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Baltimore transit police officer charged with rape www.privateofficer.com
Baltimore MD June 30 2009
wjznews.com
A police officer has been charged with rape.
Sources tell WJZ it happened while the officer was on duty. In charging documents, the 15-year-old says her ordeal started when she asked him for directions.
WJZ has learned at MTA police officer, 37-year-old Donald Brown, has been charged with rape and kidnapping. His 15-year-old accuser says she was at the light rail station in Linthicum and realized she was lost. She spotted three officers and asked them for directions. Sje claims Officer Brown told her to come with him for help. They took the light rail to the Lexington Market stop in Baltimore and walked a short distance to what she later identified as an apartment building on West Fayette, where Brown lives.
She says he began touching her and that he raped her.
Cheron Victoria Wicker with the MTA says Brown is suspended without pay.
“We take all of these allegations very seriously and we’re cooperating fully with the authorities,” Wicker said. “He was a patrol officer so he had an assigned beat that he serviced each day and was involved in the full spectrum of police duties that every police officer at the MTA does.”
Officer Brown also faces a charge of using a handgun to commit a felony. Wicker says he did carry a gun as part of his job. She also says Officer Brown had a clean record.
“We do a thorough background and criminal investigation of every police officer,” she said.
Baltimore City Police are the lead investigators. They refuse to comment on the case. Charging documents state the victim has told consistent accounts and has picked Officer Brown out of a lineup.
Right now, Officer Brown is in jail. The attorney who represented him at a bail review declined to comment and says he no longer represents the officer.
Charging documents say the 15-year-old did not initially report the incident. Child abuse investigators learned about the allegations when a foster child organization caring for the teen filed a report.
Atlanta Security Officer Shot and Killed www.privateofficer.com
Around 1:15 am, the unidentified guard was asked to investigate a suspicious person in the rear parking lot of the spa, authorities say. Then employees inside heard as many as seven gun shots. When they investigated, they found the guard lying in the parking lot, shot in the chest. He was rushed to Grady Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Police say that they are reportedly looking at a person of interest.
No other information is available.
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Police seek shoplifting teens who assaulted security www.privateofficer.com
Police said the men are suspected of stealing shoes from the JC Penney Outlet Store in the 9400 block of West 75th Street on June 16.
Investigators said that when the officer tried to stop one of the men, there was a struggle. The security officer’s hand was injured.
Both men ran off.
Anyone who recognizes the men is asked to call Overland Park police 913-344-7830.
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TN policeman arrested after pouring gasoline on girlfriend www.privateofficer.com
44-year old Master Patrolman, Phillip Devers, is now charged with domestic aggravated assault. Devers was arrested at his Bartlett home after allegedly forcing his way into his girlfriends Tipton county home, spitting in her girlfriends face and threatening to set her on fire.
Tipton County Deputy Chief Donna Turner says, “He did forcefully drag her from the residence to the porch area, poured gasoline on her and the house and threatened to burn her and the residence”.
But the Bartlett police officers girlfriend was able to get to a phone and call for help. Deputies say Devers was not there when they arrived.
Turner says, “We did confirm he lived in Shelby County, he was located and arrested”.
The Bartlett police chief says Devers is on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of an investigation. Devers has been in the police department since 1994. The chief says he’s been on a combination of departmental and medical leave since last year, but wouldn’t expand further.
Devers recently testified about finding the bodies of Lillian and Clarence James during the Henry Lee Jones capital murder trial.
He also testified during the 2004 John Britt trial, the former head of security for Memphis City Schools, convicted for trying to hire a hit man to kill his estranged wife. At the time, Devers testified his wife was having an affair with Britt but that he was not involved in the investigation.
The Bartlett Police Chief says Dever’s duty weapon has been taken away.
Devers is out of jail after posting a $1,500 bond on Saturday.
His girlfriend has filed an order of protection.
Tipton County could find no other record of domestic violence between Devers and his girlfriend.
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Three New York workers overcomed by sewer fumes die www.privateofficer.com
newsday.com
Three workers – including a father and son – were killed Monday afternoon when they were overcome by hydrogen sulfide fumes while trying to escape a deep, water-filled hole at a Queens waste transfer plant, authorities said.
The final moments of the victims’ lives were spent thrashing around an 18-foot-deep hole filled with three feet of water and deadly levels of hydrogen sulfide, a by-product of decomposed organic material that collects in the well as runoff water gathers, authorities said.
“At 100 parts per million it is considered imminently dangerous to life and health,” said John Sudnik, an FDNY deputy assistant chief. “We had 200 parts per million in the hole.
“I don’t know if they knew the exact dangers of the conditions in the hole,” he said
The 2:30 p.m. accident happened at Regal Recycling Co., a private waste transfer plant on Douglas Avenue, in Jamaica.
