Archive
OFFICER DOWN- Deputy Sheriff William Ezra Stiltner
Deputy Sheriff William Ezra Stiltner
Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office
Virginia
End of Watch: Sunday, March 13, 2011
Biographical Info
Age: 46
Tour of Duty: 7 years
Badge Number: Not available
Incident DetailsCause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Sunday, March 13, 2011
Weapon Used: Rifle
Suspect Info: Shot and killed
Deputy Sheriff William Stiltner and Deputy Sheriff Cameron Justus were shot and killed after responding to assist other deputies who had been fired at by a sniper at the scene of a larceny in progress call.
Two deputies from the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call of a larceny in progress at a car service business in Vansant. They arrived they began to search for the larceny suspect when they were shot at from a distance by a suspect with a rifle. Both deputies were able to radio for assistance and crawl to a nearby home to take cover from the sniper.
Deputy Stiltner and Deputy Justus, along with members of the Virginia State Police responded to assist. As a perimeter was established to contain and search for the shooter, Deputy Justus and William Stiltner were shot and killed by a high-powered rifle.
The suspect fled from a nearby ridge where he had fired into the woods. He was located standing in front of a nearby house talking on a mobile phone. The suspect was shot and killed after he refused orders to get on the ground and then drew a handgun on officers.
Deputy Stiltner had served with the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office for seven years.
Related Line of Duty Deaths
| Deputy Sheriff Cameron Neil Justus Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office, VA EOW: Sunday, March 13, 2011 Cause of Death: Gunfire |
Agency Contact Information
Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office
PO Box 970
Grundy, VA 24614
Phone: (276) 935-2567
Please contact the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.
Information on this memorial is preliminary. A final determination on line of duty status may be made at a future date.
OFFICER DOWN Deputy Sheriff Cameron Neil Justus
Deputy Sheriff Cameron Neil JustusNC shoplifter swallows evidence but it doesn’t stay down long www.privateofficer.com
Gastonia NC March 15 2011 A man faces a shoplifting charge after the item he stole made a second appearance, police say.
Gary Lee Garber, 29, was in the Dollar Tree in Franklin Square around 8 a.m. Wednesday when he pulled a charm off a package that contained an anti-theft device, according to a Gastonia Police report.
When the 73-year-old store security officer John Lewis Williams stopped Garber, Garber swallowed the charm.
But then he regurgitated it.
Police charged him with larceny. While being detained he admitted to having marijuana and pills on him, so he also faces three drug charges.
He was booked into Gaston County Jail under a $10,000 bond.
Source:Gaston Gazette
Store security aids police in capture of assault suspect www.privateofficer.com
Chicago IL March 15 2011 A convicted felon is accused of punching an 80-year-old man in the face, knocking off his glasses, as the elderly man waited outside a restroom in a grocery store on the Northwest Side, police say.
Surveillance video of the Feb. 23 incident shows Dale Contursi, 47, leaving the restroom and then shoving and punching the man, who was standing in a hallway near the door, according to police.
The elderly man suffered bruises and swelling, but was not hospitalized, police said.
Contursi fled the store but returned one week later, at about the same time, and was identified by security personnel who called police. Officers caught up with Contursi on the front steps of a nearby church in the 4900 block of North Cumberland Avenue.
He was arrested without incident and identified by the victim, police said. Contursi was charged with aggravated battery to a senior citizen.
Source:Chicago Tribune
Wal-Mart employee arrested for stealing customers purse www.privateofficer.com
Stafford AZ March 15 2011 A Walmart employee was charged with theft after she allegedly stole a customer’s purse.
A Safford officer was dispatched to the Walmart at 755 20th Ave. at about 2:10 p.m. on Sunday after a woman reported her purse had been stolen out of a shopping cart. The woman said she forgot to take her purse out of the cart when she placed the cart into its stall, and it was gone when she went to retrieve it. The victim said her purse contained her driver’s license, credit cards and $400 in cash.
Surveillance footage from Walmart showed a female store employee, Mary Yvonne Quintana, 45, formerly of Morenci take the purse out of the cart and place it in her vehicle when she unloaded her own cart. Quintana then drove off from the store.
The officer was given Quintana’s address by store management and eventually located her at her residence. The suspect first denied knowledge of the purse but then retrieved it from her trash can after being told of the surveillance footage. The officer asked why Quintana didn’t take the purse to customer service when she saw it in the cart and she allegedly said, “I didn’t think about it.”
