Archive
OFFICER DOWN Justin Sollohub
Police Department Anniston, Alabama
End of Watch: Thursday, August 25, 2011
Biographical Info
Age: 27
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: 174
Incident DetailsCause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: August 24, 2011
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: In custody
Police Officer Justin Sollohub succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained the previous day while involved in a foot pursuit.
Officer Sollohub was on patrol at about 11:00 am when he stopped his vehicle to make contact with a pedestrian near the intersection of 19th Street and Moore Avenue. As Officer Sollohub exited his patrol car the man fled on foot.
As Officer Sollohub chased the man around the side of a house he was shot once in the head. A responding officer located him and immediately began tending to his wound. He was transported to a local hospital before being flown to Birmingham. He remained on life support until his organs could be donated.
The man who shot Officer Sollohub was arrested later in the day after a massive manhunt. He faces capital murder charges in connection with Officer Sollohub’s murder.
Officer Sollohub had served with the Anniston Police Department for two years. He is survived by his parents.
Agency Contact InformationAnniston Police Department
1200 Gurnee Avenue
Anniston, AL 36201
Phone: (256) 238-1800
NYPD uses Twitter to follow gangs www.privateofficer.com
New York City NY Aug 26 2011 Dozens of suspected gang members were arrested in a Brooklyn park by an army of cops after several of the thugs went viral to spread word of a meeting, the Daily News has learned.
A group of reputed Crips members used Twitter and other social networking sites to arrange what they called a “Crips Holiday” at Amersfort Park in East Flatbush on Wednesday, said a police source.
Acting on a tip, cops from the NYPD’s Gang Unit, along with officers from the 63rd Precinct, the borough task force and the Emergency Service Unit, arrived at the park near Avenue J and E. 38th St. about 7:30 p.m., police said.
They ordered the crowd, who were mostly dressed in the distinct blue colors of the gang, to disperse from the park. When they refused, cops moved in and rounded up 56 of the gang-bangers, a police source said.
A 9-mm. Taurus pistol was later recovered inside the park, cops said.
“We don’t know exactly what their intentions were,” said one law enforcement source with knowledge of the arrests. “But a gun was recovered. The potential for danger was there.”
As first reported by The News this month, the NYPD recently established a new Juvenile Justice Unit, which monitors social media websites for gang activity.
It’s not clear if that unit had a role in the recent arrests.
Detroit police officer’s death ruled suicide www.privateofficer.com
The Wayne County medical examiner’s office says 38-year-old Theron White died of a gunshot wound to the head.
White was found Monday night on a northwest Detroit street. Police Chief Ralph Godbee said at the time that investigators had no evidence the gunshot came from outside the vehicle.
KY prisoner overpowers security officer to escape www.privateofficer.com
Lexington KY Aug 26 2011 State police continue to search for an inmate who escaped in a jail transport van in eastern Kentucky Wednesday.
Police say Stevie Daniel Wynn, 32, climbed through a security screen, assaulted and overpowered a jail security officer, and escaped in the van. Wynn was on his way back to the Letcher County Jail after a court appearance in Hazard.
Wynn is white, stands 6-foot-1 and weighs about 160 pounds. He was last seen wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, driving a white 2010 Dodge Caravan with license plate 4-2-5-4-D-D. He has brown hair, blue eyes and a tattoo on his left upper arm.
If you have any information on Wynn’s whereabouts, call Kentucky State Police at 800-222-5555.
Source:LEX18.com
Police charge 2 with hotel thefts www.privateofficer.com
Police said thefts at the Courtyard Marriott on Maple Road were reported Monday night. They said a security officer had noticed suspicious men in the employee-only area of the hotel and had noted the car they drove away in near the time the thefts were reported.
The car was found in the 14 Mile Road and Interstate 75 area and had the items stolen from the hotel in it, police said.
Arrested were Tal Spencer Lever Jr. and George Alexander Kirkland. They are both charged with first-degree home invasion, second-degree home invasion, larceny in a building and receiving and concealing stolen property.
