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Police officers injured during shoplifting arrest www.privateofficer.com
Police officers injured during shoplifting arrest http://www.privateofficer.com
A routine shoplifting arrest sent two Fort Wayne police officers to the hospital this week, according to city police reports..
Police said that officers Michael DeLong and Everett White were dispatched to to Kroger at 6002 St. Joe Center Road shortly before 6:30 p.m. Monday when loss-prevention officers stopped a shoplifter.
According to dispatch logs and court records, Veronica A. Ogunsusi, 34, was charged Friday with two felony counts of resisting law enforcement and one misdemeanor count of shoplifting. She was released from the Allen County Jail on a $3,250 bond.
Ogunsusi had two young children with her and was being held in the store manager’s office after she put two items in her bag and passed all points of sale without trying to pay for the items.
Because Ogunsusi refused to sign the store’s shoplifting paperwork and refused to allow loss-prevention officers to look in her purse, police were called to the store, according to a probable cause affidavit written by loss-prevention officer Jon Fawcett.
When DeLong and White tried to arrest Ogunsusi, she began to struggle and bit one of the officers and scratched and kicked the men, court documents said.
During the struggle, which involved the officers and store personne who helped the officers get Ogunsusi in handcuffs, White’s thumb was cut and DeLong was scratched and bruised on his arms, legs and groin, court documents said.
Both officers were treated at Lutheran Hospital, and Ogunsusi was taken to the Allen County Lockup.
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Alert cashier stops fraud suspect at Fla. Wal-Mart www.private
Alert cashier stops fraud suspect at Fla. Wal-Mart http://www.privateofficer.com
There was something wrong with the $423 laptop he had just bought, Harden told him Tuesday afternoon. He needed to stick around so she could straighten things out.
Harden’s quick thinking helped nab Garvin Arthur of Aventura, who showed up at the U.S. 1 Wal-Mart with 10 fake credit cards in his wallet, according to police.
When police confronted Arthur, he said the cards had been altered, Detective Tom Nichols said Wednesday.
That way, a checkout register would charge an unknown account number pulled from the card’s magnetic strip instead of the 16 digits embossed with Arthur’s name on the front, police said.
Arthur, 29, faces two felony charges of trafficking in counterfeit credit cards and grand theft. He was being held in the St. Lucie County jail Wednesday on $35,000 bail.
Detectives will check all of Arthur’s cards to see what other accounts they’re tied to and notify account holders, Nichols said.
Although Arthur did not tell police where he had his cards recoded, Nichols said the information is obtained with devices called credit card readers that can copy the data stored in the magnetic strip. The cards usually are swiped into a reader after the owner has handed them over during what seems like a normal transaction, Nichols said.
Card owners should read their monthly statements carefully to make sure there are no surprise transactions to avoid being scammed, Nichols said.
Recoding credit cards is considered a more lucrative venture for some offenders because they carry less risk than other crimes, such as drug deals, he said.
But Arthur’s purchase didn’t turn out so easy with Harden around.
Harden, 20, said she became suspicious when Arthur’s first credit card was denied. Following her training, the electronics department manager double-checked that the last four numbers printed on the purchase receipt matched the ones on Arthur’s card after his second card went through.
They didn’t.
So Harden, who has flagged three other people for what she considered suspicious transactions during her two years with the retail giant, distracted Arthur. Unlike those other suspects, who fled the store, Arthur remained.
Store security personnel whisked him away for questioning, and when police arrived, she said they told her it was a pretty big bust.
“I was like, wow,” said Harden, beaming. “That’s all I could say.”
Her shock continued Wednesday, when she spent part of her day talking with television news reporters, recounting what she remembered. Arthur was talkative, and she tried to keep calm, she said.
Now her co-workers tease her and call her a celebrity.
“That’s what I’ve been getting all day,” she said.
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Police seek mother and son crime duo www.privateofficer.com
Police seek mother and son crime duo http://www.privateofficer.com
Police have reported that the pair are suspected in a number of brazen crimes along the Wasatch Front. The duo allegedly kicked in doors in broad daylight and then made off with a fortune in electronics and jewelry.
And, police say, the mystery mom and son are suspects in the theft of a van, a Lexus and another car they used to commit other crimes.
Wal-Mart security cameras caught a glimpse of them this week when the duo tried using a stolen credit card taken in one of the burglaries.
Police aren’t saying how they know that they’re related only that the two have been seen together frequently.
If you have any information on these two please call the police department.