The purse was returned to the victim with her driver’s license and credit cards intact, but without any cash. Quintana told the officer she did not find any money in the purse.
The victim said besides the money, she was still missing a set of car keys and a coin holder that was also inside her purse.
Another officer returned to Quintana’s house to look for the keys inside the trash can. A male subject asked what the officer was doing and was informed of the missing keys. He went into the residence and returned with a set of vehicle keys. He said his son was playing with them. The victim later identified the keys as hers.
Quintana was given a citation for theft and released from custody.
Update:
According to a Safford Police report, a loss prevention associate with Walmart informed police that Quintana returned the victim’s coin holder and $406.05 on Tuesday. The estimated loss to the victim was $420, and the loss prevention associate said Walmart would reimburse the victim the remaining $14. The associate also stated Quintana was fired from her position.
Source:Eastern Arizona Courier
Gang shooting at Oklahoma Wal-Mart leaves 1 injured- police search for suspect www.privateofficer.com
Tulsa OK March 15 2011 Detectives have focused their search on one man in connection with the apparent gang-related shooting Thursday at a Walmart Supercenter in Tulsa, police said Friday.
More than 100 calls poured into Tulsa’s 911 center after a gunman fired shots at the Walmart at Admiral Boulevard and Memorial Drive just before 9 p.m. Thursday.
Kadrian Daniels, 18, was shot in the hip and was taken by ambulance to a hospital in serious condition, officials said.
An arrest warrant had been issued Tuesday for Daniels as a material witness in a homicide. Daniels, who has been identified by police as a gang member, is under guard at the hospital and will be arrested upon leaving the hospital, Officer Jason Willingham said.
He said the shooting resulted after two rival groups encountered each other at the store and a fight began.
“There is a gang element to this; however, it does not appear they went to the Walmart to engage in this gunfight,” Willingham said.
Police said three men got into a physical altercation with Daniels at the store before one of the men pulled out a gun.
Willingham confirmed that children were in the area when the shots were fired, but no one other than Daniels was hit by the gunfire.
Police have interviewed and released two of three men who had been sought for questioning in the shooting, Willingham said.
Police were continuing to search late Friday for Darris Wallace, 20, and Willingham said he is suspected to be the shooter. Wallace is described as black, 5 feet 8 inches tall and about 155 pounds.
Wallace was charged in November with unlawful possession of a controlled drug and possession of a firearm after a former felony conviction, court records show. He is due to be back in court in that case on Monday, records show.
Police and court records also show that Daniels was arrested in August during Operation Triple Beam, a multiagency sweep targeting repeat criminals.
Daniels had been charged with the homicide of Shawn Hatcher, whose body was found in the 200 block of East 44th Street North last July 25.
At that time, police said Daniels was affiliated with the 47 Green Team gang.
They also reported that Daniels was in possession of a .357-caliber handgun at the time of his arrest.
Daniels’ brother, Kenneth Daniels, and cousin Steven Daniels were both killed last summer as a result of a gang feud.
In December, charges connected to Hatcher’s killing against Daniels and a co- defendant were dismissed, and they were released from jail.
A prosecutor said a necessary witness was not located and was not available to testify at a preliminary hearing.
The shooting was gang-related, the prosecutor said, adding that charges could be refiled if the witness problems were resolved.
Although a lot of people were in the Walmart when the shooting occurred Thursday evening, people scattered quickly and took cover when they heard the shots, and police did not have many witnesses, Willingham said.
“We are still needing people to come forward if they were there and they have not talked to police,” he said.
Willingham said 107 calls were placed to Tulsa’s 911 center by people at the store. Authorities were reviewing recordings of those calls, and they were not released Friday.
Detectives also were reviewing surveillance video from the store. Police would not release them Friday, saying they are evidence in the ongoing investigation.
Ashley Hardie, a spokeswoman for Walmart, said the company will continue to cooperate with police in the investigation.
“We take this matter very seriously,” she said. “We also appreciate the quick response of Tulsa police, and we will continue to provide information about all that is relevant to the investigation.”
Hardie said the store has a third-party security company that provides 24-hour surveillance.
“We also partner closely with law enforcement agencies in every community we serve to constantly review safety measures to make sure were are providing a safe shopping environment for all of our customers and our associates,” she said.
Anyone with information about Wallace’s whereabouts is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 918-596-COPS or tulsaworld.com/crimestoppers
Source:www.tulsaworld.com
Three people shot in Greenville NC nightclub incident www.privateofficer.com
Greenville NC March 15 2011 Authorities say three people were shot in Greenville on Sunday morning.
