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Canadian naval officer charged with passing secret information to foreign source www.privateofficer.com
OTTAWA Canada Jan 18 2012—A Royal Canadian Navy intelligence officer stands accused of sending top secret information to a foreign entity as recently as last week in one of the rarest and most closely guarded investigations to have rocked the military.
Court documents filed in Halifax allege that Sub-Lieut. Jeffrey Paul Delisle, 40, broke the federal Security of Information Act and committed criminal breach of trust when he passed restricted information to a foreign agency over the span of more than four years.
The married father of a young daughter and two boys allegedly committed the offences between July 6, 2007, and Jan. 13, 2012, in Halifax, Ottawa and Kingston, according to information filed in court by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Monday.
The maximum penalty if he is found guilty is life in prison.
A defence source said Delisle joined the military in 2001 and was later promoted as a non-commissioned officer settling into the secretive world of military intelligence. His promotion from within the ranks was apparently a testament to his talents and ability.
Delisle worked at CFB Stadacona’s Trinity section, a naval communications and intelligence centre in Halifax that was a multi-national base with access to secret data from NATO countries.
Many of the facts of the case are shrouded in mystery. No one has named the recipient of the allegedly secret information, nor have they outlined how Delisle allegedly passed the information along.
But the defence source said that the sensitive investigation into Delisle has been restricted to a tight group of senior defence department officials who guard the details of the probe.
Police have said only that, contrary to federal laws enacted to cover espionage and terror threats after Sept. 11, 2001, Delisle “did . . . communicate to a foreign entity information that the Government of Canada is taking measures to safeguard.”
A spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said the minister had been briefed on the arrest.
“Minister Toews has been briefed and congratulates the RCMP and security agencies for their collaboration. As this matter relates to national security and is before the courts, we have no further comment,” Julie Carmichael said Monday.
It’s the first time that someone has been charged under section 16 (1) of the Security of Information Act, said RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson. He added that there is no threat to the public, but the case underlines that Canada is a target country for foreign governments, businesses and individuals.
“We must be ever vigilant to the real threat of foreign espionage, and continue investing time and resources into the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of such acts,” he wrote in a statement.
Paulson added that the investigation involved police, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the military and the Canada Border Services Agency.
The charges against Delisle weren’t announced publicly by the police or the military. The first word of it came when he appeared in court Monday morning, though investigators swept down on his home in the Halifax suburb of Bedford on Friday afternoon.
“I just noticed a bunch of vans parked and a bunch of navy police get out. There was a Mountie and it looked like they were detectives to me,” said Ron Denis, a neighbour on Delisle’s street.
“I just live next door and you could see the guns outside their jackets.”
Officers sifted through Delisle’s home, which the Halifax Chronicle Herald reported was purchased in 2005 for $240,000. They also took pictures of the house as part of their investigation.
Denis said that Delisle “kind of kept to himself” and wasn’t known well by many on the street.
Another neighbour said people are shocked and that Delisle never raised any suspicions.
“He’s your average nieghbour who mows his lawn and shovels his driveway. You see that in the movies but you don’t usually expect it on your street.”
The arrest and serious charges the naval officer now faces have set tongues wagging, even though no one knows what sparked his arrest.
“I really can’t imagine a person doing that to his family because of what his family’s going to go through, I feel bad for them,” Denis said. “It’s disgusting.”
The charges suggest the security breach was “significant,” said security expert Wesley Wark.
He said the case could have been such a flagrant violation of security rules that the government felt it had no choice but to lay charges or it may have been truly a nefarious plot to share sensitive information with one of Canada’s adversaries.
More information may come to light Tuesday when Delisle is expected back in court. Crown prosecutors refused his release on bail and he is currently being held in custody.
“The big concern in recent years has been anyone’s version of Bradley Manning,” Wark said, referring to the case of the U.S. military analyst accused of a leaking classified American diplomatic cables to Wikileaks, a whistle-blowing website.
Delisle was based in Halifax, home to the Royal Canadian Navy’s east coast operations, raising questions whether information related to naval operations was involved.
The Halifax-based HMCS Charlottetown was involved in NATO operations last year off the coast of Libya as pro-democracy forces fought to end dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s regime.
