Archive
Marine Colonel charged with shoplifting at Wal-Mart www.privateofficer.com
Jacksonville NC Feb 1 2011 Another Marine Corps commander is in trouble with the law.
Authorities say Col.Robert Petit, commanding officer of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Lejeune, has been charged with larceny.
Petit was arrested Saturday by Jacksonville police. Police say the colonel is accused of stealing two printer cartridges and STP gas treatment from WalMart.
The 50-year-old has a February 22nd court date in Onslow County.
A Marine Corps spokesman says they are cooperating with civilian authorities and that they take such allegations very seriously. At the same time, Marines say everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
Just last week it was announced that the former commanding officer at Cherry Point was facing military charges after his arrest last October for drunk driving in Newport.
Col Douglas Denn was relieved of his command after word of his arrest became public.
Source:WITN
Mysterious olive farm files lawsuits to stop hot air balloons www.privateofficer.com
Indio CA Feb 1 2011 The owners of a mysterious, fortified olive farm near Indio have used lawsuits and other legal intimidation tactics to virtually shut down the Coachella Valley’s once-thriving hot air balloon industry, according to various newspaper reports.
JCM Farming Inc. has sued 14 hot air balloon companies, charging them with violating property rights by flying low over its high-security compound near Jackson Street at Avenue 54. An airplane services company was also sued because its plane — dropping sterile insects under contract for the U.S. Department of Agriculture — flew too low over the orchard.
The Desert Sun newspaper reported that the Federal Aviation Administration has twice investigated the farm’s complaints, and twice found that the balloons were not violating aviation law.
But the hardball legal tactics have caused 13 small hot air balloon companies to either go out of business, receive default court orders not to fly in the area because they did not challenge the suit, or promise not to fly balloons in the Coachella Valley. One Riverside County balloon owner has declared bankruptcy after spending $130,000 to fight the farm’s lawsuit.
“I know we haven’t done anything wrong or illegal.” said Magical Adventure Balloon Rides owner Dennis Barrett to the newspaper. “Even so, I have spent over $130,000 on legal fees to date and I haven’t had my day in court yet.”
JCM Farming has also threatened to sue advertisers who formerly paid the balloon companies for signage, and even threatened suit against neighboring landowners if they allowed balloons to land near the farm.
The legal barrage has virtually ended hot air balloon flights in the Palm Springs resort area, a onetime major tourist attraction where it was not uncommon to see as many as 20 colorful balloons aloft on calm winter days, reported the Desert Sun.
JCM Farming’s compound is an 80-acre olive field in the fields southwest of Indio, surrounded by a 24-foot-high, four-foot-thick security wall. Guard turret-like structures, possibly ornamental, sit at the corners of the plot, and signs warn of an armed response with no exit, reported the Desert Sun.
Court records indicate that the company is based in Solana Beach and was owned, at one time, by spouses John C. Marrelli and Carol Marrelli and their daughter, Mailena, reported the Daily Sun. The father has apparently died in recent years.
No employee there would speak to the newspaper. The company’s attorney, Andrew Rauch, told the newspaper that the balloons”are breaking the law. They’re violating our property rights. They’re creating a danger.”
The farm has also filed 10 lawsuits since 2000 over such alleged offenses as a neighbor’s barking dog, contractors who helped build the walled compound, and defamation against a one-time contractor who criticized the outfit.
In those lawsuits, JCM Farming has described the compound as a place “to provide a secure meeting place and retreat for VIPs, dignitary (sic) and other notable individuals and/or the companies they represent,” according to court documents reviewed by the Daily Sun.
“The Project also provides a secure location for JCM to conduct research and development of a highly confidential nature, for which numerous patents have been applied for, are pending, and have been granted,” JCM Farms said in a court document.
Its attorney, Rauch, would not tell the newspaper what type of research is conducted there, other than to say the activity complies with agricultural zoning rules.
But he complained that the low-flying balloons allowed passengers to look into the private area. “It’s like a guy standing on top of your fence with a pair of binoculars and a camera looking at you.”
