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OFFICER DOWN- TERRY L FLEMING
Police Officer
Terry L. Fleming
Albany Police Department, Georgia
End of Watch: Friday, October 28, 2011
Biographical InfoAge: 36
Tour of Duty: 5 years
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Vehicle pursuit
Date of Incident: October 28, 2011
Weapon Used: Automobile
Suspect Info: Charged with felony murder
Police Officer Terry Fleming was killed when her patrol car collided with another patrol car during a high speed pursuit.
Officers were pursuing a truck occupied by two men who had just committed an armed robbery, when Officer Fleming’s patrol car collided with the other patrol car at the intersection of East Residence Avenue and Blaylock Avenue. Officer Fleming’s car burst into flames upon impact.
The suspects continued to flee until their truck overturned a short distance away. Both men were arrested and charged with felony as a result of Officer Fleming’s death. They were also charged with multiple felony counts in connection with the armed robbery.
Officer Fleming had served with the Albany Police Department for five years. She is survived by her husband and three children.
Agency Contact InfoChief John A. Proctor
Albany Police Department
225 Pine Avenue
Albany, GA 31702
Phone: (229) 431-2100
Knoxville men caught stealing storm drain covers www.privateofficer.com
KNOXVILLE TN Oct 29 2011 – Two men were arrested Friday in Knoxville for stealing storm drain covers in North Knoxville.
Police responded to a call about the thefts just after 9:00 a.m. in the area of Buffat Mill Road and Brice Street.
Two men in a white pickup truck were seen removing large storm water covers from streets. Police say similar activity has been reported over the last several days in East Knoxville.
An officer pulled over a 1983 Chevrolet pickup truck going west on Buffat Mill.
The driver was driving on a suspended license and several storm drain covers were in the bed of the truck, according to police.
Timmy Ollis, 47, and Gary Manuel, both of South Knoxville, were taken into custody for theft and reckless endangerment.
Police say more charges are pending the outcome of the investigation, and more people may be connected to metal thefts in the area.
Source:WATE.com
Women arrested for disturbance at Busch Gardens www.privateofficer.com
Tampa Fla Oct 29 2011
Busch Gardens – During the Howl-O-Scream event overnight, Rossand Del Carmen Bria and her young sister waited in line at one of the haunted venues within the park.
During the event, security was called over due to the two girls cutting in line. Security asked the girls to leave, but they refused.
While attempting to bring them into custody, the juvenile sister pulled away and the older sister then grabbed the officer by the arm in an attempt to free her younger sister. Rossand Del Carmen Bria then struck the officer in the mouth causing a small scratch on his upper lip.
She was later taken into custody and charged with Battery against a law enforcement officer.
Busch Gardens response to the situtaion:
Busch Gardens is committed to ensuring that all guests and employees enjoy a safe and memorable Howl-O-Scream experience. Though this nighttime adult event is intended to be edgy, safety remains the park’s number one priority. Unruly, aggressive or illegal behavior is not tolerated.
Busch Gardens security personnel and their Tampa Police Department counterparts make the decision to eject and/or arrest anyone who threatens the safety or well-being of guests or employees. To preserve the integrity of our security measures and to respect the confidentiality of our guests, we do not comment on the details of our security practices or any alleged incidents.
Source:10news
Oregan man faces federal charges for taking 500 rounds of ammunition on flight www.privateofficer.com
PORTLAND OR Oct 29 2011 — A Gresham man faces federal charges after admitting that he flew from Portland to Guam with 500 rounds of ammunition in his carry-on luggage.
A federal magistrate’s complaint out of Guam states that Nario Eter, 66, deliberately “undertook efforts to ensure (he) would defeat TSA security measures at Portland International Airport.”
He boarded the flight on Monday after using an unspecified type of grey tape to conceal the ammunition in a carry-on bag. The complaint does not specify exactly what kind of ammunition it was.
Guam investigators found the ammunition while he was trying to board a connecting flight to Micronesia.
Eter was due back in Guam in November for a court appearance. He doesn’t appear to have a criminal history in Oregon.
FBI spokesman Tom Simon said Eter didn’t have any plans to hurt anyone with the bullets.
His daughter Judy Etter told KGW that the incident was all a mistake that started with a rush to pack up and leave for the airport. He intended to declare the ammunition and place it in checked luggage.
Her father fishes with a gun in Micronesia because of a disability she did not specify. She said her father “is a good man, he’s a good person.”
Her father was well aware of firearms safety, she said, and a gun was never a part of the Monday episode. He has no gun at his Gresham home.
TSA representatives said they could not comment on the case Thursday, citing an ongoing investigation.
Passengers who spoke with KGW Friday morning were surprised and disappointed at the security breach.
“They put a lot of security out here,” said passenger Cy Smith, “We’re spending a lot of money as taxpayers, and it shouldn’t have happened. So, if we’re going to spend our money, they need to do the job correctly.”
Source:kgw
Security officer shot during Canada bank robbery www.privateofficer.com
MONTREAL Canada Oct 29 2011 — Police are looking for at least three suspects and an older-model minivan following an armed robbery.
An armed guard was shot in the leg during a robbery at a National Bank branch in Pointe-Aux-Trembles on Thursday night.
Witnesses called 9-1-1 when they heard gunshots coming from a shopping centre at 12,675 Sherbrooke St. East around 9:30 p.m.
Police arrived to find a G-4-S armoured vehicle parked outside the bank branch entrance.
Inside the bank were two guards, one of them shot in the leg, while the second man was unharmed but was treated for shock.
