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South Carolina Law Enforcement agent kills woman-commits suicide www.privateofficer.com
The man who killed a woman and then himself behind a South Carolina bank late Friday afternoon had recently resigned as an agent of the State Law Enforcement Division, multiple local law enforcement authorities confirmed.
The murder-suicide happened near the ATM behind the Southcoast Community Bank on East Main Street, said Lt. Michael Roach of the Moncks Corner Police Department.
At 5:38 p.m., police got a call about one person being shot, Roach said. While officers were on their way to the scene, a call came in that a second person had been shot. When officers arrives, both were dead, Roach said.
Berkeley County Coroner Bill Salisbury identified the dead as Charles Boyette, 61, and Mary Ann Cox, 44, both of Moncks Corner.
He said both died from gunshot wounds to the “lower part of the body.” He could not yet say how many times each person had been shot. Their families had been notified.
Lt. Charlie Boyette is still listed on SLED’s website as an agent, but several sources said that he had resigned this week. The agency provides manpower and technical assistance to law enforcement agencies and conducts investigations on behalf of the state, as directed by the governor and attorney general.
Several calls to SLED’s 24-hour operations desk and public information officer yielded no answers. Reached late Friday, SLED spokeswoman Kathryn Richardson confirmed that Boyette was a former agent and that she was preparing a statement.
The news had spread quickly earlier in the evening through the law enforcement community.
Some members of local law enforcement agencies were notified of the deaths of the woman and the SLED agent and his resignation, sources said. They also said Cox was an employee of the bank, and that Boyette shot her as she was leaving work at the end of the day.
According to Roach, Boyette walked up and shot Cox to death, then killed himself. He said the two knew each other, but other than that would say only that they were not married.
The bank had closed not long before the shootings. Nobody was in the bank at the time of the incident, Roach said.
Roach also said two people witnessed the incident, but they were not being identified.
This kind of crime is unusual in the small town, Roach said. “I can’t remember a case like this, and I’ve been here 23 years,” he said.
Source:www.heraldonline.com
Virginia psychiatrist shot-killed by patient www.privateofficer.com
Fairfax VA July 23 2011 A 71-year-old psychiatrist was shot and killed Friday by a 62-year-old patient who then killed herself in the doctor’s home in an upscale section of Fairfax County, according to preliminary investigation, county police said.
Police said they found the bodies in the home on Tebbs Lane in McLean after gunshots were reported there about 4:15 p.m.
Police said they would withhold the man’s name pending an autopsy, and the woman’s until her relatives were notified.
Most neighbors interviewed Friday declined to discuss the matter, citing their respect for the privacy of the wife of the male victim, whom they did not name.
While not naming the man, police said he was “preliminarily identified” as a 71-year-old resident of the home, where they said he lived and worked as a psychiatrist.
Source:washington post
Louisville teen dies of heat stroke after being refused emergency treatment family says www.privateofficer.com
Cody Johns became disoriented after working outside all day and was taken by his stepfather and another co-worker to the Norton care center in the Westport Village shopping center.
But care-center staff never treated him, according to Eddie Robinson, a Deputy Jefferson County Coroner who interviewed the stepfather, whose named has not been released.
Instead, the stepfather had to call 911, with emergency crews arrived within 8 minutes and transported Johns to Norton Suburban Hospital, according to Robinson. Medical staff measured John’s body temperature at 110 degrees, treating him for more than hour before pronouncing him dead at 7:20 p.m, he said.
Norton Chief Medical Officer Dr. Steve Hester, rebutted claims Friday that Johns was denied care at the care center, saying the teen never entered the facility so medical personnel could evaluate him.
“It’s a tragic situation,” Hester said. “We did not deny treatment to the patient.”
Johns family declined to speak with The Courier-Journal. But Eddie Robinson, a deputy Jefferson County coroner, said Johns’ stepfather related a much different version of events.
He told Robinson that Johns was working outside all day with his stepfather, who was doing landscaping work for a property-management company at a site near Brownsboro Road and Chamberlain Lane, Robinson said.
He told Robinson that Johns became disorientated from the heat and that sometime before 5:30 p.m. Thursday, they drove him to the immediate-care center off Herr Lane.
Robinson said he was told that a worker from the center came out with a wheelchair but told the stepfather there was told there was nothing the center could do and that Johns needed to go to a hospital emergency room.
But Hester denied that personnel at the immediate-care facility came out of the building or ever saw Johns.
Instead, he said the stepfather came into the office and told staff he had a patient with him, then generally described heat-related illness symptoms.
The urgency was not conveyed,” Hester said. He did not elaborate on what specifics the staff was told other than to say that the family member did not describe a patient in “dire” need.
