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OFFICER DOWN-Police Officer Jonathon Bastock
Police Officer Jonathon Bastock
Stow Ohio
End of Watch: Saturday, February 5, 2011
Biographical Info
Age: 47
Tour of Duty: 17 years
Badge Number: 739
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Duty related illness
Date of Incident: Thursday, January 6, 2011
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Officer Jonathon Bastock passed away from complications of an on duty injury he sustained one month earlier.
Officer Bastock had responded to a call involving a person driving erratically in a parking lot. He had stopped the vehicle and as he approached the rear of it to obtain the license plate number he slipped on ice and fell, severely injuring his knee.
The injury caused him to go out on medical leave. He was recovering at home when he passed away as the result of a blood clot that broke free from the injury.
Officer Bastock had served as a full time officer with the Stow Police Department for 12 years and had previously served as a reserve officer for five years. He is survived by his wife and three children.
Agency Contact Information
Stow Police Department
3800 Darrow Road
Stow, OH 44224
Phone: (330) 689-5700
Please contact the Stow Police Department for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.
Knife wielding madman leaves 4 dead in NYC www.privateofficer.com
New York city NY Feb 13 2011 The knife wielding madman whose day-long rampage left four people dead and several others fighting for life was arrested in Times Square Saturday moments after he stabbed a straphanger, police said.
“They had to die,” Maksim Gelman, 23, confessed after he was tackled by two transit cops and an off-duty detective just before 9 a.m., sources said.
His arrest ended a one-man wave of cold-blooded violence that spanned nearly 28 hours and two boroughs, fueled by his rage at ex-flame Yelena Bulchenko, who was murdered.
“I don’t recall ever seeing anything like this,” said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. “He certainly did a lot of mayhem and havoc in a short time.”
Gelman was nabbed after wildly hacking at an innocent bystander on an uptown No. 3 train as it left Penn Station bound for 42nd St., sending screaming passengers running to safety, witnesses said.
“I looked inside and saw a bunch of people running toward me,” said John Bodensiek, 53, who was on the train. “There was panic. People were running and saying, ‘Move, move, move!’”
Gelman then pounded on the motorman’s compartment door, screaming “Police! Police!” Kelly said.
But instead of the motorman, transit cops Terrance Howell and Tamara Taylor stepped out of the compartment, and Howell wrestled Gelman to the ground just as he reached for his knife again.
An off-duty detective, Marcelo Razzo, ran from the train’s third car and helped subdue the suspect, Kelly said.
Transit cops were on high alert after reports that Gelman was spotted on a No. 1 train traveling south from 137th St., Kelly said.
“Do you believe what they’re saying about me?” Kelly reported Gelman said as he knocked a newspaper bearing his photo out of a female straphanger’s hands.
TIMELINE: 28 HOURS OF MADNESS
WHO IS MAKSIM GELMAN?
Investigators believe Gelman stepped off at 34th St. and crossed on the tracks to an uptown No. 3 train. He then walked to the front car, wailed about his dead ex-girlfriend and randomly slashed straphanger Joseph Lozido.
“[Gelman] said ‘You’re going to die,’” said Lozido’s sister, a city cop.
“He tried to get to the conductor,” the sister said. “He couldn’t, so he just turned around looking for the next person – that was my brother.”
As the train suddenly screeched to a halt before it reached Times Square, a wave of cops boarded the subway and rushed toward the first car to haul out Gelman.
Gelman – who sources said appeared to be on drugs – dropped a blood-stained 10-inch knife in the struggle. Lozido, 40, was in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital.
He was the final victim of a bloodbath that began at 5 a.m. Friday at Gelman’s home over a seemingly trivial matter: the use of his stepfather’s Lexus.
The madman – who had six prior arrests, but none of them for violent felonies – fatally stabbed his stepfather Aleksandr Kuznetsov, 54, after complaining that he was not allowed to drive his luxury car, Kelly said.
Taking the Lexus, Gelman raced away from the E. 27th St. apartment and ran over a crossing guard, breaking her leg.
Gelman disappeared for several hours, surfacing next at 10 a.m. to kill Anna Bulchenko, the 54-year-old mother of his ex-girlfriend, Yelena, cops said.
He then waited for more than six hours until the beautiful brunette returned home, Kelly said. When Yelena saw her mother’s body, she called 911 and tried to flee – but the killer chased her down and stabbed her a dozen times.
