Archive
Former deputy sheriff arrested for having sex with 14 year old www.privateofficer.com
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division says 26-year-old Michael Boulware stands charged with second degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
“To know that it’s a brother of the law enforcement that I work with around our community and county, very surprising, devastating, and I’m very upset about it.”
Falls says his oldest daughter, just 14 years old, drank alcohol with Michael Boulware. But Thursday, Falls found out a different 14-year-old girl did a little more — she had sex with Boulware.
Now Boulware’s charges aren’t just about giving alcohol to minors; they’ve been upgraded to a felony.
“I just asked her to be open and honest with the investigators, then we’ll go from there,” Falls said.
Falls, especially being in law enforcement himself, never thought his daughter would be involved in something like this.
“We keep a close hand with our kids and you think you know them in and out,” he said. “You still need to check up on them a little more.”
For Falls and for Boulware’s neighbors, who also have young kids, the arrest is a relief.
“We have enough on the streets to worry about, keeping kids out of trouble, and we have a brother in law enforcement ruining it all for us,” Falls said.
Falls says Michael Boulware was a family friend, and that’s how he got to know the girls.
Boulware is scheduled to be in bond court at 3:30pm Friday. If convicted of the latest charge, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Shoplifters escalate crime to home invasion www.privateofficer.com
Pineville, N.C. (metro Charlotte) July 31 2009By: Rick McCann
Private Officer News Network
www.privateofficer.com
Police say what started out as a shoplifting incident at store in Pineville escalated into a police pursuit and a home invasion with three small children inside alone.
The three men loaded a flat screen television into their car at the BJ’s Warehouse in Pineville without paying for it. As they fled, several store employees tried stopping them and police were called.
Officers followed their vehicle up Interstate 77 and to a neighborhood off Arrowood Road. Police say the men then ditched the car and broke into a house to hide from officers.
From there, the men took off on foot and was later tracked down by police
Rashaan Brown, Larrington Wilson and Duane Jackson have been arrested on a laundry list of charges including felony theft, home invasion, breaking and entering, possession of stolen goods, multiple driving offenses and other charges are pending.
The stolen flat screen TV was recovered from the vehicle, along with other items confirmed to have been stolen from a K-Mart store in Charlotte earlier in the day.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Man pleads guilty in killing of armored car guard www.privateofficer.com
The man accused of fatally shooting a Loomis armored-car guard during a robbery at a Lakewood Wal-Mart in June pleaded guilty this morning to aggravated first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, assault and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Calvin Finley, 35, was accused of killing Kurt Husted on June 2. He agreed to plead guilty to avoid facing the death penalty, according to Mark Lindquist, chief criminal deputy for the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors have already said they would not seek the death penalty against three co-defendants who have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The co-defendants — Marshawn A. Turpin, 20; Odies D. Walker, 41; and Tonie Marie Williams-Irby, 42 — are also charged with robbery and aggravated first-degree murder, the only charge in Washington punishable by death.
If convicted as charged, they will face life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Prosecutors had until Friday to decide whether to seek the death penalty against Finley.
According to police and prosecutors, Williams-Irby was a floor manager at Wal-Mart who planned the robbery with Walker, her boyfriend, and then recruited Finley and Turpin.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
UPS Security nabs employee in jewelry thefts www.privateofficer.com
Joshua Rodriguez was keeping more than feet in his shoes recently.
According to property crimes detectives, Rodriguez was stopped by a security guard at United Parcel Service’s northeast-side warehouse on July 22. Rodriguez is a UPS employee.
Rodriguez was in line, waiting to enter the warehouse as security guards were conducting a random shoe check at the UPS facility. According to the police report, Rodriguez attempted to get out of line when he saw the random search, but guards asked him to stay in line and proceed through the security checkpoint.
The guard reportedly found 16 small bags of jewelry hidden in Rodriguez’s shoes, including gold rings, wedding rings and chains. Some individual items of jewelry were worth $4,000.
The warrant said the items were being shipped to the Kay Jewelers store at the Shops of La Cantera. Police said Rodriguez got his hands on the package en route.
UPS took the stolen property and contacted SAPD to file a police report. They told police Rodriguez was suspected in other thefts, too.
Police arrested Rodriguez on theft charges Wednesday.
He was booked into the Bexar County Detention Center on a $10,000 bond.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Man arrested twice for having sex with horse www.privateofficer.com
A Conway, S.C., woman who had video surveillance of a man having sexual intercourse with one of her horses said she found the suspect behind her barn Monday night and pointed a shotgun at his head until police arrived and arrested him.
Rodell Vereen, 50, of Longs, is charged with buggery and trespassing after Barbara Kenley, who owns Lazy B Stables on Coates Road in the Wampee section of Horry County, told officers she had video of the suspect having sex with a horse then wanted to catch him at her barn.
“That stable was my getaway, my stress relief,” said Kenley, who has owned the stable for 20 years. “Everybody has a place they like to go to get away. Now it is totally destroyed. It is the only thing I have in life.”
A family member said Wednesday that Vereen was diagnosed with a “mental disease” more than 10 years ago.
“He’s supposed to be on medication but I don’t believe he’s been taking it,” said Beulah Vereen, also a neighbor. “He’s not a violent man, I know.”
