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Medical helicopter collides with airplane leaves 2 dead www.privateofficer.com
WEYERS CAVE VA Dec 31 2010 A midair collision between a small airplane and a medical helicopter killed two people Friday near the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport in Weyers Cave, authorities said.
Both occupants of a single-engine Cessna 172L were killed when it plummeted into a farm field after clipping AirCare 5, a medical transport helicopter, at about 2:30 p.m., authorities said.
The collision occurred over the 800 block of Route 256, about a half-mile north of the airport, said federal aviation authorities and Virginia State Police.
A witness described a glancing blow that knocked off the airplane’s left wing
Impact with the ground destroyed the Cessna, authorities said, and left debris on both sides of Route 256. Authorities did not identify those who were killed.
The damaged Eurocopter EC135, returning from the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, landed safely with two crewmembers aboard, authorities said.
Helicopter instructor Mark Huntley said he was working on his aircraft in an airport hanger when he heard the collision.
“I saw the helicopter come in and … it wasn’t pretty,” he said.
Huntley said the pilot of the helicopter did an “amazing job” of landing.
“It was a combination of how well all the safety features they have on that aircraft worked and [the pilot’s] ability to recover,” he said. “It’s a testament to the training those boys get.”
Huntley said the helicopter sustained damage to its skids, which are used for landing.
Doug Ward, a resident of nearby Airport Road, heard about the crash from a relative and raced to the scene with his stepdaughter, Samantha Hostetter, who is trained as a first responder.
When Ward arrived, he saw crumpled wreckage, a hole in the ground and the airplane’s propeller up. He saw a body on the co-pilot side of the plane.
There was nothing they could do.
The airplane was registered to Michael W. Price, an Elkton man, said Jim Peters, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman.
The helicopter is registered to PHI Inc. in Lafeyette, La.
Calls to Price’s home and PHI were not answered.
State police First Sgt. Scott VanLear said a local investigator will work with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to determine the cause of the crash.
VanLear, an airport spokesman and the FAA did not immediately know where the airplane was coming from or its destination.
Airport Director Greg Campbell said flights in and out of the airport continued on schedule after the crash.
According to the Cessna website, the Cessna 172L, also know as a Skyhawk, is one the most flown aircrafts and is ideal for training.
Since 1980, NTSB records show four aircraft crashes in Weyers Cave. Two resulted in deaths.
Statewide since 2005, 11 helicopters have crashed, including a June 2009 non-fatal crash in Greenville, where a helicopter was performing aerial tree trimming. The NTSB has not released a final report in that crash.
Huntley, the helicopter instructor, described a midair collision as a pilot’s nightmare.
“It’s one of the worst things that we go through,” he said. “The pilot, he was very professional shutting it all down. It wasn’t until he was on the ground for a little bit ‘til he showed signs of what he’d been through.”
Former security guard sues after loss of job www.privateofficer.com
Kenneth Callender of Clarksville, Tenn., is seeking class-action status for the lawsuit. It accuses Coastal International Security — a Lorton, Va.-based company that provides guards to the departments of State, Homeland Security and Defense — of breach of contract for refusing to pay a promised $1,500 retention bonus.
Callender’s attorney, Rowdy Meeks of Kansas City, Mo., said the lawsuit would cover about 200 private guards at Fort Campbell if it is certified as class-action. In addition to the guards at the Army post that straddles the Kentucky-Tennessee state line, it may cover an undetermined number of guards from Fort Knox and posts in the company’s “Army Midwest” region in Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Michigan.
“We’re still trying to figure out how people that is,” Meeks said Tuesday.
A message left for a Coastal International Security spokesman was not immediately returned Tuesday. Callender sued Thursday in U.S. District Court in Paducah.
Coastal’s contract to provide security at Fort Campbell, Fort Knox and other posts ended in September, when the U.S. Army’s Installation Management Command switched the job to government employees.
Bill Costlow, public affairs director for the Installation Management Command in San Antonio, Texas, which oversees the security contracts, said private contractors needed to be phased out by law by 2011, which is why Coastal International Security’s contract was allowed to expire.
