Long Beach Airport traveler found with gun in carry-on bag www.privateofficer.com

 

 

LONG BEACH, Calif. Jan 7 2012 — Authorities say a man was arrested after a loaded handgun was found in his carry-on bag at Long Beach Airport.

Transportation Security Administration spokesman Nico Melendez tells the Long Beach Press-Telegram  that the man had a ticket to board a Delta Airlines flight to Salt Lake City. He was taken into custody when the loaded .38-caliber handgun containing six rounds of ammunition was found inside his bag at a security checkpoint.

Two ammunition magazines each containing seven rounds also were found.

It’s not clear why the unidentified passenger had the weapon.

The arrest came one day after a loaded gun and ammunition magazine were found inside a carry-on bag belonging to California Assemblyman Tim Donnelly at Ontario International Airport.

Donnelly said he forgot the weapon was inside the bag.

One man shot-2 arrested at Evansville bar shooting www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Evansville IN Jan 7 2012
Two men were arrested and one was taken to the hospital after a shooting early this morning inside Fast Eddy’s bar at 507 NW Riverside Drive.

Police identified the victim as 24-year-old Johnathan E. Johnson and said he was treated for a gunshot wound to his right arm at the St. Mary’s Medical Center emergency room. A hospital spokeswoman said he was treated and released.

Johnson could not say who shot him but told officers that happened inside the bar, police said.

An off-duty Evansville Police Department officer working security there called 911 to report someone had been shot about 2:35 a.m., according to a police report. Police were informed a suspect wearing a black jacket with white writing on it was seen fleeing toward Stoney’s night club. The off-duty officer reported seeing the man trying to leave the area as a passenger in a Chevrolet truck and he was arrested.

He was identified as Derrick Vincent McGuire, 29, and was arrested on preliminary charges of aggravated battery with a firearm and criminal recklessness, according to his arrest affidavit. When he was arrested he had on a black jacket with white writing and had an empty gun holster on his belt.

Police found the handgun after a witness told them McGuire had put it in a nearby trash bin before trying to leave in the truck, police said.

Another witness told police she saw the shooting and identified McGuire by name, police said. She told officers it stemmed from a verbal argument over two women. Police said that when he was questioned, McQuire admitted being in the bar and hearing gunshots but denied shooting anybody.

Also arrested was Kem Anthony Duerson Jr., who police said was driving McGuire away from the scene in the truck. According to police, the off duty officer found a loaded Glock pistol on Duerson and he appeared intoxicated, with slurred speech.

He was arrested on preliminary charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted violent felon and public intoxication. Duerson previously has been convicted of robbery, criminal confinement and dealing cocaine, police said.

Heroic security guard pulled victim from burning vehicle www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Brooklyn NY Jan 7 2012 A heroic security guard pulled a victim out of a burning vehicle after three cars collided at a busy Brooklyn intersection Thursday night, witnesses said.

But the unidentified man, 51, died a short time later at Kings County Hospital, police said.

The crash happened at Nostrand Ave. and Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights around 9:24 p.m., fire officials said.

A man was driving a Ford sedan as a taxi blew the red light while traveling eastbound on the parkway and crashed into the victim’s car traveling southbound on Nostrand Ave., cops said.

The victim’s car went up into flames and the driver became trapped, the FDNY and witnesses said.

“This black SUV had to be going at least 90 miles per hour,” said an eyewitness who declined to give his name.

“There were big flames. A good Samaritan and a security guard tried to help the guy out,” the shocked bystander said. “They tried, [but\] he burned alive. He was dead. He melted.”

John Tyus, who lives nearby, saw the security guard drag the man out of the car.

“The car was blazing — the flames were touching the trees,” Tyus said. “The security guard was very courageous.”

The driver of the Ford was taken into police custody and charges were pending Thursday night, cops said.

Vermarie Petit-Frere, 26, of Queens, was driving westbound on Eastern Parkway when she was hit by the black SUV, she said.

