Archive
Woodbridge teacher accused of having sex with student www.privateofficer.com
Tina Marie Amato, 27, of Fredericksburg has been charged with two counts of indecent liberties by a custodian, crimes against nature and use of a communications system to facilitate certain offenses, Prince William County police said.
Ken Blackstone, a spokesman for the Prince William school system, says Amato has been a full-time teacher at Gar-Field High School since 2008.
Amato was arrested after another teacher confiscated the cell phone of a male student in an unrelated incident and discovered messages that prompted that teacher to call police. County police Officer Jonathan Perok says an investigation revealed Amato and the boy had been having a relationship for about a year.
Mobile men nabbed breaking into police impound lot www.privateofficer.com
MOBILE, Alabama April 6 2011 — Two men were arrested and charged with breaking into the Mobile Police Department’s impound yard to retrieve personal items from a vehicle, officials said.
Daniel Allen Bush, 22, of Mobile remained in the Mobile County Metro Jail, according to records. He has arrests dating back to July 2007 on a variety of charges, including burglary, traffic offenses and drug charges, according to records.
John Herrick Sciremammano, 22, of Theodore was booked into Metro Jail about 11 p.m. Sunday and released on bail early Monday morning, according to records.
Both men were charged with second-degree criminal trespassing, third-degree criminal mischief and unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle, according to jail records. Each man has a total bail set at $4,250, according to records
At 6:21 p.m. Sunday, officers at the impound yard saw two men jump over the fence at 1251 Virginia St., Officer Christopher Levy, police spokesman, said.
Police set up a perimeter around the yard, and two officers entered the yard and apprehended Bush after a foot chase, Levy said. Sciremammano, also known as Scary Man, was found under a pile of rocks, Levy said.
Police said that the two men wanted to retrieve items from Bush’s red Chevrolet 1500 pickup truck.
“They could have made a request to get the items, and those items probably would have been returned to them,” Levy said.
Police did not say why the vehicle was impounded.
Source:AL.com
CT. man arrested for masturbating at mall food court www.privateofficer.com
WATERBURY CT April 6 2011 — An East End man was arrested Saturday after a witness told police he was masturbating in the food court of the Brass Mill Center mall while looking at children.
When detained by police, Gordon Nix, 41, told an officer he was sick and needed help, police said.
A mall security guard told police Nix was spotted in the food court a bit after noon. The guard told police Nix had been told to stay out of the mall, but it’s unclear what occurred in the past to warrant the ban.
As police and security were dealing with Nix, a man approached them saying he was having lunch with his wife and 7-year-old daughter when he spotted Nix sitting at a nearby table masturbating.
Source:Waterbury Republican-American
Armored car robbery reported in Silver Springs www.privateofficer.com
SILVER SPRING, Md. April 6 2011 — A police spokesperson said an armored car employee was robbed Monday morning inside a bank in Silver Spring, Md.
Montgomery County Police spokesperson Angela Cruz said the robbery happened just before 10 a.m. at the Bank of America in the 11400 block of Columbia Pike.
Cruz said the robber waited until the employee entered the bank before robbing him of the money he was carrying and his weapon.
No suspects are in custody as the investigation continues.
St. Louis University security opens fire on fleeing vehicle www.privateofficer.com
St. Louis IL April 6 2011 — St. Louis University students were awakened by gunfire just after 2:30 Monday morning. A security officer fired three shots at a moving navy blue Chevrolet Trailblazer.
According to a police report, the officer spotted the vehicle, which was parked in the rear of a parking lot in the 3700 block of Laclede Avenue.
When the officer stepped out of his vehicle to approach the SUV, he saw a man sitting in the passenger seat. Another man was running between two vehicles near the SUV. Moments later, the pair drove the Trailblazer toward the officer. Fearful that the vehicle would hit him, the officer opened fire and shattered the back window of the SUV.
The men were last seen driving east on Laclede Avenue.
