Archive
OFFICER DOWN Agent Emiliano Torres-Soto
Puerto Rico Police Department, Puerto Rico
End of Watch: Sunday, August 28, 2011
Biographical Info
Age: Not available
Tour of Duty: 10 years, 5 months
Badge Number: Not available
Incident DetailsCause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: August 28, 2011
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Not available
Agent Emiliano Torres-Soto was shot and killed in Ponce while attempting to take police action when he observed an altercation while off duty at approximately 5:00 am.
A group of men were arguing in front of a local bar when he observed one them brandish a handgun. Agent Torres-Soto identified himself and attempted to take action when he was shot as many as 10 times by multiple gunmen.
He was transported to San Cristobal Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Agent Torres-Soto had served with the Puerto Rico Police Department for 10 years and was assigned to Radio Command Ponce. He is survived by his wife, two sons, stepdaughter, parents, and five brothers.
Agency Contact InformationPuerto Rico Police Department
PO Box 70166
San Juan, PR 00936
Phone: (787) 792-1234
OFFICER DOWN Constable Sgt. Mark Scianna
Bexar County Constable’s Office – Precinct 3, Texas
End of Watch: Saturday, August 27, 2011
Biographical Info
Age: 49
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Badge Number: 325
Incident DetailsCause of Death: Automobile accident
Date of Incident: August 27, 2011
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Sergeant Mark Scianna was killed in an automobile accident at the intersection of Lockhill-Selma Road and George Road at 10:34 pm.
He had activated his emergency equipment and attempted to turn onto George Road when his vehicle left the roadway and struck a utility pole. The impact caused Sergeant Scianna to be ejected from the vehicle, which then rolled over and struck a second utility pole.
Dispatchers were alerted to the crash when Sergeant Scianna’s emergency button was activated on his portable radio. Bystanders also called 911 to report the crash and attempted to douse the flames with a garden hose until emergency crews arrived. Sergeant Scianna was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sergeant Scianna has served with the Bexar County Precinct 3 Constable’s Office for two years. He had previously served with the Castle Hills Police Department for 10 years and the New Britain (Connecticut) Police Department. He is survived by his three sons.
Agency Contact InformationBexar County Constable’s Office – Precinct 3
8918 Tesoro Drive, Suite 301
San Antonio, TX 78217
Phone: (210) 335-4750
Roswell music teacher was charged with child molestation www.privateofficer.com
Roswell GA Aug 30 2011 A Roswell music teacher was charged with molesting one of his students; and police believe there may be more victims.
Roswell police charged Mr. Brannon Robert Steck, 34, of 240 Glenn Holly Drive, with child molestation, enticing a child for indecent purposes, sexual assault and aggravated sexual battery, spokesman Lt. James McGhee said.
Mr. Steck, who was arrested at his home last week, remained in the Fulton County jail Monday without bond, Roswell police spokeswoman Ms. Lisa Holland said.
The alleged assaults happened more than a year ago, but the Department of Family and Children Services was only notified last month, Ms. Holland said.
DFACS officials then called the police department in late July.
Investigators said Mr. Steck, who was a teacher at Holcomb Bridge Middle School, repeatedly assaulted the girl who was under the age of 16.
But it was unclear how long the alleged assaults have been going on, and Ms. Holland did not know where they happened.
Mr. Steck stopped teaching at the middle school last year who was a self-employed music teacher, Ms. Holland said. He was not married and lived alone, Ms. Holland said.
Now investigators are checking to see if there are more victims.
“He was a teacher at a school, so you never know,” Ms. Holland said.
Source:www.examiner.com
Police arrest man in stabbing death of SC college professor www.privateofficer.com
COLUMBIA, SC Aug 30 2011 – Police have arrested a man they believe murdered a University of South Carolina associate professor inside her home over the weekend.
Police said Jennifer Lee Wilson, 36, was stabbed multiple times at her home on Monroe Street sometime between late Saturday night and early Sunday morning.
Police were first called to the 3700 block of Monroe St. Saturday afternoon to investigate an argument. When officers arrived, they did not hear or see anything out of the ordinary, so they left.
On Sunday morning, police went back to the home around 11:00 a.m. after receiving another call from a concerned neighbor.
This time, police discovered Wilson’s body and signs of a struggle. Investigators say Wilson was stabbed multiple times.
Police arrested Hank Hawes, 37, at the hospital on Sunday and charged him with murdering Wilson. Police said Hawes and Wilson were once a couple, but the relationship had ended and they did not live together.
“You don’t expect that type of stuff to go one in your neighborhood,” said one neighbor on Sunday. “It’s scary”
Police said Wilson an associate professor of education at the University of South Carolina. According to her curriculum vitae, she had been employed there since 2005.
“Wilson was admired by colleagues and students for the difference that she made in the lives of children and teachers around the world,” said College of Education Dead Lemuel Watson. “Although her life was cut short tragically, her contributions to literacy and teaching will live on in the achievements of the many students whose lives she touched.”
Hawes is being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. The incident remains under investigation.
Source:WIS.com
Texas family threatens security with screwdriver after shoplifting www.privateofficer.com
Pedro Casas, Angelica Rubio and a 13-year-old went before a judge. They’re facing charges of aggravated robbery and child endangerment.
