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OFFICER DOWN; CRESTVIEW FLA. 2 Deputies Dead
CRESTVIEW, Fla. APRIL 25 2009– Two north Florida sheriff’s deputies were shot and killed Saturday by a suspect who was later fatally shot by deputies, authorities said.
The shooting occurred around 1 p.m. when the two Okaloosa County deputies went to Shoal River Sporting Clays and Shooting Center in response to a call, said Michele Nicholson, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.
Authorities say the suspect shot both deputies and took off toward neighboring Walton County, where he was shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies.
A man who answered the telephone at the shooting center near Crestview said he had no comment on the shooting.
Deputies Burt Lopez and Deputy Warren “Skip” York were pronounced dead after being airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, about 45 miles away, the sheriff’s office said.
A news release from the sheriff’s office identified their killer as Joshua Cartwright, 28, of Fort Walton Beach.
The sheriff’s office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which continue to investigate the incident, did not immediately release other details about Cartwright or why the deputies were called to the shooting range.
Another Okaloosa County sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed in August following a standoff with a man who had barricaded himself inside a home.
Okaloosa County Sheriff Charles Morris was suspended by Gov. Charlie Crist in February after he was arrested by FBI agents while on a gambling trip to Las Vegas.
Morris and his former office manager were indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday on theft, money laundering and conspiracy charges. Prosecutors allege Morris and his former office manager, Teresa Adams, created fictitious bonuses for sheriff’s department employees then pocketed some of the money.
OFFICER DOWN ALABAMA
Headland Police Department
Alabama
End of Watch: Friday, April 24, 2009
Biographical Info
Age: Not available
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Friday, April 24, 2009
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Shot and killed
Officer Dexter Hammond was shot and killed while responding to reports of a man waving a gun around outside of his trailer. When Officer Hammond arrived at the scene he was fatally shot.
Responding deputies also were fired upon when they arrived. The deputies returned fire, killing the suspect.
Officer Hammond had previously served as the police chief of the Midland City Police Department.
Agency Contact Information
Headland Police Department
9 Park Street
Headland, AL 36345
Phone: (346) 932-222
Please contact the Headland Police Department for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.
School security officer’s alertness leads to drug bust www.privateofficer.com
According to Jackson Township police, a school security officer at the school’s main campus saw a vehicle in the upper student parking lot, with two males inside acting in a suspicious manner. A third male was seen running from the school.
Police said the security officer contacted the school resource officers, who responded, and the school was placed in an internal lockdown.
Police report that the males could not provide a good reason for being on the campus, and that their stories didn’t match. Police said they found marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a folding knife.
According to the police report, an investigation determined that the suspect had come on to the campus to contact students and collect money to go to Pittsburgh and buy heroin.
Two students were then arrested, one accused of letting the three males into the school, and a female student after police said they found heroin in her purse and her vehicle. She was also found to be in possession of a bottle of urine to be used for drug testing purposes, according to police.
The students charged were Jamie Stevens, 18, and Jesse Muto, 19. Stevens was charged with possession of heroin, possession of drug paraphernalia and furnishing drug-free urine.
Muto was charged with disorderly conduct, and served a summary citation.
The three others charged were Chris Stubenbort, 20, of Zelienople. He was charged with disorderly conduct.
Matthew Goldsberry, 19, and a 17-year-old from Georgia were also charged. The juvenile was charged with possession of a weapon on school property, prohibited offensive weapon, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Goldsberry was charged with defiant trespass.
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Million dollar heroin bust at DHL office www.privateofficer.com
Heroin with a street value of more than $1 million was seized this week by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the DHL hub in the Wilmington Air Park.
The heroin was hidden inside books, said Brett Sturgeon of the U.S. Customs field office in Chicago.
“Each book contained no pages, but CBP officers are now able to tell the story of the significant seizures of 7.75 kilograms of heroin intercepted in international shipments,” Sturgeon said.
The four separate international express shipments, manifested as documents, were shipped via air from Tehran, Iran, and destined for separate locations in Toronto, Canada.
“CBP officers selected the shipments for X-rays and upon physical examination discovered anomalies inside the books,” Sturgeon said. “Each shipment was found to contain what appeared to be two books inside cardboard book sleeves.”
The books had been cut away with only the back binding edge remaining and placed in the sleeve, giving the appearance of a leather bound book, Sturgeon said. “Inside each book sleeve was found one plastic bag containing a light brown powder substance. The substance field tested positive for heroin,” he said.