“I looked down for a split second, then a car hit me,” she said. “It happened so fast, the SUV was going really fast,” she said.

“Then the other car caught on fire – it stated as a flame then just exploded.”

Petit-Frere jumped out of her car and watched the officer desperately try to save the man.

“He looked bad,” she said of the victim. “He was burned up pretty bad. He was lifeless – they were trying to revive him.”

Petit-Frere and her father, Verma, 68, were upset but relieved that she was going to be fine.

“That could had been me,” the woman said. “I’m blessed.”

Families of the victims settle with Blackwater security contractors www.privateofficer.com

 

 

RALEIGH, N.C.Jan 7 2012 — Days after the last U.S. troops left Iraq, a federal appeals court ended a lawsuit over an episode that produced one of the more disturbing images of the war: the grisly killings of four Blackwater security contractors and the hanging of a pair of their bodies from a bridge in Fallujah.

Families of the victims reached a confidential settlement with the company’s corporate successor, Arlington, Va.-based Academi, and the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the suit last week. The settlement was first reported Friday by The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk, Va.

The deal ends the families’ hopes that a public trial would expose the events that led to Iraqi insurgents killing the four contractors in 2004 and hanging two of their corpses, said Jason Helvenston of Orlando, Fla., brother of slain Blackwater guard Stephen “Scott” Helvenston.

Images from the scene flashed around the world and triggered a massive U.S. military attack on Fallujah that featured street-by-street fighting.

“The lawsuit coming to an end is no surprise to me whatsoever. It was clear that this was going to be a cover-up from the beginning,” Helvenston said Friday. “You just feel the injustice of this long enough, and see that these people are just so evil, all you can do is pray to God that he’ll take care of it because that’s all you’ve got left.”

Helvenston, who was not a party to the lawsuit, said he read parts of the settlement but doesn’t know all the details. He said the deal includes the company paying the families’ attorney fees and a small death benefit to the heirs. Scott Helvenston’s ex-wife, Patricia Irby of Virgina Beach, Va., confirmed those details but added how much their son and daughter will get hasn’t yet been determined.

“I’m glad it’s over. It’s been a hard fight and the lawyers did a phenomenal job,” she said Friday.

The men’s estates are named as plaintiffs in the case filed in 2005, which said their survivors live in Oceanside, Calif.; Leesburg, Fla.; Statesboro, Ga.; Paauilo, Hawaii; Clarksville, Tenn., and Willoughby, Ohio.

Academi spokesman John Procter declined comment, citing terms of the confidential settlement. The families also dropped a state lawsuit dormant while the federal case was litigated, said Kirk Warner, an attorney representing the company.

Survivors of the contractors contend Blackwater failed to prepare the men for their mission into Fallujah in March 2004 and didn’t provide them with maps and other appropriate equipment. Helvenston, Jerko “Jerry” Zovko, Wesley J.K. Batalona and Michael R. Teague were sent in Mitsubishi SUVs to guard a supply convoy. Their survivors argued they should have been given armored vehicles.

A congressional investigation concurred with that view, calling Blackwater an “unprepared and disorderly” organization on the day of the ambush.

Blackwater, formerly based in North Carolina, countered that the men were betrayed by the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps and targeted in a well-planned ambush. The company said the ambush likely would have had the same result even if they had stronger weapons, armored vehicles, maps or even more men.

The lawsuit was appealed after a federal judge in North Carolina dismissed it nearly one year ago.

U.S. District Judge James C. Fox said arbitration efforts fell apart because neither side was paying the costs of that process, so he decided to shut down the case. Courts had previously ruled that employment contracts the four guards signed required that disputes be heard by arbitrators, not judges.

Blackwater hired prominent Washington attorney Ken Starr and fought the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing federal and not state courts should hear lawsuits stemming from dangerous deployments by contractors supporting U.S. military operations.

Helvenston’s mother Katy said last year the families couldn’t afford the litigation costs and feared their case was finished. She did not respond to messages seeking comment Friday.

