Archive
Police shoot armed man at TN. school www.privateofficer.com
 |
BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. Aug 31 2010 — A police dispatcher says an armed man who tried to enter an East Tennessee high school has been taken to the hospital with injuries.
School officials in Sullivan County say the man, who has not been identified, confronted a security officer at Sullivan Central High School on Monday morning. WJHL-TV reported that when more officers arrived, the man drew his gun and was shot by Sullivan County Sheriff’s deputies.
School district supervisor Evelyn Rafalowski said no students or teachers were injured and school was dismissed at 10:30 a.m. EDT, shortly after the man showed up at the school.
Rafalowski said she did not know the man’s motive.
Shelby NC teacher in court over student sex charges www.privateofficer.com
Shelby NC Aug 31 2010 Nicole Chapman slipped from her seat in the very back of the courtroom to stand beside her lawyer, Katherine Haen, when her name was called during court proceedings Monday morning.
The former North Shelby School teacher was arrested in May and charged with indecent liberties with a student and sex offense with a student.
The 19-year-old student she allegedly had a relationship with sat near the front of the courtroom, dressed in a green t-shirt and khaki shorts. He sat up straighter when Chapman was called to the front.
Chapman, 29, stood with her hands behind her back as the prosecution read the charges against her. She was neatly dressed, her sleek blond hair styled in a short bob.
Court officials said between April and May, while she was a teacher at North Shelby, Chapman began a sexual relationship with the student.
The state offered Chapman a plea to the two separate charges against her, both felonies, according to Haen.
Chapman has not made a decision yet, Haen said Monday afternoon.
The prosecution told the court Chapman was more than forth coming with police about the relationship.
Police said Chapman had a sexual relationship with the teen. North Shelby School is a school for students with varying degrees of physical and mental challenges.
“This is an unusual case a rare case, fortunately, in this county,” said Haen. “From my understanding, it was consensual.”
Chapman’s lawyer said she had heard from the student’s mother that morning before court and both the victim and his family wanted to speak.
Previously, the 19-year-old student told The Star that he was not a victim.
“I love her,” he declared.
When Shelby Police arrived to arrest Chapman they found her at the student’s home, and according to the report, Chapman kissed him good bye when she left with the officers.
The teen’s mother also defended Chapman, saying her son was not a victim and he was not in Chap-man’s classroom.
“He knows what he’s doing,” she previously told The Star. “He’s responsible.”
Chapman was released from jail on a $75,000 secured bond three days after her arrest.
During the proceedings Monday, Haen said she would like a short sentencing hearing. Haen said she wanted to clear the courtroom to allow the family and the teen to speak without media attention. She said she was concerned public opinion would affect the district attorney.
“I intend to follow the law. Not public opinion,” replied Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Lari.
Chapman’s sentencing hearing is scheduled the first week in Nov.
“I think these charges are unique,” said Judge James W. Morgan.
Chapman and her lawyer briefly talked in whispers and then Chapman left the courtroom.
The student left the court room with a woman. He kept his gaze straight ahead and refused to comment.
When asked if he was still seeing Chapman, he shook his head no.
Chapman also declined to comment.
Source:The Star Newspaper
Salt Lake Police Kill Heavily Armed Army Deserter www.privateofficer.com
Salt Lake City Utah Aug 31 2010 A 28-year-old Army deserter wearing fatigues, military boots and full body armor exchanged fire at a busy intersection with Salt Lake City (Utah) PD officers, who fatally shot him, Sgt. Robin Snyder told said today.
Army specialist Brandon Barrett shot an officer in the leg during the shooting near the Grand American Hotel on Friday.
Barrett used an automatic rifle and had strapped almost a dozen high-capacity magazines of ammunition to his body, said Snyder, the Salt Lake PD’s public information officer.
During the exchange of gunfire between officers and Barrett, several civilian vehicles were struck with rounds and a power line from a utility pole fell near 600 South and Main streets. Police cordoned off the intersection, including the area with the live wire.
“Several other vehicles were hit in the crossfire,” Snyder reported. “It’s amazing that no one else was hit.”
Barrett had returned from serving in Afghanistan in June and had been classified as a deserter just eight days prior to the shooting, the Deseret News reports.
The Salt Lake City officer is the third Utah law enforcement officer shot in a a 36-hour period. A Kane County Sherieff’s deputy was ambushed by a robbery suspect. Also, a South Jordan PD officer was shot while serving a warrant early Thursday.
Reading school security hold in-service training www.privateofficer.com
For the first time, the district is holding full-day training sessions for security staff.
The 52 district security guards will take part in a second day of training today with a program that will include communication training.
Guards spent eight hours Friday in sessions about sexual harassment, fire safety, CPR and performing searches.
Russell A. Delrosario, a former New York police officer, was hired to head the district’s security force in January.
Reading administrators, Delrosario said, felt it was vitally important to bring a training element to the security team.
Delrosario said the training sessions are meant to give guards a broad review of the rules, regulations, policies and techniques of their jobs.
“Just overall skills to patrol the schools better,” he said.