It is the second time Vereen, who works for a landscaping company, has been charged with having sex with a horse at Lazy B Stables. Vereen pleaded guilty to buggery on July 21, 2008 and was sentenced to three years probation, ordered to undergo mental health counseling, and told not to go near Lazy B Stables after he was caught having sex with a horse on Thanksgiving Day of 2007, according to the 15th Judicial Circuit.
Vereen has also been registered as a sex offender since pleading to the buggery charge last year, according to the State Law Enforcement Division.
“I have a false sense of security right now,” Kenley said. “When they arrested him before I thought that was the end of it. Now all of my insecurities are back. I can’t go out there at certain times because I am afraid.”
Vereen will have a probation hearing at 9 a.m. Monday at J. Reuben Long Detention Center in Conway, according to Richard Laskill, a senior agent for the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services.
A judge will likely determine if Vereen will serve the remainder of his three-year suspended sentence for the 2007 buggery charge.
“Hopefully he won’t get out,” Kenley said. “My goal is to get him away from me and my property.”
Kenley, who lives four miles away from the stable, said she can’t afford a security system for the stables. She said she spent several hundred dollars on the video surveillance system that was used to help identify Vereen.
“In 20 years I’ve never had a problem like this,” Kenley said. “I never knew people did such a thing.”
Kenley said Vereen was having sex with a 21-year-old horse named Sugar. Kenley said the horse is being treated for infections related to the incidents.
Kenley told officers she had video of Vereen “having relations” with one of her horses on July 19, according to a police report. “I had given police surveillance video before and they weren’t able to identify him,” Kenley said. “And I wanted to catch him firsthand. It was just a matter of time before I caught him.”
On Monday night, Kenley said she went to check on the horses and saw an unknown vehicle parked near her property.
Kenley found Vereen behind a barn where the horses are kept and pointed a shotgun at him. Kenley called police on her cell phone and waited for officers to arrive.
“He was very subdued,” Kenley said. “He was like … cold. He may have been in shock.”
Kenley said she asked Vereen what he was doing at the barn and that he said he was looking for a bathroom.
“I told him he was full of crap,” Kenley said. “He apologized and said he didn’t mean to hurt me.”
Vereen admitted to officers that he did have “relations” with a horse on July 19, the report shows. Officers reported that they viewed a video showing the suspect having intercourse with a horse.
Bail was set at $10,000 for Vereen, who is being held at J. Reuben Long Detention Center
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Federal security considers knitting needles “dangerous weapons” www.privateofficer.com
A North Texas woman is asked to leave a Balch Springs Social Security office after a guard accused her of carrying dangerous weapons: her knitting needles
The armed guard came up to me and said I have to take that outside,” said Rachel Vines.
Vines said the only thing she was trying to kill inside the waiting room was time.
“I wasn’t shoving them in people’s faces going, ‘look I have sharp pointy things,’” she said. “I was sitting there minding my own business trying to knit a sock.”
Apparently the Officer determined the five-inch knitting needles were a threat to the safety and security of those inside the building. The Federal Protective Service oversees security inside the building and would not answer questions about the incident, but it did email NBCDFW this statement:
“The Federal Protective Service (FPS) is responsible for keeping federal properties safe and secure for both employees and visitors. If an FPS guard determines that an object carried by a visitor could present a safety risk or be used by another person as a weapon, they may be asked to remove it from the building.”
People in the waiting room used words like “ridiculous” and “outrageous” when referring to the guards move to make Vines remove the needles.
Vines did put her yarn and knitting tools in the car but said she’s still flabbergasted by the whole ordeal.
“I cant even fathom what he was thinking,” she said. “That I was going to harm someone by knitting? I just don’t get it.”
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
MS. teacher arrested in internet sting www.privateofficer.com
A middle school teacher from Meridian, Miss., was arrested Thursday afternoon after he drove to Pensacola thinking he was going to have sex with a 15-year-old female.
In reality, the suspect, Clifford Holloway, 56, of 7759 Lizalia Road, Meridian, Miss., had set up a meeting with an undercover police officer who had been communicating with him since mid-June on MySpace, a news release from the Pensacola Police Department said.
Holloway has been charged with two counts of sexual assault on a child 16 years or older, two counts of transmitting pornography to a minor and one count of traveling to have sex with a minor. Additional charges are pending.
The suspect is a science and physical education teacher at Northeast Middle School in Meridian, Miss. He has been a teacher in the Lauderdale, Miss., County School District for 28 years.
Holloway was arrested around 3:30 p.m. Thursday after a member of the Northwest Florida Child Pornography Task Force saw him driving in the area of Palafox and Cervantes streets. Pensacola Police Officer Chris Wilkinson said Holloway drove to Pensacola on Thursday and arrived here around noon planning to meet a 15-year-old female at a local motel around 2:20 p.m. and have sex with her.
Detective Tarlanda Gooden began investigating Holloway after Capt. Paul Kelly received a telephone call on June 15 from a concerned Pensacola mother who said her 16-year-old daughter had been communicating with a 56-year-old man via MySpace on the computer. The mother learned of their communications after checking her daughter’s MySpace page. The victim told Gooden she had had sex twice with Holloway in March at a Pensacola motel.
Wilkinson began communicating with Holloway via MySpace on June 27 as part of an undercover investigation where he pretended to be a 15-year-old female. Wilkinson said he and Holloway communicated with each other almost daily on the computer, and that a few weeks after they began talking, the suspect asked about them meeting in Pensacola.