“I guess this chapter is done but this story has not ended. We were outfinanced, outgunned, outmanned in a sad similarity to what happened to Jerry, Wes and Mike,” said Zovko’s brother, Tom Zovko of Timberlake, Ohio. “It’s been an uphill battle the whole time.”

Source:A/P

Armed bounty hunter arrested on USA campus www.privateofficer.com

 

 

MOBILE, Ala. Jan 7 2012- A slogan on South Alabama’s campus is “If you see something, say something.” And that’s what police said led to bounty hunter, Carlos Black’s arrest.

Police said when Black was walking into the police station to ask about a warrant, he passed an officer.

“He ( the officer) turned around and looked back at Black and noticed a bulge underneath his jacket on the right side,” said Deputy Chief W.D Christian, University of South Alabama. “Being a trained observer, it was consistent with that of a firearm.”

USA Police said the officer followed his instincts, and Black, inside the building.

That’s when police said Black made a move that wouldn’t go unnoticed.

When he went to pick up a pen he dropped, the officer got a good look at the pistol and asked for a permit.

“After Black said yes the officer and supervisor checked the records and found out the permit was not valid, not current. That’s when Black was taken into custody,” Christian said.

Best Bonding Company confirmed Black is a bounty hunter with the company. The representative wasn’t sure why he had an invalid permit.

Since 2001, Black has racked up about 30 criminal charges, including impersonating a police officer and domestic violence.

Some students said they are glad officers are going with their instincts.

“I think it’s good that they checked. It makes me feel safer that they are actually doing their jobs,” said USA student Emily Reeves.

Source:FOX10

Volusia County elementary teacher arrested for enticing NC child over the Internet www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Archdale NC Jan 7 20122 A Volusia County elementary teacher resigned Thursday afternoon, one day after she was arrested on North Carolina warrants charging her with solicitation of a child by computer and indecent liberties with a child.

Amberlee Evonne Meeker, 28, was arrested at her home in Palm Coast Wednesday afternoon and is being held without bail in the Flagler County Jail.

Meeker was arrested on warrants from the Archdale, N.C., Police Department, Flagler County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Debra Johnson said.

In a statement, Archdale police said the case against Meeker also involved dissemination of obscene material to a minor under 16 and preparing photographs or obscene film, photos or slides.

Meeker was a combination third and fourth grade teacher at South Daytona Elementary School, Volusia School District spokeswoman Nancy H. Wait said. She joined the school system as a substitute teacher in 2005 and was hired full-time in 2006, Wait said.

“This afternoon, she resigned her position,” Wait said Thursday.

Source:orlando sentinel

Englewood High School theater teacher arrested for sexual assault www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Denver CO Jan 7 2012 An Englewood High School theater teacher has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting one of her students.

Alexandra Elizabeth McLean, 27, has been charged with two counts of sexual assault by a person in a position of trust. She was arrested Wednesday and later released after posting a $25,000 bond, according to court records.

Superintendent Brian Ewert sent a letter to parents Wednesday informing them of the arrest and saying McLean no longer works at the school.

According to state court records, the assaults happened sometime between Nov. 15 and 16. Englewood police told 9News they received a call from a 29-year-old woman who said her younger sister was friends with a 17-year-old boy who had bragged about a sexual relationship with McLean.

When questioned, the student told police McLean would drive him home after play rehearsals and that, eventually, he had sex with McLean in her car. The teenager told police the sex was consensual and that he kissed her first.

In the arrest affidavit, police quote from explicit text messages between McLean and the student. Her car and cellphone were seized Nov. 28.

McLean worked at the school from Aug. 11 to Nov. 18. “Lend Me a Tenor,” her first play as director since succeeding 30-year theater teacher Bill Ambron, was scheduled to be performed Nov. 18-19.

