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Birmingham mayor guilty of money laundry, excepting bribes
Birmingham AL Oct 29 2009
Larry Langford, Birmingham’s mayor and a former Jefferson County commissioner, has been found guilty in his federal bribery trial.
Langford, who is 61 or 63, was found guilty of taking about $236,000 in cash and gifts from Montgomery investment banker Bill Blount and lobbyist Al LaPierre.
Both pleaded guilty in the case and testified they made cash payments to Langford while he was the president of the Jefferson County Commission to ensure business for Blount’s investment bank, Blount Parrish & Co.
“We all have our trials, this too will pass,” Langford said as he walked from the courtroom followed closely by his wife.
“The citizens of Birmingham have been fantastic to me,” he said outside the courthouse.
He said the verdict will be appealed. “I’m no crybaby, but …”
“At the end of the day, I shot my best shot, but the jury ruled the way that they did,” he said, in a wide-ranging press conference outside court.
“All this trial did was interrupt my Bible study classes for two weeks,” he said, adding he faces a potential sentence of 805 years. He said if he lived to be 80, he would have to die and “come back 10 more times” to serve such a sentence.
Judge Scott Coogler decided Langford would forfeit $241,843. The lawyers agreed.
Coogler ordered a sentencing report within 90 to 120 days and said Langford would remain free until then on the existing $50,000 unsecured bond.
Birmingham City Council President Carole Smitherman is now mayor of Alabama’s largest city. (Corrected: A swearing in is not required)
Other elected leaders were quick to react.
“I hate it to the high heavens for him and his family. It’s just devastating,” Rep. John Rogers, D-Birmingham, said. “He’s a good man. He’s got flaws. We’ve all got flaws. Sometimes when you’ve got flaws people prey on your weakness. I think it sends a lesson to all public officials to be very, very careful,” Rogers said.
“They (the jury) must have had their mind already made up,” Rogers said.
Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, said it’s a message to elected officials.
“I’m pleased. We’ve been hearing about these kinds of things for years,” Beason said. “I think it’s a step in the right direction. Elected officials need to understand if they are involved in corruption they are eventually going to (get) caught up with.”
State Sen. Linda Coleman, D-Birmingham, disagreed, saying she was shocked by the verdict and feared it would hurt Birmingham, Jefferson County and the state of Alabama.
”It is a very sad day for Birmingham. This is going to set us back, I think. I look at all the progress that’s been made. I look at all the projects on the books,” Coleman said. ”I saw a new hope for Birmingham. I’m just really saddened. I don’t see how anybody how anybody could find any joy in this.”
State Rep. Oliver Robinson, D-Birmingham, said he’s known Langford for many years and that he’s a good-hearted person.
”Larry is really a good-hearted man,” Robinson said. ”I’ve always had a great deal of respect for him. He’s just a genuinely nice individual. I really feel sad for his family, his wife and all of his family.”
Gov. Bob Riley said in a prepared statement: “These kind of convictions don’t have to happen,” he said. “We must finally pass anti-corruption laws that will bring accountability and transparency to state and local governments so we can prevent this very kind of situation.”
Langford was convicted on these counts:
Count 1 Bribery Langford received $69,000 in cash from lobbyist Al LaPierre and Bill Blount of Blount Parrish & Co. that went into Langford’s personal bank account.
Count 3 Money laundering Langford paid Likis Audio $12,000 for audio equipment with a check drawn from his personal Compass bank account into which money from a bribe had been deposited.
Count 4 Money laundering Langford paid Shaia’s $12,000 for clothing with a cashier’s check purchased at a Compass Bank using funds paid to him as a bribe.
Count 5 Money laundering Langford deposited $40,589 paid to him as a bribe into his personal account at Compass Bank.
Count 6 Conspiracy Langford, investment banker Bill Blount and lobbyist Al LaPierre willfully conspired on multiple occasions to defraud Jefferson County of Langford’s honest services when Blount and LaPierre gave Langford money, clothes and jewelry to influence him as a public official.
Count 7 Bribery Langford solicited and received $30,000 from Blount funneled through LaPierre.
Count 9 Money laundering Langford used $29,241 of the $30,000 to pay his personal taxes.
Count 10 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted a $1,110 cashmere cardigan purchased at Turnbull & Asser.
