Custom Security Solutions Inc agrees to pay security officers back wages www.privateofficer.com

 

Knoxville TN Jan 10 2012 A Knoxville company that provides security guard services for coal mines and plants in Anderson, Scott and Campbell counties has agreed to pay more than $60,000 in back wages to 34 security guards following a U.S. Department of Labor investigation.

Custom Security Solutions Inc., with offices at 6010 Star Ray Lane, will pay $62,038 in back wages to the guards as a result of the probe by the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division, which found the employees were improperly classified as independent contractors and denied minimum wage and overtime wages due under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Custom Security Solutions, which could not be reached for comment, provides guard services for Premium Coal Co. at its mining sites and washing and loadout plants in the East Tennessee counties.

“Increasingly, employers are categorizing their employees as independent contractors to avoid paying them in compliance with the FLSA, as well as other federal, state and local statutes,” Sandra Sanders, director of the Wage and Hour Division’s Nashville District Office, said in a statement. “Misclassification costs taxpayers millions of dollars each year in uncollected employment taxes, and gives unscrupulous employers an unfair advantage. The Wage and Hour Division is vigorously pursuing corrective action in those situations when workers are, in fact, employees, to ensure that they are paid required wages and level the playing field for employers who play by the rules.”

The Wage and Hour Division said its investigators determined that the 34 employees were paid a “straight time” rate for all hours worked instead of time and one-half their hourly rates for hours over 40, as required by the FLSA.

“This practice resulted in the employees being owed $61,937 in overtime back wages. Additionally, one of the employees was not paid the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour for all hours worked, and also is owed $101 in minimum wage payments,” the Labor Department said.

In addition to paying the back wages, according to the federal agency, the company agreed to maintain future compliance by ensuring employees are properly classified and compensated for all hours worked in accordance with the FLSA.

“The misclassification of employees as independent contractors is an alarming trend, particularly in industries that often employ low-wage, vulnerable workers and in which the Wage and Hour Division historically has found significant wage violations. The practice is a serious threat both to employees entitled to good and safe jobs, as well as to employers who obey the law. Misclassified employees often are deprived of overtime and minimum wages, and are forced to pay taxes that their employers are legally obligated to pay. Misclassification also creates a competitive disadvantage for employers who comply with the law,” the Labor Department said in a statement

The FLSA requires that covered employees be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour for all hours worked, plus time and one-half their hourly rates of pay for hours worked beyond 40 per week. Additionally, accurate records of employees’ wages, hours and other conditions of employment must be maintained.

Elaborate fake ID ring involving hundreds of students found on University of Georgia www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Athens GA Jan 10 2012 An elaborate fake ID ring involving hundreds of students and thousands of dollars was uncovered by the concerns of one University student, according to search warrants filed in Athens-Clarke County. As a result, it has put four University students and one Gainesville State College student in the sights of area law enforcement.

The details from the evidence gathered from the ringleaders’ homes, email addresses and bank accounts show cell phone pictures, couriers, holograms, magnetic strips and high-tech printers were all part of the scheme. The IDs, which were sold for between $50 and $100, were distributed to many parts of campus with their starting point generating from a gated apartment complex on the East side of Athens.

The investigation is ongoing, and documents showed search warrants started as early as September 2011. Only one person has been arrested as a result of the probe.

The investigation began in a simple fashion — a single student complaint to a freshman housing resident assistant. University police were first made aware of the fakes being circulated on Aug. 16, after police met with the RA, according to documents obtained by The Red & Black. The RA told police University student Ashley Hampton “has been giving out ‘fake IDs’” and “there was a conflict between her and her roommate.”

“A student came to her and advised that she believes that a person known to her is selling fraudulent identification cards,” according to the documents and “she did not want to get in trouble along with Hampton because of Hampton selling ‘fake ids.’”

University police approached Hampton about the accusation, and she reportedly stated she was not manufacturing the IDs. Instead, she said a Gainesville State College student, was the one who was making and providing the IDs to her for distribution, according to the documents.

The report went on to say Hampton would get students to send her descriptors and photographs which she would then relay to the GSC student. The IDs would then be made and Hampton would pick them up at his residence.

“On the day we started the investigation, we arrested [Hampton] to keep her from talking to anybody else,” said University Police Chief Jimmy Williamson.