Source:www.denverpost.com

Park Ridge High School teacher makes bail on student sex charges www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Bergen County NJ Jan 7 2012 Park Ridge High School teacher Joseph Anthony Greco, 27, of Garfield, who was arrested yesterday on charges that he sexual assaulted a young woman while she was a student at Park Ridge High School, posted bail earlier today.
At his arraignment yesterday, bail was set at $100,000. He was not able to post bail and was remanded to the Bergen County Jail, where he remained until today, when, according to the Bergen County Jail website, Greco posted bail through a company listed there as “Universal.” The conditions of his release require that he have no contact with the alleged victim, and no contact with Park Ridge High School.

On Thursday, Jan. 5, members of the Park Ridge Police Department and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victim’s Unit arrested Greco, a math teacher at the high school. He has been charged with one count of sexual assault and one count of endangering the welfare of a child, both second degree crimes.

Captain Joseph Rampolla of the Park Ridge Police Department said Greco was arrested at Park Ridge High School. He has since been suspended.

The arrest came after an investigation into allegations that Greco, who is single, engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with a former Park Ridge High School student.

Robert Gamper, Park Ridge School District superintendent, said Greco is in his fourth year as a math teacher at the high school. “He earned tenure last September,” he said. Gamper said Greco is also the advisor to the Student Council. He added, “I applaud the high school principal and assistant principal for notifying the proper authorities immediately upon receipt of the allegations.”

According to the BCPO, a teacher at the school learned about the alleged relationship between Greco and the former student and immediately reported it to Gamper, who contacted borough police and the BCPO. Rampolla said, “School authorities acted immediately and reported it. The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victim’s Unit and our department moved quickly,” in investigating the allegations.

The alleged victim was located and confirmed the information provided by school, that inappropriate sexual contact had occurred between her and Greco. The BCPO press release states that the alleged victim said the incidents of sexual abuse happened between 2010 and 2011, during her junior and senior years at Park Ridge High School.

Rampolla declined to comment further in the case, deferring to the BCPO. “The Prosecutor’s Office is the charging agency; they bringing the charges in this case.”

Source:northjersey.com

Shots fired at store security during shoplifting incident www.privateofficer.com

 

 

San Antonio TX Jan 7 2012 Police are searching for two women they say robbed a grocery store early Friday morning, then fired shots at a security guard.

It happened just after midnight at the H-E-B at Marbach Road and Loop 410 on the city’s west side.

Police say the duo tried to make off with two baskets of groceries.

A security guard attempted to stop them, but according to the police report, one of the women pulled out a gun and starting shooting.

Both suspects fled without the food. There were no injuries.

Lawyer at Ice Miller arrested in bar fight with police and security www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Louisville KY Jan 7 2012 A lawyer at Ice Miller arrested last week for allegedly fighting with police at a Louisville bar tried to persuade them she was a professional with some high-tech advice, according to authorities.

Courtney King was arrested on Dec. 29 after being asked to leave the bar, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports. The article cites a police citation that claims King told police and security guards: “You are going to—die. I am a lawyer. You can Google me.”

King was charged with disorderly conduct, assaulting a police officer, alcohol intoxication and terroristic threatening, the story says. She is accused of trying to kick out the window of a squad car.

King is no longer listed on Ice Miller’s website. Her lawyer, Alex Dathorne, says she has not been fired but she may be on probation. He tells the Courier-Journal she has pleaded not guilty and looks forward to resolving the matter.

King is an honors graduate of the University of Louisville law school who served on law review. She joined the Indianapolis law firm last April.

Former Frost School school security guard gets prison term for raping student www.privateofficer.com

 

 

LAWRENCE MA Jan 7 2012- Former Frost School school security guard Tyrone Farrar was sentenced to five years in jail after pleading guilty to a child rape charge yesterday.

Farrar, 31, of 48 Kingston St., was arrested and charged with two counts statutory rape of the 14-year-old Lawrence girl. The girl was in the car when Farrar was arrested in Salisbury Aug. 2, 2010. He was also charged with driving while under the influence of drugs and was held without bail after his arraignment.

Yesterday, Farrar pleaded guilty to a single child rape charge through a plea agreement worked out between prosecutor Kate MacDougal and defense attorney Jessica Thrall. Judge John Lu imposed the five year sentence yesterday in Salem Superior Court.