Three workers from S. Dahan Sewer Specialists, a South Ozone Park firm, were at the scene, using a vacuum truck to suck water from the hole, a dry well used to collect construction debris water runoff.
The son, Harel Dahan, 23, of Brooklyn, was using a long device to break loose the material gathered in the well and somehow fell in, police said.
His dad, Shlomo Dahan, 49, also of Brooklyn, used a rope and ladder to climb down into the well but was overcome by fumes, police said.
When a Regal maintenance worker, Rene Francisco Rivas, 52, of Queens, rushed down the hole to help, he, too, suffered the same fate trying to rescue the fallen duo.
“I don’t know that he knows there so was so much gas down there,” Regal worker Angel Acosta said of Rivas, a Salvadoran immigrant.
The third Dahan company worker, who co-founded the company with Shlomo Dahan, was not hurt.
“Help! Help!” Alan Persaud, who works across the street at a steel distribution company, remembers hearing workers yelling. “Nobody could do anything to help them.”
Firefighters responding to the scene found the three victims face down in the water.
One firefighter wearing a breathing apparatus pulled the bodies from the well by attaching them to a harness.
Regal had no immediate comment.
Police, meanwhile, are reviewing surveillance cameras to see if any of the accident was captured on video.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are also investigating the accident.
According to OSHA records, there were violations found during a recent inspection at the plant, including improper floor and wall openings and respiratory protection.
Royal Waste was ordered at the time to pay thousands of dollars in fines.
The DEC Web site says the plant is authorized to handle putrescible waste, which is solid waste that contains organic matter capable of being decomposed by microorganisms, plus construction and demolition debris.
Shortly after the accident, two of Dahan’s other sons showed up at the scene, overcome by grief. A family friend, Abe Rosenthal, who drove the Dahans’ rabbi, from Tov Synagogue in Kew Gardens Hills, said of Shlomo: “He’s the sweetest guy. . . . I would know. A great friend, a great partner, Jewish guy, religious guy.
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College security officer robbed after aiding 2 teens www.privateofficer.com
newsjournalonline.com — A Bethune-Cookman University security guard allowed two teens to use her office bathroom because one of the boys was bleeding and she felt sorry for him.
The kindness was returned with a crime, police said. The boys stole her car.
Monday afternoon security guard Teia Berube and her roommate Reshaunda Bennett sat in their apartment off Nova Road looking befuddled about the theft. The car, a 2000 Buick LeSabre, belongs to Bennett but Berube was using it Friday night.
Berube, 20, said the suspects, who are still missing with the Buick, were no older than 15.
“Normally, we’re not allowed to let anyone use our bathroom,” Berube said. “But one of them was bleeding. He told me he had fallen and I felt bad for him, so I let him use the bathroom.”
Seconds later, Berube looked out the window of the university security office on Lincoln Street on the college campus, and she noticed the car was gone from the parking lot.
According to an incident report, the boys asked Berube whether they could use the restroom just before 7 p.m. Friday. She let them in and continued working, dispatching security calls. She told police she had left the car keys on top of a desk in another room, the report states.
Security officials from the college looked at the videotape from the surveillance camera set up outside and told police the images show both boys climbing into the car and speeding off, heading north on Lincoln, the reports states.
Last week, Daytona Beach police Chief Mike Chitwood and other police officials said more vehicles are getting snatched by teens, with the cars being used to commit other crimes.
The Florida license plate of the beige Buick is 208IQM. There is also a large “DC” sticker on the back window.
Anyone with information is asked to call Daytona Beach police at 386-671-5100.
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Man harrasses mall security via 2 way radio www.privateofficer.com
Thousand Oaks police arrested a Northridge man earlier this month on suspicion of using radio equipment to interfere with radio operations at The Oaks mall.
Police said an unknown man broadcast profanity to security officers at the mall. He also told the officers they would have to give their radio frequencies to him, and he threatened to jam the mall’s radio frequencies if they did not comply, police said.
Police said security officers reprogrammed their radios to block the unknown intruder. But he hacked into the mall’s radio frequencies, police said, and continued to harass officers and jam their frequencies.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, with investigators from the Federal Communications Commission, found the suspect as he was making more demands to officers at the mall, police said.
Deputies arrested Kevin William Bondy, 25, on June 10 on suspicion of willfully and repeatedly violating FCC regulations.
FCC investigators said they seized radio equipment valued at around $1 million from Bondy’s residence and a locked storage facility he rented.
Investigators were still trying to learn this week who owns the equipment.
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Police shoot, kill violent shoplifter www.privateofficer.com
Crime scene tape blocked off sections of the WalMart parking lot and County Line Road Sunday night. The yellow ribbon also surrounded the Ford taurus that 19 year old Derrick Watkins was driving when he was fatally shot. It all started just before 8:00 p.m. when WalMart security spotted the teen stealing blank cds and dvds.
