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Teacher charged with enticing student www.privateofficer.com
Marcy R. Fisher, 31, was fired from her job at Vancleave High before the arrest. She turned herself in to investigators Tuesday.
Mick Sears, head of the criminal investigation division, said what occurred between Fisher and the male student happened in the last few months.
“It’s our belief it was leading up to sex,” Sears said.
The formal charge is enticement of a child under the age of 18. It was one case with one child, Sears said.
Fisher’s relationship with the teen was reported to the sheriff’s department by a concerned person and triggered an investigation, Sears said.
Fisher lives in the 25700 block of Ramie Farm Road in Hurley. She was released on $5,000 bond.
The penalty for this charge can range from two to 20 years, Sheriff Mike Byrd said.
New Buffalo teacher arrested for porn, indecent exposure www.privateofficer.com
Source:A-P news- A New Buffalo man arrested last week on a child pornography charge is a worship leader at a church in Sawyer and has a long history of teaching music to children, including at two elementary schools in Benton Harbor.
Dennis Hoag, 59, was arrested Friday on charges of possession of child sexually abusive material and aggravated indecent exposure, according to a news release Tuesday from the New Buffalo Police Department.
The release said Hoag’s arrest resulted from an investigation into an incident last May with a minor. It asked that anyone with information about that incident or any related incident call New Buffalo police at 469-1593.
A woman answering the police department phone Tuesday said Chief Larry Pitchford was not available and that no other details would be released. Berrien County Prosecutor Arthur Cotter said Hoag will be arraigned on the charges next Monday. Cotter said the child pornography charge is a four-year felony and the aggravated indecent exposure charge is a two-year high misdemeanor.
According to Cotter, Hoag is alleged to have exposed himself to a 12-year-old boy who was doing yard work at Hoag’s house in New Buffalo. Hoag allegedly fondled himself during the indecent exposure, making the charge aggravated indecent exposure, Cotter said. The prosecutor said the boy is not related to Hoag.
Church and school leaders say the alleged incident had nothing to do with school or church functions.
Carole Schmidt, superintendent of Benton Harbor Area Schools, said Hoag taught elementary vocal music at Calvin Britain and McCord schools. A woman answering the phone at Riverside School near Coloma said Hoag worked at that school several years ago.
Jack Whitehead, pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Sawyer, said Hoag was a worship leader there. He said Hoag is not an official member of the church but attended regularly and led the singing. Whitehead said Hoag was a worship leader at the church since about 2002 but Whitehead, who became pastor last January, had known him only about a year.
Whitehead said he had been out of town and learned of Hoag’s arrest over the weekend.
“I was surprised. Anyone that knew him would be surprised. He’s a decent, good guy. He was a very dedicated person in the church,” Whitehead said. “He helped out with music and day camp and was well liked by the kids.”
Whitehead said Hoag has grown children and that the alleged incident that led to his arrest did not involve a family member. But, he said, “This was a private thing, totally outside of the church. It was at a house. It had nothing to do with the church whatsoever.”
Schmidt had little to say about the arrest of Hoag, other than that he had not been at work since his arrest and that the incident related to his arrest has nothing to do with Benton Harbor schools.
“This had nothing to do with our schools, and there is no report of anything relative to our schools, or anything involving a Benton Harbor child that I’m aware of,” Schmidt said. “Our intention now is that this become a personnel issue.”
Schmidt said she was notified late Monday of Hoag’s arrest.
“These are just allegations. We’re leaving the investigation to the professionals, and they’ll advise us.”
Schmidt said she did not know Hoag very well and has no opinion of him as a teacher.
Mark Westerburg, superintendent of New Buffalo Public Schools, said Hoag’s wife is a middle school teacher there but that Hoag never worked for New Buffalo schools.
Man nabbed after stealing TV from hotel www.privateofficer.com
By: Rick McCann/Staff
PRIVATE OFFICER NEWS
http://www.privateofficer.com/ — – Some people will walk a mile for just about anything and a local 22-year-old man proved that this week.
Hodges was followed by hotel security staff after a guest notified them they he had exited a fire exit door with a TV.
The 32-inch television was taken from a storage area at the Hartford Marriott police said.