Hester said at some point the staff member told Johns’ stepfather that the clinic does not give intravenous fluids and the patient should be taken to a hospital.
At that point, the stepfather walked away, Hester said.
“He left before we could fully respond,” he said. Hester said no one from the clinic followed him out because they assumed everyone had left.
Hester said it wasn’t until the Lyndon fire department and Metro EMS arrived in the parking lot that immediate-care center staff realized the patient had never left.
At the time, the care center was staffed by one doctor, two medical assistants and one receptionist, which is full staffing, according to Norton spokesman Tom Johnson.
Lyndon firefighters arrived at 5:39 p.m. and found Johns sitting in a pickup, obviously in need of medical care, Fire Chief Russ Rakestraw said.
Firefighters attended to Johns until the ambulance and a paramedic with Metro EMS arrived at 5:43 p.m., said Dr. Neal Richmond, director of Metro EMS.
Emergency personnel spent about seven minutes working on Johns before leaving for Norton Suburban Hospital, where they arrived at 5:59 p.m.
Johns’ death about an hour later appeared to be consistent with hyperthermia, Robinson said. He had no pre-existing conditions and was not taking any medication that might have contributed to the heat stroke, Robinson said.
Richmond would not comment on what actions the immediate care center should have taken. Nor would he describe the treatment his medical crews gave Johns.
But he said protocol would dictate that the crew place a patient suffering from heat stroke into the ambulance with the air conditioning as high as it would go and begin putting water or saline on the patient’s skin while fanning it off to cool to the body.
Heat takes toll
Robinson said Johns’ stepfather works for a property-management company that does landscaping work at several properties in the northeast Jefferson County area.
Johns was working with the crew Thursday, pulling weeds and picking up trash at the Brownsboro Glen subdivision near Chamberlain Lane.
Robinson said he was told Johns and had been regularly drinking water. By 2 p.m., Johns was complaining of being hot and was sent to go sit in the shade.
By 4 p.m., co-workers noticed that Johns sounded disoriented and they put him into an air-conditioned pickup truck.
When he didn’t improve, he was driven to the immediate-care center, Robinson said.
Bill Smock, an emergency room physician, said he was disturbed that no one from the immediate-care center brought Johns into the air conditioning or made a call to 911.
“Certainly, he needed a hospital,” Smock said, acknowledging that the immediate-care center would not have been the ideal place for Johns to be treated. “But there is an ethical obligation to offer care. They’re floor would have been cooler than the hot sidewalk. They could have poured water over him. You go to a medical facility expecting medical assistance.”
Smock said because of the dangers of heat stroke, which can lead to organ failure and brain damage, cooling a patient quickly is imperative.
“They could have certainly started the cooling process,” Smock said. “There’s certainly an obligation of any medical provider to render care.”
Hester insisted that his staff would never turn away a patient in need, but they had not been given enough information by Johns’ family to know that his situation was serious.
“Clearly, communication of the urgency of the situation was a challenge here,” Hester said. “Unfortunately, in this situation, we never got the chance to treat.”
Hester said Norton officials interviewed the working staff and will continue to look at the incident to see what can be learned from it.
Quick reaction needed
Richmond said with the extended extreme heat in Louisville, it is important for people to be vigilant for any symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
“For anybody, if you suspect it, you should push the panic button,” Richmond said. “You don’t have a lot of time to cool them.”
There have been 226 heat-related calls to EMS since July 1, compared with 38 during the same period last year. Additionally, Richmond said many other calls for medical emergencies may have involved heat as a contributor.
Smock said people underestimate the severity of heat stroke and how quickly it can turn deadly.
Medically, heat stroke occurs when the body reaches a temperature of 105 degrees. But symptoms of heat exhaustion develop well before, Smock said.
When the core temperatures rises, the body begins to “cook” itself, with muscles and cells dying. That can lead to organ and brain damage.
Signs of heat stroke “can’t be ignored when we’ve had the kind of conditions we’ve been having,” Smock said.
Source:Louisville Courier Jornal
Tulsa Expo Square fairgrounds security officer dies www.privateofficer.com
“After she towed one, that was usually the end of it. Then they knew she was serious,” laughed Jerry Shoemake, remembering Sims’ handling of fairgoers who parked illegally or left a trailer in a livestock loading area too long.
Sims “was accommodating, but she wouldn’t hesitate to call that tow truck,” said Shoemake, the fair’s general horse superintendent. “She took her job seriously, and one part of it was to keep things moving.”
And that was just one of Sims’ duties.
Together with her husband, Johney Sims, who also worked in fairgrounds security, the stalwart Sims was a year-round presence at Expo Square, helping keep law and order at the annual Tulsa State Fair and countless other events at the site.
