Possible body of missing Indianapolis woman found in creek www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Indianapolis IN July 5 2011 Metro police are investigating the discovery of a woman’s body in a creek on the northeast side of the city Sunday night.

The location, Fall Creek, is about 65 miles north of Bloomington, Ind., where missing Indiana University student Lauren Spierer was last seen on June 3.

Witnesses saw the body floating in the water amid some debris just before 7 p.m., according to local reports.

Police say they cannot provide even a basic description of the body, which was badly decomposed.

A body has been pulled from Fall Creek. It is undetermined yet if it is the body of missing college student, Lauren Spierer.

“We’re not able to determine any type of identity, not even a race at this point, because the body is so decomposed,” Kendale Adams, Indianapolis police public information officer, told ABC News affiliate WRTV. “Once we find out who she is, then we can backtrack and try to determine the events that led to her demise.”

Bloomington police are in contact with the homicide detectives investigating the case, according to a spokeswoman, and the Marion County Coroner’s Office will conduct an autopsy Tuesday morning.

Spierer disappeared a month ago after a night out with friends at Kilroy’s Sports Bar in Bloomington. No arrests have been made in the case, but DNA samples have been gathered from several people thought to have been among the last to see her.

At a July 1 press conference, Spierer’s parents urged their daughter’s friends to share information that could help in the search for the missing 20-year-old.

“I want to say to the person who has Lauren or has harmed Lauren: Shame on you! In relationship to that, the person who knows this person who’s not coming forward with the information, I beg you to come forward,” Charlene Spierer said.

Source:ABC NEWS

Mentally challeged Publix employee attacked-beaten at store www.privateofficer.com

 

 

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. July 5 2011– After a mentally challenged Publix employee was severely beaten Friday after allegedly making a comment to a customer about his Georgia Bulldog T-shirt, police arrested two brothers on charges of aggravated battery and resisting arrest.

According to the police report, James Wall, 26, was bringing a shopping cart from the parking lot on Duval Station Road back to the store about 5 p.m. when he exchanged words with Ryan Keys, 27, and Cade Keys, 23. Witness told officers Ryan Keys punch Wall in the face from three to eight times.

Police said Wall was missing several teeth and bleeding from the mouth. Wall, the son of a Jacksonville Airport Authority police officer, was taken to a hospital. Channel 4 was told the victim has the mental capacity of a 12-year-old.

Police said the manager of the Publix provided a video of the brothers inside the Publix and a description and license plate number of the suspects’ vehicle, which they located at their home on Milton Drive. According to the arrest report, Ryan Keys refused officers’ commands to lie on the ground. When he was pushed to the grown, he refused to put his hands behind his back and had to be forcefully restrained, according to the report.

Cade Keys voluntarily came out of the house, but refused commands to put down a telephone and cigarette and also resisted arrest, offices wrote in the report.

The report quotes Cade Keys as saying the victim said “something smart ass, but I couldn’t tell you what it was,” and antagonized his brother, Ryan. When told the victim was mentally disabled and asked if the comment justified a beating, he told officers that, “If we’d known that, no.”

The officers also noted Ryan Keys appeared to be heavily intoxicated.

The report said that Ryan Keys told officers he thought Wall had an attitude and was going to charge his brother because “you know, he had that look.” When asked how he felt threatened by the victim, he told the officers, “I will always hit first,” according to the report.

According to officers, Ryan Keys said “I hit him once hard enough he fell into the carts.”

Wall’s father told Channel 4 that he picked up two of his son’s teeth from the parking lot and they have an appointment with an oral surgeon Tuesday.

Source:news4jax

Father dumps 4yr old son on highway like trash www.privateofficer.com

 

SWEETWATER, Texas July 5 2011– A father abandoned his 4-year-old son along a West Texas highway, and the injured boy spent several hours alone in the dark before a passing motorist picked him up, police said.

Carlos Rico, 22, stopped his car along a cactus-lined stretch of Interstate 20 near Sweetwater at about 3 a.m. Tuesday and “threw the boy out of the car like a bag of garbage,” Sweetwater police Chief Jim Kelley told the Abilene Reporter-News on Tuesday.

The boy was picked up about three hours later by the local high school basketball coach and taken to a hospital, where doctors removed at least 500 cactus spines from the child’s body, Kelley said. The boy was in the state’s custody on Wednesday.

“I’ve seen a lot of bad things. This is absolutely a first. I’ve never seen a 4-year-old angel left on the side of the road for dead. He’s such a sweet little boy,” he said.