Manny Santiago, who has been a guard in the district for seven years, said the training sessions are a great way for guards to keep their skills sharp.
The training also will help ensure that all guards perform duties such as student searches the same way.
Ramon Acevedo, who has been a guard for 16 years, said he’s been asking for training for years.
“Sometimes you forget about things,” he said.
“And sometimes things change, and we want to stay up to date.”
Delrosario is planning follow-up training sessions to be held throughout the school year. He said he sees it as essential to having an adequate security force.
Four city police officers also will be assigned to Reading schools.
Officers will be located in Reading High School and in the new Citadel intermediate high school.
Source:ReadingEagle.com
Chicago security guard arrested for shooting at respo men www.privateofficer.com
Chicago IL. Aug.31 2010 A 65-year-old store security guard shot at a tow truck as his car was about to be repossessed, officials say.
Ike D. Holmes was working at an Aldi food store in the 5600 block of West Fillmore Street on Aug. 27 when a tow truck arrived at about 7 a.m. to repossess his car, police said.
Holmes argued with the two men in the tow truck, then took out a gun and shot one of the truck’s tires, police said.
Holmes, of the 2100 block of West 119 Street, was charged with felony aggravated discharge of a weapon, misdemeanor criminal damage to property, failing to register a fire arm and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, police said
Man arrested for taking pictures of YMCA patrons www.privateofficer.com
DAYTON OH Aug 31 2010— A Dayton man who allegedly took photos of West Carrollton YMCA patrons, including children, in the showers and locker room is in Montgomery County Jail today on multiple voyeurism charges.
West Carrollton Deputy Chief Doug Woodard said a complaint by a patron back in January led to an eight month investigation of Daniel E. Wagner, 40.
Police seized a laptop, cell phone and other media from Wagner’s home, 227 W. McPherson St., in January and discovered dozens of illicit pictures of people in various stages of undress.
The location of most the pictures could not be identified so he has only been indicted on charges related to complaints at the YMCA.
Wagner is charged with two felony counts of voyeurism and one misdemeanor count. He faces up to 26 months in prison if convicted on all counts.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2124 or kwedell@coxohio.com.
Source:Dayton Daily News
Phoenix security officer discovers murder victim www.privateofficer.com
Phoenix police say a security guard found Javier Barajas-Caperon, 37, just after 4 a.m. in an alley north of 2nd and Washington streets on August 21st.
Barajas-Caperon was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Phoenix Police Sergeant Trent Crump said Monday that 36-year-old Michael Velasquez has been arrested and is being held on a warrant in New Mexico for 2nd degree murder.
The two men reportedly met a couple days before the murder.
They got into an argument in the parking structure when Velasquez allegedly pushed Barajas off the side and he fell to his death in the alley.
KCMO armored car robbed www.privateofficer.com
According to police, the suspects robbed a Brinks Armored Car driver as he was filling up a drive-through ATM at the Bank of America at 3100 Main Street on Monday around 2:30 p.m.
The suspects are described as black males, two of them in their early 20′s and with slender builds while the third suspect is described as in his late-20′s with a slightly heavier build. The suspects fled the scene in a blue Ford Escape with no license plates.
There were no injuries, and police did not say how much money the suspects got in the robbery. Authorities say that anyone with any information should call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-TIPS.
Source:FOX4KC
Two Alaska police officers killed www.privateofficer.com
ANCHORAGE, Alaska AUG 30 2010
A man accused of killing two police officers in a small Alaska village surrendered to authorities Monday.
Alaska State Troopers said John Marvin Jr. turned himself in shortly after 9:30 a.m. in the southeast Alaska village of Hoonah. Marvin, who was taken with no injuries, is charged with two counts of first degree murder.
Marvin, 45, barricaded himself in his home after the shootings of officers Tony Wallace and Matt Tokuoka late Saturday. The officers died sometime after the shootings.
A motive for what troopers called an ambush has not been disclosed.
During the standoff, troopers and other law enforcement agencies maintained their positions through the night into Monday, authorities said. Troopers had urged residents in the shoreline community of about 800 to stay away from the area.
“We are thankful this incident resolved without further loss of life or injury,” Public Safety Commissioner Joe Masters said in a statement. “Now that this incident has resolved, the community of Hoonah can hopefully start the healing process.”
Masters said two chaplains with the troopers were heading to the community, located on an island about 40 miles west of Juneau.
Just before the shootings, Tokuoka left the home of his father-in-law, George Martin. Tokuoka, 39, was off-duty and had spent the evening there before leaving with his wife and two children, Martin said.
Soon after they left, Martin heard two shots. Wallace was knocked down, and Tokuoka told his wife and children to get away and then he was shot as well, said Martin, who believes his son-in-law was trying to help the fallen officer.
Wallace, 32, was on-duty at the time of the shooting. It was unclear why he was in the area. Wallace died during surgery in Juneau and Tokuoka died at a clinic in the Native village, according to Martin.
“The whole town’s in shock,” he said Sunday. “I’ve been getting calls all day. It’s a bad situation.”