“The Canadian Navy is involved in a lot of joint operations so it could be a lot of Canadian-owned or even Canadian-generated information — anything from anti-piracy operations, anti-terrorism operations to join military operations of various kinds,” Wark said.
“It could be information that does come from our allies. Could be highly sensitive signals intelligence or information about various intelligence gathering techniques.”
As for the recipients of the information, Wark said the Chinese would be the “obvious suspects . . . . They do a lot of foreign information collection.”
But he also wouldn’t rule out the Russians or even a Middle East country as the recipients of the alleged information sharing.
CT police arrest man in Yankee Stadium dirt scam www.privateofficer.com
Fairfield CT Jan 18 2012 A Westport man has been charged with defrauding a Fairfield resident of $35,000 in a scheme to market what he said was dirt from the original Yankee Stadium.
The alleged victim reported the scam to Fairfield police last May, police said Monday.
The Fairfield man told police that he met Mark Hayward, 52, of Conte Place in Westport, in late 2008 and that Hayward had asked him to invest in a business that would market corporate gift items — a key chain encapsulating dirt from the former Yankee Stadium.
Hayward and the alleged victim agreed that the latter would invest $35,000 in the venture, in return for a 20 percent share, police said. The men reportedly planned to sell the key chains through a sporting goods store licensed to sell Yankees merchandise in New York, according to the police report.
The Fairfield resident made his $35,000 investment through a series of transactions in 2008 and 2009. Hayward told the man he had more than $1 million deposited in a Barclays Bank account in England and that he would be able to release funds back to the Fairfield resident as a return on his investment, police said.
After the Fairfield man became suspicious, Hayward supplied him with a series of letters supposedly from the bank, police said. The first letter in 2009 stated that Hayward had a hold on more than $1 million. Another letter stating that funds would become available was signed by a person the alleged victim believed to be an operations manager at Barclays Bank, police said. A subsequent letter from the bank said there would be a delay in the release of funds from the account.
The alleged victim later demanded that Hayward return his $35,000 after he began to have doubts about the deal, police said.
A police investigation determined the so-called bank letters were forgeries and that there were insufficient funds in Hayward’s account to cover the investment. Hayward’s account was, in fact, overdrawn, police said.
Hayward was charged Friday with first-degree larceny and third-degree forgery. He was released on $2,500 bond and is scheduled to appear Monday in state Superior Court in Bridgeport.
Source:www.ctpost.com
NJ Target loss prevention agent injured in baby formula robbery www.privateofficer.com
MANALAPAN NJ Jan 18 2012 — Two suspects are on the loose after an afternoon robbery of baby formula from the Route 9 Target store, the police said.
It is the latest in a string of baby formula thefts from the big-box chain in the tri-state area, Capt. Christopher Marsala said.
The suspects, a male and female couple, had loaded up a shopping cart with baby formula worth $1,437.06 and tried to leave the store but were confronted by a loss prevention officer at the exit. The man, described by the police to be in his late 20s to early 30s, about 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing between 180 and 200 pounds and wearing a mustache, unloaded on the store employee who got into a physical struggle with the man, Marsala said.
“He took some shots to the face,” Marsala said.
The loss prevention officer was sent to CentraState Medical Center in Freehold Township with contusions, a broken finger and sprained arm, Marsala said.
The couple took off with the formula in a blue Toyota Camry believed to have Virginia license plates that was possibly a rental car, Marsala said.
The police are reviewing store security video to try and track down the suspects. The woman stands about 5 feet 9 inches, weighs about 300 pounds and appears to be in her late 30s to early 40s.
The 2:30 p.m. theft is not believed to be their first, Marsala said.
“Apparently they’ve been going around, because Target had been told to be on the lookout for them,” he said.
Anyone with information may contact Manalapan Police at 732-446-4300
Source: njpressmedia.com
Somersworth Housing Authority official commits suicide amid theft investigation www.privateofficer.com
SOMERSWORTH, N.H.Jan 18 2012 – Rochester police said the death of a housing official who was being investigated for theft has been ruled a suicide.