Flag theft suspect was a squirrel www.privateofficer.com
TOLEDO, Ohio Aug 26 2011 — Police in Ohio have discovered that small flags being swiped from a police memorial were being squirreled away.
Two Toledo officers watched on Wednesday as a squirrel quickly snatched a flag off its wooden dowel and ran off with it. Lt. James Brown told The Blade newspaper the bushy-tailed critter was too quick to catch.
Later, police noticed a squirrel hanging out on a tree branch outside a third-floor window at their headquarters building. They also spotted a squirrel’s nest made of leaves and branches — and at least two of the little flags.
Brown says at least three of the flags have gone missing in recent days.
He’s careful to point out he can’t prove all were the work of the same squirrel.
Newlyweds shoplift food for reception www.privateofficer.com
The Centre Daily Times reports 32-year-old Arthur Phillips III and his bride, 22-year-old Brittany Lurch, were arrested Saturday after taking more than $1,000 in merchandise from a Wegmans supermarket in Centre Hall.
Patton Township police say the couple was captured on surveillance footage loading a shopping cart and leaving the store without paying.
The Centre Daily Times report says the couple admitted taking the items when arrested. Police say the newlyweds told officers they’d been married a couple days earlier and took the food for their wedding reception that afternoon.
Phillips and Lurch are each charged with misdemeanor counts and are being held on $2,500 bail.
Sausage thief pulls knife and bikes across state line to escape www.privateofficer.com
Atmore AL Aug 26 2011 An Atmore man is charged with armed robbery after allegedly stuffing sausage inside his pants and pulling a knife at the Piggly Wiggly, before making his getaway across state lines on bicycle.
Charles Truman Davis, 62, remained in the Escambia County Jail on the armed robbery charge early Friday morning. His bond was set at $50,000.
An employee at the Piggly Wiggly on Highway 97 in Davisville reported seeing Davis place four packs of Conecuh Sausage — worth $4.29 each — into his pants. Before leaving, Davis reportedly pulled a four-inch pocket knife and told the store employee, “You don’t know me. I’ll cut your guts out”, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
The store’s security guard and another employee tailed the alleged sausage thief’s bicycle into Atmore where he was detained by the Atmore Police Department. The stolen sausage was never found; authorities believe Davis disposed of it when he realized he was being followed.
Source:northescambia.com
Former KY teacher charged with sex crimes www.privateofficer.com
FORT COVINGTON, N.Y.Aug 26 2011 – Lewis County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested a former South Lewis School district teacher.
Bryan Barney, 34, of Fort Covington, is charged with rape and one count of a criminal sexual act after deputies say he became acquainted with a 15-year-old student.
Deputies allege the relationship turned sexual during the spring of 2010 semester and continued into spring of 2011.
According to deputies Barney left the district in June of 2010.
The investigation revealed the sexual relationship did not take place on school property or during school hours.
Barney has been arraigned in the Town of Turin Court and is being held in the Lewis County Jail.
Source:WKTV.com
Effingham County High School teacher arrested for child molestation www.privateofficer.com
Effingham County GA Aug 26 2011 An Effingham County High School teacher has been arrested on child molestation charges, Rincon Police Chief Mike Bohannon said.
Leslie Eugene Pierce, 66, of Rincon, was arrested Tuesday afternoon and charged with sodomy, sexual battery, aggravated child molestation, enticing a child for indecent purposes and cruelty to children in the first degree.
Bohannon said the investigation began based on a complaint and is ongoing.
The victim is not a student of Pierce’s, Bohannon said.
According to the Effingham County School System website, Pierce is a construction teacher at the high school.
Pierce is being held without bond in the Effingham County jail.
Source:savannahnow.com
NH substitute teacher arrested for sending inappropriate messages on Facebook www.privateofficer.com
Pelham NH Aug 26 2011 A Pelham, NH man was arrested on Wednesday for alleged inappropriate messages he sent to a minor over Facebook.
