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Atlanta security guard kills woman, injures 2 others at midtown tower www.privateofficer.com
Nkosi Thandiwe, 22, is charged with one count of murder and two counts of aggravated assault, according to police spokesman Carlos Campos.
Campos said Thandiwe realized he had been identified by police, so he contacted an attorney and turned himself in.
The incident happened around noon on Friday.
“It was a pretty bold move for him to shoot so many people right in the middle of the day,” Major Keith Meadows said.The woman who was killed was shot at least once in the neck inside the parking deck, Meadows said. He said investigators think the shooter was waiting for her in the parking deck. Police have not released her name.
On Friday afternoon, Meadows indicated that the suspect might be “a disgruntled employee.”
The other two women were shot as the suspect fled the parking deck in a black Toyota Prius. Police said the car belonged to the victim and was recovered in southwest Atlanta.
“We believe that he fired several rounds from inside the car, striking at least two more victims,” Meadows said. “We believe that they might have been random victims.”
One woman was shot in the back, and the other in the ankle. They were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment and are in “satisfactory condition,” Meadows said.
MSLGroup, a communications firm which has an office in the Proscenium building, released a statement that identified the two wounded women as their employees — Lauren Garcia, a 23-year-old intern, and Tiffany Ferenczy, a 24-year-old assistant account executive.
Jennifer Horvath, who works in the Proscenium building, said she saw the two wounded victims.
“The woman who was shot in the ankle looked to be in her 20s or 30s with blond hair,” Horvath said. “She didn’t look to be in too much pain and was sitting up … I didn’t see any blood on the ground. There were about 100 people standing by, watching.”
Sean Holland, a manager at Opera Nightclub, said his staff of about 40 parks nightly at the garage. Despite the shooting, he said he feels security there has been good.
“It’s very well maintained, very well managed. We’ve never had a problem.”
Nearby resident Shelbi Saine said she heard the gunshots from her patio at the 1010 Midtown condos.
“This doesn’t happen in Midtown, especially at noon in the middle of the day,” Saine said. “Just crazy.”
Kidnapped victim jumps from car with toddler in Baltimore www.privateofficer.com
As the car rounded the outer loop of the Capital Beltway in Bethesda, police said, she clutched the toddler to her chest and dived out of the car.
“The front door opened, and she rolled out,” said Elena Russo, a Maryland State Police spokeswoman. “The second door hit her, and she continued to roll.”
The woman ended up in the third lane of the outer loop, just past the exit for Cabin John Parkway. The child, still in her arms, was unharmed, police said. The woman’s only physical injury was a gash on her head.
“I’m not a hero. I’m just a mom. That’s all,” the mother told WJLA-TV (Channel 7) outside her Baltimore home. The station identified her only as Elsya, 24.
Terron Alvin White, 22, of Baltimore was arrested soon after and charged with two counts of kidnapping, first- and second-degree assault, and vehicle theft, according to court documents.
The dramatic ending capped a wild, 45-minute ordeal that began at a Citgo station in Baltimore shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday, police said. White allegedly forced his way into the four-door Lexus GS 300 and drove off with the woman and child inside. On his way out of the filling station on Edmonson Avenue, White allegedly hit another car, police said.
About 10:30 p.m., the Lexus sideswiped a state police cruiser that was parked on the shoulder of southbound Interstate 95 near the Riggs Road exit in Prince George’s County, police said. The cruiser was in a construction zone and had its emergency lights on.
The trooper flipped on his siren and immediately began chasing the car, according to police. The Lexus, headlights off, raced down I-95 at more than 100 mph and merged onto the Beltway headed toward Rockville, police said. The trooper radioed a description of the car to the Rockville barracks but lost track of the vehicle.
Another trooper spotted it at about 10:45 p.m. near the Connecticut Avenue exit and tried to pull it over, police said. White was driving about 45 mph at the time, according to police, and the passenger door of the Lexus appeared to be hanging open after the earlier crash with the police cruiser. The rear passenger door was also damaged.
White continued to drive erratically, changing lanes and speeding up to 60 mph and then slowing to 10 mph, police said. Russo said there might have been a physical struggle going on inside the car.
