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Wal-Mart Scam Alert www.privateofficer.com
The e-mail ruse claims that recipients have been selected to access the “Walmart 2 Steps Survey” and win a $150 gift certificate.
Consumers are linked to a survey and later asked for credit card information.
But Wal-Mart says it has no such survey.
Atlanta fraud officials say the scheme has surfaced in St. Louis in recent days and they’re on the look out for it here.
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Police officer charged with sexual assault on 9 yr old www.privateofficer.com
Decatur Police detectives say they arrested 42-year-old Douglas H. Spensley Wednesday morning at his Decatur home without incident.
Deputy Decatur Police Chief Todd Walker said Spensley was believed to be a family friend of the victim’s parents.
Spensley was charged with predatory criminal sexual assault and was being held on $500,000 bond.
Spensley, who has been on Warrensburg’s police force since 2006, has been placed on unpaid administrative leave, pending an internal investigation and any other criminal proceedings.
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Off-duty Paul Smith College security arrested www.privateofficer.com
The men, Brian L. Taylor, 37, and Shawn A. Hopseker, 37, both of Saranac Lake, were, until today, employed as Campus Safety Officers for Paul Smiths College though police say this incident is unrelated to their duties at Paul Smiths and that it occurred off-campus.
The pair allegedly entered the woman’s home, disabled her residence telephone and “menaced” her. The woman is apparently the ex-girlfriend of one of the men.
Police were alerted when the woman’s 8-year-old child called 911 on a cell phone.
Dr. John H. Mills, President of Paul Smith’s College, indicated that the two had been immediately terminated and have been barred from campus. While he indicated that the two have yet to have their day in court and are, of course, entitled to their due process, the college made the decision to terminate them based on the allegations made against them.
Both Taylor and Hopseker were charged with 3rd-Degree Menacing, 4th-Degree Criminal Mischief, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
They were arraigned in the Town of Franklin Court before Justice Roger Symonds and released after posting $1,000 cash bail each. They are scheduled to reappear in the Town of Franklin Court to answer the charges on October 29th, 2009.
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Off-duty Mobile police officer aids in robbery arrests www.privateofficer.com
The teens in custody are Jarvis McClendon, Silas Jackson, David Glover, Karl Martin and Daniel Norwood.
But police said 16 year old Martin and 17 year old Jackson were responsible for at least six other robberies in Mobile in a period of about two weeks.
Police said it started when five people with handguns robbed a Dominos Pizza on Highway 90 about 10:30 Tuesday night.
They said five minutes later, there was another robbery about seven miles away at the Steak n Shake on Government.
But this time, someone was watching.
Corporal Charles Bagsby with the Mobile Police Department said, “An off duty officer was patrolling and riding down Government Street and saw a robbery in progress.”
Mark Gratkowski owns the Steak n Shake where the robbery happened.
He said, “The assailants came in, demanded the money, showed their weapons, and we gave them the money and let them out, let them leave. The off duty police officer came in right afterwards and wanted to know where they were. We told him they just left out the back door.”
Police said they were able to arrest five teenagers in all, charging them with the Steak and Shake robbery, the Dominos robbery and, according to Bagsby, “Our robbery investigators came out and were able to link these individuals to a number of other robberies.”
Police said two of the five, Karl Martin and Silas Jackson, were charged in six other robberies.
They say they happened October 3 at a Movie Gallery and Subway on Moffett Road, October 6th, when a delivery driver at Hungry Howie’s on Airport was robbed, October 11 at Papa Johns on Cottage Hill, and October 12 at the Baymont Inn Motel in Tillman’s Corner and a Dairy Queen on Moffett.
But the end came thanks to the keen eyes of an off duty police officer.
Gratkowski said, “The off duty officer really did a fabulous job for us. We’re grateful.”
Police said they’re investigating whether the five were involved in other robberies.
If you have information, call Crimestoppers at 208-7000.
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Psychic “cleanses” victim out of $45,000 www.privateofficer.com
Gallatin Police on Wednesday arrested the owners of the business Psychic Readers on Nashville Pike for allegedly convincing a victim to give them a total of $45,000 in cash over a six-week period, and then refusing to return the money.
Evonna Pebbles Williams, the self-proclaimed psychic of Psychic Readers on Nashville Pike, was charged with theft by deception over $10,000. Billy Marks was charged with theft by deception over $10,000 after the fact.
According to court documents, Williams initially consulted with the victim in November of 2007, and Williams allegedly told the victim she was cursed by the number 3.
