Archive
83 year old Wal-Mart greeter robs store at gunpoint www.privateofficer.com
Statesville NC March 7 2011 Police in Statesville say an 83-year-old man who worked at a Wal-Mart store as a greeter is in jail, charged with donning a disguise and robbing the store at gunpoint Sunday night.
George Plane Jr., of Mooresville, was charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon and discharging a firearm inside the city limits, police say.
According to police, Plane was working Sunday evening in his normal job at the Wal-Mart store in the Crossroads Shopping Center, off Interstate 40 a short distance west of Interstate 77. Sometime shortly before 7 p.m., police say, Plane went out to his car.
Minutes later, a man wearing a disguise returned to the garden center area of the store and allegedly pointed a gun at an employee, demanding money from the cash register. Shortly after taking money, police say, the gunman fired at least one shot into the air. Police say the man escaped with money, got in his car, and drove off.
Witnesses called police, and the N.C. Highway Patrol and Iredell County Sheriff’s Office joined Statesville police in spotting the vehicle a short distance away. The man in the car surrendered after a brief standoff.
Statesville police Capt. T.C. Souther told WCNC-TV, the Observer’s news partner, he was surprised when he saw the age on Plane’s driver’s license, saying the man didn’t look his age.
“He appeared to be in good shape,” Souther told NewsChannel 36.
Source:www.charlotteobserver.com
Harpursville High School teacher arrested for rape www.privateofficer.com
David V. Gatto, 49, faces one count of third-degree felony rape, according to the Broome County Sheriff’s Office.
Harpursville Superintendent Kathleen Wood said the district was not informed of the investigation involving Gatto until Tuesday morning, and faculty members were informed of the charge by administrators and a union representative after the school day ended.
Gatto was accused of having sexual intercourse with the female teenager in his Town of Colesville home in early 2010, the sheriff’s office said. Wood said the girl was a student at the time but is no longer enrolled in the Harpursville district.
“We were notified by the Broome County sheriff this morning that there was an investigation, and that was the first time the school had been made aware of it,” Wood said. “It’s an ongoing police investigation, so I can’t comment further at this time.”
Students were not told of the arrest during the school day, but Wood acknowledged news spread fast through social media outlets.
The teacher’s status with the district wasn’t immediately clear. Wood said she met with the district’s attorney Tuesday and will again Wednesday. But Gatto had not been formally notified of any disciplinary action.
Gatto was arrested in the Town of Dickinson and arraigned in Town of Chenango Court. He remained in the Broome County jail without bail.
Man kills two children, himself in New Orleans www.privateofficer.com
New Orleans LA March 7 2011 Two children and a 22-year-old man were killed this morning in an apparent murder-suicide, the New Orleans Police Department reported.
The children were a nine-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl. Their names have not been released pending notification of family, but they are believed to be the man’s niece and nephew.
The incident happened shortly before 3 a.m. in the 2100 block of Pauger Street.
First District officers responding to a call of a shooting found the children on a sofa with gunshot wounds to the head.
The man was lying on the floor nearby with a gunshot wound to the head.
The boy and the man were pronounced dead on the scene; the girl was taken to a hospital, where she died.
According to Officer Hilal Williams, NOPD, spokesperson, the man was staying temporarily at the residence and suffered from schizophrenia. He had stopped taking his medication and had been awake for several days.
He had been drinking and said he was going to sleep, Williams said.
Homicide Detective Robert Long is in charge of the investigation and can be reached at 658-5300.
The 22-year-old man has prior arrests for domestic violence, simple criminal damage, trespassing and simple arson, among other charges, Williams said.
Police- resort security track-capture rapist www.privateofficer.com
SEVEN SPRINGS BOROUGH PA March 7 2011 — A Johnstown man is facing charges after an alleged sexual assault at a local ski resort.
Anthony Raco, 19, is facing involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, indecent assault and unlawful restraint charges in connection with an incident on Feb. 23 at Seven Springs Mountain Resort.