Eventually, four cruisers caught up with the Lexus and began trailing it, Russo said. A video camera mounted on the dashboard of one of the police vehicles captured a portion of the chase. Police declined to release the footage.
“The car was weaving in and out of traffic,” said Russo, who watched the video. “If you didn’t know better, you might think the driver was drunk. The victim’s hands were flailing outside the passenger-side window.”
As the vehicle slowed to 10 or 20 mph near the Cabin John Parkway exit, the woman jumped from the front passenger seat while holding the child, Russo said. She rolled about 10 feet.
The woman told Channel 7 that her biggest fear was dropping her son as she jumped. She said she held the boy tight against her chest.
Russo said the police cruisers were close enough to the Lexus to prevent any oncoming traffic from hitting the woman.
White then pulled over and was arrested, police said. The victims were taken to a hospital, where they were treated and released.
White passed a field sobriety test, and it did not appear that he knew the woman, who was not fully identified, Russo said.
White was scheduled to have an initial hearing in Montgomery County District Court on Thursday afternoon, Russo said. A bond hearing was tentatively scheduled for Friday. A Baltimore police spokesman said White will face charges there as well.
Russo said the woman was “very lucky” that she escaped more serious injury.
Source:Washington Post
Stamford teacher charged in shoplifting incident www.privateofficer.com
STAMFORD CT July 16 2011 — A city elementary school teacher was arrested on a shoplifting charge Thursday after allegedly trying to take more than $400 in groceries from the Super Stop & Shop at the Ridgeway Shopping Center, police said.
Heidi Ganz, 54, of 97 Malvern Road, Stamford, was charged with sixth-degree larceny and released on a promise to appear following the incident.
Police said the teacher was spotted by a store security officer shortly before noon on Thursday placing produce items in reusable shopping bags without using the store’s self-scanning device.
The security officer told police that Ganz proceeded to fill her cart with items and when she walked through the self-checkout aisle, she did not pay the $424 worth of items in her carriage.
Reached by phone on Friday, Ganz said she did not want to comment.
Source:www.stamfordadvocate.com
Man arrested in Richmond for threatening to blow up Amtrak train www.privateofficer.com
Richmond VA July 16 2011 An Amtrak passenger faces disorderly conduct and bomb-threat charges after police say he threatened to blow up a train before it arrived at the railroad station along Staples Mill Road in Henrico County on Thursday night.
Paul A. Warfield, 45, of Winchester was taken into Henrico police custody after the train arrived at the Staples Mill Road station at 9:55 p.m.
Police said Warfield, who was traveling with a backpack, made several statements to other passengers that he was going to blow up the train. After authorities took Warfield into custody, they searched the train and passengers’ luggage, but no explosives were found.
Knoxville doctor sentenced to prison for health care fraud- tax offenses www.privateofficer.com
Allen R. Foster, M.D., 49, who lives in Gatlinburg, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release.
Foster was ordered to pay $74,307 worth of restitution to Medicare and $65,837 in restitution to TennCare. He must also pay $596,761.07 in restitution to the IRS.
He pleaded guilty in February in a plea agreement and agreed to surrender his license to practice medicine.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office charged Foster with fraudulently billing Medicare and TennCare for 15-minute office visit codes for “fast-track” patients who didn’t have visits.
In court documents, Foster admitted that in 2006 and 2007 he practiced medicine in Morristown and Knoxville under practice names including Advanced Pain Therapeutic, P.C., Fosterkare Anesthetist Associates, P.C., FKA Pain Management and AF Pain Management.
Court documents also show that Foster admitted during 2005 he worked by contract for various hospitals and owned and ran a successful medical practice in Morristown. His failure to file a tax return resulted in his tax offense charge.
source:wate.com
Hamshire-Fannett teacher indicted for aggravated sexual assault of a child www.privateofficer.com
Beaumont TX July 16 2011 A Hamshire-Fannett teacher arrested in March on charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child and improper relationship between an educator and student was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury on those charges.
Timothy Russell Verdon, 51, faces between two and 20 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine if convicted of each second-degree felony charge.
According to a probable cause affidavit for his arrest, Verdon and a female student, who is now 17, began talking on the phone and spending time together in May of 2008.
