Archive
Arizona teen charged with felony in Russian roulette death www.privateofficer.com
KINGMAN AZ Dec 30 2011 — A western Arizona teen has been charged with a felony stemming from the death of another teen who shot himself in the head while playing Russian roulette.
The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office says 15-year-old Edward Charles Angelo Jr., of Dolan Springs, is charged with being a prohibited possessor of a gun, a felony because he previously was convicted of felony burglary and theft counts.
Investigators say Angelo took a .22-caliber gun to a Kingman home on Sept. 25 and a group of friends watched as 16-year-old Kevin Hudgens played Russian roulette, a game in which the player puts a single round in a gun, spins the cylinder, aims it at his head and pulls the trigger.
It’s unclear whether Angelo has an attorney.
Source:www.azcentral.com
Security officer confronted by machete-wielding man during noise complaint www.privateofficer.com
San Francisco CA Dec 30 2011 Police arrested a machete-wielding man who barricaded himself inside his south San Jose apartment for nearly five hours early Thursday morning.
A security guard from an apartment complex in the 500 block of Capitol Village Circle called police at about 2:45 a.m. to report that a resident had become confrontational when approached about the loud music he was playing, police Officer Jose Garcia said.
Officers went to the 44-year-old man’s apartment, and when they arrived he was also confrontational with them, and brandished a machete, Garcia said.
More officers responded and worked to convince the man to surrender. Meanwhile, neighboring apartments were evacuated.
During the standoff, the suspect occasionally opened the door and talked to the officers, sometimes throwing bottles at them, Garcia said.
At about 7:30 a.m. he came out of the apartment holding a bottle of alcohol, according to Garcia.
“He was refusing to comply with their commands for him to surrender, and at one point he actually went toward one of the K-9 officers with a bottle in his hand and he was confrontational,” Garcia said.
At that point, Garcia said, the K-9 officer released a police dog on the suspect, allowing officers to take him into custody.
The suspect was injured by the dog and has been taken to a hospital for treatment. Garcia said police will release his name once he has been booked into jail.
Source:www.sfexaminer.com
NJ assistant school principal arrested for filming boys in showers www.privateofficer.com
Somerset County NJ Dec 30 2011 In the latest scandal to rock the educational system in America, James Lott, an assistant middle school principal who also volunteered at Immaculata High School, in Somerset County, New Jersey, was arrested last night for filming the boys as the took showers. The boys who were filmed had no idea there was a camera on them, as Lott had hidden them in the shower room, the New Jersey Journal reports.
Police, acting on a search warrant went to Lott’s house and found the videos of the boys as they were showering at the school. They allegedly found the videos of the nude boys at Lott’s home.
Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano, in an interview with the journal said that nine of the victims were under 16 years old, which carries a more lengthy prison sentence. Soriano said, as of this time 22 students had been informed of the incident and that they were on the tapes.
Until this incident Lott was considered a pillar of the community. He had run for a Borough County Seat on the Republican ticket, but was unsuccessful a few years back.
Lott was arrested and is being held at the Somerset County Jail. He is being charged with Child Endangerment among a whole slew of charges that prosecutors plan on filing. He is being held on $500,000 bail
K-Mart shoplifter also wanted for New Jersey robberies www.privateofficer.com
Parsippany NJ Dec 30 2011 A Pine Brook resident, who was caught Tuesday allegedly shoplifting from Kmart on Route 46, has been linked to seven area robberies this month, Parsippany Police said Wednesday.
Ilya Belous, 25, was confronted by Kmart store security after he allegedly walked out of the store pushing a cart with a 40-inch Samsung television valued at $329.99 that he hadn’t paid for Tuesday at about 3:30 p.m., police said.
Store security called police after Belous allegedly shoved the security officer and took off running on foot toward Route 46.
Detectives Joseph Puso and Edward Conklin responded to the call after hearing the description of the shoplifter matched the description of the man wanted for several strong-armed robberies. The detectives saw Belous running west on Route 46. The detectives arrested Belous as officers Paul Levi and David Cavaliere arrived at the scene.
After Belous was positively identified by store employees, he was taken to Parsippany police headquarters, processed and charged with robbery. Detectives also discovered that he was allegedly the person responsible for seven strong-armed robberies and attempted robberies along the commercial Route 46 corridor since Dec. 11, police said. Those robberies netted a total of $1.035 in cash, police said.
After being charged with the robberies and attempted robberies, Belous was transported to the Morris County Jail where he is being held in lieu of $150,000 cash bail with no 10 percent option, police said.
San Manuel Casino security grab rapist for police www.privaeofficer.com
HIGHLAND CA Dec 30 2011 – On Saturday at approximately 1:52 a.m., San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies from the Central Station responded to the San Manuel Casino in Highland following the report of a rape.
