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Breaking News—OFFICER DOWN Sgt. Scott Hathcock www.privateofficer.com
August 15, 2008
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Wasatch County Utah Aug 15 2008
A former UHP trooper and current Wasatch County Sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Hathcock, collapsed and died Thursday morning during a routine traffic stop in Provo Canyon.
Hathcock, 48, of Heber City, was declared dead at the scene after he pulled a car over for speeding along U.S. 189.
While standing outside the car waiting for the driver to pull out paperwork, Hathcock collapsed. The driver and a passer-by tried CPR until emergency crews arrived, but they couldn’t revive him, said Summit County sheriff’s deputy Josh Wall.
Officials still don’t know what caused the collapse.
Friend and former fellow deputy Jed Olsen said he knew of no health problems other than a heart murmur Hathcock was diagnosed with 13 years ago, which had never been a problem.
He remembers Hathcock as a good father who loved his family and as a hard-working but humorous officer.
“The best way to characterize Scott, he had quite a sense of humor,” Olsen said. “It was very subtle, it wasn’t overbearing. He always could laugh at a tough situation. He would make people feel better about a tough deal.”
Hathcock is the first officer the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office has lost in the line of duty in 18 years, when they lost a deputy fighting a fire, Wall said.
“Some people that know their stuff, they’ll talk down to you, make you feel like you’re very little, but not with Scott,” Irvine said. “He made you feel really good.”
Although Hathcock had every right to be cocky about his wealth of knowledge, he never was, friends and colleagues all said.
Instead, he used his insight to help and instruct thousands of officers about correctly using the Intoxilyzer — a device used to check alcohol levels of suspected intoxicated drivers.
He also created PowerPoint presentations, officer training videos and testified in court — all while keeping a positive attitude and a subtle sense of humor.
“He’s just one of those great guys,” Irvine said. “You were better because you knew him.”
Lt. Steve Winward with the UHP called Hathcock one of the best officers he’s ever trained.
“He was phenomenal,” Winward said. “He had quite a good rapport with many officers throughout the entire state. He’s the type of person that when he taught the class, officers were at the edge of their seat the entire time.”
Hathcock kept up-to-date with all the newest trends and technology in the field and was always teaching his students ways that would help them do their jobs better, Winward said.
Hathcock started his law enforcement career with UHP nearly 20 years ago, working in different areas until he got into the alcohol program at the end of the 1990s, Winward said.
Winward joined the alcohol program in 1999 and the two worked together until Hathcock retired in 2007 and went full-time with the sheriff’s office. He had worked part time for Wasatch County for nearly a dozen years.
“He was very easy to supervise,” Winward said. “He just went out and did his job. He was one of the better employees I’ve ever had the opportunity to know. It’s a big loss for the whole law enforcement community.”
Friends and LDS ward members have been rallying around the family, offering condolences and support to Hathcock’s wife, Suzanne, and the couple’s two boys, Travis, 22, and Caleb, 12.
In lieu of flowers, a fund has been set up to help with funeral expenses in Scott Hathcock’s name at any branch of Zions Bank.
“He was a very caring and loving individual,” said Bishop Robert McDonald of the Heber 2nd Ward, where Hathcock had been a counselor for two years. “But he’s one that believed in the laws of the land and he felt like people should live them. He lived rules and enforced rules but was also obedient to rules. He did everything he could to comply with the laws of God and the laws of man.”
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Fighting The War On Retail Crimes www.privateofficer.com
August 15, 2008
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The War On Retail Crime Continues http://www.privateofficer.com
FIGHTING THE WAR ON RETAIL CRIME
A PrivateOfficer.com Exclusive Investigation
Atlanta Ga. August 15 2008
By: Rick McCann
Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers
http://www.privateofficer.com/
It’s a peaceful Sunday afternoon as you stroll through your local neighborhood mall, casually walking from store to store and even picking up some of those hard to resist bargains.
You watch as hundreds of others scurry past you like cars on the interstate. And there you are among other families, teens, friends all out for a peaceful day at the mall.
You watch as hundreds of others scurry past you like cars on the interstate. And there you are among other families, teens, friends all out for a peaceful day at the mall.
Who would ever think that a war was taking place right there in front of your very own eyes. That’s right, a war and it’s an all out attack with many different enemies all taking aim at your favorite shopping Mecca with their sights on the department, specialty, upscale, boutique and even mom and pops that line the mall corridors and city streets in your sleepy town or big city.
Most are covert attacks that blend in with you and me and the other every day shoppers and they slide in and out without ever being noticed.
Most are covert attacks that blend in with you and me and the other every day shoppers and they slide in and out without ever being noticed.
Others storm the place with heavy artillery and swift precision as they scoop up the loot and speed away leaving behind the wounded, the damages, and the shock on store clerks faces everywhere.
Shoplifters both amateur the professional, credit card and check writing scammers, armed jewelry thieves that storm the stores, smash glass display cases, grab the loot and run sometimes blasting a few shots along the way just to put the fear into any doubting employee or security officer, turning them quickly into believers.
Shoplifters both amateur the professional, credit card and check writing scammers, armed jewelry thieves that storm the stores, smash glass display cases, grab the loot and run sometimes blasting a few shots along the way just to put the fear into any doubting employee or security officer, turning them quickly into believers.
And there are attacks from within that rival even the largest of losses from professional, organized hardcore shoplifters.
It can be hard to imagine and harder to see by the untrained eye of an everyday shopper, but trust me, a war is raging and you’re standing on ground zero!