The guards had been transporting money
A witness told police two armed men ran from the scene holding a bag and entered the mini-van, but police would not confirm how much money was stolen.
Police have not yet been able to provide a description of the suspects or their vehicle, but said they were checking surveillance video.
“There are cameras outside of the mall, inside the mall and inside the bank that investigators will have a look at and try to help them through the investigation,” said Constable Yannick Ouimet.
By Friday afternoon the injured guard had yet to talk to police.
Police say the last time a robbery of this nature happened in the area was ten years ago. It’s also the first time this bank branch has ever been robbed.
The bank branch will likely re-open Saturday.
Source:ctvmontreal.ca
Man Tased after assaulting security officer www.privateofficer.com
Allentown PA October 29 2011 A 40-year-old man who was subdued by a stun gun outside of Crocodile Rock on Sunday night had fought with security guards at the nightclub and an Allentown police officer who tried to arrest him, according to court records.
David Ohrin of Wyomissing, Berks County, was kicked out of the club at 520 Hamilton St. at 11:22 p.m. and began fighting with security guards, police said. He kicked at least one of the guards.
When an Allentown officer approached Ohrin, he began fighting with the officer, police said. According to court records, Ohrin kicked the officer and then tried to break the officer’s thumb.
The police officer used his stun gun to subdue Ohrin and he was placed in custody.
Ohrin was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. He was released after posting $50,000 bail.
Virginia elementary school teacher sentenced to 30 years in prison www.privateofficer.com
Justin Coleman, 36, made the videos showing him sexually abusing two underage girls as part of a secret life that included clandestinely filming students and electronically transferring the faces of former students onto child pornography, federal law enforcement officials said.
He was sentenced to 30 years on each of two counts of producing child pornography. The sentences will run concurrently.
“Mr. Coleman, you are a bad seed. You are a danger and a predator,” U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee said in sentencing him.
Coleman, a former fourth-grade dual language teacher at Alexandria’s John Adams Elementary school, was arrested in April. He pleaded guilty in August.
His voice trembling slightly, Coleman told Lee he was dedicated to repairing the damage he had caused and had been living in a “veritable sea of shame and guilt” for a year.
“I am here because I betrayed the trust of many,” said Coleman, dressed in dark green jail overalls. He listened to sentencing arguments with head bowed.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerry Smagala said Coleman had engaged in child pornography while he taught at a U.S. military school in Japan. He also had filmed underage girls at a school during a trip to Italy, Smagala said.
Coleman’s argument that he had been under stress from a breakup with his girlfriend and the death of a sister did not excuse him, Smagala said.
Federal officials have said Coleman possessed more than 2,500 images of child pornography that he had altered to depict former, minor female students to appear to be engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Coleman’s collection included at least 74 videos he had recorded at classrooms that showed him masturbating behind an unaware student and attempting to obtain erotic videos of female students.
Coleman was among 900 people in the United States identified by Italian authorities as part of an overseas child pornography investigation.
Under federal guidelines, he could be eligible for release after 85 percent of his sentence is completed.
Source:Reuters
Honolulu police arrests teacher for sex assault www.privateofficer.com
Investigators say the girl told them the teacher assaulted her from October 2008 to March 2009.
He faces 11 counts of first-degree sexual assault and five counts of third-degree sexual assault.
Police say the girl is now 17-years-old.
Police arrested the suspect Wednesday without incident.
He remained in custody Thursday evening pending charges.
Source:www.kitv.com
Louisville police chief moves on to a different job www.privateofficer.com
Louisville KY Oct 29 2011 The city of Louisville is losing its police chief.
Robert White, who has served as Louisville’s police chief since 2003, will be named chief of the Denver Police Department next week.
Mayor Greg Fischer announced Friday that he will immediately begin a search for White’s replacement.
“Chief White has been a high-caliber leader who has made our city safer and who has earned tremendous respect across the city,” Fischer said. “It’s not a surprise that, over the years, many cities have tried to hire him. Denver is gaining a police chief of high integrity.”
Fischer said he has begun the process of identifying potential new chiefs from both within and outside the Louisville Metro Police Department. He said he would be seeking input from citizens, police and national experts.
“My goal is to hire the best chief to lead our department and make it even better than it already is,” Fischer said. “We are a safe city, but we can be even safer. I’m seeking a leader who can take us to that next level.”
Fischer said he will soon name an interim chief to assume the day-to-day duties until a permanent chief can be named.
White said the decision to leave Louisville was difficult but that he felt that he has achieved all he could in Louisville and he looks forward to new challenges in Denver.
“I’m leaving Louisville in great hands – and I want to thank the men and women of the Louisville Police Department who are dedicated and passionate public servants,” White said. “I also wish to thank the citizens of Louisville who have made my job enjoyable every day the last nine years.”
The mayor’s office in Denver is planning a formal announcement next week. The Denver City Council must approve the hiring, a process expected to take three weeks.
White was appointed chief of the newly merged Louisville Metro Police Department on January 6, 2003. The department was created with the merger of the Louisville Division of Police and the Jefferson County Police Department. The department — the 22nd largest in the country — has 1,200 sworn officers and nearly 400 civilian personnel.
Nuclear security officer accidentally shoots self www.privateofficer.com
FRENCHTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich.Oct 29 2011 — Federal regulators are investigating an accidental shooting involving a security officer at Michigan’s Fermi 2 nuclear power plant.
A U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission report released Friday says the officer shot himself in the foot Thursday afternoon when his gun discharged.