In both investigations, Holloway transmitted nude photographs of himself over the computer to the 16-year-old victim and to Wilkinson. He also asked both victims for nude photographs of themselves; Gooden said the 16-year-old victim complied.
As part of the on-going investigation, Wilkinson will do a forensic analysis of Holloway’s computer and cell phone to determine if he has been in contact with other minors.
Officers with the Pensacola Police Department, Escambia and Santa Rosa sheriff’s offices, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and State Attorney General’s CyberCrimes Unit participated in Thursday’s arrest.
Wilkinson said Holloway used the screen names MySpace.com/Golfcoach18 and Golfcoach18@Yahoo.com.
Any teen-agers who may have been in contact with Holloway or knows someone who has had contact with Holloway is asked to contact Detective Tarlanda Gooden at 435 – 1972.
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Special police unit arrests 30 shoplifters, recovers $50,000 in stolen goods www.privateofficer.com
Since its creation four months ago, the Dunwoody Police Department has arrested nearly 30 people for boosting more than $50,000 worth of clothes from Perimeter Mall.
Victoria’s Secret, J. Crew, Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister Co. are among the stores that have been hit.
The biggest arrest came last month when three “professional shoplifters” from New York City were caught with $22,295 worth of merchandise, Sgt. Mike Carlson said.
Felipe Torres, 26, Yuliana Flores, 23, and Luisa Chavez, 23, used a device to pull sensors off the clothes before stuffing them in bags, Carlson said.
“They worked as a booster team,” Carlson said. “They would just rip off the sensors and walk out. When mall security notified us, we started watching these three. They went out to their car and unloaded three times.”
The trio was arrested in the parking lot. Each was charged with felony shoplifting, possession of burglary tools and theft by receiving stolen property.
Carlson said police will keep working with mall security to reduce shoplifting.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Security officer robbed at gunpoint www.privateofficer.com
A security guard was robbed at gunpoint at a Beaufort mobile home park Saturday night but fled empty handed, according to a report by the Beaufort County sheriff’s office.
At approximately 11:00 .m. sheriff’s deputies responded to Dixie Rentals Mobile Home Park, 12 County Shed Road, in reference to an armed robbery that occurred moments earlier. Upon arrival, deputies made contact with the 55-year old male victim, a security guard for the community, who said he had been robbed at gunpoint by two unknown men.
The victim said he had been making his rounds through the neighborhood, when he was approached by two men, one of whom was armed with a handgun.
The suspects demanded the victim’s wallet. The victim complied, and while one suspect searched through the wallet, the second suspect began searching through the victim’s truck, taking the keys from the ignition. The suspects then tossed the victim’s wallet and keys on the ground near the truck, and fled the area on foot in an unknown direction.
The victim was unharmed, and reported nothing was stolen during the incident.
The suspects were both described as black males between the ages of 20-25, both approximately 5’10”, 150 lbs. One was wearing a white shirt and black pants, the other wearing a black shirt and black pants.
The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with any information to please contact either Investigator SSgt. J. Hiers at 470-3439 or the Beaufort County dispatch center at 843-524-2777.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Nashville school security officer struck by car www.privateofficer.com
A Metro Nashville Public Schools security officer sustained minor injuries Tuesday evening after being struck by a car while on duty, a spokesperson for Metro Nashville Public Schools has confirmed.
At the time of the incident, the security guard was completing a routine patrol on foot around Percy Priest Elementary School, according to MNPS’s Noelle Mashburn. The guard saw a parked car in a lot nearby the school and went to investigate, shining his flashlight to look in the windows.
As the guard stood near the vehicle, the car drove away quickly, and the car “rolled” against the guard as it sped away, according to Mashburn. Injuries to the guard were minor, and the guard will soon be returning to his job
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Security nab three armed with guns www.privateofficer.com
Tulsa Security was patrolling the area of McClure Park in the 7440 block of East 7th Street, when they spotted a pickup truck in the parking lot after park hours.
The security officers approached the vehicle and found three teenagers inside.
After talking to the teens, the security officers decided to search the pickup truck and found a loaded .45 caliber pistol.
Tulsa Police were called to the scene where they arrested the three teens.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Shots fired at security officer www.privateofficer.com
The incident began at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday when the security guard working at the Villa del Sol apartment complex at 810 South Sullivan St. was attending a resident meeting and two kids told him they saw “suspicious guys,” said Santa Ana police Cmdr. Tammy Franks.
The security guard found two men and tried to talk to them to determine if they lived at the complex, Franks said.
The men refused to stop and one of them turned around and fired two shots at the security guard, Franks said.
The men then ran to an adjacent mobile home complex at 631 South Sullivan Street.
The man armed with the gun was described as Hispanic, between 19-22 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall and about 150 pounds. He was wearing a white and gray flannels.
The second suspect was described as Hispanic, between 19 – 22 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall, about 150 pounds with short black hair. He was wearing black clothing.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Two arrested after baby cut from womb www.privateofficer.com
The body of the girl’s mother was found Monday in a closet at her Worcester apartment. It was not until an autopsy that authorities discovered the fetus was missing.
The girl appeared to be in “fairly good health” at a New Hampshire hospital Wednesday, Worcester Police Sgt. Kerry Hazelhurst said.