Under the probation terms in the plea agreement, when he’s released from jail, Farrar must wear a GPS monitoring bracelet, have no contact with children under age 16 (except for his own), stay away from the victim and provide a DNA sample for the state database.

Farrar was sentenced to probation on the driving while under the influence of drugs charge.

When he was arrested, Farrar also had a 9mm semi-automatic pistol in a backpack in the back seat of his car. He was licensed to have the gun.

During questioning by police, both Farrar and the girl admitted to having sex numerous times during the past year, sometimes checking into Salisbury Beach hotels. Farrar admitted to sneaking in through the girl’s bedroom window between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. to avoid detection by her family.

The girl told police she first kissed Farrar while in his van in Lawrence on July 15, 2009 when she was 13 years old, and that they had intercourse as many as 35 times since August 2009.

The girl said Farrar was her basketball coach and a father figure and she looked up to him, according to police reports.

Present in court to show her support, Farrar’s wife cried during yesterday’s proceeding yesterday.

Source:EagleTribune

Walgreens security officer threatened with box cutter by shoplifter www.privateofficer.com

 

Fairlawn NJ Jan 7 2012  Another alleged shoplifting attempt turned violent Tuesday, when a Paterson man allegedly threatened to stab a Walgreens security officer after he was stopped trying to leave the store without paying for razors, police said.

Diogenes Salcedo, 36, was arrested and charged with robbery, possession of a weapon, hindering his own apprehension for providing false information and possession of hypodermic needles, according to police reports.

Police received a report of a shoplifting in progress from the River Road Walgreens just before 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Sgt. Paul Scott was the first of six officers to arrive on the scene. When he arrived, Scott found three Walgreens employees struggling with Salcedo to keep him from getting away, according to police. Police said that Salcedo ceased fighting once Scott arrived on the scene to assist the employees, and was subsequently placed under arrest.

Store security officer Joel Sanchez told police that Salcedo had placed multiple packs of razors in his jacket before attempting to leave the store without paying for them.

According to police, a struggle ensued when Sanchez attempted to stop Salcedo from leaving the store. Another Walgreens employee and an unidentified citizen helped detain Salcedo until police arrived. Sanchez told police that Salcedo threatened to stab him if he was not allowed to leave the store.

Salcedo was found to be carrying two hypodermic syringes and an open box cutter, police said. A criminal check revealed four outstanding warrants for Salcedo from Elmwood Park, Paterson and Clifton.

In lieu of $25,000 bail, Salcedo was transported to Bergen County Jail. He’s scheduled to appear in Muncipal Court on Jan. 11.

FBI changing its long-standing definition of rape www.privateofficer.com

 

 

WASHINGTON DC Jan 7 2012 - The FBI is changing its long-standing definition of rape for the first time to include sexual assaults on males following persistent calls from victims advocates who claim that the offense, as currently defined in the agency’s annual crime report, has been undercounted for decades.

Under the current definition, established 85 years ago, many of the sex crimes alleged in the ongoing prosecution of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky would not be counted in the bureau’s Uniform Crime Report, one of the most reliable measures of crime in the United States. Sandusky is accused in alleged assaults and sexual misconduct involving 10 male victims.

Rape is currently defined as the “carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will.”

The new provision will define rape as any kind of penetration of another person, regardless of gender, without the victim’s consent.

“This long-awaited change to the definition of rape is a victory for women and men across the country whose suffering has gone unaccounted for over 80 years,” said Vice President Biden, who has worked extensively on domestic-violence issues, in a statement released Thursday.

Carol Tracy, executive director of the Women’s Law Project, and 90 other organizations that support victims of sexual abuse have been pushing for such a change for more than a decade, saying that the public has long been “misled” about the prevalence of rape.

“If you can’t measure it accurately, you can’t monitor it and you can’t direct appropriate resources to deal with the problem,” Tracy said.