Police said 42-year-old Lisa A. Reid died a day after she was fired from her job at the Somersworth Housing Authority when officials had begun an investigation into the theft of more than $100,000.
Rochester Police Capt. Scott Dumas told Foster’s Daily Democrat Reid’s death was ruled a suicide by an apparent drug overdose.
Police said the investigation into the theft from the housing authority is continuing.
Source:www.wmur.com
Shoplifters fight police during arrest in Gilbert www.privateofficer.com
Gilbert AZ Jan 18 2012 A man is in custody after he attempted to steal from a Gilbert department store and refused to cooperate with police on Monday, authorities said. A female companion was also taken into custody.
Andrew Pritchert, 27, and Julia Couts, 37, were arrested around 6:30 p.m. Monday after they were seen allegedly removing tags and concealing items at a Kohl’s Department Store near Cooper and Baseline roads.
Officers attempted to contact Pritchert, who appeared to have a weapon in his pants pocket, but the suspect refused to cooperate, said Sgt. William Balafas of the Gilbert Police Department.
Pritchert tried to reach into his pocket and struggled briefly with officers before they took him into custody. Police said that a handgun was found in his pocket.
Police searched Pritchert’s car, where they found drug paraphernalia and possible stolen property. Balafas said an investigation into stolen credit cards and IDs found in his car is ongoing.
Pritchert, who police say has an extensive criminal history, was booked on counts of weapons misconduct, shoplifting, drug paraphernalia, obstructing government operations and failure to obey. Couts was booked on one count of shoplifting.
Note: Chandler police updated the information to change the male suspect’s name to Andrew Pritchert. Police said the suspect initially provided a false name, which could lead to additional charges of forgery and identity theft.
Source:www.azcentral.com
Fairfield bank employee charged with theft www.privateofficer.com
FAIRFIELD, Conn.Jan 18 2012 – An employee at a Fairfield bank was charged with forging documents to take more than $1,800 from customers’ accounts, police say. Alexander Moran, 22, of Trumbull was arrested on a warrant Monday in connection with incidents that occurred in November.
The manager at Hudson City Savings Bank on the Post Road told police forged withdrawal slips were used to take money from two accounts. One account-holder found that an $820 withdrawal was made on Oct. 31, followed by a $200 transaction on Nov. 2. In both cases, security footage showed Moran making the withdrawals, police say.
Investigators also linked Moran to a $780 withdrawal from another customer’s account. During a check of Moran’s cash drawer on Nov. 8, $80 was found missing, police say. He was then fired.
Moran promised to make restitution, according to the police report. But police applied for an arrest warrant for three counts of second-degree forgery. He turned himself in Monday afternoon. He was released on a $5,000 bond and is due in court on Jan. 21.
NJ warehouse employee accused of theft-assault on security www.privateofficer.com
HOLMDEL NJ Jan 18 2012— A cosmetics warehouse employee is accused of assaulting a security officer and then leading a chase through a parking lot after the officer found him stealing merchandise, police said.
Fausto Acosta-Reyes, of the Bronx, N.Y., is accused of assaulting a CEI Security Officer Patrick Kelly after he was discovered stealing merchandise from the Cosmetic Essence Inc. warehouse (CEI) on Route 35 early Tuesday morning, according a news release from Police Chief John Mioduszewski.
Security officers told police they had discovered Acosta-Reyes stealing merchandise from the warehouse and attempted to detain him. But he assaulted one of the security officers and fled on foot, police said.
Security officers pursued Acosta-Reyes through the parking lot where he unsuccessfully attempted to scale a fence and flag down other employees in an effort to get a ride. At one point Acosta-Reyes attempted to jump into the rear of a moving pickup truck, police said.
During the pursuit, Acosta-Reyes discarded the stolen property which was recovered by another CEI employee, police said.
Police responded to a 12:17 a.m. call reporting the assault and theft where security officers at CEI provided them with a license plate number for a black Mitsubishi Gallant and a description of the driver who picked up Acosta-Reyes as he fled , police said.
Police Officer Joseph Van Pelt stopped the Mitsubishi on Centerville Road by Route 35, and assisted by police Officers Gerard Burke and John Maguire, the man was taken into custody, police said.