Upon arrival, a woman told deputies that she had met Juan Donato at the casino. She said as she was walking to the suspect’s vehicle with him, a second man approached the two of them.
She said the two men forced her to go with them to a residence in the Del Rosa areaand repeatedly raped her while holding a knife to her throat and threatening to kill her.
According to the report, Donato later drove the woman back to the casino and dropped her off in the parking structure, telling her they knew where she lived and would kill her if she told anyone.
She flagged down a passing San Manuel Tribal security officer and made her report. The security officer located Donato and detained him until a deputy arrived.
Donato was arrested without incident, transported and booked into the Central Detention Center for Kidnapping and Rape. He is being held on $1 million bail and is scheduled for court on Dec. 28.
Through investigation, the deputy identified the second suspect as Jose Castillo. Castillo was subsequently arrested at his home in San Bernardino, transported and booked into the West Valley Detention Center for Kidnapping and Rape.
Castillo is being held on $1 million bail and is scheduled for court on Dec. 28.
The woman was treated for injuries and released from a local hospital.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective G. Leininger, Central Station 909-387 3545.
Callers wishing to remain anonymous may contact the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (782-7463) or leave information on the We-Tip website at http://www.wetip.com
Retired California man kills wife of 40 years-commits suicide www.privateofficer.com
Lemoore CA Dec 30 2011 Martin and Maria Mckinnie spent the last 40 years married and retired in their Lemoore home. It all ended Monday morning after the couple’s daughter called police.
Steve Rossi with the Lemoore Police Department said, “While on the phone, the mother told the family member her husband had a gun and was going to kill her.”
When officers arrived, it was too late. They found the couple dead in separate rooms. Police say Martin used a shotgun to kill his wife and then turned it on himself.
Leonard Mendes lives across the street. He said Martin was having a tough time dealing with health issues.
“He had Parkinson’s and he would complain about dizzy spells and she had Alzheimer’s quite bad, for the past couple years you hardly seen her outside,” he said.
Martin was 88 and his wife was 85. A close friend who did not want to be identified said Martin loved to be outdoors, he was a hunter, a fisherman and a retired Navy Master Chief. He also said Martin had trouble walking away from it all and losing his driver’s license didn’t help.
Eleanor Swearengin and Virginia Ferguson live down the street. They were not surprised by the shooting.
“I had heard he was very despondent because he wasn’t able to drive and he just didn’t seem like he was happy,” Swearengin said.
“He had been told to go into a home and he didn’t like that and he didn’t want to leave her…maybe he felt this was his only way out,” Ferguson said.
Source:ksee24.com
San Francisco police say security guard shoots at fleeing shoplifter www.privateofficer.com
SAN FRANCISCO CA Dec 30 2011 – A security guard at a Bayview District liquor store fired at a thief who was attempting to hit him with a car on Wednesday, San Francisco police said.
The thief entered the store in the 200 block of Bayshore Boulevard shortly after 7 p.m. and filled a basket with bottles of liquor, then left the store without paying, police said.
The security guard followed the suspect out of the store and confronted the thief, who had gotten into a car, according to police. The suspect then drove into a fence and the car’s airbags deployed.
The security guard broke the driver’s side window of the suspect’s car, and told investigators that the thief then tried to hit him with his car, police said.
The security guard shot at the car three times, and the suspect fled north on Bayshore Boulevard.
Police later recovered the car in the Mission District but have not found the suspect.
Source:MecuryNews.com
Kansas City, Missouri, man found with loaded gun at Kansas City International Airport www.privateofficer.com
Kansas City KS Dec 30 2011 A Kansas City, Missouri, man was charged Thursday with attempting to take a loaded handgun onto a Delta Air Lines flight.
Anthony Winn was arrested Wednesday after an airport screener using an x-ray machine saw the image of the weapon and alerted police at Kansas City International Airport, federal authorities said.
According to a criminal complaint, Winn had a Glock 9mm in a carry-on bag and it was loaded with 23 rounds, including one live round in the chamber. Officers also found more than $26,000 in cash stuffed in the pockets of jeans in the bag and almost $5,000 in the pants he was wearing.
The court document says when the gun was discovered Winn claimed his brother left it at his house and that he was going to return it to him in Tucson, Arizona. But Winn allegedly changed his story later and said he was taking the bag to Arizona to give to a friend and that he hadn’t known that either cash or a weapon were inside.
“If I knew that there was a gun in my bag, I would not have tried to take it on the plane,” Winn told officers, according to the criminal complaint.
Winn, 26, also was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to the filing, he had previously been convicted of two counts of burglary and unlawful use of a weapon.
Winn made a brief court appearance Thursday and will remain in jail at least until a detention hearing next week. A message left for a lawyer appointed to represent him was not immediately returned.
Don Ledford, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Kansas City, said the case is still under investigation, but said “there’s no indication of terrorism.”
