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OFFICER DOWN Captain John Haddock
Grenada, MS
Biographical Info
Age: 50
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Vehicular assault
Date of Incident: October 7, 2011
Weapon Used: Automobile
Suspect Info: In custody
Captain John Haddock was killed when he was struck by a suspect’s vehicle while deploying spike strips.
Deputies from the county sheriff’s office were pursuing a stolen car believed to contain two burglary suspects along Mississippi Highway 8. As the vehicle approached I-55 Captain Haddock exited his patrol car to deploy spike strips when he was struck by the vehicle, which was traveling at an estimate 100 mph.
After striking Captain Haddock and the spike strips, the vehicle went out of control and crashed. Both occupants were transported to a local hospital.
Agency Contact Info
Grenada Police Department
15 Main Street
Grenada, MS 98901
Phone: (662) 227-3455
K-Mart shoplifting turns violent www.privateofficer.com
Bail was set at $5,000 for Sidney Wasina, who was charged with second-degree robbery.
Police were called to Big Kmart after 5 p.m. Monday, said Lt. John Jakubczak of the Criminal Investigation Division. Starting at about 3:45 p.m., Wasina had been observed in the store, placing merchandise into a backpack, Jakubczak said. He said Wasina walked past numerous cash registers without paying for the items before he was detained by employees.
While attempting to get away, Wasina struggled with the employees, Jakubczak said.
He said a 20-year-old Kihei woman who was with Wasina began swearing at and kicking one of the employees holding Wasina. She also was initially arrested for second-degree robbery but was later charged instead with three counts of harassment, Jakubczak said.
Former Great Sand Dunes National Park staffer indicted www.privateofficer.com
White, who at the time of the offense worked for the National Park Service, is charged with 145 counts of theft of government property, and 53 counts of money laundering in connection with embezzling approximately $730,000 in money taken from her employer.
According to the indictment, from March 2007 through December 2010, the defendant allegedly willfully and knowingly stole money from the National Park Service for her own use and the use of another, depriving the National Park Service of the use or benefit of the money. Further, White allegedly knowingly conducted financial transactions affecting interstate commerce knowing the property involved represented the proceeds of her unlawful activity, and knowing that the transactions were designed to disguise the nature or source of the unlawfully obtained proceeds.
“Thanks to the hard work of the National Park Service and the IRS-Criminal Investigation, a corrupt government employee who was embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars has been caught, and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh.
“The apparent fraud and embezzlement by this former National Park Service employee is an affront to the taxpayer and the tens of thousands of public servants who do their job honorably and honestly every day,” said National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis. “The response to these reprehensible activities should send a strong and clear signal that abuse of the public trust cannot and will not be tolerated.”
“The role of IRS-Criminal Investigation becomes even more important in embezzlement and fraud cases due to the complex financial transactions that can take time to unravel,” said Sean Sowards, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation. “This investigation serves to remind us that there is no such thing as free money and there are no awards or incentives for creativity when it comes to crime.”
If convicted of theft of government property, the defendant faces not more than 10 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000 per count.
If convicted of money laundering, the defendant faces not more than 20 years imprisonment per count, and a fine of up to twice the value of the property involved, or approximately $1,476,863.
White also faces a possible order to pay restitution. The indictment includes an asset forfeiture allegation, which states that the defendant shall forfeit all of her interest in any property, real or personal, that consists of or is derived, directly or indirectly, from proceeds traceable to the commission of the offenses stated in the indictment.
If the case goes to trial, it is anticipated to last 5-10 days. The government will seek detention in this case.
This case was investigated by the National Park Service and the IRS-Criminal Investigation, specifically Special Agents Beth Shott, National Park Service, and Elliott Salazar, IRS.
The defendant is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dondi Osborne and Todd Norvell.
The charges contained in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Source:valley courier
Myrtle Beach shoplifting arrest leads police to wanted fugitive www.privateofficer.com
According to a police report, officers responded to the Kmart located at 1403 N. Kings Hwy around 7 p.m. in reference to a shoplifting. Upon speaking with the suspect, Dashyquate Lashay Holder, 17, from North Carolina, officers learned she and her boyfriend, Jason Tamar Smith, 20, had just moved to the Myrtle Beach area in order to make a new start.
Apparently, Smith was on scene and asked officers how to get his girlfriend out of jail, but left soon after.