The trio is accused of taking items from the JC Penney store. Investigators say they did this with two small children, ages 1 and 2. The security officer confronted them in the parking lot, and police say Casas threatened him with a screwdriver. Police say Rubio and the teen then attacked the officer, biting him.
NC mother kills children with hatchet, attempts suicide www.privateofficer.com
ASHEVILLE, NC Aug 30 2011 – A gruesome discovery inside an Asheville home on Saturday led to double murder charges against a wife and mother.
Police said Naiyana Patel, 33, bludgeoned her two young daughters with a hatchet and then tried to kill herself.
Investigators say Patel used the ax to repeatedly strike herself in the head.
“It’s just a terrible, terrible incident that occurred,” Lt. Wallace Welch, interim chief of police, told WYFF.
Welch said the father of Jiya Patel, 7, and Piya Patel, 4, found his daughters dead and wife injured, after returning home from work.
Lalji Patel, who friends and relatives call Lalu, owns a convenience store a short distance from their home on Shannon Drive.
Employee Billy Mills said Patel would usually ride a moped to work.
“Lalu would always have me pick up Naiyana and the girls and bring them to the store,” said Mills.
On Saturday morning, no one answered the door, Mills said.
“I called Lalu to let him know,” Mills told WYFF.
Patel unlocked the house and found his daughters and wife inside, Mills said.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Mills told WYFF. “They were a loving family.”
By Sunday morning, a makeshift memorial started to take shape by the family’s mailbox.
Friends of the family stopped by the home, after learning what happened.
“I couldn’t sleep last night,” Sameer Lakhani, told WYFF. “That’s all I could think of.”
Relatives of the Patels said Lalu was staying with them as they made arrangements to plan a funeral and clean up the family’s home.
“We don’t want Lalu to have to think about any of this,” Shelly Patel told WYFF. “We are trying to think for him.”
Patel said Naiyana was being treated for depression after a pregnancy she did not carry to full-term, and, at some point she switched medication because the initial prescription did not seem to help.
Relatives are trying to plan a funeral for Thursday.
As of Sunday afternoon, no condition was available for Naiyana Patel. She remained hospitalized at Mission Hospital after undergoing surgery.
Source:WYFF
Fort Myers woman jailed after shoplifting, biting security agent www.privateofficer.com
Police say 25-year-old Latoya Williams stole shirts, watches, sunglasses and other items from the Bealls department store located at 9370 Six Mile Cypress Parkway in Fort Myers Saturday afternoon.
When a store security officer stopped her in the store parking lot, she reportedly bit him in the arm and leg, according to an arrest report. The security officer was able to detain her until police arrived.
Police later confirmed through a records check that she had five active felony warrants.
She was booked into the Lee County Jail, where authorities discovered she was carrying a mechanics socket that had been converted into a crack pipe, the report said.
Boston security officer shot www.privateofficer.com
Boston MA Aug 30 2011 A security guard was shot near a school in Boston’s Hyde Park section during a struggle with a suspect early this morning, police said.
Around 1:30 a.m., a security guard at 1 Westinghouse Plaza in the Readville neighborhood was making rounds when he confronted a suspicious man, police said. The suspect pulled a handgun. There was a brief struggle, during which the gun went off, striking the security guard once, said police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll.
The victim, a 24-year-old man whose name was not released, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Driscoll said. He was recovering from a single gunshot wound at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
The suspect ran toward Readville Street after the incident, Driscoll said. Police searched for the suspect, a 6-foot-tall Hispanic man wearing black clothing, black shoes, and a black mask, but he was not found.
The shooting occurred only a few blocks away from Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s home in Readville.
The Westinghouse complex is a mixed residential, art studio, commercial, and light industrial mill conversion which houses lofts, offices, and construction companies.
One of the buildings in the complex also houses the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter School, a grade 5-12 school with 500 students that teaches Mandarin as a requirement to all 7th-12th graders and runs a Chinese exchange program.
The shooting in this normally quiet area had residents calling for action.
“I think a shooting in the complex, especially with residents and a school is disturbing,” said Pamela Ross, who lives in the complex. “In general, I think Readville is safe. It was what attracted me to buy in the area, being so close to Milton and Dedham and being near the mayor and police commissioner.”
Anyone with information is urged to call Area E-18 detectives at 617-343-5607. Community members wishing to assist this investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 800-494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).
Source:Boston.com
Hotel security officer shot by burglar www.privateofficer.com
The incident occurred just before 7 a.m. at the Capital Center Inn, 6101 E. 87th Street.
A 21-year-old woman told police a gunman barged into her room and ransacked it, looking for valuables. He took her cash and computer and fled.
Another resident heard the commotion and notified the security guard, who tried to stop the suspect. The suspect shot the guard near his groin area. The suspect then drove away. The victim’s injuries were not considered life-threatening, police said.
Source:www.kansascity.com
St Kitts security officers graduate constable program www.privateofficer.com
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts Aug 30 2011 – After three packed weeks of training, 14 security officers of Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and Windsor University successfully graduated as the Federation’s first batch of prospective Island Constables.
The officers – eight of Ross and six from Windsor – commenced their training on August 8, as part of a joint initiative between the learning institutions and the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force (RSCNPF).
The Island Constables Act 2009 provides for persons fitting specific criteria to be trained and conferred powers of Island Constables.