Police say Raco met the 16-year old victim in the lodge while she was getting food with some friends. They exchanged phone numbers and things progressed from there.
Raco convinced the victim to meet him at his car so that he could get his boots. Once there, he drove her to a secluded area and offered her money and marijuana to perform a sex act. The victim repeatedly said no, but Raco allegedly persisted.
He was arrested after the victim told police what happened.
Seven Springs Spokesperson Anna Weltz told KDKA-TV that she couldn’t comment on the specifics of a pending legal case, but said, “This is an isolated incident involving one individual. We thank the Pennsylvania State Police for their swift apprehension of the suspect and their active partnership with our resort security team. Seven Springs Mountain Resort will continue to provide a safe, fun family environment for our guests.”
State police say that while this was an unfortunate incident, it could have happened to anyone, anywhere. They are hoping this will be a reminder to all teenage girls that you can’t trust everyone you meet.
Raco was taken to the Somerset County Jail and released after posting $10,000 bond.
Source:KDKA
Jemison Alabama police officer killed in wreck www.privateofficer.com
Jemison AL March 7 2011 A Jemison police officer died Saturday night while responding to a car accident.
Officer Donald Joshua Newman, 30, lost control of his patrol car and struck a power pole near the Georgia Pacific plant on U.S. 31 in Thorsby. He died at the scene of the accident, which happened around 6:15 p.m. during heavy rains.
Donald Joshua NewmanNewman was just coming on to this shift from his home near Clanton, according to Jemison Police Chief Shane Fulmer. He was responding to a two-car accident north of Jemison that involved injuries to children.
“He was an outstanding officer. He was still a rookie, but he was what we refer to as an up-and-coming star in our profession,” said Fulmer. “Officer Newman was the type of police officer that every department in the country would have wanted. He was very dedicated, respectful and the mirror image of a professional.”
Newman, a Chilton County High School graduate, had been with the department since December 2008. He started as a reserve officer after working six years as a military officer with the Air Force. He came on full-time with Jemison after completing police academy in April 2010.
“He will be greatly missed here within the Jemison Police Department and the city of Jemison,” said Fulmer. “Our heavy hearts go out to Officer Newman’s family.”
Newman leaves behind a wife, Tracy Thornton Newman, and a son, 4-year-old Jace Newman.
“He was a wonderful father, husband, friend and just a great all around person,” Fulmer said.
Funeral arraignments have not been announced as of Sunday afternoon.
Source:Clanton News
Troubled psychiatrist dies in SWAT standoff www.privateofficer.com
Atlanta GA March 7 2011 Tributes to Dr. Anthony Allee accumulated quickly on Facebook. He was a “great and kind guy,” one person wrote Sunday, and “a very caring psychiatrist,” another said. A nurse who had worked with Allee added: “I marveled at how much he loved helping his patients.”
Another friend, though, alluded to a darker side: “Tony Allee,” she posted, “was a fine person whose life took a tragic turn.”
Allee, 45, of Rome, died late Friday from a gunshot wound during a two-hour standoff with SWAT officers from the Floyd County Police Department. State medical examiners ruled his death a suicide.
The standoff began after three officers responded to reports of shots fired at a Floyd County residence, according to the Rome News-Tribune. Allee shot at the officers, who returned fire, police said.
SWAT officers tried to talk to Allee by telephone and in person, but he did not respond, the Rome newspaper reported. Officers fired tear gas canisters into the house and found Allee’s body when they entered.
Four years ago, Allee was a respected psychiatrist in his hometown. Allee, who graduated from the Medical College of Georgia in 1991, treated patients at three Rome hospitals and maintained an apparently impeccable reputation.
Since then, however, he had been convicted of stalking a former patient and harassing her husband. The state medical board had revoked his license. And, according to his own posts on Facebook, Allee had battled the kind of depression he once treated in others.
“Life has been kind of tough lately,” he wrote, “and it sure helps to talk to others and know others are out there.”