Count 11 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $3,290 in clothes purchased at Ermenegildo Zegna
Count 12 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $2,133 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 13 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $2,707.56 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 14 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted a $2,796 in clothes purchased at Salvatore Ferragamo
Count 15 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted a $1,854.96 in clothes purchased at Century 21
Count 16 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $3,450 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 17 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $4,050 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 18 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $4,250 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 19 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $895 in clothes purchased at Salvatore Ferragamo
Count 20 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted a $12,015 watch purchased at Tourneau
Count 21 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $1,662.60 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 22 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $11,750.40 in jewelry purchased at Bromberg’s
Count 23 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $2,239.97 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 24 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $2,800 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 25 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $3,547 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 26 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $2,000 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 27 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $5,000 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 28 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $2,500 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 29 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $2,300 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 30 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $1,800 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 31 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $1,876 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 32 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $1,000 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 33 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $1,047.96 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 34 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $1,500 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 35 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $1,000 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 36 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $7,536 in clothes purchased at Remon’s
Count 64 Mail fraud Langford corruptly caused a package from Turnbull & Asser to be shipped to Langford’s County Commission office.
Count 65 Mail fraud Langford corruptly caused a package from Ermengildo Zegna to be shipped to Langford’s County Commission office.
Count 66 Mail fraud Langford corruptly caused a package from Salvatore Ferragamo to be shipped to Langford’s County Commission office.
Count 67 Mail fraud Langford corruptly caused a package from Century 21 to be shipped to Langford’s County Commission office.
Count 68 Mail fraud Langford corruptly caused a package from Tourneau to be shipped to Langford’s County Commission office.
Count 69 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $2,133 in goods from Remon’s paid for with Blount’s credit card.
Count 70 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $4,050 in goods from Remon’s paid for with Blount’s credit card.
Count 71 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $11.750.40 in goods from Bromberg’s paid for with Blount’s credit card.
Count 72 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $3,547 in goods from Remon’s paid for with Blount’s credit card.
Count 73 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $2,000 in goods from Remon’s paid for with Blount’s credit card.
Count 74 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $2,500 in goods from Remon’s paid for with Blount’s credit card.
Count 75 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $2,300 in goods from Remon’s paid for with Blount’s credit card.
Count 76 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $1,876 in goods from Remon’s paid for with Blount’s credit card.
Count 77 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $1,000 in goods from Remon’s paid for with Blount’s credit card.
Count 78 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $1,047.96 in goods from Remon’s paid for with Blount’s credit card.
Count 79 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $1,500 in goods from Remon’s paid for with Blount’s credit card.
Count 80 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $7,536 in goods from Remon’s paid for with Blount’s credit card.
Count 81 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $2,707.56 in goods from Remon’s paid for with LaPierre’s credit card.
Count 82 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $4,250 in goods from Remon’s paid for with LaPierre’s credit card.
Count 83 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $1,662.60 in goods from Remon’s paid for with LaPierre’s credit card.
Count 85 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $5,000 in goods from Remon’s paid for with LaPierre’s credit card
Count 86 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $1,000 in goods from Remon’s paid for with LaPierre’s credit card
Count 87 Filing a false tax return Langford failed to report as 2003 income $125, 356.73 he received from Blount and LaPierre.
Count 88 Filing a false tax return Langford failed to report as 2004 income $81,419. 52 he received from Blount and LaPierre.
Count 89 Filing a false tax return Langford filed to report as 2005 income $22,186.97 he received from Blount and LaPierre.
Count 99 Forfeiture Any of the property or proceeds from the crimes and any additional gains made from the proceeds are subject to forfeiture. The amount of the property subject to forfeiture includes, but is not necessarily limited to, $7.6 million and any interest and proceeds agains or earned on that amount.
Five VA. corrections officer charged with “fondling” K-9 www.privateofficer.com
Powhatan VA Oct 29 2009
Five Virginia Department of Corrections officers have been charged with animal cruelty involving the fondling of a K-9 dog and videotaping the two incidents.
All five officers were training at the Academy for Staff Development in Goochland County to become K-9 handlers. They were charged across the James River in Powhatan County where the kennel is located, at the Powhatan Correctional Center.
Facing misdemeanor animal-cruelty charges are Kelvin Thompson , 25, who works at Green Rock Correctional Center in Chatham; Melvin Boone, 40, who worked at the state prison in Sussex County; Adam R. Webb, 27, and Cheri Campbell, 35, who work at Nottoway Correctional Center; and Anthony Eldridge, 33, a sergeant who worked at Nottoway.