“This year alone, TSA has detected over 1,200 firearms at checkpoints across the nation, as well as many other weapons,” said Kristin Lee, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration.
Source:CNN
Medical Examiner rules death of NJ deputy sheriff a suicide www.privateofficer.com
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP NJ Dec 30 2011 – Atlantic County Medical Examiner Dr. Hydow Park has determined that the Dec. 21 death of a county Sheriff’s Department officer was a suicide, Atlantic County Prosecutor Ted Housel announced
The body of Officer Eric Milne, 40, was discovered in his Washington Avenue residence in Egg Harbor City Wednesday, Dec. 21 by members of that community’s police force and the Prosecutor’s Office.
Housel said his investigation agreed with Park’s findings.
Milne, who was nicknamed, “Rici,” would have turned 41 on Jan. 23 and was a member of the Sheriff’s Department for 23 years and served as a traffic safety instructor.
Milne served with AtlantiCare as a CPR and first aid instructor. He was also an EMT with the Hamilton Township Rescue Squad and was a member of the Critical Incident Stress Management Team of New Jersey.
Milne was a member of the Moravian Church in Egg Harbor City.
He was predeceased by his paternal grandparents, Adelaide and Lewis Milne; his maternal grandparents, Edna and Ralph Edelbach; and his sister, Bonnie Louise Milne. Milne is survived by his daughter, Mollie Anne Milne; his son, Aaron A. Milne; his parents, Lewis and Gail Milne; and his beloved family dogs, all from Egg Harbor City.
Burial services were private at the family’s request.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be offered to the Moravian Church Air Conditioning Fund, 245 Boston Ave., Egg Harbor City.
Source:www.shorenewstoday.com
Men charged with assaulting nightclub security www.privateofficer.com
Lake Arrowhead, CA Dec 30 2011 Sheriff’s deputies arrested Jacob Bryan Rosendahl, 23, and Thomas Alexander Garcia, 23, both of Crestline, after they allegedly assaulted and threatened security officers at the Arrowhead Bar in the Lake Arrowhead Village.
In a statement to The Alpenhorn News, Lieutenant Rick Ells of the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Station said that Rosendahl and Garcia had been at the Arrowhead Bar late Friday night and early Saturday morning when, for unspecified reasons, they both were evicted from the bar by one of the bar’s security officers.
Ells said he did not immediately know if the two were removed from the bar for excessive drinking or causing a disturbance, but were escorted out of the property by one of the ‘bouncers.’
Ells said the pair apparently waited around the bar to ambush one of the bouncers as they were leaving the bar.
Ells said one of the officers, he did not know if it was the same one that removed them from the bar, was attacked by the two as he left the building.
Ells said the two ganged up on the security officer, knocking him to the ground where it was alleged that Rosendahl started kicking the officer in the head and jaw.
The other security officers from the bar saw the assault and rushed out and detained Rosendahl and Garcia until the sheriff’s deputies arrived.
While waiting for the deputies, Garcia is alleged to have told the security officers, “When I get out of jail, I’m going to come back and kill you.”
At the time of his arrest, Garcia had what was described as a “clear plastic baggie containing Norco pills.” (A prescription pain medication for which he was not the person the pills were prescribed to.)
Ells said the security guard/bouncer received only minor injuries to his face and jaw and was treated and released at the scene by Lake Arrowhead Fire paramedics.
Rosendahl was arrested for violation of California Penal Code (PC) Section 245(a) (1), (assault with a deadly weapon, not a firearm) and booked at the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino. Bail was set at $50,000 dollars.
Garcia was arrested for violation of California Health and Safety (H&S) Code Section 11350, (possession of a controlled substance) and PC 422, (criminal threats) and booked at the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino. Bail was set at $50,000 dollars.
Source: The Alpenhorn News
Wendy’s worker shoots-kills armed robber in Wilmington Island www.privateofficer.com
SAVANNAH, Ga. Dec 30 2011 AP — Police in Georgia say a fast-food worker grabbed his gun and shot and killed a man suspected of robbing the restaurant near Savannah.
Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police say the suspect’s body was found in the parking lot of the Wendy’s restaurant around 12:50 a.m. Thursday in Wilmington Island.
Detectives say two men with masks had surprised the employee while he was cleaning the store after closing and forced him at gunpoint into the office, where they took money. When the worker walked outside with his own weapon, police say one of the men pointed a weapon at him and he was shot and killed.
Police say they’re now trying to identify the second suspect, who ran from the restaurant.
Private Los Angeles security officer finds man stabbed to death www.privateofficer.com
Los Angeles CA Dec 30 2011 LAPD homicide detectives are searching for leads in the case of a homeless man who was stabbed to death in Highland Park early Thursday morning.
The victim, a Caucasian male in his 60s, was found slumped against the glass of Little Caesars Pizza located at 5813 N. Figueroa Avenue, in the small business complex on the corner of Avenue 58 and N. Figueroa.