The successful officers are Randolph Belle, Angela Jarvis, Chester Marshall, Lionel Paul, Cecil Richardson, Vernon Taylor, Eartha Williams and Kevin Williams of Ross University and Oliver Archibald, Osbourne Bute, Germaine Douglas, Augustine Nwosu, Leroy Pitt and Rodney Thomas of Windsor University.
The three-week training culminated with an evaluation and written examination and, while Officer Belle performed the best during the shooting exercises, Officer Marshall performed best in the examination and was adjudged best overall.
During the graduation ceremony held at the Police Training Complex, the officers were issued certificates as testament of their successful completion of the course, courtesy the RSCNPF.
Minister of National Security Sam Condor, in delivering the keynote address, congratulated the graduands and commended them for taking on the enormous challenge of assisting in curbing the spate of criminal activity which the Federation has been experiencing.
He also expressed that the graudands have a “supporting role” to play as they stand willing and able to provide assistance to the security forces if and when called upon to do so.
Commissioner of Police Austin Williams, in a brief interview with SKNVibes, indicated that the officers’ successful completion of the course does not make them Island Constables but rather in a position where they could be conferred powers of an Island Constable by the Commissioner of Police if he deems such action necessary.
Training was conducted by Sergeants Eldrin Dickenson and Shorna Edwards of the RSCNPF and John Davis of Ross University.
Sex offender landlord ‘s death under investigation www.privateofficer.com
RALEIGH NC Aug 30 2011 — Police say they’re investigating the death of a Raleigh landlord accused of molesting a tenant’s children.
Michael Lahoud, 55, of 1905 Grove Point Ct., Raleigh, was expected to appear in court Monday and likely would have been sentenced to 10 years behind bars.
Those who knew Lehoud, say he hated jail and after two months behind bars, he and his family came up with his $2.5M bond.
A mother of one of his alleged victims told ABC11 Eyewitness News, she believed he had molested hundreds of children and knew of over 30.
She said Lehoud molested her son ten years ago when he was a young boy.
After learning of Lahoud’s death, the woman says she was happy to tell her son he was found in his car at an office complex on Harps Mill Road near his north Raleigh home. He had been shot to death and although his death is an apparent suicide.
“I’ve seen jubilation in my son’s voice today, and a light that came back that was never there — that that man took.” she said choking up. and a light that came back that was never there – that that man took.”
The woman says she is celebrating the news.
“We’re celebrating today, celebrating,” she said. “This is a celebration. My son and I had this conversation yesterday. We knew we would never see the cuffs on that man.”
Even though Lahoud is dead, his latest victims will never get to see him accept responsibility.
“I feel sorry for the children who were expecting to see justice today because they didn’t,” she added.
Melanie Shekita, the attorney who was prosecuting Lahoud, said it’s a sad situation for everyone involved.
“The case has ended. Obviously we couldn’t go forward with it,” said Wake County Assistant Prosecutor Melanie Shekita. “For me, it means another child will never be molested again by him, but it’s a sad situation by all involved.”
Lahoud, who was listed on North Carolina’s sex offender registry, had multiple convictions for indecent liberties with minors. In each case, plea agreements kept him out of jail.
In 2002, he was sentenced to a year of probation for an offense in 2001.
In 2004, he was sentenced to two years of probation for offenses in 1994, 1998, and 2001.
He was rearrested on indecent liberties charges in 2008 and a charge of attempted second-degree rape was added in early 2009.
According to a search warrant filed in his case, Lahoud managed rental properties around Wake County.
While out on bond, he tried to open a daycare center in one of the buildings he owned. He lined up investors but a judge stopped the plan.
Source:WTVD
KS police detective’s work cracks major shoplifting gang www.privateofficer.com
But the arrest led to a five-year investigation that moved far beyond shoplifting and ended last year with more than three dozen federal indictments for an estimated $20 million in nationwide fraud — much of it linked to black market airline tickets.
And on Tuesday, the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators is giving its task force of the year award to the Kansas City Identity Theft & Economic Crimes Task Force.
Pierce led the task force’s investigation, called Shopstyles, along with postal inspector Steve Ryan and federal prosecutor John Cowles.
The award application tells how tactics like monitoring social media and tapping cellphones used technology to take down a scheme that itself was made possible by technology.
From December 2001 to March 2010, thieves operated a vast illegal black market in deeply discounted airline tickets that they bought with stolen identities. They got the credit card information from various sources that included hackers in southeast Asia.
By now 33 people have pleaded guilty and one, a former reality TV show contestant, was convicted this month in federal court in Kansas City.
The two alleged shoplifters who inadvertently launched the investigation are scheduled for federal trial in November.
Sabrina Bowers, 30, of Kansas City, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit credit card and identity theft. Deidre Turner, 28, of Peculiar in Cass County, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
John Osgood, Bowers’ attorney, said the federal allegations are “way blown out of proportion.”
Turner’s lawyer could not be reached for comment.
Pierce said of the two women last week: “At first appearance they might look like low-hanging fruit, but they’re not.”
He told how the investigation unfolded:
In the purses of the two women, police said, they found handwritten credit card numbers and owner’s names, addresses, telephone numbers — even three-digit security codes for their cards.
A search of the women’s car, investigators said, turned up stolen internal hotel records that listed guests’ personal information and had imprints of their credit cards. They also found torn, discarded Delta Air Lines tickets.