Powhatan Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert B. Beasley Jr. said Thompson “allegedly had some sexual contact with the animal.” The male dog, a German shepherd or shepherd mix, was not harmed, he said.
“Essentially, he was touching the dog’s penis with his hand,” Beasley said. “The others were there filming it. That’s actually how we learned of it — there’s a video.”
A corrections employee saw the video and reported it to a superior, Beasley said.
The events occurred between June 16 and Aug. 1, according to arrest warrants. All five officers were charged Oct. 2 by summons.
Terry N. Grimes, a Roanoke attorney representing Thompson, said his client planned to plead not guilty but admitted to fondling the animal.
“I would characterize it as hazing,” he said, claiming that Thompson was told by the others, “If you masturbate your K-9 unit, you’ll have greater control over it.”
The Department of Corrections confirmed that Eldridge and Boone no longer are employed by the state, but Thompson, Webb and Campbell are.
The Department of Corrections acknowledged that the matter had been investigated internally but declined to say whether Eldridge and Boone were terminated or left voluntarily. The department also would not say whether the others were on leave.
Grimes suggested Beasley would have a difficult time proving animal cruelty.
“The statute is not set up to deal with this type of thing. I don’t think the legislature quite had this in mind,” he said.
Beasley said the misdemeanor charge for each defendant was the same, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
“They were all kind of there assisting in one way or the other,” he said.
In Virginia , bestiality is covered by crimes against nature, which could have resulted in a felony charge, according to state statutes. But a felony charge requires “carnal knowledge” of a “brute beast,” implying intercourse, said Beasley, who added that he consulted with the state veterinarian’s office before filing the charges.
Trial is set for Nov. 20 for all except Webb, who will be tried Dec. 11.
Asked if he knew why the officers videotaped the incidents, Beasley replied: “I don’t have the slightest idea — I really don’t.”
Nightclub security officer stabbed to death www.privateofficer.com
A security person who tossed troublemakers from a popular Washington Heights hangout was stabbed to death early Tuesday, police said.
Arsene Epouta was knifed in the chest after jumping in the middle of a fight at La Casa del Mofongo. “Our security guard tried to break up the fight,” said Franklin Cruz, the restaurant manager.
Epouta cleared the 24-hour Dominican restaurant of the brawlers just after 3:30 a.m.
“He ejected some people from that location,” said a police source.
The fight spilled onto St. Nicholas Ave. near W. 183rd St., and that’s when someone repeatedly stabbed Epouta, who died at New-York Presbyterian Hospital Columbia.
“This never happens here,” Cruz said of the restaurant, which attracts cops and Dominican politician and athletes.
“We feel sorry for the family of the worker.”
Police were looking at surveillance video from the restaurant’s cameras. Three people were being interrogated at the 34th Precinct stationhouse, but no arrests had been made.
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Jeffrey Bolden found guilty in security officer murder www.privateofficer.com
Bolden kicked Ruby in the back of the head in the emergency room. Springfield police arrested Bolden for assaulting his father and trying to set his father’s home on fire. A police dog who helped with the arrest put a deep bite on Bolden’s leg as Bolden hid in some bushes.
Medical examiners said Ruby died from an injured brain stem from the kick. Ruby collapsed moments after the kick, went into a coma and died a few days later.
Bolden’s defense attorneys presented medical experts who refuted the medical examiners, and said Ruby could have died from a stroke. They also argued Bolden had good reason to kick Ruby because Ruby had been choking him as he lay on a gurney.
A Greene County judge moved the case from Springfield to Columbia to try to ensure a fair outcome. Boone-Callaway county Circuit Judge Kevin Crane scheduled sentencing for Dec. 14. Bolden faces a prison sentence of 10 to 30 years (life) with possibility of parole for the murder conviction, and a sentence of five to 15 years for the assault conviction.
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Teacher arrested for lewd behavior via the internet www.privateofficer.com
Joel Cupp, 31, of New Port Richey, was arrested on a charge of lewd and lascivious exhibition via computer. He was being held at the Martin County Jail on $250,000 bond.
According to the complaint affidavit, Cupp sent an unsolicited instant message to the detective and began asking sexual-related questions. The affidavit stated that Cupp then used a Web camera to display his genitalia.