Gelman tried to escape in the Lexus but rear-ended a Pontiac Bonneville driven by 60-year-old Art DiCrescento – who quickly became the psycho’s next target.
Gelman stabbed DiCrescento several times, stole his car, and a mile later struck and killed pedestrian Steve Tannenbaum, 60.
After ditching the Pontiac in Flatbush, Gelman hailed a livery cab driven by Fitz Fullerton, 55, on Rochester Ave. in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Ordering Fullerton to drive, he placed his wicked blade up to Fullerton’s throat, sources said.
The driver fought back and as the men struggled, the car slammed into a parked vehicle.
Gelman then hopped out of the damaged cab and set his sights on Sheldon Pottinger, 25, who was sitting in his Nissan Maxima outside an Eastern Pkwy. church.
Snarling “Motherf—–, get out of the car,” Gelman slashed Pottinger before the victim tumbled out of the moving Nissan’s passenger side door. That car was found abandoned on 76th St. in Queens hours later.
Source:www.nydailynews.com
Green Oaks Academy teacher molested students, bribed family www.privateofficer.com
East Palo Alto CA Feb 13 2011 A Green Oaks Academy teacher was arrested this week on suspicion of molesting a student and trying to buy the family’s silence, East Palo Alto police said Friday.
Kindergarten teacher Jose Suarez Cerezo, 45, was nabbed in San Francisco on Wednesday by federal agents and San Francisco police, said Detective Sergeant Jeff Liu of the East Palo Alto Police Department.
A student told school officials on Jan. 31 about being inappropriately touched by Cerezo, Liu said. The academy immediately called East Palo Alto police, and Ravenswood City School District officials removed Cerezo from his classroom and placed him on administrative leave the same day.
Cerezo called the victim’s family and offered to pay a large sum of money in exchange for the family not pressing charges, Liu said. While he couldn’t disclose the amount, Liu said Cerezo was capable of making good on the offer.
After an investigation and interviewing the victim, detectives served a search warrant at Cerezo’s home in unincorporated San Mateo County near Menlo Park. Officers obtained an arrest warrant when they did not find him there, Liu said.
Because Cerezo, a foreign national from Spain, was considered a flight risk, East Palo Alto police contacted the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Department of State. He was turned over to the custody of East Palo Alto police the day of his arrest in San Francisco, Liu said.
Cerezo was arrested on suspicion of committing a lewd act on a child, bribery and dissuading a witness or victim; he was booked into San Mateo County jail, where he remained Friday.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the East Palo Alto Police Department by calling 650-321-1112, sending a text to 650-409-6792, sending an e-mail to epa@tipnow.org, or visiting http://www.ci.east-palo-alto.ca.us/police/tipnow.html.
Source:Mercury News
Bakersfield police officer charged with prostitution www.privateofficer.com
He was arrested Friday morning, leaving the police department to answer for his crimes.
Bakersfield police say they received information that Smith paid for and participated in sex acts with at least three local prostitutes while on and off duty since August of last year.”This is very disappointing,” said Police Chief Greg Williamson, who sat down with the media today.
Smith was specifically assigned to patrol near Union Avenue where prostitution is known to occur.
“Obviously he stepped out of bounds on several occasions and got immersed in something he couldn’t get out of,” said Chief Williamson.
Smith was an officer with the department for almost four years. He has been released on $35,000 bail.
Williamson says BPD is looking at using GPS technology to try to track squad cars to prevent this from happening again.
Anyone with information on this continuing investigation is encouraged to call Detective Keli Reed at 326-3544.
Suffolk County NY teacher sexually abused 12 yr old www.privateofficer.com
Charles Williams, an English teacher at J. Taylor Finley Middle School, located at 20 Greenlawn Road, Huntington, took the victim into a classroom so she could make a phone call on January 26, 2011. While in the classroom, Williams, 67, subjected the student to inappropriate sexual contact. A short time later, the victim advised another teacher who notified school administrators and the Suffolk County Police School Resource Officer.
After conducting an investigation, detectives from the Special Victims Section arrested Williams at his home, located at 58 Dorchester St., South Huntington. He was charged with Sexual Abuse 2nd Degree. Williams was processed at the Seventh Precinct and released on bail. He is scheduled to appear in First District Court in Central Islip on March 31, 2011.
Eugene Oregon police officer dies in accidental shooting www.privateofficer.com
EUGENE, Ore.Feb 13 2011 — A police officer was killed Friday in an accident at a firearm training range used by police in Eugene.
