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Tuscaloosa Alabama police officer killed escorting funeral www.privateofficer.com
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama May 22 2011 — Authorities say a Tuscaloosa police officer was killed as he escorted a funeral procession.
Police Chief Steve Anderson says a driver in the Saturday afternoon procession made a U-turn and hit 42-year-old Officer Trevor Scott Phillips on his motorcycle. Anderson said the impact threw Phillips off the motorcycle.
Phillips had been with the department more than a decade.
Anderson said no charges have been filed. The driver’s name was not released.
The incident is under investigation.
OFFICER DOWN- SHAFT S HUNTER
Shaft S. Hunter
End of Watch: Saturday, May 21, 2011
Biographical Info
Age: 39
Tour of Duty: 11 years
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Vehicle pursuit
Date of Incident: May 21, 2011
Weapon Used: Automobile; Motorcycle
Suspect Info: Not available
Trooper Shaft Hunter was killed when his patrol car collided with the back of a tractor trailer that was parked on the shoulder of I-95 in Howard County at approximately 2:40 am. It is believed that he was pursuing a speeding motorcycle when the collision occurred.
Trooper Hunter had served with the Maryland State Police for 11 years. He is survived by his wife and six children.
Agency Contact Information:
Maryland State Police
1201 Reisterstown Road
Pikesville, MD 21208
Phone: (410) 486-3101
Police arrest illegal imigrant for rape of 7 year old child www.privateofficer.com
Mount Holly NC May 22 2011 A man suspected of entering this country illegally now faces charges of eight sex crimes against a 7-year-old girl.
Jose Mariano Suarez-Chacon sexually assaulted the girl on eight occasions from January 2011 to May 12, according to an arrest warrant affidavit signed by Mount Holly Police Detective F.N. Tindall.
The offenses, including first-degree sex offense against a child and indecent liberties, occurred at Suarez-Chacon’s apartment at 227 W. Glendale Ave., Mount Holly, according to the warrants.
The girl lives in Gastonia, according to the warrant affidavit.
Suarez-Chacon was booked into Gaston County Jail Friday on a $1 million bond. However, he also has an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold on his release until his legal status is known, according to Gaston County Jail officials.
SC bouncer arrested for assault www.privateofficer.com
According to reports from the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office, deputies have charged 27-year-old Marquise Davial Ruff (A.K.A. Biscuit), of 143 Spring Lake Drive in Greenwood with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. Ruff is a bouncer at THe University Grill.
The alleged victim told deputies that on May 6th he was inside the bar with his wife when an altercation broke out inside the bar. The man said during the altercation he was pushed out of the bar but attempted to enter the bar again to check on his wife who was still inside. The man said as he attempted to enter the bar Ruff, who the man said he only knew as “Biscuit,” grabbed him around his neck. The man said he tried to free himself but was unable to and says that the next thing he remembers is waking up lying on the ground.
The alleged victim’s wife told deputies that she witnessed Ruff place his hands around the man’s neck while several other people held the man’s hands so he could not free himself. She said she watched his body go limp and him fall to the ground, hitting his head.
The man tells deputies that he is seeking medical attention for a head injury he received when he fell after passing out.
Ruff was arrested on Thursday and is being held at the Greenwood County Detention Center.
Source:GWT.com
Alabama men given prison term for detonating pipe bombs www.privateofficer.com
CULLMAN, Alabama May 22 2011– Two Cullman men were sentenced today to 40 months in prison after they pleaded guilty to detonating pipe bombs at a Cullman self-serve car wash and near a Vinemont trucking company on Dec. 9.
Chief U.S. District Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn also ordered them to serve two years of supervised release after completing their prison terms.
Peggy Sanford, spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, provided this account:
Joshua Kirk Kugler, also known as ”Tator,” and Bill Scott Simmons, also known as ”Scotty,” both 22, in February pleaded guilty to possessing unregistered destructive devices, transporting and receiving explosives, and making a destructive device.
“There can be no tolerance for someone detonating a powerful explosive in a public place,” Vance said. “These men not only destroyed property, they risked horrible injury to anyone who might have encountered their pipe bombs. Their jail term is deserved and should discourage anyone from committing such a dangerous crime, ” she said.
The bomb that detonated at C&F Car Wash in Cullman scorched a wall covering, damaged a pressure wand holder used to wash cars, and caused debris to penetrate the ceiling and roof, according to a complaint filed Dec. 14.