A warrant for Hampton’s arrest was sought Sept. 22 on a felony charge of possession and distribution of fraudulent identifications, and she was booked into the Athens Clarke County jail the same day.

Hampton declined to comment.

Hampton’s information led law enforcement to seek a search warrant on the GSC student’s home at The Summit of Athens, a subdivision off of Barnett Shoals Road. Police seized laptops, iPhones, ID printers, 200 blank white magnetic strip ID cards and hologrammed laminates of Georgia, Florida, New Jersey and South Carolina driver’s licenses.

While investigating the GSC student, police found a link to his roommate — a University student, who the documents allege “was instrumental in the making and distributing of fraudulent identifications.” The University student also had a room at the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity house, of which he was a member at the time. In a search warrant of Lambda Chi Alpha, police found fake licenses from Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Florida and Delaware as well as drug paraphernalia and a plastic bag with five Sour Patch Kids watermelon gummy candies that were suspected to be laced with acid, according to the documents.

The documents allege the University student told many customers to pick up the IDs at the house and “several members” were aware of the operation. Documents state he “has various emails asking people to meet him at his fraternity house in order to pick up their fake ids.”

The University student declined to comment.

While looking through the GSC student’s iPhone, police reportedly found text messages concerning fake IDs between him and a female University student. The texts unveiled the names of 17 people looking to receive fake IDs.

“The text messages listed out names of individuals whose fake IDs needed to be picked up,” documents state. “Those names were also cross referenced with the University of Georgia and Gainesville State College online student directory. Five names out of the 17 names were confirmed as UGA students.”

The female student admitted to selling more than 30 fake IDs, according to the documents.

She said she took pictures using her cell phone and sent the customer’s information to the GSC student so he could make the fake ids, according to affidavits.

Early on in the investigation, students with fake IDs had the option to turn them in to University police without facing charges. Officers had collected more than 300 of the cards at the time, according to Williamson.

University police hopes to close the investigation by the middle of the semester and Williamson expects “a multitude of arrests.”

“We are looking at every angle and there are many angles that could take us to other institutions and other geographic locations,” Williamson said.

Source:By WIL PETTY
redandblack.com

LaRue County KY jailer sentenced to one year in prison for sex with inmate www.privateofficer.com

 

 

HODGEVILLE, KYJan 10 2012  - A former LaRue County jailer was sentenced to one year in prison on Monday for trading sex for prison contriband.

In November, 39-year-old Travis Strader pleaded guilty to taking Xanax, cell phones, marijuana, alcohol and tobacco into the jail all in exchange for sexual favors with female inmates.

Attorneys say at least one of the victims says she was forcibly raped while others felt they had no other choice, but to submit out of fear of retaliation by the jailers.

The judge also said Strader has to complete a sex offender treatment program.

A civil suit is also pending in the case.

Source: WAVE

Florida Man Arrested in FBI Bomb Plot Sting www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Tampa Fla Jan 10 2012 A 25-year-old man believed he was on the verge of going on a bombing and shooting rampage in a popular Florida bar and at other crowded establishments Saturday night when he was arrested by federal agents in part of a sting operation, the Justice Department announced today.

According to federal officials, Sami Osmakac, a naturalized U.S. citizen from the former Yugoslavia, had been provided the guns and explosives — all of which had been rendered harmless — by an FBI agent.

The FBI first became alerted to Osmakac in late September 2011 from a confidential source who told them that Osmakac was seeking Al Qaeda flags. Osmakac allegedly worked for the individual who tipped off the FBI.

In a meeting with an undercover FBI agent last month, Osmakac said he wanted to obtain an AK-47 assault rifle, Uzi submachine guns and explosives for as many as three car bombs. Osmakac also allegedly told the agent that he wanted an explosive suicide belt to kill police and law enforcement that would try to stop him.

“Once I have this…they can take me in five million pieces,” Osmakac allegedly told the agent during a meeting on Jan. 1, 2012.

The FBI said that during the meeting, Osmakac indicated that he wanted to carry out a series of attacks in the Tampa area and “get in somewhere where there’s a lot of people” to take hostages.

“I want to do something terrifying, like one day, one night, something’s going to happen, then six hours later something else,” he allegedly told the FBI’s undercover agent.