Retail losses are becoming monumental and are responsible in part for rising prices on most goods and in some instances are the cause for store closings.
When you think about shrinkage said Bruce W. Munford, a retail loss prevention expert with over twenty years in the retail security business, you no longer say shoplifting is the culprit. Besides the internal bookkeeping errors and employee thefts, you’re now bombarded by very sophisticated and hi-tech people who make it their full time job to come up with ways to steal from you and go undetected.
One of most recent ways which is manifesting itself on the east and west coast is magnetic strip recoding where the back magnetic strip which contains all of the sensitive data on the card owner is being sold on the internet after a card is stolen and the info is then transplanted on another credit card with different data then the sixteen digits on the face of the card, making it appear to be a legit credit card. The card is scanned in by a sales clerk and the original owner of the stolen card gets the bill and the thief gets away clean. This is costing retailers millions of dollars right now Munford said.
It can be hard to imagine and harder to see by the untrained eye of an everyday shopper, but trust me, a war is raging and you’re standing on ground zero!
Retail losses are becoming monumental and are responsible in part for rising prices on most goods and in some instances are the cause for store closings.
When you think about shrinkage said Bruce W. Munford, a retail loss prevention expert with over twenty years in the retail security business, you no longer say shoplifting is the culprit. Besides the internal bookkeeping errors and employee thefts, you’re now bombarded by very sophisticated and hi-tech people who make it their full time job to come up with ways to steal from you and go undetected.
One of most recent ways which is manifesting itself on the east and west coast is magnetic strip recoding where the back magnetic strip which contains all of the sensitive data on the card owner is being sold on the internet after a card is stolen and the info is then transplanted on another credit card with different data then the sixteen digits on the face of the card, making it appear to be a legit credit card. The card is scanned in by a sales clerk and the original owner of the stolen card gets the bill and the thief gets away clean. This is costing retailers millions of dollars right now Munford said.
Recently, Chandrea Harden was working in the electronics department of a Wal-Mart in Port St. Lucie Florida when a man attempted to purchase several laptops with this type of credit card. The keen eyes and instincts of the associate told her that even though the credit card scanned through and authorized there was something very wrong with this sale. She was able to calmly stall the customer and told him that she had made an error and notified store security who took the man into custody.
He later confessed to police that he had sixteen credit cards with altered magnetic strips. He was charged with a laundry lists of felonies, the store saved over a thousand dollars in loss sale revenues, and the security department registered a nice apprehension report thanks to Ms. Harden.
Harden was later chosen by The National Association Of Private Officers, a professional security and police association based in Atlanta Georgia to receive an Excellence In Action for her part in the arrest of the credit card scammer.
Another recent internal technique being used by employees to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars is the theft of gift cards. Although all major retailers have some sort of system in place to account for these cards, thousands are being stolen, activated and sold on the internet, traded for drugs, used by the employee or friends and family and even being sent to incarcerated people to use as a type of bargaining chip or money among other prisoners and corrections personnel. In 2005, a trusted Home Depot marketing manager by the name of Robert Rosolanko was able to steal over two hundred and seventy thousand dollars in stolen gift cards and sold them on E-Bay. He was later arrested and sentenced to over two years in prison. But he would not be the only Home Depot employee to learn the trick turning gift cards into fast cash, In Fairbanks Alaska, in May of this year, an employee stole a government gift card worth one hundred seventy five thousand dollars from the store’s safe and went on a shopping spree buying appliances and other products as if she had hit the lottery. Employees from Wal-Mart, Target, J.C.Penney, and numerous other retailers have also been arrested and charged with similar crimes through-out the country.
Another recent internal technique being used by employees to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars is the theft of gift cards. Although all major retailers have some sort of system in place to account for these cards, thousands are being stolen, activated and sold on the internet, traded for drugs, used by the employee or friends and family and even being sent to incarcerated people to use as a type of bargaining chip or money among other prisoners and corrections personnel. In 2005, a trusted Home Depot marketing manager by the name of Robert Rosolanko was able to steal over two hundred and seventy thousand dollars in stolen gift cards and sold them on E-Bay. He was later arrested and sentenced to over two years in prison. But he would not be the only Home Depot employee to learn the trick turning gift cards into fast cash, In Fairbanks Alaska, in May of this year, an employee stole a government gift card worth one hundred seventy five thousand dollars from the store’s safe and went on a shopping spree buying appliances and other products as if she had hit the lottery. Employees from Wal-Mart, Target, J.C.Penney, and numerous other retailers have also been arrested and charged with similar crimes through-out the country.
While some employees and other shoplifters walk away with millions in stolen products and hard cash by using the latest scheme, gadget or trickery, many others still use the good old tried and true low tech method of switching price tags, concealing merchandise in bags, or dumping out cheap items in big boxes and filling them with expensive laptops, DVD’s and other high ticket items while still others hide merchandise under their clothing, under baby’s in strollers, wearing the merchandise out of the store, or using the “hit and run” and smash and grabs where brazen thieves come in and grab racks full of merchandise or load up shopping carts of expensive named brand merchandise and head for the doors like a locomotive fast and furious. Shoplifters and employees also often will work in cahoots with each other as cashiers ring up one item while bagging fifteen others for friends and family at no cost.
But stores aren’t defenseless little children and they are fighting back and spending millions each year on state of the art surveillance systems, uniform, and plainclothes security agents, attorneys who are armed with civil statues to go after shoplifters and recover damages that far exceed the amount of the items stolen.
