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U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum officer killed in gunbattle www.privateofficer.com
June 10, 2009
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WASHINGTON DC June 10 2009 – An 88-year-old gunman with a violent and virulently anti-Semitic past opened fire with a rifle inside the crowded U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday, fatally wounding a security guard before being shot himself by other officers, authorities said.
The assailant was hospitalized in critical condition, leaving behind a sprawling investigation by federal and local law enforcement and expressions of shock from the Israeli government and a prominent Muslim organization.
Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier said the gunman was “engaged by security guards immediately after entering the door” with a rifle. “The second he stepped into the building he began firing.”
Law enforcement officials said James W. von Brunn, a white supremacist, was under investigation in the shooting and that his car was found near the museum and tested for explosives. The weapon was a .22-caliber rifle, they added. They spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss the investigation just beginning.
Museum officials identified the dead guard as Stephen T. Johns, a six-year veteran of the facility. Director Sara Bloomfield said he “died heroically in the line of duty.”
At the White House, just blocks away from the museum, President Barack Obama said, “This outrageous act reminds us that we must remain vigilant against anti-Semitism and prejudice in all its forms. No American institution is more important to this effort than the Holocaust Museum, and no act of violence will diminish our determination to honor those who were lost by building a more peaceful and tolerant world.”
Von Brunn has a racist, anti-Semitic Web site and wrote a book titled “Kill the Best Gentiles,” alleging a Jewish “conspiracy to destroy the white gene pool.”
In 1983, he was convicted of attempting to kidnap members of the Federal Reserve Board and served more than six years in prison. He was arrested two years earlier outside the room where the board was meeting, carrying a revolver, knife and sawed-off shotgun. At the time, police said von Brunn wanted to take the members hostage because of high interest rates and the nation’s economic difficulties.
Writings attributed to von Brunn on the Internet say the Holocaust was a hoax and decry a Jewish conspiracy to “destroy the white gene pool.”
“At Auschwitz the ‘Holocaust’ myth became Reality, and Germany, cultural gem of the West, became a pariah among world nations,” it says.
The museum, which opened in 1993 and has drawn nearly 30 million visitors, houses exhibits and records relating to the Holocaust of more than a half century ago in which more than six million Jews died at the hands of Nazis. Its Web site says the museum “teaches millions of people each year about the dangers of unchecked hatred and the need to prevent genocide.”
The museum was crowded with school children and other tourists at the time of the attack, but they all escaped injury in the outburst of violence.
Ashley Camp, 14, of Forsyth, Ill., on a field trip with more than 40 other students, said she heard two or three gunshots. Soon after, she recalled, a security guard ordered the group to run to the exit.
“We had to sprint as fast as we could out the door,” she said. “I thought it was the movie (part of a museum exhibit), but then everyone started screaming and running.”
The attack was the third in a recent wave of unsettling shootings that appeared to have political or ethnic underpinnings.
A 23-year-old Army private, William Andrew Long, was shot and killed outside a recruiting office this month in Arkansas and a fellow soldier was wounded. The suspect, a Muslim convert, has said he considers the killing justified because of the U.S. military presence in the Middle East.
Late last month, abortion provider Dr. George Tiller was shot to death in his church.
Johns, the security guard killed Wednesday, was black.
Only last week, Obama visited the site of a German concentration camp at Buchenwald in Germany where he noted, “There are those who insist the Holocaust never happened.” He added, “This place is the ultimate rebuke to such thoughts, a reminder of our duty to confront those who would tell lies about our history.”
In a statement from Israel’s government, Information and Diaspora Minister Yuli Edelstein said the shooting was “further proof that anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial have not passed from the world.”
And the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a prominent American Muslim organization, said in a statement, “We condemn this apparent bias-motivated attack and stand with the Jewish community and with Americans of all faiths in repudiating the kind of hatred and intolerance that can lead to such disturbing incidents.”
Within minutes after the attack, federal agents were dispatched to von Brunn’s home in Annapolis, Md., to check his computer. Joseph Persichini, assistant director in charge of the Washington FBI field office, said the shootings were being investigated as a possible hate crime or a case of domestic terrorism.
According to a relative, von Brunn attended Washington University in St. Louis and is an artist.
He was commissioned as a naval officer decades ago, and discharged from the Navy in 1956. A cousin, Virginia Gerker of St. Louis, said in an interview she hadn’t seen him in 50 years. She said her family had “disowned” him believed him to be mentally ill.