“A private security officer was on patrol and pulled inside the complex to check on the business,” Homicide Detective Lewis Lenchuk of the Northeast division said. “The security guard noticed the victim was unresponsive, had blood on his shirt and called 911.”
Lenchuk said the security guard placed the call at 12:50 a.m. and emergency officials were on scene within minutes. Paramedics from Los Angeles Fire Department Station 12, which serves Highland Park and is located a couple blocks from the crime scene, responded and pronounced the victim dead upon arrival.
“We don’t have a suspect yet or a weapon,” Lenchuk said.
Lenchuk said the victim was stabbed just a short distance from where he was found, but still on the same property. Lenchuk also added that the victim had an extensive criminal background and was on active parole.
The name of the victim is currently being withheld until relatives of the man have been notified.
According to Genevieve Bravo, a Crimes and Intelligence Analyst in the NE division, 195 Part I Crimes have been committed against the transient population in the city of L.A. this year. Part I Crimes are violent crimes against people and property including homicide, aggravated assault, rape, robbery, burglary, arson, larceny and motor vehicle theft.
The stabbing was the third homicide of a transient victim to occur in the city this year and the first recorded in NELA.
“If you respect people they’ll leave you alone, it doesn’t matter if you’re homeless or not,” Alfred Sierra, a local homeless man said. “Then there’s certain times when people do senseless killings like this.”
A representative from General Security, the agency contracted by the North Figueroa Association to patrol the area, said he could not comment on the incident due to contractual obligations.
Individuals with information about this crime can contact LAPD homicide detectives in the Northeast division at (323) 344-5744.
Off-duty Chicago police officer working security killed during robbery www.privateofficer.com
CHICAGO IL Dec 30 2011— An off-duty Chicago police officer has been shot and killed while working as a security guard at a grocery store.
Police say the officer was shot at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday in the Austin neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side. Authorities say he was trying to stop a burglary at the store.
The officer was taken to an area hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Residents say it’s the second time in recent weeks that the store has been burglarized.
No suspects are in custody.
Police are still investigating.
Florida man charged with 1994 killing of an armored car guard www.privateofficer.com
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. Dec 29 2011 AP — New evidence has led to the arrest of an accused co-conspirator in the 1994 killing of an armored car guard during a botched robbery on Long Island.
Newsday reports that federal prosecutors say Scott Mulligan of Florida has been linked to the killing of armored car guard Julius Baumgardt.
A 42-year-old Long Island gym owner was convicted last May of murdering the guard during the 1994 heist in Muttontown.
Gym owner Christian Tarantino was convicted of killing Baumgardt and one of Tarantino’s own alleged associates. Newsday reports that federal authorities say DNA evidence has linked Mulligan to a getaway car used in the robbery.
Mulligan has been brought to New York and arraigned in federal court.
An attorney for Mulligan did not return a call seeking comment Wednesday.
Loomis Armored Car Company Acquiring Oregon Armored Service www.privateofficer.com
Portland ORE Dec 29 2011 A Swedish armored car company will acquire Oregon Armored Service, Inc. for $5.7 million in a deal announced today.
Loomis plans to retain all of the Portland-based company’s employees and contracts, worth about $6 million, chief executive Lars Blecko said in a written statement.
Both companies handle and transport cash for banks and other institutions. The sale will take effect Saturday.
Oregon Armored Service has a 26-year history in the state, and offices in Portland, Salem, Eugene and Medford. Loomis will fold the company into its U.S. division, which already has locations in Portland and Roseburg.
Georgia man wheels cart load of unpaid merchandise out Walmart doors www.privateofficer.com
Oconee County GA Dec 29 2011 An Athens man was charged with felony theft by shoplifting after reportedly taking over $500 worth of merchandise from Walmart on Dec. 24.
Loss prevention officers working at the store told Oconee County deputies they witnessed the man leave the store through the Garden Center around 10:30 a.m. with a cart full of items and load them into a Kia Optima, according to an incident report.
Deputies stopped the vehicle as it was leaving the parking lot and questioned the driver. The man allegedly showed deputies two receipts, neither of which listed items reportedly taken. He then admitted to having found one of the receipts on the ground. Loss prevention officers identified the man as the suspect and he was arrested.
Ronnie Gene Scogin, 42, of Oak Hill Drive in Athens, was charged with felony theft by shoplifting and issued a notification of prohibited entry at any Walmart. He was later released from the Oconee County Jail on a $7,500 bond. An arrest does not mean a conviction.
Among items found in the car were four cases of beer, two Sony Blu-Ray players, two MP3 players, men’s socks and three pairs of headphones, collectively valued at $502. 36.