Allee’s troubles accelerated in 2007 when a long-time patient ended their relationship. Allee had treated the woman for obsessive compulsive disorder since 1996, according to records filed with the state medical board, and he had discussed numerous personal problems with the patient, including confrontations with his wife.
The records, which were reviewed by the AJC, show that Allee repeatedly sent personal e-mails to the patient during the summer of 2007.
“I know maybe it does not completely follow all of the rules,” he wrote in August 2007, “but I cannot help it, I love just seeing your name on my e-mail. … There has always been something very special and unique about you.”
Two days later, he wrote: “I hate to hear you are crying – I know it is wrong but it makes me want to hold you and tell you it will be OK and you are wonderful and appreciated.” Finally, he wrote, “I am going crazy just wondering if you are OK.”
After the patient asked him not to contact her again, Allee “lashed out” with threats against the woman and her husband, according to the medical board’s records.
At least once, records show, Allee told the woman: “There’s nothing more dangerous than a shrink who has nothing to lose.”
Allee pleaded guilty to stalking and harassment charges in Gordon County Superior Court in 2008. A judge placed him on probation for five years.
When the medical board investigated a complaint against him, Allee said he had been under “extreme stress” because of “a pending divorce, serious medical conditions, financial difficulties and inadequate office staff.”
The board, however, said that, as a psychiatrist, Allee “is in a profession where patients are in a vulnerable position and can be greatly harmed.”
The board revoked his license in February 2009.
On his Facebook page, Allee described his occupation as “retired physician.”
In another online forum over the weekend, a friend said Allee’s troubles had left him “overwhelmed.”
“A devastated life,” the friend wrote, “can sometimes drive one to do things that are not in one’s nature.”
Source:AJC
Security officer stabbed over smoking violation www.privateofficer.com
At 1:32 a.m., Naperville police were called to 16 Jefferson Avenue after a report of a stabbing, according to a release from police. Blackfinn American Saloon is located at that address, according to an online directory and the police news release.
According to the report, the incident began when Adam Hearn, 31, and his girlfriend Kelly Cihlar, 25, had been caught smoking a cigarette in the bathroom, and the bar’s security staff asked the couple to smoke outside.
Hearn then allegedly became verbally abusive, according to police, and the couple was asked to leave. As the couple was being escorted out of the bar, a fight broke out between Hearn and a security guard, police said, and Hearn pulled out a knife and stabbed a security guard in the abdomen. Other security guards then subdued Hearn until police were able to arrive, the release said.
The security guard was treated on the scene and then taken to Edward Hospital where he underwent surgery for his injuries, the release said. Police did not give a condition for the guard.
Hearn, of the 900 block of South Main Street in Lombard, is charged with aggravated battery with a weapon, aggravated battery with great bodily harm, and possession of a weapon by a felon, all Class 3 felonies.
Cihlar, of the 2700 block of Mohawk Avenue in Woodridge, was also arrested and charged with obstruction of a police officer, resisting arrest, battery, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of cannabis.
Naperville high school teacher’s aide accused of sexual abuse www.privateofficer.com
Chicago IL March 7 2011 A Naperville high school teacher’s aide has been accused of having a sexual relationship with a student she had been tutoring for several years, authorities said today.
Deborah Cox, 58, of the 5 South 200 block of Scots Drive in Naperville, has been charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse in connection with her alleged relationship with a 2010 Neuqua Valley High School graduate, Naperville police said.
Cox and the student “were involved in a relationship of a sexual nature” from January of last year until the following May, police said, adding they did not believe she had involvement with any other students or that any of the alleged misconduct took place at the school.
She was described as acting as the student’s “personal academic tutor” for several years.
Police said they investigated the case for six months before charges were filed.
Cox was arrested Thursday and posted $5,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear in court on April 4.
Source:Chicago Tribune
Shooting at Crème De La Crème leaves 2 security officers, 3 customers shot www.privateofficer.com
MOSS POINT, MS March 7 2011 – Multiple bullet holes now adorn the door of Crème De La Crème Nightclub in Moss Point. Around 3 a.m. on Sunday, someone sprayed bullets in and outside the building.