The company has also complained about the noise from balloon’s air heaters, and says the flights should be eliminated because the airspace near Indio has become congested. But that has not stopped JCM Farms from applying for a permit for a private helipad, reported the paper.
Source:NBC LA
Sleeping guard causes bomb scare www.privateofficer.com
Colorado Springs Co Feb 1 2011 A security guard caused a scare in the University of Phoenix parking lot Sunday morning.
A spokeswoman with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said that a security guard noticed a vehicle covered in spray paint and cardboard at 5:45 a.m. Sunday, and promptly called authorities. The security guard had peeked in the car through a crack in the cardboard, and saw a metal device with wires. Officers immediately arrived on scene and surrounded the vehicle, and also called a bomb squad. IRS has offices inside the building, and officers had some concern that the vehicle could have some connection to their presence.
The bomb squad deployed a robot–and came across a sleeping security guard inside the vehicle. When questioned by authorities, the security guard said that due to working 12 hour shifts and living far away from Colorado Springs, he sleeps inside his vehicle between shifts. The cardboard was covering the windows so that no one could see in, and the device the other security guard saw inside was just a heater.
The slumbering security guard is not going to be charged.
Janitell Road was closed in both directions between East Las Vegas Street and South Circle Drive as a precaution, but has been reopened.
Houston police officer charged with rapes www.privateofficer.com
HOUSTON TX Feb 1 2011 —An HPD officer facing criminal and civil charges is home with his family after a judge reduced his bond.
Several women claim Abraham Joseph attacked them while in uniform.
He is currently charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault in connection with the January 2 alleged attack of a cantina waitress.
The waitress claims Joseph arrested her for no reason while she was at work, drove her to a secluded area and raped her on the trunk of his patrol car.
Joseph was able to make bond Saturday.
“She had some sort of comfort knowing that he was locked up, knowing that he is on the streets she is extremely concerned about that and very anxious,” said Houston attorney Ben Hall.
Hall is representing the woman in a civil lawsuit she filed against the officer.
Initially, a judge set his bond at $500,000, the total from $250,000 on each count.
He later reduced it to $150,000, the total from $75,000 on each count.
“We are vehemently stating that he is not guilty of any of these accusations,” said Joseph’s attorney Nicole Deborde. “This accused citizen should be treated just like anyone else in exactly the same circumstances.”
Deborde says Joseph seems to be a responsible, proud officer. She believes his bond should have been even lower.
“It’s certainly a bit higher and we would have liked if the judge would have put the bond schedule in line with what everyone else who is charged with this type of crime gets in these circumstances,” said Deborde.
The Harris County Bond Schedule suggests a $30,000 bond for a first degree felony in which a deadly weapon is present. That would be $60,000 for the two counts, but bonds vary depending on the specifics of a case.
According to the alleged victim’s attorney, we likely haven’t heard the end of the bond issue.
In the last few days, Hall says he has received calls from two other women who claim Joseph molested them.
Prosecutors say a total of five women have come forward.
If prosecutors charge the officer in additional cases, Joseph could end up back in court and back behind bars.
The Houston Police Department has relieved Joseph of his duties
Source:KHOU.com
Church fight spills into street in NC www.privateofficer.com
The congregation at the Greater new Zion Baptist Church in Fletcher is split on the decision to remove their reverend. Fletcher is a town outside of Asheville.
Some members have accused the reverend of having a mistress. Others say younger members made up the allegations because they feel his is too old to preach.
Deputies rushed to the doors of the church Sunday after the debate turned violent.
Henderson County Sheriff’s Capt. Jerry Rice says the brawl is under investigation, and no one appears to have been seriously hurt. Rice says there were about 75 people at the church when police arrived, but not all of them were scuffling.
“This is God’s house and for violence to go on in God’s house is so wrong. It’s so wrong,” said one churchgoer.
Deputies said no charges have been filed.