Four Utica women facing charges of assault on security, shoplifting www.privateofficer.com
New Hartford, N.Y. Dec 29 2011— Four Utica women are facing charges in connection to a shoplifting incident at Sangertown Square last week during which a loss prevention officer was struck by a fleeing vehicle, New Hartford police said.
Charged after an investigation were Lakia Dickson, 24, petit larceny and harassment; Shaquayia Jackson, 20, petit larceny; Dijonnaie Spratt, 19, petit larceny; and Erica Austin, 22, the driver of the fleeing vehicle, reckless endangerment, unlicensed operation and third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of a personal injury motor vehicle accident.
All four women were released on tickets to appear in New Hartford Town Court at a later date.
New Hartford police were called to the Macy’s store at Sangertown Square shortly before noon on Dec. 23 for an injury stemming from a car accident, police said.
A loss prevention officer from Macy’s had been struck by a vehicle while attempting to stop several woman from shoplifting from the store, police said.
A description of the women and the fleeing vehicle was dispatched to other area police agencies, and the vehicle was later located and stopped on Steuben Street in Utica, police said.
Additional charges are pending further investigation.
Utica police, the New Hartford Fire Department and Edward’s Ambulance assisted police.
Source:Little Falls Times
SERVPRO of Henderson employee charged with embezzlement of funds www.privateofficer.com
Henderson NC Dec 29 2011 Authorities have arrested an employee of a local company on December 23, 2011 for embezzlement from her employer.
Members of the Special Operations Division arrested Jessie Heatherly Jacobs, of 4042 Cannady Mill Road, Kittrell after investigating a case involving stolen checks from SERVPRO of Henderson.
Jacobs was charged with (7) seven counts of Uttering a Forged Instrument, (7) seven counts of Forgery of Instrument, and (7) seven counts of Larceny by Employee.
Jacobs has been placed in the Vance County Jail under a $70,000 bond and a court date of January 30th 2012.
Advance Auto employee charged with theft www.privateofficer.com
Harrisburg PA Dec 29 2011 A Harrisburg man was arrested on charges of stealing from his employer.
Police said Tristan Gilliland-Kunkle, 25, falsely returned items to his Carlisle employer, Advance Auto, and had the money put onto his personal debit card.
The fraudulent returns totaled more than $2000, according to police. They said Gilliland-Kunkle had been making them since he was transferred to the store in November.
Gilliland-Kunkle was taken to Cumberland County Prison.
High-ranking Miami-Dade County police officer suspected of misappropriating nearly $23,000 www.privateofficer.com
MIAMI Fla Dec 29 2011 – A high-ranking Miami-Dade County police officer is suspected of misappropriating nearly $23,000 by using it to bankroll his unofficial department flag football team, court records show.
The money, paid by the Miami Dolphins, was actually intended to cover the cost of security at Sun Life Stadium.
Tyrone White, a former major busted down to captain, is now under criminal investigation for grand theft but has not been charged as detectives pore over his finances.
White denies any wrongdoing, saying he believed the money was a legitimate charitable donation to his athletics organization.
In October, the department announced White’s demotion to captain and that he and another officer had been relieved of duty with pay. The police agency declined to discuss reasons for the demotion, but a search warrant recently filed in Miami-Dade circuit court details what prompted the move:
White, then a major over the warrants bureau, for years has run a flag football team and other sports teams comprised of members of the police department. They compete in charity competitions, such as the Police Olympics, staged throughout Florida.
In March, White hosted the second-annual “Miami-Dade Police and Fire Fallen Heroes Flag Football Tournament,” which benefited the families of slain officers.
The Miami-Dade Police Department “is not affiliated nor participates as an organization with said event or team,” according to the warrant, noting that employees take part on their own time and are not paid by the agency for their efforts.
Internal affairs detectives began looking at the organization’s finances when the department’s fiscal administration bureau was seeking payment from the Dolphins and SunLife Stadium for “services rendered” in early 2010. The team contracts with Miami-Dade police for off-duty security service at games and other events.
When the stadium staff reviewed their finances, they realized that in February and March 2010, two checks totaling $22,734.23 had been “mistakenly” made out to “Miami-Dade Police Department Football Coach: Tyrone White.”
A stadium staffer told Miami-Dade detectives that the checks “should have been endorsed to Miami-Dade Police Department Fiscal Administration Bureau.”
A spokesman for the team declined to comment Wednesday.
White, according to defense attorney Michael Band, had earlier solicited a charitable donation from the Dolphins to help defray the costs of uniforms, sports equipment and lodging for the team, which plays to benefit charitable groups.
When he received the checks, White believed the team had fulfilled his request, Band said.
“We believe that Maj. White acted in good faith, and received money he requested of the Dolphins for a legitimate purpose – promoting the police department in the Police Olympics. We believe that at the conclusion of the investigation, charges will not be filed and he should be restored to his lofty position of police major.”