Normally, private contractors are barred from providing security at military posts, but Congress granted an exemption after Sept. 11. However, Congress mandated that the number used be decreased by 10 percent each year, Costlow said.
The jobs will be filled by federal government employees, Costlow said.
“We have our own standards and our own training,” Costlow said. “It will be the same from garrison to garrison.”
Coastal International Security, a subsidiary of New Mexico-based Akal Security, in June sent an e-mail to employees in the Army Midwest region promising a $1,500 retention bonus for guards who stayed on between the end of their contract and the switch to government employees.
“This should help offset some financial difficulties faced by employees whom ultimately will be laid off as a result of the contract ending,” wrote Larry T. Stacy, Coastal’s Army program manager.
Two months later, Stacy sent another e-mail informing employees that the retention bonus would not be paid. But he expressed hope that employees would continue until the company’s contract with the Army ended a month later.
“This action is being taken due to the government’s unwillingness to pay for the retention bonuses,” Stacy wrote.
Meeks said Callender, who was laid off Sept. 30 after seven years at Fort Campbell, is still unemployed and looking for work
Source:mcourierpress.com
Huntsville school security nabs burglary suspect www.privateofficer.com
HUNTSVILLE, AL Dec 31 2010 – Huntsville police say that they have arrested a man for a burglary at a city school.
Police responded to the Huntsville Center for Information Technology on Drake Avenue about 11:30 Wednesday night after school security observed a man on school cameras inside the building.
Security officers also responded to the school and were able to detain the man identified as Robert Hill as he tried to leave the building.
Police said Hill broke through a window to get inside the school and was attempting to take school property.
Hill has been transported to the Madison County detention center.
Hospital security officer assaulted www.privateofficer.com
Police said a 26-year-old man was involved in a minor car accident in Groton Town. The man became unruly and assaulted the security officer.
Police did not identify the man but said charges are pending.
The security guard was not injured.
Teen reports being raped in Shreveport Government Plaza www.privateofficer.com
Police would not confirm any specifics about the alleged victim, nor are they releasing the name of the suspect. KTBS-TV quotes a police source who said the teen was visiting Shreveport with her parents to watch Georgia Tech play Air Force and was raped after the game by Rick Seaton, assistant chief administrative officer to Mayor Cedric Glover.
Seaton was fired Tuesday “as the result of an ongoing criminal investigation by the Shreveport Police Department,” according to a statement from the mayor’s office.
Shreveport Police Sgt. Bill Goodin told the AJC the alleged victim’s mother reported the rape around 9:20 p.m. Monday. Officers then interviewed the daughter who told them the attack occurred inside a government office.
KTBS reports the high school senior said she met Seaton after the game, played at Independence Stadium. She was apparently trying to get to the city jail to bail out her boyfriend, who was arrested for disorderly conduct. Seaton offered to drive her there, she said.
According to the station, Seaton took his alleged victim to the mayor’s office, where he forced her onto a sofa and raped her. KTBS also reports the girl acknowledged she had been drinking.
Seaton’s attorney, Marty Stroud, confirmed the investigation but insisted his client had engaged in consensual sex with the teen.
Source:ajc
Mall security chases funny money suspect www.privateofficer.com
VERO BEACH, Fla.Dec 31 2010 — A Miami man was arrested Tuesday after he used counterfeit cash to buy merchandise and gift cards from the Indian River Mall, the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office said.
Wayne Wisdom was arrested on multiple counts of uttering forged bills.
According to the arrest report, Wisdom used four counterfeit $100 bills to make purchases at Yankee Candle, Spencer’s, Dillard’s and Sports Haven.
An employee at Sports Haven noticed the ink smearing on one of the bills and pointed out Wisdom to security officers, who chased him through the mall, the report stated.
Wisdom was eventually apprehended and found to have a counterfeit $100 bill, bundles of change from his purchases, gifts cards and a Spencer’s receipt in his pockets, the report said.
When asked how he had obtained the counterfeit bills, Wisdom said he didn’t make them and that he needed money because he had to eat, according to the report.
The U.S. Secret Service field office in West Palm Beach investigated and confirmed that the bills were counterfeit.