“They['re] like $200 trillion in debt, and after all this money they’re spending for homeland security and all this, this is going to be crushing them. This is going to terrify them,” Osmakac said after discussing his plans about the car bomb and how far away he should be from the blast, according to the FBI.

The criminal complaint and affidavit filed by an FBI agent in the case indicate that Osmakac had tried to spur other people to take action in carrying out attacks.

“I made many plans, but there’s not enough people,” Osmakac allegedly said. “I even wasted like my energy debating and talking and trying [to] inspire them.”

“Honestly, I would love to go for the Army people, but their bases are so locked up, I have to do something else,” Osmakac said, according to the court documents. “Whenever we can get this done I’m ready.”

The FBI undercover agent allegedly offered Osmakac an opportunity to not go forward with the attack to which Osmakac stated, “We all have to die. So why not die the Islamic way?”

Osmakac told the FBI undercover agent that he did not want to meet again until the weapons and explosives were ready to be delivered, the court documents said.

A week later, on Jan. 7, the agent and Osmakac met at a Tampa area hotel and the agent showed Osmakac an item he believed was a 100 pound car-bomb. After viewing the device and receiving an AK-47 and a handgun, Osmakac asked the agent if he would tape a martyrdom video message for him.

Court documents note the tape lasted “approximately eight minutes.”

“In the video, Osmakac stated his belief that Muslims’ ‘blood’ was more valuable than that of people who do not believe in Islam. He also stated that he wanted ‘pay back’ for wrongs he felt were done to Muslims,” the documents say.

After the video was recorded, Osmakac stashed a getaway vehicle near his intended targets which included an Irish pub and a Starbucks in South Tampa. When he returned to the hotel, the FBI undercover showed Osmakac how to arm the bomb.

Osmakac was arrested by FBI agents after he connected what he believed was a detonator for the bomb and prepared to drive off in his car.

A court appearance has been set for later today Tampa. An attorney for Osmakac has not been identified. A records search indicates that Osmakac has a previous arrest in the Tampa area for battery in September 2011.

Source:ABC NEWS

Mother arrested after leaving child with security guard www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Orlando Fla Jan 10 2012 An Orlando mother has been arrested and accused of leaving her four month old son with a hotel security guard.

33-year-old Jennifer Jones left her son with the guard at the Inn Town Suites on Lee Road Thursday morning while she went to pay off a drug debt.

Police say that the hotel called police and that officers located Jones and arrested her.

There was no word of where the child was taken after the mother was arrested.

85-year-old murder suspect commits suicide www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Ormond Beach Fla. Jan 10 2012 An elderly murder suspect killed himself while fleeing police on a bicycle in Ormond Beach Sunday.

Police have not identified the 85-year-old suspect in the murder-suicide.

Ormond Beach Police responded to a home in the 400 block of Druid Circle around 3 p.m. Sunday after neighbors reported hearing a gunshot and seeing a suspicious vehicle in the area.

Officers found the victim, 62-year-old Howard S. Peifer, shot to death on the side of a home. When detectives notified the victim’s estranged wife in Daytona Beach, she told officers a man who sometimes worked odd jobs with her husband told her he killed Peifer.

She didn’t believe him and thought it was a joke, police said. The wife led police to the suspect who was at a nearby home in Ormond Beach, reports show.

When investigators arrived, the suspect hopped on a bicycle and rode away. He then pulled out a gun and shot himself near Williams and Atlantic avenues in Ormond Beach.

It’s unclear what sparked the murder-suicide.

Source:Palm Beach Post

Police arrest man in shooting outside the Mall of Louisiana www.privateofficer.com

 

 

BATON ROUGE La Jan 10 2012 - Sheriff’s deputies say a shooting outside a local mall left several people injured and they have arrested one person late Sunday for a shooting outside the Mall of Louisiana this weekend.

Casy Hicks with the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office said deputies arrested Meco Damon Green, 17, in suspicion of four counts of first degree murder.

Two innocent bystanders were injured in the shooting around 9:45 p.m. Saturday night, according to Hicks, which happened in a courtyard between the Rave movie theatre and Dillards store.

Investigators said Green was in a group of males in that area, and had a verbal altercation with another male. Green brandished a weapon, and the person he was arguing with fled. Investigators said Green then fired several times, hitting the two victims and missing a third bystander.

Green was booked into the parish jail. Bond has not been set yet.