A total of 7.75 kilograms of heroin was seized with an estimated retail value of $171,600 per kilo for a total street value of over $1 million.
“CBP officers made these outstanding seizures of heroin with a combined weight of nearly eight kilograms and worth over a million dollars,” said Janice Adams, assistant director of field operations, Customs and Border Protection in Chicago.
“I assure you that CBP will remain vigilant at our express mail facilities and on the constant lookout to keep our borders safe and to prevent illegal drugs from entering this country,” Adams added.
No arrests have been made in connection with the seizures.
The DHL hub in Wilmington is one of the busiest express consignment mail facilities in the United States, averaging about 35,000 shipments for inspection per night, Sturgeon pointed out.
Customs officers at the DHL hub are responsible for examining express mail shipments, for all border-related responsibilities including narcotics interdiction, protecting the nation’s food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases and also the interdiction of counterfeit items, documents and monetary instruments, Sturgeon said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of U.S. borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
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School security officer finds stolen computers on Ebay www.privateofficer.com
grinnellcollegenews
According to a Grinnell Police Department media release, on April 21, officers from the Grinnell Police Department arrested a Grinnell College student for Theft in the First Degree. Two search warrants were issued, and officers found stolen electronics in the student’s dormitory room.
The arrest is the result of an investigation relating to the disappearance of 13 College-owned computers and other electronics equipment worth approximately $20,000.
On April 20, Grinnell College Safety and Security reported an item’s appearance on the online auction website eBay to the Grinnell College Police Department. Grinnell College Security Officer Patrick Ritter had been scanning the website for the stolen equipment.
Grinnell College Police Department Chief Jody Matherly then inquired information from the eBay website.
“At that point, we contacted eBay security and worked with them to find out who had posted the item and got that information,” said Chief Matherly in a phone interview with the S&B. “And, it led us back to the College campus, and so we executed search warrants and we were able to recover several stolen items.”
After Grinnell Police Department Officers Stuart Fricke and Joe Meyer retrieved the stolen items from the student’s room, it was found that some of the equipment had already been sold on eBay.
The arrested student is currently housed in Poweshiek County Jail, in Montezuma. Accused of Class C Felony Theft in the First Degree, the student may face up to ten years in prison and a fine from at least $1,000 to a maximum of $10,000.
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Teacher arrested in class with nunchucks www.privateofficer.com
Jaime Seltzer, a science teacher, was taken into custody Friday by Prevention Resource Officer Mike Deem.
She was arraigned in Wood County Magistrate Court and released on a $2,500 surety bond set by Magistrate Emily Bradley. Seltzer was charged with having a deadly weapon on school grounds.
Bradley confirmed the weapon in question was a pair of nunchucks.
Few other details were made available Friday, and questions to Wood County Schools administration were directed to Superintendent Bill Niday.
Principal Pat Peters declined to comment on the incident.
“I’ve been instructed to send everything through Mr. Niday’s office,” he said.
Niday said he was still receiving information on the incident.
“Next week I will begin an investigation and follow our normal procedures,” he said. “There really isn’t much else I can tell you at this point.”
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Security officer run down, 4 arrested www.privateofficer.com
Police said the whole incident started when a Westport security officer was struck by a vehicle while trying to stop it.
Authorities say the suspect vehicle struck the officer just before 2 a.m. Friday near Westport Road and Mill Street.
The driver took off and was chased by police to the area of 78th and Raytown Road where officers took three people inside the vehicle into custody and the driver, who ran from the car, was apprehended inside a nearby house.
The security officer originally tried stopping the vehicle for a loud stereo and suspicious behavior. The private officer was not injured and refused medical treatment.
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Shoplifter busted with 2 yr old son www.privateofficer.com
Luis Santa Maria, 26, was stopped with another man, Jorge Carrillo, 23, of Central Nyack, just after 5 p.m. Monday and charged with misdemeanor counts of petty larceny and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property.
Santa Maria had his son with him, and police charged both men with endangering the welfare of a child, Clarkstown police Sgt. Harry Baumann said.
As they went through the shelves in Macy’s, both men put $174 worth of merchandise in a JC Penney shopping bag, Baumann said.
“Santa Maria handed the bag to Carrillo,” Baumann said. “The son was just there and not helping the father.”
After leaving the store, both men were detained by security for the Clarkstown police, Baumann said.
Officers released Santa Maria and Carrillo – and the 2-year-old – at the scene. The men received appearance tickets to appear in Clarkstown Town Court on May 18, Baumann said.
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