Lawmen say at 3 a.m. Sunday Greenville Police responded to a report of shots fired in the parking lot located at East 4th Street and Reade Circle, that’s behind Club Phoenix.
At that location, lawmen found Jeffrey Staton of Greenville and Terrance Grimes of Ayden with gunshot wounds. Kiesha Wilkins of Colerain contacted police at the scene a short time later advising that she also had been shot at that location.
Staton and Grimes were transported to the Pitt County Memorial Hospital where their conditions are unknown. Wilkins injuries were very minor and did not require transport to the hospital.
WITN spoke with some people who were downtown at the time. One person said, “I heard gunshots and immediately heard screams.” Another person said, “The second the gunshots were fired you saw people sprinting from downtown, crying, like they didn’t know what to do with themselves.”
Police say they are investigating whether there was an altercation at Club Phoenix that led out into the parking lot.
The Lawyer for the club released this statement:
There have been numerous news stories reported after the downtown shooting this morning relating that shooting to an alleged “altercation” that occurred at Club Phoenix. Management for Club Phoenix, together with their security company have spent the day reviewing videotape taken from with in Club Phoenix. The tape reviewed was 4 hours and 15 minutes in length and covered the period of 10pm Saturday night through 2:15 am Sunday morning.
Club Phoenix has a security system that utilizes 12 separate cameras, and is monitored on a 24 hour basis. During the relevant period of time Saturday night and Sunday morning, there were no altercations that occurred inside Club Phoenix. This has also been verified through interviews conducted with all staff working during those same times.
Cameras monitoring the outside of the club toward the alley and the building next to the lot where the shooting occurred indicated no problems beginning at 1:45am when the club began its normal closing procedures. Greenville Police Officers were present in the alley beginning at 1:45 am at a barricade that directs patrons onto Cotanche Street, and away from the lot where the shooting occurred.
Club Phoenix has taken the initiative to cooperate with Greenville police over the past several years, and has participated in club security training put on by the police. Additionally, Club Phoenix employs off duty Greenville Police Officers to insure that patrons to the club and the public are safe, and that a safe environment is promoted both in and around the club.
As always, the management of Club Phoenix will assist the Greenville Police in providing any information that police officials feel is helpful, including access to its security tapes so that they can independently verify our findings. It is unfortunate that Club Phoenix was singled out by the police and media as the location where the altercation began when there is no basis to support those statements.
The Management and employees of Club Phoenix hope those that were injured will recover fully and quickly, and that those responsible for the shooting are apprehended and prosecuted.
Nightclub security involved in two shootings www.privateofficer.com
RICHLAND COUNTY, SC March 15 2011 Police reported two separate shootings outside Club Raw early Sunday morning that injured two individuals.
The incidents happened in the 5,000 block of Two Notch Road around 4:45am.
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department said there was an exchange of gunfire between a security officer and one subject and another security officer and a second subject. Deputies said the two subjects were shot in the upper body. They were taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
Deputies said they are not sure if the incidents are connected.
Moments after the shootings occurred, deputies said they stopped a vehicle in question, but they don’t believe that vehicle was linked to either shooting incident.
No charges have been filed yet.
Source:WIS
Family sues Detroit police in death of woman www.privateofficer.com
The 22-page wrongful death lawsuit seeking unspecified damages also accuses two Detroit sergeants of protecting 36-year-old homicide detective Ed Williams from possible criminal prosecution following reports he had assaulted 33-year-old Patricia Williams in the days before she was fatally shot in September 2009. Ed Williams also fatally shot himself.
The suit filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit says the last three days of their lives included domestic violence and a statewide alert prompted by Ed Williams’ suspected suicide note. The suit claims a Detroit police sergeant convinced Canton Township police to cancel the alert.
City officials declined comment to The Detroit News.
Retired Cayuga County deputy found murdered at home www.privateofficer.com
Bernard A. Gallow, of 2301 Sherwood Road, was killed in his home around 11:17 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.
Gallow, 58, had worked for the sheriff’s department since 1988. He retired from the road patrol, then was rehired as a part-time security guard at the county courthouse, Sheriff David Gould said.
“I’ve known Bernie for 30 years — a great guy, a nice young man who never bothered anybody and kept to himself,” Gould said. “He loved the job and doing what he did. He has a great family and it’s a total waste of life.”