Pocono karate instructor arrested for rape a 12-year-old www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Pocono PA Jan 10 2012 Police have arrested a karate instructor on charges he raped a 12-year-old female student.

On Dec. 27, the Pocono Mountain Regional Police arrested Stephen Rementer, 27, on charges of rape of a child and other sex-related charges.

Police said the victim is a 12-year-old girl who was a student at a local karate school in Pocono Summit.

Rementer was the victim’s karate instructor for the past five years.

He is currently in the Monroe County Correctional Facility in lieu of $150,000 bail.

Police are looking into the possibility of more victims.

Anyone with information is asked to call Pocono Mountain Regional Police at 570-895-2400.

Source:WFMZ.com

Columbus Ohio school employee accused of sexual assault of student www.privateofficer.com

 

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio Jan 10 2012 - An employee of a Columbus-area school was accused of sexually assaulting a student in December.

Nick Wickerham was charged with gross sexual imposition, 10TV’s Ashleigh Barry reported.

The alleged victim is 10-years-old. Her mother said that the girl struggled with the disturbing secret for days.

The mother, who did not want to be identified, said Wickerham was a physical education teacher at Summit Academy.

She told Barry that Wickerham was also a martial arts instructor and that the alleged incident happened when her daughter changed outfits.

“He had her change her pants in the office and then he came in and said ‘let me check to see if it’s too tight,’” the mother said.

She said that is when Wickerham touched her daughter inappropriately. The instructor denied those claims, Barry reported.

“They always say ‘It’s the person right in front of your face that you least expect,’ but I just never thought it would happen to my child,” said the mother.

The mother said the school took immediate action and that Wickerham had since been fired.

Source 10TV.com

Six people arrested, one for carrying dynamite in protest against police www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Oakland CA Jan 10 2012 Six people were arrested, one for carrying a quarter-stick of dynamite, during a late-night protest march through downtown Oakland, California, marked by various acts of vandalism, police said on Sunday.

The unrest Saturday night followed Twitter messages calling for an anti-police rally by individuals identifying themselves as supporters of Occupy Oakland, a local offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations against economic inequality.

Organizers said the march was aimed at protesting what they called excessive force by the Oakland Police Department.

The Twitter posts urged demonstrators to dress in black and to assemble at 8 p.m. local time at Frank Ogawa Plaza, the public square taken over by Occupy Oakland activists last fall before they were evicted in a series of clashes with police.

A former U.S. Marine taking part in those protests was gravely injured when he was struck in the head by a tear gas canister fired by police on October 25 during a confrontation that became a rallying cry for the anti-Wall Street movement nationwide. A second Iraq war veteran was hospitalized for severe injuries sustained in a beating by police who arrested him in another round of clashes with protesters days later.

During Saturday night’s disturbances, protesters lit a fire at a downtown intersection, threw bottles at police, smashed windows of police patrol cars and vandalized a media van, Oakland Police Officer Johnna Watson said in a statement.

Six individuals were arrested on suspicion of such offenses as assaulting an officer, resisting arrest and vandalism. One was arrested on a charge of possession of an explosive device after being found carrying a quarter-stick of dynamite, the statement said.

Police did not give a crowd estimate for Saturday’s protest, but the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the rally drew a few dozen demonstrators. Police said the march was dispersed before midnight.

Source:Reuters

Carbondale man arrested for attacking security guard www.privateofficer.com

 

 

CARBONDALE IL Jan 10 2012 – A Carbondale man was charged with several offenses after he allegedly attacked a security guard at Marian Community Hospital on Saturday night.

Carbondale police said David Slater Jr., also known as “the Alligator,” 18, of Rear 28 Upper Powderly St., was being evaluated at the hospital at about 10 p.m. Saturday when he lunged at a security guard and was intercepted by another officer, police said. Mr. Slater punched the security guard in the ribs, police said.

Mr. Slater faces charges of aggravated assault, which is a second-degree felony; assault, harassment and disorderly conduct, police said

Source:thetimes-tribune.com

Longtime Rhode Island detective laid to rest after suffering fatal injuries in fall www.privateofficer.com

 

Coventry RI Jan 10 2012 A longtime Rhode Island detective who was awaiting the birth of his first grandchild has been laid to rest after suffering fatal injuries when he fell from a ladder.