DTE Energy Co. spokesman Scott Simons says the officer was unloading his gun at the end of his shift when it fired. His injury is not life-threatening. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.
No other injuries were reported.
The power plant is in Monroe County’s Frenchtown Township, about 35 miles southwest of Detroit. It is owned and operated by DTE Energy.
HOSPITAL SECURITY CHARGED IN DEATH OF PATIENT www.privateofficer.com
Authorities said 57-year-old William Darrell West of Marietta was intoxicated when he entered Wellstar Cobb Hospital in Austell on Aug. 6. They said West hit his head on the floor during a confrontation with a security guard and died of blunt force trauma.
The medical examiner’s office investigated the manner and cause of death, and it’s taken this long to levy charges, Cobb police spokesman Sgt. Dana Pierce told the AJC.
Now Jerry Thomas Evans, 32, of Austell is charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct.
Evans is aware of the warrant and is expected to turn himself in with his attorney, Pierce said.
Border Patrol Agent Sent To Prison For Assault On Drug Smuggler www.privateofficer.com
El Paso TX Oct 29 2011 Border Patrol Agent Jesus “Chito” Diaz was just sentenced to two years in federal prison violating the civil rights of a Mexican drug smuggler by allegedly pulling on the suspect’s handcuffs. After an initial mistrial, Agent Diaz was convicted in June, despite the fact that two separate oversight agencies cleared him of any wrongdoing in the case.
So, why then was Agent Diaz prosecuted?
Apparently, for the same reason that so many other U.S. law enforcement officers have been…Because the Mexican government filed a complaint against him and the U.S. Justice Department eagerly complied.
To add insult to injury, Agent Diaz was denied bond by U.S. District Court judge Alia Ludlum while awaiting sentencing, a courtesy ordinarily extended to police officers in such cases.
Of course, it would not be the first time a U.S. law enforcement officer has been prosecuted, seemingly on orders from Mexico.
The following is a list of a few of those officers:
-Border Patrol Agent Gary Brugman was charged by U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton with violating the rights of an illegal alien in January 2001. The following year he was convicted and spent two years in federal prison.
Agent Brugman was working in the very tough border region of Eagle Pass, Texas. He responded to a scene where another agent was having trouble with a group of 10-12 apprehended people caught crossing our border illegally. Two of them would not comply, so Agent Brugman pushed one of the men onto the ground. This minor incident was enough for Sutton to charge Brugman with violating the illegal alien’s constitutional rights “under the color of law.”
During Brugman’s trial, Sutton actually brought a convicted drug smuggler whom Agent Brugman had arrested from his prison cell to testify against him.
Incredibly, Johnny Sutton did an interview on the Spanish language network Univision in which he stated he was making an example out of Agent Brugman.
In addition to his service as a Border Patrol agent, Brugman is a Coast Guard veteran. He spent 16 years of his life defending this nation. He is now free and actively telling his story in hopes that justice will soon come to Johnny Sutton.
-U.S. Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean were sentenced to11 and 12 year federal prison sentences respectively. Sutton charged these two men with assault with a deadly weapon, various firearms charges, and with violating a drug smuggler’s civil rights.
In February 2005, Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean spotted a van headed across the border into the United States. The agents gave chase and one of them ended up in a scuffle with a Mexican drug smuggler known as Osbaldo Aldrete-Davilla. One of the agents saw a gun in the smuggler’s hand and fired at him, before Aldrete-Davilla fled back across the border into Mexico. The smuggler was shot in the buttocks and was observed jumping into an awaiting vehicle on the Mexican side of the border.
The van driven by the smuggler was left behind along with 743 pounds of marijuana. A few months later, he was caught once again smuggling drugs into this country. While in custody, he was given immunity from prosecution in both cases in exchange for his testimony against Agents Ramos and Compean. In addition to immunity, the taxpayers assisted him with travel expenses and provided him with medical treatment at a U.S. Army facility in Texas. Once Aldrete-Davilla testified and completed his medical treatments, he promptly filed a $5 million lawsuit against the U.S. Border Patrol for violating his rights.
Sutton’s office received a great deal of public criticism for his treatment and unfair prosecution of these two agents, while Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) led a Republican movement in Congress to pardon these two men. Of course, president Bush commuted the sentences of Ramos and Compean on his last day of office. However, the felony conviction remains on their records and the two men can no longer work in law enforcement.
-When Deputy Gilmer Hernandez made a routine traffic stop in April 2005, little did he know that this incident would lead to the loss of his freedom. It turned out that the driver was a human smuggler with several Mexican nationals hiding in the vehicle. After being approached, the driver hit the gas and tried to run over Dep. Hernandez. The deputy fired his weapon at the tires of the van, at which time a bullet fragment hit a woman who was hiding in the back of the vehicle, her injuries were limited to a scratch on the cheek. Another person in the van received a similar injury.
The shooting was investigated by the Edwards County Sheriff’s Department, The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, as well as the Texas Department of Public Safety. All of the agencies deemed the action taken by Deputy Hernandez as justifiable. However, more than a year later, Sutton reopened the case and prosecuted Deputy Hernandez for violating the civil rights of the two injured illegal aliens. Hernandez served a one year sentence in a federal prison.
-Border Patrol Agent Noe Aleman and his wife adopted his wife’s nieces from Mexico, after the girls’ father died. The couple paid $40,000 in legal fees to adopt the girls ages 12, 13, and 15. Despite the steep fees, the attorney they hired was apparently incompetent and made several errors on the adoption and immigration forms. Agent Aleman himself pointed out these errors to immigration authorities and attempted to correct them. For his honesty, Agent Aleman was arrested and prosecuted by Sutton’s office for alien smuggling. He received a one year sentence and was incarcerated in the same prison where Agent Ramos was initially held.