The university offered this statement: For 20 years or more, a security officer with the Saint Louis University Department of Public Safety and Security Services has not discharged a service weapon in the line of duty. The security officer was not injured during last night’s incident. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is investigating, and the University will conduct its own review into the matter. SLU’s security officers receive initial and ongoing training, and they patrol the campus around the clock. Ensuring that SLU is a safe place to learn, live and work is a top priority for the University
Source:KSDK
Howard County police capture jewelry store robbery suspects www.privateofficer.com
Howard County MD April 6 2011 County police announced the arrests of three men who robbed a jewelry store at the Columbia Mall, taking $300,000 worth of high-end watches. Police are investigating whether the same suspects are responsible for other holdups at malls in Baltimore and in Annapolis.
Police are crediting a tipster with helping lead detectives in the case.
In September, armed men held up jewelry stores at Mondawmin Mall in Baltimore in a series of attacks. In March, two armed men robbed a jewelry store at Westfield Annapolis Mall, getting awa with more than $100,000 in watches and necklaces.
Here are more details from Howard County Police:
Howard County police have charged three men for an armed robbery at a jewelry store last week, thanks to a tip from a citizen.
Police responded to Edward Arthur Jewelers in the 10300 block of Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia on March 30 at approximately 12:47 p.m. for a reported armed robbery. Employees reported that three unknown men entered the store, displayed a gun and demanded jewelry from a case. The employees complied, and the suspects fled the store with approximately $300,000 worth of high-end watches. No one was injured in the robbery.
Police distributed surveillance photos of the suspects on March 31 and asked the public’s help in
identifying them. That evening, a citizen who recognized the suspects called police and provided information. Police will be issuing a reward to the citizen. After further investigation, police arrested the men.
Suspect 1 was identified as Deontaye Derrick Harvey, 20, of 1112 N. Parrish Street in Baltimore. Suspect 2 was identified as Gary Donnell Braxton Jr., 25, of 703 Lexington Street in Baltimore. Suspect 3 was identified as Aaron Pratt, 19, of 2008 Wylie Avenue in Baltimore.
All three men were charged with armed robbery, robbery, first- and second-degree assault, use of a handgun in the commission of a felony, reckless endangerment and theft. The suspects were arrested over the weekend with assistance from Baltimore Police Department and are being held at Howard County Detention Center. Harvey is being held without bond. Braxton and Pratt are being held on $250,000 bond.
Howard County police are working with surrounding jurisdictions to determine if the suspects may have been involved in other similar cases.
Source:Baltimore Sun
Even in the wake of widespread violence, Philly schools may cut security www.privateofficer.com
Philadelphia PA. April 6 2011 Even in the wake of widespread violence in city schools, the Philadelphia School District is targeting for budget cuts some employees responsible for keeping schools safe.
With a $629 million budget gap looming, officials have begun honing their cut list to eliminate entire categories of jobs, including climate managers, who are administrators responsible for safety at some schools.
The district could also lose a quarter of its school police force, said Michael Lodise, president of the school police officers union.
Lodise said district administrators told him that 163 of the district’s current force of 635 full and part-time officers would be cut.
District officials, however, said no decisions had been made about school police.
Lodise said he was concerned the cuts in police and climate managers would exacerbate already unsafe conditions. He cited a recent seven-part Inquirer series on violence in city schools that showed how troubled the climate is at many schools.
“It’s going to get worse,” Lodise said. “It’s not going to get better.”
Asked about Lodise’s assertion, district spokeswoman Shana Kemp said, “There’s no confirmation of that.”
School District officials warned in a document last week that 163 officers may need to be lost if financial conditions worsen. Along with the officers, the district also listed some other seemingly inconceivable cuts, such as its entire athletic and gifted programs.
What is more certain is that the district will eliminate several positions, including those of climate managers – administrators who monitor school safety to keep violence down.
They received letters in recent days telling them that “the position you presently occupy has been eliminated as of June 30, 2011.”
Other positions on the chopping block are student advisers and parent ombudsmen.
Kemp said the district was trying to restructure the work that has been carried out by those in the eliminated positions so that students and parents would not suffer.