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Mothers use children to shoplift www.privateofficer.com
Mothers use children to help shoplift http://www.privateofficer.com
Deputies say 30-year-old Alicia Metcalf and 22-year-old Melinda Blankenship were spotted by loss prevention agents as they removed clothes from hangers and then put the items under their children who were sitting in shopping carts.
The moms attempted to leave the store without paying for the merchandise was quickly stopped by security agents and taken into custody.
Deputies say they also found stolen clothes inside a diaper bag inside the mothers’ car.
Both women were arrested on felony theft charges and may face other charges as well. Both were taken into custody and transported to the county jail pending a bond release.
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Applicants for ThyssenKrupp scammed www.privateofficer.com
Applicants for ThyssenKrupp scammed http://www.privateofficer.com
The offer went something like this — give me $110, and I’ll get you a job doing construction work at the future site of the ThyssenKrupp steel mill.
That was the pitch that dozens of people reportedly heard at the Daphne Hampton Inn this week.
Except it wasn’t true, say law enforcement and ThyssenKrupp officials
The man making the pitch said he worked for Halliburton, the giant oilfield services contractor based in Houston, said Daphne Police Lt. Jud Beedy and ThyssenKrupp spokesman Scott Posey. Going by the name Jamie Hewitt, the man claimed Halliburton was to displace MACTEC, the Atlanta-based engineering firm that manages the Calvert construction site for ThyssenKrupp, Posey said. People interested in jobs filled out paperwork, and then the man asked them to give him $110 in “union fees.”
“He said, ‘Our company will be in touch with you at a later date,’” Beedy said.
It’s not clear how many people fell for the scam. Beedy said a person who filed a complaint with the Daphne Police Department Friday said seven had given money, but Beedy said as many as 50 people may have met with the man. The man who filed the complaint figured out it was a scam after calling Halliburton and ThyssenKrupp, Beedy said.
Spokespersons for the FBI and Alabama State Troopers said investigators for Alabama Attorney General Troy King’s office are leading the inquiry. Chris Bence, a spokesman for King, refused to confirm or deny an investigation.
Beedy said Daphne Police are just beginning to look into the situation. However, Posey said ThyssenKrupp officials had been told that an arrest had been made Friday. No one named Jamie Hewitt was being held in the Daphne, Baldwin County or Mobile Metro jails Friday night, according to Beedy and county jail records.
An employee at the Hampton Inn said many people had been calling about the supposed recruiter, but said she knew nothing else about it. When asked if the man had rented a meeting room, she said she wasn’t allowed to give out that information. Beedy said Daphne Police were told the man was meeting with prospective employees in an individual hotel room.
ThyssenKrupp has many contractors on its site, and the construction workforce, recently at 800, is growing toward a peak of 7,000. To help fill those needs, the Mobile branch of the Associated General Contractors is setting up a plan to sign up workers for jobs. People who want to become one of the 2,700 permanent employees are being recruited by the company and by Alabama Industrial Development Training, a state agency. None of those groups charge fees of job applicants.
Posey said the company was not very happy about the scam, considering the warm welcome that the $3.7 billion project has received in the area.
“We encourage people, anytime they’re contacted by someone claiming to be from ThyssenKrupp, to call us and check,” Posey said.
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Man sues hospital over assault by security www.privateofficer.com
Man sues hospital over assault by security http://www.privateofficer.com
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Shoplifters get their day in court www.privateofficer.com
Shoplifters get their day in court http://www.privateofficer.com
April Lee Davenport, 32, and Monica McAdams, 28, were charged with shoplifting about 4:40 p.m. Thursday.
Friday, McAdams pleaded guilty to shoplifting in Anderson Municipal Court, receiving a fine of $1,092.50 or 30 days in jail plus $24.56 restitution for a can of baby formula that she opened and was feeding to her baby inside the store.
Davenport, who reportedly has no prior criminal record, was allowed to apply for pre-trial intervention in spite of being charged with the assault and battery of a Wal-Mart employee.
Both women were put on permanent trespass notice from the 3812 Liberty Hwy. store.
Davenport fled from Wal-Mart to a nearby Sam’s Club, where she is accused of striking the mouth of a pursuing Tiffany Mattress during a struggle, according to a report. Anderson police Officer James Shelton used his Taser to subdue Davenport, the report states.
“I was assaulted and bruised,” Davenport said. “I never hit anyone.”
According to testimony, McAdams and Davenport stuffed a pair of pants into a diaper bag and were feeding a 4-month-old boy from the can of baby formula.