Martin said his home is just a block and a half from Marvin’s. He didn’t know why the officers were ambushed but said police have had run-ins with Marvin in the past. He said Marvin lives alone.
Bob Prunella, acting administrator in Hoonah, said the deaths leave the Tlingit community with just two full-time officers – the police chief and a trainee. He said the southeast Alaska town of Wrangell sent some officers to help out as needed.
Wallace was originally from Ohio and one of the few hearing-impaired officers in the nation, according to officials at Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate New York, where he attended the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. He also was a wrestler and was inducted into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.
He first joined the Hoonah police force in 2006, left after seven months and then rejoined in 2008. He served as the small department’s evidence officer, and was recently designated as a breath-test maintenance technician.
According to the law enforcement networking website http://www.usacops.com, Tokuoka was a former Marine Corps staff sergeant who served in special operations. The Hawaii native had been with the department since spring 2009.
Police kill armed woman at Delta Air Lines facility www.privateofficer.com
The woman, who is a family member of a Delta employee, arrived at the Delta Technical Operations Center just after 2 p.m. armed with a handgun, according to police. The woman sat in her car at the security gate until she was confronted by an officer, police told Channel 2′s Ryan Young.
“The individual did come onto airport property, into the employee parking lot with a gun. We responded and shots were fired,” said Lt. Tina Daniel with Clayton County police. Police would not identify the woman but did say there had been some family violence prior to the woman’s arrival at the parking lot.
“This had nothing to do with Delta Airlines. Again the airport is safe, there is no reason for anyone to be concerned about their safety. Flights are going as usual,” said Daniel.
Delta Airlines spokeswoman Susan Elliot released a statement. “Delta is cooperating with authorities in their investigation of what appears to be a domestic situation involving a shooting that occurred near the Delta Technical Operations Center security entrance. No Delta employees were injured in this incident. As part of Delta’s Employee Assistance Program, confidential and free counseling is available for all Delta employees,” said Elliot.
Police investigate missing money from armored car company www.privateofficer.com
Elsa DeGraffenried, a manager at Keys Armored Express, told Key West police that a bag containing $2,915.72 from Office Depot in Key Largo was missing after the two employees, one age 54 and the other age 45, picked it up on Aug. 17.
A police report says DeGraffenried reported that the two men picked up seven bags of cash overall from Office Depot, mile marker 99.6, and were to put the bags in Keys Armored Express’ vault at 1517 Dennis St. in Key West.
On Aug. 18, one of the suspects was tasked with taking the seven bags, plus 24 others full of cash, to a Wachovia Bank receiving center in Miami. But when he arrived at that center, DeGraffenreid told police, there were only 30 bags delivered, not the 31 expected.
DeGraffenried told police there’s no log book for contents of the vault, so she doesn’t know if the missing cash even made it to the vault from Office Depot.
Source:Keysnet.com
Fla. security guard charged with child porn www.privateofficer.com
Collier County Fla Aug 30 2010 A 25-year-old Golden Gate man faces a charge of possessing child pornography.
A Collier County sheriff’s deputy went to the Whitestone Group, 1035 Collier Center Way, North Naples, where a company executive told him he suspected that Shelton Berger, a company security officer, had pornography on his company laptop computer.
The Whitestone executive told the deputy he had looked at the computer and found images and videos of what appeared to be underage children.
The deputy said he found 12 explicit videos containing younger than 12 in in sex acts, including but not limited to sex acts with adults, alone, or with each other.
He then arrested Berger at 6 p.m. Friday. Berger, of the 1800 block of 42nd Terrace Southwest, was charged with obscene material-promoting a photo or movie containing a sex performance by a child.
Washington judge rules police chief violated “Whistleblowers Act” www.privateofficer.com
Washington DC Aug 30 2010 A D.C. Superior Court jury ruled that senior police officials, including Chief Cathy L. Lanier, violated the District’s whistleblower act when they suspended a police officer in 2005 after he informed city officials that the department allegedly brokered an illegal deal to provide security for the Gallery Place entertainment area downtown.
The jury ruled Thursday that officer Sean McLaughlin was wrongly suspended after he alerted the mayor’s office and the D.C. Council that the department had brokered a deal to make officers available to provide security in the area, after the department had rejected requests by McLaughlin and other officers to supply off-duty security in the same neighborhood.
Citing the District’s Whistleblower Protection Act, the jury sided with McLaughlin, saying Lanier wrongly disciplined him. In 2005, the police union and nine officers filed a class-action suit against Lanier and the department, arguing that the officers were wrongfully punished for the disclosure.
Last year, Judge Judith E. Retchin dismissed the claim filed by six of the officers. But the jury found Thursday that the three remaining officers — McLaughlin, Duane Fowler and Martin Freeman — had alerted officials of the department’s wrongdoing, constituting whistleblowing. In March 2005, Freeman was terminated and McLaughlin and Freeman were suspended.
According to the complaint, the officers submitted their off-duty security requests for Gallery Place in October 2004. A month later, while the officers were waiting for supervisors to approve their requests, the department brokered its own security deal with Gallery Place officials, the complaint alleges.
But D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles said no such deal was brokered by the department.
