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Georgia couple accused of locking a 3-year-old boy inside a bedroom by nailing door shut www.privateofficer.com
ATLANTA, Ga.Nov 27 2011– Police say a Georgia couple is accused of locking a 3-year-old boy inside a bedroom by nailing the door shut.
Police arrested the woman, Cindy Marie Cantu, and her boyfriend, Kyle Erwin Skinner, and charged them with cruelty to children and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Skinner also faces battery and assault charges.
Cantu and Skinner were in the Cobb County jail on Friday night. It was not clear whether they had attorneys.
Cobb County sheriff’s spokeswoman Nancy Bodiford didn’t immediately return a telephone message.
Source:www.foxnews.com
Mother of murder victim sues Fort Wayne pub www.privateofficer.com
But earlier this week, Gentry’s mother, Nona A. Brown, filed a lawsuit against the bar, its owners and everyone connected to the building, alleging they failed to protect her son from the “reasonably foreseeable criminal acts of a third party,” according to court documents.
Brown, appointed the administrator of Gentry’s estate, alleges that the Nov. 7, 2010, shooting was foreseeable because of numerous police runs, assaults, crimes and prior shootings at or near the nightclub.
Along with Gentry, Jeffery James Moore, 23, died in the shooting at the nightclub inside Coliseum Plaza. Demetrius Masterson, 26, was injured. No arrests were made.
Fort Wayne Police records indicated they had been called there 32 times in the year prior to the shooting for a variety of reasons including assaults, fights, disturbances and warrant arrests.
The co-owners of the club, George and Christine Kotsopoulos, filed for bankruptcy in September 2010.
A phone number for the club did not work and the website for the club has been removed.
At the time of the shooting, Kotsopoulos blamed police and asked Fort Wayne Police Chief Rusty York to allow off-duty officers to provide security at the nightclub.
York called Kotsopoulos’ contention “absurd.”
Brown alleges that George Kotsopoulos and his companies were negligent in allowing the club to continue to operate in an unsafe manner.
She is seeking damages for herself and Gentry’s two young sons.
Gentry was no stranger to violence, specifically violence at nightclubs. In August 2008, he was arrested along with another person after police responded to the report of shots fired in the parking lot of Piere’s Entertainment Center on St. Joe Road. Gentry was charged with carrying a handgun without a license and criminal recklessness, as well as resisting law enforcement.
In 2003, he was arrested as a juvenile, along with five other boys including his brother, for participating in the robbery of a pizza deliveryman that left the man injured.
The charges were dismissed because of time constraints caused by the number of other cases, according to prosecutors at the time.
The week before the 2010 shooting, Masterson had been accused of firing at least a dozen shots at a southeast side home. Police found 15 shell casings at the scene and 12 bullet holes in the home.
He pleaded guilty to a class D felony charge of criminal recklessness and was sentenced to a year in jail and unsupervised probation.
In 2005, Masterson was critically injured in a shooting that left a city woman dead.
Source:jg.net
Security helps police take down burglary suspect www.privateofficer.com
About 1:30 a.m., deputies responded to a burglary in progress at Johnny Rockets restaurant at 640 E. Ventura Boulevard, officials said.
Authorities said a burglar entered the business and tampered with the cash registers in an attempt to take money, officials said.
A security guard at the Camarillo Outlet Center saw a man flee the restaurant and the security staff assisted responding deputies in identifying and apprehending the man, officials said.
Luis Zuniga was arrested on suspicion of felony commercial burglary and booked into Ventura County jail, authorities said.
Source:www.vcstar.com
Crabtree Valley Mall security-police arrest six in disturbance www.privateofficer.com
RALEIGH NC Nov 27 2011 — City police and Crabtree Valley Mall security officers arrested six people, some of them associated with the Occupy Raleigh movement, after a protest staged before a crowd of holiday shoppers at the mall Friday afternoon.
One of the six, Patrick M. O’Neill of Garner, stood on a stage in the food court and spoke for about 10 minutes before security officers told him to leave, a friend said.
“He just started preaching, saying, ‘Folks, why are you spending all your hard-earned money on this junk that you don’t need? And giving it to people who just turn around and buy your government with it?’” said Marsh B. Hardy of Raleigh, who said he accompanied a group of about 20 who took part in the protest.