“(The security guard) He called us as the suspect was leaving the store and we had three officers on scene within two minutes,” said Ridgeland Police Lt. John Neal.
The officers cornered Watkins’ vehicle with their police cruisers and ordered him out of the car. He refused.
“The suspect was addament about getting away and he was going to do whatever means that it took to get away from these officers,” said Neal.
According to Neal, Watkins wildly started ramming the police cruisers and in the process struck an officer. While on the ground the officer fired three shots. One bullet hit Watkins in the upper back. He sped through the parking lot and crossed County Line Road before wrecking the car.
“There were approximately half a dozen witnesses who were on scene who saw some or all of the incident that occurred in the parking lot,” said Madison and Rankin Counties District Attorney Michael Guest.
Investigators the District Attorney’s office and Ridgeland Police examined the vehicle and compiled evidence Monday. Video from police cruiser dash cameras and the WalMart store will play a key role in the investigation.
“All the same individuals may see the same event based on their perception, based on different things. There may be inconsistencies, but the video is going to tell exactly what happened,” said Guest.
The officer suffered injuries to his left knee and leg, but is expected to make a full recovery. Ridgeland Police are not releasing his name, but did say this officer has been involved in another work related shooting. That incident is still under investigation.
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Man detained by security dies in police custody www.privateofficer.com
A man died in Dallas police custody this morning after approaching a warehouse security guard while acting strangely and having hallucinations, police said.
“Probably the most force that was used was just placing the handcuffs on him,” said Sgt. Warren Mitchell, a police spokesman.
Shortly before 2 a.m., the man walked up to a security booth by a warehouse in the 5300 block of South Lamar Street. His strange and excited manner prompted the guard call police and try to detain him, police said.
The security officer and police faced some resistance as they tried to get the man into handcuffs, but no extraordinary measures were taken, police said.
“They didn’t use any mace, or any Tasers, or anything like that,” Mitchell said.
As they got the man under control, he went into convulsions, police said. Emergency responders took him to Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, where he was later pronounced dead.
Detectives were still looking into the incident Monday morning, but police said the preliminary investigation indicated the man died of excited delirium, which is an overdose of adrenaline typically associated with drug use.
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Seven Detroit teens shot at bus stop www.privateofficer.com
At least five of the teens, including the two in critical condition, had just gotten out of summer classes at Cody Ninth Grade Academy when they were shot at the nearby bus stop, said Detroit Public Schools Police Chief Roderick Grimes.
Two gunmen, possibly three, emerged from the green minivan and “asked for a person by name” before they “opened fire at the crowd,” Detroit Police spokesman Rod Liggons told WXYZ-TV.
The students’ names and ages weren’t immediately released.
“We have confirmed the name of several of the students, but we have to make sure we talk with the parents,” Detroit Public Schools emergency financial manager Robert Bobb said at the scene of the shooting on Detroit’s west side.
Bria Wilson, 15, was standing at the bus stop when she heard the gunfire. Wilson said she was facing away from the shooters and ran away after the shots were fired. She said she saw a 16-year-old male friend lying on the ground, bleeding.
“They were so close — it almost hit me,” said Wilson, who was heading home from summer school classes at Cody Academy.
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Arrests made at Def Leppard/Poison concert www.privateofficer.com
— Murad Ramadan, 35, of 66 Huetter St., Buffalo, was charged with disorderly conduct after allegedly wrestling with security officers trying to evict him for urinating in the seating area of the concert.
— Terence C. Wilson, 32, of 186 Ashbrook Circle, Webster, was charged with second-degree harassment for allegedly shoving a security officer twice while attempting to find a lost friend.
— Jeanine A. Kless, 36, of 295 Tampa Drive, West Seneca, was charged with second-degree harassment for allegedly poking another person in the face with her finger.
Jeffrey S. Ellis, 41, of 89 Marymont St., Buffalo, was charged with trespass after allegedly climbing onto the stage of the Performing Arts Center without permission after the concert ended.
— Joshua L. Martinez, 28, of 70 Black Creek Rd., Rochester, was charged with second-degree harassment for allegedly punching another person in the face and knocking him to the ground.
— Sharon J. William, 33, of 70 Black Creek Rd., Rochester, was charged with second-degree harassment for allegedly striking a security officer in the chest and attempting to kick him in the groin.
All of the suspects were issued appearance tickets for 9:30 a.m. July 15 in Darien Town Court.
In addition, Scott D. Quigley, 37, of Charlotte, N.C., was charged with trespass after allegedly jumping over a fence and gaining access to the back stage area of the Performing Arts Center with having proper pass or permission.
He was arraigned in Darien Town Court and committed to jail in lieu of $200 bail. He is scheduled to return to court at 9:30 a.m. July 15.
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Security officer rescues carjacking victim www.privateofficer.com
“I heard some yelling and screaming and saw a male suspect running from a vehicle,” Butterfield said. “So, I just approached like I was taught.”