In many states, laws have been adjusted to toughen the criminal penalties and give more people a taste of life in the gray bar hotels otherwise known as jails. Police too have begun taking a harder look and charging many shoplifters who resist apprehension with felony robbery charges and states including Florida have made it a separate criminal charge to resist a security officer’s attempt to detain a person on shoplifting charges.
While theft and embezzlement keeps most loss prevention departments busy from opening to closing seven days a week, there are other crimes taking place in the retail community that in some cases almost demand a police presence during opening hours. Robberies, thefts of purses and wallets, car burglaries, rapes, kidnappings and even murder occurs almost on a daily basis somewhere in a store near you. Voyeurism too has become a problem for many retailers as camera phones and pinhole surveillance equipment has been made readily available to the average person. “Up skirting” is now common place in department stores and malls nationwide and when discovered by victims, it’s the security department who gets the first call and must respond and try to apprehend the culprit. And sexual predators who have always lurked around the restrooms of our malls and favorite stores are now surfacing more frequently as they hunt our young children both male and female. It’s not widely talked about in the media and store management makes no attempt to broadcast it to their shoppers but it’s a trend that is becoming very disturbing.
The next time that you decide to go to one of those big box stores or your area mall to pick up some bargains you may want to make sure that you’re fully prepared to do battle. There are many things that you can personally do to be less of a victim. Here are just a few suggestions;
1.-Don’t carry a large purse. Use a small easy to conceal purse or carry your money and identification in a wallet in your front pocket. There it is more secure and you’ll be able to feel any attempt to remove it from your pocket.
2. When you arrive at the mall, end all cell phone conversations before getting out of your car. Once your feet hit the ground, you should be on high alert. Nothing should obstruct your view, front, or back. If kids are present, line them up in front of you where you have direct eye contact instead of dragging them behind you or along side. This way you will immediately know where they are and if someone is walking or running up from behind you, it’s a signal to make ready to fight or flee. Walk with car keys or pepper spray in hand and cell phone easily reachable.
3. Don’t allow preteens to use restrooms alone. If for some reason you must, always position yourself outside the restroom door should your child need your help for any reason.
4.If you become uncomfortable by someone following you on foot or in a vehicle use your cell phone to snap a picture. If they were up to no good they’ll head elsewhere.
5. When using a debit or credit card to make purchases always to a visual check when you arrive home to insure that the card that you used is still in your wallet or purse and that it wasn’t accidentally left behind or swiped by the cashier. If it’s not found, cancel it immediately.
6. The bottom line in any warfare is to be mentally and physically ready in the event of an attack. Take notice of your surroundings, know where you are, what store is close to you, what aisle, or what level of the garage you parked your car on and what looks out of place or doesn’t feel right. If the hairs on your neck begin to stand up as you walk through the parking lot, don’t wait until it’s too late to flee. Take immediate action to detour or run into a nearby store or head straight for other people that might be out in the parking lot.
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OFFICER DOWN..LT. CURRY–GULFPORT MS. POLICE www.privateofficer.com
August 15, 2008
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OFFICER DOWN..LT. CURRY GULFPORT POLICE MS. http://www.privateofficer.com
OFFICER DOWN
Lieutenant Robert Curry Gulfport Police Department Mississippi
End of Watch: Thursday, August 14, 2008
Biographical InfoAge: 39
Tour of Duty: 14 years
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details Cause of Death: Motorcycle accident
Date of Incident: Thursday, August 14, 2008
Lieutenant Robert Curry was killed in a motorcycle accident on Highway 49 in Orange Grove. Another vehicle turned in front of his department motorcycle, causing the collision.Lieutenant Curry had served with the Gulfport Police Department for 14 years. He is survived by his wife and two small children. His wife also serves as a lieutenant with the agency.
Agency Contact Information –Gulfport Police Department2810 34th AvenuePO Box SGulfport, MS 39501Phone: (228) 868-5959
Please contact the Gulfport Police Department for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.
A Gulfport officer died Thursday after his police motorcycle collided with a car on busy Highway 49 in Orange Grove.
Rob Curry, 39, was pronounced dead at Garden Park Medical Center about an hour after the late morning accident.
Lt. Curry was a 14 year veteran of the Gulfport Police Department. He had recently been assigned as officer in charge of the traffic division. Before joining the police department, he was in the Air Force.
Chief Alan Weatherford called the death a “tremendous loss” to our police family. He said Rob Curry enjoyed his work and loved riding the motorcycle.
The chief joined Mayor Brent Warr at a news conference Thursday afternoon calling on the community to pray for Rob Curry’s family and the grieving police department.The sense of tragedy at the crash site was immediate and foreboding.
Officers prayed together for their fallen brother, while others quickly cordoned off the accident site.”At about 10:27 this morning, here on Highway 49 north in Orange Grove, one of our motor officers was involved in an accident,” officer Rick Fisher said.
It was a typical heavy traffic morning on the usually congested section of 49 near the Post Office. Plenty of witnesses recounted what they saw.
A visibly shaken Victoria Mayberry watched the tragedy unfold.”The lady was watching the traffic to get out. She didn’t see him. She was looking beyond him. She was trying to get up on the turning lane. She’d come out from the Post Office,” Mayberry said.
“When she hit him, I hollered, ‘Oh Lord!’ I did.
“Minutes after the crash, dozens of police officers and emergency crews were on the scene. Some investigated the wreck while others took statements or just comforted one another. They sensed the tragedy that would be confirmed less than three hours later.
“The Gulfport Police Department is sad to announce the loss of officer Rob Curry. Lt. Rob Curry of the Gulfport Police traffic division, who was assigned as a motor officer, died as a result of injuries he suffered in a crash on Highway 49 north of Community Road.