Source:WSOC.com
SC man fights $3200 ticket for unleashed dog www.privateofficer.com
KIAWAH ISLAND SC Feb 1 2011
Graham Banks is howling mad over the more than $3,000 in tickets he received from the town of Kiawah Island because of an incident that began when his dog, Boo, was running on the beach.
He turned down a plea bargain offered by the town to settle the matter for $500. Instead, he will argue the case before a jury at a trial scheduled for Feb. 10 in municipal court. Banks received three tickets on Sept. 28. Each citation was written for $1,072.50.
“Part of the outrage is the amount of the fine that they’re giving me. It’s draconian. I can’t look myself in the mirror if I put up with this,” he said.
Graham Banks plays with his 7-year-old mix Boo on the Kiawah Island beach on Thursday. Banks received more than $3,000 in fines after walking the dog without a leash back in September. He is representing himself in a jury trial on Kiawah Island. Banks said he is a poet, investor and day trader who lives in Branchville. His family has a home on the island. He said that he has never had a problem letting his mixed-breed Jack Russell terrier/Labrador retriever exercise off-leash at the island beach.
His name on a copy of the tickets is listed as “Fred Thompson,” which he said is a reference to the former senator from Tennessee. “It was just a joke,” Banks said. He signed the tickets as Graham Banks.
Town attorney Dennis Rhoad said he was not familiar with the specifics of what happened on the beach when Banks received the three tickets. Most of the time, someone violating the ordinance is just asked to put their dog on a leash, Rhoad said.
“For whatever reason, it didn’t go down that way. Somehow it escalated,” Rhoad said.
The case is a simple one based on the town ordinance governing the situation, he said.
“Was the dog on a leash? I don’t think it’s really that complicated,” Rhoad said. “He might come up with some brilliant legal argument that I’ve overlooked.”
If Banks accepts the proposed plea bargain, the town will drop charges that he disrupted the peace and failed to cooperate with the code enforcement officer, Rhoad said.
The town has tried to strike a balance between dog lovers and people who don’t like canines roaming on the beach. “Kiawah is really a pretty friendly place,” Rhoad said. “There aren’t a whole lot of tickets being issued.”
Banks said his argument before the jury will be presented like an essay about his experience that day. When he arrived at the beach, Banks said he saw a sign that said no dogs were allowed unless on a leash. However, he knew from experience that an unleashed dog is allowed on the beach in fall and winter if the dog is controlled with voice commands. The sign he saw did not have dates on it that specified when dogs on the beach had to be on a leash, he said.
“They did not make me aware of the law. It’s totally confusing,” he said, referring to the sign. “It was the off-season and you always have been able to walk your dog on the beach (without a leash) in the off-season.”
Banks said that a code enforcement officer on an ATV shadowed him as he headed to his family’s beach home. The officer pulled in front of Banks and stopped to talk about his unleashed dog. When Banks learned he was receiving a $1,000 ticket for violating the island leash law, he said that he challenged what was happening and refused to provide information the officer requested. As a result, he received two more tickets, he said.
On most of the island’s beach, including where Banks was ticketed, dogs are allowed off-leash from Nov. 1 to March 15 if they can be controlled by voice command. Other times of the year, dogs must be on a leash, according to the town website.
Banks said his dog is trained to heel right beside him and otherwise responds well to voice commands.
“It was after the equinox and I thought it was fine to do it. The beach was deserted. There wasn’t anybody on the beach,” he said.
Source:www.heraldonline.com
Erie man charged with assaulting hospital security www.privateofficer.com
Erie PA Feb 1 2011 An Erie man accused of attacking a security guard at Saint Vincent Health Center remains in custody at the Erie County Prison.
He has been held since Jan. 18.
Luis A. Rosado, 28, was charged with aggravated assault and harassment. State police at Erie said he attacked Dennis Davis, a 51-year-old hospital security guard, on Jan. 18 at 1:10 a.m.
Rosado was being admitted to the hospital at the time of the incident, police said.