Lane County deputies confirmed Jerry Webber, 44, of Eugene, was killed at the Izaak Walton League range.
Webber was a veteran officer of the Eugene Police Department.
Investigators said as Webber was removing a hunting rifle from the back of his vehicle, the weapon discharged striking him once.
An investigation continued, but deputies said it appeared to have been an accident.
Source:NWCN
Morris Brown College suspends officers www.privateofficer.com
Atlanta GA Feb 13 2011 Two Morris Brown College security officers have been suspended and other officers at the financially strapped Atlanta school have been told not to work off-duty jobs, wsbtv.com is reporting.
The move came after Channel 2 Action News questioned several officers’ credentials and learned the college’s Police Department is under state investigation, accused of employing officers just to work off-duty jobs.
Morris Brown President Stanley Pritchett Sr. said effective immediately there would only be three officers wearing Morris Brown uniforms on staff and they would only patrol the school campus, according to the wsbtv.com article.
Pritchett said he also planned to investigate if his college Police Department served as a front for a private security firm, and if some of the employees were impersonating officers.
“We’re appalled at what we are seeing and we’re doing something about it in a very expeditious manner,” Pritchett said. “We are disappointed with the evidence and the facts that we are uncovering as we move forward,” Pritchett told Channel 2.
Man arrested after reporting car stolen son On-Star could locate it www.privateofficer.com
DECATUR, Ala.Feb 13 2011 — Authorities say an Alabama man is accused of telling police his car was stolen so OnStar could locate it with the company’s GPS technology.
Police say 51-year-old Gene Patrick Finley has been charged with false reporting to a police officer.
Authorities say he called police Feb. 4 and reported his car stolen from Glass’s Cocktail N Grill in Decatur.
Police say he then called OnStar to have the vehicle located. Police say there were four people inside the vehicle when it was located.
Police say they later determined that Finley had allowed someone to borrow his car. Police say they believe Finley reported the car stolen so OnStar could find it for him. The Detroit-based company will use its technology to locate cars after they are reported stolen.
Wal-Mart security injured during shoplifter’s escape www.privateofficer.com
Now that man is under arrest,That amazing video actually comes from a Wal-Mart on Washington Avenue Extension in Albany.
Police say the suspect wasn’t even going for anything too expensive, he was trying to steal a pair of headphones. But because they say he turned violent, he’s now facing a felony.
Police say Christopher Wright, 48, of Albany got physical while being questioned by Wal-Mart loss prevention officers.
“They had a fight with him, oh my goodness,” said Wal-Mart shopper Esperanza Otero-Aones.
Police say Wright did everything he could to get away, even attacking a female loss prevention officer.
“Eventually he pushed her hard enough that she slams her head against the wall and falls to the ground and the video speaks for itself,” explained Albany Police Det. James Miller.
Police say the video is incriminating for Wright. It captures the attempted larceny, his conversation with the two security guards, and his violent escape.
Had Wright complied with the loss prevention officers, police say he’d be facing a misdemeanor petit larceny charge. But now, after allegedly injuring the female guard, he’s in a lot more trouble.
“When people don’t want to get caught, start fighting and then someone gets injured during the course of that, then it elevates to a felony, so it’s a much more serious offense,” Miller said.
Turns out, Wright had another reason to run. Police say he was already on parole.
By the time detectives identified him a week and a half after the Jan. 17 incident, he was already back in jail on other charges. Police say the security guards did everything right and are thankful no one was more seriously injured.
“The headphones aren’t worth someone getting hurt,” Miller said.
Wright was taken into custody Thursday morning and arraigned on robbery charges.
Both the security guards were treated at the scene and are okay.
Source:Fox 23
Nashville police say 150 sex offenders are unaccounted for www.privateofficer.com
Nashville TN Feb 13 2011 Nearly 150 sex offenders are unaccounted for and any of them could be living in a house near you. The offenders say they live in one place, but when police go to check on them, they don’t actually live there.
By law, sex offenders have to check in with police once a year, while violent sex offenders must check in four times a year. Metro police have identified 141 who haven’t checked in for years.
There are 1,421 registered sex offenders currently living in Davidson County, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations Sex Offender Registry. However, 10 percent of offenders are unaccounted for, according to Detective Preston Brandimore with Metro Police.
“Currently there’s about 141 sex offenders that we have outstanding warrants for,” said Brandimore.
That means police don’t know where they are.
“For most part when they do abscond it’s for a reason, they don’t want to be located,” said Brandimore.