Butterfield was patrolling the Foothill Place apartments off 2200 South and Foothill Drive when he heard the screaming. Once he got to the screaming man, he saw he had been shot in both his legs.
He helped the man out of the car but noticed another man in the distance walking toward them. “The suspect started screaming for our lives, saying he had a gun and he was out to kill us,” Butterfield said. “I figured I might be getting shot tonight.”
Butterfield rushed to drag the shot man behind another car for cover. He says he never saw a gun on the man walking toward them, but says the man kept a hand in his hoodie pocket. Butterfield figured the gun was inside that pocket.
“The first thing you learn is when you don’t see their hand, you have to think there is a gun,” Butterfield said.
However, the man coming toward them turned around, got back in the car and drove away. It wasn’t until later Butterfield found out the man he had helped was carjacked earlier at 900 West and 800 South in Salt Lake City.
Police know the three carjackers asked for drugs when they carjacked the man but still don’t know why they chose him.
“We don’t know whether this was a random act, or if it was an isolated incident, if the suspects knew him and targeted him or not. We just don’t know yet,” said Salt Lake police Sgt. Robin Snyder.
Butterfield, who was raised in Sandy, has taken several training classes at CBI Security. He hopes to become a police officer in the future and work his way to become a detective.
“I want to help get these drugs off the street and get these gangs out of here,” he said. “I’d like to help clean up Utah. It’s getting pretty bad.”
Greg ValDez, who owns CBI Security Services and is Butterfield’s boss, says Butterfield is well on his way to achieving his goals.
“That was bravery beyond what most people would do,” ValDez said. “I and the police would not have faulted him for running; nobody would have.”
Either way, there’s a good chance Butterfield made the difference he was always hoping to do. “People are calling me a hero, but I don’t feel like a hero. It’s just what we’re trained to do,” he said.
Salt Lake detectives are still looking for the three men who committed the carjacking, but they did find the stolen car. As for the man who was shot, he is still at the hospital and is expected to live.
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Small Alabama town raided by federal agents www.privateofficer.com
Dozens of drug agents swooped into the small Conecuh County town of Repton looking for drugs and weapons.
The 35th Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force had five search warrants and served them all at the same time across town. Agents believe that some people in this sleepy town are part of a large scale cocaine distribution network and involved in weapons trafficking!
This day of work involved collecting evidence for a federal case that’s been years in the making. They found crack cocaine and other drug paraphernalia.
The task force is made up of multiple agencies including Greenville Police, Butler County Sheriff’s Office, Conecuh County Sheriff’s Office, Evergreen Police, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Clarke County Drug Task Force. Agents from Alcohol Tobacco Firearms (ATF) also assisted in the bust.
On Monday, the same agents arrested Dreyfus Broughton and Gregory Stanton in Evergreen after reportedly finding drugs and guns in their homes. Agents believe the evidence they found on Thursday is part of that same operation.
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Former Seagate security guard sent to prison www.privateofficer.com
Prosecutors also asked Boulder District Judge Maria Berkenkotter to order that Zoe Johnston repay $726,436 to Seagate as part of her sentence. Defense attorney Nicole Collins objected to the total and asked for a November restitution hearing. She said she is worried that the total might not represent the actual loss to the company.
Johnston spoke briefly at the hearing and listened to the judge with her head bowed.
“I would like to apologize to Seagate for what I have done to them,” she said.
Both Johnston and her son, Matthew Tennant, avoided trials by accepting plea deals with Boulder County prosecutors.
Johnston pleaded guilty to one count of felony theft, and prosecutors dismissed five other theft counts and six counts of conspiracy to commit theft. In March, Tennant pleaded guilty to theft of more than $20,000 and two counts of tax evasion. Prosecutors dismissed nine other felony theft charges, two felony computer crime charges and two felony charges of filing a false tax return. He is serving a 10-year sentence.
He may ask for a sentence reconsideration upon completion of a prison boot camp. She also may ask for a sentence reconsideration under her plea deal.
Berkenkotter credited Johnston with a long work history in which she often held two jobs, but said it was especially concerning that she used her position of trust and her security knowledge to steal so much from Seagate. The judge also noted it was concerning that she entered a criminal enterprise with her son and never exerted her parental authority to stop it.
Prosecutor Tim Johnson said he doubts the company will ever recover its losses, but Collins said Johnston would like to try to pay the money back.
“Because of the kind of person she is, she feels it is her responsibility to at least attempt to do it,” Collins said. “She has taken full responsibility
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Virginia security guard arrested for extortion www.privateofficer.com
Homer Kelly, 49, has been charged with two counts of extortion for requesting payment from two teens.
Several teens were stopped at the Lee/Harrison Shopping Center by a security guard around 4 p.m. on Friday, June 12. The guard confiscated several items from two of the teenagers.