Julie Corey, 35, of Worcester, Mass., and a male companion were arrested in Plymouth, N.H., where police found them with the child. Corey was charged as a fugitive from justice and is to be arraigned in district court in Concord, N.H., on Thursday. She was in custody and could not be reached for comment late Wednesday, and Worcester police did not know whether she had a lawyer. Police in New Hampshire said the man was released.
Police said Corey had reportedly gone to New Hampshire to relocate. A newspaper report said she arrived at a Plymouth homeless shelter Tuesday night. She told workers there that the girl was 6 days old and identified herself as the mother but had no information on the child, according to the Union Leader in New Hampshire.
Corey was arrested the next afternoon as she tried to leave the shelter with the infant after workers alerted police and a nurse began photographing the baby with her cell phone, the report said.
The baby’s mother, Darlene Haynes, was eight months pregnant. Her body was found by her landlord, William Thompson, who said a “horrifying smell” led him to her apartment, where he found her body wrapped in bedding in a closet. Her death was ruled a homicide.
“It’s horrific,” Thompson said Wednesday. “There’s no words to describe what’s going on in this building today.”
The exact cause of Haynes’ death has yet to be determined pending toxicology tests, but Worcester Police Detective Capt. Edward J. McGinn Jr. said the autopsy indicated Haynes suffered head injuries.
Police said the 23-year-old had apparently been dead for several days, and that she hadn’t contacted family or friends since Thursday.
Haysha Toledo, a 17-year-old neighbor, said neighbors used to hear fighting from the apartment Haynes shared until recently with her boyfriend, Roberto Rodriguez.
“We used to hear her crying and screaming but no one ever really did anything,” Toledo said, adding that neighbors did not want to get involved.
Haynes had a restraining order against Rodriguez, who allegedly pushed her into a glass table in June and cut her arm, then grabbed her by the throat and slapped her, according to court records. Court records also showed Rodriguez was charged with hitting Haynes in 2008 in a case that was continued without a finding.
In June, Haynes described the 24-year-old Rodriguez as her boyfriend of several years. Her landlord said Rodriguez moved out of the apartment last month.
Rodriguez was interviewed by authorities. He told WCVB-TV that Haynes was “a nice girl.”
“She had her problems, you know, but nobody deserves to go (through) what she went through,” he said.
Family members said she had three other children.
Her youngest, an 18-month-old girl, is in state custody, according to Department of Children and Families spokeswoman Alison Goodwin. Family members had been looking after her.
Karl Whitney, Haynes’ uncle who is acting as a spokesman for the family, said Haynes’ grandmother, Joanne Haynes, is raising the two other children, Jasmine, 5, and Lillian, 3.
He told the Telegram & Gazette that Haynes had picked the name Sheila Marie for her fourth child.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
$2 Million in diamonds missing in transit www.privateofficer.com
A diamond shipment worth nearly $2 million went missing somewhere between New York and Chicago.
An armored car service was supposed to deliver the diamonds to the Jeweler’s Row on Wabash Avenue on Wednesday, but when it got there, it was noticed that the diamonds were missing.
Police believe the theft happened during the commute and said the armed car service also stopped in Kentucky prior to its arrival in Chicago.
The diamonds are valued at $1.7 million, police said.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
TSA agent leaves security checkpoint unguarded www.privateofficer.com
Security officials aren’t saying much. They’re still not sure what exactly happened. Here’s what we’re told: it appears a security official working at the metal detector left the post while still on the clock.
As for how long, TSA officials aren’t sure. They tell us it appears less than a minute. The problem is there were no cameras set up, and they’re not sure if any passengers walked through without the proper check.
To err on the side of caution, about 160 passengers had to de-board, then re-board. That total process took close to two hours.
One of the big questions is post 9/11, how could something like this happen? We’re told it’s a rarity.
“I think this is a fluke, a one time incident,” says Chris Cox with U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “As we get more information, if we can share it, we will. And I think it’ll be readily resolved. I’d rather have a delay than a security incident.”
There is no word on any penalties the officer may face. TSA is investigating. But there is a lesson to be learned–if this ever happens to you, alert either a law enforcement agent or a TSA.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
2 Year old dies after shot by 4 yr old brother www.privateofficer.com
Police say a 2-year-old girl who was shot by her 4-year-old brother has died of her injuries.
The Clark County Coroner’s office says 2-year-old Elizabeth Zeferina Serrano died Sunday at University Medical Center.
Las Vegas police say the girl was taken to a hospital before police were called about 8:30 p.m. Thursday to a house west of the Las Vegas Strip.
Police say the 4-year-old boy was handling a loaded 9mm handgun when it fired, striking the girl in the torso. Investigators say the father was home at the time, but the weapon was not properly secured. No charges have been filed.
Also, no charges have been filed against the father of 5-year-old Giovanni Kopystenski. This child shot accidentally shot himself in the head after finding a loaded gun in his father’s vehicle.
District Attorney David Roger says there are laws in place to deal with these situations but the real issue is public awareness.
“Rational people understand if you leave firearm unsecured in a household with children, with teens, bad things can happen. Why roll the dice with a child’s life. Secure the firearm period,” Roger said.
There are no specific laws that address children and guns and the proper safety protocols. These cases fall under child abuse and neglect statutes which also apply to child drownings and leaving a child unattended in a car. The law states that if a parent intentionally places his child in harms way, that parent may be charged with abuse or neglect. The use of the word intentional makes it difficult to prosecute.
Roger does cites two cases and examples where parents were parents were charged.