Officers then spoke with a relative of Holder, who said she knew the teen was in Myrtle Beach and she was not a runaway, and that another relative had wired her $75.
The relative then told police that the reason they were in Myrtle Beach was because Smith was wanted out of North Carolina for attempted murder. At that time, officers got in touch with the Clayton Police Department, who confirmed Smith was a wanted suspect.
Thursday afternoon, Capt. David Knipes with the Myrtle Beach Police Department said Smith was arrested and is being held at the Myrtle Beach Jail on charges out of Clayton for discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling or vehicle causing serious bodily injury and attempted armed robbery.
Holder is also being held at the Myrtle Beach Jail. She has been charged in Myrtle Beach with shoplifting and hindering arrest after allegedly giving police a false name and other false information for Smith.
Source:WMBF
Shoplifter charged after stuffing backpack full of stolen goods www.privateofficer.com
Rockaway Township NJ Oct 8 2011 Rockaway Township police were called to the JC Penney on the report of a shoplifter in custody. Upon arrival, officers spoke with store security officer who stated that Brandon Griffith, 30, of the Bronx, NY, placed $209.72 worth of cologne into his backpack and attempted to exit the store without paying.
Police searched Griffith’s backpack and allegedly found six pairs of sunglasses, which all appeared to be new and four of the pair still had price tags attached to them; one gold-colored watch with Swarovski crystals on the band; two PS3 Madden 12 football games, both in new condition and unopened; and three DVD movies that appeared to be new and unopened.
When police asked if these items belonged to him, Griffith stated that they did and he had purchased them. When asked if he had any proof of these purchases, he stated no.
Griffith was arrested and his bail was set at$2,500, no 10 percent, by Judge Arnold Miniman. He was unable to post bail and was transported to the Morris County Correctional Facility.
Source:northjersey.com
Massive identity theft ring busted www.privateofficer.com
NEW YORK Oct 8 2011 — Bank tellers, restaurant workers and other service employees in New York lifted credit card data from residents and foreign tourists as part of an identity theft ring that stretched to China, Europe and the Middle East and victimized thousands, authorities said Friday.
In total, 111 people were charged and 86 are in custody; the others are still being sought. Five separate criminal enterprises operating out of Queens were dismantled. They were hit with hundreds of charges, said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, calling it the largest fraud case he’d ever seen in his two decades in office.
“These weren’t holdups at gunpoint, but the impact on victims was the same,” Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. “They were robbed.”
The enterprise had been operating since at least 2010 and included at least one bank and restaurants, mostly in Queens. Authorities say the graft operated like this:
At least three bank workers, retail employees and restaurant workers would steal credit card numbers in a process known as skimming, in which workers take information from when a card is swiped for payment and illegally sell the credit card numbers. Different members of the criminal enterprise would steal card information online.
The numbers were then given to teams of manufacturers, who would forge Visas, MasterCards, Discover and American Express cards. Realistic identifications were made with the stolen data.
The plastic would be given to teams of criminal “shoppers” for spending sprees at higher-end stores including Apple, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s. The groups would then resell the merchandise overseas to locations in China, Europe and the Middle East.
All told, more than $13 million was spent on iPads, iPhones, computers, watches and fancy handbags from Gucci and Louis Vuitton, authorities said. The suspects also charged pricey hotel rooms and rented private jets and fancy cars, prosecutors said.
Detectives with language skills spent hours translating Russian, Farsi and Arabic during the investigation, Kelly said.
Part of the problem, especially for foreign tourists in the U.S., is that, unlike overseas, credit card companies in the U.S. do not install special microchips that make skimming more difficult, said Deputy Inspector Gregory Antonsen of the NYPD’s organized theft and identity theft task force. But he said the companies work with police to help fight theft.
“The credit card companies do a good job at keeping their customers happy,” he said. “So if you’re a victim of a loss … you will get your money back. They also work very diligently in partnership with us providing us information that we need to investigate these cases.”
And, Kelly said, criminals are getting more sophisticated. “Thieves have an amazing knowledge of how to use technology,” he said. “The schemes and the imagination that is developing these days are really mind-boggling.”
Authorities also say the ring operated lower-rent schemes. In one example, they tried to lift what they believed to be expensive electronics from a hangar at John F. Kennedy Airport, like something out of the movie “Goodfellas.” They were stopped by police, and the loot turned out to be construction tools — the thieves had taken the wrong package by mistake, Antonsen said.