A call to Delta security confirmed the tickets had been purchased with stolen credit card identification, including some stolen from Delta pilots.
Delta security went to work with the task force. The company told of nationwide fraud with a similar pattern.
One-way tickets got booked close to departure times. By the time the credit or debit cards were found to be compromised, the passenger was done with his trip. People paid black-market agents as little as $75 for tickets worth many times that, prosecutors say.
Pierce said of Delta: “They knew there were so many people involved, but where do we start?”
Investigators went after the sources, he said.
“Who had access to stolen credit card information and how were they getting it?”
Meanwhile, Bowers and Turner pleaded guilty to a state charge for the shoplifting but were not charged with any other crimes.
In 2008, task force agents arrested them at a gate at the Kansas City airport after they flew there from Atlanta with tickets allegedly purchased with stolen credit card information, according to Pierce and the application for the award.
They still refused to talk, he said, other than a statement from Bowers: “This is too big. You’ll never be able to figure it out.”
Authorities released them and later connected them to a black-market travel agent in Atlanta, he said. The task force developed an informer who bought tickets from that black-market agent.
Wiretaps on cellphones also found black-market ticket operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Oakland, Calif.
Agents used Facebook, MySpace and Twitter to identify suspects and make connections.
All these people didn’t know each other, Pierce said, but “they somehow got linked to someone we were looking for, and that got us looking at them.”
The task force issued 962 grand jury subpoenas, carried out 26 federal search warrants and analyzed more than 27,000 voice calls and text messages, plus thousands of other email messages, the award application states.
The investigation spread from Delta to other airlines, put away many thieves and prompted some airlines to upgrade software and change procedures, Pierce said.
One airline reported that its fraud losses dropped from $4.4 million last year to only $524,000 so far this year, he said.
Pierce, 43, says he will work undercover at Oak Park Mall again this December, as he did when he caught the two shoplifters in 2005.
The detective, who has 16 years of experience in the police financial crimes unit, will also continue to work with the task force to monitor airline fraud, he said.
He’ll be there when the task force gets its award Tuesday at a conference in Charlotte, N.C.
Source:www.kansascity.com
Mother sues after child is handcuffed by security officer www.privateofficer.com
In a lawsuit filed Monday in Cook County Circuit Court, LaShanda Smith alleges that security guard David Allen “acted in conscious disregard” of her son’s safety when he handcuffed him in March 2010 following an unexplained incident on campus. She is seeking more than $100,000 in damages.
Michael Carin, the family’s attorney, declined to comment. Smith could not be reached for comment.
CPS spokeswoman Becky Carroll said school officials have not yet seen the complaint and need to review it before commenting.
According to the complaint, Smith’s son was handcuffed for more than an hour, sufferinginjuries that were both “permanent” and “personal.”
The lawsuit describes the guard’s action as “reckless” and accuses campus officials of providing “untrained and unqualified persons for the tasks of disciplining, restraining, controlling and ensuring the safety of students …”
Source:tribune.com
Muskegon corrections officer kills wife, commits suicide www.privateofficer.com
Jesus and Jennifer Flores, 36 and 35 respectively, had been arguing, Jennifer’s brother told police, when Jesus pulled out a gun and shot Jennifer at around 3 a.m.
As the brother ran away, he heard several more shots, police said.
A police SWAT team was called to the scene in the 1900 block of Getty St. and attempted to call Jesus out of the house. They later entered the home and found the couple’s bodies.
Family members say the Jesus and Jennifer married 3 months ago and they were not aware of any violence in the couple’s history.
Jennifer’s father characterized Jesus as a ‘great guy’.
“Only the man upstairs knows what was going on in his head,” Robert Mendiola, Jesus’ brother said. “He took care of his family.”
Ohio deputy sheriff charged with drug offenses www.privateofficer.com
SPRINGFIELD OH Aug 30 2011 — Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly described prescription drug abuse as a statewide epidemic Monday morning after a deputy faced a hearing in Clark County Municipal Court.
Amanda K. Nichols, 37, pleaded not guilty after she was arrested on a charge of possession of drugs, a fourth-degree felony.
Nichols is expected to face a preliminary hearing next week, and has been placed on administrative leave. Kelly said no further action will be taken until the case is completed in the courts.
According to an affidavit from Clark County Municipal Court, Nichols was accused of purchasing 60 Vicodin pills from an undercover officer Saturday.
The affidavit shows between July 5 and Aug. 20, Clark County Sheriff detectives began investigating a report that Nichols was involved in purchasing prescription medication.
Working with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, an undercover officer and a confidential informant met with Nichols, in which she agreed to purchase 60 Vicodin tablets for $120.
After Nichols took possession of the drugs, she was stopped in her vehicle by a Clark County Sheriff’s deputy in a marked patrol car. The pills were found inside the glove box of her 2003 gold Chevy Malibu.
She was taken to the investigation section of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office where she was interviewed by detectives and booked into the Clark County Jail.
Kelly said Sunday that Nichols has served as a deputy with the sheriff’s office in the jail division for five years. She had also previously served in the U.S. Navy and as a police officer in Tremont City, Kelly said.
He added while the case is unfortunate, it is an example of a larger problem in the state.
“This shows that it is not held to any particular group or neighborhood,” Kelly said of prescription drug abuse. “It happens everywhere.”