He was on duty and operating his police motorcycle at the time of the crash,” Police Chief Alan Weatherford said.Gulfport’s mayor called the fallen officer and military veteran an American hero. He asked the community for prayer.
“I ask that everyone keep the Curry family in your prayers. Also, we would ask that the officers of City of Gulfport be kept in your prayers and your thoughts; mournful consideration given to them,” Mayor Brent Warr said.Biloxi Police and the Mississippi Highway Patrol are in charge of the accident investigation. Those agencies have not yet released a report.
The driver of the car was visibly shaken at the scene, but she was not seriously injured.Thursday evening, Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove announced that an autopsy showed that Lt. Curry died from internal bleeding caused by blunt trauma to his chest.
Officer Curry is survived by his wife Leslie Curry, who is also a lieutenant with Gulfport Police Department.
The couple has two small children.Curry’s death is the second in as many weeks for South Mississippi law enforcers.
Jackson County deputy and former Gulfport officer Fred Gaston was killed August 9th.
Rob Curry is the eighth Gulfport police officer to be killed in the line of duty since 1900.
The last time a Gulfport motorcycle officer died was in 1970.
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Teens arrested for leaving “Dark Knight” type threats at stores www.privateofficer.com
August 15, 2008
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Teens arrested for leaving “Dark Knight” type threats at stores http://www.privateofficer.com
ROANOKE, Va. Aug 15 2008
By: Rick McCann
Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers
www.privateofficer.com Police say that they were called by several retailers in the area who found what they considered to be serious threatening messages in their stores.
Now, two Pembroke teenagers who police say were inspired by the movie “The Dark Knight” are accused of leaving playing cards containing threatening messages at those stores.
According to the police report, several cards were found at a Wal-Mart in Pearisburg and a Kmart in Christiansburg.
Officers gathered the evidence left behind by the teens and have arrested Justin Colby Dirico and Bryan Eugene Stafford andcharged them in Pearisburg with conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism.
The 18-year-old suspects face disorderly conduct charges in Christiansburg.
Pearisburg Police Chief J.C. Martin says the teenagers told police they patterned the cards after the movie, in which the Joker marks the scene of his crimes with jester-faced playing cards.
Martin says the incidents appear to be a prank that got out of hand.
Martin says the incidents appear to be a prank that got out of hand.
One officer said that the store employees didn’t find it amusing at all.
Dirico and Stafford are being held at the New River Regional Jail without bond.
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FT. Walton police investigate shooting at hospital www.privateofficer.com
August 15, 2008
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Ft. Walton police investigate shooting at hospital http://www.privateofficer.com
Ft. Walton Beach Aug 15 2008
Authorities have not released the name of a man who shot himself at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center Tuesday, but the Sheriff’s Office has confirmed he died Tuesday night.
When a deputy arrived at the hospital about 12:30 p.m. he found a white Toyota sedan parked in front of the emergency room. The back window was shattered and the car had been roped off with caution tape.
The driver had already been taken from the vehicle for medical treatment after a woman in the parking lot alerted hospital security that there was a man outside bleeding heavily from the head, according to an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office offense report.
This incident is one of three suicides in the area since Monday.
Authorities have not released the name of a man who shot himself at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center Tuesday, but the Sheriff’s Office has confirmed he died Tuesday night.
When a deputy arrived at the hospital about 12:30 p.m. he found a white Toyota sedan parked in front of the emergency room. The back window was shattered and the car had been roped off with caution tape.
The driver had already been taken from the vehicle for medical treatment after a woman in the parking lot alerted hospital security that there was a man outside bleeding heavily from the head, according to an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office offense report.
This incident is one of three suicides in the area since Monday.
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Categories: police
Nail Salon Owner Charged With Sexual Assault Of Customers www.privateofficer.com
August 15, 2008
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Nail Salon Owner Arrested For Sexual Assault Of Customer http://www.privateofficer.com
Concord NH Aug 15 2008 – A judge today ordered the owner of Queen Nails held on $1 million bail for allegedly sexually assaulting a customer at his salon just before closing Tuesday night.
Hai Phuoc Tran, 39, of Concord, was arraigned this morning on five charges in connection with the sexual assault on a 22-year-old woman at about 8 p.m. at the salon on 239 Loudon Road.
Assistant Concord Prosecutor Tracy A. Connolly asked Judge Edward Gordon to hold Tran in the amount of $1 million, or $200,000 for each of the five counts.
Hai Phuoc Tran, 39, of Concord, was arraigned this morning on five charges in connection with the sexual assault on a 22-year-old woman at about 8 p.m. at the salon on 239 Loudon Road.
Assistant Concord Prosecutor Tracy A. Connolly asked Judge Edward Gordon to hold Tran in the amount of $1 million, or $200,000 for each of the five counts.
Connolly said the woman customer went to wash her hands and Tran locked the door behind her, turned out the light and wouldn’t let her leave.
“He grabbed her and sexually assaulted her and would not stop,” Connolly told the judge at Tran’s arraignment yesterday in Concord District Court.
Judge Gordon granted the bail request, noting it was “extraordinary,’ but indicated bail would be revisited at a later hearing.
Connolly said Tran was a possible flight risk because he was born in Vietnam and had contact with law enforcement officials in Alabama, Texas and California. The investigation is continuing to determine if Tran is in the United States legally, she said.
“He preyed on a client of his business,” Connolly said.
Connolly also asked that if Tran does post bail, his conditions include that he not have any unsupervised contact with women customers.