About a dozen years ago, he applied to have his art shown at a gallery in Easton, Md., according to two of the owners. Laura Era and Jennifer Wharton said they rejected his work and he stomped out.
Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center said von Brunn’s Web site has long been listed as a hate site.
The Rev. David Ostendorf, executive director of Center for a New Community in Chicago, a national civil rights group, said von Brunn has described in his own writings a long relationship with Willis Carto, founder of the Liberty Lobby, the Spotlight Newspaper and a well-known white supremacist and anti-Semite.
The assailant was hospitalized in critical condition, leaving behind a sprawling investigation by federal and local law enforcement and expressions of shock from the Israeli government and a prominent Muslim organization.
Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier said the gunman was “engaged by security guards immediately after entering the door” with a rifle. “The second he stepped into the building he began firing.”
Law enforcement officials said James W. von Brunn, a white supremacist, was under investigation in the shooting and that his car was found near the museum and tested for explosives. The weapon was a .22-caliber rifle, they added. They spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss the investigation just beginning.
Museum officials identified the dead guard as Stephen T. Johns, a six-year veteran of the facility. Director Sara Bloomfield said he “died heroically in the line of duty.”
At the White House, just blocks away from the museum, President Barack Obama said, “This outrageous act reminds us that we must remain vigilant against anti-Semitism and prejudice in all its forms. No American institution is more important to this effort than the Holocaust Museum, and no act of violence will diminish our determination to honor those who were lost by building a more peaceful and tolerant world.”
Von Brunn has a racist, anti-Semitic Web site and wrote a book titled “Kill the Best Gentiles,” alleging a Jewish “conspiracy to destroy the white gene pool.”
In 1983, he was convicted of attempting to kidnap members of the Federal Reserve Board and served more than six years in prison. He was arrested two years earlier outside the room where the board was meeting, carrying a revolver, knife and sawed-off shotgun. At the time, police said von Brunn wanted to take the members hostage because of high interest rates and the nation’s economic difficulties.
Writings attributed to von Brunn on the Internet say the Holocaust was a hoax and decry a Jewish conspiracy to “destroy the white gene pool.”
“At Auschwitz the ‘Holocaust’ myth became Reality, and Germany, cultural gem of the West, became a pariah among world nations,” it says.
The museum, which opened in 1993 and has drawn nearly 30 million visitors, houses exhibits and records relating to the Holocaust of more than a half century ago in which more than six million Jews died at the hands of Nazis. Its Web site says the museum “teaches millions of people each year about the dangers of unchecked hatred and the need to prevent genocide.”
The museum was crowded with school children and other tourists at the time of the attack, but they all escaped injury in the outburst of violence.
Ashley Camp, 14, of Forsyth, Ill., on a field trip with more than 40 other students, said she heard two or three gunshots. Soon after, she recalled, a security guard ordered the group to run to the exit.
“We had to sprint as fast as we could out the door,” she said. “I thought it was the movie (part of a museum exhibit), but then everyone started screaming and running.”
The attack was the third in a recent wave of unsettling shootings that appeared to have political or ethnic underpinnings.
A 23-year-old Army private, William Andrew Long, was shot and killed outside a recruiting office this month in Arkansas and a fellow soldier was wounded. The suspect, a Muslim convert, has said he considers the killing justified because of the U.S. military presence in the Middle East.
Late last month, abortion provider Dr. George Tiller was shot to death in his church.
Johns, the security guard killed Wednesday, was black.
Only last week, Obama visited the site of a German concentration camp at Buchenwald in Germany where he noted, “There are those who insist the Holocaust never happened.” He added, “This place is the ultimate rebuke to such thoughts, a reminder of our duty to confront those who would tell lies about our history.”
In a statement from Israel’s government, Information and Diaspora Minister Yuli Edelstein said the shooting was “further proof that anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial have not passed from the world.”
And the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a prominent American Muslim organization, said in a statement, “We condemn this apparent bias-motivated attack and stand with the Jewish community and with Americans of all faiths in repudiating the kind of hatred and intolerance that can lead to such disturbing incidents.”
Within minutes after the attack, federal agents were dispatched to von Brunn’s home in Annapolis, Md., to check his computer. Joseph Persichini, assistant director in charge of the Washington FBI field office, said the shootings were being investigated as a possible hate crime or a case of domestic terrorism.
According to a relative, von Brunn attended Washington University in St. Louis and is an artist.