Rosado is being held on a $25,000 cash bond. A preliminary hearing on the matter has been scheduled for Thursday.
Long time Houston police captain dies www.privateofficer.com
Houston TX Feb 1 2011 Bobby Adams, who served the department for 43 years, retired in 2002.
Bobby Adams, who oversaw the Houston Police Department homicide division’s rapid expansion during the city’s most violent era, died on Friday. He was 77.
The retired captain, a U.S. Navy veteran, was known for his charisma, strength and media skills throughout his 43 years with the department, which included 28 years as a captain.
Adams died after suffering a heart attack, his family said. Despite a firm daily exercise routine that extended to the day of his death, he had a prior history of heart problems that included two heart attacks and several related medical procedures.
Adams, who grew up in Shepherd, Texas, was captain of five different police divisions and was one of the longest-serving and most admired high-level officers ever at the department, friends and observers said. He retired in 2002 and moved to Lake Livingston with his wife of 57 years.
“He was one of the most revered captains in the history of the HPD, that’s for damn sure,” said Michael Hinton, one of the first assistant district attorneys to work with Adams in the major offenders division, which was set up under his leadership.
Adams almost stumbled into the long career that became his passion. His brother-in-law, a city employee, had told him the department would be hiring and Adams went for the opportunity. He worked as a patrol officer for four years before being promoted to detective in 1962, largely because he could type.
He eventually made lieutenant and was assigned to midnight patrol, then earned his place as a captain in 1974. When he took over the homicide division in 1978, the city was experiencing a growing trend of violence. In 1981, the city’s homicide rate peaked at 701.
Adams tried to match the homicide problem with growth and innovation, adding detectives and creating specialized teams to handle different case types. He oversaw the creation of a homicide team of Spanish-speaking officers and another one that dealt specifically with officer-involved shootings.
As the division’s case load and staff grew, Adams emerged as a strong leader, choosing to engage news reporters and taking pains to meet new members of his staff, said Richard Holland, 54, who later took over as captain of the homicide division and now works in corporate security for BP.
“You never saw Bobby Adams on TV and you rarely saw Bobby Adams in print, but Bobby Adams was always involved,” Holland said.
Adams would speak frankly with reporters, which worked to his benefit, said Eric Hanson, who covered the police beat for the Houston Chronicle during Adams’ tenure at HPD. He would give reporters unusually candid off-the-record tips and insights into where investigations stood, how long they might take to solve, or even if the department had any leads at all. The frank approach with media gave the public an insight into developments in a police unit that was of great interest, Hanson said.
“That was very important to the police department, too, because it was the one unit where they could really show results,” Hanson said. “You solve a murder, some horrible crime, and then you’ve got the suspect in handcuffs walking down the hall — it really showcased the department.”
The division’s growth didn’t affect Adams’ popularity and visibility within his office, as he came up with new ways to engage his expanding staff. He would make books listing the members of his staff next to photographs of them, so that he would more easily get to know them during exchanges in the department, Holland said.
“Not too many leaders take that kind of effort,” he said.
Adams’ job often kept him away from his family day and night, although when he was off-duty, the charisma that made him so popular in the department was on full display, said his wife, Ila Adams, 72.
“If a person came up to him, he would always speak and then engage in some manner of conversation and before he left he would have their whole case history,” Ila Adams said.
Adams was known by friends as a prankster and enjoyed playing the guitar. As a detective, he was part of a band called the “Homicide Five” with other members of the division.
Adams is survived by his wife, son Derek, 41, and two grandchildren. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Pace-Stancil Funeral Home in Cleveland.
Source:chron
Man charged in attempt to blow up Detroit Mosque www.privateofficer.com
Detroit MI Feb 1 2011 A 63-year-old man who recently lived in Imperial Beach has been arrested in an alleged attempt to blow up the biggest mosque in the Detroit area, authorities said Sunday.