According to arrest warrants, charges of second-degree trespassing and disorderly conduct were filed against:
O’Neill, 55, of 124 Perdue St. in Garner; Jennifer Anne Schradie, 45, of Oakland, Calif.; Emily Galvin, 31, of 4720 Hoyle Drive in Raleigh; Charles Hancock, 26, of 4801 Liverpool Lane in Raleigh; Paul Roger Ehrlich, 50, of 406 Kent Drive in Cary, and Derek Cronmiller, 35, of 4410 Cottage Stone Drive in Raleigh.
Four of the protesters were released from the Wake County jail after promising a magistrate they would appear in district court to answer the charges.
“I will be proud to appear in court,” said Hancock, who was among the four released on a written promise.
The Wake magistrate set $500 bail for Galvin’s release because she has a pending case in connection with her arrest on Oct. 15, when Raleigh police charged her and 19 other members of Occupy Raleigh with trespassing on the state Capitol grounds.
The magistrate set bail for O’Neill, an activist and writer, at $1,500 because he has a pending case in Alamance County Superior Court and because he has been arrested numerous times in several states for trespassing, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, the magistrate said.
“I am an honorable citizen,” O’Neill said about the bail amount. “Bail should be used as a guarantee that I will return to court. It should not be used as punishment.”
The Occupy Raleigh demonstrations are among many nationwide held in sympathy with Occupy Wall Street, where people began gathering in September to protest the uneven distribution of wealth and power in the country.
One of the arresting officers told the Wake magistrate that police learned Thursday that Occupy Raleigh intended to stage a “flash mob” protest at the mall, which is private property.
The officer said a Raleigh police sergeant and captain went to visit the Occupy Raleigh members on the south side of the state Capitol grounds on East Morgan Street. The officer told the magistrate that the Occupy Raleigh members were told that if “they did anything at the mall other than shop or eat, they would be arrested.”
The Occupy Raleigh members arrived at the mall shortly before 3 p.m. Friday and headed for the food court, where O’Neill quickly drew an audience.
“There were hundreds of people in the food court, the place was packed,” Hardy said. “A lot of people came forward with cell phones and videotaping Patrick and joining in the chants. ‘Human need, not corporate greed.’”
Hardy said the protesters complied with prior warnings from police and mall officers not to bring signs into the mall.
Security officers escorted O’Neill outside and then arrested him, and arrested supporters after they asked why he was being arrested, Hardy said.
Ehrlich said he hoped the incident would draw attention to the limits placed on public free expression.
“It really had a little bit of that creepy, witch-hunt corporate power getting too much control over democracy, which is the exact point of what this Occupy movement has been giving voice to,” he said.
Police stated in arrest warrants that the speech was “plainly likely to provoke immediate violent retaliation and thereby cause a breach of peace.”
Source:www.newsobserver.com
Security spots men stealing tires at Land Rover dealership www.privateofficer.com
PARAMUS NJ Nov 27 2011 – Two men were arrested Thanksgiving morning and accused of attempting to steal tires from cars parked at the Prestige Land Rover dealership on Route 17 south, police said.
Eric Maldonado Jr., 25, of Yardville, and Alexis Rivera, 24, of Bordentown, were charged with theft and possession of burglary tools, according to police. Rivera was additionally charged with eluding police.
Police received a call at about 5:10 a.m. Thursday from a security company reporting two males in dark clothing, attempting to steal tires from cars parked at the dealership, authorities said.
When Officer Sean Nutland arrived, he saw two men starting to flee and ordered them to drop to the ground, police said. Maldonado complied, but Rivera fled the scene, authorities said. He was caught in the parking lot of an adjacent hotel by other officers, police said.
Police discovered a black Land Rover with a jack beneath it, one wheel removed and another with most of the lug nuts removed.
Maldonado and Rivera were both released on bail: Maldonado on $7,500 and Rivera on $10,000.
Ten members of Occupy OKC movement arrested at Walmart www.privateofficer.com
DEL CITY, Okla.Nov 27 2011 — Ten members of the Occupy OKC movement are facing charges of disorderly conduct after being arrested inside a Del City Walmart early Friday morning.
According to Del City police, officers working off-duty security at Walmart called for backup when members of the Occupy movement began chanting and yelling near the back of the store.