Coventry Police Department veteran officer Wayne French was 55.

He died Dec. 30 after he fell while trimming a tree at his home, and funeral services were held Friday in East Greenwich. The burial was scheduled to be private.

Police have said there were no signs of foul play in what they called a tragic accident.

Walnut Creek police report street brawl during record album release www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Walnut Creek CA Jan 10 2012 A private album release party at a Walnut Creek bar ended early Sunday with a 15-person street brawl in which a police officer was punched in the face and a Richmond man was shot with a Taser, police said.

Officers patrolling the downtown area came upon the melee at Shiro Lounge at 1523 Giammona Dr. around 1:10 a.m. and stepped in to stop the fighting, according to Walnut Creek police. All available Walnut Creek officers, as well as police from the California Highway Patrol and the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office rushed to help control the scene.

When an officer tried to stop one man from beating another, the officer was struck in the face. Police stunned the suspect, 27-year-old Davon Kelly, with a Taser after he resisted arrest. As this was happening other people in the crowd tried to push officers away in an effort to protect Kelly, police said.

Two of them men, identified as Pittsburg residents Donte Lewis, 25, and Davonte Lewis, 19, were arrested for obstructing an officer.

Others in the crowd continued to fight and refused to comply with officers orders to leave the area. A Concord woman, 21-year-old Desirae Chapple, was arrested after she wouldn’t go and tried to punch an officer, police said. Gia Thompson, 23, of San Francisco and Devon Edwards, 21, of Oakland were also arrested in connection with the brawl.

Investigators eventually determined the fight began after a man was robbed of his gold chain inside the

bar. The man, however, declined to give police any information about who took his jewelry.

The event appeared to be an album release party for a local rap artist, though police were never able to locate him, said Lt. Steve Gorski, who did not know the musician’s name.

Police ask anyone with information about the incident to call them at 925-943-5844.
Source:mercurynews.com

North Carolina fire chief killed while responding to traffic accident www.privateofficer.com

 

 

MAXTON, N.C. Jan 10 2012– A volunteer fire chief and president of the Robeson County Firemen’s Association was killed Sunday night while responding to a wreck on Interstate 74, the Highway Patrol said.

Samuel Butler, 52, chief of the Evans Crossroads department, died about 10 p.m. when his Toyota was hit by a tractor trailer about six miles east of Maxton at Exit 197 Cabinet Shop Road, according to a report filed by Trooper M.J. Miles.

Department members were responding to an accident in the westbound lanes of the highway, the report said.

Butler came down the exit ramp for the eastbound lanes and was making a U-turn to cross the median, the report said.

That was when an eastbound 18-wheeler driven by Robert Barrett of Malden, Mass., slammed into Butler’s car, the report said.

Butler was pronounced dead at the scene.

No charges will be filed, according to the report.

Butler, a firefighter for about 30 years, was named as chief of Evans Crossroad department in January 2010.

Pendleton SC firefighter dies after collapsing at crash scene www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Pendleton SC  Jan 10 2012 A Pendleton firefighter died after he collapsed at the scene of a crash Monday morning, according to The Anderson Independent Mail.

Firefighter David Crenshaw — a former fire chief and former Anderson County Sheriff — was pronounced dead at 7:55 a.m. at the AnMed Health Medical Center after he experienced a medical emergency.

“He was aiding some of the people hurt in that crash when he collapsed,” Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore told the newspaper, adding that it appears he suffered a heart attack.

Three people were injured in the crash, but none of the injuries were life-threatening.

Crenshaw was a long-time member of the Pendleton Volunteer Fire Department.

U.S. Coast Guard Academy kicking out 14 cadets for using synthetic marijuana www.privateofficer.com

 

 

NEW LONDON, Conn. Jan 10 2012 (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard Academy says it is kicking out 14 cadets for using synthetic marijuana.

The abuse of an easy-to-get herbal mix called “Spice,” which mimics a marijuana high, has been a growing concern for the U.S. military.

The academy’s superintendent, Rear Adm. Sandra Stosz, said Monday that officials are disappointed with the conduct of the cadets facing discipline and it is not indicative of rest of the students’ behavior.

In addition to the cadets who are being expelled, the academy in New London said another eight cadets have been implicated or are under investigation.

An aggressive testing program by military officials led to the investigation of more than 1,100 suspected users across the services last year.