Roger Stockham is facing one count of a felony false report or threat of terrorism, and one felony count of possessing explosives with an unlawful intent, according to police in Dearborn, Mich. His bail was set at $500,000.
Stockham is a decorated Army veteran who flew 600 combat helicopter missions in Vietnam, according to a report in the Detroit News.
Greater Detroit is a national hub for Arab-Americans. Stockham was arrested in the parking lot of the Islamic Center of America, one of the largest mosques in North America, with an undisclosed quantity of class-C fireworks including M-80s, which are outlawed in Michigan, according to The Associated Press. The arrest was Monday, but Dearborn police did not announce it until Sunday, when they issued a three-paragraph statement that did not include Stockham’s date of birth, town of residence, middle name or details about the incident. The Associated Press cited a police official saying Stockham lives in Imperial Beach; a neighbor near his last known address said Stockham left a few weeks ago.
The Detroit Free Press said the Islamic Center was holding a funeral and up to 700 people were inside when Stockham was apprehended in the parking lot. Police said the suspect doesn’t appear to have known about the funeral but targeted the region because of its large Muslim and Arab population.
The Free Press reported that an employee at a local bar called police after overhearing violent threats allegedly made by the man. The employee reportedly was afraid that Stockham was going to target people of Middle Eastern descent.
Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad said Stockham “appeared to be acting alone.” He told the Free Press that Stockham “had a long history of being angry with the United States government.”
At a small two-story apartment complex in Imperial Beach, resident Landon DeBono said Stockham moved out three or four weeks ago, saying something vague about being in trouble. He said Stockham didn’t appear to hold a job and spent lots of time at the local VFW bar.
DeBono described Stockham has a “pretty mellow guy” and a loner. “He was always by himself,” DeBono said. “Nobody came to visit him.”
About six months ago, DeBono said FBI agents talked with residents of the complex about Stockham, but they didn’t contact him.
The webpage of the VFW Post 5477 in Imperial Beach shows Stockham joined in 2009. His posted biography said he grew up in Palos Verdes, fought in Vietnam with an assault helicopter company and “got a lot of air medals, but not much else.” It says he later worked in Indonesia as a bush pilot.
A woman who answered the phone at the VFW Post on Sunday said, “We have no statements at this time. Thank you,” and hung up after a reporter from The San Diego Union-Tribune identified himself.
San Diego County Sheriff’s Lt. Dave Brown said he didn’t know about the allegations against Stockham until being called by a reporter. Brown said Stockham didn’t have arrest warrants in the county and he had not been asked by police in Michigan to take any action in the case.
A preliminary court action is set for Friday in Dearborn.
Source:Sign On San Diego
SC officer crashes police cruiser-charged with DUI www.privateofficer.com
North Charleston SC Feb 1 2011 A State Trooper was working an accident in Colleton County on Saturday morning when 2 North Charleston police officers asked if he had any contact with another North Charleston police cruiser, belonging to Nicholas Anthony Lomma. The officers said they didn’t know what was wrong with him, so the Trooper followed the officers to Lomma’s vehicle.
The vehicle was in the middle of the roadway with its blue lights on. The car was otherwise disabled. Lomma had driven into the ditch, damaging the car.
According to the accident report the accident happened around 1:30am and other North Charleston officers didn’t arrive on scene until 7:30am.
Lomma told the Trooper he swerved to miss a deer.
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A North Charleston Police officer was arrested Saturday morning in Colleton County on DUI charges.
According to the NCPD Spokesman, 25-year-old Nicholas Anthony Lomma is accused of crashing his North Charleston Police Department issued car while under the influence.
Lomma was driving a 2009 Crown Victoria.
The State Highway Patrol responded to the accident on Bennett’s Point Road at about 8:00 Saturday morning. He was taken to an area hospital before being booked in the Colleton County Jail.
North Charleston Police Department officials say the incident is being investigated and will be addressed by the department Monday.
Lomma posted bond Saturday afternoon.
He declined an interview Sunday.