Authorities in Brevard County said Wisdom has been identified as passing counterfeit bills at a mall there on the same day. Wisdom faces additional charges.
Man attempts child abduction at Wal-Mart www.privateofficer.com
BOSTON MA DEC 31 2010 — A man tried to abduct a young child from a Walmart in Brockton on Thursday morning, according to police.
The incident happened at about 11:20 a.m. at the store on Oak Street, near the Westgate Mall.
Brockton Police Department Capt. Emmanual Gomes said Vadym Golina, 40, picked up the 6-year-old boy inside the store and tried to run off with him. The boy’s family members chased the man, and rescued the child, who was not injured.
A store security guard detained Golina, of Stoughton, until police arrived. He was charged with kidnapping and assault and battery.
Golina, who is a Ukrainian national, has been in the country for about 10 years.
Police said the abduction was “bizarre” because it happened in a crowded store.
Dillard’s loss prevention agent arrested for shooting at shoplifters www.privateofficer.com
Oklahoma City OK Dec 31 2010 A store security guard who police said shot at a car carrying shoplifting suspects in the Penn Square Mall parking lot in October was charged Thursday with engaging in reckless conduct while possessing a firearm and carrying a weapon unlawfully.
Timothy Kiddoo, 32, of Oklahoma City, was an officer for the Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs Medical Center who was working as a loss prevention officer for Dillard’s when the incident happened, according to court records.
He followed two women he suspected of stealing a watch into the parking lot.
Kiddoo did not show his badge and he was wearing jeans, a black shirt and a ball cap, according to an affidavit.
The women drove off when Kiddoo confronted them, records show.
Kiddoo told police that the driver made eye contact with him, then drove at him.
Her car struck Kiddoo’s left hand and continued moving in a reckless manner, Kiddoo told police.
Kiddoo told police he fired two shots at the vehicle as it drove away because he was concerned for other people’s safety.
No bystanders were injured.
Kiddoo told police he thought the rounds hit the back window and trunk of the car.
Police investigated the case and found that Kiddoo did not have an armed security guard license, according to an affidavit.
Police also determined that Kiddoo fired at the vehicle after it was no longer a threat, records show.
Veterans Affairs spokeswoman Stacy Rine confirmed Thursday that Kiddoo is an employee. She said the matter is under review internally.
“As with any employee, we intend to treat this situation privately — respecting all parties involved,” Rine said in a statement.
Source:newsok.com
Off-duty deputy working security shoots teen www.privateofficer.com
SAN ANTONIO TX Dec 31 2010 — An off-duty Bexar County Sheriff’s deputy shot and wounded a 16-year-old boy in a stolen car early Thursday morning.
The wounded teen, a passenger, and the driver, were speeding from the parking lot at the Cypress Cove apartments at 601 Northwest Loop 410, where several cars had been burglarized, sheriff’s officials said.
The deputy, identified as C. Longoria, who lives in the complex and works as a security guard there, fired several shots as the compact car sped toward him, sheriff’s officials said.
“He used his flashlight and identified himself. The car hesitated … then sped up … the officer jumped out of the way and discharged his weapon,” said Sgt. Aaron Vonmuldau of the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
Several hours after the 4 a.m. incident, the wounded teenager showed up at a local hospital with a gunshot wound to his arm. The teen admitted he had been involved in the burglaries. The teen was treated for his injuries and then was charged with burglary and assault.
Investigators said the teen is refusing to identity the driver.
The car was later found abandoned at 6112 Zangs Dr., a little over half a mile from the shooting scene. The car had been reported stolen on Oct. 26, sheriff’s officials said.
Source: KSAT 12
Teenager arrested for murder of Chicago police officer www.privateofficer.com
Chicago ILL DEC 31 2010- Two days after arresting 18 year old Bernard Williams for the murder of a Chicago police officer, investigators were going to new depths to find the murder weapon. As Williams appeared in bond court, for the murder and robbery of SWAT officer David Blake, investigators were searching a sewer on the southwest side.
The activity Thursday morning was going on in the alley behind the home where Williams was arrested, on West 83rd Place near Saint Louis Avenue. Police brought in sanitation workers with a truck for reaching into the sewer. They were acting on information, presumably from Williams, that the gun had been disassembled and disposed of in the sewer. It’s not clear if they found anything.