Verdon was the girl’s eighth-grade history teacher at Hamshire-Fannett Junior High, the affidavit showed.
The document alleged Verdon picked her up at home in August 2008, and took her to the Imperial Motel in Jefferson County where they had sexual intercourse – the only time they did so.
The two had oral sex about 20 times in a two-year period, according to the affidavit, although she could not give specific dates and locations to investigators.
She said after Verdon picked her up at the house, the two would “go parking” in Jefferson County, according to the affidavit.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Verdon in March and he was released from the Jefferson County Correctional Facility days later on $50,000 in bonds, according to previous Enterprise reports.
Hamshire-Fannett ISD Superintendent Keith Elliott told The Enterprise in March that Verdon was suspended.
source:www.beaumontenterprise.com
Georgia police shut down lemonade stand www.privateofficer.com
Midway Police Chief Kelly Morningstar says police also didn’t know how the lemonade was made, who made it or what was in it.
The girls had been operating for one day when Morningstar and another officer cruised by.
The girls needed a business license, peddler’s permit and food permit to operate, even on residential property. The permits cost $50 a day or $180 per year.
One girl, 14-year-old Casity Dixon, says the three had to listen to police and shut down.
The girls are now doing chores and yard work to make money.
Source:AP
Charlotte mother charged with murder of 1 yr old son www.privateofficer.com
Charlotte NC July 16 2011 A toddler who was hospitalized this week in a child abuse case has died, and his 22-year-old mother is charged with murder.
On Sunday, Shannon Shmir Merriman called 911 to report that her 1-year-old son had slipped and hit his head at her apartment on High Meadow Lane, in southwest Charlotte.
The boy, Marcus Markee Davis Jr., was taken to Carolinas Medical Center, said Charlotte-Mecklenburg police. Merriman was taken into custody early Wednesday at the hospital and initially charged with felony child abuse inflicting serious injury.
At 5:40 p.m. Thursday, Marcus died from his injuries, police said, and Merriman was then charged with murder.
Merriman’s Facebook page has photos of her beaming as she holds a smiling little boy. She calls her son Marcus “my life” on her Facebook page.
Other posts reveal a young mother struggling with the challenges of raising a child.
“Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee marcus go to bed, mama don’t feel good,” she wrote in February.
Relatives and friends wrote prayers for Marcus on Facebook. “You are in a better place im very sorry u didnt deserve this at all love u baby,” wrote one.
Court records show Merriman has been charged with several traffic offenses. In 2009, she was charged with failing to secure a passenger under 16 and driving without her license in possession. In 2010, she was charged several times with driving with a revoked license. All those charges were dismissed.
Source:www.charlotteobserver.com
Carjackers use Porche in armored car robbery www.privateofficer.com
According to Arlington Police, the luxury SUV was stolen around 10:30 last night. Two men wearing masks and pointing guns approached the car after it pulled out of a driveway on the 1100 block of S. 18th Street. The men, described as in their late teens or early 20s, forced two women out of the car, stole their purses and drove off.
Just after noon today, the Porsche and two men — presumed to be the same suspects from last night — were involved in an armored car robbery at 16th and M Streets NW, just south of Scott Circle in the District. The men — one with a machine gun and the other with a 9 millimeter pistol — attempted to hold up a Brinks truck, according to initial reports. It’s unclear if they made off with any money.
Arlington Police were told to be on the lookout for the vehicle this afternoon, shortly after the robbery. Officers were told that the Porsche was last seen speeding north, away from the scene of today’s crime
Bowling Green police charge two men iun armored car robbery www.privateofficer.com
Bowling Green KY July 16 2011 The Bowling Green Police Department said this morning that two arrests have been made in connection with an armored car robbery in June.
Kevin Gardner, 23, and Emmaneul Omar Scott, 24, both of Bowling Green, were arrested Wednesday. Both men are in Warren County Regional Jail on $25,000 cash bonds.
BGPD spokesman Officer Ronnie Ward said police were called to a road-rage incident Wednesday afternoon.
Upon arriving and investigating, police came across the vehicle the suspects were believed to be seen driving, a gold, midsize Ford.