Nashville bus runs over-kills man trying to get on www.privateofficer.com
Nashville TN Feb 1 2011 A 49-year-old Nashville man was killed while trying to catch a city bus late Saturday.
Anthony Halsey ran as he banged on the back windows of the moving bus, trying to stop it so he could get on. But he was somehow pulled under the moving vehicle and run over, Metro police say.
Halsey, who lives on Meharry Boulevard, died shortly after he was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
When the driver of the Metropolitan Transit Authority bus, Harold Clayton III, realized what had happened, he stopped and tried to save Halsey, police say.
There was no one else on the bus as 53-year-old Clayton pulled out of the Music City Central bus terminal just after 8 p.m. Saturday and was turning right onto Fourth Avenue North.
Police say Clayton was overcome with emotion and was taken to a local hospital to calm him down.
He does not face any charges.
Source:Tennessean
L.A. security officers join efforts to make community safer www.privateofficer.com
A new report released at the event shows that the companies contracted to provide city services, including Securitas and North American Security, are skimping on their duties both to their employees and the public, harming both the safety and economy of L.A. communities.
Based on surveys conducted of 600 Los Angeles County workers, the report shows:
•Forty percent of contracted County security officers surveyed say that not all officers are adequately trained before starting on the job.
•One third of security officers surveyed indicate that they do not have the equipment and supplies they need to protect their facility.
•Contracted security officers in County buildings report instances of broken equipment that went unprepared for months at a time, including x-ray screening machines and metal detectors.
The report also concludes that 49 percent of surveyed workers have had to use a County emergency room or clinic to get healthcare while working for the County.
In fact, the low wages and unaffordable healthcare provided by these companies effectively passes the companies’ cost of doing business on to County taxpayers. The more county workers are forced to rely on the public to meet their basic needs — for housing, for healthcare, and for nutrition — the more the companies profit.
“Many of us cannot afford to pay for the company’s healthcare plan. We live paycheck to paycheck and some have to rely on government assistance programs such as food stamps, Section 8 and CalWorks to make ends meet and be able to go to a hospital visit,” said Nellie Jefferson, a security officer who has worked at a County facility for eight years. “This just isn’t right. We work hard, and put ourselves at risk in service of the public every day. I don’t think a decent wage and affordable healthcare is too much to ask for.”
Security officers are joining other county contracted workers to call on both their employers and Los Angeles County to improve jobs and training. Watch the segment below from PressTV about LA officers’ efforts to build a stronger, safer community.
Robbery suspect charged with murder in death of partner www.privateofficer.com
Robert Cary, 49, of the 800 block of North Central Park Avenue, was charged Saturday with murder, attempted armed robbery, and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, according to police.
Cary, who remains hospitalized Sunday at Mount Sinai Hospital, was previously convicted of armed robbery.
Investigators were scheduled to appear before a judge Sunday without Cary where they will transfer Cary to the custody of the Cook County Sheriff’s office, police said.
The incident happened about 9:45 a.m. Friday in the 3400 block of West Chicago Avenue.
One of the guards from Garda armored cars had just made a pick-up at the Family Dollar store, 3401 W. Chicago. He was walking back to his truck, parked in front, when the two armed men approached at about 9:45 a.m., police said.
One man walked up to the guard, put an apparent sawed-off shotgun under his chin, and said, “Don’t move.” Another man approached from the rear, put the guard in a chokehold and stuck a small revolver in his back, said Chicago Police Commander Anthony Riccio.
“Then the guard hears the guy from behind say, ‘Kill him.’ So, afraid he’s going to get killed, the guard grabs his own gun and shoots the guy in front of him with the sawed off shotgun fatally in the head,” said Riccio.
Meanwhile, the guard’s partner got out of the truck and took a position by the front fender, Riccio said.
“The guard who was still in a chokehold sees his partner and immediately drops to the ground like dead weight, leaving the man with the revolver exposed,” Riccio said.
The second guard fired multiple times, hitting the man in the eye and leg, Riccio said.