Armed woman arrested at Spokane courthouse www.privateofficer.com
A Spokane woman was arrested Wednesday after she tried to bring a loaded gun to a court hearing on a domestic violence charge.
Stacey L. Atkins, 22, was cited for two misdemeanors and released after security at the Spokane County Courthouse found the Bersa .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol in her purse as it passed through the X-ray machine on the north side of the courthouse.
The gun’s magazine was loaded, but there was no bullet in the chamber, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.
Weapons are prohibited inside the courthouse.
Atkins was cited for possession of a concealed dangerous weapon and carrying a weapon in a prohibited place. She was released after she promised to appear in court, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Security officer saves children from fire, mother arrested www.privateofficer.com
He left his security post at the gated entrance to the Mon View Heights public housing complex. Standing beneath a second-floor window, he ordered the woman, Autumn Sanders, and her children to jump into his arms.
All four escaped the early morning fire without injury.
However, Mr. Lavelle, 53, who works for Centurian Security, said he suffered a minor back injury. He fell to the ground when he caught Ms. Sanders’ teenage daughter, the last to jump from the window.
After the rescue, Mr. Lavelle called West Mifflin police, who sounded the fire alarms in the borough.
“I saw the smoke with the lady and the kids leaning out the window. I couldn’t imagine not doing anything other than what I did,” Mr. Lavelle said.
In a police affidavit, Ms. Sanders told investigators her gas had been shut off and she tried to heat her home by lighting charcoal in a ceramic crock pot.
The coals did not immediately ignite, so Ms. Sanders poured a flammable fluid into the pot. When that failed, she poured more and tried again to light the coals.
Instead, she said in the affidavit, she “saw a flash and the whole area was on fire.”
The pot of coals had been set at the top of the second-floor landing, trapping the family upstairs.
Ms. Sanders hustled her children into one bedroom and yelled from the window for help.
The apartment, at the end of a row of five two-story units, is situated near the Midway Drive entrance, and Mr. Lavelle heard the screams, saw the smoke and jumped into action.
The security officer caught Ms. Sanders first, followed by two smaller children, then her teenage daughter.
The event still seemed unreal to him as he recounted the events in his mind. There was no fear of injury or danger, he said.
“I was there and they were there and it had to be done. I don’t see it as anything spectacular,” Mr. Lavelle said. “I was cool until it was all done and over. Then I started to shake all over. I guess I was so hyped up I didn’t think. I just knew I had to get them out of there.”
Allegheny County Fire Marshal Don Brucker said it is illegal to use combustible materials in an enclosed space, according to Public Utility Commission regulations. Incidents like the Sanders fire is the primary reason for the rule, he said.
Ms. Sanders, 30, was arraigned Wednesday on charges of arson, risking a catastrophe and three counts of reckless endangerment.
A neighbor next door said she and Ms. Sanders smelled natural gas Tuesday morning and reported it to Equitable Gas Co.
The children went to school and Ms. Sanders went to work. While they were out, the neighbor said, a gas company worker arrived and detected fumes. However, unable to get into the apartment, the workman shut off service to the two apartments.
Ms. Sanders’ children spent after-school hours with their neighbor and later at their church in Homestead. They returned to their apartment with their mother after midnight Tuesday night, Mr. Lavelle said.
“I wish she had said something. I have an extra space heater she could’ve used,” said Ms. Sanders’ neighbor, Sandra Cook.
Though the fire was contained in Ms. Sanders’ unit, smoke caused damage to Ms. Cook’s apartment.
Damage is estimated at more than $50,000, the property managers said.
A preliminary hearing for Ms. Sanders is set for 9 a.m. next Thursday before District Judge Richard D. Olasz Jr. in West Mifflin.
Security officer injured in hotel disturbance www.privateofficer.com
The attack and arrest happened at the Motel 6 on Arden Way. Officers are still piecing together exactly what happened. But it appears the 19-year-old suspect attacked his girlfriend inside one of the rooms at the motel.
He then left the room, with beer in hand, heading toward an ice machine when he was approached by the security guard who had heard the altercation inside the room. The suspect then apparently hit the guard on the head with the beer bottle.