“I’m not sure how that will work out,” said Kemp. “We’re doing our best to make sure students and parents are not affected too negatively by any of the decisions we have to make.”
The district drew up its list of cuts to close a projected $629 million funding shortfall as of July 1, which could include the possible loss of $293 million in state funds in Gov. Corbett’s proposed budget.
Included on the cut list are more than 40 climate managers, said Robert McGrogan, president of the Commonwealth Association of School Administators, the union that represents them. More than 30 climate managers were laid off last year.
The loss of this position, McGrogan said, “could really impact safety.”
The letter his members received, dated April 1, said eliminating the position “does not necessarily mean that your employment with the district will end.” Some employees may have bumping rights.
Top district officials last week said that to balance the budget, they would need to cut central office staff in half; increase class sizes and the number of students assigned to school counselors; cut funds for art, music, and gifted education; reduce individual school budgets by an average of 13 percent; and reduce funding for student transportation and meals.
Much is still unclear, however. The district has said it will offer an early retirement package to some employees, and the number of layoffs will depend on the number of workers who opt to leave voluntarily.
Lori Shorr, Mayor Nutter’s chief education adviser, said she had not seen all the details of the district’s potential plans to cut.
“We don’t like any of these cuts that are going to have to happen, particularly cuts around safety,” she said. “But they’ve got a huge budget deficit that they have to deal with. These choices shouldn’t have to be made. The children of Philadelphia deserve fully funded schools.”
Source:Philly.com
Alabama prison uprising quelled by riot police www.privateofficer.com
ATMORE, Ala. April 6 2011 (AP) – Alabama corrections officials said officers in riot gear put down an inmate uprising at Holman Prison on Tuesday after prisoners seized control of a 115-man dormitory in the maximum-security lockup for several hours.
Prison officials said a few prisoners suffered minor injuries, but further details were not immediately available. No one had to be sent to a hospital, according to prison officials.
No Holman employees were hurt, but officers were still assessing damage to the prison, located in southwest Alabama north of Mobile.
Inmates took control of Holman’s A-Dorm about 7:30 a.m. CDT while some in the prison were beginning the workday and others were at breakfast. About 115 men live in the dormitory, but not all participated in the standoff.
Members of an emergency response team equipped with riot gear attempted to take control of the dormitory but were met with resistance from prisoners, officials said. Authorities finally regained control of the dorm about 11:15 a.m. CDT, and the entire prison remained on lockdown to prevent further problems.
Corrections spokesman Brian Corbett said nothing unusual was going on at the prison at the time of the disturbance and it was unclear what prompted the uprising.
“It appears to have been an isolated incident that caused the disturbance,” said Corbett. “We are still in the process of sorting things out.”
A prison statement said officers from the department’s Correctional Emergency Response Team, Holman and Fountain prisons, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department and the Atmore Police Department assisted, along with prison medical workers.
“Quick and decisive actions by the CERT team, our staff, and local law enforcement authorities help to resolve this issue, ” Prison Commissioner Kim Thomas said in a statement. “Everyone involved has my personal thanks for such a professional response and handling of this situation.”
Holman is best known as the prison where the state holds executions.
OFFICER DOWN- Trooper I Anthony R. Fotiou
OFFICER DOWN Deputy Sheriff Eric Stein
Deputy Sheriff Eric SteinCops recruit underaged police explorers for armed guard jobs www.privateofficer.com
Richmond CA April 6 2011 The FBI and the Richmond Police Department are investigating allegations that two officers recruited teens from the department’s Explorer program into their private security firm, illegally armed them with guns and sent them to patrol the city’s most dangerous housing complexes, The Chronicle has learned.
After two of the Explorers complained about their jobs, they had a falling-out with their mentors. The officers then hired a private investigator who used attractive decoys to try to coax one of the young men into a drunken-driving arrest, according to the women who took part in the setup.
The young man, Sergio Rios, now 21, and his best friend, 22-year-old Orlando Torres, are at the center of the investigation. The officers, Danny Harris and Ray Thomas, are on paid leave and have accused their department of targeting them because they are African American.