Matthew Levine, 22, is facing the felony charge of certain uses of computer services prohibited because of alleged sexual messages he sent to a 16-year old girl.
The female who received the messaged met Levine when he was working as a substitute teacher at the Pelham Memorial School in 2010. The two began an online relationship after meeting.
Levine is being held on $20,000 bail and will be arraigned in Salem District Court on Thursday
Source:www.myfoxboston.com
PCP user arrested after complaining of headache www.privateofficer.com
Police received at call at 1:05 this morning from Andre Wheeler, 28 of Hoboken. He complained that he had a pounding headache, the report said.
When police showed up, Wheeler told them he smoked PCP and was punched in the head earlier that day.
He said he knew who punched him, but did not wish to press charges, police said.
Wheeler was in a Hoboken Housing Authority Building, where his name did not appear of the lease, and therefore was considered trespassing. He did not sign into the building, the report said.
Wheeler was brought to Hoboken University Medical Center, and was arrested there and charged with use of C.D.S and defiant trespassing, the report said.
Source:nj.com
Arizona man stuffs stolen snakes down his pants www.privateofficer.com
Mesa AZ Aug 26 2011 A man was arrested on theft charges after police said he was caught on video trying to steal an Albino Boa Constrictor and other exotic reptiles by stuffing them down his pants.
Eric Fiegel, 22, was arrested at 3:40 p.m. Tuesday after police reviewed surveillance footage from a pet shop that shows a man stealing baby albino boa constrictors July 30 from Predator’s Reptile Center in Mesa by placing them in his pants and exiting the store, according to Mesa police.
Police said he reportedly entered the store, removed several baby snakes from their cage, and exited without paying. He allegedly returned later in the evening and left with several more snakes hidden in his pants, police reported.
According to police, Fiegel then traveled to another pet store and traded several of the snakes for $175 and a large reptile tank valued at $175.
A witness obtained a license plate number which police used to locate Fiegel.
Fiegel was later positively identified from a police lineup by two witnesses and also from the surveillance footage that showed him placing the snakes in his pants, according to a police report.
Source:www.azcentral.com
Macy robbery suspect flees-assaults security www.privateofficer.com
Mentor OH Aug 26 2011 A man from Chardon is accused of stealing from the Macy’s in Great Lakes Mall and fighting with a security guard when he tried to stop him.
The guard saw Michael Gray, 19, and Brandon Kudley, 20, taking necklaces from the department store Wednesday evening, Mentor Police Lt. Tom Powers said. Gray also snatched three tester bottles of cologne, Powers said.
When the guard confronted them, Kudley didn’t argue. But Gray ran from the store and across the street to the Toys ‘R Us parking lot.
The guard followed him and tried to get him to stop running. Instead, Gray elbowed the guard in the chest and knocked him down, Powers said. Then he ran away again.
The police were called and officers found Gray by the railroad tracks behind the store. He tried to run a third time but officers caught up and arrested him by St. Clair Avenue, Powers said.
After the arrested him, police found out Gray had three active warrants for his arrest: one for burglary from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, one for failing to appear in court on drug charges from Mentor Police, and one for failing to appear in court on criminal damaging charges from Madison Township Police.
Gray was charged with robbery, theft and obstructing official business.
Kudley, who is from Willowick, faces a misdemeanor charge of theft.
Security guard murder suspect may be given parole www.privateofficer.com
San Francisco CA Aug 26 2011 A state appeals court has ordered a new parole hearing that could lead to the release of a man who at age 17 killed a security guard in Hayward during a robbery in 1990, but has a productive and spotless record in prison.
The Board of Parole Hearings had no evidence to support its conclusion at a July 2009 hearing that Joshua Kaplan would be dangerous if released, the First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco said Tuesday. The court told the board to hold another hearing and release Kaplan unless it found new evidence that he posed a risk to the public.