A Tulsa native who worked for Expo Square security for more than 20 years, Lana Jean Sims died July 17. She was 67.
A memorial service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at Expo Square’s Central Park Hall. Add’vantage Funeral Home handled cremation arrangements.
Whenever race-car driver Tony Stewart arrived at Expo Square for the annual Chili Bowl Nationals, he always sought out one person first: Sims.
The racing star always greeted her with a hug, which “kind of came to mean for us that the Chili Bowl was officially under way,” said Mark Andrus, Expo Square’s president and CEO.
“Lana was a big part of the Expo Square family, and everyone loved her,” Andrus said, adding that over 20 years, Sims got to know everyone associated with the fairgrounds, including the celebrities.
Andrus, who was Expo Square’s security director for many years, appreciated Sims’ tough and fearless commitment to safety, which sometimes came at a risk to her own.
Whether escorting gang members from the grounds or just setting a troublemaker straight, Sims “was one of those unique individuals who could give you the sweetest smile while she was grabbing you by the collar and telling you to stop doing something,” he said.
Move-in days for livestock shows could be chaotic, with all the new animals and participants arriving, but Sims was there to keep things organized.
“There’s no one tougher than parents who are trying to get through with their son or daughter and their prize-winning horse – the only thing that could stop them was either a moat or Lana Sims,” Andrus said.
Pete Wedelin, who’s provided feed and bedding for livestock events for 21 years, said: “Lana was a legend. Everyone here knew and respected her.”
Shoemake added: “She was one sweet lady and a lot of fun. She will be dearly missed.”
Sims’ survivors include her husband of 51 years, Johney Sims.
Source:www.tulsaworld.com
Men handcuff security guard-steal tractor trailer www.privateofficer.com
EL PASO TX July 23 2011 – Police are searching for several men accused of handcuffing a security guard and stealing a trailer loaded with more than $100,000 in solar panels.
Early June 3, two men cut a chain link fence behind Howl Transportation on North Zaragoza. The men went to the guard shack and handcuffed the security guard inside. One of the men put a hard metal object to the guard’s back, which the guard believed was a weapon. The other man then opened the front gate to allow a black or dark blue semi-tractor to enter the yard, where it hitched up a trailer and drove away.
The trailer itself was valued at $10,000 and it contained over $100,000 worth of solar panels.
The tractor was last seen going south on Zaragoza, and turning left on Alameda. It may have had the word “Central” on the passenger door and the number 197 on the passenger side gas tank.
Surveillance photos show the two subjects who handcuffed the guard. One man has a medium build, and the other is shorter and thinner.
If you have any information about the identity of the suspects involved, or the location of the tractor and trailer, please call Crime Stoppers immediately at 566-TIPS (566-8477) or on-line at http://www.crimestoppersofelpaso.org.
You will remain anonymous and, if your tip leads to an arrest, you can qualify for a cash reward.
Source:newschannel9.com
Mobile woman arrested for counterfeiting while on probation www.privateofficer.com
MOBILE, Alabama July 22 2011— Police here today released the name of the woman they accuse of making hundreds of dollars’ worth of counterfeit money.
Officer Chris Levy, a police spokesman, said authorities arrested Jennifer Sanders, 23, on Tuesday at her home on a probation violation. They seized $752 in fake bills, a HP printer and several ink cartridges. Sanders had been on probation for an offense she committed as a youthful offender, giving her probation officer the right to go into her home.
“They don’t have to have a warrant to enter into a house,” Levy said.
Police have said they began searching for the person or people who make fake currency after some $1,600 in funny money turned up at area businesses in the last few weeks. They said they identified Sanders as a suspect after a Quality Inn motel received fake bills.
Authorities said fast-food restaurants and convenience stores got other phony bills.
Investigators said Thursday that the quality of the some of the bills was fairly high, although they lacked certain security features that are difficult for counterfeiters to mimic.
Levy said the U.S. Secret Service has agreed to take the case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecution in federal court. He also said further arrests are possible.
Court records show that Sanders has been arrested several times on worthless check and traffic charges, but most of those have been dismissed.
Source:AL.com
Woman thrown off JetBlue flight suspected of not wearing panties www.privateofficer.com
New York City NY July 23 2011 A financial consultant, claims she was thrown off a JetBlue flight because the pilot suspected she wasn’t dressed properly. Have airlines gone too far in trying to enforce a dress code on flights?
A Harlem financial consultant wants JetBlue to pay for booting her off a Florida-bound flight after an airline worker accused her of not wearing panties.
Malinda Knowles, 27, claims in a Queens Supreme Court lawsuit that a JetBlue supervisor put a walkie-talkie between her legs to see what she had on under her baggy T-shirt.