For years, the officers headed a program created to give aspiring cops a first look at the job. But Rios and Torres told The Chronicle that Harris illegally bought them pistols for guard duty when they were 19 and 20 years old, respectively.
The young men said they gave Harris $500 apiece to buy the guns, which came with high-capacity magazines that civilians cannot legally carry in California.
Under federal law, people under 21 cannot buy handguns, and buying a gun for another person – regardless of age – is considered an illegal “straw purchase.” Rios said he was 19 at the time Harris bought his gun, and Torres said he was 20.
“Usually you look at cops as role models, not people who want to destroy you,” said Torres, who now works in loss prevention for a major retailer and still wants to become a police officer.
Several sources said the FBI is investigating the officers, which Rios and Torres confirmed. An agency spokesman declined to comment.
Thomas said in an interview with The Chronicle that he had done nothing wrong, and an attorney for Harris declined to comment.
Side business
The ongoing investigation into these allegations is the latest to involve Christopher Butler, a private investigator and former Antioch police officer who has been accused of working with other law enforcement contacts to set up people for arrest – much in the same way that Rios believes Butler targeted him using the decoys.
Butler, 49, was arrested Feb. 16 along with a state narcotics officer and has pleaded not guilty to charges of selling drugs stolen from evidence lockers.
Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus said he could not speak in detail about Harris and Thomas because they are part of an ongoing investigation by the Police Department and because they have confidentiality rights.
Magnus did say his department bars officers from moonlighting in private security. Records show that the department ordered Harris and Thomas to stop, but that they did not.
“If you have a police officer operating a security company, that has the potential to give them an unfair competitive advantage,” Magnus said. “It suggests they’re bringing to bear the resources of the police agency they are working for.”
In an interview, Thomas confirmed that he and Harris started a security business and that Magnus disapproved of it. But he said the department’s policy was unfair, and that he had started the business after getting permission in 2005 from then-Police Chief Terry Hudson. Hudson could not be reached for comment.
Racism charge
Magnus, Thomas said, is targeting him and Harris because they accused the chief of discrimination in an ongoing lawsuit filed in June 2010, after the department began its investigation. Both officers are African American.
Magnus said the charge is “without merit.”
Thomas said he did not hire Butler. He called former Explorers Rios and Torres “compulsive liars.”
“We have done nothing wrong,” Thomas said. “These guys have done everything they can to sabotage us.”
Thomas said neither Rios nor Torres was provided a gun to carry while doing security work. And he said many former Explorers ended up as security guards at his firm because Rios and Torres recruited them and had the authority to hire them.
Rios responded, “Anyone that was hired had to be approved by Danny.” He said about 18 former Explorers had worked for the security firm.
Richmond’s Explorer program is an affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America. The young men and women, who are ages 14 to 20, are trained on police procedure, provide security at some city events and perform clerical duties. The program is registered as a nonprofit with the IRS.
Magnus said that other officers now run it and that layers of oversight have been added.
Aspiring cops
Torres and Rios, who are neighbors and best friends, said they joined as a first step toward potential law enforcement careers. Harris, a former Explorer, ran it with help from Thomas.
As time went on, the young men said, Harris began to shift his focus. At an Explorer meeting about two years ago, Rios said, Harris asked him and Torres to work for his security firm, which was in the process of securing a contract with the owner of the violence-plagued Crescent Park housing complex in Richmond.
“I thought it would be a great opportunity,” said Rios. “I was young and wanted to try something kind of new that was similar” to police work.
Rios and Torres said Harris subsequently took them to LC Action Police Supply in San Jose. They said they each gave $500 in cash to Harris, who bought them Glock pistols to carry on the job.
Rios said Harris transferred his gun into Rios’ father’s name in February 2010.
Rios’ father, who is also named Sergio Rios, said he had trusted Harris and had been glad to see his son find a job in a tough market.