A video posted by Occupy OKC shows Walmart employees asking the protesters to leave, who begin walking toward the front of the store. Then, the video shows a Del City officer running toward a protester. Witnesses said officers tackled and handcuffed the protesters.
Police arrested the protesters and transported them to the Del City police department. All 10 are facing charges of disorderly conduct. One person faces an additional charge of resisting arrest.
“I think this was clearly excessive force,” said Mark Faulk, one of the protesters who was arrested. “I think it was very clear we were compliant with every single thing they asked of us.”
Del City police said they are still reviewing the specifics of what happened inside the store, but the case will now make its way through the court system.
The protesters have hired an attorney who plans to fight the charges and see if the officers committed any civil rights violations.
“It’s a pretty vague charge,” said Brittany Novotny, who’s representing Occupy OKC. “I don’t think these folks are guilty of disorderly conduct. They were asked to leave by store personnel. They tried to do so and, at that point, a couple of them were tackled and arrested.”
According to Occupy OKC, activists held similar protests inside two other metro Walmarts, but did not have any confrontation with police.
Source:www.koco.com
Alabama police use Taser to subdue intoxicated Black Friday shopper www.privateofficer.com
FLORENCE, Ala.Nov 27 2011 — Authorities say a shopper was subdued with a stun gun at an Alabama Walmart store as shoppers gathered for Black Friday sales.
WAFF-TV reports police said they used a stun gun twice to gain control of 22-year-old Christopher Blake Pyron before arresting him at a Walmart in Florence. A phone listing for Pyron could not be located Friday by The Associated Press.
Authorities said he is charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Police said they made the arrest around 11 p.m. Thursday, about an hour after the Walmart opened its doors for late-night and early-morning shopping.
Torrance County corrections officer arrested on drug charges www.privateofficer.com
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.Nov 27 2011 — Authorities say a Torrance County corrections officer and another man have been arrested in a drug case.
An Albuquerque police officer says he saw two men smoking what appeared to be heroin inside a vehicle late Thursday night.
The officer took both men into custody and says they both admitted to smoking and being in possession of heroin.
It was later learned that one of the arrested men — 21-year-old Steven Trujillo — is a corrections officer with the Torrance County Detention Center.
The other man is identified as 20-year-old Tony Astorga.
Both Trujillo and Astorga have been booked into jail on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and tampering with evidence for trying to destroy the heroin before their arrests. It’s unclear whether they have lawyers yet.
Nogales police officer charged with sex crimes www.privateofficer.com
Victor Jesus Valenzuela, 24, was taken into police custody Tuesday night, Santa Cruz County Attorney George Silva said.
The investigation began when a 17-year-old female student at Nogales High School told school officials that she had been in a romantic relationship with Valenzuela since she was 16-years-old, Silva said. The girl also reported that she and Valenzuela had lived together.
Even though the relationship was consensual, it is still against the law for an adult to have sexual relations with anyone under the age of 18, Silva said.
The girl told school officials about the relationship after she and Valenzuela broke up, Silva said.
Valenzuela was released from the Santa Cruz County Jail Wednesday.
Detroit man guilty in armored car guard murder www.privateofficer.com
Watson, formerly of Detroit, was convicted of conspiracy to commit bank robbery, bank robbery murder, and first-degree murder with a firearm during a federal crime of violence. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled, but Watson faces a mandatory life sentence.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit said the jury deliberated for three days following a trial that began Nov. 7.
In December, Watson and five other men robbed armored car guards attempting to deliver money to ATMs at the DFCU, formerly Dearborn Federal Credit Union, outside Fairlane Town Center. During the robbery, Kevin Watson and Timothy O’Reilly shot Total Armored guard Norman Stephens in the back with shotguns. Stephens died at the scene. The crime went unsolved for several years until cooperating witnesses came forward with information, prosecutors said. O’Reilly was convicted by another jury in 2010.
“For the victim’s family, this verdict cannot remedy the loss of a husband and father, but we hope that this federal prosecution and the mandatory life sentence that goes with it will deter others from committing such brutal crimes in the future,” U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said in a written statement.
Frosty the Snow Man arrested www.privateofficer.com
CHESTERTOWN, Maryland Nov 27 2011 – Who says “Frosty the Snowman” has to be jolly?
A man in a “Frosty the Snowman” costume was arrested Saturday during the annual Christmas parade in Chestertown, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. He’s accused of scuffling with police and kicking at a police dog.