“This was a bogus allegation,” Nickles said, adding that the lawsuit was a “waste of union member funds.”
Department officials said the officers had started working the off-duty security job without department approval when they notified their supervisors, which was the cause of their suspension and termination.
Still, while union attorneys were able to prove that McLaughlin’s suspension was directly linked to whistleblowing, attorneys were not able to prove such a case for Freeman and Fowler. Using the two officers’ personnel files, D.C. attorneys convinced the nine civil jurors that their being disciplined would have occurred without whistleblowing, based on their prior departmental infractions.
Calls to the Fraternal Order of Police were referred to the union’s attorney, Anthony Conti. Calls and an e-mail to Conti requesting comment were not returned.
In its verdict, the jury said McLaughlin should be awarded $6,800 in lost wages and $6,000 in punitive damages. Lanier said the department plans to challenge the jury’s verdict.
“There is no evidence in the record to support this conclusion,” she said in a statement.
Source:Wahington Post
Alabama man Tasered during Wal-Mart incident www.privateofficer.com
Valley Al. Aug 30 2010 Police tell News Leader 9 a man caused quite a scene at Walmart.
Police were called around 11:30 p.m. Thursday to assist paramedics as they tried to calm down a combative patient in front of Walmart off Highway 29 in Valley, AL.
Twenty-five-year-old Terrell Glasco of Lanett reportedly assaulted a paramedic as they were en route to the hospital.
The paramedic told police he was struck several times in the head and arms, then knocked to the floor of the ambulance. After the assault, Glasco ran from the ambulance into Walmart.
Officers tried to confront Glasco as he was coming out of Walmart, but he ran back inside. That’s when officers say the chased Glasco in the store — running down several isles.
When officers caught up with him, he allegedly refused to comply at which point an officer stunned him with a taser – not once, but twice.
Once officers were able to restrain Glasco, he was transported to the hospital for observation.
After Glasco was examined and released into the custody of police, he reportedly became combative again and started to fight officers who were trying to restrain him.
During this fight, a Valley officer says Glasco struck him in the face.
Following the incident, Glasco was transported to the Chambers County Detention Facility. He was charged with two counts of assault, resisting arrest, public intoxication and disorderly conduct.
Source:WTVM
Police arrest 35 at Tom Petty concert www.privateofficer.com
Buffalo NY Aug 30 2010 Some concert goers are probably wishing they had backed down when confronted by authorities Saturday night, following a concert by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at Darien Lake.
Genesee County sheriff’s deputies made more than 30 arrests — including several that involved physical confrontations with either Darien Lake security or sheriff’s deputies.
One of the arrests involved a Brockport man who allegedly punched a deputy in the face.
Adam J. Phillips, 28, was charged with second-degree assault. He’s also accused of injuring the deputy’s hand.
Phillips tried to enter the seating section of the concert several times during the show without the appropriate ticket, deputies said.
When deputies went to arrest him, he fled and upon being apprehended he punched the deputy in the face. He faces additional charges of trespass and resisting arrest and was taken to county jail on $5,000 bail.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have a hit song, “I Won’t Back Down,” that they frequently play during concert stops.
Other fans who appeared to have taken the anthem too far Saturday:
* Sarah J. Cooper, 19, and Matthew J. Pasternak, 20, both of Amherst, also were accused of struggling and fighting with arresting officers.
Deputies said Cooper allegedly kicked a corrections officer and a security guard while she was being processed prior to her arraignment in Darien Court. She was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, resisting arrest and second-degree harassment.
After allegedly fighting with deputies, Pasternak also was accused of kicking an emergency medical technician who tried to treat him for minor abrasions.
* A father and son from Lockport were accused of fighting with Darien Lake security as they walked from the concert to the campgrounds. Charged with disorderly conduct were James R. Ross Sr., 49, and James R. Ross, 25. Both men were arraigned and taken to jail on $200 bail.
* Myles D. Macleod, 22, of Akron, was charged with disorderly conduct after he allegedly threatened a sheriff’s deputy in the concert venue area.
* Tyler N. Taylor, 25, of Welland, Ont., and Jonathan Raymond, 21, address unknown, were charged with trespass after allegedly refusing to leave the parking lot despite being instructed to do so by authorities multiple times.
In addition, deputies charged a Buffalo teenager and a Dunkirk man with possessing psilocybin, commonly known as mushrooms, with the intent to sell them.
Joseph W. Kulig Jr., 17, of Buffalo, and Brett A. Tofil, 27, of Dunkirk, were taken to county jail on $5,000 bail and charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Tofil also received a weapons charge when deputies found a set of brass knuckles on him.
Also, a Lancaster woman, Sara N. Rogers, 24, of Country Place, was charged with unlawfully dealing with a child after allegedly providing alcohol to minors. Twenty others concert goers under 21 years old — the legal drinking age, who were charged with possession of alcohol.
Portland City Council candidate charged with DUI www.privateofficer.com
Portland police said they arrested Mary Volm, 56, at about 10:15 p.m. in Washington Park.
The Portland Water Bureau security guard called 911 and said the woman was agitated and picking fights with witnesses, police said.