“He said, ‘I don’t want to see your panties or anything but do you have any on?’” Knowles recalled yesterday.
“I didn’t want to show him anything. He wanted me to basically show him my crotch. I was completely humiliated. It was vulgar. It was macho. It was rude.”
She said fellow passengers on the July 13, 2010, flight to West Palm Beach watched in horror as she was confronted.
The former fashion model said she was wearing a baggy blue T-shirt over a pair of dark denim short-shorts she had tossed on after waking up at 4 a.m.
Knowles said she was escorted off the plane at LaGuardia Airport.
She was taken to a hangar, where she lifted up her T-shirt to prove she met the dress code.
“‘Oh, she’s wearing shorts,’” the JetBlue fashion police responded, according to Knowles.
“It was really crazy,” she said. “I’ve never had a corporate employee ask me about my underwear.”
Her lawyer, Brian Dratch, is seeking unspecified damages in the civil claim that accuses the airline worker of assault and battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
“This caused plaintiff great embarrassment and humiliation to be expelled from the flight for no reason at all in front of a fully booked flight,” Dratch said in the suit.
A JetBlue spokeswoman declined to comment.
After showing off her shorts, Knowles returned to the plane, but was told by the same walkie-talkie-wielding supervisor that the pilot would not take off with her aboard.
“He said, ‘The captain is refusing to fly you today. We need to remove you from the flight,’” said Knowles, quoting the supervisor. “We need to remove you from the flight.”
As passengers grew upset and grumbled about the delay, Knowles acquiesced.
She was delayed four hours and put on a later JetBlue flight to Florida,where she had a business meeting.
“‘You should get a lawyer,’” a fellow passenger told her as she walked off the plane.
“I really feel like the guy just wanted to demean me in some way,” she said. “Maybe he thought I was cute. Even so, it was totally inappropriate.”
Source:ny daily news
Drug task force finds meth lab at Gulfport motel www.privateofficer.com
Gulfport MS July 23 2011 A roundup of suspected drug dealers led investigators to a batch of meth cooking in a Gulfport hotel room Friday.
Patrick Brian Smith and his wife Virginia Ann Smith of Long Beach were arrested after deputies found them at the Days Inn just off of Highway 49 near Airport Road.
Along with various chemicals and equipment used to make methamphetamine, narcotics investigators say they also found the drug oxycodone.
Harrison County Narcotics investigators say they went looking for Patrick Smith at his home this morning when they launched a roundup operation across the county.
Drug agents began knocking on doors at 6:00 Friday morning looking for what they described as mid-level street dealers.
Deputies arrested seven others on charges of selling a variety of controlled substances, including marijuana, suboxone, methamphetamine, crack cocaine and a counterfeit crack substance.
Felony arrest warrants for five others are also pending. The operation was handled by the Harrison County Narcotics Division with assistance from the Gulfport Police Narcotics Unit, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the Jackson County Task Force.
Source:WLOX
KY prison guard charged with sexual abuse www.privateofficer.com
Kentucky State Police say 52-year-old Sgt. James B. Johnson of Louisville was charged Friday at state police headquarters in Frankfort.
A news release from Post 12 in Frankfort said the investigation found Johnson was supplying controlled substances to female inmates and then sexually abusing them at the Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women in Pewee Valley near Louisville.
Ronald Turley, public affairs officer, said Johnson was also charged with 50 counts of official misconduct, one count of second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and one count of first-degree promoting contraband.
Johnson was taken to the Shelby County Detention Center. No attorney was listed for him there.
Source:AP
Georgia McDonald’s manager assaulted mother with autistic child www.privateofficer.com
MARIETTA, Ga.July 23 2011 — Authorities say the manager of a Marietta McDonald’s is accused of punching a mother after she brought her autistic children and a service dog inside the restaurant.
Cobb County officials issued a warrant charging Tiffany Denise Allen with simple battery and disorderly conduct.
The warrant states that Jennifer Schwenker entered the McDonald’s with her twins and service dog last week, and that Allen, who was off-duty at the time, became irate the dog was inside.
Police said Allen followed the mother around the restaurant, then punched her in the face in the parking lot.
McDonald’s franchisees J.M. and Jan Owens released a statement on Friday:
At our McDonald’s restaurant, we respect and value our customers. Their safety and well-being is always a top priority.
We strive to comply with all applicable laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is our policy to make our restaurants accessible to all customers, including those with disabilities and special needs, whether or not they need the assistance of service animals.
We are fully cooperating with the police department in their investigation, and the individual involved is no longer employed by our company.
Beyond that, it would be inappropriate to comment further on a pending police matter.