Ordered to stop
As the officers built their side business in 2009 and 2010, they faced resistance at the police station, records show.
According to documents filed in the discrimination lawsuit, the department ordered Harris and Thomas in January 2010 to cease their involvement in the security business, which was then called Strategic Alliance Protective Services, and said they had used their status as officers to secure contracts – an allegation that Thomas denies.
Four months later, the department disciplined the officers. Court records do not detail the type of punishment.
By last summer, the officers’ security business had more mundane problems. Rios and Torres said they and more than a dozen other employees – upset at what they viewed as unfair wages and work conditions – traveled together to the Oakland Labor Board to inquire about filing a complaint.
The young men said Harris found out about the trip and had a senior manager place them “on call,” giving them no further shifts.
Torres said that in the ensuing weeks, Thomas repeatedly called him and sent him messages on Facebook trying to get Harris’ pistol back. Torres said he initially refused because he had paid for it, despite Harris being the registered owner.
The Police Department took custody of both guns, though, after Rios took the young men’s complaints to internal affairs in early September.
Gun suit
Later that month, court records show, Officer Thomas tried to retrieve Torres’ gun by suing him in small claims court.
“I purchased a handgun from the original owner,” Thomas wrote to the court, referring to Harris. “The defendant is aware of this and refuses to provide me my handgun.”
The lawsuit was so unusual that Torres said he got a call from a producer for a television courtroom show, asking if he and Thomas would sort out their differences on air.
But internal affairs investigators stepped in, records show, telling the court that the gun was in police custody and that they would handle the matter from there.
Thomas told The Chronicle there was an innocent explanation for the small claims suit, which would come out in court.
“I’ve got documentation from (Torres) that will blow that claim out of the water,” he said, declining to elaborate.
The sting
On Nov. 7, Rios said, two women aggressively came on to him during his shift as a newly hired security guard at an Emeryville movie theater.
In the following weeks, the women texted Rios sexually suggestive remarks – which he showed The Chronicle – and sent him a picture of them posing in lingerie.
In interviews with The Chronicle, the women in the sting said they had worked for private investigator Butler, who according to Contra Costa County prosecutors had a pattern of setting up men.
A county prosecutor said Butler orchestrated DUI arrests – hiring women to get male targets drunk at bars, arranging with police friends to have them arrested for drunken driving, then using the arrest as leverage in child custody cases.
In the Rios sting, the women who worked as decoys said Butler gave explicit instructions to get the young man drunk and lead him in his car north through neighboring Danville, where a police officer would make a prearranged traffic stop.
The women, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were encouraged to get Rios to bring a gun, because if he were stopped with the firearm while driving drunk, he could face prison time.
Though Thomas denies hiring Butler, one of the decoys told The Chronicle she met with Thomas and Harris outside Butler’s office on his behalf to debrief them on the ongoing Rios sting.
The tipster
On Dec. 5, the day the women were going to meet Rios at a San Ramon Chevy’s restaurant, one texted, “Will u bring ur gun so we can take a picture with it?”
What they didn’t know was that a day earlier, an anonymous tipster contacted Rios through a Facebook account – under the fake name “Suzy Smith” – and warned him not to go.
“You don’t deserve what is about to happen,” said the message, which Rios showed The Chronicle. “It is former employers of yours that are setting you up.”
The tipster knew every detail about the women and the date. Rios said he immediately sent back his phone number, and that the two spoke. The tipster, Rios said, revealed that Harris and Thomas had hired Butler.
The women confirmed to The Chronicle that they waited at the bar for Rios to show up – until it closed.
“I didn’t expect that from them,” Rios said of his onetime mentors. “For them to go from being so positive to being so negative, it brings me down as far as how I look at other police officers. I hope other officers aren’t the same.”
Source:www.sfgate.com
California Assembly Sergeants at Arms ordered to carry guns www.privateofficer.com
Sacramento CA April 6 2011 The state Assembly has stepped up its security measures, ordering more than a dozen sergeants-at-arms to carry guns while on the job.