Ward said detectives talked to the driver of the car, eventually obtaining a search warrant for the vehicle before finding evidence of the armored car robbery in the vehicle.
The two men are being charged with first-degree robbery. Gardner and Scott are accused of robbing an armored van near First Security Bank off Scottsville Road on June 16.
Ward said they also believe the men are responsible for a robbery at Woods Market on Morgantown Road which occurred June 11, according to police records.
DC police officer indicted for sexual assault of 3 women www.privaqteofficer.com
Washington DC July 16 2011 An eight-year veteran of the D.C. police force was indicted on nine counts of sexual assault in cases involving three women, the U.S. attorney’s office announced Thursday.
Prosecutors allege that Larry Seay, 37, a 3rd District patrol officer, assaulted the women while on duty and in uniform on six occasions between Sept. 11, 2006, and July 22, 2010.
A D.C. grand jury indicted Seay on Wednesday, and a judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest. Seay turned himself in during a hearing Thursday in D.C. Superior Court, and a judge released him after ordering court supervision, requiring him to stay away from the alleged victims and demanding that he turn over any firearms in his possession.
Seay’s indictment and charges were made public after his court appearance. His next appearance is scheduled for Sept. 16.
According to the indictment, Seay approached the women on the street and ordered them to follow him to a more secluded location. At that point, Seay allegedly threatened each woman, led them to fear arrest and sexually assaulted them.
James Word, an attorney for one of the women, said his client is on probation after an August arrest for sexual solicitation. She was working the streets on the night of the alleged attack, Word said. “She’s had a lot of emotional problems because of this,” he said.
The Post generally does not name victims of crimes.
Seay was charged with three counts each of second-degree sexual abuse while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence or dangerous offense, and attempted fourth-degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances.
A spokeswoman for the D.C. Public Defender Service could not be reached Thursday for comment.
D.C. Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), whose ward includes the 3rd District, wondered why it took years to bring an indictment against Seay. “Why did this take so long? We should have some explanation of this,” Graham said.
William Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office for the District, declined to comment on the case.
Seay, of Southeast Washington, is the 18th D.C. police officer to be arrested this year on charges that range from murder to receiving stolen property, according to police spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump. Last year, 17 D.C. officers were arrested, she said.
Crump declined to comment on Seay’s police career and the case. A police source said Seay often worked the overnight shift.
Seay’s police powers have been revoked since 2010, Crump said.
Source:Washington Post
Police charge man who pulled knife on bar security www.privateofficer.com
Prescott AZ July 16 2011 Police booked Vincent Raymond Williams, 20, of Prescott into the Yavapai County Jail in Camp Verde July 3 on charges of aggravated assault, assault and disorderly conduct after witnesses told police Williams threatened a man with a knife in front of Moctezuma’s Bar.
An officer spoke to a bouncer who said he turned away Williams, that Williams became upset, yelled profanities and tried to push his way in, so he escorted Williams to the street, according to the police report.
The bouncer told the officer that when they reached the street, Williams pulled away from him, took a knife out of his pocket, unfolded it and walked toward him pointing it, so the bouncer kicked Williams in the crotch, according to the police report. The bouncer said he then tackled Williams and told bystanders to call police. Two witnesses corroborated the bouncer’s account, according to the police report.
When the officer spoke with Williams, he said he was just walking by the bar when the bouncer kicked and grabbed him and took him to the ground.
The officer asked if Williams had done anything to provoke the bouncer, and Williams said he did not and that he never pulled his knife out, according to the police report.
The officer noted that Williams had red, watery, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and a strong odor of alcohol on this breath while the officer spoke with him, according to the police report.
Family of security officer sues after her death www.privateofficer.com
Sonia Galan’s slide into ill health started after a cart full of bread being pushed by a Boudin employee knocked her to the ground, breaking her shoulder, said her family’s attorney, Jerry Nastari.
The collision occurred around 3:40 a.m. on April 3, 2010, as she walked through a terminal while on duty as a security guard.
“Galan’s physical condition steadily deteriorated, leading to her death on Dec. 10,” claims the suit, which was filed July 7 in San Mateo County Superior Court.
The complaint — brought by her husband, son and two daughters — also names the city of San Francisco as a defendant.