Additional stolen merchandise was later recovered in a wooded area behind the Holmdel Motor Inn by Officer Van Pelt’s K-9 partner, Diogi.
Kelly was treated by Holmdel First Aid for three chipped teeth.
Acosta-Reyes was treated at Bayshore Hospital for minor injuries, and later charged with robbery, assault, and theft. He is being held in the Monmouth County Jail, Freehold Township, on $52,500 bail.
Source:APP.com
Woodfield Mall security officer slashed in shoplifting incident www.privateofficer.com
Schaumburg IL Jan 18 2012 Police are searching for a man who reportedly slashed a security guard with a box cutter at Woodfield Mall Monday night, police said.
Officers were summoned to Woodfield at 7:10 p.m. for a fight between a man with a knife and a security guard, Schaumburg police Sgt. John Nebl said.
The security guard was attempting to stop the man from shoplifting in one of the shops inside the mall when the two began to struggle and the confrontation spilled outside the store, Nebl said.
At some point during the struggle, Nebl said, the suspect pulled out a box cutter and slashed the security guard in the arm before fleeing the mall on foot.
Nebl said the security guard was transported to Alexian Brothers Medical Centers in Elk Grove Village with a laceration on his forearm.
The offender was described as a black male with a thin build, a goatee, and wearing a dark baseball cap, Nebl said.
Source:dh news
10-year-old California boy suspected of fatally stabbing 12-year-old friend www.privateofficer.com
EL CAJON, Calif.Jan 18 2012 - A 10-year-old boy is suspected of fatally stabbing a 12-year-old friend in the chest with a kitchen knife, authorities say.
The older boy died Monday afternoon at a hospital after he was taken from his friend’s home in El Cajon, about 15 miles east of San Diego, said the San Diego County sheriff’s department. The mother of the 10-year-old was at home at the time of the stabbing, according to the U-T San Diego.
Sheriff’s officials have taken the 10-year-old into custody. Sheriff’s homicide Lt. Larry Nesbit says “the case will be up to the juvenile justice system.”
It remained unclear whether the boy had been booked into the juvenile detention system. The sheriff’s office did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press, but said in a statement early Tuesday that the boys’ identities would not be released because of their ages.
Neighbors say the 12-year-old boy lived in a nearby mobile home park but the two friends attended different schools.
A neighbor of the younger boy, 18-year-old Derek Gorton, told the newspaper he had emotional issues, and that something as small as tapping him on the shoulder the wrong way or losing at a video game could spark outrage.
“Even though he threw temper tantrums, we never thought he’d do anything like this,” said Gorton.
Gorton’s father, Brian Richeson, said the boy usually had verbal outbursts, but he hadn’t seen him throwing things or hitting others. He praised the boy’s mother, saying she had dealt with her son’s problems head-on.
“She was the best mom I’ve ever met,” Richeson told the U-T. “She knew how to take care of him if he was yelling and screaming.”
Madison man arrested fror attacking security officer with stun gun www.privateofficer.com
Madison WI Jan 18 2012 A Madison man and his brother were arrested early Sunday morning after one of the men allegedly used a stun gun to shock a security guard and the other man allegedly was throwing punches outside a downtown bar.
The arrests were made at about 2:30 a.m. outside Logan’s Madtown Bar, 322 W. Johnson St., according to a news release from Madison police.
Yonatan Mendoza-Rodriguez, 27, was tentatively charged with battery, disorderly conduct and possession of an electric weapon, and his brother Miguel Mendoza-Rodriguez, 26, was tentatively charged with disorderly conduct.
The incident apparently started when a “rowdy” crowd started exiting the bar.
“One bouncer heard several men yelling and arguing in Spanish,” said police spokesman Joel DeSpain. “Some of the men were saying something about guns or pistols.”
Responding officers arrested Miguel Mendoza-Rodriguez for allegedly throwing punches at another man, while Yonatan Mendoza-Rodriguez went to jail on the stun gun possession and other charges.
The bouncer who was zapped said the stun gun had been pushed into his arm three times.
“He was trying to keep the peace when he heard a sparking sound,” DeSpain said. “He could see the electrical current coming from the weapon.”