“We had cases several years ago where one family kept their firearm in the dryer another family kept their gun on top of the refrigerator and the kids got a hold of it and killed another child. We charged those parents with crimes.
These shootings undergo a two-step process. First, police investigate. Second, they present the facts and make a recommendation to the District Attorney. It is up to the DA to decide whether to prosecute.
Parents found guilty of a criminal act can be sentenced up to 20 years in prison.
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Shoplifters “Game of Confusion” nets them $2,000 in goods www.privateofficer.com
Store surveillance video shows nine women, including one with a baby, crowding around a cashier at Famous Mart on North Tryon Street. While the clerk was distracted ringing up the stacks of clothing, some of the thieves pushed carts loaded with merchandise out the door.
As the flustered clerk kept folding items, the final thief simply walked away without paying.
Store owner Louis Sinkoe said he’s never seen anything like it.
“They had so much commotion going on, cell phones and talking and noise. You just lose track of your surroundings,” he said. “They just overwhelmed the cashier.”
It was the biggest rip-off in Famous Mart’s 50-year history.
Police admit it’s an unusually well-coordinated crime that other stores should be aware of.
“Usually suspects continue to do something until they get caught, so (we need) vigilance on the store owners’ and managers’ part and employees,” said Sgt. Ken Schul of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
Police said they haven’t seen any similar crimes recently so they don’t know if the group is based in Charlotte or elsewhere.
The women drove off in a blue Chevrolet Impala and tan Ford LTD.
Anyone with information about the identities of the thieves is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Fomrer alderman sues Wal-Mart security for malicious prosecution www.privateofficer.com
One-time Berwyn alderman Michael Phelan filed a battery and malicious prosecution suit Monday against Wal-Mart and its security staff at the Forest Park store in connection with a year-old incident.
According to the suit, Phelan and a security guard had a disagreement. Police were called though details about what happened are not outlined in the suit. An official at the store signed a disorderly conduct complaint against Phelan with Forest Park police, according to the suit. The official told police he recognized Phelan as “somebody who had given patrons and employees a hard time in the past, being rude, and making racial remarks” and that police had been summoned to the store on other occasions, but Phelan had always left before police arrived. The disorderly conduct complaint was later dismissed, the suit states.
Phelan was leaving the store after shopping, and the security guard asked to see his receipt, according to Phelan’s attorney.
“He felt accosted by the security guard,” said Matt Karchmar, Phelan’s attorney.
Phelan then asked to see the manager, but security denied his request, according to Karchmar, and then the confrontation turned violent.
“The security guard threw him to the ground and then after that, police were called.”
At the time of the July 27, 2008, incident, Phelan was a Berwyn alderman, but the incident had caused “great embarrassment, humiliation and damage to his reputation,” the suit charges. The suit seeks at least $50,000 in damages.
Forest Park police and a WalMart spokesperson also could not be reached about the incident.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Target security nabs “Peeping Tom” www.privateofficer.com
Police say Luis Mesqueda Hernandez was caught on security cameras by security personnel sneaking into the women’s bathroom at the store Sunday afternoon and using his cell phone to take photos of a woman.
The store’s security officers detained Hernandez until police arrived.
Hernandez was transported to the city jail and later released on bond.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Security agent violently attacked by shoplifter www.privateofficer.com
Police report Friebe tried to steal a cell phone from the Wal-Mart Supercenter at 2825 N. Kansas Expressway on Sunday. Friebe allegedly pulled a knife and assaulted the store security officer.
The loss prevention agent continued to wrestle Freibe to the ground and was able to hold Friebe until police arrived. The security officer was treated for a fractured leg.
Friebe is being held without bond.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Colorado teacher accused of getting student pregnant
The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office has arrested 34-year-old Anthony Ruiz, a former social studies teacher at Eagle Rock School.
Administrators at the school told the sheriff’s office a former student told them she had been sexually assaulted by Ruiz in May 2009.
Robert Burkhardt, head of Eagle Rock School, told 9NEWS the former student called a member of the staff on Wednesday, July 22 and told that member about the incident.
Burkhardt says the school immediately contacted Child Protective Services and the Larimer County Sheriff’s Department.
The teen, who is currently with her family in California, told investigators the assault happened one time and she became pregnant.
Investigators say the alleged assault happened at Ruiz’s home, which is on the school campus.
No other assaults have been reported by this student or any other students at the school, but deputies are talking with other students to get more information.
Last Friday, investigators contacted Ruiz and arrested him on one count of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.
“There is an ethical, moral as well as a legal issue as to a person in a position of trust, [such as] a teacher having sex with a student, regardless of their age, but particularly a juvenile student,” Larimer County Sheriff James Alderden said.
Burkhardt tells 9NEWS he put Ruiz on administrative leave Friday and fired him Saturday.
“This place operates in the world of trust,” Burkhardt said. “This trust was violated.”
Burkhardt says the 16-year-old was first enrolled at the school in January 2008. She left in early to mid July.
Ruiz posted a $5,000 bond at the Larimer County Detention Center on Monday night. The sheriff’s department says if Ruiz is convicted, he could get up to 12 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
He was hired by Eagle Rock School in July 2008. Investigators say Ruiz also taught in South Korea and Japan. They say his wife was out of town at the time of the alleged incident.
Eagle Rock School is a private, year-round alternative high school. Students from around the U.S., ages 15 through 19, are enrolled there.