According to information from the State Medical Board of Ohio, since 2007, unintentional drug overdoses have been the leading cause of accidental death in Ohio.
Source:dayton daily news
Alabama police officer found dead at home www.privateofficer.com
Phenix City AL Aug 30 2011 A Phenix City police officer was found dead in her residence Sunday afternoon.
Forty year old Frankie Deer, a lieutenant with the Phenix City police department was discovered deceased in her home in Salem, AL about 3:40 PM Sunday afternoon by a friend, who was also a fellow officer.
She had worked the night before and was scheduled to work Sunday. No foul play is suspected. She had been complaining of being ill the last few days. Her body has been transported to the medical examiners office of the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Montgomery for a postmortem exam to determine the cause and manner of death.
The case remains under investigation by the Lee County Sheriff’s office, the Lee County Coroner’s office and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.
Texas constable killed in fiery crash www.privateofficer.com
SAN ANTONIO TX Aug 30 2011- A dedicated law enforcement officer and loving father of a special-needs son was killed in a fiery crash in San Antonio Saturday night, when he crashed his Precinct 3 constable patrol car into two utility poles, officials said.
Sgt. Mark Scianna, 49, was working his normal overnight traffic supervisor shift Saturday night around 10:30 p.m., when he crashed into a utility pole on the far North Side.
The vehicle rolled over, ejecting Scianna, and then struck a second pole before bursting into flames, said Bexar County Sgt. E.M. Conger.
Firefighers saw the fireball, according to Precinct 3 Constable Mark Vojvodich, and rushed to the scene. Simultaneously, Scianna activated his emergency toner, which triggered first responders.
Scianna, who had worked in Vojvodich’s office for nearly two years, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The emergency lights on his patrol car were on, officials said, but investigators are unsure if he was chasing a motorist or trying to stop someone.
Conger said it was not immediately clear if he was wearing a safety belt, and investigators are still trying to determine what roles mechanical failure and speed played in the crash.
Loud bang heard
The wreck, which rang out through the neighborhood like an explosion, startled neighbors. Ruby Elizondo said she had been reading in her home at the intersection where the crash occurred and was startled by a loud bang.
“I jumped out of bed and looked out the window and saw flames burning up one of my trees,” said Elizondo, 90. “I ran outside. There was fire all the way up my driveway.”
Elizondo’s daughter, Sylvia Kappelmann, lives nearby and saw fire from her window after she heard what sounded like a bomb. She thought the wooded area across the street was ablaze and rushed over to help her mother, Kappelmann said.
“I grabbed a hose and started watering everything down,” she said. “The car was fully engulfed in flames.”
Originally from Connecticut, Scianna took a pay cut when he left the Castle Hills Police Department and joined Vojvodich’s office. Although he had opportunities to advance, Scianna declined promotions that would take him off of patrol.
“Mark absolutely loved his job,” Vojvodich said. “He loved being on the street and was very friendly and outgoing. He truly enjoyed serving the community.”
Nightly call to son
Around 10 p.m. every night, Scianna would call his 15-year-old son with special needs to wish him a good night.
“His son meant the world to him,” Vojvodich said. “He would stop whatever he was doing, call him, and even sing him a little song. He was an excellent father.”
Services for Scianna are pending, officials said.
Source:chron.com
Warehouse worker steals $60,000 toilet paper www.privateofficer.com
Elwood IL Aug 30 2011 Police say a Will County warehouse worker partnered with an accused murderer to rip off $60,000 in toilet paper and plastic utensils from his employer.
Elwood police Cmdr. Patrick Kerr said Juan J. Hernandez and William Chaban stole truckloads of merchandise from the Georgia-Pacific facility in Elwood between February and April.
The investigation began May 18 when the company told police pallets of bath tissue and Dixie cutlery meant for big-box retailers were missing.
Kerr said police got a tip to look at local flea markets, and on June 4 found two vendors at Derald’s Flea Market in Joliet selling items stolen from Georgia-Pacific.
Officers seized about $1,000 in merchandise and learned it had been supplied by Hernandez, 25, an inventory control specialist at the warehouse, police said.
On July 20, police searched two units at a Joliet storage facility and found more than $10,000 in paper products and plastic cutlery, Kerr said.
Hernandez was arrested at his Joliet home on Aug. 23 and charged with theft. He remains jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail.
Police also learned “an entire truckload of bath tissue” stolen from the facility and valued at more than $20,000 had been sold to Bailey’s Discount Center in North Judson, Ind. Kerr said five pallets of toilet paper and 10 trays of knives, forks and spoons were recovered.
Chaban, 35, of Lockport, made that sale while awaiting trial for the murder of his mother-in-law, police said.
On June 18, 2007, Chaban strangled Irene Opalinska in the bathtub of her Norwood Park home. Arrested two months later, Chaban was out on bond at the time of the warehouse thefts.
He was convicted of murder in June and sentenced to 45 years in prison. He’s now in the Stateville Correctional Center.
Source:Chicago Sun Times
Detroit schools ramp up high-tech security www.privateofficer.com
Detroit MI Aug 30 2011 When high school students return next week to Detroit public schools, they’ll pass through high-tech detection machines akin to airport security systems that snap a photo and indicate the location of any metal objects on their bodies.
The systems are used in some high schools across the country, but Detroit Public Schools is the first district in the nation to install it in all of its high schools, according to the manufacturer, Baltimore-based View Systems.