The guard then told the teens that he would turn over their information to the police and tell their parents unless he was paid what he described as a “fine.”
The teens paid the guard and left the shopping center. Police were called when a parent was told about the incident.
Arlington County Police are asking that anybody with information about this or similar incident to contact Detective Rosa Ortiz at (703) 228-7402 or
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Tn. teacher arrested for sexual battery of student www.privateofficer.com
A Lake Forest Middle School teacher was arrested Thursday afternoon on multiple charges of sexual battery and solicitation of a minor.
Casey Brock, 32, was arrested after being indicted by a Bradley County Grand Jury, according to 10th Judicial District Attorney Steve Bebb.
In April, the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office announced they were conducting an investigation at Lake Forest Middle School between a teacher and a student.
According to Bebb, the sheriff’s office began investigating the allegations when they were contacted by the Department of Children’s Services. The school reportedly contacted the Department of Children’s Services over the incidents.
In an interview Thursday afternoon, Bebb said during the investigation the sheriff’s office discovered there are two minor, male victims.
In April, the Bradley County School System placed Brock, who teaches seventh grade, on an unpaid suspension status pending the outcome of the investigation.
The Bradley County School System released a statement Thursday which said, “Ms. Brock remains on unpaid suspension while Bradley County Schools considers further disciplinary action.”
Brock was released from the Bradley County Jail Thursday evening after posting a $25,000 bond.
Brock is scheduled to appear in Bradley County Criminal Court July 20
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NYC tourists taken on wild police chase www.privateofficer.com
As they looked for a ride at the Air France terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Tuesday morning, the visitors were lured to a van that was not licensed to provide taxi service, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman John Kelly said.
Plainclothes police recognized the man who enticed the tourists, Ian McFarland, as a repeat offender previously arrested for corralling passengers into unlicensed cars. A Port Authority officer reached inside the van to try and grab the keys, but the driver, Khaalif Preacher, sped off with the tourists inside, knocking the officer to the ground, Kelly said.
Port Authority police sped after the van, which snaked through residential streets and traveled about seven miles through two boroughs before it crashed through a gate at a U.S. Postal Service facility in the East New York section of Brooklyn.
The tourists said they screamed and prayed during the chase.
“I was scared,” Paris resident Esther-Ethy Mamane, 26, said Wednesday at a news conference. Mamane and her mother, Claudie, traveled to New York to attend a religious seminar. She said she tried to keep the other passengers inside the van calm during the chaos.
Preacher and McFarland jumped out while the van was still moving. Mamane said there was smoke and the rear doors wouldn’t open from the inside, so she jumped out the front as the van rolled and ran around to open the doors. Mamane’s mother tried to jump from the van, fell and the vehicle rolled over her arm. She was treated at a hospital and released. Mamane and the other passengers, a woman and her parents, were not injured.
Meanwhile, police chased the two suspects on foot and arrested them. They were awaiting arraignment Wednesday on charges of second-degree assault, second-degree assault on an officer, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and unlawful solicitation of ground transportation services, the Queens district attorney’s office said. It wasn’t clear whether they had attorneys.
Claudie and Esther-Ethy Mamane were given a bag full of New York City goodies, including tickets to the Broadway show “Chicago,” passes to the Museum of Modern Art and transit fare cards at a news conference Wednesday. The other tourists decided not to attend.
The women, who spoke little English, said they were grateful to the Port Authority officers who never let the van out of their sight, and they are looking forward to a good trip in New York.
“We are happy to be here; we love New York and New Yorkers,” Claudie Mamane said through a French translator. “We never lost faith. And at any time we never thought it would end badly for us.”
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Police officer charged with sexual assault of juvenile www.privateofficer.com
Timothy Lynn Slagle, a “security officer senior” at the Southwestern Virginia Mental Health Institute, was arrested June 12 and released from the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail in Abingdon, Va., on Tuesday. He is charged with rape, forcible sodomy and aggravated sexual battery of a victim between 13 and 14 years old.
The charges stem from the complaints of two juveniles under the age of 15 who accuse Slagle of committing the acts in 2007. A Virginia State Police spokesman said he believed the alleged offenses took place when Slagle was off duty, and knew of no connection with his work at the mental health institute.
“Mr. Slagle has been placed on leave without pay pending the resolution of these charges,” Dr. Cynthia McClaskey, director of the state-run hospital, said in a phone interview Wednesday. “We have very little information about the alleged criminal allegations. We are conducting our own internal review as information becomes available.”
Slagle, of Atkins, Va., belongs to a small cadre of law enforcement-trained officers whose exclusive jurisdiction is the mental health institute. They provide security, serve as bailiffs at commitment hearings on the hospital campus, and serve court orders on hospital staff, McClaskey said.