Kaplan was one of two men who robbed Kobe Precision, an electronics store, in August 1990 and fatally shot security guard Keith Taylor, 40, of Hayward.
Kaplan, who had no criminal record, told authorities he had taken LSD, methamphetamine and other drugs that day, saw Taylor lying on the floor wounded and followed the other robber’s order to shoot him. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years to life.
The court said Kaplan, now 38, has had no disciplinary problems in prison, has gotten a community college degree, and has taken drug and alcohol treatment programs and vocational training.
He has accepted full responsibility for the crime, discussed the causes – his youth, drug abuse, family turmoil and falling in with the wrong crowd – and satisfied a prison psychologist that he had no current mental problems and posed a low risk of future violence, the court said.
Kaplan also reads books to blind inmates as part of a program at the state prison in Vacaville, said his lawyer, Charles Carbone.
“If anyone has benefited from being in prison, it’s Mr. Kaplan,” he said.
In concluding in 2009 that Kaplan might still be dangerous, the parole board cited his past drug use, the callous nature of the crime and questions that board members had about his mental state.
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Larry Goodman said there was evidence to support the board’s decision. But the appeals court, in a 3-0 ruling, said the crime and Kaplan’s drug use were past events that did not demonstrate a current threat, and prison records show “strong evidence of rehabilitation.”
State Supreme Court precedent requires courts that overturn parole board decisions to return the case to the board for a new hearing rather than ordering the prisoner’s release. The attorney general’s office could appeal the ruling to the state’s high court.
Source:www.sfgate.com
Columbia SC firefighter charged with arson www.privateofficer.com
COLUMBIA SC Aug 26 2011 A 13-year fire department veteran is facing arson charges in connection with a weekend blaze at a home he apparently owned, Columbia-Richland Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins announced Wednesday.
Pierre Shawn Daye, 38, was arrested this morning at Columbia fire department headquarters, Jenkins said, following an investigation by the State Law Enforcement Division. He has been charged with third-degree arson.
Firefighters were called to a blaze around 10:30 p.m. Saturday at a home on Abingdon Road, in the Eau Claire area, Jenkins said. Daye owned the home, which sustained about $3,000-$4,000 in damage.
SLED was called in to investigate, when suspicions of arson arose. Jenkins did not provide additional details, except to say the blaze appeared to be an isolated incident.
Daye was being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, awaiting a bond hearing this afternoon.
Daye, an engineer who has been with the department since 1998, has been placed on investigatory suspension without pay pending completion of the investigation.
Jenkins said this is the first time in his memory that a Columbia firefighter has been suspected in an alleged arson.
“When you learn one of your own is possibly involved, it’s disturbing,” Jenkins said. “We’re hoping it’s not true.”
Source:www.charlotteobserver.com
Shoplifter uses syringe as weapon against security-store employee www.privateofficer.com
Jersey City NJ Aug 26 2011 A homeless Jersey City felon has been charged with trying to stab three men with a syringe after stealing cosmetics from a supermarket on Route 440 Tuesday, officials said yesterday.
Michael Rutkiewicz, 36, was charged with robbery and weapons offenses in connection with the incident at Pathmark, reports said.
The Pathmark manager said Rutkiewicz was concealing items as he left the store and he knocked over a handicapped woman as he left, reports said.
When the manager and a security guard confronted him, he took out a syringe and tried to stab both men, reports said. A retired police officer tried to help and became a target too, reports said.
Rutkiewicz was in prison from March 20, 2008 to June 17, 2009 for a weapons offense, state corrections records say.
Mother, teen assault mall security www.privateofficer.com
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.Aug 26 2011 — A teen and his mother were arrested at the Avenues Mall on Wednesday after they assaulted a security guard, according to Jacksonville police.
Police said 18-year-old Devonte Bryant and his mother, 38-year-old Tyheshi Butler, were at the mall when the security guard asked Bryant to pull up his pants.
Bryant refused, police said. They said that’s when he was ordered to leave the mall, he screamed an expletive and said, “I’m not pulling up my pants up or leaving this (expletive) mall. You can’t do anything to me. Obama runs this country.”