The $534,000 security system is one of several new features DPS is rolling out this fall in an effort to increase safety and improve its image after more than 800 assaults in the 2009-10 school year, the most recent statistics available. DPS also has a new motorcycle police patrol unit and more surveillance cameras to augment its existing ID-badge system for visitors to high schools that includes a quick background check to pinpoint sex offenders.
In addition to hundreds of school-based security officers, DPS has a fully deputized police department with 51 officers who have arrest powers anywhere in the city. “We are the police,” said DPS Police Chief Rod Grimes. “This is how you create a safe environment.”
Detroit Public Schools’ biggest security threat? Troublemaking outsiders, district says
Last September, the first day of school was marred by a shooting that injured two teens a block from Mumford High School in Detroit.
Detroit Public Schools Police Chief Rod Grimes said officers were frustrated because it appeared the shooter intentionally pulled the trigger as soon as his target — a student — stepped across the street from campus.
As sworn officers, DPS police concentrate on campus safety but have the power to arrest people anywhere in the city. This year, they’re getting some extra tools to keep school campuses safe and plan to work more with the Detroit Police Department. An announcement on joint security measures is scheduled for Wednesday, school and police officials said.
Among the new tools are a DPS motorcycle patrol unit and more surveillance cameras. DPS also will be the first district in the nation to install high-tech, airport-style, concealed-weapons detection systems in all of its high schools.
Roshana Dixon, 42, whose two children attend Mumford High and the J.R. King Academic and Performing Arts Academy, said Mumford’s security responded quickly to fights and other incidents last year. But the new metal-detection system and motorcycle patrols could help students feel safer.
“All of that is good,” she said. “It’s for their safety.”
Starting trouble around schools
During the 2009-10 school year, DPS reported 129 confiscated weapons and 851 physical assaults, among other offenses, according to the most recent data available from Michigan’s Center for Educational Performance and Information.
DPS employs 51 police officers; 47 campus police, whose authority does not extend beyond school campuses, and about 270 private security officers through a contract with Securitas Security Services USA.
Officials said the district constantly battles the perception that DPS campuses are violent. That perception is part of the reason about 100,000 students have left the district over the last decade, they said.
But the trouble is mostly from outsiders coming into schools, Grimes said.
“We have an alarming number of adults — parents — coming to our schools acting very inappropriately,” he said.
DPS patrol police Officer Lawrence Johnson and his partner patrol the east side, including Pershing High. He makes arrests four of every five days — primarily for disorderly conduct, fighting, theft or criminal sexual conduct, he said. The biggest problem is outsiders who come on or near campus to start trouble, he said.
“On day one, I’m locking people up who don’t belong here,” Johnson said last week as he patrolled the Pershing High area. “We’re trying to make some inroads so that, maybe, people will bring their children back to DPS.”
Chlonia Seabrooks, 35, whose daughter will be a freshman at Pershing this fall, said more officers need to be seen on campus after school “because that’s when most of the drama starts.”
The motorcycle units and body scanners sound like good ideas, she said: “It’s needed to resolve some of the issues going on around the schools.”
How the scanners work
Last year, when the Communication & Media Arts High School won a TV show makeover, Baltimore-based View Systems donated a ViewScan concealed-weapons detector. Now, they’ll be in all Detroit high schools this school year.
The walk-through scanners use advanced magnetic technology to pinpoint threatening objects while ignoring common items such as coins, body piercings and small keys, according to the company. It creates an image that appears on a monitor. Indicators point to spots on the image where metal is detected. The photos and information can be stored for months or years.
“It’s a nice tool,” Grimes said. “We found it was able to move 500-plus students in less than 15 minutes.”
DPS officials also were impressed, and bought and installed 60 units in the 32 high schools, spending $534,000 from the $500.5-million construction bond voters approved in 2009.
“If Johnny comes in carrying something … and his parent says, ‘Oh, no, not my Johnny,’ you have the photos,” said Gunther Than, View Systems’ founder and CEO. “We built the units for Detroit, according to specifications of Detroit’s needs. The Detroit models are becoming the standard models for schools, so Detroit is actually leading the way.”
Women accuse Kohl’s security of false imprisonment www.privateofficer.com
League City TX Aug 30 2011 Employees of a League City department store are accused of illegally holding two women suspected of shoplifting from the store.
Saira N. Malhi and Zareen Akhtar filed a lawsuit July 27 in Harris County District Court against Kohl’s Department Stores Inc.
According to the petition, Malhi and Akhtar were shopping at the Kohl’s store in League City in May. After completing their purchases, the women say they were taken to a back room by an employee and allegedly accused of shoplifting.
Malhi and Akhtar say they were held for hours while they were searched and questioned. Both claim they eventually conceded to the allegations only because it was getting late and they had to pick up their children.
Malhi and Akhtar are suing Kohl’s over false imprisonment and asking for an unspecified amount of money in damages plus court costs. The women are represented by attorney Ashish Mahendru, of Houston. They ask for a jury trial.
Harris County District Court Case No. 2011-44280.
This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at the Harris County Courthouse. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.
Quincy woman faces charges of theft www.privateofficer.com
BRAINTREE MA Aug 30 2011 — A Quincy woman faces charges she stole nearly $300 worth of merchandise from Macy’s at South Shore Plaza.