The bouncer wasn’t injured, thanks to the thick leather jacket he was wearing.
A stun gun is similar to a Taser in that it discharges high voltage to incapacitate an individual, but a stun gun has to be pressed against someone to be effective while a Taser has electrically-charged prods attached by wire to the Taser handle, the prods fired under air pressure up to 30 feet to disable a person.
Source:madison.com
Seattle police investigate off-duty officers-nightclub security disturbance www.privateofficer.com
SEATTLE WA Jan 18 2012 – Police are investigating a disturbance involving three off-duty police officers that allegedly began with a racially-charged statement at a Capitol Hill night club.
The incident unfolded at the Neighbors Nightclub, in the 1500 block of Broadway Ave., at approximately 1 a.m. Monday.
According to the police report, three men got into a scuffle with two of the club’s security guards after exchanging words in an alley outside the club.
Footage captured by surveillance cameras showed the men shoving each other. One of the guards then walked over to one of the men who appeared to have his hands in his pockets, police said. The guard tackled the man to the ground, according to the report, then pulled his head back by placing a hand around his throat. The guard then dragged the man out of the video frame.
When police arrived, the three men involved in the fight identified themselves as off-duty Seattle police officers, and added they had informed the security guards of their profession.
The guard who was captured on camera tackling a man told police he had charged at the man even though he knew he was a police officer because the men “shouldn’t have acted like that if they were police officers,” he told investigators. He added one of the men had told him, “You don’t know anything about the law, Mexican,” the report said.
The guard pointed out the man who had allegedly made this remark, but later said it was another man who had made the statement. Pressed by detectives, he later said he had charged at the man because he had grabbed the guard’s collapsible baton out of his pocket. Investigators found the baton on the ground at the scene.
The involved officers said no racial slurs were uttered during the exchange. The assaulted officer said he would never make such a statement. He said he had kept his hands in his pocket in an attempt to avoid confrontation as he knew there were surveillance cameras in the alley.
Another security guard who was on the scene said he had told the assaulted officer, who appeared to be intoxicated, to leave the alley. All three officers had been drinking, investigators said, and two of them – including the assaulted officer – was “visibly intoxicated.”
No one was seriously injured in the incident.
The Seattle Police Department has referred the case to the Office of Professional Accountability. Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact OPA by calling 206-684-8797 or by emailing opa@seattle.gov.
The officers remain on duty pending the outcome of the investigation.
Source:KOMONews.com
Two arrested in theft from Bangor Mall department store www.privateofficer.com
BANGOR, Maine Jan 18 2012— A theft at a Bangor Mall department store led to the arrest of a woman and a man Saturday, according to police.
Officer Kevin Haefele was dispatched to Sears on Saturday afternoon for a report of a shoplifting incident, police Sgt. Paul Edwards said. When Haefele arrived, he was told that a man and woman had been shoplifting together there. The man took off into the parking lot and left in a car driven by another man. The driver of the car reportedly made statements threatening revenge against two loss prevention officers who followed the male suspect out.
Edwards said Ernestine Chubbock, 44, a Bangor transient, was arrested and charged with Class C felony theft. The stolen merchandise was recovered, he said.
On Saturday evening, Penobscot County sheriff’s deputies located and arrested Bradford Francis, 25, of Orrington, who was identified as the driver who threatened the loss prevention officers earlier, according to Edwards. Francis was taken to the Penobscot County Jail, charged with a probation violation and two counts of misdemeanor criminal threatening.
Both suspects remained at the county jail on Monday. If convicted of the theft charge, Chubbock faces up to five years in prison.
Source:bangor daily news
Co-founder of Pinkberry Frozen Yogurt arrested for beating homeless man www.privateofficer.com
Los Angeles CA Jan 18 2012 The co-founder of Pinkberry Frozen Yogurt, Young Lee, was arrested today at Los Angeles airport on a warrant for beating a homeless beggar LA last June.
Lee, who helped design the healthy, low-calorie dessert chain, is accused of chasing down a homeless man who approached his car in downtown Los Angeles asking for money on June 15, 2011. Lee and another individual beat the homeless man with a tire iron, according to police. The man was hospitalized for treatment.