The explosion at R.E. Garrison Trucking Company in Vinemont damaged device panels and metal housing boxes owned by AT&T, according to court records.
A security guard at the trucking company told ATF investigators he believed Simmons set the two bombs to scare him because of a dispute the two had several years ago over a girlfriend of Simmons’.
Cleveland pulls cops from schools and puts them back on patrol www.privateofficer.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio May 22 2011 — The Cleveland Police Department will pull officers from trouble-prone schools to keep more of its shrinking force on the streets.
The move was among several announced Friday in response to pending layoffs in the city’s safety forces. Officials said they also will take 12 Fire Department vehicles out of service on a rotating basis, which could occasionally leave stations unstaffed.
Mayor Frank Jackson said earlier this week that he will lay off 81 patrol officers and 51 firefighters at the end of the month; 42 police cadets will go then or in mid-June.
The layoffs will leave the city with 1,454 police and 785 firefighters. Jackson blamed the safety cuts and 147 layoffs in other departments on the expected loss of $35.7 million in state aid.
Safety Director Martin Flask said Friday that Police Chief Michael McGrath and Fire Chief Paul Stubbs tried to limit the effect of their cuts by analyzing call patterns. Stubbs also took into account the distance firefighters from other stations will need to travel to cover for unstaffed stations.
McGrath said his plan reduces the number of cars on the street each day by just 2 percent, from 181 to 177. He eliminated 23 positions from support units such as vice and traffic but said he spread the cuts across the department.
The chief said he removed police from two law-enforcement task forces but didn’t abandon any of the department’s partnerships. He reassigned one of two officers working with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and two of three participating in a task force focused on violent crime.
A federal grant helped pay 18 officers stationed in select Cleveland schools, primarily high schools, but the money ran out last month. McGrath said he will return officers to the schools in the fall if the city can find money during the summer.
The schools will still have protection. The district installed metal detectors in every school and beefed up its security force after an armed student wounded two classmates and two teachers and killed himself at SuccessTech Academy in 2007.
“Any reduction in this area can have an impact on our schools, but we will redeploy our team to create a safe learning environment in every building,” schools spokeswoman Roseann Canfora said in an email. “The district is also aware that CPD is looking for grant funding, and we support that effort.”
Though the latest police cuts may appear minimal, the erosion of the department continues, said Steve Loomis, president of the patrolmen’s union. The city argues that crime is waning, but Loomis said the job of a Cleveland police officer is more dangerous than ever. He said nine officers have been shot at since January.
“There’s not enough people on the road to be safe in what we do,” Loomis said. “This is not Shangri-La out there. Things are getting worse, not better.”
Loomis said the city can bolster patrols by disbanding the community-service unit and reassigning its 100-plus officers. The unit deals with nuisance complaints such as loud music, curfew violations and trespassers in vacant buildings.
Flask said police respond far more often to minor matters than they do violent crimes. He said the community-service unit handles “important, neighborhood, quality-of-life issues.”
Source:Cleveland.com
Police nab Conn. shoplifter wanted in large scale theft www.privateofficer.com
FARMINGTON, Conn.May 22 2011 — Police made an arrest in connection with thefts at Nordstrom at the West Farms Mall in Farmington.
Police said Keshawn Anthony Roberts, 23, was arrested without incident by Hartford police on Thursday, and was then handed over to the Farmington Police Department.
Farmington, along with other police departments, had several warrants issued for Roberts.
Hartford and Farmington police had been searching for Roberts after he was identified through surveillance footage allegedly stealing several thousand dollars worth of designer handbags at Nordstrom.
Police said they investigated several leads after pictures of the theft were broadcast on local television and on social media websites.
Police said Roberts and an unidentified accomplice were seen stealing $9,000 worth of handbags and clothing during three thefts between July 2010 and May 2011.
Police said Roberts has an extensive criminal history and is well known by Farmington and West Hartford police.
Source:WFSB
UPS store owner arrested for theft of gift cards www.privateofficer.com
Atlanta GA May 22 2011 The owner of a UPS store stole gift cards that were supposed to be mailed to tornado-ravaged victims in Alabama, and he then spent the money at a Target store, according to police.
Edward Michael Copenhaven, the owner of a UPS outlet in Johns Creek, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of felony theft, the Alpharetta Police Department said Friday. Also arrested and charged with felony theft was his employee, Margaret Kate Carlisle.