Noe Aleman served with the Border Patrol for 12 years and is highly respected for his aggressive pursuits of illegal aliens and drug smugglers alike. However, in an effort to defame Agent Aleman, Johnny Sutton even suggested that the real purpose for the adoption was so that Aleman could molest the little girls, who during the grand jury hearing were referred to by Sutton’s assistant as “little whores!”
In 2007, Aleman told Jerome Coursi of WorldNetDaily: “I’m just another victim in George Bush, Alberto Gonzalez, and Johnny Sutton’s was against Border Patrol agents.”
The three girls were sent to an orphanage in Mexico, after being deported.
There is evidence in two of the aforementioned cases that the Mexican government became directly involved and influenced Sutton’s office to prosecute the officers.
On March 4, 2005, the U.S. Consulate in Mexico contacted Sutton’s office with information given by the Mexican government that they had a drug smuggler who had been shot by a Border Patrol Agent. The Department of Homeland Security began their investigation of Agents Ramos and Compean the very same day!
On April 18, 2005, Mexican Consul Jorge Ernesto Espejel Montes sent a letter to Sutton’s office demanding that Deputy Gilmer Hernandez be prosecuted for injuring Maricela Rodriguez Garcia (the woman whose cheek was scratched while hiding in the smuggler’s van). It was not until Sutton received this letter that his investigation of Dep. Hernandez began.
It would seem that the Justice Department receives their orders directly from the corrupt government of Mexico. Not only have several law enforcement officers been unfairly prosecuted for their efforts to protect this country from illegal aliens and drug smugglers, but the American people are being betrayed by this apparent arrangement between the U.S. and Mexican governments.
Source: Examiner.com
Waterbury surgeon faces charges of assaulting police officers www.privateofficer.com
Waterbury CT Oct 29 2011 Two local officers suffered minor injuries and a reputable Waterbury surgeon is facing charges after police said he attacked the officers and had to be subdued with a Taser at the home of an ex-girlfriend following a confrontation early Thursday.
Michael Ajemian, of 1592 Bucks Hill Road in Southbury, was arraigned in Bristol Superior Court Thursday on charges of third-degree assault, violation of a protective order, first-degree criminal trespassing, interfering with a 911 call, two counts of assault on an officer and interfering with police.
He was released after posting a $100,000 court-set bond Thursday, court officials said.
“(Ajemian) became the subject of an investigation after his ex-girlfriend came to the station with visible injuries to the head and body,” said Southington Police Sgt. Lowell DePalma. “She was worried he was still at her home and wanted police to check.”
The case is classified as a domestic violence investigation.
When officers arrived at the home, officer found Ajemian, 45, inside. As they approached Ajemian, officers said, he became combative and attacked an officer, kicking him and causing minor injuries. As two other officers attempted to get involved, a police report said he pushed a second officer down the stairs and had to be subdued using a Taser.
The officers suffered minor injuries, but are both expected to make full recoveries with no permanent damage, police said.
The arrest was the second in four months for Ajemian, who was charged in July with third-degree assault, second-degree unlawful restraint, disorderly conduct and interfering with police in a separate case with the same victim, according to court records. He was ordered at that time to cease all contact with the victim.
An 18-year board certified surgeon, Ajemian had earned a reputation as a talented doctor who had previously done work in both Waterbury and New Haven. He currently works out of a private surgical practice in Waterbury.
Court officials said Thursday afternoon that Ajemian is due back in Bristol Superior Court on Dec. 2.
Nevada man faces 5,000 counts of child porn www.privateofficer.com
PAHRUMP, Nev.Oct 29 2011 — An investigation into a child pornography case in Nevada is extending to other states as investigators search for possible victims.
The Nye County Sheriff’s Office is attempting to identify if 43-year-old Christopher Kinder had any suspicious activity with children in California, Florida, New Jersey and Missouri.
Kinder was arrested Thursday and is being held on $25 million bail after detectives found more than 5,000 sexually explicit photos of children on his laptop.
The Nye County sheriff’s office said Kinder was arrested at his home in Pahrump on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, failure to register as an ex-felon and 5,000 counts of possession of child pornography.
Sheriff’s Detective David Boruchowitz says deputies serving a warrant found painkillers prescribed to someone besides Kinder and the computer.
Boruchowitz says officials charged the high number of counts because the photos depicted so many different children. Officials say Kinder was previously convicted of lewdness with a child in New Jersey.
Pahrump is about 60 miles west of Las Vegas.
Source:8newsnow.com
Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi faces felony shoplifting charges www.privateofficer.com
San Francisco CA Oct 29 2011 Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi is facing charges on allegations that she shoplifted more than $2,000 in merchandise from a high-end retailer in San Francisco, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report.
Prosecutors told the Chronicle that the Castro Valley Democrat was caught on camera Tuesday shoplifting at the Union Square Neiman Marcus store. She pleaded not guilty to a felony grand theft charge at a Thursday arraignment hearing.
The Chronicle’s Matier and Ross report:
Hayashi, 45, who has served in the Assembly since 2006 — and is married to Alameda Superior Court Judge Dennis Hayashi — was arraigned Thursday in San Francisco Superior Court. She had earlier posted $15,000 bail.