Police searched several homes and seized computers, packaged electronics, and $650,000 in cash, along with several weapons.
The charges include enterprise corruption, theft and grand larceny. Many of the accused members of the theft ring are being held on steep bail.
Source:AP
Police use Facebook to track down theft suspect www.privateofficer.com
20-year-old Wesley Thomas of Highland was arraigned today on charges of 1st degree retail fraud.
A deputy was able to identify him on Facebook after a store security officer noticed Thomas leaving the Hartland Wal-Mart in a vehicle that belonged to a former employee.
The deputy then used that person’s Facebook page to locate and match a picture of Thomas with an image from a store surveillance camera. A search of a Milford residence that Thomas shared with the former employee turned up many of the stolen items, which included a video game system and personal products worth more than $2,000.
The former employee denied knowing the suspect had stolen the items. The charges stem from two incidents in late September at the Hartland Walmart but more could be filed in connection with an incident at the Hartland Meijer. Livingston County Sheriff Bob Bezotte tells WHMI that this was an extensive theft and says the use of social networking sites such as Facebook can prove to be a useful tool in investigations.
Thomas will appear in 53rd District Court on October 12th. He remains jailed under a $10,000 bond.
Source:whmi
Parmatown Mall hires police to assist security www.privateofficer.com
PARMA OH Oct 8 2011 Shoppers at Parmatown Mall may have felt a little more secure over the past month or so.
That is because the mall – for the first time in about 15-20 years – has hired off-duty Parma police officers to help with security.
The move is part of a Parmatown improvement project meant to increase the mall’s value and prepare it for sale.
Mayor Dean DePiero said he expects the mall to go on sale in January.
DePiero announced the Parmatown improvements – which will include parking lot, roof and sidewalk repairs – on Monday. He said the mall is expected to invest about $800,000 in the improvements.
DePiero said off-duty Parma officers are now patrolling Parmatown’s interior and exterior about 72 hours a week, including weekends. The patrols started about a month ago, he said.
That was about eight weeks after Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court appointed David Browning – managing director of the Cleveland office of CB Richard Ellis, a real estate firm – as receiver of the Parmatown property.
Browning’s job is to find a new owner and-or developer for the struggling Parmatown.
DePiero said Parma officers are patrolling Parmatown during the mall’s busiest hours. The mall is paying the officers $20-$25 an hour, he said.
Meanwhile, guards from Parmatown’s security firm, Securitas USA, are assigned mainly to the parking lots, although they are inside the mall as well.
There’s a difference, though. Securitas guards are unarmed, while Parma officers carry firearms.
Also, Parma officers have the power to arrest people and Securitas guards do not.
For a while, Parmatown did not have armed guards at all, DePiero said.
In December, Nick Rudy, who was then Parmatown manager, told the Sun Post that the mall had been paying off-duty Cuyahoga County sheriff’s deputies and off-duty police officers from surrounding suburbs to patrol the mall.
Both the sheriff’s deputies and police officers carried firearms.
The deputies had the power to arrest people because the mall was in their jurisdiction but the suburban officers did not have arrest power because the mall was outside their jurisdiction.
Then, in January, Parmatown hired Securitas. At the time, Rudy said Securitas unarmed guards would complement the mall’s existing staff of armed guards.
However, DePiero said that at some point over the past nine months – before Browning became receiver in July – Parmatown dropped the armed guards and relied solely on unarmed Securitas guards.
DePiero said that after Browning took control of Parmatown, the city approached him about hiring Parma officers.
DePiero said that previously, Parmatown’s owners – executives with Forest City Enterprises Inc. in Cleveland – refused to consider using off-duty Parma officers for security
Source:cleveland.com
Boulder man spits on hospital security officer, exposes himself www.privateofficer.com
Boulder police arrested a man they say exposed himself to a police officer and then spit on a security guard at Boulder Community Hospital early this morning.
Brian Mason, 38, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault, indecent exposure, resisting arrest, menacing and attempted first-degree assault, according to police reports.
In the report, a police officer who was at the hospital to collect evidence in another case said he saw a man on a security camera pacing and screaming before throwing a metal table to the ground.
When the officer and a security officer went to the room the man was in, he began to yell and scream obscenities and tell the officer how much he hated the police.