According to the police complaints, Tran is accused of using force to overpower the woman, pushing her against a wall, biting her breast, and then sexually assaulting her.
When Gordon asked Tran if he understood the proceedings, a man in the spectator gallery who identified himself as a neighbor of Tran’s, raised his hand and asked to help translate for Tran, who indicated his English isn’t very good.
The man then moved to the defendant’s table, stood next to Tran and helped as Judge Gordon explained the process.
Gordon said a lawyer will be appointed for Tran, a probable cause hearing will be held Aug. 26 on the two misdemeanor charges, sexual assault and simple assault, and a trial will be held on those on Oct. 24.
Gordon entered not guilty pleas on the two misdemeanors, but no plea can be entered in district court on the three felonies, aggravated felonious sexual assault, kidnapping and criminal restraint. Those are handled at the superior court level.
A Concord police news release said the woman was treated at Concord Hospital for minor injuries and released
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Categories: police
Woman kidnapped from NC Walmart www.privateofficer.com
August 15, 2008
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Woman kidnapped from NC Walmart http://www.privateofficer.com
FAYETTEVILLE, NC Aug 15 2008 Ann Marie Copelin says three women pointed a gun at her head and kidnapped her.
Police investigators are reviewing security camera video from the Wal-Mart parking lot where Copelin was kidnapped. She says she only hopes parking lot security cameras got a better look at her attackers than she did.
It happened Tuesday night around 10 p.m. at the Wal-Mart in the 4600-block of Ramsey Street. They grabbed the 60-year-old grandmother while she was putting groceries in her car.
“I just can’t imagine doing anything like that to anybody,” Copelin said. “When they stuck the gun in the back of my head I didn’t even hardly breathe I was so scared
Copelin says she was kidnapped while she was loading groceries into her car. She says three women forced her into her car demanding money.
“They put the gun to the back of my head and said they wanted cash. I told them all I had was $18,” Copelin said.
She says the suspect made her drive to an ATM on Rowan Street, ordered her at gunpoint to give them her pin numbers, and used her debit card to withdraw cash.
The 40 minutes of terror ended near the intersection of Mechanic and Moore Streets, when the suspects threw her car keys to the floor and fled, taking more than just her money.
“And they ripped my rings off my fingers. My husband is deceased they took my wedding rings, then they took a ring my mother gave me when I was a kid,” she said.”They took my self esteem.”
Through it all Copelin says she prayed they wouldn’t kill her, and says her faith touched one of the kidnappers.
“When she got out she said, ‘you prayed that we would not kill you, God answered your prayer’ and she said, ‘I think you must be a Christian, will you pray for me?’” Copelin said.
Copelin says they made off with about 500 in cash, a GPS in her car and her jewelry. All three female suspects fled on foot.
Copelin could only give police partial descriptions of her attackers.
Investigators need the public’s help, they asking anyone with information to call the Fayetteville Police Department at (910) 433-1896 or CRIMESTOPPERS at 483-TIPS/483-8477.
Police investigators are reviewing security camera video from the Wal-Mart parking lot where Copelin was kidnapped. She says she only hopes parking lot security cameras got a better look at her attackers than she did.
It happened Tuesday night around 10 p.m. at the Wal-Mart in the 4600-block of Ramsey Street. They grabbed the 60-year-old grandmother while she was putting groceries in her car.
“I just can’t imagine doing anything like that to anybody,” Copelin said. “When they stuck the gun in the back of my head I didn’t even hardly breathe I was so scared
Copelin says she was kidnapped while she was loading groceries into her car. She says three women forced her into her car demanding money.
“They put the gun to the back of my head and said they wanted cash. I told them all I had was $18,” Copelin said.
She says the suspect made her drive to an ATM on Rowan Street, ordered her at gunpoint to give them her pin numbers, and used her debit card to withdraw cash.
The 40 minutes of terror ended near the intersection of Mechanic and Moore Streets, when the suspects threw her car keys to the floor and fled, taking more than just her money.
“And they ripped my rings off my fingers. My husband is deceased they took my wedding rings, then they took a ring my mother gave me when I was a kid,” she said.”They took my self esteem.”
Through it all Copelin says she prayed they wouldn’t kill her, and says her faith touched one of the kidnappers.
“When she got out she said, ‘you prayed that we would not kill you, God answered your prayer’ and she said, ‘I think you must be a Christian, will you pray for me?’” Copelin said.
Copelin says they made off with about 500 in cash, a GPS in her car and her jewelry. All three female suspects fled on foot.
Copelin could only give police partial descriptions of her attackers.
Investigators need the public’s help, they asking anyone with information to call the Fayetteville Police Department at (910) 433-1896 or CRIMESTOPPERS at 483-TIPS/483-8477.
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woman charged with sexual assaults of 13 yr old girl www.privateofficer.com
August 15, 2008
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Woman charged with sexual assaults of 13yr old girl http://www.privateofficer.com
AIKEN, SC Aug 15 2008
BY: Rick McCann
Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers
Aiken County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested a Graniteville woman in connection with a series of sexual assaults involving a 13-year-old girl.
Investigators say that they have charged twenty-year-old Stephanie G. Kirkland with three counts of second degree criminal sexual conduct and four counts of lewd act upon a minor.
Investigators say between May and December 2007, Kirkland sexually assaulted the victim at three separate locations — two were at homes and the third was at the former location of Aiken’s Extreme Cheerleading on Whiskey Road.
“There was a relationship between Ms. Kirkland and the 13-year-old,” says Lt. Michael Frank.