Officers said they arrested Volm at the scene on suspicion of reckless driving and DUII.
Volm is running against Dan Saltzman for a place on the City Council. She’s expected in court Monday.
Omaha mall shooting brings back painful memories www.privateofficer.com
Omaha NE Aug 30 2010 Police in Omaha, Nebraska, said Saturday they were investigating a shooting outside the same mall where a gunman killed eight people nearly three years ago.
An off-duty police officer working security at Westroads Mall was chasing two shoplifting suspects when they hit him with their car, Omaha Police Officer Michael Pecha said. The off-duty officer then fired on the vehicle, striking one of the shoplifting suspects.
The off-duty officer and the suspect were transported to Creighton University Medical Center. The officer was in serious condition and the suspect was in critical condition Saturday night, Pecha said.
The shooting occurred just before 7 p.m. (8 p.m. ET), Pecha said.
In December 2007, a 19-year-old gunman killed eight people and himself at the same mall.
Shaley McKeever, a hostess at the P.F. Chang’s China Bistro there, said she panicked when she heard that the mall was under lockdown Saturday night.
“We had a few people calling in saying they couldn’t come in through the parking lot because police had blocked all the entrances,” she said.
Source:CNN
Fight at Miami mall ends with dozen arrests www.privateofficer.com
Aventura Fla Aug 30 2010 The line leading to the AMC 24 Theaters at the Aventura Mall stretched from the box office to the nearby mall entrance Saturday, as a noisy crowd of teens had gathered to buy tickets to two movies opening that night.
A fight soon broke out between two youths near the box office, spiraling into a mass brawl that spread to the theater, across the mall and to the parking lots.
“There was a fight at `Lottery Ticket,’ and they evacuated an entire aisle of the theater,” said Luis Chiu, 17, a twelfth-grader at North Miami Senior High. “Then the fight continued outside, so the cops took over. It wasn’t pretty.”
The melee erupted at about 10 p.m. and ended with the arrest of 12 minors, all between the ages of 14 and 17, according to Aventura police. At least three suspects were arrested for battery on a police officer and resisting arrest with violence.
Most of the minors were released to their parents. Those charged with felonies were taken to a Juvenile Assessment Center.
No one was seriously hurt in the fight or the rush to the exits, though some officers received minor injuries while trying to make arrests, said Aventura police spokesman Chris Goranitis.
Officers used Taser guns on several suspects. While witnesses reported hearing what they thought were gun shots in the parking lot, Aventura police determined there was none fired during the incident.
While police have not said what caused the fight, WPLG Channel 10 interviewed witnesses who said that it may have been sparked by two rival high school groups.
The scene was chaotic: As the fighting spread, several hundred people, many of them screaming, fled the theater at once, running from the concession stand area and knocking over the rope barriers by the exits.
Police directed the crowd outside the theater to exit the building, but initially did not let anyone leave the area by the parking lot outside the mall. Aventura police received assistance from the police departments of North Miami Beach, Golden Beach, Sunny Isles Beach and Miami-Dade County.
Niouseline St. Jean, 17, of Miami, was part of the crowd that was kept outside the mall, near the Cheesecake Factory, for about 30 minutes.
“All these middle and high school kids were fighting,” she wrote at the time in a text message. “Everything is on lockdown.”
This is not the first time crowd control has been an issue at the AMC in the Aventura Mall.
In January 2005, an off-duty Aventura officer was trying to remove a group of kids he said were causing trouble in the theater. The officer said he was jumped by other teens, and by the time it was over, the police had used Taser stun guns against four youths. Nine juveniles and two adults were arrested.
Goranitis said the police and mall management will meet with the theater to come up with a plan to prevent incidents like Saturday’s from happening again.
There is already a robust police and security presence at the mall.
The Aventura police maintains a nine-officer unit on the property, which is mostly funded by the company that runs the mall, Turnberry Associates.
“Aventura Mall has a comprehensive security program in place, which includes off-duty Aventura Police Department officers and a sophisticated CCTV system,” Aventura Mall general manager Oscar Pacheco said in a statement. “We will continue working with the police and AMC Theaters regarding the incident.”
On Sunday, the Aventura Mall was crowded, as usual. Some people indicated they were worried about security near the theater.
“Security is an issue there and it’s going to drive people away,” said Amy Scharf, 37, of Aventura.
Seth Kaplan, 42, also of Aventura, agreed.
“I usually avoid the mall at nights,” he said. “I do think that these fighting issues are going to cause other people to stop going to the movies, but I was already concerned before this. The movies are dangerous in the evening.”
Other frequent mall shoppers were not as concerned.
“I’m still going to go to Aventura Mall,” said Lauren Ovadia, 17, of Davie. “There is going to be fights everywhere. Things happen.”
Mauicio Diocis, 20, of Aventura, said that while he was concerned about the incident, he still thinks the mall is best option in the area.
“When I heard about the fights it was really surprising, because Aventura is such a nice place,” he said.