“Please be advised that as of March 31, 2011, the Assembly Sergeants-at-Arms Security Division will be carrying department-issued Smith & Wesson .40 caliber semi-automatic weapons full-time while they are on duty for the Assembly,” Assembly Chief Sergeant-at-Arms Ronald Pane wrote in a March 31 letter to Senate Chief Sergeant-at-Arms Tony Beard, Jr.
Sergeants-at-arms, whose duties include protecting legislators and monitoring floor sessions, are far from the only layer of security at the Capitol. California Highway Patrol officers are already stationed at the Capitol, patrolling the building and grounds 24 hours a day, and visitors and staff must go through metal detectors and screenings upon entering the Capitol.
Pane said the move is not a response to current threat levels or a demonstrated need for more security, but meant to establish continuity in security policy and enhance “safety here at the Capitol.” He said the Assembly’s security personnel are already armed during large events at the Capitol and times when threat levels are high.
“We’ve been carrying weapons for years, but now we’re carrying them a little more than part-time,” he said in an interview, adding that the change will not require the purchase of new guns. “We just thought professionally and as far as providing the service we need to do it full time.”
The policy affects roughly 17 employees, all of whom were trained at police academies and subject to peace officer standards training set for California law enforcement officials, he said.
Beard said while the subject of arming Senate sergeants-at-arms full time has been discussed over the years, any change in policy would require action by the Senate Rules Committee.
Beard, who has served in the post for three decades and whose father was chief sergeant in the Assembly, said years ago the force included former police officers “who made no bones about the fact that they carried .38s around.” But he could not recall a time when sergeants carried guns as policy
“To judge then and now is just a different type of situation, a different world,” he said. “The job’s different. It’s a much more complex job, a much more detailed job.”
He said while he has seen more “inappropriate contact and much more confrontational attitude” toward staff and members from the public, an increase in threats wouldn’t in his mind justify such a shift in policy.
“To make a jump that on a threat assessment basis, the response would be to be armed, I wouldn’t condone that,” he said. “There’s levels of force and the ultimate, the gun, is the last thing you ever have to apply.”
Source:sacbee.com
Louisville store employee accused of frauds www.privateofficer.com
LOUISVILLE, Ky. April 6 2011 — Police say a Louisville woman who was working inside Mall St. Matthews has been accused of theft.
30-year-old Tricia B. Hedges was arrested Thursday evening, according to an arrest report. Police say she was working for the Justice / Limited Too store, which sells children’s clothing. While employed there, she allegedly loaded money onto a gift card — without her employer’s permission — and then used the money for herself.
Police say she used the money to pay for her personal debts — and stole $5,155 over a period of months.
Hedges was charged with theft by unlawful taking.
Source:WDRB Fox 41
Men selling $5 balloons at Louisville concert arrested www.privateofficer.com
LOUISVILLE, Ky. April 6 2011 — Louisville Metro Police say balloons sold Saturday night after a “Widespread Panic” concert contained more than just air — and two men were arrested in separate incidents because of it.
According to an arrest report obtained by Fox 41 News, 20-year-old Danny James Ruiz was at the corner of 4th St. and Chestnut St. selling balloons for $5 each. Police say the balloons contained a gas — an “unknown substance” — and that people were inhaling the balloons to get high.
When an officer approached Ruiz, he allegedly took off running and jumped a fence into a construction area before the officer apprehended him.
He was charged with the sale of a volatile substance for unlawful inhalation, the unlawful repackaging of a volatile substance, fleeing and evading and criminal trespassing.
According to another arrest report, 29-year-old John Michael Lesson was arrested at the same location 10 minutes later. Police say they were trying to “disperse [a] crowd” from the Widespread Panic concert, which had taken place earlier at the Palace Theatre. When they stopped Lesson and told him to leave the area, police say he looked directly at the officer and “immediately began to inhale a balloon of nitrous oxide.”
When the officer told Lesson he was under arrest, Lesson allegedly took off running.