He was commissioned as a naval officer decades ago, and discharged from the Navy in 1956. A cousin, Virginia Gerker of St. Louis, said in an interview she hadn’t seen him in 50 years. She said her family had “disowned” him believed him to be mentally ill.
About a dozen years ago, he applied to have his art shown at a gallery in Easton, Md., according to two of the owners. Laura Era and Jennifer Wharton said they rejected his work and he stomped out.
Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center said von Brunn’s Web site has long been listed as a hate site.
The Rev. David Ostendorf, executive director of Center for a New Community in Chicago, a national civil rights group, said von Brunn has described in his own writings a long relationship with Willis Carto, founder of the Liberty Lobby, the Spotlight Newspaper and a well-known white supremacist and anti-Semite.
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Categories: OFFICER DOWN, police, security officer killed
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Family sues Knoxville mall over wrongful death www.privateofficer.com
June 10, 2009
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn June 10 2009 (WVLT) — A five million dollar wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Simon Malls, the owner of Reno Men’s Wear, and a security firm in connection to a fatal shooting inside the Knoxville Center Mall on October 8, 2008.
Knoxville attorney Eddie Daniel filed the lawsuit in Knox County Circuit Court this morning on behalf of Mary-Beth Thompson-Nahl, the widow of Ahmed Nahl.
According to the lawsuit, Ahmed Nahl was visiting Reno Men’s Wear when he was taken hostage and shot by a disgruntled customer, identified by police as William Johnson.
Johnson is charged with first degree murder.
In the wrongful death suit, Daniel alleges security personnel for Knoxville Center Mall, that were employees of Simon Property Group or the security firm IPC International Corporation passed by the situation and failed to act.
The lawsuit alleges, after that, Johnson shot Nahl a second time, and that shot was fatal.
The lawsuit alleges the owner of Reno Men’s Wear, Yasser Salem, also failed to provide appropriate security in their store
Knoxville attorney Eddie Daniel filed the lawsuit in Knox County Circuit Court this morning on behalf of Mary-Beth Thompson-Nahl, the widow of Ahmed Nahl.
According to the lawsuit, Ahmed Nahl was visiting Reno Men’s Wear when he was taken hostage and shot by a disgruntled customer, identified by police as William Johnson.
Johnson is charged with first degree murder.
In the wrongful death suit, Daniel alleges security personnel for Knoxville Center Mall, that were employees of Simon Property Group or the security firm IPC International Corporation passed by the situation and failed to act.
The lawsuit alleges, after that, Johnson shot Nahl a second time, and that shot was fatal.
The lawsuit alleges the owner of Reno Men’s Wear, Yasser Salem, also failed to provide appropriate security in their store
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Professional shoplifters nabbed in Auburn www.privateofficer.com
June 10, 2009
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Auburn NY June 10 2009
Two Auburn women are accused of using their large purses to steal almost $1,150 in merchandise from four stores at the Waterloo Premium Outlets mall Friday, state police said Monday.
Troopers said Frances Copes, 24, of 54 Parker St., and Frances Copes, 21, of 145 Park Place, are accused of first stealing tools from Black & Decker in order to cut off the security tags from merchandise they stole from Old Navy, Aldo and the Banana Republic.
After cutting off the tags, the two women are accused of shoving the items into their over-sized purses in order to smuggle their loot back to the car, troopers said. Most of the items consisted of baby and adult clothes, shoes, watches and smaller purses.
The two women were arrested at 2 p.m. after mall security called the police, troopers said. A responding officer allegedly caught the two women as they were dumping stolen merchandise into their car, troopers said.
Both women are charged with third-degree felony possession of stolen property, troopers said. Bowman is also charged with issuing a false written statement to police and criminal impersonation, both misdemeanors, for giving police a fake name. Copes is also charged with misdemeanor possession of burglars tools.
Bowman also has active petit larceny-related arrest warrants in Auburn and Onondaga County, troopers said.
Both women were arraigned in the Town of Junius Court and remanded to the Seneca County Jail, where they remain in lieu of bail, which was set at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond for Bowman and $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond for Copes.
Two Auburn women are accused of using their large purses to steal almost $1,150 in merchandise from four stores at the Waterloo Premium Outlets mall Friday, state police said Monday.
Troopers said Frances Copes, 24, of 54 Parker St., and Frances Copes, 21, of 145 Park Place, are accused of first stealing tools from Black & Decker in order to cut off the security tags from merchandise they stole from Old Navy, Aldo and the Banana Republic.