Police were called and arrested the suspect. Emergency crews arrived to treat the security guard’s injuries but left without treating the suspect’s girlfriend because at the time, police were unaware of the domestic violence that started the incident. After investigating, police called back emergency crews to treat the woman.
Violent shoplifter injures JC Penney security agent www.privateofficer.com
On Tuesday, a Lake Geneva man allegedly drove through part of Regency Mall’s parking lot, dragging a J.C. Penney security guard for more than 50 feet. The security guard was trying to stop Roger E. Budner, 41, from fleeing with a stolen coffee maker, according to police.
Reports said the 23-year-old security guard watched Budner take the $179 coffee maker and then walk past the last point of purchase at J.C. Penney Tuesday just after 6 p.m. The guard told officers he chased Budner, who fled out the northwest doors of the store, across the parking lot into the Applebee’s restaurant parking lot.
The security guard stopped Budner, but as he was reaching for his handcuffs, Budner allegedly got into a parked Volvo and started the car. Police said Budner then drove off, with the security guard’s arm trapped in the window of the vehicle.
The guard told police he tried to reach the keys of the car and turn it off, but Budner bit him.
Budner allegedly drove for 50 to 75 feet before the security guard successfully reached the keys and stopped the car.
After a scuffle, the security guard was able to get Budner to the ground and handcuff him, according to reports.
Budner was arrested on charges of attempted strong armed robbery, reckless endangerment of safety, battery, retail theft and disorderly conduct. He is being held in the Racine County Jail on a $18,350 cash bond.
Budner is the second person Racine police have arrested this week for going on a violent rampage during a retail theft.
Michelle K. Jackson, 40, of Racine, was arrested Monday night after she tried to steal $120 worth of clothing from Value Village, 2917 Durand Ave. and then attacked a customer in the parking lot.
Police said after Jackson was confronted by store management while trying to leave with her arms full of clothing she hadn’t paid for, Jackson caused a scene. She then attacked a 55-year-old woman in the parking lot who was unloading her purchases from a shopping cart into her vehicle.
Reports said Jackson punched the woman, causing her to fall and break her glasses.
Jackson was arrested on charges of attempted strong armed robbery, retail theft, battery, criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct, resisting, operating while intoxicated and a probation hold. She was formally charged in Racine County Circuit Court Tuesday and is being held in the Racine County Jail on a $1,000 cash bond.
Ga. couple trade daughters sex for car payments www.privateofficer.com
Dodge County sheriff’s Capt. Tony Winborn says the parents were arrested Monday and are in jail awaiting a bond hearing. They face child molestation and pandering charges.
The Associated Press does not identify victims of sexual abuse and is not identifying the parents to protect the teen.
Winborn says 66-year-old Robert Wayne Bearden, who managed a used car dealership, was arrested on charges of child molestation and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Winborn says the couple made their daughter perform sex acts on Bearden in lieu of making payments on their minivan.
Winborn didn’t know whether any of the three has a lawyer.
Police recruit shoots self in leg www.privateofficer.com
Atlanta police spokesman Eric Schwartz said the recruit, whose name has not been released, was cleaning his personal gun in the parking lot of the academy when the weapon accidentally discharged, shooting him in the left leg.
He was taken to Grady, where he was in stable condition, Schwartz said.
The Atlanta police public affairs unit issued a statement Wednesday afternoon that said the department does not allow recruits to bring weapons onto academy property. An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the police internal affairs unit, the statement said.
Ex-Birmingham mayor hit 555 bingo jackpots? www.privateofficer.com
On March 14, Langford, who was mayor of Birmingham at the time, hit 21 electronic bingo jackpots that paid out $93,811 at VictoryLand. On March 21, Langford hit 19 jackpots at VictoryLand that paid him $63,637, according to his state tax returns.
Over three years, Langford won more than $1.5 million in 555 jackpots, tax records show.
Langford’s state returns for 2006, 2007 and 2008 recently became part of the record in a civil lawsuit in Greene County, where plaintiffs contend electronic bingo machines at the GreeneTrack casino in Eutaw were rigged to allow Langford to win large sums of money. A similar lawsuit has been filed in Macon County where plaintiffs contend bingo machines at VictoryLand also were rigged to allow Langford to win large jackpots.