Rico was driving from Lubbock to Saginaw when he abandoned his son, and he was taken into custody Tuesday by police in the Fort Worth suburb, Saginaw police spokesman Damon Ing told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Rico’s cousin called police when Rico showed up to see him without his son, and investigators determined that Rico was the father of the boy found near Sweetwater, he said.

Rico told Saginaw investigators that God told him to choke the boy and expel him from the car, Kelley said. There was bruising on Angel’s throat, he said.

Ing said Rico had been charged with child endangerment and did not have a lawyer representing him. His bond was set at $50,000.

Al Hunt, the motorist who found the boy, said he initially thought he was looking at a guardrail post until it moved.

“It took me seconds to realize, ‘it’s a little kid there,’” the 54-year-old coach said.

He said he pulled over and, not seeing a vehicle the child might have been in, ran across the road and scooped the boy into his arms. He said the boy’s lips were cracked as if he were dehydrated, and that the only response the boy gave to his questions was when he held up four fingers when Hunt asked his age.

“He didn’t say a word to me. He didn’t say a word to anybody. He never said a word,” Hunt said.

Kelley said Rico would be brought to Sweetwater, about 225 miles west of Dallas, where he could face additional charges, including attempted murder or attempted capital murder, which could apply because the boy is younger than 6, he said.

Angel’s stepmother in Lubbock came to Sweetwater to be with him. The whereabouts of the boy’s biological mother were not immediately known, and it was unclear if she is involved in his life.

Marleigh Meisner, a spokeswoman for Child Protective Services, told The Associated Press that there is no history of abuse involving the boy’s family. She said a custody hearing is set for July 7.

source:www.azcentral.com

Police aware of child abuse by priest two years earlier www.privateofficer.com

 

Scottsdale AZ July 5 2011 Police were aware of an abuse allegation against a Catholic priest two years before the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix was told about the accusation.

Scottsdale police spokesman David Pubins said a family member notified police that the alleged victim, David M. Pain Jr., may have been sexually abused while a member of St. Maria Goretti Church, where the Rev. Jack Spaulding was pastor, in 1985 or so.

Police did not pursue an investigation because Pain, by then an adult, would not cooperate despite numerous police efforts to contact him. As a result, authorities are not pursuing a criminal case against Spaulding.

Pubins said the diocese never officially notified police that they had deemed the allegation credible.

Church officials suspended Spaulding from his duties as pastor of St. Timothy parish in Mesa last week.

The alleged victim, Pain Jr., was shot to death in June 2010 by his father, David M. Pain Sr. The victim was 38 years old. Prosecutors did not charge the elder Pain in the death, which was ruled self-defense.

Pubins said a family member notified police about the possible abuse in 2008, two years before the son’s death.

According to the diocese, the allegation was made to them in an August 2010 letter from David M. Pain Sr., two months after the son was killed.

Pain Jr. led a troubled life, afflicted by drug abuse and numerous scrapes with police, Spaulding’s attorneys say. He was imprisoned in Arizona from 1990 to 1996, after a conviction for armed robbery and burglary. The obituary for Pain Jr. says, “David tried very hard to battle his drug addiction and unfortunately didn’t succeed.”

Spaulding’s civil lawyer, Don Wilkinson, said the elder Pain apparently blames Spaulding for his son’s troubles. He added that his research indicated the younger Pain was in trouble even before Spaulding arrived at St. Maria Goretti in 1983. Wilkinson provided no details.

Pain Sr. could not be reached for comment. The son’s history with drugs and his prison record are typical indicators of abuse, said clergy abuse expert Patrick Wall. Wall, a former priest who works for a lawyer who has represented victims in California, said most abuse victims exhibit psychological issues that often show up in abuse of drugs or alcohol, and they often end up in prison. “They turn to some kind of chemical to dull the pain,” Wall said.

The priest’s canon lawyer, the Rev. Michael Sullivan, said the diocese may have violated the bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People by taking so long with the investigation, which took 10 months. Wall agreed, noting an investigation of a charge’s credibility usually is completed within days.

Through its spokesman, Rob DeFrancesco, the diocese contended it followed the charter thoroughly. It took so long to determine credibility, he said, because the case was complex.

Diocese efforts included notifying the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office after the diocese concluded the allegation was credible. Jerry Cobb, spokesman for the office, said the office received the notification but would not pursue the matter because it leaves investigations to police.

DeFrancesco said several factors played into the length of the investigation.