Burkhardt released a full statement on Monday afternoon:
“The faculty and staff of Eagle Rock School are both shocked and saddened at reports of inappropriate and inexcusable conduct between a member of the faculty, and a student. Eagle Rock School is founded on trust, and this reported incident clearly violates that trust.
This is a matter of utmost seriousness. As soon as these allegations were reported, school officials contacted local law enforcement and social services. The school has been fully cooperating with these agencies to investigate this matter. School officials have also reached out to the former student, who is no longer on campus, and to her mother, to offer assistance.
In addition, parents and sponsors of students have been informed of these circumstances and assured that the safety of Eagle Rock students is our primary concern. Special counseling for all students, male and female, is underway.
Eagle Rock School maintains a strict Standard of Conduct for students, faculty and staff. In light of this matter, these Standards have again been communicated and reinforced to the entire Eagle Rock community. In addition, the school is conducting an immediate and intensive internal review of these policies to strengthen and enhance them.
The Instructional Specialist in question, Mr. Anthony Ruiz, was an employee of Eagle Rock School from July 7, 2008, until July 25, 2009, when he was immediately terminated for conduct in direct violation of the Standards of Conduct at Eagle Rock School.
Eagle Rock School, in Estes Park, Colorado, is a year-round private residential high school for students 15-19 who have not experienced success in traditional academic programs, who did not expect to graduate from high school, and who are committed to changing their lives for the better. The school, which has a capacity of 96 students, was established in 1993.
Out of respect for the privacy of our students, and due to the fact that this is an ongoing legal matter, Eagle Rock School will be unable to say anything further at this time.”
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Skinny -dipping gang almost drowns apartment guard www.privateofficer.com
HUNTINGTON BEACH CA July 29 2009 – Police are looking for a group of girls who pushed an apartment security guard into a pool, leading to his hospitalization, officials said today.Officers were dispatched to Huntington Villas Apartments in the 16700 block of Viewpoint Lane at 2:42 a.m. Sunday after receiving a call about a security guard who required medical attention, preliminary reports state.
The 21-year-old security guard claimed that he was pushed by females who were skinny dipping, said Huntington Beach police Sgt. Aaron Smith. No one was arrested or detained, Smith said. The suspects, who could be arrested on suspicion of assault, have not yet been identified, he said about the preliminary report.
Officers would not release the security guard’s name.
Brandon Quick, who helped pull the guard from the pool, identified him as Sam.
Quick, who lives in the apartment complex, said he was coming back from his aunt’s home about 2 a.m. when he saw a bunch of men in their 20s run away from the pool area.
“I asked them what they were doing and they said they were skinny-dipping and had gotten caught from the security guard and were running away from him,” Quick said.
As Quick got closer to the pool he heard chatter and saw Sam standing near three teenage girls who were putting on their clothes.
“As they were leaving, one tried to be funny and pushed him in and started laughing,” Quick said.
That’s when Sam’s hands began to flop up and down, he recalled.
“I can’t swim. Help me,” Quick said Sam yelled.
Quick said the girls didn’t help and instead ran away.
“Let’s go. Hurry,” Quick said he overheard at least one of the girls say.
At the same time, he took off his shoes, his cell phone and keys and jumped in to pull out Sam, as another resident helped.
Quick, who then called police, said Sam was still breathing when he pulled him out of the pool.
The apartment’s property manager said the security guard hadn’t suffered any injuries and was doing OK. Quick said another guard told him that Sam was still in the hospital as of Monday night and was recovering from head trauma and back pain.
“It’s messed up,” Quick said of the situation. “I mean, yeah it’s all fun and games until a security guard tells you to leave. You should just leave. They turned a practical joke to something serious…I mean they didn’t stop to help or anything.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Man charged with whip cream intoxication www.privateofficer.com
The 33-year-old man was observed by a loss prevention officer picking up, opening and sniffing the seven-ounce cans of whip cream, according to the arrest report.
Each can contained nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, and when inhaled will “induce a condition of intoxication.”
The man was arrested for inhalation of harmful substance.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
85 Yr old veteran of 3 wars killed in home invasion www.privateofficer.com
U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. (Ret.) North E. Woodall was found bloodied and unconscious by a neighbor about 11:30 p.m. Monday, July 27, at 1028 Walton Ave. after an apparent home invasion, police said.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The front door to the home was kicked in, and Woodall was found on the floor near the door, Lt. Brian Johns said.
He died from blunt-force trauma to the head, Montgomery County Coroner’s Office director Ken Betz said Tuesday.
Detective Sgt. Gary White said it’s unclear if Woodall was hit in the head by an intruder or fell during the struggle.
It is also unclear what, if anything, was taken from his home, but White said they are certain Woodall is a homicide victim.
Woodall served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam before retiring as an E-9 sergeant major, U.S. Army Special Forces , also known as a Green Beret.
The recipient of two Silver Stars , Woodall had just returned in late June from an Honor Flight trip to Washington, D.C., where he and other veterans traveled in an RV to visit war memorials.
“He was a quiet guy and kind of kept to himself,” said John Fleeger, who drove the RV . “I remember he couldn’t find his suit when we got to the hotel and he really wanted to wear his suit to see the memorial.”
Woodall’s daughter-in-law said she took him food last week and he was in good spirits.