McAdams faces trial in Anderson County General Sessions Court after Shelton charged her with possession of methamphetamine when about half a gram of the drug was found in her purse, according to authorities.
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Security officer, bank customers battle bank robber www.privateofficer.com
Bank security officer, customers battle bank robber http://www.privateofficer.com
At least one shot was fired during the confrontation at the Wells Fargo Bank at 6800 Van Nuys Blvd., apparently grazing the guard on the arm.
Police described patrons’ actions as “heroic” and credited them with possibly saving the guard’s life.
“We don’t recommend people engaging armed suspects but that’s a decision made by individuals at the time,” Los Angeles police Capt. Jim Miller said. “It’s a good chance they saved the guard’s life.”
The suspect, described only as a white male around 40 years old, walked into the bank shortly after noon and was soon confronted by one of the unarmed security guards, police said.
Some witnesses said he appeared to be wearing some kind of disguise, possibly a wig, fake beard and an oversized coat.
He was about 20 feet inside the bank when the struggle began, Miller said.
“When he was confronted … the gun came out, and then there was a scuffle,” LAPD Capt. Kelly Mulldorfer said.
Rafael Lara, 18, of North Hollywood, said the suspect pulled a gun from a bag and pistol-whipped the guard, cutting his forehead.
The two men wrestled, and the suspect shot off one round, Lara said.
“I was walking in right behind the robber, and I thought he was looking all suspicious,” Lara said. “I thought robbery, but it’s too rare to see one.”
At least three men and one woman rushed to help the guard, and one of the patrons managed to wrest control of the weapon away from the man, witnesses said.
“The people inside the bank jumped on the robber and were hitting and beating him, trying to get the gun,” Lara said.
Another customer, Napoleon Moreno, 35, of Van Nuys, was in line when he heard a gunshot.“I turned around and said, `What is happening?”‘ Moreno said. “I saw three or four people on the floor fighting. The guys were yelling, `Put the gun down!”‘
Jesus Orozco, 55, of Panorama City, said one man grabbed the suspect from behind. Orozco said he grabbed the suspect’s legs.
Orozco said he saw a gun magazine fly out during the scuffle.
“People were crying. There were three to four kids there,” Orozco said.
The guard suffered lacerations to his head and a possible gunshot graze wound to an arm, Miller said. The suspect also was injured, although it did not appear serious, Miller said.
Both men were taken to area hospitals and were reported to be in stable condition, Miller said. The suspect’s identity was not released.
“The customers were very instrumental in bringing about arrest of the suspect,” Miller said. “It was a good, knockdown fight between the security guard and the suspect. It appears the suspect was beginning to gain the upper hand, and the customers came in to assist.”
Orozco said the suspect was wearing a wig and a big jacket. Another witness described him as wearing a fake beard. Police could not confirm reports of a disguise.
Bank officials declined to comment. A representative from the security company also did not want to comment, saying, “We haven’t spoken to the family.”
Orozco, who was talking to a bank staffer in the loan department at the time of the incident, marveled that he played a part in apprehending a criminal.
“To be all of a sudden involved in a crime, that’s amazing,” Orozco said. “It’s not only amazing, it’s pretty scary.”
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Police investigate murder at Colorado State University www.privateofficer.com
Police investigate murder at Colorado university http://www.privateofficer.com
Foul play is suspected,” said Yarbrough. “We will treat this situation as a homicide investigation, until this scenario can be ruled out.
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Former police officer wanted for robbery of stores www.privateofficer.com
Fomrer police officer wanted in robbery of stores http://www.privateofficer.com
Mississippi law enforcement arrested a Roanoke man who is a suspect in an Elmore County armed robbery.
Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin said the man, Jonathan Heard, is a former Roanoke police officer. Repeated calls to the Roanoke Police Department were not returned.
Franklin said the Central Store in Central, a town about nine miles north of Wetumpka, was robbed at about 6:30 p.m. Friday night.
Franklin said the suspect came into the store several times during the day Friday, asking for “directions and things like that.”
“He came back in about 6:30 p.m. Friday armed and robbed the cashier,” Franklin said. “He left the scene driving a (Chevrolet) Avalanche pickup truck.”
He made off with an undisclosed amount of cash, Franklin said. An eyewitness at the Central Store got the vehicle’s tag number, which confirmed Heard was the owner. Then the sheriff got word of another robbery.
“While the investigation was going on we received information that another store was hit in Shorter. Right now, we feel he is a suspect in that robbery as well,” Franklin said.