The Southwestern Virginia Mental Health Institute hired Slagle in September 2004, but McClaskey would not comment on his record, citing privacy laws.
The charges were filed in Smyth County, but will be brought by a special prosecutor from the Wythe County commonwealth’s attorney’s office. Gerald Mabe II, the commonwealth’s attorney, was traveling Wednesday and efforts to reach him were unsuccessful.
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Corrections guard charged with rape www.privateofficer.com
Investigators say Roger L. Thompkins, of New Castle, had sex with a 24-year-old inmate at the Women’s Work Release Center in the facility’s laundry room back on April 11th.
Thompkins told the inmate to meet him there, authorities say.
According to police, Thompkins knew the inmate was coming up on a disciplinary hearing, and said that he sometimes sits in on the hearings. Authorties then allege that Thompkins told the woman that if she did not have sex with him, he would see to it that she got sent back to prison.
A law enforcement officer employed by a mental health institute in Marion, Va., has been charged with sexually assaulting a juvenile and is on leave without pay, according to the Virginia State Police and a hospital official.
Timothy Lynn Slagle, a “security officer senior” at the Southwestern Virginia Mental Health Institute, was arrested June 12 and released from the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail in Abingdon, Va., on Tuesday. He is charged with rape, forcible sodomy and aggravated sexual battery of a victim between 13 and 14 years old.
The charges stem from the complaints of two juveniles under the age of 15 who accuse Slagle of committing the acts in 2007. A Virginia State Police spokesman said he believed the alleged offenses took place when Slagle was off duty, and knew of no connection with his work at the mental health institute.
“Mr. Slagle has been placed on leave without pay pending the resolution of these charges,” Dr. Cynthia McClaskey, director of the state-run hospital, said in a phone interview Wednesday. “We have very little information about the alleged criminal allegations. We are conducting our own internal review as information becomes available.”
Slagle, of Atkins, Va., belongs to a small cadre of law enforcement-trained officers whose exclusive jurisdiction is the mental health institute. They provide security, serve as bailiffs at commitment hearings on the hospital campus, and serve court orders on hospital staff, McClaskey said.
The Southwestern Virginia Mental Health Institute hired Slagle in September 2004, but McClaskey would not comment on his record, citing privacy laws.
The charges were filed in Smyth County, but will be brought by a special prosecutor from the Wythe County commonwealth’s attorney’s office. Gerald Mabe II, the commonwealth’s attorney, was traveling Wednesday and efforts to reach him were unsuccessful
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Security officer slashed with knife www.privateofficer.com
Police said a security guard patrolling a Bethlehem construction site hit by copper thieves was slashed by someone armed with a knife early Wednesday.
The attack happened at 12:45 a.m. at an apartment building site at 2701 Cherry Lane. Marc Yerashunas, 24, of Kingston, Penn., was treated and released from St. Luke’s Hospital-Fountain Hill for cuts on his arm and neck.
According to police:
The site has been hit at least twice by copper thefts and Yerashunas was patrolling the property when he heard a noise in a room.
A man attacked him and police believe the suspect had a knife. Yerashunas could give no description of the man, other than to say he was wearing dark clothes.
Anyone with information may call the police crime tip line at 610-691-6660.
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Security officers pepper sprayed, injured in bar fight www.privateofficer.com
sacbee.com
A sprawling bar fight left one man shot in the leg, a security guard injured and two men in jail, according to a Sacramento Police Department crime report.
The incidents grew out of what apparently was a running fight inside and outside of the American Spirit Bar in the 3200 block of Northgate Boulevard shortly after midnight Thursday, according to the report.
Here’s the chain of events as described by the report:
Two security guards inside the bar were unable to defuse a fight inside the bar and called for assistance from a guard in the parking lot.
The fight spilled outside the bar to the parking lot where one guard confronted and attempted to restrain one of the “main combatants.”
The guard struck Richard Hernandez, 40, with a baton, knocking him to the ground. But as the guard was attempting to handcuff Hernandez, several people came to Hernandez’ aid and assaulted the guard.
Eric Stockley, 32, allegedly grabbed another guard’s can of pepper spray and sprayed the guard in the face.
“Fearing for his own safety because he was outnumbered by the crowd, bleeding from a wound to his face and now disabled by pepper spray to the face, the security guard drew his sidearm and fired one shot at Stockley,” the report states. “The suspects immediately ceased their attack on the guard.”
Stockley attempted to flee on foot but was caught. Hernandez fled in a vehicle but was stopped by responding Sacramento police officers at San Juan Road and Northgate.
The security guard suffered injuries to his face. Stockley suffered a gunshot wound to his leg and was transported to a hospital. Hernandez also was transported to a hospital for treatment.
Hernandez will face a charge of felony battery, the report states. Stockley was on parole and will face charges of being an ex-felon in possession of tear gas and use of tear gas when not for self defense purposes, the report states.