Source:www.miamiherald.com
Alaska State Fair protestor arrested by security www.privateofficer.com
A 10-minute YouTube video from the Alaska State Fair is getting people’s attention after an Obama protester was taken down by fair security for what they say was disorderly conduct and criminal mischief.
But others say the man civil liberties were violated.
It’s not the typical scene you expect to see at the Alaska State Fair.
Where security took down Sidney Hill on the fair grounds for refusing to stop protesting while holding an Impeach Obama Now sign.
“He was interfering with a show that was taking place there and he’s wanting to put the sign in front of people,” said Dean Phipps, of the Alaska State Fair.
The situation escalated with the crowd surrounding the security guards.
“He became belligerent and started yelling at the crowd and inciting people,” said Phipps. “When he began to foil about and yell out them and scream and everything, we felt at that point it became a public safety issue and he needed to be escorted from the area and we resisted that, is when they decided to restrain him and that point he was inciting the crowd.”
“He wasn’t yelling, shouting or screaming,” said Brian Standfill, a witness who videotaped the arrest. “He wasn’t heckling the crowd and moments later security personnel from the state fair approached him and asked him to leave.”
In Palmer court Friday, Hill had an arraignment for disorderly conduct and criminal trespass.
Something his wife says is simply unfair for someone who was practicing his freedom of speech.
“He was just exercising just that, his freedom of speech,” said Erin Hill. “They let him in with the banner that’s in your face and then turned around and tried to stop him after they let him after he paid admission.”
State fair officials say they are all for freedom of speech but there are rules in place to rent a vendor booth to do so.
“When you step outside the rules that we established to make this a safe environment and start interfering with program that we paid for to have for people to enjoy, you are overstepping those bounds,” said Phipps.
A boundary, that is still a fine line when it comes to what you can say and where.
“It doesn’t matter if someone assaults you, if you are not causing them harm you don’t have the right to assault them,” said Josh Fannon who is Hill’s attorney. “The security guards assaulted him, it’s clearly on the video of them taking him down for no apparent reason other than him holding the sign.” “People walk around that place all the time with banners signs, clothing.”
State fair officials say their property is private which is why they asked Hill to comply with their rules or leave.
As part of the arrest, fair security also found a loaded revolver on him, which is not allowed on fair grounds.
This is not the first time something has happened as officials say later that night they had to take down a person and remove a weapon.
ATF investigates TN Islamic Center fire www.privateofficer.com
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. Aug 28 2010 – Federal agents have been called out to investigate a possible arson case at the construction site of a controversial Islamic Center of Murfreesboro in Rutherford County.
Officials said four construction vehicles were doused in some kind of flammable liquid accelerant early Saturday morning. Firefighters were alerted to the situation by a passerby who saw flames at the site.
Only one large earth hauler was set on fire before the suspect or suspects left the scene. Investigators believed the people responsible for the fire was spooked and ran off before igniting the other three pieces of machinery.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were called to the scene to lead the investigation. The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office and Murfreesboro Police Department also responded.
Heavy equipment began clearing trees and removing soil on Monday as work got underway on the new center at the corner of Bradyville Pike and Veals Road.
Phase one of the project began amid continuing debate and controversy.
Some critics have opposed the new mosque, objecting to the Islamic religion. Others have said they don’t want the traffic that comes with such a large facility.
A recent posting on the Support the Islamic Center’s Facebook page states: “Some people in our city are doing everything within their power to prevent the building of our center and revoke our existing permit. Upon the advice of our attorney we must do everything in our power to begin building right away.”
Officials did not say if the arson was being investigated as a hate crime. A media briefing was expected Saturday afternoon to address the issue.
Police said the construction equipment on scene was the property of the project contractor – not the Islamic Center.
Source:NewsChannel5
OFFICER DOWN Chief of Police Paul Jeffrey Fricke
Chief of Police Paul Jeffrey Fricke
Hawk Point Police Department
Missouri
End of Watch: Friday, August 27, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: Not available
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Date of Incident: Friday, August 27, 2010
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Chief Paul Fricke was killed in an automobile accident on Highway 47, near Highway U, at approximately 10:30 am.
It is believed that Chief Fricke’s patrol car went off the right side of the roadway, and that he over-corrected, causing his patrol car to cross the highway and strike a utility pole on the left side of the road.
Chief Fricke served as Hawk Point’s part-time police chief and also served as a full time deputy with the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.
Agency Contact Information
Hawk Point Police Department
161 W. Lincoln
PO Box 302
Hawk Point, MO 63349
Phone: (636) 338-4377
Please contact the Hawk Point Police Department for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.
OFFICER DOWN-Deputy Sheriff Brian Harris
Deputy Sheriff Brian Harris
Kane County Sheriff’s Office
Utah
End of Watch: Thursday, August 26, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 41
Tour of Duty: 19 years
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Thursday, August 26, 2010
Incident Location: Arizona
Weapon Used: Rifle
Suspect Info: At large
Deputy Brian Harris was shot and killed while tracking a burglary suspect in the desert near Fredonia, Arizona.
Deputy Harris had begun a foot pursuit of the man in Kane County, but the man fled across the border into Arizona. As Deputy Harris tracked the man’s movements he was fatally struck by rifle fire.