Mrs.Pitts, a neighbor and friend of the accused woman said that she still doesn’t believe it since she says Kirkland is “not that type of person.” Pitts also says Kirkland is a hard-working and supportive friend.
Pitts talked to Kirkland about the accusations about a year ago.
“She said that there is a girl that’s accusing her of things she didn’t do,” says Pitts.
Pitts says the charges against her friend are serious, and she hopes this isn’t a case of retaliation.
“If a girl doesn’t like another girl, then they can do outrageous things to hurt the other person. You can’t automatically assume that what you hear is always true,” Pitts said.
Burt local police say that have enough evidence for the arrest and feel that the charges are valid and are prepared for trial on these charges.
Officials say Kirkland surrendered to investigators on Tuesday.
Investigators say that they have charged twenty-year-old Stephanie G. Kirkland with three counts of second degree criminal sexual conduct and four counts of lewd act upon a minor.
Investigators say between May and December 2007, Kirkland sexually assaulted the victim at three separate locations — two were at homes and the third was at the former location of Aiken’s Extreme Cheerleading on Whiskey Road.
“There was a relationship between Ms. Kirkland and the 13-year-old,” says Lt. Michael Frank.
Mrs.Pitts, a neighbor and friend of the accused woman said that she still doesn’t believe it since she says Kirkland is “not that type of person.” Pitts also says Kirkland is a hard-working and supportive friend.
Pitts talked to Kirkland about the accusations about a year ago.
“She said that there is a girl that’s accusing her of things she didn’t do,” says Pitts.
Pitts says the charges against her friend are serious, and she hopes this isn’t a case of retaliation.
“If a girl doesn’t like another girl, then they can do outrageous things to hurt the other person. You can’t automatically assume that what you hear is always true,” Pitts said.
Burt local police say that have enough evidence for the arrest and feel that the charges are valid and are prepared for trial on these charges.
Officials say Kirkland surrendered to investigators on Tuesday.
She is currently out of jail on a $21,000 bond.
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Store owner arrested for shooting at shoplifter www.privateofficer.com
August 15, 2008
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Store owner arrested after shooting at shoplifter http://www.privateofficer.com
WILTON MANORS, Fla. Aug 15 2008
Kyle T. Greene
Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers
http://www.privateofficer.com–; Wilton Manors police said they have arrested a suspected shoplifter as well as the store owner who allegedly fired shots at him.
Jamesy Regis, 61, owns the Paradise Fine Wine and Spirits store on West Oakland Park Boulevard in Wilton Manors.
Wilton Manors police said a surveillance video from the store showed Harold Loftman, 18, stealing a bottle of gin.
Regis can then be seen following Loftman and firing a bullet into the glass door. Wilton Manors police said that is a crime.
“The clerk himself wasn’t in any danger,” said Detective David Jones of the Wilton Manors Police Department.
In a 911 call, Regis’ wife said the alleged shoplifter was armed with a knife. Police said in the call, Regis’ wife hyped up what really happened in the store. Regis’ wife told the dispatcher that six black men, three of them armed with knives, had robbed the store.
Police said there were actually only three men involved, and none of them were armed. Their getaway car was a Broward Transit bus, and police arrested Loftman at the next stop.
Officers returned to the store and arrested Regis on charges of firing his weapon in public.
“The clerk left the business and proceeded east after the gentleman who took the liquor. He fired another round on Andrews Avenue,” Jones said.
Wilton Manors police said all Floridians have the right to bear arms and use them, but that the store owner was too trigger happy, NBC 6′s Tom Llamas said.
“I would have to ask the question, ‘What was he defending?’” Jones said. “He was in no danger. There was no threat. The gentleman was not coming at him or threatening him in any manner. He was just simply, unfortunately, stealing a bottle of liquor.”
Regis has been charged with aggravated assault and discharging a firearm in public. Loftman has been charged with retail theft.
Jamesy Regis, 61, owns the Paradise Fine Wine and Spirits store on West Oakland Park Boulevard in Wilton Manors.
Wilton Manors police said a surveillance video from the store showed Harold Loftman, 18, stealing a bottle of gin.
Regis can then be seen following Loftman and firing a bullet into the glass door. Wilton Manors police said that is a crime.
“The clerk himself wasn’t in any danger,” said Detective David Jones of the Wilton Manors Police Department.
In a 911 call, Regis’ wife said the alleged shoplifter was armed with a knife. Police said in the call, Regis’ wife hyped up what really happened in the store. Regis’ wife told the dispatcher that six black men, three of them armed with knives, had robbed the store.
Police said there were actually only three men involved, and none of them were armed. Their getaway car was a Broward Transit bus, and police arrested Loftman at the next stop.
Officers returned to the store and arrested Regis on charges of firing his weapon in public.
“The clerk left the business and proceeded east after the gentleman who took the liquor. He fired another round on Andrews Avenue,” Jones said.
Wilton Manors police said all Floridians have the right to bear arms and use them, but that the store owner was too trigger happy, NBC 6′s Tom Llamas said.
“I would have to ask the question, ‘What was he defending?’” Jones said. “He was in no danger. There was no threat. The gentleman was not coming at him or threatening him in any manner. He was just simply, unfortunately, stealing a bottle of liquor.”
Regis has been charged with aggravated assault and discharging a firearm in public. Loftman has been charged with retail theft.
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Categories: police
Two charged with robbery after shoplifting incident www.privateofficer.com
August 15, 2008
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Two charged with robbery after shoplifting incident http://www.privateofficer.com
Gainesville FLA. Aug 15 2008
Shoplifting suspects facing misdemeanor charges wound up being arrested on felony charges for trying to slug it out with store security officers and for attempting to run away after being caught.