After cutting off the tags, the two women are accused of shoving the items into their over-sized purses in order to smuggle their loot back to the car, troopers said. Most of the items consisted of baby and adult clothes, shoes, watches and smaller purses.
The two women were arrested at 2 p.m. after mall security called the police, troopers said. A responding officer allegedly caught the two women as they were dumping stolen merchandise into their car, troopers said.
Both women are charged with third-degree felony possession of stolen property, troopers said. Bowman is also charged with issuing a false written statement to police and criminal impersonation, both misdemeanors, for giving police a fake name. Copes is also charged with misdemeanor possession of burglars tools.
Bowman also has active petit larceny-related arrest warrants in Auburn and Onondaga County, troopers said.
Both women were arraigned in the Town of Junius Court and remanded to the Seneca County Jail, where they remain in lieu of bail, which was set at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond for Bowman and $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond for Copes.
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Security officer opens fire on burglar www.privateofficer.com
June 10, 2009
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Fontana CA June 10 2009
An armed security guard opened fire on a would-be thief who was trying to break into a Fontana building materials business Sunday, police said.
The guard was working at Thompson’s Building Materials at 11027 Cherry Avenue at 12:51 a.m. when he found a man trying to enter the property through a hole in a chain link fence. Police said the guard pulled out his gun and ordered the man to get on his knees.
The man charged at the guard while he was calling the Police Department. Officers said when the man reached for the guard’s gun, the guard fired two to three shots before his gun jammed.
The man ran to a white pickup truck and drove away. The vehicle is either a full-size Chevrolet or Ford truck.
Police found two shell casings at the scene, as well as some fresh blood near where the man parked his getaway vehicle. Police told area hospital employees to keep an eye out for a man who received a gunshot wound.
The man is white, 6-feet-2 inches tall, 180 pounds and wore a blue shirt, blue jeans and gloves. He is 30 to 35-years-old, police said.
An armed security guard opened fire on a would-be thief who was trying to break into a Fontana building materials business Sunday, police said.
The guard was working at Thompson’s Building Materials at 11027 Cherry Avenue at 12:51 a.m. when he found a man trying to enter the property through a hole in a chain link fence. Police said the guard pulled out his gun and ordered the man to get on his knees.
The man charged at the guard while he was calling the Police Department. Officers said when the man reached for the guard’s gun, the guard fired two to three shots before his gun jammed.
The man ran to a white pickup truck and drove away. The vehicle is either a full-size Chevrolet or Ford truck.
Police found two shell casings at the scene, as well as some fresh blood near where the man parked his getaway vehicle. Police told area hospital employees to keep an eye out for a man who received a gunshot wound.
The man is white, 6-feet-2 inches tall, 180 pounds and wore a blue shirt, blue jeans and gloves. He is 30 to 35-years-old, police said.
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Categories: security shoots
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Police say security intefered with duties www.privateofficer.com
June 10, 2009
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Chesterton, IN June 10 2009
Chesterton Tribune
Burns Harbor Town Marshal Jerry Price was scheduled to meet today with the firm which provides security at the Burns Harbor facility of ArcelorMittal USA following an incident on June 3 at the East Gate.
According to the report filed by Officer K. Karimi, at 10:50 p.m. Karimi executed a traffic stop inside the East Gate just before the guard shack. After making contact with the driver and returning to his squad, Karimi stated in his report, he observed an SUV with Illinois registration pull in front of the vehicle which he had just stopped. A male subject wearing dark clothing and a “Gary Fire Department” baseball cap subsequently exited the SUV, walked past the vehicle which Karimi had stopped, and approached the squad on the driver’s side, Karimi stated.
Karimi instructed the subject to wait by his SUV until the traffic stop was completed, Karimi stated, but the subject said in reply that he was a “captain” with mill security and needed information on why Karimi had stopped a vehicle on private property.
Karimi stated in his report that the subject did not provide credentials or identification and that the only thing identifying him as a security guard was a navy blue jacket with a small patch reading “Security” on the left chest.
“I then informed the subject that as soon as I was through with my traffic stop that I would speak with him,” Karimi stated. “The subject then became very belligerent and demanding. The subject stated that I was on private property and that I had to give him the information that he needed right away.”
“I then asked that the subject step away from my vehicle so I could step out of the vehicle,” Karimi stated in his report. “The subject remained at the front of the driver’s door standing right where my spot light is located on my vehicle. It should be noted I ordered the subject away from my stop both for his safety and my own.”