No additional details about the homicide were provided, but Gould indicated that Gallow, who was not on duty, died by gunfire.
“It’s not easy to see one of your own deceased, especially from a gunshot wound,” he said. “Everybody at that scene knew Bernie. … It’s going to be a long, hard week.”
Gallow was dead when police arrived and the suspect was apprehended at the scene, he said.
Scipio Fire Department Assistant Chief James Perkins, who knew Gallow professionally, was at the scene and said that the body was found in the garage.
The suspect, whose name authorities have not released, was arraigned early Sunday morning in Brutus Town Court on charges of second-degree murder and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, Gould said.
The sheriff’s department is not releasing the suspect’s name because “we don’t want people to find out who he is until we find out where he was last night and what he was doing,” Gould said.
Gallow was also a part-time officer in the Moravia Police Department. Steven Cuddeback, a Cayuga County Legislator and member of the Moravia Police Department, said Gallow’s name is still up on the schedule for this week.
“I was always grateful to see Bernie when I needed backup and he rolled in,” Cuddeback said. “He was a good guy to work with, a straight-forward guy. … He went out and did his job without a lot of hoopla or fanfare, but he was very persistent. When he got on a case he worked it to completion.”
Gallow was with the Moravia police before signing on with the sheriff’s department. He also fought in the Vietnam War with the Marine Corps, Cuddeback said.
For about four years beginning in 2005, Gallow was also a volunteer driver and emergency medical technician with the Southern Cayuga Instant Aid ambulance company, Director Patrick Sullivan said.
Gould confirmed that the homicide was “not at all work-related,” and said he was with the Gallow family the entire night after the shooting.
Gallow is survived by his wife Geralyn and their three children.
“Our family is just devastated,” his wife said before referring further comment to Gould.
Some of the family members were at home at the time of the shooting and one of them called 911, Gould said.
A press conference is scheduled for noon Monday at the Cayuga County Public Safety Building on County House Road in Sennett.
State police, the Cayuga County District Attorney’s Office, the Cayuga County Coroner’s Office, the Scipio Fire Department and Southern Cayuga Ambulance assisted the sheriff’s office at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.
NY community hires security patrols after increased break-ins www.privateofficer.com
Gervasi’s black Chevrolet Suburban has emergency lights on its roof and magnetic signs on its doors that say “Community Patrol.”
A half-dozen kick-in burglaries have occurred since November in Orangeburg, Blauvelt and Pearl River.
The spree of break-ins has shaken the neighborhood. As Orangetown police continue their investigation in cooperation with surrounding police agencies, they have been reluctant to share details on their efforts with residents to avoid compromising the investigation.
Fearful of becoming victims of the burglars , residents have sought more information, exchanging e-mails on burglaries in nearby areas. A small group of them decided to hire Brosnan Risk Consultants, a private security firm founded by Patrick Brosnan, who also lives in the area.
Along with several colleagues with law enforcement backgrounds, Gervasi, a retired officer with the New York Police Department, has been assigned by the firm to patrol the area near Townline and Sickletown roads seven days a week. About 200 homes covered by the patrol routine are mostly in Orangetown, but some of them are in bordering Clarkstown.
Brosnan and his neighbor, Gerry Creagh, said that about two weeks ago, when their neighbors circulated information on career criminals spotted in their neighborhood, they were convinced that they should take some action.
A flier distributed in the area said that the two men stopped nearby had ties with a New Jersey criminal group known as the “James Bond” gang.
Orangetown Police Chief Kevin Nulty would not comment on the circulated information because of the investigation.
Brosnan said his firm’s patrol members are armed but do not have the right to make arrests. Their main duty is to watch out for suspicious activities in the area. When they see unfamiliar cars during their patrol routine, they record license plate numbers for background checks, Brosnan said.
“We think police officers are doing an outstanding job. But this is an exceedingly difficult case,” said Brosnan, a retired NYPD detective. “We want, as their eyes and ears, to deter, detect, observe and report as homeowners.”
Neither Brosnan nor Creagh would reveal the price tag for the firm’s security service.
“The community retained Brosnan Risk Consultants. They are doing it below their cost as their service to the neighbors because he lives here,” Creagh said of Brosnan.
Creagh said he hadn’t yet completed the number of households that had committed to pay for the service.
“Until they write the check, you never know,” Creagh said, adding, “We have enough money. It’s funded.”
Some residents and officials expressed mixed feelings on hiring a security firm.