The dead man was identified as Jimmy Townsend, 52, of the 5400 block of West Quincy. An autopsy Saturday determined Townsend died of multiple gunshot wounds and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.
Cary was initially taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was able to speak to doctors.
The guards were “shaken up,” but not injured.
“They were longtime partners,” said Riccio. “I don’t know if that ‘drop down’ move is something they practiced or rehearsed — but the timing couldn’t have been better,” Riccio said. “The guard told us: ‘I threw my legs up and my butt down and fell to the ground.’ ”
The robbery took place on a busy street, one block form a crowded strip mall.
“It was a pretty brazen,” Riccio said. “What they did was courageous and absolutely the right thing.”
“And this all happened underneath a police camera,” Riccio said. “But it was actually watching a drug deal go down a little further west on Chicago Avenue. Once the officers monitoring the camera heard this was happening, they zoomed in.”
What the camera saw was the escape attempt of the man who was shot in the eye as he stumbled and crawled down the sidewalk. He only made it a few feet.
Another shock to investigators: “The shotgun was fake,” Riccio said. “It was two pipes taped together with electrical tape. I saw it. It looked very good. But the revolver was real.”
Source:Sun Times
Officers stop robbery before it starts www.privateofficer.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn.Jan 31 2011 — A Metro police officer was in the right place at the right time and prevented a robbery.
The officer was at the Pilot Travel Center on West Trinity Lane on Sunday night when he saw a man walking around the store, talking on his cell phone and watching the officer and a security guard.
Another man was outside the store, also talking on a cell phone. The officer said he saw him tuck what looked like a pistol into his waistband.
When police questioned the men, both admitted they planned to rob the store and split the money, officers said.
Benjamin Taylor and Antonio Parham are charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery.
The gun was a BB pistol that resembled a real gun, police said.
Murfreesboro teacher headed to prison for student affair www.privateofficer.com
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. Feb 1 2011– A former Blackman High School teacher is headed to prison after he pleaded guilty Monday morning to multiple sex charges.
Warren Johnson III pleaded guilty to attempted statutory rape, solicitation of a minor by an authority figure and sexual battery by an authority figure. He admitted having illegal sex or inappropriate contact with several Blackman High School female students at school, his father’s house and two other places.
Johnson’s attorney, David Raybin, said his client had relationships with several students at the school.
“Certainly he regrets his decision and sorry it occurred,” Raybin said.
The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office said there were more than two dozen victims between ages 15 and 17 over the nine years he taught at Blackman; however, some of the teacher’s conduct may have been inappropriate but not criminal with some of the girls, the Sheriff’s Office said. Some of the victims are in college, some are entering college and some are current students. Only eight of the 15 victims that were part of the investigation are part of the plea agreement.
“I feel the detective and my attorney have been very good in presenting the evidence,” Johnson said.
“He was very predatory, selective, calculating and consistent in the manner in which he selected all of his victims,” said Detective Mickey McCollough of the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives said Johnson would buy the girls gifts, give them romantic CDs and write them poetry.
“He convinced them that he loved them,” McCollough said.
Johnson’s attorney said the man realized his mistake and chose to work out a plea agreement. The former teacher was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with eight years on probation, and placed on the state’s sex offender registry.
“He lost his balance,” said Raybin. “He lost his sense of judgment, and he’s paying the price for it.”
He surrendered his teacher’s license and will be barred from teaching within the United States for the rest of his life, reported the Daily News Journal newspaper.
“Would I like him to get more time? Yes, but in the big picture, this serves our victims well,” McCollough said.
Johnson will be placed on the sex offender registry for life. He can’t own a cell phone, computer or anything with Internet access and cannot have a personal e-mail address. He can’t join any social networks. He will have GPS monitoring, have to submit to a lie detector test and have no contact with the victims.
“The last thing he wanted to do was put the girls through anymore trauma,” said Raybin. “He felt it was in the best interest of the girls, school and the community to resolve the case in this fashion.”
Source:WSMV.com