Detectives said the screen name and Internet protocol address were registered to Cupp.
According to the affidavit, Cupp was arrested in 2008 on charges of lewd and lascivious acts via computer and computer solicitation of a child in Pasco County, where he had been employed as a school teacher.
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S.C. AG’s employee caught with stripper in cemetery www.privateofficer.com
Police reports released Wednesday said 66-year-old Roland Corning was stopped Monday after his car was spotted in an area police say is known for sex and drug use.
According to the report, a Columbia police officer watched Corning drive into the Elmwood Cemetery at around 3:15pm Monday. When Corning spotted the patrol car, the report says he quickly drove off.
A visitor to the cemetery saw Corning’s SUV speeding through the area, and police pulled him over a few blocks away.
Police say an 18-year-old woman who works at the Platinum Plus strip club was with Corning. Corning and the woman gave police conflicting statements why they were at the cemetery, as well as to their relationship, the report said.
Police also found Viagra and sex toys that Corning said were there “just in case.”
Corning, who told the officer he was on his lunch break, identified himself as a prosecutor and was not arrested. The woman was also let go.
“We received credible information about inappropriate behavior Monday afternoon,” McMaster said Wednesday. “And by the close of business, he was no longer working here.”
Such a trip to the cemetery “would not be appropriate at any time, for an assistant attorney general,” McMaster continued.
Columbia Police Chief Tandy Carter spoke to reporters about the incident Wednesday afternoon, but answered few questions before abruptly ending the news conference. Corning has so far not commented on the situation.
Corning was a state legislator in the 1990s. He has worked in the top prosecutor’s office since 2000. Plowden said Corning was hired by McMaster’s predecessor, Charlie Condon.
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Man poses as security guard, gropes woman www.privateofficer.com
A Sioux Falls man was arrested early Sunday morning after posing as a security guard at a local restaurant in order to grope a guest.
Sergio Fabian Arevalo-Velasquez, 25, met a 21-year-old at the door of El Paraiso Restaurant at 2401 E. 10th St. and told her he was working security for the Saturday night dance. He grabbed her groin during a pat-down, police spokesman Sam Clemens said.
Later on, the victim saw Arevalo-Velasquez at a house party. At about 4 a.m., the two ended up in the same car, each getting a ride home.
When they got to the victim’s house, she told him to stay put until police arrived, Clemens said, and he obliged.
Arevalo-Velasquez was arrested for sexual contact without consent.
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Tri-Rail security guard arrested for kidnapping www.privateofficer.com
Palm Beach Fla Oct 29 2009When a Tri-Rail passenger missed the last train at the Lake Worth station, a security guard offered to give her a ride to a station in Fort Lauderdale.
Instead, she told police, the guard assaulted her.
Peter Alan Crumb, 40, of The Acreage, was booked Tuesday evening into the Palm Beach County Jail on a Broward County warrant charging him with kidnapping and attempted sexual battery.
Crumb is being held without bond for transfer to Broward County, the jail said.
According to a Fort Lauderdale police report, the woman said that on Dec. 20, 2008, she’d come up to Crumb at the Lake Worth station, near Lake Worth Road and Interstate 95, and Crumb confirmed she’d missed the last train.
The report doesn’t give the time, but a Tri-Rail official said today the last train that day would have been at 9:02 p.m.
Crumb then offered to give the woman a ride.
She said she agreed after he reassured her he was a former police officer, as is required of all Tri-Rail security officers, the report said.
Tri-Rail spokeswoman Bonnie Arnold today confirmed that all security officers must be former police or military.
According to the report, on the way to Fort Lauderdale, the woman said, the two talked about topics ranging from politics to personal safety.
She said Crumb offered her a business card, saying he had a side business as a bodyguard and offering to conduct a self-defense class for her and her friends.
The part of the police report that says what happened next is blacked out.
“It’s part of active criminal intelligence. It’s what’s going to be presented in court,” Fort Lauderdale police Sgt. Frank Sousa said.
The Florida Attorney General’s Office said today such details are not exempt from public record laws.
The police report did say the woman told police she was attacked in a parking lot just south of the University of Phoenix, a few blocks from the Tri-Rail station near Cypress Creek Road and Interstate 95.
The woman said she did not immediately report the crime but later went to Tri-Rail Dec. 24 after she had trouble sleeping.