Hayashi was stopped by Neiman Marcus’ security detail shortly after leaving the store around 12:15 p.m. Tuesday with a shopping bag that included three items worth $2,450 that she hadn’t paid for when she checked out at the register, the district attorney’s office said.
Prosecutors did not specify what the items were, but a source familiar with the case tells us they included a leather skirt.
Hayashi was questioned by police and eventually charged with one count of felony theft. She pleaded not guilty Thursday before Judge Samuel Feng and is due back in court Nov. 15 to set a preliminary hearing.
Hayashi’s spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
Source:sacbee.com
Stun gun on airplane lands man in jail www.privateofficer.com
NEWARK, N.J. October 29 2011– A Brazilian man on a flight from New Jersey to Hong Kong has been arrested after Transportation Security Administration officers at Newark Liberty International Airport detected a stun gun in his carry-on bag.
The passenger was going through the security checkpoint on Thursday when the weapon was discovered. He was identified as 48-year-old Mauro Louzada from Brazil; his hometown wasn’t released.
The TSA says the Port Authority Police Department confiscated the weapon and charged Louzada with criminal possession of a weapon.
The Port Authority says Louzada is free on $1,000 bail.
College cop shoots self holstering weapon www.privateofficer.com
WTAE-TV reports the commander of the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg police says the officer was wounded Thursday night.
State police say the officer was treated for a leg wound at a hospital and released.
The WTAE-TV report says the accident happened at the shooting range behind the state police barracks in Greensburg.
State police are investigating.
Shopping center security guard charged with attempted murder www.privateofficer.com
According to officials, the incident happened in Wahiawa at about 6 p.m. Thursday.
Police say Radford Percival works at the Wahiawa Shopping Center as a security guard. He reportedly got into an argument with two men, followed them home and opened fire.
The girlfriend of one of the alleged victims was reportedly standing outside holding her seven-month-old baby.
According to police, no one was hit by the bullets.
Percival was later arrested at the shopping center.
The 26 year old is being held on suspicion of attempted murder.
Source:HawaiiNewsNow
SECURITY OFFICER KILLED ON FEDERAL PROPERTY www.privateofficer.com
The FBI says the slaying of a security guard at a closed Navy base in Puerto Rico was an attempted robbery.
An FBI affidavit says four men ambushed the guard because they thought he had a gun they could steal. The guard apparently pretended to have a gun in his fanny pack when he earlier encountered two of the suspects at the former Sabana Seca base west of San Juan.
They came back and shot the guard twice at least twice.
The affidavit was filed Tuesday in support of armed robbery and other charges against suspect Joel Rivera Clemente.
The other suspects weren’t identified. The based closed in 2003 but the FBI handled the case because the guard was killed on federal property.
The name of the security guard has not been released.
Indiana man commits suicide with explosives www.privateofficer.com
MISHAWAKA IN Oct 28 2011 — Police found several explosives on the property of a Mishawaka area man who is believed to have committed suicide with his own explosives.
The body of 65-year-old Stanley Warren was found in the backyard of his residence on Currant Road, just north of Mishawaka, this afternoon, police said.
During the investigation, explosives found in the home prompted a bomb squad and Haz-Mat team to be called to the scene to search for more, and led police to evacuate neighboring homes.
Blank said Warren used some sort of pyrotechnics to kill himself. The death is being treated as a suicide and there is no indication of foul play, Blank said.
“Mr. Warren’s brother told officers that his brother was a pyrotechnician who constructed fireworks and put on fireworks displays,” police said in a news release issued Wednesday night.”
During the search, 3,000 pounds of “explosives and volatile material” were found, Sgt. Matt Blank, of the St. Joseph County Police Department, said.
“He was into fireworks,” Blank said. “He used explosives a lot on his property to blow up tree stumps.
“He’s always let his neighbors know when he was doing it. By all accounts he was a good guy.”
Blank said Warren lived on a large property. It is unclear how many days had passed before he was discovered.
Friends and a brother of Warren had not heard from the victim in several days, which prompted a welfare check by police, who made the discovery.
Currant Road between Willow Creek Drive and Early Road was closed for several hours.
Ex-bookkeeper gets hefty prison term in embezzlement www.privateofficer.com
Knoxville TN Oct 28 2011
An ex-bookkeeper from Knoxville received a sentence Thursday of 110 months in prison.
Leslie Janous, 36, had pleaded guilty to stealing from her employer and then fled to Arizona where she was captured.
Janous was also sentenced to three years of probation.
Through tears, Janous addressed the court and apologized for her actions saying, “I deeply regret what I have done and the damage I have caused.”
Several members of her family where in the courtroom and as Janous entered, she looked directly at them and mouthed, “I love you.”
Janous admitted to stealing $4 million from her employer, Scancarbon. Her guilty plea included the seizure of a long list of items including real estate, luxury cars, and jewelry.
Federal agents also seized two bank accounts, taking in more than $100,000.
Source:WATE
Body found on top of 18-wheeler was suicide victim www.privateofficer.com
Maryland State Police say a driver saw a man fall over a pedestrian overpass and land on top of the trailer Tuesday afternoon. The driver called 911 and police in Virginia pulled the truck over on southbound I-95 near Lorton, about 11 miles away.
Police found the body of 38-year-old Jeffrey Matheny of Gaithersburg, Md., on top of the canvas-covered, open-bedded trailer, which was hauling waste products.
Matheny was pronounced dead at the scene. The medical examiner has ruled his death a suicide.
Edmonds-Woodway High School security officer retires www.privateofficer.com
Edmonds WA Oct 28 2011 Edmonds-Woodway High School teachers and staff know him as Fred Gucker. Security guard.