Police said Bryant chest-bumped the guard, and the guard took Bryant by the arm and started walking him to the door. Police said that’s when Butler grabbed the guard to get her son free, and Bryant punched the guard.
There was a scuffle, and both suspects were arrested. They are charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer.
The Avenues Mall released this statement Thursday:
“The Avenues code of conduct is a proactive measure that Simon Property Group has implemented at their shopping centers nationally for many years to ensure a safe, comfortable shopping experience for all patrons. It is also posted at all mall entrances for public viewing. Occasionally, the code of conduct is distributed as an educational tool for our mall visitors.
As always, the safety of our shoppers and mall employees is our top priority. We maintain a close working relationship with local law enforcement authorities to ensure that the appropriate security measures are being taken to help provide and maintain a safe environment at our mall.”
Source:News4Jax.com
Off-duty San Diego police officer killed in motorcycle crash www.privateofficer.com
San Diego CA Aug 26 2011 An off-duty San Diego police officer died in a motorcycle accident in Palm City near Nestor.
The officer, identified by a San Diego police spokesperson as 26-year-old Christopher Blakeley, was killed while riding his motorcycle Wednesday night.
San Diego and Chula Vista police got the call around 9:40 p.m. that Blakeley’s motorcycle collided with a truck at Hollister and Main Streets.
Witnesses reported the motorcycle was going very fast just prior to hitting the truck and flipping it over according to Sgt. Ron Glass.
“The motorcyclist was eastbound, possibly ran a red light, struck the black pickup truck that was westbound striking the driver’s side of the vehicle,” Glass said.
The man and the woman inside the truck suffered minor injuries.
Blakeley, a three-year veteran of the department had been assigned to the Southeastern Division since November 2008 according to an SDPD news release.
A woman who identified herself as Blakeley’s mother, expressed her grief on Facebook and posted several items on her page.
She said Christopher was her first born child and that she had once told him the bike would be the end of him.
“There is so much more good Chris could have done in this world, I’d gladly give my life for his,” Pepper Blakeley posted on her Facebook page. “He should be here in this world making a difference.”
“My son was a good man kind,caring,giving,served his country, loved his family, and was a good police officer,” she continued.” It’s just NOT FAIR!!!!!”
Police say elderly couple attempts suicide and then drives to police station www.privateofficer.com
LOXLEY, Alabama Aug 26 2011 — Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office deputies are investigating what appears to have been a failed “suicide pact” that took place in the Rosinton community early this morning, authorities said.
James Morrow, 70, and Anne Morrow, 65, told investigators that they had mutually agreed to the act because of financial hardships, according to Maj. Anthony Lowery, Sheriff’s Office spokesman.
The couple had been staying at Wilderness RV Park on Patterson Road in Robertsdale, said Loxley police Lt. Doug Phillips.
While parked somewhere on Campbell Road inside the couple’s Ford F-150 pickup truck, James Morrow shot Anne in the back of the head then turned the gun on his own head, Lowery said.
James Morrow then drove the truck about 3 miles to the Loxley Police Department, where the couple went inside for help, Phillips said.
“At first, when they said they wanted to report that they’d attempted suicide, we thought they had used sleeping pills or something along those lines,” Phillips said. “They were walking and talking, and they were in distress but not overly in distress.”
Soon, it became clear that they had each sustained a gunshot injury to the head, and officers called for medical help, he said.
A suicide note was later found inside the couple’s truck, Lowery said.
The Morrows were taken to the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile — James by medical helicopter and Anne by ambulance, Lowery said. The victims’ wounds did not appear to be life-threatening, he said.
Deputies interviewed both subjects at the hospital, Lowery said. There are no pending charges in the case at this time, he said.
Source:AL.com
Former Georgia deputy arrested for producing child porn www.privateofficer.com
Christopher Thomas Davis, 32, of Dahlonega made an initial appearance Thursday in federal court in Gainesville.