The family claims Galan’s death was the result of negligence on the part of the city, which runs the airport, and the well-known sourdough bread maker. The family is seeking an unspecified amount of damages and wants a jury trial, according to the suit. Nastari said his client was one of many Americans nowadays who continue to work well past retirement age to make ends meet. “I think Sonia was an example of that,” he said.
Boudin declined to comment on the suit, and San Francisco officials didn’t immediately respond to phone messages.
Source:the examiner
Two security officers shot in Baltimore MD www.privateofficer.com
Baltimore MD July 16 2011 Two armed security guards were shot and seriously injured after getting into an altercation with a group of men at a North Baltimore apartment complex.
According to various media reports, a 32-year-old female security officer was shot in the eye, while a 38-year-old male security officer was shot multiple times in the chest. Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III visited the scene and told reporters that the officers were conscious when medics arrived, and were taken to area hospitals in serious condition.
The incident occurred at the Oak Hill townhouses in the 2800 block of Matthews Street, as the armed security officers were making their rounds, according to reports. The shooting occurred about three blocks from where a shooting occurred earlier in the day, at the intersection of Barclay Street and Whitridge Ave. Another shooting also took place less than a mile south, at the intersection of Homewood Street and Kirk Avenue.
Airport security nabs soldier boarding plane with explosives www.privateofficer.com
U.S. Army Private First Class Christopher Eric Wey, 19, was arrested on Wednesday after he tried to board a United Airlines flight to Los Angeles from Yuma, Arizona, the U.S. Attorney’s office for Arizona said.
Transportation Security Administration officers detected explosives in his baggage during security screening at Yuma International Airport, officials said.
A subsequent search found a half ounce of C4 explosive hidden in a tobacco can inside one of the bags. Wey was detained for investigation and interviewed by FBI agents.
“TSA employees are on the front lines every day, working to mitigate threats and keep the travelling public safe,” TSA Administrator John Pistole said in a statement.
“This incident demonstrates the abilities of our highly trained officers and cutting-edge technology,” he said.
The complaint says that Wey stole the C4 while attending an explosive training course. Authorities found no evidence that he intended any harm with the small amount of explosives in his possession.
A conviction for attempting to carry an explosive on an aircraft and transportation of a stolen explosive carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Source:Reuters
NY security officer charged with manslaughter after DUI accident www.privateofficer.com
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. July 16 2011 — A trusted public safety officer was behind bars on Friday, accused in a deadly drunk driving crash.
To make matters worse, he was on the job, reports CBS 2’s Emily Smith.
Surveillance video showed the victim seconds before a public safety officer allegedly mowed him down in an SUV in East Meadow.
The accident happened as 50-year-old Eddie Albert Cotto, of Lindenhurst, crossed the Hempstead Parkway in front of Nassau University Medical Center late Thursday night.
WCBS 880′s Sophia Hall: His BAC Was Nearly Twice The Limit
The victim wasn’t in the crosswalk and was going against the light when he was hit and carried, on the front of the hood, beyond the red light and to a nearby tire shop.
Police said the driver was Town of Hempstead Public Security Officer Robert Core. The accident occurred only a half hour into his shift, police said, while in uniform and driving a marked vehicle.
Core was assigned to the Wolcott Road swimming pool to stand guard for the night. Police said they didn’t find alcohol in his vehicle, but said he had been drinking before his shift.
“He had slurred speech, his eyes were glassy,” Nassau County Police Det. Lt. Kevin Smith said. “They performed standard field sobriety tests out in the street, which led to placing him in custody.”
Police said Core’s blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit.
1010 WINS’ Al Jones reports: The Accident Happened Steps From The Hospital
Core lives in Hempstead. His neighbors said they’ve seen him around in uniform but don’t know him well, and that they feel for the victim.
“Somebody lost their life,” resident Raine Black said. “You can’t drink and drive.”
“Everybody makes mistakes, but still, he should’ve been more cautious,” neighbor John Fenner said.
Core, police said, was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving while intoxicated. If convicted, he could spend seven years in prison.
The officer doesn’t have a criminal history. He has been employed by the Town of Hempstead since 2000.
Spurce:CBS NEW YORK