Braintree police said store security officers were watching surveillance cameras Saturday night when Gina Spada, 24, was spotted walking to an unattended cash register with several items.
After momentarily losing sight of Spada, security then noticed her allegedly hide an item in a shopping bag she had taken from near the cash register. The other merchandise she had taken could no longer be seen, police said.
After Spada left Macy’s, security followed her to another store where she allegedly stole a pair of earrings.
Spada was charged with larceny of property worth more than $250
Source:www.patriotledger.com
Family charged in multi-state shoplifting ring www.privateofficer.com
Lancaster PA Aug 30 2011 Three family members stole more than $25,000 worth of items from Kohl’s department stores in three states, including Pennsylvania, police said.
Ismet Fetic, 52, Snezana Fetic, 49, and their daughter, Emina Fetic, 29, all of Drexel Hill, were arrested Tuesday, state police said.
An investigation was launched in April after information suggested the Fetics were stealing high-end KitchenAid mixers, Dyson vacuums and other products from Kohl’s stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, police said in criminal complaints. The thefts occurred between March 18 and June 30, investigators said.
The Fetics would select a high-priced item and place a price tag from a lower-priced item on the box, often while hiding the lower-priced item in the bottom of their shopping cart, according to police.
After paying for the item at the reduced price, they would sell it on eBay for less than Kohl’s original price, police said.
They used the eBay accounts for “miksomali11″ and “renukitchenbath” to sell the items, police said in criminal complaints.
The Fetics stole from Kohl’s stores in Lancaster, Delaware, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, Lebanon and York counties in Pennsylvania, state police said.
Only one store in Lancaster County was targeted, according to criminal complaints. On April 17, Snezana Fetic purchased a $649.99 Dyson vacuum for $59.99 at the Kohl’s store at Park City Center.
The Fetics are charged with dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, organized retail theft, retail theft, receiving stolen property and criminal use of a communication facility, police said.
Bail was set for each at $250,000, and they were committed to Delaware County Prison to await a preliminary hearing.
Source:lancasteronline.com
Allegheny County man charged in $70,000 theft scheme www.privateofficer.com
HARRISBURG PA Aug 30 2011 – An Allegheny County man was charged today with devising a scheme that enabled him to steal at least $70,000 worth of gift cards from Lowe’s and Home Depot stores throughout Pennsylvania and later sell those gift cards on Craig’s List for 60% of their value.
Attorney General Linda Kelly identified the defendant as Jason Novak, 39, 1904 Monroe St., Swissvale, Allegheny County.
According to the criminal complaint, Novak entered Lowe’s and Home Depot stores empty handed, filled a cart with expensive items, such as range hoods, carpets and sinks, and then took the items directly to the return desk to receive store credit for the stolen items.
The charges state that Novak used this scheme at least 50 times at various Lowe’s stores and at least 40 times at Home Depot stores.
Kelly said that Novak allegedly presented fraudulent Pennsylvania photo identification to the cashier and each time received a gift card for the value of the returned items. Agents believe that Novak used at least 35 different Pennsylvania license numbers and each time signed the return receipt using the false name on the identification.
Agents executed a search warrant on Novak’s home and recovered 11 fake Pennsylvania photo identification cards, three cell phones, computers and other electronic items.
Novak is charged with 88 counts of theft by deception, 88 counts of theft by unlawful taking, 88 counts of retail theft, 56 counts of identity theft, 56 counts of forgery, 11 counts of unlawful use of a computer and two counts of criminal use of a communication facility.
Kelly noted that Novak is currently a fugitive and being sought by authorities in Pennsylvania.
Kelly thanked the U.S. Postal Inspectors and the McCandless Township Police Department for their assistance with the investigation.
The case will be prosecuted in Allegheny County by Senior Deputy Attorney General Anthony Krastek of the Attorney General’s Criminal Prosecution Section.
Nightclub security officer dies after being shot 7 times www.privateofficer.com
Joseph Threadgill, 23, was last seen escorting the customer off the premises at TD’s North early Saturday morning. The customer, 40-year-old Thomas Hancock, had allegedly started a fight inside the club, then scuffled with bouncers as he was being tossed out.
According to a criminal complaint, Threadgill was following Hancock as he walked away from the club, then an employee said he heard several gunshots. When the employee looked over, he told police he saw Hancock standing over Threadgill firing at him as he lay on the ground.
The complaint said that Threadgill was shot several times and that it appeared there were gunshot wounds to the back of his head.
Hancock has been charged with an open count of murder and was being held Sunday evening at the Metropolitan Detention Center in lieu of a $30,000 cash only bond.
Hancock ran into trouble at the club after he attempted to talk to a female employee who didn’t want to talk to him, the complaint said.
When Hancock saw the employee talking to another man a short time later, he came over to them and allegedly said, “Do you know who I am? I’m Thomas Hancock.” When the man the employee was talking to extended his hand to shake Hancock’s, Hancock reached out, started choking him and drew back his fist as if he were going to hit him, the complaint said.
That’s when TD’s bouncers moved in and began escorting Hancock out.
Hancock became violent again as he was being kicked out, the complaint said, and attempted to punch one of the bouncers. Hancock was punched in the face instead, the complaint said.
On his way out the door, Hancock allegedly yelled, “I will destroy you.”