Metro police recently called on the U.S. Marshals for help. In the past two weeks, marshals rounded up seven of those who haven’t updated their information. Kelly Pickett was one.
Police say there are a variety of reasons why offenders don’t check in.
“We had one that was registering recently in a different state. He was going one time a year to register with them, but was actually living down here in Nashville,” said Brandimore.
Those who are homeless like Jada Ogak must register once a month. There’s a warrant out for Ogak’s arrest, because police haven’t heard from him since 2008.
Russell Allen will be arrested when he’s found. According to the TBI’s sex offender registry, his home address is 639 Lafayette St., which is the Nashville Rescue Mission. Metro police say when he was last arrested in 2007 he indicated he lived at 7177 Cockrill Bend Road, which is a Tennessee State Prison. Allen hasn’t registered since 2008.
Darrell Barker also hasn’t registered since 2008. He last listed his home address as 837 Briley Parkway, which is an extended stay hotel.
“For the most part, sex offenders do what’s required by law, but a handful who don’t and those people need to be held accounted for,” said Brandimore.
Brandimore said so often the sex unit receives calls from people in the community who think something isn’t right. They check the sex offender registry and realize that an offender is living near them that isn’t registered.
You are asked to call the sex crime unit with Metro Police at 615-862-7540 if you think you know anything about an un-registered sex offender.
Every time a sex offender moves or even changes vehicles, they must notify police. Failing to register or update records could result in a sex offender being charged with a class E felony.
Indiana nightclub security injured in disturbance www.privateofficer.com
HIGHLAND IN Feb 13 2011 A bouncer at a Highland bar was injured early Friday morning by patrons after he would not allow them to enter the business, police said.
At 12:57 a.m., police were called to Corkers, 9400 Indianapolis Blvd., for a report of a shooting. Police learned one of the bouncers refused entry to a group of five of six people who calmly left the tavern.
A few minutes later, one or two of the people who were refused entry returned and fired several shots into the entryway, injuring one of the bouncers.
Cmdr. George Georgeff said police are not releasing any information about the victim to protect his safety. Georgeff said the man’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. It is not clear whether the bouncer was injured by bullet fragments or shattered glass.
Witnesses said the suspects fled northbound on Indianapolis Boulevard in a conversion van, possibly green in color.
Police officers have responded to numerous incidents of violence at Corkers in the past, police said. They also have visited the bar with Indiana State Excise Police to ensure all laws and ordinances are being followed.
Police now are preparing to present information on Corkers to the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission at the bar’s next license renewal hearing. On Friday, police said they met with one of the owners, Jimmy Kollintzas, and he assured them there would be significant changes in the operation of his business.
Georgeff said police have several leads into Friday’s shooting incident and that the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to call the Highland Police Department at (219) 838-3184 or can leave an anonymous tip on the department’s 24-hour tip line at (219) 838-TIPS (8477
Washington Redskins player stabbed breaking up fight www.privateofficer.com
The agent, James Gould, said Saturday evening that Banks remains hospitalized but is expected to make a full recovery.
Banks was standing outside the Northwest Washington club when his friend, Christopher Nixon, 24, and Jason David Shorter of Lanham got into an argument that escalated to a physical fight. Gould said Banks and the club’s bouncer tried to break up the fight, an account verified by security camera footage obtained during the police investigation.
The bouncer managed to get between Nixon and Shorter, but Shorter opened a folding knife and began swinging wildly, according to Gould. Nixon sustained multiple cuts to the face and body, required surgery and is in intensive care at a different D.C. area hospital than Banks.
The 5-foot-7, 151-pound Banks, who just completed his first NFL season out of Kansas State, sustained a slash to his side, which Gould described as “more of a superficial wound.” He was taken to the hospital and received stitches. Gould contradicted earlier reports that Banks had been released from the hospital, but said he expected Banks to be released within the next 24 hours.
“He is with his parents right now, and is expected to make a full recovery,” Gould said in a phone interview. “He was trying to save his boyhood friend, and is very concerned about him right now. Brandon is very upset.”
The Redskins released a statement in which Gould said: “Brandon was not involved in any wrongdoing and was not implicated in any way. Brandon’s immediate concern is for his lifelong friend who is like a brother to him. He would like to thank everyone for their prayers and well wishes for him and his lifelong friend.”
Shorter is in custody and was initially charged by D.C. police with assault with the intent to kill. But the U.S. Attorney’s office will charge him with a lesser charge of assault with a dangerous weapon.