White, records show, deposited the two checks into an account he controlled at the Dade County Financial Credit Union. The account was set up to manage the charity team’s finances.
With assistance from prosecutors, detectives subpoenaed the bank records and obtained surveillance footage of White and another officer, Kiriakos Beruty, conducting “several transactions.”
Beruty – then a narcotics detectives – was also relieved of duty, although his role remains unclear and his name is mentioned only briefly in the search warrant. His defense attorney, Carl Kafka, said his client is eager to cooperate with investigators.
“Beruty was surprised he was included in all this because he’s done nothing wrong,” Kafka said.
After the stadium money was deposited, White – using money from the account – leased a three-bedroom, two-bath townhouse for the team’s stay during the Police Olympics in Port St. Lucie, paying a $250 security deposit to the home’s owner, records show.
After the event, the owner returned the security deposit, minus a $120 cleaning fee, which White put into his personal banking account, the warrant said.
Later, in May of this year, White rented another townhouse in Port St. Lucie. When the $300 security deposit was returned to him, he put the money into the bank account of his mother, records show.
White, an officer since 1983, and Beruty remain on leave of their police duties with pay, according to the department.
“The case continues to be an open and active (internal affairs) investigation,” a Miami-Dade police spokesman said. “Therefore, no information can be released until the case is closed; there is no time-line at this point as to when the case will be completed.”
NYC security guard’s “Personal PortaShed” often mistaken for Porta-Potty www.privateofficer.com
MIDTOWN NY Dec 29 2011 — A security guard’s Broadway outpost that he uses to get relief from the cold is attracting attention from passers-by desperate for relief of another kind.
Construction site guard Raphel Sicheran says his “Personal PortaShed” at the corner of 54th Street and Broadway looks so much like a Porta-Potty that he’s been forced to put up a bright, yellow sign which reads “No Toilet.”
“A lot of people knock on it. They want to use the toilet. But it’s not a toilet. It’s a construction booth,” explained Sicheran, 57, who lives in the Bronx and spends his days overseeing Harry Gross’ 67-story mega Marriott hotel, which is quickly rising at 1717 Broadway.
But, even with the sign, he says he still gets constant visitors.
One of the reasons for the uncanny resemblance is that Callahead, the company that manufactures the shed, is most famous for its portable toilets.
It rents out a wide range of bathrooms for special events and other temporary uses. But it also makes storage sheds and guard sheds, including Sicheran’s tiny “Guard Shed 16″ — which measures just 48 by 46 inches and comes complete with a 100 volt light and two windows.
Granite Broadway Development, Marriott International’s partner on the project, referred questions about the sheds to CNY Builders, which is managing construction at the hotel. CNY and Callahead did not return calls for comment.
But despite the lack of luxury, Sicheran said that, while the space is tight, he has enough room to comfortably rest his feet, with a small black folding chair, a knee-high desk stacked with newspapers and hooks to hang his bags.
And despite the confusion, the model appears to be a popular one. The same “Guard Shed 16” is also being used just up the block, at 237 W. 54th St., where a Moinian-backed company is building a new 34-story hotel.
Diallo Woury, 32, a security guard at that site, said that even though the shed design is used by companies city-wide, he understands the comparison.
“It looks exactly the same,” he said of the Porta-Potty-like design, but added that, unlike his counterpart on the corner, he’s never had anyone actually mistake his workspace for a toilet.
New Jersey’s Sal Mangiapane, 53, pointed out Sicheran’s shed with a chuckle to his sons during a family walk through Midtown late last week.
“It really looks like a Porta-John,” Mangiapane said with a grin.
And while Sicheran said he’d like to help those seeking relief, he said the best he can do is direct them to the Starbucks across the street.
“We can’t do nothing about it,” he said. “If they think it’s a toilet, that’s up to them.”
Source:gamma.dnainfo.com
Federal Judge denies bail for Former San Juan police chief charged with child porn www.privateofficer.com
San Juan PR Dec 29 2011 Federal Judge Silvia Carreño on Thursday denied bail to the former chief of the San Juan Municipal Police, Hilton Cordero, who stands accused of 22 counts of production of child pornography.
Carreño justified her decision due to the flight risk and the danger that, in her judgment, the former police chief poses to society.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent testified at the hearing that law enforcement authorities found on Cordero’s computer explicit photos of minors in sexual situations.
Cordero, according to the agent, also exchanged messages with sexual content with a minor living near him in the San Juan suburb of Carolina.
The former police chief pleaded not guilty to the 22 charges during the hearing and he must now wait until Feb. 6, 2012, which is when the judge set his next court appearance, to learn the date his trial will begin.
The Cordero case caused great commotion on Puerto Rico by coinciding, at the beginning of last spring, with domestic violence incidents involving two other high-ranking cops: Richard Nazario and Juan Sergio Rubin.