A group of people that the complaint identified as possibly Hancock’s friends came outside soon after and the bouncers had to protect Hancock from being punched by members of the group, who eventually left, leaving Hancock alone in the parking lot.
Threadgill was the last bouncer outside with Hancock.
After the shooting, an employee said he saw Hancock drive away.
The club was able to provide police a copy of Hancock’s driver’s license, because when people enter the club, their licenses are scanned and the information saved.
Police went to Hancock’s home in Rio Rancho and saw a car that matched a description given by a TD’s employee. They waited outside the home until a woman, Hancock’s mother, came out and said her son had come home and appeared distressed and drunk.
Hancock was taken into custody a short time later.
SunBank employee charged in felony theft www.privateofficer.com
COTTONWOOD AZ Aug 30 2011 — Cottonwood Police arrested 28-year-old Corey Ray Felix of Cottonwood Saturday in connection with a $4,000 theft from SunBank.
The day before, officials from SunBank notified the Cottonwood Police of an employee theft that occurred during that week.
When officials discovered $4,000 missing from the bank’s vault, they reviewed their surveillance video footage that recorded Felix entering the vault by himself, against company policy, and leaving with a handful of cash.
By violating a company security policy, Felix was able to gain unauthorized access to the vault.
After he was contacted by bank officials, he returned $1,000 to the bank.
The remaining $3,000 had not yet been accounted for.
Felix was arrested at his home without incident on a single count felony theft and booked in at the Yavapai County Jail.
Lufkin man charged with shoplifting, fighting police www.privateofficer.com
Lufkin, Texas Aug 30 2011 – A Lufkin man was taken to jail after police say he fled Wal-Mart with stolen merchandise.
Just before 11 P.M. Saturday night, a LPD officer was flagged down by store security and an employee in the parking lot.
The report states they pointed out Demedric Taylor. They believed he had taken items from the store, and was trying to get away.
Taylor allegedly ignored the officer’s orders for him to stop, and kept walking. According to police, he pulled away and ran when the officer tried to take him into custody.
Another officer joined the chase, caught up with him, but police say he kept struggling to get away. The officers eventually got him handcuffed.
The report says stolen items including beer, printer ink, boxers, and a package of T-shirts were on found on him.
Taylor is charged with evading arrest, resisting arrest, and felony theft. The theft charge was enhanced because of previous convictions for theft.
Massive shoplifting ring busted in Dallas www.privateofficer.com
Dallas TX Aug 30 2011 Police arrested four people Sunday suspected of running a massive shoplifting ring and reselling items at local flea markets. Officers gave NBC 5 exclusive access, while they raided homes in Dallas and uncovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen goods.
Dallas and Denton police closed in on three homes Sunday morning — two on Abilene Street — after a month-long investigation. Denton Detective Erin Haislett and loss prevention investigators from several DFW retailers uncovered $300,000 worth of stolen goods from one home alone.
Police photos inside the house show bags of merchandise stacked high and filling several rooms.
“We’re not going to take this anymore,” said Haislett. “These are high-dollar items — real expensive Oil of Olay, Aeropostale clothing.”
Police say the suspects stole items an entire family could use — shampoo, diapers, laundry detergent, and literally a treasure chest full of panty hose — stolen from stores including Dollar General, Tom Thumb, The Gap, and The Children’s Place. Price tags were still attached, and the items were accumulated over four years.
“It’s a huge victory for us today,” said Kelly Moye, regional loss prevention investigator for Dollar General. “They’re exactly like a mini-retailer. We feel like we’re at war.”
Police say the family in the home at 4134 Abilene Street, as well as the house next door, bought the merchandise from the actual shoplifters and have been re-selling them at flea markets like Traders Village.
Retailers are spending more money on security, like tracking devices to recover stolen products, and they say it’s ultimately hurting the customer.
“It all costs us in the long run — higher prices, lost sales tax revenue for the cities,” said Moye.
Despite the enormity of this organized retail theft operation, investigators say it’s only a tiny fraction of what’s going on in North Texas.
Police say you can help spot stolen merchandise. If you find products at a flea market that are cheaper than what you would pay at any legitimate retailer, they’re most likely stolen goods.
Source:NBC DFW
Dayton school teacher stabbed to death by husband www.privateofficer.com
According to police, a man had a history of domestic violence before he allegedly admitted to investigators that he killed his wife. However, Neighbors told News Center 7 that they did not know the couple had problems.
William Strickland, 73, is in the Montgomery County Jail on murder charges. Officers said Strickland told them that he stabbed his wife, 62-year-old Carolyn Strickland, to death with a large kitchen knife Saturday night after an argument at their home on Angier Drive in Dayton.
Caroline Strickland was a 5th-grade teacher at Louise Troy Elementary School. School officials said they have a crisis team available for students and staff.
“I don’t know what to say cause I was really surprised. Because, you know, I thought they had a good relationship. I was just surprised and shocked,” said Ora Robinson. Robinson lives near the Strickland’s home and said she use to bowl with Carolyn.
Police said they had been out to that home several times in the past. In fact, they had responded to a domestic call about a week ago. They said they arrested William and confiscated a handgun from him, but Carolyn chose not to press charges.
William Strickland is expected to go before a judge on Monday to answer to charges. An autopsy is scheduled to determine an exact cause of death.
source-whio.com