In September, a survey of major city police chiefs found that 80% believed the old definition was “not adequate,” according to the review by the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington, D.C., think tank.

“The crimes are still being prosecuted under state law, but the current definition is not a true reflection of the nature of sexual assault in the United States,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the police research group.

FBI Director Robert Mueller has approved the change, which will be phased into the data-collection process over the next two to three years.

USA TODAY

Wild shootout leaves armored guard shot in the head www.privateofficer.com

 

 

PHILADELPHIA PA Jan 7 2012 - A wild shootout in North Philadelphia sends a 17-year-old and an armored car guard to the hospital.

It happened at 9th and Clearfield streets around 7:0 p.m. Thursday.

Police say the 17-year-old was shot four times. He somehow managed to run inside a grocery store.

The gunmen fired into the store, hitting an armored guard who was inside servicing the ATM.

Police say this was not a robbery attempt. The guard was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“The suspects never entered the grocery store. It just so happened that the armored car guard happened to be in the grocery store at the time,”

The teen was listed in critical condition Thursday night at Temple University Hospital.

The armored car guard is expected to be OK.

Police are questioning witnesses and looking at surveillance video for answers.

San Francisco bus driver accused of molesting special needs student www.privateofficer.com

 

 

San Francisco CA Jan 7 2012 A contract bus driver accused in 2004 of molesting an 11-year-old special-needs student was charged with that and another count of felony molestation Wednesday after a new abuse allegation emerged last year.

Longtime driver Roberto Marty is in custody at San Francisco County Jail, where he will remain until his trial, police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza said.

The latest accusation came to light last year, after the parent of a second female special-needs student notified the San Francisco Unified School District, spokeswoman Gentle Blythe said. Marty was “immediately removed” from contact with students, she said.

The allegation also prompted police to reopen a 2004 case in which Marty was the suspect, police said.

Although the district has no records related to those allegations, Blythe said, its transportation director recalls the bus company notifying police and school officials of that accusation.

Police investigated the claim and concluded it was unfounded, Blythe said the transit official recalled.

The district would have made its bus company remove the driver from contact with students if he had been charged with a crime in 2004, Blythe said.

But because he wasn’t, no policy prevented his continued interaction with students such as the one he allegedly victimized, she said.

Marty drove school buses in San Francisco from 1994 until April of last year, police said.

He worked for First Student Inc., a division of British transport giant FirstGroup, which acquired Laidlaw International Inc. in 2007.

First Student provides bus service to about 3,200 general education students and 1,550 special education students in San Francisco, Blythe said. The district has contracted out transportation services for 40 years, she said.

Blythe said SFUSD requires contract drivers who have contact with students to go through a Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice criminal background check.

First Student spokesman Timothy Stokes claimed Marty had a “clean background,” but said he was unaware of the 2004 case.

“We’re working closely with local law enforcement with any information they need to complete their investigation,” Stokes said.

Blythe said buses have GPS tracking that lets the district know if they are late or deviate from their prescribed route. Asked whether any of Marty’s buses deviated from their route, she said, “It would be inappropriate for me to comment on evidence in a pending criminal case.”

Police are now encouraging parents of other potential victims to come forward to police. They are asked to contact the department’s Special Victims Unit at (415) 558-5500.

Source:sfexaminer.com

MARTA police officer arrested for child molestation www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Atlanta GA Jan 7 2012 A 46-year-old MARTA police officer has been arrested and charged with child molestation and sexual exploitation, according to DeKalb County Police Department spokeswoman Mekka Parish.

Willie Clarence Lee Jr. was arrested Jan. 4 and jailed on a $10,000 bond. The investigation began after an adult caregiver of a 14 year old female noticed disturbing text messages on the girl’s cellphone. The phone contained several text messages which were sexual in nature and a pornographic image.

The caretaker filed a police report on Jan. 2 and police said they believe the abuse has been ongoing for five years. Lee is an ex-boyfriend of a family member of the victim, police said.

Additional charges may be forthcoming as the investigation continues.