The former members of the police top brass charged with maintaining public order and safety have appeared in the print media accused of sexual violence and abuse.
Source:HSN
Erie man jailed after punching postal carrier in the face www.privateofficer.com
Erie PA Dec 29 2011 An Erie man was jailed today after police accused him of punching a postal carrier in the face on the city’s east side.
Police said the incident happened just before 1 p.m. outside the Country Fair at East 12th and Parade streets.
Police apprehended the suspect — a 21-year-old man — a short time later in the 1000 block of German Street.
Police charged the suspect, of the 300 block of East 14th Street, with simple assault, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.
Police said the mail carrier had just walked out of the store when the suspect walked up to him, punched him in the face and ran off.
Shooting, robbery, security guard assault all occur at same gas station www.privateofficer.com
Erie PA Dec 29 2011 Erie police swarmed to an east Erie gas station late Monday morning after a parking-lot fistfight ended in gunfire.
Other officers were summoned to the station a little more than 12 hours later, after police said five armed gunmen overpowered a security guard and helped themselves to cash and tobacco products.
Police spent Tuesday searching for suspects in the latest batch of violent crime to occur in the 900 block of East 26th Street.
The shooting and the robbery occurred at the Country Fair store at 957 E. 26th St. It sits two doors east of a Kwik Fill station, at 921 E. 26th St., that was robbed six times over four months before parent company United Refining Co., of Warren, shut it down in late November.
A spokesman for United Refining, which also owns the Country Fair store, said Tuesday that the company is working with Erie police in their investigations.
The Country Fair robbery happened at about 12:05 a.m. Tuesday, when two men armed with handguns confronted the store’s security guard, who had stepped outside to smoke a cigarette and was talking on a cell phone, Erie Police Chief Steve Franklin said. The men forced the security guard back into the store and onto the ground, Franklin said.
Three other men, two of whom appeared to be carrying guns, then ran into the store and joined the other robbers in rounding up the three store employees, Franklin said. The robbers forced the employees to open the store’s cash registers, and they took an undisclosed sum of cash, along with cigarettes and other tobacco products, he said.
The robbers then fled the store and were last seen heading south on East Avenue, Franklin said.
The robbers wore white masks and either black-and-white or light-colored gloves. Three were wearing black-hooded sweatshirts, and the other two were wearing gray ones, Franklin said. Two were holding black semi-automatic handguns, and two were believed to be carrying revolvers, he said.
“There’s a lot of activity in the neighborhood. We’re looking at how (the robbery) might be linked to people involved in the Kwik Fill robberies, or if there’s something new in the neighborhood,” Franklin said.
The Kwik Fill was robbed in late August, four times in October and once in late November, when a security guard there was overpowered and had his gun taken. Police have charged three people in the August robbery, but the other five robberies remain under investigation.
The shooting at the Country Fair was reported at about 11:50 a.m. on Monday. Police said two men had squared off to fight in the parking area to the west of the store, and a punch was thrown, before someone fired a gun. A 22-year-old man who was involved in the fight, whom police have not named, was shot in the arm and the buttocks, police said.
The victim, the shooter and a man with the shooter ran off in different directions, witnesses told police.
The victim arrived at Saint Vincent Health Center as officers reached the gas station. He was later transferred to UPMC Hamot, where he was in stable condition late Monday, police said.
The man’s injuries don’t appear to be life-threatening, Franklin said Tuesday.
Police said the sport utility vehicle in which the victim was taken to the hospital was located in the 300 block of East 37th Street. Detectives searched the vehicle and questioned two people.
One of the people interviewed was a relative of the victim who had taken the victim to the hospital. Police did not get much information from the relative, Franklin said.
Detectives are also interviewing other witnesses, and are reviewing surveillance video from the Country Fair, he said.
Source:goerie.com
Nearly 500 DUI arrests reported in Orange County in 10 days www.privateofficer.com
Orange County CA Dec 29 2011
A multi-agency crackdown on intoxicated drivers has so far resulted in nearly 500 arrests during a 10-day period.
From Dec. 16 to Dec. 25, authorities reported 476 DUI arrests in O.C. cities. There were no fatal DUI traffic collisions during that period.
The statistics were provided by the anti-DUI campaign, known as “Avoid” – involving the California Highway Patrol, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and police departments – which lasts through Jan. 2.
From Dec.17-25 last year, 408 people were arrested for driving under the influence, according to the “Avoid” database.
Throughout the winter holiday anti-DUI campaign, authorities have conducted multiple checkpoints and roving patrols.
To alleviate the dangers of drunken driving, a couple of agencies are offering free services for the end of the year celebrations.
The Orange County Transportation Authority is offering free bus rides between 6 p.m. Dec. 31 and 2:30 a.m. Jan. 1. ACCESS service is not part of this promotion.