Armed robbery reported at Taunton Target store www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Taunton MA Jan 10 2012 — An armed robber took aim at the Target department store in Taunton Saturday night, according to the Taunton Police Department.

A cashier was singled out by an assailant at 9:42 p.m. on Saturday, police said, and an undisclosed amount of money was stolen.

No one so far has been arrested as as result of the incident.

The case is under investigation by Taunton police officer Derek Feeney.

Taunton Police Lt. Peter Ferreira said that no weapon was shown; instead, the suspect presented the cashier with a note.

“Someone brought in a note and handed it to the cashier,” Ferreira said. “Then they jumped around the counter and took off.”

Ferreira said he did not have a description of the subject.

Stephen Levin, assistant store manager and head of assets protection and security for the 81 Taunton Depot Drive location, said he could not comment on the robbery and referred questions to Target’s corporate media relations hotline.

The Target media relations operation did not return calls requesting comment on Sunday.

Ferreira said that no police report was complete on Sunday night and that he did not have immediate access to additional details about the case, including the contents of the note.

Source:www.tauntongazette.com

New York City investment banker suing Starwood hotel after sexual assault www.privateofficer.com

 

NEW YORK Jan 10 2012  — A former New York City investment banker is suing the Starwood hotel chain over a sexual assault that she says happened in her locked hotel room in Finland.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in Manhattan federal court by 31-year-old Alison Fournier (fohr-nee-AY’).

Fournier says a desk clerk at the Hotel Kamp in Helsinki gave a copy of her room key to a fellow guest after the man said he was her husband.

Fournier said the man entered her room and began groping her in bed. She grabbed a bathrobe and fled.

Fournier described the assault at a midtown news conference accompanied by lawyer Gloria Allred.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts said it is taking the allegation seriously and seeks to understand the facts.

Texas security company sues competitor for stealing contracts www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Jefferson County TX Jan 10 2012 A security company claims a competitor stole multiple clients from it after a former employee defected.

Defendant S&S Investigations and Security allegedly lured four of Patriot Security’s clients away from the company after employee George Adams revealed confidential information, according to the complaint filed in Jefferson County District Court.

Adams had previously worked as a business development manager for Patriot Security, where he was allowed access to confidential information. When he got the job, Adams signed an agreement in which he agreed to keep the information secret until at least five years after his resignation or termination.

However, Adams shared the confidential material with S&S shortly after he lost his job at Patriot Security in January. Adams was terminated from his position at Patriot Security because he refused to sign a new employee contract that included updated non-compete and non-disclosure clauses, the suit states.

Following Adams’s termination, Patriot Security filed a lawsuit against him to ensure that he obeyed the original non-compete clause laid out in his initial contract with the company, the complaint says. On March 25, the court issued a temporary injunction against Adams, ordering him to refrain from inducing any Patriot Security employee into work at S&S, from communications with any of Patriot Security’s clients and from disclosing confidential information with S&S, Patriot Security alleges.

However, disregarding the order, Adams and S&S managed to convince Gulf Copper, Optimist Village, ITEX/O.W. Collins and Kmtex to hire S&S for services instead of Patriot Security, according to the complaint.

“The Patriot/Gulf Copper relationship dates back to the 1990s and Gulf Copper was, in fact, the second customer Patriot obtained in the early 90s,” the suit states.

Due to the loss of its clients, Patriot Security has incurred losses of more than $800,000, the complaint says.

In its complaint, Patriot Security alleges tortious interference with an existing contract, tortious interference with prospective contractual or business relations, a violation of the Theft Liability Act and misappropriation of trade secrets against S&S.

It is seeking actual, statutory, consequential and incidental damages, pre- and post-judgment interest at the highest rate allowed by law, attorney’s fees, costs and other relief the court deems just.

David E. Bernsen and Christine L. Stetson of The Bernsen Law Firm in Beaumont will be representing it.

The case has been assigned to Judge Bob Wortham, 58th District Court.

Case No. A191-488

Police charge man with rape of University of Louisville student www.privateofficer.com

 

 

LOUISVILLE, Ky.Jan 10 2012 — Metro police arrested a Louisville man after they said he sexually assaulted a woman in the stairwell of a parking garage near Fourth and Liberty streets, near Fourth Street Live.