Sgt. John A. Dolgos tells The Star Democrat of Easton that 52-year-old Kevin Michael Walsh became agitated when a dog-handling officer tried to escort him away from the crowd.
Walsh told The Associated Press that he has dressed as Frosty in the parade for at least 10 years. He says he did nothing wrong and was wrongfully arrested. He says an officer hassled him after he made a joke about the police dog’s presence at the parade.
Walsh was released on personal recognizance.
Source:www.foxnews.com
Retailers turn to Facebook to nab shoplifters www.privateofficer.com
TUCSON, Ariz.Nov 27 2011 — The wanted poster has gone digital.
A few local retailers have recently turned to Facebook to post photos of suspected shoplifters, hoping someone can identify them.
One local convenience-store chain has even created a separate Facebook page dedicated to helping solve shoplifting and robbery cases.
The Circle K Crime Busters of AZ & NV page was launched a few months ago. Along with photos, it also includes descriptions of people suspected of committing crimes at the chain’s locations.
Circle K has partnered with anonymous crime-reporting programs like 88-CRIME to offer rewards for tips leading to the arrest of people who have walked off with cigarettes, beer and money.
The page was started “to make a safer shopping and work environment for our customers and employees. To help local law enforcement fight and reduce crime,” a company spokeswoman said in a statement.
At the beginning of the year, Lauren Baker, co-owner of the North Fourth Avenue boutique Razorz Edge, started trying to crack down on thieves by circulating still photos from surveillance camera footage to other area merchants to say, “Hey, watch out for this person,” she said.
She also sent the photos to other friends in the retail business, and people started to identify the suspected shoplifters.
And, when nobody knew who the suspects were, she began posting the stills on Facebook in an album called the “Wall of shame,” asking the store’s nearly 2,600 fans to help identify the people in the photos.
The album currently has photos of three women.
“We don’t put everybody on Facebook. If we know who they are or if we know there’s a way to find them, we don’t put it on Facebook,” Baker said, adding that she posts photos of people only if she has clear footage of shoplifting.
When a person has been identified, Baker said, she takes their photo off the page.
At the beginning of the year, Lauren Baker, co-owner of the North Fourth Avenue boutique Razorz Edge, started trying to crack down on thieves by circulating still photos from surveillance camera footage to other area merchants to say, “Hey, watch out for this person,” she said.
In this photo taken Nov. 18, 2011, Lauren Baker, owner of the Razorz Edge boutique, is photographed in her Tucson, Ariz., store. She is on the lookout for suspected shoplifters informing shoppers that videotaping is in progress. A few retailers have started using Facebook to post images from surveillance video of suspected shoplifters in the hopes of identifying them. (AP Photo/Arizona Daily Star, A.E. Araiza) MANDATORY CREDIT, MAGS OUT, NO SALES. Baker files police reports when thefts happen and shows the surveillance images to police and her employees.
Video identification is helpful if certain procedures are followed, police said.
Business owners would have to file a report when the theft occurs or shortly after, and provide the video of the person shoplifting, said Sgt. Matt Ronstadt, a spokesman for Tucson Police Department.
“If they’re able to later on provide identification that we don’t have, then great; that certainly helps us follow up on the case,” he said.
Across from Razorz Edge, Pop-Cycle, a shop specializing in “up-cycled” items created by local artists, has also posted photos of a suspected shoplifter after becoming frustrated when that person was seen stealing multiple items, said DeeDee Koenen, one of the store’s co-owners.
The store’s owners have also sent photos to other Fourth Avenue businesses so they don’t get burned by the same thieves, said Jennifer Radler, another co-owner.
She said the few calls to police about shoplifting incidents have not been responded to.
“We’re not trying to embarrass anybody, but we do have to protect ourselves, too,” Radler said.
Both Circle K and Razorz Edge include disclaimers on their page that say suspects are innocent until proven guilty.
But, Tucson civil-rights attorney Paul Gattone said that businesses should be careful when posting photos of suspected shoplifters, because they could be setting themselves up for possible legal consequences.
“With no police investigation and with no due process, it’s really problematic that they’re going to put out . in a very public space that these people are thieves,” Gattone said. “It could have implications for someone in their job or someone in their school.”
Source:azstartnet.com