Karimi stated that he then asked the dispatcher to send additional units to the scene to assist with the traffic stop and that a Porter Police officer and a NICTD Transit Police officer duly arrived. Meanwhile, Karimi stated, another subject wearing a uniform shirt reading “Mittal Steel” and driving a “Mittal Steel truck with clear markings on it” also arrived at the scene, that subject parking directly behind the BHPD squad. “(D)uring this time my emergency lights were activated and I was still conducting the original traffic stop,” Karimi stated.
The first subject “continued to be very adamant about getting the information that he was requesting,” Karimi stated. “I again informed him to step back from me and I would explain this to him. He failed to follow my commands and was briefly detained and told he would be arrested if he again failed to follow my commands. The subject stated he was not ‘resisting’ and reluctantly followed my commands, distancing himself from my vehicle and the offender’s vehicle. The subject further advised he was ‘sorry,’ later stating it was his superiors’ orders to get all information of any happenings on the mill grounds. I informed him that it was an infraction that occurred off of their grounds and the vehicle did not stop until on their grounds.”
Price told the Chesterton Tribune today that an officer has no way of controlling where a motorist stops his vehicle when pulled over by an officer and that many traffic stops are conducted on private property. Price also said that he was asked to meet later today with the security firm to discuss the incident.
Price noted that Karimi’s in-squad camera was not functioning properly at the time of the traffic stop but that the security firm is supposed to have a video surveillance tape of the incident.
Chesterton Tribune
Burns Harbor Town Marshal Jerry Price was scheduled to meet today with the firm which provides security at the Burns Harbor facility of ArcelorMittal USA following an incident on June 3 at the East Gate.
According to the report filed by Officer K. Karimi, at 10:50 p.m. Karimi executed a traffic stop inside the East Gate just before the guard shack. After making contact with the driver and returning to his squad, Karimi stated in his report, he observed an SUV with Illinois registration pull in front of the vehicle which he had just stopped. A male subject wearing dark clothing and a “Gary Fire Department” baseball cap subsequently exited the SUV, walked past the vehicle which Karimi had stopped, and approached the squad on the driver’s side, Karimi stated.
Karimi instructed the subject to wait by his SUV until the traffic stop was completed, Karimi stated, but the subject said in reply that he was a “captain” with mill security and needed information on why Karimi had stopped a vehicle on private property.
Karimi stated in his report that the subject did not provide credentials or identification and that the only thing identifying him as a security guard was a navy blue jacket with a small patch reading “Security” on the left chest.
“I then informed the subject that as soon as I was through with my traffic stop that I would speak with him,” Karimi stated. “The subject then became very belligerent and demanding. The subject stated that I was on private property and that I had to give him the information that he needed right away.”
“I then asked that the subject step away from my vehicle so I could step out of the vehicle,” Karimi stated in his report. “The subject remained at the front of the driver’s door standing right where my spot light is located on my vehicle. It should be noted I ordered the subject away from my stop both for his safety and my own.”
Karimi stated that he then asked the dispatcher to send additional units to the scene to assist with the traffic stop and that a Porter Police officer and a NICTD Transit Police officer duly arrived. Meanwhile, Karimi stated, another subject wearing a uniform shirt reading “Mittal Steel” and driving a “Mittal Steel truck with clear markings on it” also arrived at the scene, that subject parking directly behind the BHPD squad. “(D)uring this time my emergency lights were activated and I was still conducting the original traffic stop,” Karimi stated.
The first subject “continued to be very adamant about getting the information that he was requesting,” Karimi stated. “I again informed him to step back from me and I would explain this to him. He failed to follow my commands and was briefly detained and told he would be arrested if he again failed to follow my commands. The subject stated he was not ‘resisting’ and reluctantly followed my commands, distancing himself from my vehicle and the offender’s vehicle. The subject further advised he was ‘sorry,’ later stating it was his superiors’ orders to get all information of any happenings on the mill grounds. I informed him that it was an infraction that occurred off of their grounds and the vehicle did not stop until on their grounds.”
Price told the Chesterton Tribune today that an officer has no way of controlling where a motorist stops his vehicle when pulled over by an officer and that many traffic stops are conducted on private property. Price also said that he was asked to meet later today with the security firm to discuss the incident.
Price noted that Karimi’s in-squad camera was not functioning properly at the time of the traffic stop but that the security firm is supposed to have a video surveillance tape of the incident.