“Not everybody has the money to do that, and we’ve been paying a lot of taxes” to finance the Orangetown Police Department, said Town Board member Tom Diviny. “I don’t necessarily agree that it’s necessarily. … But it’s extra eyes, and if it makes people feel safer, I’m all for it.”
Jon Fortunato, another resident in the area, shared a similar sentiment.
“I applaud the effort. It’s nice that they are down here,” Fortunato said. “But I hope police can be down here more.”
Nulty said he would not comment on Orangetown residents’ hiring a security firm, other than saying, “They have the right to do that.”
“As long as they are operating within the premises of the law, we are not really concerned about that,” Nutly said.
But Nulty is definitely in support of having extra eyes and ears in the community.
On Wednesday night, the Police Department held a meeting to inform residents in the targeted area of how to launch neighborhood watch groups.
About 40 people attended the meeting and asked for tips to make them less vulnerable to burglars. Several people asked about installing surveillance cameras in their neighborhood .
Police officials shared their knowledge with residents. They repeatedly encouraged residents to call 911 whenever they see or hear things that appear to be out of the ordinary.
When residents’ questions went toward details on the burglary cases that might compromise the investigation, police officials declined to answer.
But mostly, residents appeared to be satisfied with the opportunities to speak with police face to face.
“I think the chief, the captain and other officers there did an excellent job. We are happy with the presentation, and we are happy with the information that was going out,” said Diviny, who attended the meeting along with his fellow Town Board member Denis Tory, Town Clerk Charlotte Madigan and Tax Receiver Robert Simon. “We know the police are doing a great job, but they weren’t communicating that to the residents, and that was the concern. But they did a great job in letting the community know that … ‘We are doing our job, and we will solve this burglary spree.’ “
source:lohud.com
Dayton Ohio lowers police exam to accomandate minorities www.privateofficer.com
DAYTON OH March 15 2011 — The city’s Civil Service Board and the U.S. Department of Justice have agreed on a lower passing score for the police recruit exam after it was rejected because not enough blacks passed the exam.
The city lowered both written exams a combined 15 points that resulted in 258 more people passing the exam, according to a statement released Thursday by Civil Service officials. The agreement allows the city to immediately resume its plans to hire police and firefighters.
The original passing scores determined by Civil Service required candidates to answer 57 of 86 (66 percent) questions correctly on one portion and 73 of 102 (72 percent) on the other. The lowered benchmark requires candidates to answer 50 of 86 (58 percent) questions correctly and 64 of 102 (63 percent) of questions on the other.
A total of 748 people passed the exam under the new benchmarks. It is unclear the demographics of those who passed.
The passing candidates will undergo preliminary background checks and, once that hurdle is cleared, will be subject to an oral interview. Those dates have not been determined.
The Justice Department’s rejection of the passing scores last month delayed the city’s firefighter’s exam that was slated for April 2. A makeup date has yet to be set for the exam.
The city said it wants to put new hires on the street in both police and fire departments by next year to replace dozens of retirees that have left public safety forces near all-time lows.
DUI suspect licks hand sanitizer to throw off breath test www.privateofficer.com
FAIRFIELD OH March 15 2011 — A drunken driving suspect rubbed hand sanitizer down his face and licked it in an attempt to throw off a blood alcohol test.
The 48-year-old man was arrested for operating a vehicle while impaired early March 5 when an officer saw his Lexus weaving across lanes on Dixie Highway, and upon being pulled over, failed field sobriety tests, according to a Fairfield police report.
When the man’s handcuffs were removed during booking, he squirted hand sanitizer onto his hands and wiped it over his face, police said. After being told to wipe it off, he continued to delay and attempt to throw off test results by using the restroom, attempting to contact his attorney and finding another bottle of hand sanitizer, this time, eating it.
The suspect walked to the fingerprint machine where a bottle of hand sanitizer was sitting, pumped the bottle twice, wiped it down his face and on his lips, then licked it. He then told the Fairfield officer, “I’m ready to take the test,” to which the officer replied he could not since he just ate hand sanitizer.
The officer completed the test as a refusal, and the man was released on a citation
CT. teacher arrested for exposing himself near school www.privateofficer.com
Manchester CT March 15 2011 A Manchester man who teaches in the New Britain school system exposed himself to a woman near Lake Street Elementary School on Saturday, according to information obtained from a police report and a school system official.