Albuquerque police make more arrests in robbery-kidnapping of archdiocese center security officer www.privateofficer.com

 

 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Jan 7 2012  – Albuquerque police arrested a third person Friday in connection with a fatal officer-involved shooting at an archdiocese center.

Authorities with the Albuquerque Police Department said three suspects spent time researching and planning the heist.

Police Chief Ray Schultz said the main suspect, who was killed in a shootout with Officer Mario Perez, saw himself as a constitutionalist — a freeman — who hated Catholics.

Schultz shared a surveillance video from the archdiocese center that showed gunshots fired during the shootout.

Investigators said the suspect, who was first identified as Mark Beecham, which may be an alias, came as close as six feet from Perez.

Detectives said Beecham, his girlfriend, Kymberly Bates, and a third suspect identified as James Kellogg believed all the donations made to the church were kept in a safe at St. Pius.

“They had arrived in Albuquerque on the third of January, and when they arrived here in Albuquerque is when they began on-site plans to include going to stores in the Albuquerque area, where they had purchased tie-wraps, which is what they used as restraints for the security guard,” Schultz said.

Investigators said Beecham fired three shots at Perez before his gun malfunctioned. They said Perez fired back and killed him.

Bates and Kellogg were charged with armed robbery, kidnapping and conspiracy.

Source:www.koat.com

Birmingham security guard arrested for stealing $383,000 of scrap metal www.privateofficer.com

 

 

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama Jan 7 2012– Two men have been charged with theft after Birmingham police said they stole $383,000 worth of scrap metal from a construction site and sold it at a metal scrap yard in Sumiton.

One of the two suspects was a security guard at the construction site when the items were stolen, Sgt. Johnny Williams said in a news statement.

The suspects are Matthew Williams, 24, and George Mendiola, 27.

The statement did not state which city, or cities, they live in, how much their bond was or which of the suspects was the security guard.

The metal was identified by logos and serial numbers, the statement read. The thefts took place “over an extensive period of time,” Williams wrote.

Source:AL.com

Pompano Beach firefighter dies in training accident www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Pompano Beach Fla Jan 7 2012 A Pompano Beach firefighter died after falling 90 feet from a ladder truck Friday afternoon.

Firefighter William Elliott, 50, was involved in a training exercise at Station 61, according to the Sun-Sentenial.

Elliott had been with the Pompano Beach fire department since 1989, according to Sandra King, a spokesperson.

He was taken to North Broward Medical Center.

Former Waterloo teacher faces sex with student charges www.privateofficer.com

 

 

WATERLOO, Iowa Jan 7 2012 – A former Waterloo teacher has been released from jail after posting bond on charges he had sex with a high school student.

Waterloo police arrested 26-year-old Brett David Messenger of Waterloo on Thursday morning for felony sexual exploitation of a school employee. He was released from the Black Hawk County jail later that morning.

Messenger was a teacher at West High School and was co-director of the school’s band. Police allege he had sex with a female student in the spring and summer of 2011.

The student has since graduated from the school, and police received information that she had told another instructor about the relationship. The Waterloo School District said they did not know of the alleged affair while Messenger was their employee. “He left in good standing. I can certainly say that, he left to take another position. Our first concern is always with students safety and welfare,” said Sharon Miller, District Spokesperson.

The relationship allegedly started in April or May 2011 and lasted until August, court records state. It started with kissing at the school and led to sexual intercourse at his home before her graduation on 5/26/11, according to court records .

“He was contacted and he basically turned himself in, we had a warrant out of his arrest,” said Lt. McNamee, with the Waterloo Police Department.

Messenger allegedly admitted to police investigators he had sex with the student on graduation night at his home, records state.
The Cedar Rapids School District placed him on administrative leave in December pending the outcome of the investigation. Messenger subsequently submitted his resignation. He posted bail Thursday Morning and will now have to appear in court.

Officials are considering this a Class D Felony, which means if Messenger is convicted he could face up to five years in prison along with fines.

Source:kcrg.com