A large manhunt was initiated in which the suspect exchanged fire with other officers multiple times. The suspect, who was familiar with the desert area, was believed to have to stored supplies in various locations. He was able to elude capture and remains at large.
Deputy Harris had served with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office for 19 years and Gulf War veteran who served with the United States Army.
Deputy Harris is survived by his wife and two daughters.
Agency Contact Information
Kane County Sheriff’s Office
76 North Main Street
Kanab, UT 84741
Phone: (435) 644-4916
Please contact the Kane County Sheriff’s Office for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.
Officer Charles Collins killed
Officer Charles Collins
United States Department of Homeland Security – Customs and Border Protection – Office of Field Operations
U.S. Government
End of Watch: Sunday, July 11, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 56
Tour of Duty: 8 years
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Date of Incident: Sunday, July 11, 2010
Incident Location: Alaska
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Officer Charles Collins was killed in an automobile accident in Alaska while traveling between the Port of Eagle and the Poker Creek point of entry. He was driving on the Taylor Highway when his vehicle left the roadway.
His department vehicle went down a 200-foot embankment and landed in a rain-swollen creek. A passerby who saw tracks down the embankment notified Alaska State Troopers, who started a massive search along with other state and federal agencies.
Officer Collins’ body was recovered on August 15th.
Officer Collins had served with the Office of Field Operations for eight years. He is survived by his wife and two sons.
Houston security officer kills man armed with butcher knife www.privateofficer.com
Roderick McGuire, 26, was working security at the complex in the 800 block of Greens shortly before midnight when he and another guard checked on two men drinking beer, listening to loud music and talking loudly outside.
The guards asked the two men to turn off the music and go indoors.
Elvin Jeovanny Flores refused to go in, threw a bottle at the guards and retreated indoors. He returned with the fireplace tool, police said.
Flores went back inside and came outside with a butcher knife, which he used to try tried to stab McGuire, and the guard shot him in the stomach, police said.
Flores died at Memorial Hermann Hospital-The Texas Medical Center.
Ohio man gets 28-life sentence in security officer murder www.privateofficer.com
Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Michael L. Tucker sentenced Beatty-Jones about a half hour after the jury convicted him of murder, attempted murder and four counts of felonious assault.
For sentencing purposes, the felonious assault charges merged with the murder and attempted murder counts. Tucker sentenced Beatty-Jones to 10 years for the attempted murder of William St. Peter and 18 to life for the slaying of James C. Locker. Those two sentences, both of which include three years for firearms specifications, are to be served consecutively.
Earlier, St. Peter asked Tucker to sentence him to the maximum possible, for “what the man’s done, taking the life of Jim and scrambling mine.” Assistant county prosecutor Tracey Ballard Tangeman asked for the same “given the ridiculousness of the testimony of the defendant.”
Defense attorney Doug Hess noted the absence of any adult felony record and Beatty-Jones’ youth.
Beatty-Jones, 21, told Tucker “I didn’t mean it. I accept responsibility for what I did.”
Tucker gave the case to the jury at 11:43 a.m. The jurors deliberated for less than two hours before returning the verdicts, which were announced about 2:15 p.m.
Beatty-Jones admitted shooting Locker and St. Peter, two Moonlight Security guards, on March 30 but claimed he fired in self-defense.
St. Peter, shot in the chest, arm and thumb, testified Tuesday. Locker, shot in the side, died at Miami Valley Hospital on April 3, his 51st birthday.
During her closing argument Friday morning, assistant county prosecutor Michelle Grodner described the guards working at the Western Manor apartments on James H. McGee Boulevard as “two men doing their jobs. These men never had a chance”
Grodner noted that St. Peter was shot twice in the chest, including one shot that was dead center and would have hit his heart or his main blood vessels.
“William St. Peter is alive today because he wore a bullet-proof vest,” Grodner said. “Those were direct hits.”
St. Peter testified Tuesday that he and Locker were investigating a parked truck with lights on. Inside was Jodi Grigsby, a friend of Beatty-Jones, who was waiting for him. He said he moved away from the truck and waited in a different part of the property for Beatty-Jones to return to the truck.
Defense attorney Doug Hess said that the shootings were tragic, but that the guards escalated the situation by not following standard procedures, including making themselves visible and using verbal commands. He said St. Peter hid and came up behind Beatty-Jones as he was returning to the truck.
Hess acknowledged that Beatty-Jones was not cooperative, even telling guards he did not remember his birthday, and combative, but did so in reaction to the guards.
“He was tired of being hassled by these guys,” Hess said.
Beatty-Jones pushed away from the truck when Locker began patting him down, and the guards struggled with him, tried to handcuff him, then pepper sprayed him, heightening the situation significantly, Hess said. When one of them yelled “gun,” Beatty-Jones pulled his weapon and began firing, Hess said.
“He thought he was going to get shot,” Hess said. “He felt that it was going to be his life if he didn’t do something. That’s self-defense.”