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Woman gunned down at Fla hospital www.privateofficer.com
June 10, 2009
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TITUSVILLE Fla June 10 2009 — A 30-year-old woman gunned down this morning outside Parrish Medical Center was afraid her husband, Jeremiah Williams, would kill her if she tried to leave him, court records said.
In the documents filed May 5, Yolanda Garvin-Williams wrote: “I told him I that I was leaving. He told me if I filed for an injunction that I will never live to make it to court. He then went on saying how he would start killing my family members.”
In the documents filed May 5, Yolanda Garvin-Williams wrote: “I told him I that I was leaving. He told me if I filed for an injunction that I will never live to make it to court. He then went on saying how he would start killing my family members.”
Judge Lisa Davidson granted the temporary injunction on May 5, but dismissed the case when Garvin-Williams did not show up for a May 14 hearing.
The court records said Garvin-Williams last month moved out of the home the couple owned on Oklahoma Street.
But her stepmother, Irene Garvin, said there was a dispute last week at her new apartment.
“He jumped on her this past Wednesday. He knocked at the apartment door, took her cell phone and ran before we could get there,” she said. “He’s been very abusive, very controlling, every since they’ve been together. She finally left him a month ago and that’s when he told her he was going to kill her and kill the family.”
Court documents said the couple met in 1997 and married in 2000.
Irene Garvin said Garvin-Williams – or “Yogi” as family members called her – was “very loving.”
A certified nursing assistant, Garvin-Williams was found lying on the ground in the hospital’s north parking lot. Police said she was shot multiple times and was rushed to the emergency room where doctors pronounced her dead a short time later, officials said.
The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Jeremiah Williams, was captured in Marion County at about 10 a.m. as he apparently fled in Garvin-Williams’s Dodge Intrepid.
Marion County sheriff’s officials said Williams was on his way to Gainesville to meet with an unidentified woman waiting with another car when deputies spotted the vehicle along U.S. 441.
“We deployed stop sticks and were able to disable the vehicle,” said Jenifer Fisher spokeswoman for the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. “He claimed he had chest pains and was taken to Munroe Regional Medical Center for treatment.”
It was not immediately known if a weapon was recovered.
“The most important thing for the public to know is that this was not a random act,” said Todd Hutchinson, spokesman for the Titusville Police Department.
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Woman sues hospital for inadequate security www.privateofficer.com
June 10, 2009
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Las Vegas NV June 10 2009
One of the two women sexually assaulted by a man in the parking lot of a Las Vegas hospital last year says security was inadequate there and has filed a lawsuit over the incident.
The woman, identified as Jane Doe in court papers, filed the suit last week in Clark County District Court against Desert Springs Hospital and its owner Valley Health System.
Attorney David Ferrainolo, responding on behalf of the hospital, said Tuesday it had not been served with the suit and couldn’t immediately comment on its specific allegations.
“Notwithstanding, Desert Springs denies any contentions or claims that it had inadequate security at the time of this assault and intends to defend such claims vigorously. Desert Springs uses all appropriate security mechanisms and the safety and well being of its patients, guests and employees is their highest priority,” he said in a statement.
After two women were sexually assaulted by an armed man early the morning of May 18, 2008, Metro Police identified Roy James Trost as the suspect and he was arrested by the FBI in Venice Beach, Calif., five days later.
Trost, 19 at the time, was arrested on 13 charges including sexual assault with a weapon, first degree kidnapping, robbery with a deadly weapon, sexual assault with a victim under 16 and burglary with a deadly weapon.
At the time, police said in a statement: “The suspect was seen loitering in the area of the hospital prior to the crime occurring.”
In her lawsuit, Jane Doe charges security — provided by the hospital and an unnamed contracted security provider — failed to prevent the attack.
“Defendant hospital … owed a duty of care to its customers, patients and visitors to provide premises which were reasonably safe from criminal assaults by third persons,” the lawsuit alleges.
“Defendant hospital knew or should have known that dangerous and criminal activity was taking place on and about the premises of defendant hospital and that criminal attacks upon the persons or property of customers, patients and visitors were foreseeable,” the suit continued.
Valley Health System is owned by Universal Health Services Inc. of King of Prussia, Pa.
One of the two women sexually assaulted by a man in the parking lot of a Las Vegas hospital last year says security was inadequate there and has filed a lawsuit over the incident.
The woman, identified as Jane Doe in court papers, filed the suit last week in Clark County District Court against Desert Springs Hospital and its owner Valley Health System.