Elmore County Sheriff’s Office officials contacted the Roanoke Police Department to ask if they knew Heard, and found out then Heard was a former officer, Franklin said.
One of Franklin’s deputies said he knew Heard and called his cell phone.
Heard told the deputy that he would turn himself in, but first needed to speak to an attorney.
“Apparently that was a ruse,” Franklin said. “We had units on I-85 looking for him. And he was never spotted.”
Elmore County law enforcement broadcast a regional lookout that included a description of Heard and the vehicle. Mississippi authorities arrested Heard about 4 a.m. Saturday morning in Biloxi, Franklin said.
He also said that Mississippi officials are investigating the armed robbery of a store in Moss Point, Miss., but Franklin didn’t know if that was connected to Heard.
Franklin said officials from his office will go to talk to Heard in the coming days, and will bring him back to Alabama to face the Elmore County charges if Heard agrees to waive extradition.
If Heard does not agree to come back to face the charges, the governor’s office would have to get involved
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Girls use MySpace to carry out kidnap hoax www.privateofficer.com
Girls use MySpace to carry out kidnap hoax http://www.privateofficer.com
According to police, family members said the girls sent messages through MySpace, a popular social networking website, saying they had been abducted and held against their will. This triggered a massive police response and an all out search for two supposed kidnapped victims.
Now family members say it was all just a lie.
The two girls disappeared Saturday from their father’s apartment on Stone Mills Way after being told by an older sibling that they could not leave the apartment.
Authorities said Steib took her younger sister and left the Stone Mountain location around 10:00 a.m.
The girls soon began sending their messages via MySpace of their kidnapping and police ebegan to canvass the area and a search was launced.
Detectives actively canvassed the entire neighborhood.
The children were located a friend’s house nearby and were taken to police headquarters for questioning.
Authorities said Denesha Steib, 14, and 6-year-old Savannah Henderson were found safe Sunday just before 6 p.m. at a friend’s house where they had been all the time playing a “joke” on their family members. But police aren’t laughing and the children could face possible criminal charges.
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2 Dead In Church Shooting, Suspect Held On $1Million Bond www.privateofficer.com
2 Dead In Church Shooting, Suspect Held On $1 Million Bond http://www.privateofficer.com
According to police, the gunman, a stranger to church members, walked in during a youth presentation and opened fire at the church Sunday, killing two people, including a man witnesses called a hero for shielding others from the gunfire.
Thankfully police say, congregants were able to tackle and subdue the gunman now identified as Jim D. Adkisson, 58, who has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting and was held on $1 million bail, according to city spokesman Randy Kenner, who did not know if Adkisson had an attorney.
Linda Kraeger, 61, died at the University of Tennessee Medical Center a few hours after the shooting, Kenner said.
Five of those injured were in critical or serious condition at a hospital Sunday. Two others were treated and released.
The gunman’s motive was not known. But Kemper said the gunman shouted before he opened fire.
“It was hateful words. He was saying hateful things,” she said, but refused to elaborate.
The FBI was assisting in case the shooting turned out be a hate crime, Police Chief Sterling Owen said.
Police took statements from witnesses and collected video cameras from church members who recorded the performance.
“In a situation like this, we’re not taking any chances,” police Lt. Doug Stiles said.
Neighbors described Adkisson as a friendly man who would often work on his motorcycle outside and go on long rides on the weekends.
Melissa Coker, 44, said Adkisson had lived next door since she moved in four or five years ago. She said he had been a truck driver, but she didn’t believe he had steady work in the last six months or so.
“He’s just a really, really nice guy,” Coker said.
The shooting started as about 200 people watched 25 children perform a show based on the musical “Annie.”
Church member Mark Harmon said he was in the first row.
“It had barely begun when there was an incredibly loud bang,” he said.
Harmon said he thought the noise was part of the play, then he heard a second loud bang. As he dove for cover, he realized a woman behind him was bleeding. She looked like she was in shock, touching her wound, he said.
“It seems so unreal,” Harmon said. “You’re sitting in church, you’re watching a children’s performance of a play and suddenly you hear a bang.”
Harmon said church members just behind him in the second and third rows were shot. His wife told him she saw the gunman pull the shotgun out of a guitar case.
The church’s minister was on vacation in western North Carolina at the time of the shooting but returned Sunday afternoon.
“We’ve been touched by a horrible act of violence. We are in a process of healing and we ask everyone for your prayers,” the Rev. Chris Buice said in a statement outside the church. “I will tell you we love Greg McKendry. We are grieving the loss of a wonderful man.”
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