To students, he’s simply Gucker. Or as his name is properly pronounced, “Gooker.” (Is that a perfect name for a high-school enforcer or what?)
Fred Gucker has retired from Edmonds-Woodway, and it’s a good bet some of the kids think they can get away with something now. Gucker was security at E-Dub, which meant he was the guy who busted you if you tried to slip off campus to Burger King. He’s the guy who bellowed “hey!” if you were caught wandering the halls without permission.
Gucker, 65, was honored at a school assembly late last month where the football team presented him with a signed football. But Gucker isn’t completely gone, as the longtime E-W football assistant still takes care of equipment and pitches in wherever head coach John Gradwohl needs him. But to understand how much Gucker was recognized on campus, you only have to know this: There is a Facebook page in his honor.
His information page is creatively snarky: About: “One of the greatest men to ever live.” Personal information: “Always has a good story to tell about when he was back in Nam.” Personal interests: “Hates freshmen.”
As you might expect, Gucker doesn’t really hate freshmen. At least that’s what he says, LOL.
“It’s great to watch them mature and grow into young men and women,” he said last Friday before the Warriors’ homecoming game. “Most kids at school are great kids because they have great parents.”
Gucker arrived in Puget Sound as a kid when his father moved his family Midwest to take a job at Boeing. He grew up in Lake Forest Park, graduated from Shorecrest High School in Shoreline and—the Facebook post is correct—served in Vietnam as a member of the Army.
Gucker hesitates when asked about Vietnam, where he saw combat as a squad leader. “I really don’t talk about that stuff,” he said. “It turns people off.”
Returning from Vietnam, he earned an accounting degree at the University of Washington and—like his father—started work at Boeing, where he stayed for 30 years.
Before E-W, where he patrolled for 10 years, Gucker said he briefly sold cars. “I was a loan shark and used-car salesman,” he says with a smile, and you get the impression he was glad to land at E-W.
Gucker says he’s semi-retired now and will be looking for work in Bainbridge Island, where he recently bought a home after he and his wife of 35 years sold their Edmonds home. They have three grandchildren on Bainbridge.
When prodded, Gucker admits he’s aware of his reputation as a take-no-prisoners security guard at E-W. “It created a bit of fear,” he says, “but perhaps contributed to good behavior. It creates respect, too. Kids have to respect you.”
E-W kids may not know it, but Gucker says he also has respect for them—and those in charge of helping them grow into young adults.
“It was real joy. Working at Edmonds-Woodway was the best job I’ve ever had. I can understand why people teach. I have real respect for them.”
Former Richmond Postal Credit Union CEO sent to prison for embezzlement www.privateofficer.com
Authorities said Joseph Haddon Jr. stole $52,233 from the credit union from July 14, 2009, through Oct. 4, 2010, spending the money on items that include Washington Redskins tickets that cost nearly $2,000.
Haddon, 49, also billed the credit union to pay a lawyer for handling his divorce and to pay for COBRA health insurance for a girlfriend, said Matthew C. Ackley, special counsel for the Richmond area’s multijurisdictional grand jury.
Haddon pleaded guilty today in Richmond Circuit Court to two felony counts of embezzlement. Two other counts were withdrawn as part of a plea bargain. The agreement did not set a sentence, so attorneys presented arguments in court.
Judge Bradley B. Cavedo sentenced Haddon to 10 years, all suspended, for one of the counts and 10 years with nine years suspended for the other count. Cavedo said Haddon can participate in a work-release program while serving the one-year sentence.
Cavedo ordered Haddon to pay $20,271 in restitution. The figure represents the amount Haddon is accused of stealing from the credit union, plus the amount the credit union paid for a contractor to perform an audit, minus the amount covered by insurance payments.
According to a statement of facts included in the plea agreement, Haddon was CEO of the credit union from 2008 until he was placed on administrative leave on Oct. 4, 2010. He no longer works for the institution, but his attorney said he has another job making $50 per hour.
Haddon accomplished most of the theft by charging personal expenses to a company credit card or by having bills for personal expenses paid through the credit union’s accounting department, according to the statement of facts.
The court document also says that in 2002, Haddon was co-signatory on a bank account at Union First Market Bank that held funds for the Douglas S. Freeman High School class of 1981. The funds belonged to the class reunion committee, and Haddon withdrew $1,600 from the account for his unauthorized personal use, the document states.
Of that amount, Haddon used his own money to pay back $300, said his attorney, Craig S. Cooley.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Ackley cast Haddon as a man in a high position of authority who stole to pay for luxuries. Haddon created a stressful environment for employees who suspected wrongdoing but were afraid they would lose their jobs if they questioned him, Ackley said.
“Nobody should have to come to work each day knowing that their boss is stealing money,” Ackley said.
Cooley and defense witnesses described Haddon as remorseful and said the theft was out of character and possibly a result of pressures he was facing, including a failed marriage. Long-time friends said he was hard-working, honest and a good father.
Haddon apologized to credit-union employees, family members and friends.
“That’s not the type of man I am,” he said, his voice shaking. “I make no excuses. I was wrong.”
Source:richmond times daily
Harper Woods High School employee accused of sex crimes www.privateofficer.com
The employee, whom neither investigators nor the district is naming, was arrested Wednesday at the school, Acting Harper Woods Police Chief James Burke said today. Officers searched his school office and home in Oakland County, but Burke would not discuss what was seized. The man was released Wednesday night pending formal charges, Burke said.