Witnesses reported the incident to police, including the license plate of the vehicle, a Range Rover, which was rented in Lee’s name. Police seized the tire iron from the vehicle, police said. Witnesses also helped police identify Lee from a photo display, allowing police to obtain a warrant for his arrest.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, a federal database alerted LAPD detectives that Lee was aboard an inbound flight from Korea to Los Angeles Airport on Monday. The department’s Fugitive Warrants Task Force arrested the Pinkberry founder at the airport. Bail was set at $60,000 and he remains in custody, police said.
“This case is emblematic of how the homeless are among the most vulnerable in our society,” Lt. Paul Vernon said in a statement. “Despite the challenges in the case, the detectives never gave up and eventually found the victim after leads took them to Skidrow and the local jail.”
According to a 2006 profile of Pinkberry by the Los Angeles Times, Lee, a native of Korea, was a former kick boxer and bouncer who became an architect responsible for the chain’s bright colored walls and sleek furniture. He founded the chain with Hyekyung “Shelly” Hwang, also of Korea, in 2005 in Los Angeles. It has since become a worldwide chain.
Lee is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 6. He was perviously convicted of felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor carrying a loaded firearm in 2001, and now faces up to seven years in state prison if convicted of assault.
Source:ABC NEWS
Mason City IA Kohl’s employee charged with felony thefts www.privateofficer.com
Mason City IA Jan 18 2012 Shortly After 5 pm Monday evening Mason City Police received a call from a representative to report a theft by an employee.
As a result of the report 19-year-old Daphne Jo Lincicum of Mason City was charged with one class D felony count of 2nd degree theft. 2nd degree theft is defined as the value of the stolen property being worth more than $1,000 but less than $10,000.
Lincicum was transported to The Cerro Gordo County Jail and booked in at 6:48pm before posting a $5,000 cash or surety bond and promising to appear to further court proceedings.
A defendant convicted of a class D felony faces a maximum of five years in prison. The sentence may be deferred or suspended, except for a forcible felony. Fines range from a minimum of $750 to a maximum of $7,500.
Source:northiowatoday.com
Tn troopers find U-Haul stuffed full of 128 dogs during traffic stop www.privateofficer.com
Fayette County TN Jan 18 2012 A traffic stop Tuesday morning in Fayette County led to the discovery of 128 dogs and one cat in a U-Haul moving truck, and has landed two women behind bars on animal cruelty charges.
Bonnie Sheehan, 55, is charged with Animal Cruelty and following too closely to another vehicle, which likely led to the traffic stop. Pamela A. King-McCraken, 59, is also charged with Animal Cruelty. Both are in the Fayette County Jail on a $100,000 bond with a January 24th scheduled court appearance.
The stop was done by Tennessee State Trooper Brad Simpson of the West Tennessee Drug Task Force near exit 42 on Interstate-40. News Channel 3 was told the animals were being kept in deplorable conditions.
In many cases four or five animals were squeezed into animals carriers and makeshift animal carriers without food and water. Other dogs were running loose in the non-ventilated truck, and urine and feces were everywhere. One dog had died.
“They just haven’t stopped crying since we’ve been here. It’s very hard to listen to,” said Gina Thweatt of Fayette County Animal Rescue.
Thweatt was on the scene when the dogs were being unloaded at a Pilot Truck Stop just off the interstate.
“The smell is absolutely horrific. One officer about got sick. He couldn’t handle the smell,” Thweatt added.
Sheehan and McCraken are associated with an animal rescue group called Hearts For Hounds. According to its website, Sheehan founded the Long Beach organization in 1997. An investigator said the women were coming from California and headed to Virginia to put the animals up for adoption.
No one answered the phone when News Channel 3 contacted the organization, and the voicemail box was full. Hearts For Hounds’ Facebook page had blown up with comments on what happened, and was later taken down.
Tuesday night the animals, mostly small-breed dogs, were being held in a special ASPCA shelter in Memphis that had been set up during the May flood. They will be at the facility for an undetermined amount of time.
“We understand they have not been out of their crates since Saturday, so after we get everybody settled in we’re going to give them a nice little walk and a nice little fluffy towel to sleep with tonight,” said Nina Wingfield, Director of Collierville Animal Services.