Police said Woodall’s home was burglarized once before in the last five years, but he was not hurt .
He is the city’s 26th homicide this year. Anyone with information about his death should call 333-COPS.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Shoplifter charged with robbery www.privateofficer.com
Borough police said that at about 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 22, police received a call from loss-prevention officers at the Sports Authority reporting that a man they suspected of shoplifting had fled the Route 36 store with women’s sports apparel valued at $2,500.
Police said Alejandro Rea, 37, of Queens pushed and shoved store security guards as they attempted to detain him for police.
Rea fled east on Route 36 in his 2004 BMW sport-utility vehicle and pulled into the driveway of Monmouth Park Self Storage, hiding the stolen merchandise in the underbrush, according to police.
Patrolman Jayson Moore located and arrested Rea, while Patrolman Scott Rockhill and Detective William Lynch used machetes to make their way through the underbrush to recover the items.
The Sports Authority’s loss prevention staff identified the items as stolen from the store, according to police, who charged Rea with attempted robbery, simple assault, criminal mischief, tampering with evidence and shoplifting.
Bail was set at $35,000, and Rea was taken to Monmouth County Jail. Rea’s vehicle was also seized for forfeiture, police said.
Also assisting in the arrest were Cpls. Archie Symonds and F. Douglas Haviland and Detective Marlowe Kuhl.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Drake University football player charged in assault www.privateofficer.com
A top returning defensive lineman on the Drake University football team was arrested over the weekend on criminal charges after he allegedly was found unconscious early Saturday morning inside a law school building.
Andrew Lee Asbell, 21, of Machesney Park, Ill., was charged with two counts of assault on a police officer, criminal mischief, interference with official acts and public intoxication.
The 6 foot 4, 250-pound senior tackle was arrested inside Cartwright Hall about 5:55 a.m. Saturday.
Police were called after Drake security officers found an intoxicated person at 2621 Carpenter Avenue.
Security officers pointed out a broken door. Officers Jacob Hedlund and Charles Tomlinson walked into the entry area and found Asbell asleep on the floor. They asked him if he was OK, but received no response.
Then they tried to wake him, according to a report. “Asbell opened his eyes and looked at me as I was dressed in full DMPD uniform,” Hedlund said in the report. “I ordered Asbell to roll over and place his hands behind his back, however he did not comply.”
Police said Asbell cursed the officers then kicked Hedlund in the legs. He allegedly took an aggressive stance and officers hit him with pepper spray.
Additional police units were requested, due to the suspect’s size. Police said Asbell bent over a broken bench nearby and acted as if he was contemplating picking it up and use it as a weapon. “However, due to the spray he was unable to do so,” police said.
Asbell then walked out the door. Officers followed him, telling Asbell to get on the ground. He ignored their orders. Officers tried to take him into custody but they said due to his size they were unsuccessful. Security officers from Drake offered their assistance and he was finally taken to the ground, according to police reports.
Officers struggled to get a handcuff on a wrist. Kicks and punches administered by police officers appeared to have no effect.
Officers finally used a stun gun and Asbell was taken into custody. Officers asked him some questions but Asbell was mumbling. They asked his name and he told them it was “Gator.” Police said he had bloodshot, watery eyes, slurred speech and a strong odor of alcohol on his breath.
Asbell was taken to Broadlawns Medical Center for treatment of injuries to his head, knees and arms.
After being treated at the hospital he was taken to the Polk County Jail in a police wagon.
“This is a matter we take extremely seriously,” Drake athletic director Sandy Hatfield Clubb said in a news release. “Mr. Asbell’s behavior as described in the police report is antithetical to our values and aspirations as a University community.”
Hatfield Clubb added: “The length of the suspension, as well as other possible disciplinary actions by the University, will be based not only upon what is eventually determined from a legal standpoint, but also on the conclusions reached by the dean of students in the course of the university’s normal disciplinary procedures relating to student conduct and our expectations for members of the Drake community.”
Drake football coach Chris Creighton was not immediately available for comment.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Woman commits suicide at Ohio gun range www.privateofficer.com
Police in the Cincinnati suburb of Sharonville say they believe Ann Fukuyama committed suicide Sunday at Target World, a public range that sells and rents guns and has a dozen 25-yard target shooting lanes.
Witnesses say the woman gave no warning or indication anything was wrong.
But police say she may have attempted suicide before and they believe she went to the target range to kill herself.
Target World manager Jeff Mann says the range is operating normally. He won’t discuss the woman or the shooting.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Handcuffed man steals police car and escapes www.privateofficer.com
Harry Houdini has nothing on 38-year-old David Todd Martin.
Lincoln County authorities say Martin somehow managed to steal a police cruiser and drive away overnight — despite being handcuffed.
Authorities in Lincoln and Gaston counties were still looking for the man this morning.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said Martin, of Mount Holly, was pulled over by a sheriff’s deputy overnight for a traffic stop, on N.C. 16 south near the Lincoln-Gaston county line.
The deputy handcuffed Martin and put him in the back of the cruiser. Somehow, authorities say, Martin managed to get into the front seat of the Ford Crown Victoria and drive away. A short time later, police in Gaston County found the cruiser near Lucia River Road and Underwood Drive.
The vehicle was abandoned.
Martin had been arrested in late June in Lincoln County on charges of resisting arrest and having an open container of alcohol in a vehicle, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Bank robber escapes pursued by security www.privateofficer.com
An African-American male entered the National City Bank located on South Moreland shortly after 3:00 p.m. Monday afternoon.