Police said 45-year-old Joseph Greer faces first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy charges for forcing sex with University of Louisville student.

According to an arrest report, the assault took place in February 2011 when the victim was 21 years old.

“At the time we didn’t feel like their was enough evidence to go ahead and make an arrest, but after an evaluation of evidence since the alleged offense, we were able to come up with information that would cause us to go ahead and effect the arrest,” Louisville Metro Police Department Sgt. Andy Abbott said.

Greer was held by police the night of the alleged assault as a possible suspect, but he was not arrested.

“He was in the area, kind of met the description, but even after the confrontation we weren’t positive enough to make an arrest on it,” Abbott said.

Police said they were able to get a DNA sample from Greer, and the victim had a rape kit done at University Hospital.

According to the arrest report, Greer’s DNA matched the DNA found in the victim’s sexual assault kit.

“It’s our preference not to elaborate on the type of evidence and the weight of any evidence that we have in order to fairly present that at trial,” Abbott said.

Police said in their experience it typically takes the state crime lab nine months to a year to complete DNA testing. Greer was arrested 11 months after the sample was taken.

Investigators don’t think Greer is a suspect in any other case.

“At this time, it seems like more of an opportunistic event. We don’t fear that Mr. Greer is a suspect in a string of assaults or anything like that,” Abbott said.

Police said Greer used force in the sexual assault, but wouldn’t give any additional details.

Greer was arrested at his home without any struggle, according to police.

Source:www.wlky.com

Fredericksburg VA police captain arrested for luring teen boy www.privateofficer.com

 

 

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. Jan 10 2012 - A Virginia police officer faces charges after investigators say he allegedly had inappropriate personal contact with a teenage boy he met online.

46-year-old Brent Mitchell Taylor, a captain with the Fredericksburg Police Department, faces charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Police say that early on January 7, officers found a 17-year-old boy walking on Warrenton Road in Fredericksburg.

The boy told officers that he locked himself out of the room Taylor had rented at a nearby Motel 6 and was waiting for him to return.

When Taylor arrived at the room later in the morning, he was placed under arrest.

Officers believe Taylor picked up the teen in Fairfax without his parent’s permission and brought him to the motel.

Taylor is a 24-year veteran and a captain of the detective division.

He is married and has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the internal investigation.

Source:www.myfoxdc.com

Salt Lake nightclub woman fondled, security agent stabbed www.privateofficer.com

 

 

SALT LAKE CITY UTAH Jan 10 2012 — A man who police say stabbed a woman and a nightclub security guard after groping another woman who refused to dance with him, was arrested early Sunday.

About 1:20 a.m. at the Karamba Club, 1049 E. 2100 South, a 23-year-old man grabbed the breasts of a 29-year-old woman who refused to dance with him, said Salt Lake Police Sgt. Mike Hamideh.

Two of the woman’s friends came to her aid, and subsequently got into an altercation with the man. One of the women was stabbed multiple times in the abdomen, Hamideh said. A security guard attempting to break up the fight was also stabbed.

Both victims were taken to local hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Juan Hernandez was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of aggravated assault and sexual battery. In his county jail mug shot, Hernandez’s right eye appears to be black and swollen and he appears to have a lump on his forehead

Metro Nashville Police Officer fired for prescription medication fraud www.privateofficer.com

 

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn.Jan 10 2012- Metro Officer Donald Lawman was fired Monday afternoon after being accused of obtained prescription medication by fraud.

Officer Lawman and his wife former Davidson County Sheriff’s employee Jennifer Vardaman, were charged in June with obtaining prescription medication by fraud. Officials began the investigation after suspicious arose of Lawman receiving excessive amounts of prescription medication.

Lawman was decommissioned in May 2010 when the investigation began.

Lawman’s wife, 36-year-old Vardaman was named in 16 counts on an indictment returned in June. She was charged with fraudulently obtaining the pain killer hydrocodone on various days between April 2008 and March 2010. Lawman was named as a co-defendant in two counts that allege he participated in fraudulently some of the drugs.

During a disciplinary hearing held Monday police officials considered the evidence and after hearing from Lawman and his attorneys, Deputy Chief Damian Huggins terminated Lawman’s employment.

Lawman, 36, graduated from the Metro Police Training Academy in November 2007.

Source:newschannel5.com