Attorney David Ferrainolo, responding on behalf of the hospital, said Tuesday it had not been served with the suit and couldn’t immediately comment on its specific allegations.
“Notwithstanding, Desert Springs denies any contentions or claims that it had inadequate security at the time of this assault and intends to defend such claims vigorously. Desert Springs uses all appropriate security mechanisms and the safety and well being of its patients, guests and employees is their highest priority,” he said in a statement.
After two women were sexually assaulted by an armed man early the morning of May 18, 2008, Metro Police identified Roy James Trost as the suspect and he was arrested by the FBI in Venice Beach, Calif., five days later.
Trost, 19 at the time, was arrested on 13 charges including sexual assault with a weapon, first degree kidnapping, robbery with a deadly weapon, sexual assault with a victim under 16 and burglary with a deadly weapon.
At the time, police said in a statement: “The suspect was seen loitering in the area of the hospital prior to the crime occurring.”
In her lawsuit, Jane Doe charges security — provided by the hospital and an unnamed contracted security provider — failed to prevent the attack.
“Defendant hospital … owed a duty of care to its customers, patients and visitors to provide premises which were reasonably safe from criminal assaults by third persons,” the lawsuit alleges.
“Defendant hospital knew or should have known that dangerous and criminal activity was taking place on and about the premises of defendant hospital and that criminal attacks upon the persons or property of customers, patients and visitors were foreseeable,” the suit continued.
Valley Health System is owned by Universal Health Services Inc. of King of Prussia, Pa.
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3 Killed in NC Slim Jim plant explosion www.privateofficer.com
June 10, 2009
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GARNER, N.C.June 10 2009 – Authorities say they have found a third body inside a Slim Jim factory in North Carolina a day after an explosion wrecked the building.
Garner Police Sgt. Chris Clayton said crews found the remains of a missing worker Wednesday morning. He said teams were preparing to enter the facility through the roof as part of recovery efforts.
The worker was the only person unaccounted for after the blast. Two people died, including the only victim so far identified by police. The body of 43-year-old Barbara McLean Spears of Dunn was retrieved Tuesday night before searchers suspended work because heavy rains threatened to collapse the unstable structure.
Officials said 300 workers were in the plant when the blast occurred and 38 employees were injured.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
GARNER, N.C.June 10 2009 (AP) — Crews in protective suits headed back into a collapsed Slim Jim factory through the roof Wednesday in an effort to reach a second body and find a missing worker after an unexplained blast ripped through the plant.
Authorities identified one of the victims of the Tuesday explosion as Barbara McLean Spears, 43, of Dunn. Her brother, Anthony McLean, 38, told The Associated Press that Spears had worked at the ConAgra Foods Inc. plant in Garner for about 15 years, most recently in the cutting department.
“I knew she was a victim when I went to ConAgra and she didn’t get off the bus,” McLean said. “I knew something was wrong with my sister at that time. No one could tell us what hospital she was in or anything.” McLean, of Ocala, Fla., was visiting family in Dunn, about 30 miles south of Garner.
Spears’ body was retrieved Tuesday night before searchers suspended work because heavy rains threatened to collapse the unstable structure.
Search and rescue chief Frank McLaurin said enough water had been drained off Wednesday morning to allow crews to re-enter the building.
The crews will work slowly because the structure is unstable, McLaurin said.
“It’s not going to be a fast process,” he said. “Cranes are coming in and we will start picking the building apart. Thousands and thousands of tons of debris have got to come out of the way to gain access.”
He said the two bodies were within 100 feet of each other in the rubble. Seven-person search crews will be rotated in and out of the building every 30 minutes.
Hazmat suits were required because ammonia vapor, which had been tamped down by the rain, was leaking up through the debris, McLaurin said. But the gas wasn’t a danger outside of the building and schools in the area planned to proceed with classes. Some roads in the area were still closed.
Officials said 300 workers were in the plant when the blast occurred and 38 employees were injured, including four with critical burns. Three firefighters were treated for inhaling ammonia fumes and released.
ConAgra spokeswoman Stephanie Childs said a fund was being set up to help families of victims and that employees would continue to be paid. She said the company will work with the Spears family to provide any support possible.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to her family and her loved ones,” Childs said.
Garner Mayor Ronnie Williams said families were “somewhat in limbo. They’re in a ton of uncertainty.”
The blast collapsed an exterior wall, smashing cars parked next to the 500,000-square-foot building.
