the store, the suspect ran immediately to the jewelry counters where he removed the dust curtains and broke the glass on three display cases.
He then allegedly used a bag he took while in the store and carried out the jewelry the same way he came in.
Goecking said the suspect set off the motion detectors when he entered the store. His image was also captured on security video.
Tyler police have not released a description of the suspect because they are waiting for a video specialist to enhance the images captured by surveillance camera.
“He was inside and out in less than two minutes. We consider this a professional who isn’t wasting any time,” Goecking said.
Police said store managers estimate the loss to be more than $10,000.
Anyone with information or who may have been in the area and witnessed this crime is asked to contact the Tyler Police Department at 903-531-1000.
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Ex-Dunbar employee guilty of bank theft www.privateofficer.com
Ex-Dunbar employee guilty of bank theft http://www.privateofficer.com
After all, they recognized the uniformed man, who routinely collected cash deposits.
But Robert Flanagan, 38, of Dallastown, Pa., tipped off bank employees when he threw the bags of cash into a black Jeep Wrangler, as opposed to an armored security van.
Flanagan, a former Baltimore City police officer, pleaded guilty Monday before Howard Circuit Judge Richard Bernhardt to one count of felony theft over $500
He faces up to 12 years in prison at the sentencing Sept. 19.
Prosecutor Lynn Marshall said Flanagan kept his old uniform after losing his job with Dunbar Security in September 2007 and then used it to dupe the Ellicott City bank into handing over $379,000 in cash deposits Dec. 13, 2007.
Flanagan also was charged in a similar theft scheme at Kohl’s department store in Ellicott City, but prosecutors dismissed that charge as part of the plea agreement.
“He and his family are just looking forward to putting this behind him,” said Flanagan’s attorney Debra Saltz.
Flanagan was caught after bank employee Amardeep Pannu called Dunbar to confirm the pickup and learned they had never come to the bank.
Dunbar officials then identified Flanagan from the bank’s surveillance videos.
Howard police later discovered that Flanagan and his wife, Robin Flanagan, had deposited $194,000 in cash at a Commerce Bank in Harrisburg PA. on the same day as the heist.
Flanagan’s wife then withdrew about $16,000 and immediately purchased a new car, Marshall said.
Police searched Flanagan’s house and found the cell phone he used to schedule the Bank of America pickup, Marshall said.
About two months before he was caught, Flanagan attempted the same scheme at several locations in Baltimore County, including a Towson Town Center store in October 2007, said Baltimore County police spokesman Bill Toohey.
Flanagan is scheduled to appear in Baltimore County Circuit Court this week to face charges in the October case.
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Old Navy Robbed By Fake Security Guard www.privateofficer.com
Old Navy Store Robbed By Fake Security Guard http://www.privateofficer.com
The suspect is described as a white male in his 30s and is believed to be 5 foot 10 with a medium build and blonde hair.
Police said the man went to the Old Navy on Sunday, dressed in a uniform with a handgun in a holster.
The suspect came into the store and asked to speak to a manger and waited until they were alone to begin the robbery.
The suspect ordered the man to the floor and robbed the store of its cash.
Police are not saying how much was taken and there was no injuries during the robbery.
If anyone has any information, they are asked to call the police at 262-787-3613.
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Hotel security officer stabbed by suspicous person www.privateofficer.com
Hotel security officer stabbed by suspicous person http://www.privateofficer.com
Fayette County Urban Metro Police responded to the Radisson Hotel in downtown Lexington Monday after getting a report of a stabbing.
Metro police said that upon arrival at the hotel they learned that a security agent had approached a suspicous male who was lurking around on the 8th floor and that during that time the man pulled an unknown type of weapon and stabbed the security officer.
Police said that the veteran security officer who has been with the hotel for a number of years had asked the man if he was a guest and soon afterwards was stabbed in the shoulder.
Metro police searched the hotel and surrounding area for quite a while but did not locate the suspect.
The security officer was transported to the University Of Kentucky Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries and is expected to be fine.
In the meantime police said that they are continuing their investigation and will bring charges of aggravated assault against the suspect when he is apprehended.
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Woman found guilty in hospital disturbance www.privateofficer.com
Woman found guilty in hospital disturbance http://www.privateofficer.com
Barbara Sue Odom, 42, of Williamston pleaded guilty to public disorderly conduct Monday in Anderson Municipal Court.
But during the hearing she said hospital security officers injured her thumb, put her in a headlock, dragged her from the hospital and caused such distress that she swallowed a bottle of pills and attempted to cut her wrists at the Anderson City Jail.
AnMed officials, responding to a “scream from security” from the delivery room, said Odom struggled during attempts to handcuff her, refused to listen or cooperate and disrupted the hospital by yelling, screaming and refusing to leave.
Odom, expecting her first grandchild, said she “went berserk and wanted to protect her daughter.”
Her daughter, who was having delivery complications, wanted her mother, Odom said.
The child’s father refused to allow Odom to witness the birth, she said.
“I tried not to make a scene,” Odom said. “I tried to distance myself. I wanted to make my daughter happy.”
Judge Ken Mattison, who ordered Odom not to return to AnMed for any non-medical reason without first obtaining clearance from hospital security, listened, then, without comment ordered Odom to pay a fine of $470 or spend 30 days in jail.
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Fla. library security officer attacked, injured www.privateofficer.com
Library security officer attacked, injured http://www.privateofficer.com
The Beaches branch of the Jacksonville (Fla.) Public Library closed July 5 so police could investigate a violent attack on a security guard as he inspected the building early that morning.
Richard Hayward, who was unarmed, was knocked unconscious after being hit on the head twice with a blunt object, police said; he then lay bleeding for about three hours before library staff arrived at work according to authorities.
Police, alerted that an alarm had gone off about half an hour before Hayward arrived at 5:25 a.m., found no signs of a break-in and all the doors were still locked when officers checked the building.
Library staff suspected the attacker hid in the library when it closed. When the security officer made entry his attacker must have surprised him and hit him repeatedly with an unknown object police said.
Hayward was rushed to an area hospital and is listed in fair condition . Police continue to search for his attacker.
The library reopened to the the following day according to reports.
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