The Automobile Club is offering its free Tipsy Tow service from 6 p.m. Dec. 30 to 6 a.m. Jan. 1, to help remove drinking drivers from the road. The service is available in the 13 Southern California counties served by the Auto Club.
To use the service, motorists can call 800-400-4AAA for a free tow home of up to seven miles. For rides farther than seven miles, drivers can expect to pay the rate charged by the tow truck contractor.
For more information on the OCTA New Year’s Eve service and to check bus routes and schedules, visit octa.net or call 714-636-7433.
Source:ocregister.com
Portland Home Depot shoplifting leads to major theft ring www.privateofficer.com
PORTLAND OR Dec 29 2011 – A post-Christmas shoplifting bust led to three arrests and more than a dozen theft cases involving nearly a half-million dollars in stolen goods from around the Portland metro area.
The day after Christmas, Washington County deputies said two men ran out of an emergency exit of the Beaverton Home Depot on NW Science Park Drive with a shopping cart full of merchandise.
It was loaded onto a waiting utility trailer hitched to a truck, which was later traced to an address in Cedar Hills.
There, police arrested 34-year-old William George Hazelwood, 45-year-old Michael Sean O’Sullivan and 35-year-old Charles Daniel Smith.
Police said in addition to the Home Depot items, they found two ski boats, three enclosed utility trailers, a 24-foot RV, computers and equipment from local businesses and restaurants, more tools, appliances and equipment from construction sites.
Deputies said the suspects also mentioned storage lockers full of items.
So far 15 cases of thefts in Clackamas County, Tigard, Tualatin and Sherwood led police to return around $484,441 in goods.
Source:kgw.com
In-the-line-of-duty deaths of law enforcement officers jumped 13% in 2011 www.privateofficer.com
WASHINGTON DC Dec 29 2011 (CNN) — In-the-line-of-duty deaths of law enforcement officers jumped 13% in 2011 compared to last year, according to preliminary figures released Wednesday by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
A total of 173 federal, state and local officers have been killed in the United States, and the year is not quite over yet.
Gunfire accounted for the largest number of deaths, claiming 68 officers. That represents a 15% increase from 2010.
“This is a devastating and unacceptable trend,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in a written statement.
“Each of these deaths is a tragic reminder of the threats that law enforcement officers face each day — and the fact that too many guns have fallen into the hands of those who are not legally permitted to possess them.”
The National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund notes that for the first time in 14 years, more police and other law enforcement agents died in shootings than in traffic accidents. This year, 64 officers were killed either in car or motorcycle crashes, or by being struck by vehicles while on the job.
“Drastic budget cuts affecting law enforcement agencies across the country have put our officers at grave risk,” said Craig Floyd, the chairman of the memorial fund. Floyd and others have expressed concerns that in these tight economic times, there have been reductions in training and equipment for police.
Spurred by approximately 50 officer deaths early this year, Holder met with a number of police chiefs as well as federal law enforcement leaders in March to discuss what could be done and announced a Law Enforcement Safety Initiative. The program provides information and training.
Holder said in his Wednesday statement that a Justice Department program to help local police obtain bullet- and stab-resistant vests has saved 16 officers since January.
Florida has had the largest number of officer deaths this year — a total of 14. That was followed by Texas with 13, New York with 11, and 10 fatalities in both California and Georgia.
In additions to gunshots and traffic accidents, law-enforcement deaths this year were caused by a variety of things including stabbings, falls and job-related illnesses.
The report provides some historical perspective — the deadliest year for gunfire deaths of police in the United States was 1973, when 156 officers were shot and killed.
Gun deaths declined in recent decades, hitting a low of 40 officers lost in 2008.
“However, firearms-related fatalities have increased 70% from 2008 to 2011,” according to the report.
Arizona Grand Resort detain kidnapping suspect www.privateofficer.com
Phoenix AZ Dec 29 2011 A Tempe man was arrested at the Arizona Grand Resort Monday after a woman says he attacked her in the restroom.
Michael Robert Martinez, 30, was taken into custody on suspicion of attempted sexual assault and kidnapping according to Officer James Holmes of the Phoenix Police Department.
A reservations employee for the resort had left the office to use the restroom around 3 p.m. Monday. At that time the employee, a 30-year-old female, noticed a man standing near the men’s restroom and thought he was a guest at the resort, Holmes said in a statement.
Once the woman had left the stall area the man was now inside the ladies room. The man grabbed the woman and pulled her to the floor and began removing her stockings and underwear, Holmes said. The victim fought and screamed, while on her stomach, and made her way toward the door.
She was able to free herself and exit the restroom. She ran back to the office where several employees called resort security and 911, Holmes said.
Witnesses told police the suspect, identified as Martinez, did not flee the area but “paced back and forth in front of the office.” Resort security held the man until police arrived.
Martinez was booked into Maricopa County jail for kidnapping and sexual assault.
Source:east valley tribube