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Oregon teacher charged with rape of boy www.privateofficer.com
Susan Christina Alderson, 46, a sixth-grade teacher at Robert Frost Elementary School, allegedly started abusing the boy in 2002 when he was 13. The abuse continued until 2006. The victim was not one of her students, police said.
She was taken into custody after a search warrant was served at her home in the 2100 block of Robins Lane. She was taken to the Marion County jail.
According to a probable cause statement written by Salem Police Det. Mike Bennett, the acts included inappropriate touching and frequent sexual intercourse. A probable cause statement is a document that provides legal grounds for holding a person in jail.
The victim told investigators that Alderson used back rubs as foreplay to initiate sex, which took place several times a week — including once at the school where Alderson taught. He said incidents often involved pornographic movies and sex toys.
The document, obtained by the Salem Statesman-Journal, says Alderson asked the victim to drop the charges and told him she felt bad about what occurred: “Anytime it comes to mind I feel bad, horrible. I feel like a horrible person.”
Lt. Steve Birr of the Salem Police Department said the investigation prompted the state Department of Human Services to remove a boy who was living at Alderson’s home.
The Teacher Standards and Practices Commission, which licenses people to teach in the state, has not received any reports or complaints against Alderson, said Melody Hanson, the agency’s director of professional standards
Andy Bellando, personnel director for Silver Falls School District, said he has started an independent investigation. “Based on the information I have, I have no reason to believe any students in the district were involved.”
Police are asking for anyone with information call Bennett at (503)588-6050 ext 7162.
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Resort security officers receive awards www.privateofficer.com
The Resort Communities Security Association honored 12 security officers at its third annual Service Award program at a June 4 luncheon attended by 98 members at the Desert Falls Country Club.
The RCSA is an organization of professional security managers, community association managers and valleywide law enforcement agencies.
Receiving Meritorious Service award recognition was Jose Gallardo of Boyd & Associates at Heritage Palms. Armando Lopez of Bower Security at the Palm Valley Country Club was honored with the Association’s Life Saving Award. He helped a homeowner who was being attacked by a neighbor with a handgun.
Jeffrey Long of Bower Security, assigned to The Tradition in La Quinta, was honored with Association’s highest award, the Wallace Brown Memorial Award. Long saved a child who was in danger of being hit by a trash truck.
Officers and winners at the service award luncheon were, back row, from left, Ron Lamele, RCSA program chairman; Gary Jones, The Vintage Club; Juan Vasquez, The Vintage Club; Jose Gallardo, Heritage Palms; Miguel Gamboa, The Reserve; Jeffrey Long, The Tradition; Justino Delgado, The River at Rancho Mirage; and James Butzbach, RCSA president. Front row, from left, Armando Lopez, Palm Valley Country Club; Eileen Rodriguez, The Hideaway; Melissa Arreguin, Palm Valley Country Club; Troy Klingsmith, The Tradition; and Charles Spillman, The Vintage Club. (Courtesy of Resort Communities Security Association.
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W.VA. teacher charged with soliciting teenager www.privateofficer.com
Roane County Magistrate Jason Bennett said Friday that Michael Brohard, 31, of Spencer allegedly made inappropriate comments to the girl on June 19 and 20.
The complaint says Brohard is a teacher and coach at Walton Middle School. Bennett didn’t know what sport Brohard was involved in. He was listed as a fifth-grade teacher on the school’s Web site.
Bennett says Brohard, who was arrested this week, is free on bond and faces a July 6 preliminary hearing.
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Private Officer dies during struggle with trespasser www.privateofficer.com
A private security officer has died after trying to restrain a trespasser.
According to a report, the security officer was on duty at a car lot when he spotted a man kneeling between some vehicles for sale.
The security officer approached the trespasser and attempted to detain him while he called police but the man struggled and fled.
The security officer later suffered a heart attack and died at an area hospital.
We are still attempting to gain further information.
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Wanted fugitive arrested at Foxwoods Resort Casino www.privateofficer.com
William Willoughby of 784 Rear Mass Ave., Boston, was arrested by State Police at Foxwoods Resort Casino.
According to police, Willoughby was spotted as a prior ejection and approached by security. Willoughby provided a false name, discovered after a background check and fingerprinting.
Police also learned Willoughby has three outstanding arrest warrants, two for second-degree failure to appear in court and another for failure to respond to an infraction. Willougby was arrested and charged with first-degree criminal trespassing, criminal impersonation, second-degree failure to appear and failure to respond to an infraction.
Willoughby was unable to post $2,500 bond and was taken to Troop E in Montville. His is expected today in New London Superior Court.
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NJ police officers injured during shoplifting arrest www.privateofficer.com
Charade Jenkins, 44, and her husband, Donald Couram, 52, both of Montclair, were both arrested on two counts of aggravated assault on police officers and resisting arrest, said Lt. James Carlucci of the Montclair Police Department.