Police said they received a complaint from a woman about a flasher near Lake Street and Rosewood Drive at 10:17 a.m. The woman said she was walking on Lake Street near the school when a man drove past her and turned onto Rosewood Drive, according to an arrest report.
Police said the man was later identified as Daniel Mer, 31, of 117 Delmont St., Manchester.
Mer stopped at the intersection of Lake Street and Rosewood Drive, forcing the woman to walk around his vehicle, police said. As she did, Mer put his left leg out of the vehicle and the woman saw that Mer was naked from the waist down, police said.
Mer was allegedly engaging in a sexual act by himself while looking at the woman, according to an arrest report.
Mer then drove toward the dead end on Rosewood Drive and the woman was able to get the license plate number and a description of the vehicle, police said.
Vernon Police followed up on the information and spoke with Mer. Mer was then arrested and charged with public indecency and breach of peace. Bond was set at $2,500 and he is expected to appear in Vernon Superior Court on March 22.
A Daniel Mer is listed as a teacher for Roosevelt Middle School in New Britain on the Web site for the city’s school system. Vernon police said it is department policy not to comment on the occupations of those arrested.
Helen Yung, the public information officer for the New Britain school system, confirmed that a Daniel Mer is a media specialist at Roosevelt Middle School.
She then identified Mer as the Roosevelt Middle School teacher by looking at a police mug shot.
She declined further comment.
Source:Manchester Patch
Ada County sheriff employee charged with murder www.privateofficer.com
MERIDIAN ID March 15 2011 — Robert Hall, the man accused of shooting and killing Meridian lawyer Emmett Corrigan on Friday, was booked into the Ada County Jail on Sunday. Hall was charged with first degree murder.
The shooting happened at about 10:20 p.m. Friday in the Walgreen’s parking lot on the corner of Linder and McMillan.
When police arrived, they discovered the body of 30-year-old Emmett Corrigan, a criminal defense attorney from Meridian. He had suffered gunshot wounds to the chest and head. Officers also found a second man, Rob Hall, 42, with a superficial gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to a local hospital and treated before being booked into jail Sunday.
It was revealed that Sunday that Hall was an employee of the Ada County Sheriff’s Office. He was not a deputy however. He was a civilian employee working in technical support for dispatch.
But Jason Blackwell, Corrigan’s step brother, is still angry with police.
“I have been lied to and misled,” said Blackwell. “If they would’ve been up-front and told us, I would’ve been grieving right now, instead of pissed.”
Blackwell is upset because he believes some details were withheld from the family, especially the identity of the suspect, Robert Hall. But Meridian Police, who are investigating the shooting, said they were not hiding Hall’s identity because of where he worked.
“In order for us to put together the best case that we can, and to make sure that justice is brought forth in this investigation for the Corrigan family, there is obviously certain evidence and certain information that won’t be released until it is time for us to proceed in the courtroom,” said Tracy Basterrechea, Deputy Chief of Meridian Police.
The victim’s family also said Hall had been stalking Corrigan for a few weeks, and agree with police that this was premeditated murder
“He was telling me about how this guy would just show up,” said Blackwell. “He’d be at the mall, he’d be at his work, everywhere he went. He’s like, ‘This guy’s stalking me.’ To me, that’s premeditated. He waited for my little brother and ambushed him.”
Blackwell also said Candace Hall, Robert Hall’s wife, was with Corrigan at the time of the shooting. But Blackwell dismisses any reports of a love triangle as hearsay.
“How can Emmett defend himself? He’s dead,” said Blackwell. He said that Corrigan was a great husband and father to his five kids.
Blackwell added that Candace Hall was one of Corrigan’s employees, who could’ve been looking for legal advice.
“The only thing (Corrigan) ever mentioned about Candy, or Candace was that she was trying to leave (Hall), and that this guy would follow her around, and accuse her of everything,” said Blackwell.
A colleague of Corrigan told us that he believes Candace Hall was planning a divorce from Robert Hall. He said Corrigan tried to refer that divorce case to him just a few weeks ago.
Robert Hall is expected to be arraigned in Ada County Court Monday afternoon.
If you were in the area around the time of the shooting and saw or heard anything, you are encouraged to call Meridian Police or Ada County dispatch at 377-6790
Source:KTVB
Erlanger Medical Center officers protest hospitals decision to outsource security www.privateofficer.com
Chattanooga TN. March 15 2011 Security officers at Erlanger Medical Center are protesting the hospital’s decision to outsource their jobs. Many of the guards are worried about where their future paychecks will be coming from.