Gainesville Police said the incident happened around 8:15 p.m. Wednesday at the Wal-Mart Supercenter at 1800 NE 12th Ave.
Based on statements by store security officers and surveillance tapes, police arrested Gainesville residents Gary Berhnard Ivey, 23, and Richard Travis, 40, and charged each man with unarmed robbery. Police said that the men would have been charged with a misdemeanor – petty theft – if they had not fought with store security officers.
Police said the men walked into the store together, took clothing from the store and hid it under their own clothing before walking out without paying. Ivey is a charged with taking a pair of pants and a shirt worth $33.88. Travis is accused of taking three pairs of shorts and a pair of pants worth $68.82.
Security officers said Ivey was stopped at the west entrance to the store and Travis, who had exited through the east entrance, was stopped in front of the store. The security officers told police that when Travis was confronted, he used a closed fist to hit one security officer three or four times and after he had been subdued, tried to run back out of the store.
Shoplifting suspects facing misdemeanor charges wound up being arrested on felony charges for trying to slug it out with store security officers and for attempting to run away after being caught.
Gainesville Police said the incident happened around 8:15 p.m. Wednesday at the Wal-Mart Supercenter at 1800 NE 12th Ave.
Based on statements by store security officers and surveillance tapes, police arrested Gainesville residents Gary Berhnard Ivey, 23, and Richard Travis, 40, and charged each man with unarmed robbery. Police said that the men would have been charged with a misdemeanor – petty theft – if they had not fought with store security officers.
Police said the men walked into the store together, took clothing from the store and hid it under their own clothing before walking out without paying. Ivey is a charged with taking a pair of pants and a shirt worth $33.88. Travis is accused of taking three pairs of shorts and a pair of pants worth $68.82.
Security officers said Ivey was stopped at the west entrance to the store and Travis, who had exited through the east entrance, was stopped in front of the store. The security officers told police that when Travis was confronted, he used a closed fist to hit one security officer three or four times and after he had been subdued, tried to run back out of the store.
The security officers said they tackled Travis and held him down until police arrived to handcuff him.
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GA. Deputy Sheriff Indicted For Double Murder www.privateofficer.com
August 15, 2008
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GA. Deputy Sheriff Indicted For Double Murder http://www.privateofficer.com
DECATUR, Ga.(Metro Atlanta) Aug 15 2008 — A DeKalb County grand jury has indicted a former sheriff’s deputy on two counts of murder in the June 9 shooting deaths of his wife and a day laborer killed in the deputy’s home.
Assistant District Attorney Don P. Geary said at a news conference Thursday that Derrick Yancey’s lawyer had been advised of the charges.
Yancey was being taken to an undisclosed location for his safety after turning himself in.
Yancey told police that the day laborer, Marcial Cax-Puluc, had shot Linda Yancey to death in an apparent robbery attempt, and he killed Caz-Puluc.
Geary would not disclose evidence or a motive that led to Yancey’s indictment on two counts of malice murder and two counts of possession of a handgun during a felony.
Yancey resigned from the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Monday.
Assistant District Attorney Don P. Geary said at a news conference Thursday that Derrick Yancey’s lawyer had been advised of the charges.
Yancey was being taken to an undisclosed location for his safety after turning himself in.
Yancey told police that the day laborer, Marcial Cax-Puluc, had shot Linda Yancey to death in an apparent robbery attempt, and he killed Caz-Puluc.
Geary would not disclose evidence or a motive that led to Yancey’s indictment on two counts of malice murder and two counts of possession of a handgun during a felony.
Yancey resigned from the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Monday.
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! http://www.privateofficer.comPolice charge Fla. shoplifter with felony thefts www.privateofficer.com
August 15, 2008
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Police charge Fla. shoplifter with felony thefts http://www.privateofficer.com
SEBRING FLA Aug 15 2008 – An Avon Park woman remained in Highlands County Jail in lieu of $2,000 bond on Thursday, after she was arrested at the Belk Department Store, in the Lakeshore Mall.
She was charged with felony shoplifting because she has three prior convictions for the same offense.
Precious Elissia McGhee, 24, also known as “Blissia” of 2130 W. Argonaut Road, was charged with felony retail theft alone or coordinates with others, a third-degree felony.
McGhee reportedly was observed Tuesday afternoon placing articles of clothing into a Kmart bag at the Belk store. When she left the store, she was stopped by store security.
Her bag reportedly contained boys’ pants at $14.99 each and a $35 shirt, coming to a total of $94.96 before tax.
McGhee told the investigating sheriff’s deputy that she came to the store without money to steal clothing for her child who she was trying to get ready for school, the report stated.
“After I asked her if anyone had given her permission to have the clothes she responded by saying, ‘What the hell kind of stupid question is that, of course not otherwise I would have left a long time ago,’” Deputy Kevin J. Ashley reported.
McGhee was convicted in 2004, 2005 and 2006 for petty theft. In 2004 she served two months in jail and probation. The probation was revoked and she got additional jail time.
In 2005 she served one month and was ordered to pay a fine, and in 2006 she served six months in jail.
Each arrest was accompanied with a suspension of her driver’s license due to failure to pay fines, according to the Clerk of Courts office.
Assistant State Attorney Steve Houchin said Thursday that if convicted on the new charge, McGhee could face anything from probation to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
She was charged with felony shoplifting because she has three prior convictions for the same offense.