After the diocese determined that the time frame was generally correct, it hired an investigator, a former FBI agent. According to DeFrancesco, the unidentified investigator interviewed 14 people, some of them difficult to locate. He contacted Scottsdale police, who told him detectives previously had been notified of the accusation and were unable to conduct an investigation. He also contacted San Diego police because the alleged abuse might have taken place during a California trip, but they also declined to investigate.

DeFrancesco said Spaulding was notified after the diocese’s investigator “put together a reasonably reliable timeline and a reasonably reliable understanding of the underlying facts.”

That took six months, and Spaulding was given an opportunity to rebut the allegation.

Ten months after receiving the allegation, the nine-member Diocesan Review Board, which advises the bishop in abuse issues, determined unanimously that the allegation was credible.

The diocese said the allegation involved incidents that may have taken place more than 25 years ago, or around 1985.

Wilkinson said the diocese has not been forthcoming with complete information about the accusation or the investigation.

The alleged victim’s death may have complicated matters.

Wilkinson said a diocese official told him it was the first time an accusation had come in from a relative on behalf of a dead victim. “They don’t know how Rome handles a situation like this,” Wilkinson said.

Wilkinson said the diocese investigation “did not go as deep as it should have.” The elder Pain changed his story to comply with the diocese’s timeline, Wilkinson said, adding the diocese will not provide him or his legal team with any documents or testimony related to the case.

Spaulding’s canon lawyer, Sullivan, said, “There was not enough information to be convincing to me that anything took place.”

Sullivan, who would defend Spaulding in a Vatican investigation, said he has not been notified that the information has been sent to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which handles abuse matters.

Spaulding, 67, would not speak to the media, his attorneys said.

Spaulding is well-known in the diocese after serving as priest at four different churches, his outreach to disabled Catholics, and his belief that he could channel teachings from Jesus and Mary.

Source:www.azcentral.com

11 Year old Indiana boy charged with murder www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Martinsville, IN July 5 2011
Andrew Frye was shot in the head with a .22-caliber gun at his home on Thursday afternoon, according to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department.

Andrew’s 11-year-old brother was the only other person at home at the time of the shooting. He called 911 afterward at about 6:15 pm, the police said.

The boy will be charged as a juvenile with murder and criminal recklessness, Morgan County Prosecutor Steve Sonnega announced on Friday.

“The court heard a probable cause hearing, at which time the court found probable cause and authorized detention of the 11-year-old,” Sonnega told ABC affiliate WRTV in Indianapolis.

Sonnega declined to release many details of the incident, citing strict privacy rules in juvenile court.

“There are a lot of unanswered questions. The detectives worked all last night … and they will continue to work all weekend,” Sonnega said.

Initial reports from the sheriff’s office indicated that the boy’s shooting was an accident, but Sonnega hinted differently.

Andrew Frye was shot in the head with a .22-caliber gun at his home on Thursday afternoon, according to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department.”There are cases where what you first believe to be true isn’t necessarily where the evidence takes you,” Sonnega told WRTV.

“There’s a lot of things we need to find out. We’ve got to err on the side of safety, and we have to act appropriately,” he said.

“Murder can be knowingly or intentionally. There is a slight difference. Knowingly means when you engage in conduct you know there is a high probability of the outcome,” Sonnega told the Indianapolis Star.

When police officers arrived at the home, they found the 6-year-old boy on a bed in a bedroom with a gunshot wound in his head. The boy was taken to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, and he died there less than two hours later, police told the Indianapolis Star.

The two boys were cared for by their mother and her boyfriend, who arrived at the hospital before the boy died, police said.

Prosecutors and police are investigating possible neglect charges against the adults, said Sonnega, according to the Indy Star.

“Obviously this is a very tragic time for them. We’ll address that issue down the road,” said Sonnega.

Friends and family attended a prayer vigil on Friday night.

“[Andrew] was a good kid,” neighbor Jessica Purgason told the Star. “He was quiet. He just wanted to play. That’s all he was about.”

“[Andrew's] full of life and smart and funny,” Karri Vandagrifft, Frye’s aunt, said in an interview with the Star. “We’re going to miss him.”

Source:wkbw

Teens do $100,000 damage to Washington school www.privateofficer.com

 

SNOHOMISH, Wash July 5 2011– Police have taken two teens into custody for allegedly vandalizing Snohomish High School.

Just after 4:00 a.m. Monday morning, police took a 17-year-old boy from Lynnwood and a 16-year-old girl from Snohomish into custody as they were trying to leave the building.