According to the court affidavit, David Westall, special agent for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, alleges that Davis “used a minor to engage in sexually explicitly conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct by means of a Nikon camera, that camera having been mailed, transported, and shipped in interstate and foreign commerce.”
Patrick Crosby, public affairs officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, said the photographs of a 7-year-old female engaged in sexually explicit conduct were taken in May 2009.
The affidavit details the events leading to Davis’ arrest.
Investigators from the Child Exploitation Investigations Group tracked Davis after arresting Timothy McKeithan of Houston, Texas, on charges of possession of child pornography.
McKeithan’s girlfriend, Lisa Davis, the ex-wife of Christopher Davis, told investigators the images were produced by Christopher Davis.
The affidavit states that “Lisa Davis reported Christopher Davis had an entire room of their home dedicated to making videos and taking pictures,” and that he “had a large collection of pornography, which included sexually explicit material of underdeveloped females.”
After leaving Christopher Davis in the fall of 2009, Lisa Davis took his hard drive, which contained photos of her, and asked McKeithan to delete those images. She then mailed the hard drive back to Christopher Davis.
Following further investigation, agents arrested Christopher Davis.
White County Sheriff Neal Walden said Christopher Davis was terminated Thursday for unlawful conduct.
Christopher Davis remains in federal custody awaiting a preliminary and detention hearing set for Sept. 1.
Source:GainesvilleTimes.com
Woman pretends to be Sears employee arrested for scam www.privateofficer.com
Salem NH Aug 26 2011 — A Somerville, Mass., woman who allegedly pretended she was a Sears department store worker outside of a Salem mall and made off with $3,000 by pretending to sell discounted televisions will face a judge in October.
Shannon Gallant, 26, with a last known address of 26C North St., Apt. 38, goes on trial on a single count of theft by deception the week of Oct. 24 in Rockingham County Superior Court.
Gallant eluded Salem police for nearly three months until surveillance photos released by police led to her being identified and arrested, police said.
Gallant met a local woman on Sept. 20, 2010, at the Sears store receiving area at the Mall at Rockingham Park and claimed she was selling four 46-inch LCD televisions at a discount, according to police.
Police believe Gallant was not working alone, but she refused to speak with officers following her arrest.
The victim told police that her business was contacted by a man who identified himself as Teddy, and claimed he had four surplus televisions for sale for $3,000 in cash.
Gallant met up with the victim and took her cash, saying the TVs would be delivered shortly, police said. She then walked through the store, where footage of her was captured on surveillance cameras that was later used to identify her.
A still photo from that footage was published by local media and a police website called Massachusetts Most Wanted list. An anonymous call to police helped identify Gallant, police said.
Gallant is facing a Class A felony of theft by deception, punishable by up to 7 ½ to 15 years in state prison and a $4,000 fine. She remains free on bail.
Store employee arrested in theft of Lottery tickets www.privateofficer.com
Jacksonville Fla Aug 26 2011 A 29-year-old Orange Park man was arrested Monday on a charge of employee theft after hundreds of Florida Lottery tickets went missing from a Kangaroo convenience store at 5111 Baymeadows Road, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
The store’s loss-prevention officer discovered about $12,000 in losses from state lottery tickets since May and called police Aug. 17. Further research showed packages of tickets went missing from the Southside store 11 times from June through August, with winning tickets worth a little more than $4,000, police said.
Assistant Manager Ryan Keith Taylor of Noe Road was questioned by police and said it was for fun and then became an addiction, according to his arrest report
Source:Jacksonville.com
Shoplifter leaves her name and address on raffle ticket www.privateofficer.com
Penn Valley CA Aug 26 2011 A would-be shoplifter allegedly tried her luck a little too far when she filled out a raffle ticket at the Penn Valley store with her name, address and phone number.
The woman showed up at Anything Green Hydroponics, in the 17000 block of Penn Valley Drive, before the store was even open Friday morning, said owner Doug Jones.