Source:11alive.com
Colorado teacher gets 10 yr prison term for sexual assault of student www.privateofficer.com
BROOMFIELD, Colo.July 23 2011 — A former Broomfield High School teacher and wrestling coach convicted of sexually assaulting a student was sentenced Thursday to a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison.
That means, if after 10 years the parole board doesn’t think Masse has been rehabilitated as a sex offender they could deny parole and keep him locked up.
In court Thursday, one victim and the parents of two victims addressed Masse
“I don’t hate you Travis,” said one parent. “I wish I could go back in time and change your decisions for you. I’d like to believe somewhere deep down you really do care. But, it’s just right now, you are incapable of setting boundaries and I don’t quite understand that.”
“I ask this court to match the consequences with the deeds. Travis Masse is a sexual predator. He has left a trail of victims in his wake,” said another parent.
Travis Masse was arrested in May 2010 on suspicion he had frequent sex with a 17-year-old student and exchanged nude photos with her during the 2008-09 school year, according to a police affidavit.
After 10 years in prison, Masse is eligible for parole. If parole is denied, he would stay in prison until the next opportunity. In Colorado, only 4 percent of sex offenders have been released after their minimum time was served.
Broomfield police began investigating Masse after receiving a tip about a teacher having an inappropriate relationship with a student.
The student told police she had Masse for three history classes that year, but did not complete any assignments because she “knew (she) was getting an A,” according to the Broomfield police arrest affidavit.
The girl said her relationship with Masse began when she was a 15-year-old freshman.
The girl said Masse would call or text her to talk about wrestling, “but the conversations quickly turned to sex,” according to the affidavit, which police heavily redacted to protect the victim’s identity.
Masse would ask the teen about her favorite sexual positions and how many partners she’d had.
The girl said she began having sex with the teacher when she was a 17-year-old junior in December 2008, the affidavit said.
She asked Masse for a ride home from school one day.
While they parked in Masse’s silver Toyota Landcruiser at a local lake, the girl said she gave him oral sex while he groped her, the affidavit said.
The girl said they often had oral sex at wrestling tournaments and in hotel rooms, the affidavit said. Once, she said she gave Masse oral sex as he drove to a wrestling tournament.
The girl told police that the sex she had with Masse was consensual, the affidavit said. Colorado law, however, does not recognize consensual sex between adults and minors.
The victim was a student at Broomfield High School from August 2006 to January 2009, when their sexual relationship ended.
She told investigators she left Broomfield High because she felt uncomfortable and guilty about her involvement with the teacher, the affidavit said.
Police said they investigated similar incidents involving Masse and a 16-year-old female student in September 2009, the affidavit said
Masse was Colorado high school wrestling coach of the year in 2009 after leading Broomfield to the 4A state championship.
Source:theDenverChannel.com
Bell County ISD teacher arrested for having sex with 14yr old www.privateofficer.com
Troy TX July 23 2011 Shocked and saddened. That is what the tightly-knit Troy community is saying Thursday night after a middle school teacher was arrested for allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old student.
The teacher in Bell County custody is 31-year-old Kaci Pomerenke. Her teacher web page for Raymond Mays Middle School shows that she taught 6th and 8th grade social studies and also coached cheerleaders.
The arrest affidavit states that Pomerenke resigned Tuesday from the Troy Independent School District after meeting with Superintendent Neil Jeter earlier in the day. According to the affidavit, Pomerenke admitted to the questionable sexual encounters from January 2011 involving a 14-year-old student.
The affidavit goes on to say that Pomerenke admitted to having sex with the student in her car three times during the month of January 2011.
After watching an interview from the child advocacy center with the victim, Bell County Sheriff’s investigators issued the arrest warrant that is shaking this community. Mother of two, Chasity Blackwell says, “I have substitute taught in the elementary schools and I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Tanya Fuchs lives just a couple of blocks away from the middle school. “It’s shocking,” she says, “you wouldn’t expect anything like this to happen in our community, because it’s such a small community and everybody knows everybody.”
Daniel Ames graduated from Troy High School. He says, “I’m just surprised that it has happened here.”
One excerpt of the arrest affidavit says that the victim was told by Pomerenke not to tell anyone about the sexual encounters.
Pomerenke’s formal charge is “improper relationship between an educator and student.”
Source:kcentv.com
Shooting reported at El Paso nightclub www.privateofficer.com
EL PASO, Texas July 23 2011– Police are investigating a shooting at a local night club.
Around 1a.m. Friday morning, security asked two customers at the Peoria nightclub in west El Paso to leave because the two men were smashing bottles and making threats, witnesses said.
According to the nightclub security, when the two men reached their vehicle they pulled out a gun and started firing in the direction of the club.
As the pair drove away they also fired shots, traveling southeast on North Mesa Street near Kern Street.
No one was injured and the building wasn’t damaged, according to police.