Mason then allegedly pulled his pants down and began to cup his testicles while continuing to yell at the officer before pulling his pants up, police said. He then walked over to a water fountain, took a large mouthful of water and spit at the security officer, hitting him in the face and shoulder, according to police records.
The police officer and the security guard then moved into the room to restrain Mason, who continued to resist. The two men were eventually able to handcuff Mason before emergency room staff and paramedics placed a spit mask and restraints on him. An ambulance transported him to the Boulder County Jail.
Hospital staff told police that Mason had checked himself into Boulder Community after telling them he was “off his meds.”
Mason remains in custody at the Boulder County Jail on $7,500 bond.
Chesterfield VA school bus driver arrested for sex with minor www.privateofficer.com
CHESTERFIELD, VA Oct 8 2011 – Police have arrested a Chesterfield County school bus driver for taking indecent liberties with a minor while in a custodial role.
Police say that they arrested 44-year-old Tracy H. Allanson on Friday after learning that she had been involved in an inappropriate relationship with a juvenile male, who is now 17-years-old, for more than two years.
The victim’s mother contacted police after discovering the relationship.
Authorities say that Allanson is now being held at Chesterfield County Jail.
There is no word on whether or not she has an attorney.
Active duty Navy Seals convicted in arms for sale scheme www.privateofficer.com
Nicholas Bickle stood in uniform as the verdict was read in U.S. District Court.
The 34-year-old petty officer was found guilty of conspiracy, weapons and explosives charges in a case that identified arms as stolen, but didn’t specify how they got into the U.S.
Bickle could face decades in prison at sentencing Jan. 20. U.S. District Court Judge Roger Hunt allowed him to remain free until that time.
ATF agents reported finding dozens of weapons in raids last November in Las Vegas, in Durango, Colo., and at Bickle’s apartment and a storage unit near San Diego.
Source:AP
New Orleans school security officer charged with assault www.privateofficer.com
New Orleans LA Oct 8 2011 A security officer assigned at Eleanor McMain Secondary School was placed on suspension this week after allegedly physically mishandling a student.
The officer was issued a summons Thursday by the New Orleans Police Department after the incident, which occurred at 8:12 a. m., according to Orleans Parish School Board Superintendent Darryl Kilbert.
Police identified the man as 42-year-old Joseph Matthews and said the summons was for battery.
Kilbert said he will remain on suspension until a police investigation is complete.
Kilbert said that the OPSB does not condone the type of behavior exhibited by the security officer, but offered no other details. McMain is located at 5721 S. Claiborne Ave.
Source:NOLA.com
Former Bayou La Batre police officer arrested in theft www.privateofficer.com
BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala.Oct 8 2011 - A former Bayou La Batre police officer found himself on the wrong side of the jailhouse bars Friday. A seven month long investigation by the Alabama Bureau of Investigations into missing drug money led to the arrest.
Former Bayou La Batre police officer Jason Edwards was booked into Metro jail Friday morning charged with theft of property. FOX10 tried to catch up with Edwards at his home after his release, but no one answered the door.
Last March, an unidentified Bayou La Batre police officer was at the center of an ABI investigation after confiscated drug money came up missing. Bayou La Batre Public Safety Director Mitchell Stuckey could not confirm if that officer was Edwards.
“Sgt. Edwards was the person who handled our evidence,” said Stuckey.
Edwards resigned from the force over the summer during the investigation.
“I can’t confirm if it was that theft, but I know back in the Spring an internal affairs investigation was launched by the Bayou La Batre Police Department,” said Stuckey. “It was about missing drug money.”
Edwards arrest comes a day after Bayou La Batre Police Chief John Joyner announced he had plans to retire. Joyner said his retirement takes effect November 1. He is on vacation right now.
Former Chief Joyner was the one who discovered the missing money. He turned over the investigation to Bayou La Batre Mayor Stan Wright.
Mayor Wright contacted the Alabama Bureau of Investigation to look into things. When FOX10 news talked to the Mayor about the investigation, he would not say how much money was missing.
“More than pocket change. I don’t care if it is one penny. I want every penny accounted for, and I am not going to tolerate this,” he said.
Public Safety Director Mitchell Stuckey will handle the day-to-day operations of the police department until a new chief is appointed.