A female student at the school came to police earlier this week, alleging an incident occurred while they were on school grounds during the past week, Burke said.
The case involves allegations of inappropriate touching or fondling by the employee, who under the law was in a position of authority at the school, Burke said.
“Our concern No. 1 is with the safety of our victim and making sure she’s O.K., and her welfare and well-being,” Burke said today. “But also we want to make sure there are no other victims at the school district, so we’re working with them. We believe right now it’s a one-incident situation, and we want to make sure that’s the case.”
Harper Woods Schools Superintendent Todd Biederwolf said the man works for the district not as an educator but as support staff, focusing on school improvement, grants, student attendance and behavior and community relations. He’s been working at the high school since the beginning of last school year, first for the district and currently for an educational support services contractor based in the Flint area.
He said the district is working through that company to place the employee on leave as the case unfolds.
“Students are our first priority, but we do have to be respectful of our staff and their due process,” Biederwolf said today at his office.
Burke said the case has been turned over to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, which will determine charges. He said an arraignment could take place on Friday or Monday if charges are issued.
Former Pasco County teacher arrested for lewd sex crimes with student www.privateofficer.com
Pasco County Fla Oct 28 2011 A former high school teacher from Pasco County has been arrested on charges of having a sexual relationship with a minor.
Maryann Verdi, 40, was arrested Wednesday afternoon on charges of lewd or lascivious battery and unlawful sexual activity with a minor. She remains at the Land O’Lakes jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.
According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, Verdi had sex with a 15-year-old boy in December 2009, when she was a teacher at River Ridge High School. She had sex recently with the same boy, now 17, in her vehicle, the report said.
“The defendant admitted to her boyfriend that she had sexual intercourse with a young student from a high school within Pasco County,” the arrest report states.
Verdi resigned this month from Sunlake High School after spending much of the school year on suspension. Students and faculty members alleged that Verdi cursed in class, called some co-workers “bitches” and spent instructional time “talking about alcohol, drugs and (her) experiences in jail,” according to a letter from schools superintendent Heather Fiorentino, who recommended firing Verdi.
Verdi originally vowed to fight the termination: “It’s gossip. A lot of it is hearsay. And it’s not the truth,” she told the Times in an interview last month.
Then on Oct. 3, the day before her case was slated to come before the School Board, Verdi quietly submitted her resignation. Her arrest report indicates the investigation into her relationship with the teenage boy began that day.
A troubled past
Verdi became a teacher in 1996, inspired by the instructors she had as an “at-risk” teen at Gulf High School. “I was stealing, skipping, everything you can think of,” Verdi told the Times last month. She failed the ninth grade, but her teachers at Gulf High got her on the right track. She won the school’s Turnaround Award in 1988.
She said she wanted to help similarly troubled kids. She worked at River Ridge High School for years, until a March 2010 arrest for domestic battery and battery on a law enforcement officer landed her on unpaid leave.
That arrest stemmed from a fight with her husband. The charges were waived after she completed pretrial intervention.
The district gave Verdi a fresh start this fall with a new assignment at Sunlake High School, teaching U.S. history and world history classes. Before her return, employee relations director Kevin Shibley laid down the law: Verdi was expected to be professional, complete all job tasks and maintain appropriate relationships with members of the school community.
“Your failure to follow through on any one of these conditions will result in an immediate recommendation for the termination of your employment,” Shibley wrote in an Aug. 19 letter to Verdi.
Less than two weeks later, Verdi already was on the ropes. During planning week, a former colleague from River Ridge accused Verdi of sending profanity-laced text messages over the summer that made her feel uncomfortable. Several new colleagues at Sunlake High, meanwhile, raised concerns about Verdi’s punctuality, attentiveness in meetings, cell phone use and smoking on campus.
Staffers also complained about Verdi’s boyfriend, who spent time on campus during planning week. One teacher said the boyfriend appeared to be impaired. An assistant principal described the boyfriend’s behavior as “erratic and almost ‘tweaky.’ “
Verdi was suspended before classes began. She returned to school two weeks into the year — then was escorted off campus a few days later amid the accusations of using inappropriate language and discussing inappropriate things in class.
Fighting back
In previous interviews with the Times, Verdi vehemently disputed the accusations about her professionalism.
She said she spoke of drugs and alcohol only to explain how she had turned her life around as a teenager, and only when asked why she had taught at-risk students for so long. She said she used profanity, but only in telling students what words are not acceptable in class. She also acknowledged she was receiving treatment for mental health issues.
“I probably could have been more professional,” Verdi said last month. “But I am who I am. … Maybe I came in too real.”
Nor did she go down without a fight: She raised allegations about an administrator having an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. The district investigated and found no cause to take action against that administrator.
Verdi said she thought her colleagues from River Ridge High had poisoned the well before her arrival at Sunlake, so she never got a clean slate. She also argued that she was being singled out.
“A lot of people are doing improprieties,” she said.
Source:tamapbay.com
Monrovia High School teacher charged with rape www.privateofficer.com
INDIANAPOLIS IN Oct 28 2011 — A Monrovia High School teacher has been arrested after a 16-year-old student told police he raped her at his home.
Daniel Goens, 45, was arrested Thursday morning on preliminary charges of rape, criminal deviate conduct, confinement and two counts of child seduction, RTV6′s Jack Rinehart reported.
The 16-year-old girl came forward in September, telling police that Goens, a teacher and coach, had sent her sexual text messages and pictures beginning in January and that he forced her to have sex with him in May.