The Target gift cards were destined for storm victims in Tuscaloosa. A customer brought the donated cards to Copenhaven’s UPS store at 3000 Old Alabama Road and was told they’d be boxed and mailed. Weeks later, when the customer learned from her relatives that the cards had not arrived, she went to the Target in Roswell where they’d been purchased and was told the cards had been used at an Alpharetta Target.
That’s when the Alpharetta police began their investigation. Police determined that over 50 gift cards, valued in excess of several thousand dollars, were stolen.
Authorities have been warning about scams that take advantage of goodwill and confusion in the aftermath of disasters, such as the spring tornadoes that devastated the Southeastern states.
Scores of fraud incidents have been reported to federal authorities in Alabama where authorities established a special hotline to deal with tips about it, according to The Birmingham News.
The FBI has been warning about a telephone scam seeking personal information.
People in east Tennessee have told the FBI about one apparent scam: Automated calls from a foreign number asked them for personal information that supposedly was lost when a bank’s computer system was knocked out by the severe weather.
An automated female voice asked them to key in their account information to re-establish their account.
The FBI is urging anyone who gets an unsolicited call seeking personally identifiable information to report it to their local FBI office or to the agency’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at http://www.ic3.gov.
Source:AJC
Police capture man suspected of using a knife against a security www.privateofficer.com
Gaston NC May 22 2011 A man suspected of using a knife against a security officer in a Charleston, S.C., armed robbery was captured Friday at a Waffle House in Gastonia.
Interviews with family and friends of Lawrence Shrewsbury helped police and the U.S. Marshal Service locate the 34-year-old wanted man in Gastonia.
Police believe Shrewsbury may be a member of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang, according to media reports.
He faces charges of armed robbery, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and second-degree assault related to a May 11 incident at a Charleston, S.C., Home Depot store.
Shrewsbury went into the store with a knife and took two different tool kit combinations valued at $757 out of the business without paying. When a store loss prevention employee tried to stop him, Shrewsbury pulled the knife and swung it at the man several times to escape, according to a Charleston Police Department affidavit.
“The collective effort and rapid response by all law enforcement in this case should be applauded. Mr. Shrewsbury understands that there are consequences to every poor choice. Thanks to the law enforcement in this case, he will be held accountable for those choices,” said Kelvin Washington, U.S. Marshal for South Carolina.
Shrewsbury remains in Gaston County Jail without bond awaiting extradition to South Carolina.
Source:Gaston Gazette
Couple sues Texas resort over false arrest www.privateofficer.com
The lawsuit, filed May 13 in federal court, states authorities took Aldous and his wife Meghann into custody on May 20, 2009, after employees of Galveston’s San Luis Hotel found a pill bottle and cocaine in a room the newlyweds booked for their wedding celebration.
Aldous claims he is innocent and that the drugs belonged to a hotel employee who must have come into contact with Aldous’ DNA and then handled the drugs with his bare hands.
“There was at no time any probable cause to arrest and prosecute Michael (Aldous) for any crime and he was innocent of the crime(s) alleged,” the lawsuit states.
Aldous alleges the San Luis head of security conspired with resort staff and other law enforcement officials to falsely charge him with a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The 26-page complaint lists more than 12 defendants.
According to the suit, Aldous and his bride secured a room on the hotel’s 10th floor on May 14, 2009. They hosted a dinner party for family and friends in the room that evening and checked out the following morning.
The suit states that a hotel employee was cleaning the room and discovered a 1-inch square baggie, picked up the object without gloves and placed it on the TV table. The baggie eventually passed hands from hotel security to the Galveston police, the suit states.
The Aldouses were arrested, but allege the investigators practiced measures and techniques aimed at bolstering the false idea that the cocaine was theirs.
Police did not even talk to the plaintiff, his spouse or the guests, according to the suit.
The original petition shows the complainant, a graduate of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law and a former candidate for Santa Fe City Council, took a polygraph examination and three drug tests. The suit states the tests determined that the cocaine in question was not his.
A grand jury found no probable cause to arrest Meghann Aldous.
Aldous claims he spent approximately $50,000 fighting the charges for which he was acquitted on May 10. He claims the entire ordeal inflicted “great” mental anguish upon him.
Consequently, he seeks exemplary damages, attorney’s fees and a jury trial.