According to affidavits, the victim was told that her money was the source of all of her problems by Evonna Pebbles Williams and that the victim’s money needed to be spiritually cleansed.
Williams asked the victim to bring her various amounts of cash in increments of three over a period of time, and she would cleanse the money for the victim, according to affidavits.
The victim was allegedly instructed not tell anyone about the process, because it would supposedly slow down the cleansing. To demonstrate her power, Williams used “parlor tricks” to convince the victim.
An affidavit says the victim took Williams $3,000 in cash on Dec. 4, 2007; $12,000 on Dec. 11, 2007; $12,000 on Dec. 14, 2007; $6,000 on Dec. 21, 2007; $3,000 on Jan. 4, 2008, and $9,000 on Jan. 8, 2008.
Since then, the victim claims to have made repeated attempts in vain to get her money back from Williams, according to an affidavit.
The victim went to the Gallatin Police Department about the situation on Sept. 20, and later in the month the victim was equipped with a consensual listening device and went to visit Williams.
The victim spoke to an unknown male, later identified as Marks, and an unknown older female, according to the documents.
The two allegedly told the victim repeatedly that the victim must allow the cleansing process to continue, but they later made several offers for payment short of $45,000, but the victim refused.
Police are continuing their investigation in an attempt to identify the older female and determine if she should face charges.
Gallatin Police believe there may be several other victims in the area, and they are asking those who believe they have been scammed by Williams to come forward and contact the police department at 452-1313.
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Hospital asks visitors to “scrub in” www.privateofficer.com
The new measure, announced Wednesday during a news conference, is meant to help ward off the potential spread of disease – including the swine, or H1N1, flu and other viruses.
Dr. Angelo Georges, hospital medical director, said people will be asked to use sanitizer attached to a small kiosk in the main lobby as they enter and exit the facility.
As part of an ”action plan,” hospital officials also are stepping up efforts to enforce other rules. For example, only two visitors per patient are allowed. Visitors must be at least 12 years old, and visiting hours are 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. People with a cold or who are not feeling well should not visit the hospital.
”The reason we’re doing this action plan is to protect the community. … We’re not trying to inconvenience visitors or keep them from visiting their loved ones. It’s to protect the community,” Georges said, noting there would be some exceptions to the rules.
Visitors also are not allowed to sit on a patient’s bed or use a patient’s bathroom.
”It has to be this way. There’s no problem in this hospital, there’s no infection. We’re just being proactive,” Georges said.
Security guards, who are now posted just inside the sliding doors, are expected to ask people entering the building if they are visiting a patient. Those who reply ”yes” will be asked to proceed to the kiosk.
”No one is going to get thrown out the door or anything. … Most people understand,” Georges said of the hospital rules. ”The nurses will be on the frontline as they observe and report, as will security guards as they make their rounds through the hospital.”
Dr. William Mercer, health officer for Ohio County, said he was pleased with Wheeling Hospital’s efforts to decrease the potential spread of disease.
”I think this is going to make a dent in keeping our infections to a minimum,” Mercer said.
He noted keeping visitor contact limited will be helpful, as people infected with the seasonal flu and H1N1 flu are contagious a day before symptoms begin.
Georges said the same “action plan” will be enforced at Belmont Community Hospital in Bellaire. Additional handwashing stations will be placed later at other Wheeling Hospital entrances. For now, people are asked to use the main entrance, unless they are visiting a patient in the emergency room or outpatient surgery
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N.O. security officer shoots, kills CVS shoplifter www.privateofficer.com
The incident happened around 7:45 p.m. at the CVS Pharmacy in the 800 block of Canal Street, near the busy intersection where Carondelet turns into Bourbon Street.
According to New Orleans Police Chief Warren Riley, the suspect was trying to steal items from within the store. The security guard spotted him in the act, approached him, and told him he would have to pay for the items, Riley said. At that point a struggle ensued.
“The suspect then began to punch the security guard, fight with the security guard. The security guard’s teeth have been knocked out,” Riley said. “It appears to be a justifiable incident by a 62-year-old security officer who was trying to defend himself.”
The suspect later died at the hospital, Riley said.
During the scuffle the officer suffered lacerations to the face and the body. Riley said he is being treated at a hospital for his injuries.
It’s not yet clear what the suspect was allegedly trying to steal, but evidence markers inside the story sat next to shoes and sunglasses.
The security guard works for G4S Security, a division of Wackenhut Security.
Police have not released the identity of the suspect