“When they took him out [the alleged shooter], he started saying that he was going to come back and shoot up the place. They [nightblub employees] locked us up inside. About ten minutes later they let us out the back door, ” said a man who was at the nightclub when the incident happened.
Witnesses described one of the men as being Hispanic and the other as African-American.
Security told KFOX14 the suspect vehicle was a Chrysler 300.
If you have any information you’re asked to call the police at 915-832-4400.
Target security nabs woman in $1100 theft www.privateofficer.com
Manalapan NJ July 23 2011 Monique Franklin, a resident of Farmingdale, was arrested for shoplifting from the Target Department Store on Rt. 9 in Manalapan on Wednesday, July 13, a press release issued by the Manalapan Police Department said.
Ptl. Reginald Grant was dispatched to the Target because store security had apprehended Franklin for attempting to leave the store with merchandise, valued at $1,141.33, without paying for it, according to police.
Franklin, 30, was arrested, processed, and released on her own recognizance. The case is pending court
Fla Wal-Mart employees, friends caught as they steal $4000 www.privateofficer.com
KISSIMMEE, Fla.July 23 2011 — Thieves stole more than $4,000 from a Kissimmee Walmart, investigators told WFTV on Wednesday.
Two store employees and a boyfriend bought small things, such as soft drinks, to steal thousands of dollars from the Walmart on Vineland Road, deputies said.
Security cameras captured the thieves in action. The customer, Juan Rodriguez, handed the cashier, his wife Shayla Guyton, a $20 bill, but as Guyton lifted the till, she handed Rodriguez a $100 bill as change, according to deputies.
It was a high-dollar transaction that the couple and an accomplice, Guyton’s co-worker Johanna Hobson, made 12 times deputies said.
“Oh my gosh. It’s kinda ridiculous,” said Rodney Valentine, a Walmart shopper.
In less than two weeks, the trio was able to steal $4,500 from Walmart, all with small purchases such as a soda and beef jerky, deputies said. The thieves would do it twice in one day, investigators said.
Walmart caught on, after Guyton’s register kept coming up short. In one instance, it was missing $1,400, the same amount deputies said they found on Rodriguez.
“When deputies picked up the male suspect, he had 14 $100 bills in his pocket. They were all from Walmart,” said Twis Lizasuain of the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators said all three admitted to the crime. Guyton had just started working at Walmart before the crimes started, but told deputies that she was recently kicked out of the motel they lived in and needed money.
The trio is behind bars on Wednesday where shoppers said they belong.
“Pretty shocking, obviously not much control over the cashier,” said Yvon Provencal, a Walmart shopper.
Each of the three faces six counts of grand theft, and they could get up to five years in prison on each count.
Source:wftv.com
Louisville KY man indicted for plotting to kill cops www.privateofficer.com
Randall Lacefield is accused of planning to kill a Jeffersontown Police Officer at Captain’s Quarters Riverside Grille on Wednesday, according to an arrest citation. He was indicted on two counts of attempted murder and one count of conspiracy to murder.
After a confidential informant alerted police, officers listened to recorded conversations in which Lacefield discussed his plan, including talk of money, a weapon, a motive and a “detailed plan,” the citation said.
Lacefield, who is being held by Metro Corrections on a $500,000 cash bond, allegedly gave the confidential informant $260 as a partial payment for a gun — and also said he planned to kill two officers, the citation said.
Lacefield is also facing charges of wanton endangerment and fleeing and evading Jeffersontown police for allegedly trying to get away from officers who were trying to pull him over on a motorcycle in June, topping speeds of 140 miles per hour and popping a “wheelie” as he first fled, another police citation said.
That citation said Lacefield weaved in and out of traffic and hit a minivan, sending himself and someone else to the hospital.
Attorney Brian Butler, who is representing Lacefield in the wanton endangerment case, said those charges “were not particularly severe” but he was not representing him in the attempted murder case.
Lacefield, who lives in the 100 block of Henry Court, will be arraigned in Jefferson Circuit Court on Monday.
Lacefield has past convictions for wanton endangerment, fleeing police and domestic violence.
Source:louisville courier journal
Charlotte police pull Tasers off streets after second death www.privateofficer.com
Charlotte NC July 23 2011 The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is taking all of its Tasers off the streets for as many as 45 days, after a suspect died when he was shocked by an officer’s X26 Taser at a Lynx light rail station.
Police say Lareko Williams, 21, was beating and choking a woman when confronted by Officer Michael Forbes at the station on Woodlawn Road around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. Williams was pronounced dead about an hour later.
The death came just a day after a federal jury in Charlotte awarded $10 million to the family of 17-year-old Darryl Wayne Turner, who died in 2008 after a CMPD officer shocked him with a Taser.