Jenkins was also charged with aggravated assault on one of the store security employees, possession of a weapon and shoplifting, while Couram was also charged with obstruction of justice, he said.
When police arrived at the grocery store at 35 Lackawanna Plaza about 5 p.m. and the security office’s door was opened, Jenkins pushed past store security, began flailing her arms and lunged toward one of the officers to try to scratch his eyes, Carlucci said.
Police say she scratched one officer in the face and kicked him in the groin, while kicking a second officer in the knee.
As police restrained Jenkins to handcuff her, her husband began yelling, “Let go of my wife,” and then hit two officers in the back and chest with a closed fist, Carlucci said. He was eventually handcuffed.
Police say Jenkins yelled at one officer, “(Expletive) right I scratched you, I was going for your eyes,” as she was being taken to the police station.
Jenkins is accused of trying to shoplift waffles, Enfamil formula, sea scallops and Aunt Jemima syrup, valued in total at $346, police said.
Both were taken to the Essex County Jail on Monday. Bail was set for each at $75,000.
Two officers were taken to Mountanside Hospital, where they were treated and released, Carlucci said. They are off duty until medically cleared to return to work.
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Sheriff’s seize guard dogs, arrest company owner www.privateofficer.com
Kathy Browning, 38, is charged with 24 counts of animal cruelty, a misdemeanor, according to a Sheriff’s Office report.
An anonymous complaint led animal control officers to Browning’s home Tuesday, where they found 24 dogs effected by various forms of neglect, including malnourishment, improper confinement and poor grooming, the report said. Browning leases dogs, such as German shepherds, Rottweilers, bulldogs and Belgian Malinois, as guard dogs to area businesses, such as tow yards. She runs the business out of her Winter Haven home.
She has not been her arrested on the neglect charges, but her husband, 36-year-old Paul Browning, was arrested Tuesday and charged with battery.
Authorities say Kathy Browning is a victim of domestic violence. Paul Browning was arrested after a deputy who came to investigate the complaint about the dogs noticed bruising around his wife’s right eye, according to a Sheriff’s Office report. She also seemed fearful of her husband. The two were married in January.
On Wednesday, two business owners who leased dogs from Kathy Browning said they hadn’t had problems until about a year ago, when her former husband died. Then, she didn’t appear to come by as regularly, and the business owners said they began feeding the dogs themselves.
Because authorities took the guard dogs, the business owners have requested that their names not be released for security reasons.
At the two businesses, there were a Doberman pinscher, a Great Dane named Daisy and a German shepherd named Angel, which were kept on premises. Browning was responsible for feeding and caring for them.
According to one business owner, Browning inherited the business from her former husband, Dennis Parsons. He registered Foxhollow K-9 Training Center as a business in 1990.
Despite Browning’s infrequent visits, the dogs were in excellent shape, the business owners said. Authorities expect to return the leased dogs to the businesses after medical exams.
A call to the Brownings’ home was not returned Wednesday.
She told deputies that recent financial difficulties and personal issues had prevented her from caring for the animals, according to the Sheriff’s Office, and she signed custody of 21 adult dogs and three puppies over to the Sheriff’s Office. Officers had been to Browning’s home before on similar complaints, but this is the first time she has faced charges, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Many of the dogs appeared malnourished and had fleas and parasites Tuesday, the Sheriff’s Office said. All of the dogs were taken to Animal Control Tuesday night and were still being examined Wednesday afternoon.
They include:
14 German shepherds
4 Belgian Malinois (1 adult and 3 puppies)
2 Dobermans
2 American bulldogs
1 Rottweiler
1 Great Dane
None of the dogs are yet available for adoption. Those that have been trained as guard dogs will likely be given to rescue organizations, while the friendlier dogs will be available for adoption after recuperating.
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Casino patrons fight off robber www.privateofficer.com
State police said several casino patrons fought off a robbery attempt early Tuesday in a parking garage at Mohegan Sun.
At about 1:30 a.m., police said Bobby Porter, 21, of 45 Boulder Drive in New London, followed several casino patrons to their vehicle in Riverview Garage. The patrons had just cashed in their chips and were leaving.
Porter approached the vehicle, opened the driver’s door and told the female driver to “give me your money or I will shoot,” according to police reports. Witnesses said they never saw a gun.
The two passengers in the vehicle wrestled with Porter and punched him several times in the face, police said. Porter ran from the scene, leaving behind a sweatshirt and baseball cap, police said.
With the aid of casino security, state police from Troop E in Montville tracked Porter to New London, where he was arrested.
At Porter’s court appearance in Norwich Tuesday, Judge Robert Young ordered Porter held on $10,000 bond and to stay away from the casino. Porter is charged with attempted second-degree robbery, second-degree larceny and breach of peace. He is due back in court July 13.
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