On Jan. 15, the report said, police searched Crumb’s car, where the attack is alleged to have taken place, and took samples in an attempt to find DNA.
Crumb worked for Westmoreland Protection Agency, a Broward County firm that’s a subcontractor to Wackenhut, the main security agency for Tri-Rail.
He resigned in January, not long after the two security firms and Fort Lauderdale police began their investigation, Westmoreland Vice President Pam Johnson said today.
She said Crumb cited financial reasons and the need for better health coverage.
“When we called him to speak with him, he spoke with us, and a couple of days later, he resigned,” Johnson said.
She said Crumb, who joined Westmoreland in April 2007, was a former federal air marshal.
“Squeaky clean background. Everything,” Johnson said. “We do a full background and testing. Nothing.”
Sari Koshetz, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration said the agency does not confirm whether someone is or was an air marshal.
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Utah teacher arrested for sexual abuse of students www.privateofficer.com
Andrea Billingsley, 31, was picked up at her home Tuesday and arrested on suspicion of forcible sexual abuse, forcible sodomy and distributing pornographic materials to minors, said West Jordan police officer Dan Roberts.
The former aide at West Jordan Middle School, 7550 S. Redwood, met the two boys while overseeing an in-school suspension class, Roberts said. Police believe the sexual encounters occurred between May and July.
The alleged sexual activity would happen on school grounds, including an undisclosed location inside the school, and off campus, he said. The three allegedly continued to meet after the last school year had ended.
On or about July 20, Billingsley picked the two boys up at the school, according to Salt Lake County Jail records, took them to an undisclosed location in West Jordan and “engaged in several sex acts with them.”
It was during the current school year that reports of inappropriate behavior first surfaced after the two boys were overheard talking to other students about what happened.
We had heard that some kids were bragging about it, and someone notified the West Jordan Middle principal,” said Jordan District spokeswoman Melinda Colton. “I think this situation portrays the importance of everyone being involved to protect our children.”
Billingsley was also accused of showing pornographic materials to the boys near the end of the last school year, according to jail records. Roberts declined to say if the explicit materials were through e-mails, picture texts or photos, or if they included images of Billingsley.
A search warrant was served at Billingsley’s residence Tuesday. Details about what evidence, if any, was collected were not available Wednesday. Robert said the investigation was continuing as detectives could not yet rule out the possibility of additional victims.
Billingsley worked about 17 hours a week and was on staff from August 2008 to May 2009. She passed a background check before being hired, Colton said. She was not asked to return this school year due to lack of funds for the position, she said.
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TN. police charge five in counterfeit money bust www.privateofficer.com
• Charles Wayne Sprouse, 30, of Del Rio
• Joie Warren, 36, of Del Rio
Sprouse and Warren are facing a total of 374 federal counts of criminal simulation.
• Robert A. Webber, Jr., 26, of Newport
• Mark Anthony Evans, 28, of Newport
• Misty Lee McMahan, 34, of Cocke County
They estimate there were about 160 to 165 fake bills. That stop resulted in the arrests of Sprouse and Warren.
Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults said over the past several months at least $5,149 in counterfeit money has been confiscated in the city. The bills, ranging from $1.00 to $100 denominations, have surfaced in stores, restaurants, motels and banks.
Chief Shults said if you think counterfeiting is a crime that doesn’t have a victim, think again.
“Newport has been inundated with counterfeit money from ones to one hundred dollar bills at gas stops, banks, grocery stores. Every little business has been the victim of this onslaught of counterfeit money.”
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KY. teacher charged with drug trafficking www.privateofficer.com
Darrell B. Patrick, 46, of Salyersville, was arrested Tuesday on six counts of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.
A news release from Operation UNITE, an anti-drug initiative, says investigators conducted an undercover investigation between August and October in which detectives purchased Oxycodone from Patrick at his home.
Officials say investigators have no reason to believe Patrick sold drugs on school grounds or to any children.
Additional charges are pending with the Magoffin County Grand Jury.
Patrick was lodged in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center.
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Security officer will let judge decide if laws were violated www.privateofficer.com
A former security guard has decided to let Pima County Superior Court Judge Christopher Browning decide if he was legally prohibited from carrying the gun he used to shoot and paralyze a suspected shoplifter.
Joshua Kosatschenko and Nicholas Kagas were working security at a south-side convenience store last June when Tucson police say four young men grabbed burritos and Cheetos, ran outside and got into a car.