Attorneys Randall L. Kallinen and David W. Hodges of Houston are representing Aldous.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt is presiding over the case.
Case No. 3:11-cv-00228
Hattiesburg teacher arrested sexual battery www.privateofficer.com
School district spokesman Jas N Smith said Leo Pollard, 27, was suspended from his job the day before his arrest.
“We got some allegations, and our school resource officers investigated it, and we took it to the district attorney’s office,” Smith said.
Smith said the allegations came about and the investigation began about a week prior to Pollard’s arrest.
He said he did not know what accusations the allegations centered around or if the allegations involved any students. But he said the investigation began into an “ethics code violation.”
Source:hattiesburgamerican.com
CO. security officer shoots woman who tried running him down www.privateofficer.com
Jefferson County CO May 22 2011
At 11:30 p.m., a security guard was patrolling the parking lot of the Bear Valley Club Apartments at 3643 S. Sheridan Blvd., according to a news release from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
The guard spotted a woman later identified as Amber Rose Angers, 30, standing near a small black car with the passenger door open. Cameron Mitchell Lundstrom, 42, was sitting in the driver’s seat of the car.
The security guard parked his car, blocking the black car in its parking spot.
The two gave the security guard their names, Angers got back into the car while the security guard returned to his car and waited for clearance.
Then Lundstrom put the black car into reverse and rammed the security guard’s car, then pulled forward, attempting to get out of the parking spot.
The security guard stepped out of his car and Lundstrom put the car in reverse and started backing toward him.
In an attempt to stop the car, the security guard shot at it, hitting Angers, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Then Lundstrom put the car into drive and tried to pull forward out of the parking spot. Instead, the car hit a tree.
The security guard took the two into custody. Further investigation revealed that the car had been reported stolen, with stolen license plates.
Angers was taken to the hospital with a non-life-threatening injury. She will be arrested after her release and booked into the Jefferson County Jail under suspicion of attempted second-degree murder and aggravated motor vehicle theft.
Lundstrom is being held on suspicion of criminal attempted second-degree murder, aggravated motor vehicle theft and felony criminal mischief.
Lundstrom is being held without bail and will appear in court on Monday at 10 a.m.
Source:Denver Post
Nightclub security shoots man who threw beer bottle www.privateofficer.com
TAMPA Fla May 22 2011
A security guard at a Drew Park strip club shot a customer after a confrontation early Saturday, police said.
The patron, whose name was not released, was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital. His injuries were not considered life-threatening.
The security guard’s name was not released.
Police said the patron was leaving Flash Dancers, 4202 W. Cayuga St., about 3 a.m. when he threw a beer bottle at the guard but missed. The guard then shot the patron twice.
The investigation continues.
Source:TBO
Columbia teacher arrested in student sex incident www.privateofficer.com
A middle school teacher has been arrested by Columbia police for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a student.
Kedrick Lavon Lusk was charged with committing a lewd act on a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, said Brick Lewis, a police department spokesman. The alleged victim was a 12-year-old female student, he said. The investigation into their relationship is ongoing, Lewis said.
Richland School District 1 spokeswoman Karen York said Lusk is a teacher at W.G. Sanders Middle School. She said he is still employed with the district but is not at work.
Clinton SC teacher arrested for sexual abuse of student www.privateofficer.com
Clinton SC May 22 2011 A Clinton High School teacher was arrested today after allegations that he had a sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old female student.
Walter Louis Gary Jr., 32, of 601 South Marion Street, Joanna, South Carolina is charged with Sexual Battery of a Student.
According to a SLED arrest warrant, Gary who is a career specialist at Clinton High School allegedly had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student from October 2010 to February 2011.
Gary turned himself in to law enforcement officers Friday afternoon at the Clinton Department of Public Safety.
SLED is investigating the allegations against Gary at the request of the Clinton Department of Public Safety.
Assistant Superintendent for Laurens School District 56, Dr. David Pitts, would only say that Gary is on administrative leave and refused to comment any further, referring all other inquiries to Clinton Public Safety.
In a prepared statement, Pitts said on Friday, “Laurens 56 is very appreciative of the strong working relationship it has with City of Clinton Department of Public Safety and for their swift response whenever concerns about students are brought to their attention.”
RI substitute teacher under arrest for child enticement www.privateofficer.com
Burrillville RI May 22 2011 Police announced Friday morning that they had arrested 23-year-old Justin Menoche on child enticement and child pornography charges.
Menoche was a substitute math and science teacher who taught full-time in Coventry and part time in Burrillville. Police say that after the arrest, detectives executed a search warrant of Menoche’s 1871 Victory Highway residence at 5:40 a.m. Friday after receiving a complaint from the parents of a female Burrillville student who had thought she was chatting on Facebook with a 16-year-old boy by the name of Jay Mosebey. After meeting in person, the girl realized he was not a boy and alerted her parents.
Child pornography was found on his personal computer that was seized along with a cell phone and an external hard drive.
Although officials say there was no sexual contact, however police have charged Menoche with enticement of children, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and child pornography.
Menoche entered no plea in an arraignment before Judge Elaine Bucci in District Court, Providence, and was released on $20,000 personal recognizance. He has since been dropped from both school district’s teacher lists.
Burrillville Police ask that anyone who has had contact with Menoche or information about the case to contact detectives at 401-568-6255.
Frederick County deputy sheriff indicted for sex abuse of minor www.privateofficer.com
At the time of his arrest, Deputy Sam A. Bowman was assigned to the high school as its school resource officer.
Initially facing charges of sex abuse of a minor and a fourth-degree sex offense, the indictment returned Friday adds two more counts of fourth-degree sex offense for acts alleged to have occurred with the ninth-grade student between March 9 and March 15, Smith said.
Richard Bricken, Bowman’s defense attorney, could not be reached for comment Friday.
As is customary in criminal cases involving members of local law enforcement, Smith called in a special prosecutor from an outside county to handle the case against Bowman, 46, of New Market.
Donna S. Fenton, deputy chief of the family violence division of the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, presented the case Friday to the grand jury, Smith said.
The indictment eliminates the need for a preliminary hearing that had been set for June 1 in District Court. The case has been forwarded to Frederick County Circuit Court. No trial date has been set.
In charging documents, an investigator wrote that Bowman had frequent contact with the girl at school and he drove her home three times.
He had sexual contact with the teen in his police patrol car and in her residence, according to the documents.
Released from the Frederick County Adult Detention Center after posting $75,000 bail, Bowman was suspended without pay as a result of his arrest, authorities said.
He joined the sheriff’s office in August 2010 after retiring with the rank of corporal from the Frederick Police Department.
During questioning about his relationship with the girl, Bowman denied any sexual contact, documents state. He told investigators he had gone into the girl’s bedroom because he suspected she was inhaling paint fumes and wanted to check the room for evidence.
Source:WTOP
Mall security officer slashed by shoplifter www.privateofficer.com
CORPUS CHRISTI TX May 22 2011- Things got out of hand at Sunrise mall Saturday evening, when police say a shoplifter turned violent after being confronted by security guards.
Mall officials say the woman was spotted trying to steal some items from one of the stores inside, but she didn’t get far before security guards tracked her down and tried to stop her.
Though it seemed she wasn’t giving up her stolen goods without a fight. During the short struggle officers say the woman pulled out a knife or box cutter and slashed one of the guards in the hand.
They managed to subdue her and keep her in the security office until police arrived.
The guard is okay, but did sustain a cut on his hand.
The woman was arrested and charged with aggravated robbery.
Fleeing shoplifter leads police on dangerous chase www.privateofficer.com
Before this traffic stop, police say Thompson tried to steal a computer from a Wal-Mart and punched a security guard in the face.
http://www.wkrg.com/news/video_external/amazing-car-chase-video/1207065/
WKRG.com News
Thompson was still looking for a fight when he got pulled over. He started throwing punches at the officer – who then tased him.But that didn’t stop Thompson.
High on crack cocaine, he pulled out the prongs and kept fighting — eventually stealing the officer’s car. That’s when things really got interesting. Thompson hit the gas and never looked back.
He zipped in and out of traffic – at times driving down the double yellow line in the middle of the road – toppings speeds well over 100 miles per hour. Cars on both sides, headed in opposite directions, just inches away.
The cocaine fueled chase ended when a landscaping truck made a left turn as Thompson tried to pass it. Thompson never saw it coming. Thompson refused to give up. he kicked out the window of the wrecked patrol car, but was arrested before he could run away.
Thompson got out of prison two weeks before this chase. He served time for assaulting a police officer.
Source:WKRG5