Randy Patton has been an armed security guard at Erlanger Medical Center for 8 years. He joins more than a dozen others at Erlanger who recently found out they will be out of a job in less than a month.
“They’re outsourcing us to Walden. Walden will hire the Sheriff department to come in and assist them because they have no law enforcement authority. Once that happens, we will be outsourced somewhere around May the 1st,” said Patton.
The guards received an e-mail on March 1st saying Walden Security will be taking over their positions. Patton says he’s trying to stay optimistic, even though he knows the fate of his job in the coming months and that his search has just begun.
“Of course we all are (looking for jobs), but I mean, right now we’re still working, we’re still employed. We’re out here in shifts to get our word across and let everybody know.”
A spokesperson for Erlanger says that outsourcing security operations is not uncommon. Erlanger’s partners already include Sodexo for its food service operation, and Med-Trans for its air ambulance fleet and Information Technology services.
“I don’t want to say it’s a huge mistake, but I think our presence not being here will change things here at Erlanger,” said Patton.
Erlanger’s board of trustees plans to vote on the job outsourcing on March 24th. Erlanger currently employs about 40 security guards.
Source:News9
Off-duty security collapsed after playing hockey www.privateofficer.com
Lacey Township NJ March 15 2011 Matthew C. Blum, 32, of the Forked River section of Lacey Township, collapsed in the parking lot of Winding River Park on Sunday, Feb. 27, and died of natural causes at Community Medical Center in Toms River, said Matt’s father, retired Lacey Township High School history teacher Charles Blum.
Matt had been playing ice hockey in a recreational league when he complained that he wasn’t feeling well and left the game early, his wife, Melissa Blum, said.
“He said he was having a great game. Just all of a sudden, he didn’t feel good,” said Melissa Blum.
Matt and Melissa (Mulero) were married on Oct. 10, 2010, at The English Manner in Ocean Township and learned two weeks ago that Melissa is expecting their first child this fall.
The couple met when they were students at Central Regional High School, from which Matt graduated in 1996, but only began dating in 2007.
Melissa said it was Matt’s “big heart” that made her fall in love with him.
“He was always considerate of what I wanted, down to every detail. Where do I want to eat? What movie do I want to watch? Where do I want to go?” said Melissa Blum.
He would send text messages and call her out of the blue, just to tell her he loved her, she said.
Choking back tears, Charles Blum said his son was living his dream.
“He wanted a wife, a house and a family,” said Charles Blum.
“And a puppy,” added Melissa Blum, with a laugh.
“We had baby first, puppy maybe later,” she added.
“He was so happy” about the baby, said Joan Blum, Matt’s mother, with tears flowing down her cheeks.
“They told us about 10 minutes after Melissa told Matt. He was just beaming,” she said.
By telephone, Matt Blum’s sister, Jennifer Sotelo, said her brother was “one of the greatest big brothers anyone could ask for.”
She recalled a time when she and her brother where children and Matt was playing league soccer at Veterans Park in Bayville. Jennifer was on a swing nearby when another boy stole her Cabbage Patch doll. She said Matt caught sight of what was going on and took off down the field in the opposite direction of his team. He knocked the boy down and told her to hold on to her doll. Then he ran back and rejoined the game, said Sotelo.
“He protected me. [He] made sure I was making the right decisions without being a parent. My children adored him,” said Sotelo.
Matt played baseball in Little League, at Central Regional High School, and at Caldwell College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice in 2000. He also was an avid hockey player from the time he was 14 years old, said Joan.
He originally planned to become a police officer, but took a security position at Lacey Township High School eight years ago when he couldn’t find a law enforcement job, his father said.
“Once he got into the security and dealt with the kids, I think he found what he really liked doing, which was working with the kids,” said Charles Blum.
Matt Blum had talked about becoming a teacher, but hesitated because of statewide budget cuts, his family said.
He also worked as a part-time grounds keeper at Forge Pond Golf Course in Brick for the past 13 years. His supervisor, Scott Binkley, described him as kind-hearted, good and hardworking.
“We just had a lot of fun here. He was a lot of fun. He’d just do anything you asked him to do. … I know he had another job also, but I know that whether it was the high school or here, he did whatever he could to keep us both happy, ” said Binkley.
Charles Blum retired from teaching in 2005, but still coaches girls track at Lacey Township High School. He said it will be difficult to return to school without his son.