The girl told police that Goens approached her in a locker room earlier this year, pinned her against the wall and began to kiss her, telling her that he wanted to have sex with her.
The girl said Goens sent her sexual text messages for several months and that he threatened to rape her if she didn’t send him nude pictures, which she did.
In May, the girl said Goens asked her to baby-sit at his family’s home in Indianapolis.
The girl said that when she was dropped off, the children weren’t there. She said she asked Goens to take her home but that he said she had to stay.
The girl said that’s when Goens forced her to take her clothes off and raped her, even though she told him she didn’t want to have sex with him.
The girl said Goens paid her $20 and took her home. She told police she waited to come forward because she was ashamed and scared.
The Monroe-Gregg School District issued a statement Thursday afternoon, saying administrators were made aware of allegations involving Goens on Sept. 26. Goens was subsequently placed on paid administrative leave.
“Based on the facts gathered during the internal investigation, it will be the school administrations recommendation to the Board of School Trustees to terminate the teacher’s contract,” the statement read.
Goens has taught at the school for 10 years and has helped coach football and track.
The girl’s family told RTV6 they wanted to thank Indianapolis police for their work in the investigation.
Mining security chief found guilty of obstructing federal investigators www.privateofficer.com
Hughie Elbert Stover was found guilty by a jury in U.S. District Court in Beckley, W.Va., of obstructing a federal criminal investigation, and lying to federal investigators. Mr. Stover, who had been security chief of the Upper Big Branch mine since 1999, faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison but remains free pending a Feb. 29 sentencing.
The case marks a victory for the government which has undertaken a broad criminal probe into the blast, the worst U.S. mining accident in four decades. No other mine personnel or Massey officials have been charged but the criminal investigation is continuing.
“Today’s verdict sends a clear message that when a person obstructs an investigation—especially an investigation as important as this one—there will be consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin.
The obstruction charge was for ordering a security guard to dispose of thousands of security-related documents earlier this year, several months after Mr. Stover was interviewed by investigators about the accident.
Mr. Stover testified Tuesday in his own defense that the records disposal was an innocent oversight, the “stupidest mistake” he had made in his life.
He was charged with lying to federal investigators about notifying mine personnel when government inspectors arrived on the property, which is itself a violation of federal law. He testified that he hadn’t lied to investigators about announcing government inspectors because he understood notification to involve using the telephone, a practice he prohibited.
Mr. Stover’s attorney, William D. Wilmoth of Steptoe & Johnson, declined to say Wednesday whether he would appeal. “We are all obviously disappointed with the verdict,” he said, but noted that “the debate was vigorous” among the jury, which deliberated for about six hours.
Mr. Wilmoth had argued that the government engaged in a “rush to judgment” against his client while the people who were directly responsible for the mine accident have yet to be charged. “Elbert Stover is the head security guard. Now we hope that our government will go after the real villain or villains,” he said Wednesday.
In closing arguments, Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Ellis drew a link between Mr. Stover’s trial and potential future cases, according to the Associated Press. “There’s too much at stake here,” he said, adding that the jury should “send a message that this investigation ought to be allowed to go forward.”
Virginia-based Alpha Natural Resources Inc. acquired Massey in June. Alpha officials couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Source:wsj.com
Virginia Beach parking enforcement employee guilty of thefts www.privateofficer.com
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.Oct 28 2011 - One of two parking enforcement workers accused of stealing money from Virginia Beach parking meters pleaded guilty in Virginia Beach Circuit Court on Wednesday.
Mark Apperson, 51, pleaded guilty to embezzlement and conspiracy to commit grand larceny, according to Macie E. Pridgen with the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
Apperson was a contracted parking enforcement employee responsible for delivering locked boxes filled with money collected from Oceanfront parking meters.
Instead of depositing the money into a city account, investigators said Apperson and his co-worker Christopher Williams, 33, diverted to a grocery store coin change machine.
In June, the manager of a local grocery store noticed the two men wearing their meter enforcement uniforms dumping a large amount of change into a coin machine at the store.
The store manager then saw the men leave in a vehicle marked with a Virginia Beach Parking Enforcement logo. The manager became suspicious and called police.
Both men were charged with embezzlement and conspiracy to commit a felony.
Apperson’s sentencing is scheduled for February 1, 2012.
Source:wavy.com
Cops hire security to protect police building www.privateofficer.com
Aurora Canada Oct 28 2011 A massive York Regional Police building in Aurora staffed by investigators and tactical officers will be monitored by private security.
Toronto’s Primary Response Inc. will provide security at the sprawling central services building, near Leslie and Wellington streets, for 36 months at a cost of $702,595, with an option to renew for two more 12-month periods under the same terms and conditions, the York Police Services Board decided this afternoon without discussion.
Primary Response beat out six other companies for the contract — two of which were rejected in the late stages of the process because they couldn’t fulfill the requirements of the contract, police said.
The primary role of the private guards will be to monitor security screens for suspicious behaviour and alert officers about visitors outside regular business hours, the force says.
If suspicious activity is detected, a police officer will be dispatched.
The Aurora building, which serves as investigative home for units including homicide, sex assault, hold-up and traffic, was constructed at a cost of $72.5 million and opened to the public last November.
It is not a traditional police station, although there is a counter for civilian background check applications.
Because it’s not a traditional station, it does not require rank-and-file officers to staff the counter. That would cost too much, the force says.
If York police is happy with the job Primary Response does at the 245,000-square-foot building, the contract will not need to come back to the board for renewal. That decision will rest with Chief Eric Jolliffe.
Source:yorkregion.com