Assistant county prosecutor Tracey Ballard Tangeman disagreed, telling the jury that, under the law, the defendant bears the burden of proving a self-defense claim by the preponderance of the evidence, a lesser standard than reasonable doubt.
Tangeman said Beatty-Jones must prove that he wasn’t at fault in starting or escalating the incident, that he had an honest, reasonable belief that he was in imminent danger of death, and that he had no other means to escape besides deadly force. None of the evidence would support any of those elements, Tangeman said.
“The defendant emptied his clip into the bodies of these two men for a pat down he didn’t think he deserved,” she said.
Source:Dayton Daily News
Men sentenced to prison for security officer’s murder www.privateofficer.com
SANTA ANA, Calif.Aug 28 2010—A Long Beach man has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for the killing of a security guard during a burglary at a church construction site in Orange County.
Prosecutors say 29-year-old Sean Christopher Hodge pleaded guilty Friday to a felony count of voluntary manslaughter in the death of 51-year-old Michael Garry.
Prosecutors say Hodge and co-defendant David Zimmer broke into a storage facility at a church construction site in Cypress in September 2007 intending to steal welding equipment. Hodge struck up a conversation with Garry, who suffered from high-functioning autism, as Zimmer hit Garry from behind with his fist and a blunt object. Garry died the next day at a hospital.
Zimmer is serving life in prison without parole.
Woman charged with assault, resisting security www.privateofficer.com
Norfolk police were called to Club Hollywood shortly after midnight Saturday, said Capt. Leon Chapman of the Norfolk Police Division.
Security personnel had removed a customer, Melanie M. Woodard, 25, of Norfolk from the club. Officers arrived to find Woodard attempting to get back into the building, Chapman said.
Responding officers warned Woodard several times to leave the area. She refused and attempted to re-enter the building.
Officers told Woodard that she was under arrest on suspicion of obstructing an officer. She then began kicking and moving away from the officers. While placing Woodard in a police unit, she kicked an officer on his thigh with high heels.
Woodard was also arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest, Chapman said.
After being placed in the patrol car, she began trying to kick out the side window.
Officers also found that Woodard had assaulted security personnel when they tried to remove her from the building, Chapman said.
Woodard was lodged in the Norfolk jail. As a result of the investigation Woodard was also cited for third-degree assault on an officer, third-degree assault on the security guard and first-degree criminal trespass.
Woodard was transferred to the Madison County jail Sunday morning.
Source:Norfolk Daily News
Security officers nab drug user www.privateofficer.com
Woodcliff Lake NJ Aug 28 2010
A 20-year-old man from Ho-Ho-Kus was arrested in Woodcliff Lake on Aug. 16 at 4:24 p.m. and charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance and drug paraphernalia.
Police received a phone call from security from a business on Tice Boulevard that reported they had detained a trespasser. Upon arrival, police officers Dennis DeAngelis and Sean Hammel were informed by security that they had observed a gray sedan enter their parking lot on their surveillance cameras and noticed that no one entered or exited the building. A security officer went out to investigate and reported that he saw the suspect smoking a controlled dangerous substance out of a pipe.
The police officers approached the car and noticed a pipe and a white powdery residue on aluminum foil in plain site. The man was arrested, his vehicle was impounded, and the pipe and powder were taken into evidence.
Walt Disney parks pays 69 employees in back wage disputes www.privateofficer.com
Labor officials said an investigation revealed that inventory-control clerks in the company’s food and beverage department were not paid for work activities that occurred before and after their shifts,
Disney spokeswoman Andrea Finger said the wages owed to the employees in question have been paid, and the company has provided additional training to deter any underreporting issues in the future.
Officials say the investigation also revealed that the clerks worked through meal times and from home without compensation.
According to a Department of Labor release, 69 employees were due $433,819 in back wages.
“While Walt Disney has specific rules regarding off-clock work, an investigation conducted by the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that managers within the company were not adhering to those important policies,” Nancy Leppink of the agency’s Wage and Hour Division said in a statement.
“It is not enough to have policies,” Leppink said. “Management must also ensure that all supervisors are implementing them.”
The Fair Labor Standards Act establishes, among other things, minimum-wage and overtime-pay guidelines.
According to the release, the amount of hours worked includes “all time an employee must be on duty, or on the employer’s premises or at any other prescribed place of work.”
Source:Orlando Sentinel
Cleveland security officer finds murder victim www.privateofficer.com
CLEVELAND OH Aug 27 2010 – An 87-year-old man was killed early Friday morning in his apartment at 2250 Community College on Cleveland’s east side.
Cleveland police said the building’s security officer noticed the victim’s apartment had been broken into just before 2 a.m. and went in to check on the resident.
Phillip Gossett was found dead in a living room chair with a pillow over his head. The Cuyahoga County coroner will determine the cause of death.
“He didn’t bother nobody. He didn’t deserve that. He’d do anything for you. If you asked him for it, he’d give it to you,” the victim’s neighbor Warren Young said.
There are no suspects or arrest at this time.
The Cleveland Division of Police is asking that anyone with information about to contact the Cleveland Division of Police Homicide Unit at 216-623-5464