Tommie Landrum and his team were providing security for a rap concert at the night spot. He said one of his officers put a man out of the club for indecent behavior, but the man tried several times to sneak back inside.
“I heard about eight to 10 shots go off,” Landrum said. “So they told him if he comes back on the grounds again he was going to be put on the ground or go to jail,” he added.
A few minutes later the unthinkable happened.
“The guy just started firing off,” Landrum said. “When I dashed out all I saw was my officer down and some other folks running.”
Four women and one man were shot; two of those were Landrum’s security officers.
“The male officer, he is in stable condition; he is talking a little bit. The female, she is in semi-critical condition because of the fact that she got hit multiple times. Right now, it is touch and go here,” Landrum said.
“We do not condone this type of activity,” owner Spencer Bivens said.
The owner of Crème De La Crème admits there have been small incidents at his club in the past, but not of this magnitude.
Moss Point Police Department said they believe a lot of people were here and probably got a look at the suspect. These witnesses could help catch the shooter.
Detective Joseph Savage said information provided by witnesses would help, but a lot of people are fearful of coming forward.
However, Savage said citizen policing could help solve the case faster. “It is important for these people to pay for what they have done. We do need the citizen’s help,” Savage said.
Moss Point citizens couldn’t agree more.
“We just need to find the young man who committed this crime,” Landrum said.
One of the victims shot could be paralyzed because of serious wounds.
If you have any information that might help with this case, call the Moss Point Police Department at (228) 475-1711.
Source:WLOX
Oklahoma shoplifter shot dead by police www.privateofficer.com
PERRY OKL March 7 2011 — An incident this morning in Perry that led to police fatally shooting a shoplifting suspect could be a “suicide by cop,” Police Chief Brian Thomas said.
Thomas identified the dead man as Brian Dollarhide, 30, of Hickory, N.C. Dollarhide has family in Blackwell, but Thomas said he and Dollarhide’s family don’t know why he was in the Perry area.
Dollarhide walked into a convenience store at Interstate 35 and Fir Street about 5:45 a.m. He stole an energy drink, walked out the door, said, “Thanks for the Red Bull,” and sped away in a pickup, Thomas said. The store clerk called 911, and Perry officers saw the pickup speeding into town and gave chase.
Dollarhide pulled into the parking lot at Walmart, 1506 Fir St., and got out of the pickup, Thomas said. He charged two officers, got into a tactical-type stance and began to mimic shooting movements while holding a black object.
The officers thought the object was a pistol because of the way Dollarhide held it and made movements resembling a gun’s recoil, Thomas said. The two officers fired a total of eight shots, and Dollarhide was dead at the scene.
The object in Dollarhide’s hand was an ice scraper, Thomas said. It is not yet known how many times he was shot.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has taken over the investigation into the incident, Thomas said.
Thomas identified the involved officers as Sgt. Andrew Dudrey and officer Matt Smith. Dudrey has worked for the department for about eight years, and Smith for about three years. Both men were placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Source:newsok.com
Arizona Electronic Crimes Task Force arrested over 30 people involved in 1.2 million shoplifting ring www.privateofficer.com
The Maricopa County Attorney’s office said an individual recruited others to shoplift items from retail stores such as Home Depot, Lowes and Walmart. According to investigators, the recruits used stolen identities to return the stolen items at a different location for store credit cards, which were then turned over to the recruiter to sell on eBay.
The investigation began in April 2010, when eBay contacted Scottsdale Police Computer Fraud detectives regarding suspicious activity on a user account that was reportedly linked to Wayne Clifford Bahlman involving numerous auctions of retail store credit cards through eBay.
According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s office, a Grand Jury indicted Bahlman and 35 others, alleging more than 50 felony counts including participation in a criminal syndicate, organized retail theft, fraudulent schemes and artifices, trafficking in stolen property and forgery.