Police arrested him and charged him with alcohol intoxication and resisting arrest. Officers say he was highly intoxicated, had slurred speech and glassy eyes, and smelled strongly of alcohol and marijuana.
Source:WDRB Fox 41
Radio Shack security nabs employee for theft www.privateofficer.com
Madison NJ April 6 2011 An employee of a Madison business stands accused of stealing from his employer, according to borough police.
Ptl. James Cavezza on March 31 arrested Samuel Generelli, 24, of Randolph and charged him with theft of property from Radio Shack, located at 300 Main Street, where he was employed.
Police said Cavezza had been contacted by Loss Prevention Officers who initially discovered that Generelli had committed several thefts of store items while employed.
An investigation by Cavezza determined that Generelli committed the thefts. No further details were disclosed. Generelli was transported to headquarters for processing and released pending a mandatory court appearance.
Detectives John Miscia and Detective Lt. Jerry Mantone assisted with the investigation.
Source:Patch.com
Security officer in Apple Store shooting is retired police officer www.privateofficer.com
Security guard Jose Jimenez confronted two suspects about 6:40 a.m. who had just broken the window at the closed Otay Ranch Town Center, intent on a “smash and grab” burglary at the Apple store, police said.
One suspect fired at Jimenez, who returned fire, police said. A gun battle continued outside the store as the two suspects, and a woman waiting for them in a car outside the store, sought to flee in a silver, two-door Acura.
The car smashed into a light post in the mall parking lot. The driver, who had been shot in the head, was later pronounced dead at the scene by the county medical examiner.
The two other suspects fled on foot and were arrested after a search by the Chula Vista police, Border Patrol, California Highway Patrol and a Sheriff’s Department helicopter.
The two were identified as Melissa Ortiz, 21, and John Chendra, 24. They were arrested on suspicion of commercial burglary and conspiracy.
The dead man was not identified. The security guard was uninjured.
Target store security-police bust shoplifting ring www.privateofficer.com
LINDEN NJ April 6 2011 – Last week, Linden police arrested four people in an alleged shoplifting ring.
Newark residents George T. Ingram, 18, Jonathan M. Lopez, 21, and Ervin A. Toledo, 20, as well as Angela Concepcion, 23, of Toms River were charged with third degree theft after being arrested at the Target department store on West Edgar Road on March 31.
Target’s corporate security advised stores about a group of four suspects who were stealing electronic items from stores in the region. Two would fill a shopping cart with merchandise, then abandon it in a remote are of the store. The other pair would enter the store, and one would retrieve the cart while the other waited near the exit door. They would walk out the front door with the cart and quickly load the merchandise into a waiting vehicle.
When notified about a theft in progress at the Linden Target at 5:09 p.m. on March 31, police set up surveillance in the parking lot and made the arrests of the alleged shoplifters. Police recovered 3 X-box video game Consoles, 27 X-box Kinect game accessories, 5 Wii video game bundles, and 18 health and beauty items, total value $2,397. Officers also recovered merchandise that they believe was stolen from other Target stores.
Toledo was also charged with violation of probation and Lopez had an East Orange contempt of court warrant. All four suspected were being held at the Union County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail each.
Source:njtoday.net
Fresno security officer ran down by SUV www.privateofficer.com
FRESNO, Calif. April 6 2011 — Fresno Police are searching for the driver who struck a security guard with his SUV.
Police say the guard was breaking up a party around 1:30 Tuesday morning at the Kings View Manor Apartment Complex.
Officers say a group of people got into an SUV and took off, but struck a security guard in the leg.
Police say the driver then smashed into the guard’s pickup and struck the complex entrance gate.
The driver then sped off a crashed in a vineyard about a mile away. Police say the driver and his passengers ran away.
The guard was taken to the hospital for observation. Police say he was not seriously hurt.
Source:ABC News
TSA hiring 200 officers at Atlanta airport www.privateofficer.com
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the TSA wants to hire more than 200 part-time workers in Atlanta as the world’s busiest airport prepares to open its new international terminal next spring.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that the starting wage is $14.59 per hour.