Kagas fell to the ground with his feet under the car while trying to detain one of the men, and Kosatschenko shot the driver when he refused to stop, paralyzing him from the waist down.
The Pima County Attorney’s Office opted not to seek an indictment against Kosatschenko pertaining to the shooting. However, prosecutors persuaded grand jurors to indict Kosatschenko on a charge of possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited possessor, which carries a maximum sentence of 3.75 years in prison.
Because Kosatschenko has a juvenile criminal record, he no longer has a right to carry firearms.
Kosatschenko and his attorney, Brad Roach, were in court Tuesday to ask Browning to dismiss the case.
Roach argued the Arizona Department of Public Safety granted Kosatschenko a license to work as an armed and unarmed security guard.
Deputy Pima County Attorney Kellie Johnson said Kosatschenko left pertinent information off his permit application and a “reasonable” person would have investigated further if they knew about Kosatschenko’s criminal history.
Browning told the attorneys he didn’t believe it would be appropriate for him to dismiss the case and that a jury ought to decide if DPS’ involvement in the case is an affirmative defense.
After conferring, Roach and Kosatschenko announced they wanted Browning to decide Kosatschenko’s guilt or innocence.
The trial is scheduled for Nov. 30.
Court records show Kosatschenko pleaded guilty to possession of a deadly weapon on school grounds at the age of 11 and to two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon at age 13. He was placed on probation both times.
Shortly after turning 18 in 2007, Kosatschenko applied to have his rights restored and his juvenile records destroyed, but his requests were denied.
He successfully obtained his weapons permit because DPS background searches only bring up adult convictions.
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Off-duty officer kills attacker who beat, robbed him www.privateofficer.com
An off-duty Nassau County detective was attacked by two men who tried to rob him while he was at a 24-hour car wash on Lincoln Avenue in Deer Park.
Erik Johnson, 24, of Bay Shore, and an accomplice approached the officer from behind and started beating him with an aluminum baseball bat. The man identified himself as a police officer as Johnson continued to beat him. The officer then fired four shots, striking Johnson once.
Johnson was taken to an area hospital where he died. His accomplice was arrested several blocks away.
The injured officer was admitted to the hospital for treatment of several contusions and internal bleeding.
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Security officer injured nabbing wallet thief www.privateofficer.com
A Hicksville man was arrested Tuesday night after he sneaked into an employee-only area of Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola and stole a wallet from a woman’s purse, Nassau police said.
A witness saw the suspect, Frank J. Adams, 23, of 230 Nevada St., take the wallet, which held cash and credit cards, and notified hospital security, police said.
While waiting for police, Adams shouted “and began to swing his arms and struggle . . . causing a security guard to injure his shoulder.”
Adams is charged with second-degree robbery and second-degree assault. He was set for arraignment Wedneday at First District Court, Hempstead.
Bail or court appearance information was not available Wednesday morning.
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Man arrested for shooting friend in the head www.privateofficer.com
Alcohol, football and a handgun apparently do not mix any better than drinking and driving.
The trio put Greeley resident Timothy Pollard, 37, behind bars under a $100,000 bond on Sunday, facing felony charges of attempted manslaughter and second-degree assault after his friend was shot in the head at his home.
Pollard, who is due to be officially charged Wednesday, told police pointing the gun at his friend was “just stupidity.”
According to a Greeley police arrest affidavit, Pollard, who lived at 298 30th Ave., had been drinking with his friend, Robert Knorr, on Sunday at a bar. The two apparently went to Pollard’s house to watch football and check their fantasy football results.
Knorr told police the last thing he remembered was sitting at a computer before being shot in the head. The bullet entered the back of his skull on the left side and exited just below the lip on the right side of his face. He was taken to a Denver hospital.
Pollard, who admitted to police he had about six beers and a couple of shots of alcohol at the bar and another beer when he got home, had taken a handgun and pointed it at his friend. Pollard told police he thought the safety was on as he pulled the trigger once and it just clicked. So he pulled the trigger again, shooting Knorr.
After the shooting, he told police he called 911 immediately and did as he was instructed, putting the handgun on the front porch.
He told police he thought the gun always had the safety on, and he could not be sure if he himself had taken the safety off.
He faces attempted manslaughter and second-degree assault, both felonies that could land him in prison for roughly six years and prohibited use of a weapon, a misdemeanor.
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