“I saw him every day. I saw how the kids reacted to him. … I kind of knew how there was a relationship with them. I saw how he used to kid with them. I saw how he pranked them, like he used to do to his sister,” said Charles Blum.
Matt Blum will be sorely missed, Lacey Township High School principal Will Zylinski said.
“He was very easygoing, but he never let anybody get away with anything. His style was so easy that he would just get people to do things for him, whether they had to move to a certain place or go to a certain place, or if he wanted them to behave a certain way, Matt was able to do that,” said Zylinksi
Vice principal Jeffrey Brewer said he misses his friend and colleague already.
“He’s one of those rare people. You don’t realize how much time you spend with somebody or how special they are until something like that happens,” said Brewer.
“He is a perfect example of how everybody in a school system can affect kids. He doesn’t have a teaching certificate, but he was more of a mentor than most of us were to kids,” added Brewer.
Robert Biele is a cook, coach, and security guard at the high school. He and Matt worked closely together throughout the school year. Biele said Matt would drop what he was doing if Biele needed help, even if Matt had already gone home for the day and Biele called him.
“He’s the type of guy, I don’t know if you replace. I know I can’t replace him in my life, that’s for sure,” said Biele.
Julie Ferenc is chairman of the Social Studies Department. She said she’s known the Blum family since Matt and Jennifer were in elementary school.
Ferenc remembered when Charles Blum would host picnics for the Social Studies Department at the end of the school year.
“[Matt] would round all the kids up, at 7, 8 years old, and play with them the entire time” so that the adults could enjoy their time together, said Ferenc.
“Even though he was our security guard, he didn’t approach the kids in a way that would put them on guard. He approached them as if they were young ladies and gentlemen. And he cared for the kids that were here after school. He watched out for them,” said Ferenc.
She pointed out a memorial poster that students had hung at Matt’s after-school post in the high school. They called it Blum’s Corner. She said a permanent memorial is being planned.
Students also created a Facebook page called We Love and Miss You Mr. Blum, according to Melissa Blum. More than 1,000 people have already “liked” the page.
Carole Perone is the mother of Matt’s high school friend, Robert Perone. She said that when Robert got the news, he called her from the Baltimore naval base where he is stationed and said, “It’s the worse thing that could ever happen to me.”
Perone thought her son was going to tell her he was being deployed overseas. Instead he told her that his best friend had died.
“He was a good, solid friend to my son,” said Perone.
Charles, Joan, and Melissa expressed their gratitude for the outpouring of sympathy they have received. Charles Blum said over 1000 people signed the guest book at Matt’s wake. Among them were students, teachers, police chief William Nally, and emergency medical technicians who knew Matt from work.
“It was so soothing,” said Joan Blum. “As sad as we still are, it did lift a burden. There was a certain little peace.”
The Blums said they are sustaining each other and their extended family is sustaining them.
“Four months ago we were all celebrating at the wedding, and now,” said Charles Blum, his voice trailing off. “It’s the same people. Now they’re all coming together, helping us.”
Melissa Blum said she is grateful for the baby. “A piece of him will go on,” she explained.
Charles Blum asked the family’s priest, the Rev. Kevin Keelin, why this tragedy happened.
“He was honest,” Charles Blum said, “He said, ‘I can’t tell you why. There is no answer.’ “
The Blum family plans to set up a scholarship fund in Matt’s honor. Charles and Joan Blum said it will be given to “a deserving student who emulates [Matt].” A student who cares about fellow students and cares about life. Someone who is the embodiment of a good person. Someone like their son.
Matthew C. Blum is survived by his wife, Melissa, Forked River; his parents, Charles and Joan Blum, Lanoka Harbor; his sister and brother-in-law Jennifer and Mike Sotelo and their children, Kylie, Derek, and Ashley; his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Betsy and Cirilo Mulero Jr.; and his sister-in-law and brother-in-law Jennifer and Dennis Allarde and their children, Antonio and Angelina.
Security officer assaulted-Taser doesn’t stop woman suspect www.privateofficer.com
WACO TX March 15 2011 – A taser couldn’t stop a woman from reportedly assaulting an off-duty officer working security at a Waco night club.
An off-duty Falls County constable was trying to break up a fight at Club Alazan early Sunday morning between two women.
Police say that’s when 30-year-old Christina Tavitas Ruiz started attacking the constable.
The constable used a taser on her, but she continued fighting, kicking and hitting him.
Ruiz is charged with Resisting Arrest and Assault on a Public Servant.