Source:WALA-FOX10
Honolulu teacher accused of having a sexual relationship held without bail www.privateofficer.com
A judge on Friday denied a request from 26-year-old Tone Pulou to set bail at $50,000, siding with prosecutors instead.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that Circuit Judge Steven Alm gave the state until Nov. 3 to return Pulou to American Samoa. He faces charges of rape, first-degree sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
He’s been wanted there since August 2010, when he allegedly fled to Australia. He arrived in Oahu last week and was arrested on Wednesday in Honolulu.
Prosecutors say the relationship lasted for over a year and the girl became pregnant. Pulou says it was consensual.
Source:staradvertiser.com
Police officer, Air Force security guard bribes state trooper www.privateofficer.com
Matthew Scott Jones, who reportedly refused a breath test at the scene of the arrest, was later booked into jail for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol. Jones is also a former Ogden city police officer and Weber County Sheriff’s deputy, according to documents released in 3rd District Court on Thursday.
Jones and Perry police officer Daniel Kotter had worked together in the past, at the Weber County Sheriff’s office and the Weber County Jail.
Court documents state that the trooper received a text message from Kotter asking to meet someplace “to talk.” When the trooper spoke with Kotter on the phone, Kotter offered him $1,000 to not to appear at an upcoming Driver License Division hearing for his friend, Jones.
The alleged bribe increased to $2,500 over the course of the conversation, after it was revealed that Jones’ blood-alcohol level had been about .15 — nearly twice the legal limit — and Kotter said the money could be classified as “a Christmas bonus,” according to court documents.
Kotter met the trooper on Sept. 13 and handed over $2,000. Kotter was arrested after he drove away from the encounter.
Court documents state that Jones was applying for a job that required a commercial driver’s license, which wouldn’t be possible with a DUI on his record. No charges have been filed for Jones or Kotter, according to a check of court records Thursday.
The UHP is continuing an investigation into the matter and took possession of Kotter’s cell phone to confirm that the communications involving the alleged bribery took place.
Source:Desert News
Port St. Lucie resident arrested 100th time www.privateofficer.com
PORT St. LUCIE, Fla. Oct 8 2011– Police arrested a shoplifting suspect Thursday afternoon, making it Port St. Lucie resident Joseph Wilson’s 100th time in handcuffs in three Florida counties.
Wilson, 50, a landscaper who lives at 2211 SE Mandrake Circle, is accused of trying to steal $174 in socks and underwear from a Bealls discount outlet store at 10135 S. US 1 in Port St. Lucie.
According to a store security guard, Wilson walked out of the store with the stolen merchandise under his clothes.
The security guard confronted Wilson in the parking lot next to a white Dodge Caravan. Wilson jumped into the van and told the driver “Take off!” but the driver instead turned the ignition off and asked the security guard what was going on. Wilson took off on foot alone, the security guard told police.
Police caught up to Wilson hiding behind a Dumpster, covered in sweat. He told officers he was out on a jog and was resting behind the Dumpster because it was cooler there. He later admitted to the shoplift, citing hard times for the reason he was stealing, according to Port St. Lucie police.
Out of his 100 arrests, there are 37 felonies, 47 misdemeanors and 15 others. He’s been convicted on 35 of those incidents.
Source:www.cbs12.com
Yearling Middle School teacher arrested for lewd and lascivious molestation www.privateofficer.com
Joel A. Huddleston, of 3844 NW 30 Ave., also is youth pastor at the Buckhead Ridge Christian Church, according to the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office obtained information of possible sexual abuse by Huddleston on Thursday. A detective interviewed Huddleston, who denied the accusations, “however, evidence proved otherwise.”
Authorities say he was caught in bed, asleep at his home, with a 12-year-old girl, a student at Yearling Middle School. Huddleston’s wife took cell phone pictures of them in bed, and turned the photos over to detectives.
“His wife came home and could not find him and got in through a locked door into a bedroom area and discovered the young lady and he in the room. She (the girl) was in a state of undress and he was clothed. They were both on the bed, our understanding is both were asleep. His hands were upon the young lady,” said Okeechobee County Sheriff Paul May.
The Pastor at the Buckhead Ridge Christian Church where Huddleston worked, told us they have dismissed him and says the allegations are quote: “very much surprising to everybody.”
The sheriff says Huddleston has no prior arrest record.
“There’s just so much going on in this world today. I mean you read this every time you pick up the paper. It happens here just like anywhere else. My reaction? It’s pretty upsetting,” said Sheriff May.
Huddleston is currently held in the Okeechobee County Jail with no bond.
Source:www.cbs12.com