Williams could face the death penalty, prosecutors said in court, as they detailed the evidence against him, much of which came from his videotaped confession. They said Williams’ sister was dating Blake, and that in late October Williams went to Blake’s home to watch a football game. While there Williams learned that Blake kept guns in a bedroom safe, and even got Blake to show him the weapons, prosecutors said.
“It was then that he began to formulate a plan to steal those guns,” said Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Jaimie Santini.
On November 22nd, Williams used a ruse to get Blake to pick him up. He convinced Blake to drive to a secluded area on the southwest side known as “Dead Man’s Alley.” There Williams said he had to get something from a friend’s house.
“When the defendant returned to the victim’s car, the defendant produced a gun and shot the victim six times killing him.”
Blake was shot from inside his SUV, and was found with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, even though he did not smoke.
Police say the motivation for the murder was simple.
“Williams’ motive was to shoot and kill Officer Blake for the purpose of stealing weapons inside of his residence,” said Superintendent Jody Weis.
Prosecutors say after his arrest Williams confessed to the murder, and to stealing Blake’s key ring, which held his car keys, his house key and the key to his safe.
Weis said the investigation took so long because there were no obvious leads at the scene. It was only after scouring through thousands of computer and phone records that they turned up Williams as a person of interest.
A judge ordered that Williams be held without bail. He returns to court January 18th.
SOURCE; FOX NEWS
Masturbating airline passenger blames Tabasco Sauce www.privateofficer.com
Salt Lake City Utah Dec 31 2010 A 50-year-old Florida man has been arrested after an Idaho girl reported the man exposed himself during a flight from Salt Lake City to Lewiston, reports the Associated Press.
The 17-year-old girl says she switched seats when the man sitting next to her began masturbating aboard the Skywest flight.
The Lewiston Tribune reports the girl told her father what happened and he reported it to the Transportation Security Administration. TSA officials notified Lewiston police, who arrested the Gulf Breeze, Fla., man while they investigate him on suspicion of misdemeanor indecent exposure, reports AP.
Police say the man told them he spilled Tabasco sauce on himself, which caused his crotch to burn and itch.
Lewiston Police Capt. Tom Greene told The Seattle Weekly, “The Tabasco defense was that it caused him to have an uncontrollable itch. Officers said he wasn’t having any itch issues when they interviewed him, and there was no evidence of a spill on his pants.”
The Seattle Weekly also reports that the accused man, Rafael Escamilla, has a Facebook page, which has since been taken down, where he says he’s married and the Director of Research at Andrew-Paulos Research and Education Institute.
WV police charge teacher in internet sex sting www.privateofficer.com
Charleston WV Dec 31 2010
Charleston Police and Berkeley County deputies arrested John Kyle King, 44, of Lamar Thursday in an internet predator sting.
They charged King with 3 counts of Criminal Solicitation of a Minor, and one count of Attempted Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor.
Arrest warrants show King chatted with an undercover officer on the internet on December 17th. They say he then sent the officer text messages and talked with her on the phone. The warrants say he then tried to make contact with another undercover officer in the operation.
Darlington County deputies seized two computers from King’s home. They were taken to the Charleston Police Department DEU for forensic examination. A third computer was in the King’s possession at the time of his arrest.
Darlington County deputies and Hartsville police conducted surveillance in support of the operation.
Correctional officers at the Charleston County Detention Center say booking reports show King is employed at the Byrnes School in Florence.
Dallas security officer finds dead body www.privateofficer.com
DALLAS TX Dec 31 2010 – The bloody body of a man is discovered in an industrial area of Dallas on Wednesday.
A security guard found the deceased at about 5 a.m. in the 1600 block of Levee Street, just north of downtown.
The guard said he found the man on the ground next to a building and that he was covered in blood. He said the victim had apparently been stabbed and his throat slit.
The area is popular with homeless people but many people also live in studios that house their businesses.
Police said the dead man does not appear to be homeless.
Detectives shut down the immediate area to investigate.
No further details were immediately available.