“Obviously she had a plan,” Jones said.
The woman, identified as Elizabeth Genevieve Null, 20, spent about a half-hour in the store, asking his advice on a number of products and going outside at one point to make a call, Jones said.
“She was so slick, she took stuff and then ‘faced’ all the stuff she had been stealing,” Jones said, explaining that she moved products to the front of the racks and made sure their labels were facing out to hide about $300 in thefts.
“After I educated her about some products, she decided to help herself to that,” Jones said.
At some point, Null allegedly neglected to “face” one of the products she had shoplifted and that’s what Jones noticed after she left the store, he said.
Jones and his wife had recently installed four new security cameras in the store after an earlier shoplifting incident had occurred in a blind spot.
So Jones’ wife had no trouble finding Null on the video, allegedly stuffing bottles of FoxFarm Tiger Bloom fertilizer in her purse, leaving the store and then coming back and stealing more items.
Then came what Jones called “the icing on the cake.”
Null was seen on the video filling out a raffle entry form for a compost tea party that is being hosted by Anything Green.
“I thought for sure it would be bogus (information),” Jones said. “I’m so glad she’s a stupid thief.”
Nevada County Sheriff’s deputies, armed with Null’s information, found her at her residence on Lucky Nugget Lane, off McCourtney Road.
“At first she denied it, but then she admitted the theft and returned the items,” Nevada County Undersheriff Henry Serrano said. “Obviously, she’s not a sophisticated criminal.”
Null was booked into county jail on suspicion of shoplifting and possession of stolen property, and was released on $10,750 bail.
Store employee arrested for fondling customer www.privateofficer.com
The victim reported to Decatur patrol officer Tucker M. Tool at about 4 p.m. Tuesday that she had been molested by a man in A-1 Grocery, 151 N. Jasper St., according to a sworn statement by Tool.
The female victim said a male employee left his post behind the counter, grabbed her breasts and rubbed his hands between her thighs.
As the man was doing this to her, the victim reportedly yelled, “Stop, let me go.” The victim then broke free and left the store.
After speaking with the victim, the officer visited the store and viewed the security video, which showed the man “walk from behind the counter and place his hands all over (the victim’s) body,” according to the sworn statement.
The tape showed that the man was “being very aggressive with his hands and it appeared that (the victim) was uncomfortable. (The victim) was observed yelling some unknown words toward (the accused) as he was physically touching her all over her body.”
A woman who witnessed the incident told the officer a version of the incident which lined up with the victim’s report and the surveillance video.
The man was booked into the Macon County Jail, where he was being held on $10,000 bond. If he remains in custody, his arraignment will be held no later than Tuesday morning.
Source:www.herald-review.com
Monroe police officer charged in shoplifting scheme www.privateofficer.com
Raul X. Johnson, 43, of Monroe, was charged with seven counts of mail fraud and one of making a false statement to a federal agent. The friend, identified only as “SP,” was not charged.
Johnson does not have a listed phone number.
KNOE-TV reports that at a news conference earlier Thursday, Police Chief Quentin D. Holmes Sr. said Johnson had worked for the department for at least 10 years, and had been suspended with pay. He also said he knew nothing more than was in the indictment.
An emailed news release about the indictment arrived after 5 p.m. Thursday, and police told the Associated Press that neither Holmes nor the department spokesman could be reached for comment until Friday morning.
The indictment alleges that from December 2004 until February 2009, Johnson and SP “listed approximately 14,334 items for sale on eBay with sales prices totaling $196,310.53.” All were stolen from national retail chains with stores in the Monroe area, it said.
According to the indictment, Johnson lied to an FBI agent and a U.S. postal inspector by saying he never knew the eBay account was used to sell stolen goods; “he only received $50 once a week or every two weeks from SP” for letting her use his account at American Horizons Bank, now Iberia Bank; and the account never held more than $1,000 or so.
Conviction on the false statement charge could bring up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine; each mail fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley.