Authorities could not say where in the plant the blast happened or what caused it, but some workers who escaped said chaos and panic followed.
Janelle Lynch, who has worked at the plant for eight years, said she saw flames and ran. She planned to leave through the cutting department, but the roof started to collapse, so she went in the other direction and escaped through a warehouse.
“I saw a fire and things just started exploding,” she said.
About 900 people cover four shifts at the plant, one of ConAgra’s largest, Jackson said. The ammonia is used to refrigerate meat before it’s turned into Slim Jims.
The company, which has 25,000 employees worldwide, makes brands like Chef Boyardee, Hunt’s tomato sauce, ACT II popcorn and Hebrew National hot dogs.
The plant was last inspected by the North Carolina Department of Labor for workplace safety last July and no violations were found, department spokeswoman Dolores Quesenberry said. The plant had violations in previous years, including a fine in 2007 for problems with eye and face protection equipment.
Garner Police Sgt. Chris Clayton said crews found the remains of a missing worker Wednesday morning. He said teams were preparing to enter the facility through the roof as part of recovery efforts.
The worker was the only person unaccounted for after the blast. Two people died, including the only victim so far identified by police. The body of 43-year-old Barbara McLean Spears of Dunn was retrieved Tuesday night before searchers suspended work because heavy rains threatened to collapse the unstable structure.
Officials said 300 workers were in the plant when the blast occurred and 38 employees were injured.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
GARNER, N.C.June 10 2009 (AP) — Crews in protective suits headed back into a collapsed Slim Jim factory through the roof Wednesday in an effort to reach a second body and find a missing worker after an unexplained blast ripped through the plant.
Authorities identified one of the victims of the Tuesday explosion as Barbara McLean Spears, 43, of Dunn. Her brother, Anthony McLean, 38, told The Associated Press that Spears had worked at the ConAgra Foods Inc. plant in Garner for about 15 years, most recently in the cutting department.
“I knew she was a victim when I went to ConAgra and she didn’t get off the bus,” McLean said. “I knew something was wrong with my sister at that time. No one could tell us what hospital she was in or anything.” McLean, of Ocala, Fla., was visiting family in Dunn, about 30 miles south of Garner.
Spears’ body was retrieved Tuesday night before searchers suspended work because heavy rains threatened to collapse the unstable structure.
Search and rescue chief Frank McLaurin said enough water had been drained off Wednesday morning to allow crews to re-enter the building.
The crews will work slowly because the structure is unstable, McLaurin said.
“It’s not going to be a fast process,” he said. “Cranes are coming in and we will start picking the building apart. Thousands and thousands of tons of debris have got to come out of the way to gain access.”
He said the two bodies were within 100 feet of each other in the rubble. Seven-person search crews will be rotated in and out of the building every 30 minutes.
Hazmat suits were required because ammonia vapor, which had been tamped down by the rain, was leaking up through the debris, McLaurin said. But the gas wasn’t a danger outside of the building and schools in the area planned to proceed with classes. Some roads in the area were still closed.
Officials said 300 workers were in the plant when the blast occurred and 38 employees were injured, including four with critical burns. Three firefighters were treated for inhaling ammonia fumes and released.
ConAgra spokeswoman Stephanie Childs said a fund was being set up to help families of victims and that employees would continue to be paid. She said the company will work with the Spears family to provide any support possible.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to her family and her loved ones,” Childs said.
Garner Mayor Ronnie Williams said families were “somewhat in limbo. They’re in a ton of uncertainty.”
The blast collapsed an exterior wall, smashing cars parked next to the 500,000-square-foot building.
Authorities could not say where in the plant the blast happened or what caused it, but some workers who escaped said chaos and panic followed.
Janelle Lynch, who has worked at the plant for eight years, said she saw flames and ran. She planned to leave through the cutting department, but the roof started to collapse, so she went in the other direction and escaped through a warehouse.
“I saw a fire and things just started exploding,” she said.
About 900 people cover four shifts at the plant, one of ConAgra’s largest, Jackson said. The ammonia is used to refrigerate meat before it’s turned into Slim Jims.
The company, which has 25,000 employees worldwide, makes brands like Chef Boyardee, Hunt’s tomato sauce, ACT II popcorn and Hebrew National hot dogs.
The plant was last inspected by the North Carolina Department of Labor for workplace safety last July and no violations were found, department spokeswoman Dolores Quesenberry said. The plant had violations in previous years, including a fine in 2007 for problems with eye and face protection equipment.
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