In response to the jury’s award against the company that makes Tasers, Charlotte City Attorney Mac McCarley said police officers would continue to use the weapons.
“It is still a very effective, nonlethal force to control a situation,” he told the Observer Wednesday, just hours before the confrontation at the light rail station.
But the $10 million verdict and Wednesday’s death are certain to revive debate over the weapons. Tasers can deliver a 50,000-volt shock that temporarily paralyzes suspects, and have been linked to hundreds of deaths across the country.
Earlier this year, the Union County town of Stallings stopped using Tasers because of liability issues.
CMPD on Thursday suspended use of its roughly 1,200 Tasers for 30 to 45 days as the weapons are tested to make sure they’re working properly. The Taser used on Williams will be sent to an independent laboratory to be tested, police said.
The department will also review its Taser policies and procedures to ensure they’re in line with established national standards.
Foxx supports chief’s action
Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx said Thursday that he wants to see the results of the CMPD review before taking any further action.
“I have spoken with Police Chief Rodney Monroe several times in the last 24 hours and he has assured me that all aspects of this incident will be reviewed thoroughly,” Foxx said in a statement. “I also support his effort to inspect all Taser devices and protocols related to their use.”
Police didn’t respond to questions about Officer Forbes’ training with the Taser. They also didn’t respond to questions about where Williams was struck with the Taser prongs or how long he was shocked.
On Thursday, McCarley stood by his statements about Tasers being effective in helping officers control situations.
“In the vast majority of cases, fewer officers and fewer suspects sustain any sort of physical or permanent injuries,” he said, speaking of Tasers. “But the other steps available are usually hard physical contact, something like a baton. And that is much more likely to cause some type of immediate or lasting physical harm.”
But Ken Harris, who has represented Turner’s family since the teen’s death three years ago, said Williams’ death may illustrate the Taser’s dangers.
“This incident is just another example of why we have been so persistent in arguing that the Taser is a lethal weapon,” Harris said.
“We wanted Darryl’s legacy to be a reduction in the number of deaths related to the use of Tasers. This is just another tragedy.”
At Woodlawn Lynx station
On Wednesday night, Williams and a female friend were riding the Lynx line home after watching a movie at the AMC movie theater on South Boulevard, said Ariel Terry, a friend of Williams who says she dated him for a year. At some point, he got into an argument with the woman, Terry said.
At 10:39 p.m., someone called police reporting that man was beating a woman at the Woodlawn Lynx station, a raised platform along the 4700 block of Old Pineville Road, according to a police statement.
Forbes was the first officer to respond.
Monroe told reporters Forbes fired his department-issued Taser as Williams was about to strike the woman again. Forbes used the Taser “in an attempt to gain compliance,” according to a police statement.
Forbes soon realized the suspect was unresponsive and radioed for paramedics.
Terry said Williams treated her well when they dated. But she did acknowledge that Williams had been previously charged with assault on a female and other crimes.
She said Williams has a 1-year-old child and two children on the way. He was attending classes at Central Piedmont Community College, she said, trying to get his graduate equivalent diploma.
Monroe told reporters that investigators are analyzing video that apparently showed what happened during the confrontation.
“A host of cameras (are) in and around the area,” Monroe said. “We’re going through a very methodical process analyzing the data from those cameras.”
Williams’ family declined to comment. The Observer’s news partner, WCNC-TV, reported that they had hired a lawyer.
Largest award against maker
A day before Williams died, Darryl Turner’s family was awarded $10 million after a jury found that Taser International failed to warn that the weapon could cause cardiac arrest. The award was the largest ever against the makers of the Taser. The company said it will appeal.
The city of Charlotte paid $625,000 to Turner’s family in 2009, though it denied wrongdoing.
Turner died in March 2008 after Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Jerry Dawson Jr. shocked him at a Food Lion grocery store in northeast Charlotte.
Turner, who worked at the store, died from cardiac arrest. The autopsy showed the teenager’s heart was pumping so fast and chaotically from the Taser shot and stress from the confrontation that it stopped pumping blood properly. The autopsy found no pre-existing heart problems.
Dawson was not charged with any crime. Prosecutors said the officer was justified in using the Taser during the confrontation with Turner, who was found with three small bags of marijuana in his socks after the incident. He was also “agitated” and threw something at a manager, police said.
Dawson was suspended for five days without pay and required to undergo additional training. After Turner’s death, all officers were required to undergo more training with Tasers.
Police didn’t respond to questions about Forbes’ training Thursday, but under the department’s training regimen, he would have completed the additional training at least twice
Source:www.charlotteobserver.com
Police find more than $100,000 of stolen merchandise at SC pawn shop www.privateofficer.com
Mount Pleasant SC July 23 2011 Authorities say an investigation by the Mount Pleasant Police Department led to an arrest and seizure of more than $100,000 in stolen goods Wednesday.