He gave the teller a demand note and said he had a weapon.
The suspect left the bank with an undisclosed amount of money.
F.B.I. officials say there was a short pursuit by the bank security guard but he got away.
The suspect is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, stocky build, wearing a red shirt and red baseball cap.
The F.B.I. has bank surveillance video photos which will hopefully help them locate the suspect.
If anyone knows anything about the suspect or his whereabouts, call the F.B.I. at 216.522.1400.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
Man kidnaps children, throws them in dumpster www.privateofficer.com
DAYTON OH JULY 28 2009— Two young children found in a trash bin behind a local business have been taken away from their mother by Montgomery County Children’s Services and put in foster care.
Ashonti Johnson, 23 months old, and her 8-month-old brother Tommie John
son III were found about 8:30 a.m. Monday, July 27, by an electrician arriving for work.They had been in the heavy-duty, green plastic bin for as long as 13 hours, Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl said.
The empty but dirty bin was sitting in the sun at 902 E. Second St. [MAP]
About an hour after the children were found, Ashonti’s father, Tommie Lee Johnson Jr., 39, confessed to dumping them in the trash bin, Sgt. Tom Flanders said.
Baron Bates, 23, of Beavercreek, said he heard Ashonti crying, opened the lid of the trash bin and found the children covered in stinky mud and soaking wet from sweat.
“(Ashonti) was crying and reached out and I couldn’t believe it,” Bates said.
Bates and his boss Dale Felty gave the kids water and Little Debbie treats until paramedics arrived.
The lack of airflow, combined with sunlight quickly turned the 4-foot-tall bin into a virtual oven, Flanders said.
Detectives said the children had literally “hours” to live.
The children’s mother, Alisha Whitehead, 27, said Johnson tried to choke her during a fight and then took the children from their home about 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
Whitehead said Johnson, her boyfriend, had consumed six 40-ounce bottles of beer and some of her prescription medication before leaving with the kids. He was not going to let her have them, she said.
“I never knew he would do something like this,” Whitehead said.
Police did not issue an Amber Alert because there was no evidence the children had been abducted or harmed, Flanders said.
Johnson Jr. said he dumped his biological daughter and her infant brother in a trash bin because he wanted them to go to “a better place.”
A handcuffed Johnson then said he had a lapse “in judgment” as he was led to Montgomery County Jail about 10:30 a.m. Monday.
Johnson had just confessed to police after 12 hours of interrogation that he dumped his 23-month-old daughter, Ashonti Johnson, and her 8-month-old brother, Tommie Johnson III, in an empty city-issued bin, officials said.
Two electricians found the children soaked in mud inside the 4-foot bin behind Felty Electric, 902 E. Second St.
Police believe the children were in the bin the entire 12 hours Johnson was being questioned.
Johnson, who is not the biological father of the infant, first said he took the children from their mother’s house, in the 400 block of N. Cherrywood Ave., about 7:30 p.m.
Whitehead, 27, said Monday “friends” threw Johnson out of her house.
Johnson reportedly said he walked with them to a baby sitter’s house and returned to Whitehead’s place without the children.
That turned out to be the first of many bogus stories Johnson told Sunday night and into Monday morning, Flanders said.
Establishing a “bull’s-eye”
Dayton police, along with area law-enforcement agencies, combed East Dayton all night, while detectives continued to question Tommie L. Johnson Jr. at police headquarters.
U.S. Marshals offered their services in the search, along with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
“We were going door-to-door, after establishing a bull’s-eye (the center of the search) and branched out,” Lt. Patrick Welsh said. “We put out a broadcast to all local law-enforcement groups and gave a description of the children.”
Welsh said the children’s mother could not provide a picture of the children, making the search more difficult.
Despite many discussions about issuing an Amber Alert, none was issued.
“Right away there was a discussion about issuing an Amber Alert,” Welsh said. “It isn’t ‘are we OK with not issuing an Amber Alert.’ We didn’t meet the criteria to issue one.”
Johnson was arrested at 1:52 a.m. on felony charges of domestic violence, child endangering and inducing panic, according to jail records.
In handcuffs, Johnson still refused to tell a detective the whereabouts of the children.
Flanders said since the children were found hours later inside a sun-baked trash bin turned plastic oven, he will push “more serious charges” against Johnson.
Flanders is expected to meet with Montgomery County Prosecutor’s today.
On again, off again
Alisha Whitehead described her relationship with Tommie L. Johnson Jr. as on-again, off-again.
Police said the couple are boyfriend and girlfriend involved in a relationship plagued by alcohol and drugs.
Johnson has a 2004 conviction for domestic violence and numerous convictions for public intoxication and disorderly conduct.
Montgomery County Jail records show he has been arrested eight times since 2003.
County court records show Whitehead has no criminal record.
Montgomery County Children’s Services has a previous case involving Whitehead.
In 2005, two other daughters, now 4 and 5, were removed from her custody and placed with a relative, spokeswoman Ann Stevens said.
Stevens would not elaborate on that investigation.
Stevens said caseworkers will try to place Ashonti and Tommie Johnson III in the care of a relative, but if a suitable home is not found, they will remain in foster care.
Follow Us On Twitter/privateofficer
Join Us At MySpace/privateofficernews
Join PRIVATE OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL
