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Virginia Wal-Mart employee two others charged with prescription frauds www.privateofficer.com
Brittany Deel was arrested last week after Wal-Mart staff discovered she had given information to two friends that allowed them to pick up prescription for pain medication in another person’s name.
The two friends, Maurice Williams and Tiffany Plumb, were also arrested.
Deel has been charged with drug distribution and fraud.
Williams and Plumb are charged with drug possession and fraud.
Here is the full news release:
The Amherst County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the distribution of a controlled substance and prescription fraud by a Wal-Mart pharmacy cashier.
Wal-Mart Asset Protection staff notified the Sheriff’s Office of the fraud they detected on Tuesday June 21st. Based on a customer complaint they (Wal-Mart) received, they began to review security video footage and prescription drug logs. It was determined that on Sunday June 5th a pharmacy cashier, Brittany Michelle Deel provided information to two friends which allowed them to pick up a prescription in another person’s name later that evening. Obtained as a result of the transaction were ten Lortab 5/500 pills.
Arrested as a result of the investigation are Brittany Michelle Deel, a 20 year old female of Tammy Drive Madison Heights, Maurice Antwan Williams, a 29 year old male of Old Wright Shop Road Madison Heights and Tiffany Nicole Plumb, a 22 year old female of Vintage Road Madison Heights. Ms Deel is charged with Distribution of a Schedule III Drug and Obtaining Drugs by Fraud Mr. Williams and Ms Plumb are charged with Obtaining Drugs by Fraud, and Possession of a Schedule III Drug.
They are currently free on a secured bond pending a preliminary hearing in Amherst General District Court.
The background work and record examination completed by Wal-Mart Asset Protection staff was the key to clearing this case as fast as it was. Their work was crucial to the investigation.
Source:AP
Drew University taps police chief as new public safety director www.privateofficer.com
Madison NJ July 1 2011 Drew University has named Summit Police Chief Robert Lucid as its new head of security.
Lucid’s resignation from the Summit force is effective July 31.
Summit Mayor Jordan Glatt confirmed that Lucid, who has been chief of the Summit Police Department for eight years, has submitted his resignation and will move to the Madison college campus.
Drew officials did not immediately comment.
Lucid, a member of the Summit police force for 35 years, recently won Public Safety Official of the Year by the Gateway Regional Chamber of Commerce for his efforts to initiate shared services with other towns.
“He’s done a fabulous job,” Glatt said. “I’ve had a great working relationship with him. I wish he wasn’t leaving until I left but that’s the not how the world works. He’s going to be missed.”
Glatt said while the position of police chief is by mayoral appointment, he intends to consult the Safety Committee about the choice. He said it will likely be an internal candidate.
He also said this news re-opens the discussion about shared police services. However, as evidenced by the amount of time it has taken the Fire Department to study a merger with the Millburn Fire Department, it is not a process that can be done in 30 days.
“I think ultimately there will be shared police forces,” Glatt said. “(Summit’s) a prime candidate with some surrounding towns.”
Toledo police feuding over city hiring private security to guard city property www.privateofficer.com
TOLEDO, OH July 1 2011 – Thieves are targeting the city of Toledo, sneaking into the Water Distribution Building on Erie Street and making off with loads of valuable materials.
They’ve stolen so much, more than $5,000 in copper tubing on one occasion, that the department hired private security to keep watch.
Then the Toledo Police Patrolman’s Association caught wind.
It reminded the city about a 2005 agreement between the union and Toledo that requires the city to hire Toledo Police for any short-term security assignments at city buildings.
“They did the right thing and started putting our people in the position of providing security,” Dan Wagoner, TPAA President, said.
First two patrol officers were taken off the streets to stand watch at certain times. Now it’s down to one.
But on-duty officers have been keeping tabs on the building for weeks.
Wagoner says this has eliminated the cost of private security and says there have been enough officers available to do it.
“There’s been no documented cases where that officer would have been needed in another situation,” Wagoner said.
Deputy Police Chief Derick Diggs says the agreement is impacting the number of officers on the streets.
Councilman D. Michael Collins agrees and says this puts a strain on an already short-staffed police force.
“I don’t like that idea at all. I don’t think it’s the most effective use of manpower,” Collins said.
He says the city can’t afford to have police playing security guards. “It would be cheaper to have private security in this situation.”
A police report indicates the suspects in one incident are likely ex-employees and appeared to have a key.
Police say the thefts are still under investigation.
Source:WTOL
Vigo County jail officer arrested for trafficking contraband www.privateofficer.com
TERRE HAUTE IL July 1 2011 — A jail officer at the Vigo County Security Center has been arrested for official misconduct and trafficking with an inmate after police suspicioned he was allowing contraband to reach female inmates via the daily jail mail delivery.
Jeremy M. Davis, 35, was arrested Tuesday evening following an investigation that began June 21 when a Terre Haute Police detective received information that Davis was allegedly turning a blind eye to contraband.
“He kind of overlooked the contraband for the female block,” Sheriff Greg Ewing said of correctional officer Davis’ actions.
Davis, who is being housed in the Clay County jail because of his previous employment at the Vigo County jail, appeared Wednesday afternoon in Vigo Superior Court 6 for a hearing on class-D felony official misconduct, and on trafficking with an inmate, a class-A misdemeanor.
Senior Judge Dexter Bolin appointed public defender Michael Wright to represent Davis, who told the judge he has no funds to hire an attorney. Bolin also ordered Davis’ bail to be lowered from $25,000 cash only to $5,000 with 10 percent allowed after hearing that Davis had no prior criminal record.
Davis was hired as a jail officer in July 2008, and worked the 4 p.m. to midnight shift.
Ewing said Davis’ primary duty was to sort, open and inspect inmate mail coming into and going out of the county jail. However, police learned through an informant that Davis was “turning a blind eye” to contraband hidden behind postage stamps or inside envelopes.
Investigators also found that some women in the jail had items that could not be obtained through the jail’s commissary. Jail Commander John Moats said investigators found legal pads, a package of copy machine paper, and other items such as chewing tobacco that allegedly came to inmates through Davis.
Sheriff Ewing said one female inmate told investigators that Davis was allegedly “infatuated with her,” so she exchanged sexual favors for contraband. Davis also allegedly received handwritten personal notes from inmates, which is a violation of the department’s code of ethics.
Ewing said after police learned of the contraband allegations, detectives Jim Palmer, Steve Barnhart and Moats investigated. Davis was suspended on June 23. A warrant for Davis’ arrest was issued Tuesday, when he was terminated as a jail officer and arrested.
Ewing said he wants the public to know that jail staff is held accountable to the law.
“It wasn’t but just a few months ago that we had a similar situation, and I told the staff then that this won’t be tolerated,” Ewing said, referring to the April arrest of another former jail officer who was accused of trafficking with female inmates.
Bolin set Davis’ next court date for July 11.
Source:tribstar.com
Five arrested in armed mall shoplifting incident www.privateofficer.com
Toronto Canada July 1 2011
Five males have been charged after police seized a handgun following a shoplifting incident at a North York shopping centre.
Police allege security guards saw five males shoplifting in the Bay at Fairview Mall, in the Sheppard Avenue and Don Mills Road area, on Wednesday, June 29. The males fled in a car.
A security guard was allegedly struck by the fleeing vehicle.
Mall security flagged down police officers who were on patrol in the area.
The officers stopped and arrested the five males. Police allegedly seized a Ruger revolver, marijuana and stolen items.
Anthony Desmond Robinson, 19; Anthony McDonald, 18, and three young offenders face charges, including theft under 5,000, possessing property obtained by crime and unauthorized possession of a firearm.
Taste of Chicago security worker arrested for inappropriate picture of teen girl www.privateofficer.com
Edwin Bankhead was arrested by Chicago police after the teen’s family alerted authorities. Thursday night, the park district was looking into the backgrounds of its security staffers.
While police officers are assigned to the Taste of Chicago, the park district also uses a private contractor for security.
However, the hiring practices of that firm are in question following the arrest of one of its employees who was allegedly hired as support staff.
As a south suburban family prepared to leave the Taste of Chicago Wednesday, Lisa Fischer says she noticed a staffer paying a bit too much attention to her little sister.
“He came up very, very closely with his – it was a flip phone – and literally, he pointed it kind of up a little bit because he was down to get a good angle, and I heard it click,” said Fischer.
She says the man took an inappropriate photo of her 13-year-old sister Hanna’s backside in shorts.
“I heard the click too, and I kinda, like, looked at my sister, and I heard that she noticed it, and the next thing I knew, she got up and then was going to get the police,” said Hannah Fischer.
Police arrested Bankhead for public indecency for allegedly taking that photo, but once he was in custody, police say they found illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia, and a record.
According to the Department of Corrections website, Bankhead has served time for several theft convictions and drug possession. He was just released from prison four weeks ago.
“He was a convicted felon out on parole working for a security company,” said mother Carrie Fischer. “Does anyone see a problem with that? I do.”
The park district runs the Taste and employs nearly 5,000 people. The park district’s interim general superintendent, Michael Kelly, tells us Bankhead was a laborer for a private security firm, and that all employees with that firm should have had background checks.
“Up until now, this has been a very family-friendly event. We’ve had very low arrests at this, the police have done a wonderful job, and that fact that this happened – it’s troubling, and we’re not happy about it,” said Michael Kelly of the Chicago Park District.
“I know it’s not the company’s fault – him taking the picture of my daughter,” said Carrie Fischer. “I know it’s not the company’s fault that he had crack cocaine, but it is the company’s fault that he was a known felon on parole.”
As for young Hannah, this incident has made an impression.
“It just bothers me how the world is,” said Hannah Fischer. It just makes me sad.”
The park district says Bankhead worked for Security Management Group (SMG). ABC7 called SMG and went to its Chicago office, but no one has commented on this incident.
Bankhead was given a $40,000 bond in court Thursday morning. The Department of Corrections has been notified, as Bankhead could also face parole violations.
Source:WLS
Pike County Alabama teacher indicted on 14 sex charges www.privateofficer.com
PIKE COUNTY, AL July 1 2011 – A grand jury in Alabama was indicted a former Goshen High School science teacher and assistant football coach for inappropriate behavior with at least two of his students.
A press release stated that Nick Daniels was indicted on 14 separate counts including having intercourse with at least two students on school property and the solicitation and possession of obscene photos of children under the age of 17 on his cellphone.
The allegations were made by a former student of Daniels’ attending Crenshaw County schools as well as additional students from Goshen High. Daniels worked for the Crenshaw County School District from 2006-2009. After these allegations were made, Daniels remained on paid administrative leave until May 27, 2011 when his contract with the Pike County School District expired.
The Pike County Board of Education says at the time of his employment Daniel had been cleared all criminal background checks before he was hired
Another stow-a-way found on New York airplane www.privateofficer.com
away on a flight from New York to Los Angeles last Friday
cleared airport security screening, the Transportation Security
Administration confirmed on Thursday.
“Every passenger that passes through security checkpoints
is subject to many layers of security including thorough
physical screening at the checkpoint,” said TSA spokesperson
Greg Soule in a statement.
“TSA’s review of this matter indicates that the passenger
went through screening.”
Olajide Olewaseun Noibi was taken into custody in Los
Angeles after trying to board another flight with an
illegitimate boarding pass on Wednesday, authorities said.
An FBI spokeswoman in Los Angeles confirmed Noibi is a dual
citizen of the United States and Nigeria and that he was born
in the United States.
On Friday he had stowed away on a Virgin America flight
from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Los Angeles, according to an FBI affidavit.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer and an FBI
agent were present at Los Angeles International Airport when
Noibi attempted to board a Delta Airlines Flight to Atlanta on
Wednesday morning.
A Delta agent refused Noibi’s boarding pass multiple times,
saying the ticket was from the day prior, according to the
FBI.
Noibi allegedly told the FBI he did not pay for the Virgin
America flight from New York to Los Angeles, which he said he
took to recruit people for his software business.
The FBI had been notified on Saturday by a dispatcher from
Los Angeles Airports Police and the captain of the flight that
Noibi had boarded the Friday Virgin flight.
He was discovered mid-flight in a cabin seat after a flight
attendant was told by other passengers the seat was supposed to
be empty. FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller added that the
passengers initially complained about Noibi’s strong body
odor.
When Noibi was asked for his boarding pass, he produced a
pass and ticket for the day prior and not in his name. He was
also not on the flight manifest.
After initially hesitating, Noibi produced true
identification to the flight crew, the affidavit said.
Noibi was released on Saturday pending further
investigation after federal agents who interviewed him and
searched his baggage determined he was not a physical threat.
When the FBI questioned Noibi on Wednesday, they found over
10 boarding passes in his possession, none in his name, the
affidavit said.
The proper holder of the Virgin boarding pass told the FBI
he lost it from his back pocket on the subway to JFK and does
not know Noibi.
Noibi has been formally charged with being a stowaway.
Stowing away on a flight is a felony punishable by up to
five years in prison.
Noibi told the FBI he was able to go through screening with
the boarding pass, his University of Michigan identification
and a police report that his passport had been stolen.
Source:Reuters
UPMC Shadyside Hospital employee pleads guilty to identity thefts www.privateofficer.com
Pittsburgh PA July 1 2011 A former employee of UPMC Shadyside Hospital pleaded guilty today to taking the names, social security numbers and birth dates of 19 patients there.
Paul C. Pepala, 35, could face up to a year in prison for the misdemeanor crime.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory C. Melucci said that Mr. Pepala wrote down the patient information in February 2008, when he was a surgical instrument technician, and gave it to two other men. They then used it to file fake tax returns in the names of the patients, and get refund anticipation loans.
Some of the people in whose names the returns were filed eventually discovered it, and reported it to postal inspectors, the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Secret Service. The men who filed the returns are believed to have fled the country.
Mr. Pepala was promised $3,000 to $4,000 for the data, but wasn’t paid, said his defense attorney, Anthony Bittner. “He did not know that these numbers were going to be used for fraudulent tax returns,” Mr. Bittner said.
Nonetheless, his actions violated the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. He will be sentenced Oct. 20.
Source:www.post-gazette.com
Arizona karate teacher faces sex crime charges www.privateofficer.com
BUCKEYE, AZ July 1 2011 – Buckeye police have arrested a karate teacher for sex crimes.
Investigators said someone reported Casey Shook, 39, for child abuse earlier this month.
Officers said they gathered enough evidence to arrest Shook on charges of sexual conduct with a minor, kidnapping, assault, sexual abuse, voyeurism, indecent exposure and threatening and intimidating.
Buckeye police worked with Daytona Beach police.
Shook was apparently in Florida for job training when he was arrested.
He is now awaiting extradition to Arizona.
Buckeye police said Shook was a karate teacher in Buckeye. Officers are asking anyone with information regarding any further victims to call the Buckeye Police Department.
Two dead, 12 shot in chaotic scene at Broward County bar www.privateofficer.com
Miami Fla July 1 2011 Two people are dead, 12 are recovering from gunshot wounds and another two are recovering from glass injuries after two separate shootings early Thursday morning, one in Broward and the other in Palm Beach County.
The first call to police came at about 3:19 a.m. when Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies rushed to South Rock Lounge Bar and Grill, 3670 N. State Road 7, a Caribbean-American bar and grill in a Lauderdale Lakes strip mall, said Dani Moschella, spokeswoman for Broward Sheriff’s Office.
The shooting began when two men got in an altercation and one of them pulled a gun. Then, the bar’s security guard also drew his gun and told the man to put away his firearm. The gunman refused and both fired. A hail of bullets was unleashed that killed the original gunman as well as the man with whom he was arguing.
Another 10 people in the bar were wounded by gunshots. The security guard was not injured.
At about 9:45 a.m. Thursday, detectives removed a body in a black body bag from the scene of the shooting. A woman, believed to be a witness, was sobbing in the back seat of a green Chrysler sedan. Flyers promoting bars and nightclubs, a blood-soaked sock, a shoe and latex gloves remained scattered at the Lauderdale Lakes Shopping Center, where the bar is located.
Detectives, including six Crime Scene Unit investigators and a Mobile Crime Scene Laboratory bus, had cordoned off the area with yellow crime-scene tape, including about seven vehicles believed to belong to some of the victims and bar guests.
“Detectives have a lot of work to do to put the puzzle pieces together and find out what happened,” Moschella said.
Broward Sheriff’s Office Fire Rescue, Lauderdale Lakes Fire Rescue and Tamarac Fire Rescue all responded to the scene where they treated the wounded and took them to local hospitals. Four were taken to Florida Medical Center in Lauderdale Lakes, one woman was taken as a trauma alert to North Broward Medical Center and another person was taken to Plantation General Hospital.
Rescue crews took another five people to Broward General Medical Center, including the original gunman who later died in the hospital.
The second shooting happened at about 3:40 a.m. in a Riviera Beach adult entertainment club.
Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office detectives were summoned to Gold Fingers Gentlemen’s Club, 8340 Resource Drive, said Teri Barbera, spokeswoman for Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office.
What started as an altercation between two men ended with one man getting shot in the foot, another getting shot in his lower leg and two women getting injured by shattered glass.
Bullets were unleashed shortly after the argument when a car drove by the club, and someone inside the vehicle unloaded numerous shots at the crowd, Barbera said.
Rescue crews took all four victims to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach with non-life-threatening injuries.
Source:www.miamiherald.com
Long Island church treasurer charged with $600,000 theft from church www.privateofficer.com
Isaac Zucker, 47, who served as the treasurer of a local shul, apparently transferred the money from Congregation Aish Kodesh’s bank account into his personal accounts, according to police.
After members of Aish Kodesh discovered the misappropriation, they informed police.
Zucker is being charged with grand larceny in the second degree and is scheduled to be arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Wednesday.
Sugar Land shoplifter assaults Macy’s security agent www.privateofficer.com
Sugar Land TX July 1 2011 A 57-year-old woman was arrested in Sugar Land yesterday after shoplifting from a department store, fighting with loss prevention officers and lying to police about her identity.
Around 9 p.m. SLPD was dispatched to Macy’s, 16511 Southwest Freeway, for a theft. A loss prevention officer saw a woman leave the store without paying for merchandise. The woman fought with loss prevention officers while being detained.
Store merchandise and a tool used to remove magnetic sensors were recovered. The woman was arrested and charged with Robbery and Possession Manufacture or Distribution of Certain Instruments Used to Commit Retail Theft.
Police later learned that the woman provided false identification and had previously been arrested for thefts under different names.
Graciela Martinez Solis, 57, of Mission, was also charged with Failure to Identify.
Shoplifter attacks Texas State Trooper www.privateofficer.com
LUBBOCK, TX July 1 2011 – Lubbock Police are still looking for a man who attacked an off-duty DPS State Trooper Wednesday night at a grocery store.
DPS says Trooper Katrina Jones was off duty working security for the United Supermarket on 4ths and Slide. Around 10 p.m. Jones spotted a man trying to shoplift and confronted him as he walked out the store.
“When she confronted the Hispanic male at the door to take him back into the store to talk to him, he turned around with one of the items and struck her in the face,” said John Gonzales, Lubbock DPS public information officer.
Jones received cuts on her face when her glasses broke from the hit. The man then ran off and jumped the fence behind United.
Police, DPS and Sheriff deputies blocked off the area and set up a perimeter, but the suspect got away. The suspect in the attack is described as a Hispanic male in his 20′s. He was last seen wearing a black cap and shirt and red shorts.
If caught the man will face charges of shoplifting, assault on a public officer and evading arrest.
If you have any information on this incident, you are encouraged to call Crime Line at 741-1000.
Source:KCBD
Former Hartford school security officer charged with sexual assault www.privateofficer.com
The Hartford Courant reports that 42-year-old Hector Negron of Windsor was arrested on May 19 and charged with first-degree sexual assault in connection with an incident that occurred in April.
Hartford school officials say Negron, who was a security captain in the public school system, is no longer employed there.
Negron is due in Superior Court on July 19.
TN initiates the “BLUE ALERT” www.privateofficer.com
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will begin issuing a Blue Alert when they need the public’s help to find the violent criminal. The program is similar to the Amber Alert System that pushes out information asking the public to assist in finding a missing child in danger.
The Blue Alert will be handled by the TBI’s Criminal Intelligence Unit, which will be able to activate the alert on a website, send email to law enforcement and media, and display it on the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s interstate signs.
“It’s a system that we hope we never have to use but could prove vital to the safety of citizens,” said TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm. “Law enforcement takes it very seriously when one of their own is injured or killed in the line of duty and this is one more tool we have available to help to capture the individuals involved.”
If TBI receives a request from law enforcement, the following criteria have to be met to issue the alert:
A sworn law enforcement officer is killed or suffers life-threatening injuries, or the officer is missing in the line of duty under circumstances warranting concern.
The suspect or suspects pose an imminent threat to public safety and law enforcement.
A description of the suspect or vehicle is available for statewide broadcast to the public and law enforcement 911 centers.
Before the activation, however, if the suspect is identified the requesting agency has to place the name in the National Crime Information Center.
The head of the agency has to make the request to TBI to activate the system.
Tipsters calling law enforcement after an activated Blue Alert or Amber Alert, should call 1-800-TBI-FIND (1-800-824-3463) or email tipstotbi@tn.gov.
Source:Tennessean
NM mall security nabs men stealing catalytic converter from truck www.privateofficer.com
LAS CRUCES NM July 1 2011 - Las Cruces Police arrested two teenagers Wednesday evening after they were caught stealing the catalytic converter from a pickup parked at the Mesilla Valley Mall.
Jesus Salas, of 6515 Fox Rd., and Hector H. Carrate, of 1125 Poplar Ave., both 18, are charged with one count each of larceny over $500 and conspiracy to commit a larceny. Salas also had an outstanding warrant for his arrest.
At around 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 29, a Mesilla Valley Mall security guard was on routine patrol in the parking lot when he spotted Salas and Carrate at a 2000 Toyota Tundra. The pickup had its hood raised and the security guard witnessed Carrate pouring water over the engine. As the security guard approached the pickup he noticed Salas underneath the vehicle using a cutting tool to remove the catalytic converter.
Police were called, and Salas and Carrate were subsequently arrested.
Catalytic converters remove toxins from vehicle exhaust systems and contain precious metals, including platinum. Stolen catalytic converters are usually sold to scrap yards or recyclers.
Pickups and sports utility vehicles are targeted more often because their higher ground clearances make it easier for the perpetrator to crawl underneath and remove the converter from the vehicle.
Salas and Carrate were both transported to the Dona Ana County Detention Center. Salas, because he had an outstanding warrant, is being held without bond while Carrate is being held on a $5,000 bond.
Source:krwg
Armed Wal-Mart shoplifter struggles with police www.privateofficer.com
Gainesville Fla July 1 2011 Police said they started out chasing a suspected shoplifter Monday and wound up arresting the man for carrying a concealed handgun, too.
Loss prevention officers at the Walmart Supercenter off Waldo Road told the Gainesville Police Department that Anthony Quinn Richardson Jr., 23, of Jacksonville, stole a bicycle seat by putting it in his pants at around 5 p.m.
The loss prevention staff said they asked Richardson to come back into the store, but he pushed one of them and fled in a car. Employees were able to give police Richardson’s car’s tag number, and officers caught up with him in the 100 block of Northwest 16th Avenue.
Officer Bryan Field said Richardson refused to get out of his car, so he was removed by force, then had to be forced onto the ground to be handcuffed.
Inside the car, officers said they found more than $110 worth of bike parts, including the seat reported stolen from Walmart. They also found a loaded 9mm handgun in the pocket behind the passenger’s seat.
Following his arrest, police said Richardson denied having been at Walmart and claimed the gun was in the glove box, not the seat pocket.
Richardson was charged with robbery, shoplifting, carrying a concealed gun and resisting arrest.
Source:Gainesville Sun