The investigation was conducted as a joint initiative of the newly created Arizona Electronic Crimes Task Force (AZ-ECTF). This task force is one of 31 such task forces around the nation formed by the U.S. Secret Service to combat electronic crimes that cause significant economic or community impact. The AZ-ECTF is comprised of nine state and local law enforcement member agencies as well as dozens of other partner agencies and organizations.
Woman shot at Ingram Park Mall www.privateofficer.com
The suspect accused in the case, 19-year-old Jacob Lozano is in the Bexar County Jail, San Antonio Police investigators say.
Lozano allegedly approached Annamaria Isaac and her two young children Sunday evening as they were walking out of the mall.
Investigators say Lozano demanded Isaac’s vehicle and then shot her in the arm. Lozano allegedly took off in the victim’s car and was arrested a short time later Sunday.
Members of Isaac’s family say she is not ready to speak publicly about the incident and that her kids are doing OK.
Ingram Park Mall issued a statement Monday: ‘It is in the public’s best interest that we do not discuss or disclose any further enhanced security measures and/or procedures. Disclosure of such information could potentially compromise our efforts to provide a safe and secure environment. ‘
Lozano was arrested on five charges including aggravated robbery and evading arrest. His bond is set at 100-thousand dollars.
KS. Wal-Mart employee stole $40,000 from store www.privateofficer.com
DODGE CITY KS March 7 2011 — A Wal-Mart employee accused of stealing $40,000 from the store was charged last week with felony theft and sexual exploitation of a child.
Dodge City resident Randall L. Wilson made his first appearance on the charges last Wednesday in Ford County District Court, according to court records. Attorney Steve Cott was appointed to represent Wilson, whose next court date was tentatively set for 1 p.m. Thursday.
Wilson’s bond will not be set until results of a mental health evaluation are available.
Cott said Friday he could not comment on the case.
The case began Feb. 16, when Wal-Mart officials contacted police to report that $40,000 was missing from the store safe, police Lt. Craig Mellecker said Friday. Police identified Wilson as a possible suspect and obtained a search warrant for his home.
Mellecker said police recovered $13,000 from Wilson’s home and discovered some disturbing images on a computer jump drive, as well as some DVDs. He declined to elaborate on the nature of the images.
“All I’m going to say is that they were just very disturbing images,” Mellecker said.
He said he was unsure about what was on the DVDs, but most of the disturbing images were on the computer.
Mellecker said police seized the computer, DVDs and several jump drives and will likely send the computers to a forensic laboratory for further analysis. Police are working on recovering the remaining $27,000.
Wal-Mart’s store manager, Matt Moyer, said he could not comment on the case or confirm whether Wilson still worked there.
Source:DodgeCity.com
Pearle Vision shoplifter steals $5000 eyewear www.privateofficer.com
Employees of the Pearle Vision on Ga. 92 recognized the suspect and called police, who arrived in time to arrest Tracy Roberts in the parking lot, Woodstock police Chief David Bores said.
Roberts was carrying some of the stolen merchandise and more was found in his car, Bores said. Roberts is accused of taking a total of $10,000 worth of merchandise in two separate attempts. Video surveillance cameras confirm Roberts was the same man who took $5,000 worth of merchandise from the store without paying for it the previous week, police said.
Roberts was taken into custody without incident. He faces two counts of felony theft by shoplifting and one count of possession of tools of a crime.
Roberts was booked into the Cherokee County jail.
Colts Neck Mayor’s wife charged in shoplifting incident www.privateofficer.com
Police arrested Colts Neck Mayor James Schatzle’s wife, Susan, after security said they spotted the 42-year-old attempting to leave the Freehold Raceway Mall store Friday.
Freehold Township Police Capt. James Lasky told the Asbury Park Press the merchandise, which included several purses and wallets, was valued at $1,305.
Susan Schatzle was issued a summons and the case was transferred to the Monmouth County prosecutor’s Office.
The Colts Neck mayor released a statement saying he loves and supports his wife.