“We have a vet on the scene that will look at every dog and make sure there are no health issues,” Wingfield added.
At this point, only trained caregivers from Mid-South rescue organizations will care for the dogs since there is an open criminal investigation, and the dogs need to be checked out. No volunteers were needed as of Tuesday night, however donations to the ASPCA would be accepted.
“They’re scared, and scared animals bite out of fear. So we want to keep everybody safe and the dogs safe. If they bite someone, then we’ve risked their lives,” Wingfield said
Farmington police officer was arrested twice in less than 36 hours www.privateofficer.com
ELMWOOD IL Jan 18 2012 — A part-time Farmington police officer was arrested twice in less than 36 hours in what authorities are calling a case of domestic violence.
Michael S. Whitlow, 37, of 22201 W. Farmington Road was arrested at 2 a.m. Friday at his home and booked on charges of domestic battery and interfering with a report of domestic violence.
After he was released from the Peoria County Jail, he was arrested again, at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, and booked on a charge of violating an order of protection.
Deputies from the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department responded at about 9 p.m. Thursday to a report of a domestic dispute at Whitlow’s home. The caller said a gun was involved earlier but was now hidden from Whitlow.
The caller told police Whitlow had gone to “happy hour” after work and brought home beer which the two began to drink, according to a police report.
An argument followed, and Whitlow started gathering his equipment for work the next day. The caller told police Whitlow put his loaded pistol on the bed. The caller then hid the gun when Whitlow went outside to his vehicle, telling police in the past when drunk, Whitlow had threatened to shoot her.
The argument escalated when the caller refused to tell Whitlow where the gun was hidden, according to the report.
The report also said Whitlow pushed and tried to choke the caller and tried to wrestle a phone away but fled to an upstairs bedroom once he discovered police had been called.
Whitlow told police he had been attacked but didn’t call police because he didn’t want the caller to go to jail. He had a visibly bloody nose, according to police.
Police arrested Whitlow and took two guns from the home at the request of the caller.
The nature of the second incident is unclear but as of 2 p.m. Monday, Whitlow was still being held at the Peoria County Jail.
He is expected to go to bonding court Tuesday.
Source:pjstar.com
Tennessee Highway Patrol announces lowest traffic fatalities in 48 years www.privateofficer.com
Nashville TN Jan 18 2012 Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security officials announced preliminary numbers indicating 2011 had the lowest number of traffic fatalities in 48 years.
The numbers released show 947 traffic-related deaths on Tennessee roadways last year, compared to 1,031 deaths in 2010. The number of deaths over the holiday season also decreased from six deaths in 2010 to two deaths in 2011.
Dalya Qualls, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, said she thinks a combined effort by law enforcement and increased public safety awareness campaigns and education helped contribute to the decrease in roadway fatalities in Tennessee.
“The 2011 decline in vehicular fatalities is a credit to the hard work and dedication of the Tennessee Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies, as well as the successful partnership with the Governor’s Highway Safety Office,” Commissioner Bill Gibbons said. “We are deploying state troopers on a proactive basis to maximize the impact on public safety.”
Gibbons also attributed the decrease in fatalities to an increase in DUI arrests and citations, which came with the increased presence of state troopers and other law enforcement on Tennessee roads. The THP investigated 1,090 impaired driving crashes statewide last year, representing a 25.6 decline from 2010.
Although vehicular deaths have decreased with heightened police presence, there is also one simple thing drivers can do that can drastically influence the statistics, Qualls said. More than 56 percent of the vehicle occupants killed last year in vehicle crashes were not wearing seatbelts, she said.
“We cannot stress enough the importance of wearing safety restraints,” she said. “It takes two seconds to buckle up. Increasing seatbelt usage is the most effective and immediate way to save lives and reduce injuries on roadways.”
Col. Tracy Trott of the THP said although the decline in fatalities is heartening, there is still more work to be done.
“One life lost is one too many, but we are encouraged by last year’s fatality results and will continue to make every effort to ensure the public’s safety on Tennessee roadways,” Trott said.
Source:nooga.com