Officers later found several classrooms had been ransacked, windows broken and nearly 50 computers damaged.

They also found many of the school’s trophies destroyed.

So far there is no exact damage estimate from the Snohomish Police Department, but officers say damage could be upwards of $100,000.

Source:king5.com

Lauren Giddings-missing-presumed dead www.privateofficer.com

 

 

MACON, Ga.July 5 2011 — Lauren Giddings, a 2006 graduate of Agnes Scott College, is presumed dead after Macon police discovered the body of a woman beside her apartment building last week.

Police said they’ll have to wait for DNA testing by the FBI to confirm the body’s identity, but they believe it is Giddings.

As late as Sunday, investigators were back searching for more clues inside her apartment, which sits right across from Mercer University, where Giddings graduated from Law School in May.

She disappeared on Saturday, June 25.

Five days later, police discovered the woman’s body.

One of Giddings’ neighbors, Stephen McDaniel, has since been charged with two counts of burglary.

McDaniel admits he went into Giddings’ apartment with some friends the night before the body was found to do his own detective work.

“There was no sign of a struggle, no sign anyone had broken in, nothing,” McDaniel told WMAZ-TV. “She was gone, but all her stuff was there. Her ID and wallet were there, but she was just gone.”

Police Chief Mike Burns would not comment on reports that the body was dismembered.

The president of Agnes Scott College, Elizabeth Kiss, sent an e-mail to parents over the weekend:

“The Agnes Scott community is deeply saddened by the recent news surrounding the disappearance and reported possible death of Lauren Giddings, class of 2006. Lauren had just completed her law degree at Mercer University and was preparing for her bar exam when she disappeared from her apartment in Macon, Georgia. A political science major, varsity softball player, aspiring lawyer, and good and devoted friend, Lauren had a bright future ahead of her.”

Mercer President William D. Underwood issued the following statement on Friday:

“Today the Mercer University community joins the family and friends of Lauren Giddings in our support of the determined efforts of law enforcement authorities to investigate the disappearance and apparent death of Lauren, a recent graduate of our law school. I ask that Mercerians everywhere keep Lauren’s family and friends in their thoughts and prayers during this very difficult period in their lives.”

Law School Dean Gary Simson released this statement:

“Words cannot adequately express the grief and sorrow that the law school community feels in these tragic circumstances. Lauren graduated from the law school this past May after three years in which she distinguished herself in and out of the classroom.
Among the student organizations in which she played a vital role were the Federalist Society, where she served as president, and the Association of Women Law Students.
She came to Mercer after graduating from Agnes Scott College, where she was the epitome of the student-athlete, excelling in both regards.
She demonstrated outstanding character and great promise, and our hearts go out to her family in Laurel, Md., and to her many friends there and elsewhere.”

Source:11Alive.com

Virginia Beach police investigate 5 people shot www.privateofficer.com

 

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.July 5 2011 — Virginia Beach police are investigating the shootings of five people that happened early Monday morning.
Spokesman Jimmy Barnes says an officer on patrol about 3:30 a.m. Monday heard gunshots and found a vehicle in which one person had been shot in the back and another was shot in the hand. They were transported to a local hospital.

Barnes said in a news release that three other people suffering gunshot wounds arrived at other nearby hospitals during the same time period. Barnes says the victims — three male and two female — deny being involved in the earlier parking lot shooting and aren’t cooperating with police. Officers recovered numerous shell casings from the lot.
None of the injuries is life-threatening.

Security officers deploy Taser to stop stabbing suspect www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Watsonville CA July 5 2011 A security guard at Jalisco’s Restaurant used a Taser to subdue a suspect in a stabbing early Monday.

Juan Carlos Medina-Reyes, 21, was arrested for allegedly stabbing two Watsonville men outside the Main Street restaurant about 1:20 a.m., according to a police report.

Security guards told police the three men had been involved in a fight outside the restaurant, according to the report. One of the guards witnessed the stabbing and shot Medina-Reyes with a Taser as he tried to flee.

Police said when they arrived they found a 31-year-old and a 27-year-old with stab wounds to their torsos on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. Medina-Reyes was across the street, handcuffed and detained by the two security guards.

The two victims were flown to a Santa Clara County trauma center. Medina-Reyes was taken to Watsonville Community Hospital with injuries to his elbow and shoulder. He was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

Police asked anyone with information about the incident to call investigations at 768-3350 or the crime tip line at 768-3544.

Source:Santa Cruz Sentinel