The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, which is now leading the investigations, expects more arrests.
Dozens of boxes of merchandise worth more than $100,000, most of it pet supplies, was confiscated from Mr. Flaps Pawn Shop in Goose Creek and from a Summerville home.
Felicia Sanders Smith, 44, of 558 Butternut Road in Summerville, has been charged with receiving and possession of stolen goods valued at $10,000 or more.
According to authorities, the investigation began in January following arrests made in a Mount Pleasant shoplifting incident. Information from that investigation led to the Goose Creek pawn shop. Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dan Moon also said an unnamed informant was key in the investigation.
“It’s believed that Ms. Smith gave a list of items she wanted shoplifted to a group of individuals,” said Moon.
Stolen items Items were then allegedly sold in the Goose Creek Boulevard pawn shop or online. Officers would not identify the eBay account used in the web sales, but noted it was being shut down.
No other employees at the pawn shop have been charged and the store reopened this morning.
Six more suspects, believed to have been the shoplifters, have been identified and are being sought in the investigation, Moon said. Their names will be made available as formal charges are filed and arrests are made.
The items believed to have been stolen included flea and tick medicine and similar pet products that were unusual finds at a pawn shop. Most of the items confiscated in the store Wednesday were still in the original packaging.
Uof H student must earn college degree or face jail for shoplifting www.privateofficer.com
The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Wednesday that 19-year-old Erin Oshiro was sentenced to 30 days in jail that she can avoid if she completes other requirements set by Hilo Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura.
Oshiro, a reserve outfielder, was ordered to complete her degree, pay a $674 fine for items stolen, write an apology letter to Walmart and complete a National Association for Shoplifting Prevention program.
Three more softball players arrested along with Oshiro for shoplifting Dec. 14 were sentenced to five years of probation and 150 hours of community service.
Stolen items included computer games, a “Despicable Me” DVD, blank CDs, makeup, accessories and a T-shirt.
Source:Star Advertiser
Federal Way police kill armed Wal-Mart shoplifter www.privateofficer.com
FEDERAL WAY, Wash.July 23 2011 — Customers are waiting to return to a parking lot Friday to retrieve their cars where police shot and killed a shoplifting suspect at the Walmart in Federal Way Thursday.
The shooting happened at the store on South 314th Street in the parking lot that was crowded with shoppers.
Police said the store’s loss prevention officers were following a man they spotted shoplifting inside the store at about 5:30 p.m. and called officers.
When the man came outside and officers approached him, the man fled, police said.
A short distance later, police said, the man turned around and reached down to what appeared to be an ankle holster.
Police said the officers spotted a gun in the holster and shot the man at about 6 p.m. A gun was recovered from the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
“An officer was just shooting, nine or 10 times. The guy was on the ground. There were cars in the way for me to see the person. He was standing over the top shooting,” said witness Tim Loucks.
“I was scared. I went blank for a while and then my mom took me back inside. Then we found we couldn’t get to our car because they blocked off the whole parking lot,” said Ebony McNeil.
Police detained hundreds of shoppers who were in the store or the parking lot when the shooting erupted. Officers said they wanted to interview all the potential witnesses, and some were stranded for hours.
“I was taking pictures with my baby and we were getting ready to leave and go to what we thought was bowling, but we can’t now, we had to leave our car and hopefully have someone come pick us up,” said shopper Remeikca Munroe.
The officer who shot the suspected shoplifter is on administrative leave. Kent police are investigating the shooting.
Police did not yet know the man’s identity on Thursday.
Source:KIRO7.com
Man wearing a dress arrested for exposing self at Wal-Mart www.privateofficer.com
According to a police media report, “witnesses observed the actor wearing a dress that he tucked into his pantyhose, allowing his genitals to be seen by numerous customers and employees” in the store’s garden center on Monday afternoon.
“I don’t even know how he got in, but people was just looking at him. You could see everything,” employee Shane Teets told Channel 4 Action News reporter Jennifer Miele. “There was no reason for that — all the little kids and stuff. It was gross.”
A store security officer asked the man to leave, then watched him get into his car and followed him to a Sheetz gas station and helped lead police to him.
“I think that’s great. Good for him. Glad he did,” shopper Ann Halapin said.
The suspect was identified by police as Nelson Falcone, 58, of Bannock, Ohio. He was arraigned before District Judge Michael Defino Jr. on charges of indecent exposure, open lewdness and disorderly conduct.
Falcone is being held in the county prison on 10 percent of $15,000 bond, pending a preliminary hearing.
Source:www.wtae.com