Precious Elissia McGhee, 24, also known as “Blissia” of 2130 W. Argonaut Road, was charged with felony retail theft alone or coordinates with others, a third-degree felony.
McGhee reportedly was observed Tuesday afternoon placing articles of clothing into a Kmart bag at the Belk store. When she left the store, she was stopped by store security.
Her bag reportedly contained boys’ pants at $14.99 each and a $35 shirt, coming to a total of $94.96 before tax.
McGhee told the investigating sheriff’s deputy that she came to the store without money to steal clothing for her child who she was trying to get ready for school, the report stated.
“After I asked her if anyone had given her permission to have the clothes she responded by saying, ‘What the hell kind of stupid question is that, of course not otherwise I would have left a long time ago,’” Deputy Kevin J. Ashley reported.
McGhee was convicted in 2004, 2005 and 2006 for petty theft. In 2004 she served two months in jail and probation. The probation was revoked and she got additional jail time.
In 2005 she served one month and was ordered to pay a fine, and in 2006 she served six months in jail.
Each arrest was accompanied with a suspension of her driver’s license due to failure to pay fines, according to the Clerk of Courts office.
Assistant State Attorney Steve Houchin said Thursday that if convicted on the new charge, McGhee could face anything from probation to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
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Police charge security guard with thefts www.privateofficer.com
August 15, 2008
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Police charge security guard with thefts http://www.privateofficer.com
TAMPA, FL Aug 15 2008
BY: Rick McCann
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
www.privateofficer.com Thefts of computers, both desktop and laptops are common in most workplaces these days but office workers at Two Harbor Place, in Tampa, couldn’t figure out how a thief was sneaking past a security guard and ripping off computers. Police say that over the past few months they have taken over a dozen reports of stolen laptops and the building has security personnel on duty an officer said.
Finally, police say that they figured out the how and the who in the theft mystery. The security guard was the thief.
Finally, police say that they figured out the how and the who in the theft mystery. The security guard was the thief.
Detectives have arrested 33 year old Evans Moreau on grand theft charges. According to a Tampa police report, “Pawn Investigator Eli Delgado received a pawn hit on a laptop from Value Pawn.Delgado began to examine the pawn activity of Moreau and he determined that the subject had pawned over 16 times in the last month and that most of the items were computers.
Inv. Delgado then called the computer manufacturers to determine who originally purchased them. He ascertained that the listed businesses had bought the computers and that the Moreau subject had no reaon to be in possesion of the property.
Police then learned that Moreau was an evening security guard at the building where the thefts occurred and quickly made the arrest of the security guard.
Moreau was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail and was being held on felony charges pending a bond release.
Inv. Delgado then called the computer manufacturers to determine who originally purchased them. He ascertained that the listed businesses had bought the computers and that the Moreau subject had no reaon to be in possesion of the property.
Police then learned that Moreau was an evening security guard at the building where the thefts occurred and quickly made the arrest of the security guard.
Moreau was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail and was being held on felony charges pending a bond release.
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Categories: police, security
evans moreau, security guard arrested, tampa
Tn.Employer Charged With Rape Of Employees www.privateofficer.com
August 15, 2008
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TN. Employer Charged With Rape Of Employees http://www.privateofficer.com
DICKSON, Tenn. (Metro Nashville) Aug 15 2008– A Dickson man has been arrested after he was accused of raping his female employee, and police said there may be several other victims.
Gavino Hernandez is in jail and charged with rape, but Dickson police said they may never know how many women he has assaulted.
Police said Hernandez may be in the country illegally, but for several years has managed a group of Hispanic women who cleaned apartment and office buildings in Dickson
One of the women recently came forward saying Hernandez raped her late one night in a building on Highway 70.
“She stated she had been reluctant to come forward,” said Detective Donny Arnold.
After investigating the claim, officers said they strongly suspected Hernandez raped at least two other women working for him.
Police believe the victims live on Spring Street, a large Hispanic community in Dickson, but said it has been difficult getting the alleged victims to talk.
“(They are) afraid if they come forward as a victim, they may be removed from the country,” said Arnold.
Police said that’s why Hernandez may be targeting these women, since they may never report the crime.
Reporters asked Hernandez’s wife if she believed the claims. She answered through a friend she didn’t know about the allegations, but she had been catching him in many lies.
Police said Hispanic rape victims who come forward should not fear being deported because their main goal is building a case against a suspect and bringing him to justice.
Hernandez is being held without bond. Police are checking his immigration status.
Gavino Hernandez is in jail and charged with rape, but Dickson police said they may never know how many women he has assaulted.
Police said Hernandez may be in the country illegally, but for several years has managed a group of Hispanic women who cleaned apartment and office buildings in Dickson
One of the women recently came forward saying Hernandez raped her late one night in a building on Highway 70.
“She stated she had been reluctant to come forward,” said Detective Donny Arnold.
After investigating the claim, officers said they strongly suspected Hernandez raped at least two other women working for him.
Police believe the victims live on Spring Street, a large Hispanic community in Dickson, but said it has been difficult getting the alleged victims to talk.
“(They are) afraid if they come forward as a victim, they may be removed from the country,” said Arnold.
Police said that’s why Hernandez may be targeting these women, since they may never report the crime.
Reporters asked Hernandez’s wife if she believed the claims. She answered through a friend she didn’t know about the allegations, but she had been catching him in many lies.
Police said Hispanic rape victims who come forward should not fear being deported because their main goal is building a case against a suspect and bringing him to justice.
Hernandez is being held without bond. Police are checking his immigration status.
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Categories: police