Lawyers for both casinos have denied the claims, calling the two lawsuits, both filed by Birmingham lawyer Ted Mann, “frivolous.”
But Mann, in a motion filed in the Greene County case defending the merits of the lawsuit, says Langford’s tax records tell his plaintiffs’ story.
“These records demonstrate unequivocally that what the plaintiffs have alleged did in fact occur. Mr. Langford has, miraculously, won over five hundred and fifty jackpots at VictoryLand,” over the last three years, Mann wrote in the motion.
Langford told The Birmingham News on Tuesday he didn’t remember winning multiple jackpots on any given day.
“Did you say 36 jackpots? Thirty-six … jackpots! That’s B.S.,” Langford said. “I never won 36 jackpots in one … night in my life.”
Langford said he had no idea his tax records had been subpoenaed and turned over in this case.
In 2008, according to the filings, Langford reported hitting 275 jackpots in 24 days for a total of $729,000. Langford’s 2008 tax returns shows he hit 37 electronic bingo jackpots worth $76,000 at GreeneTrack. The 2008 tax return does not specify what days Langford played at GreeneTrack.
“I gamble a lot, everybody knows that,” Langford said. “But man, I don’t remember winning like that. I don’t remember.”
Langford in 2006, 2007 and 2008 reported losing as much as he won. For instance, in 2006, he reported winning and losing $227,673. In 2007, he reported $485,633 in gambling winnings and losses. And in 2008, Langford reported winning and losing $810,601. He said he didn’t recall that.
“If that’s what it says, that’s what it says,” Langford said. “I played and won and played and lost, but I don’t remember the total, but I can tell you over the years I’ve lost a hell of a lot more than I’ve won.”
Langford later added, “Look, every dollar I won, I just put back in the machines and played again.”
The tax returns for 2006 — the year before Langford was elected mayor of Birmingham — show Langford was a frequent visitor and winner at VictoryLand. For example, on March 10, 2006, Langford reported winning 11 jackpots for a total of $14,651. On August 8, 2006, Langford’s tax returns shows he won eight jackpots for almost $30,000.
Langford also hit multiple jackpots with big payouts on several days in 2007. On Dec. 12, 2007, Langford hit at least 14 jackpots that paid him almost $20,000. Ten days later, on Dec. 22, Langford visited VictoryLand and was a winner 35 times, for $90,000.
Langford’s tax returns include receipts documenting his claimed winnings, but documentation supporting his claimed losses is not included.
State and federal laws and regulations require that Langford show evidence for any gambling wins above $1,200. Those laws would require Langford to show evidence of losses only if he were audited. Langford said he has not been audited by either the state or the federal government in the last three years.
Langford and VictoryLand owner, Milton McGregor, have long been friends. McGregor has been a frequent campaign contributor to Langford’s various races for public office. Both men have strongly disputed Mann’s claims in his lawsuits that bingo machines have been rigged to benefit Langford.
Langford was convicted in October by a federal jury on 60 counts of wrongdoing, including bribery, money laundering and conspiracy all related to his time on the Jefferson County Commission. He is slated to be sentenced Friday.
Security officer saves woman from attacker www.privateofficer.com
A 23-year-old security guard foiled an attack early Tuesday when he heard a 69-year-old resident screaming as she was forced into her car at knifepoint in downtown Jacksonville.
Florence Lane was unloading groceries from her car at 12:30 a.m. outside the Cathedral Towers when she saw a man in a blue hooded sweatshirt sitting on a concrete block in front of Sam’s Food Store next door. As she opened her car’s back door, someone grabbed her from behind, ordered her to lie down and said he had a knife.
Guard Willie Parker heard her cry out and chased the man as he jumped over a fence.
“I screamed, and Willie heard me and he came running,” Lane said. “I chased the guy and got his foot, but couldn’t hold him.”
Parker lost sight of him on East Beaver Street, and a police search that included a helicopter also failed to locate him. Officers did find a folding knife, blade out, near the fence, as well as shoes that may have been his.
Parker couldn’t be reached for comment at the senior citizen apartment building at 701 N. Ocean St. But Lane said she is ever grateful.
