Archive
NJ apartment maintenance worker charged in burglaries of tenants www.privateofficer.com
NEPTUNE NJ Jan 27 2012 — A 27-year-old maintenance worker for the Neptune Township Housing Authority has been charged with taking jewelry from authority residents’ apartments.
Jared Anthony Pivarnick, Ash Drive, was charged on Jan. 16 and again on Friday and faces two counts of burglary and two counts of theft, Neptune Police Lt. William Monroe said Wednesday. Monroe said the stolen items are jewelry and that some of the jewelry has been recovered.
He said Pivarnick’s bail was set at $45,000. Pivarnick was not booked at the Monmouth County Jail, a spokewoman there said.
Monroe said that the case is still under investigation and that anyone with information should call Police Detective Robert Baldwin at 732-988-8000
Paul Caverly, the executive director of the Housing Authority, said Wednesday that an employee had been arrested twice and that the employee “took some items out of what we think are two apartments.”
Caverly said that the authority has hired a labor lawyer and that he has been told not to comment further at this time.
Sharon Turner, 48, lives in an authority apartment on Heck Avenue, and said she is one of the victims and knows that at least two sets of earrings and a necklace belonging to her children were taken.
A cashier with the Neptune High School food service, Turner said she doesn’t know how she would be compensated for the stolen jewelry.
She also expressed concern that the authority had not sent out a notification to people living in the public housing units that an employee with access to their apartments had been charged with burglary and theft.
Caverly said he could not comment.
Police declined to release a photo of Pivarnick.
Source:njpressmedia.com
TN teen commits suicide after constantly being bullied www.privateofficer.com
More than 100 people gathered in Gordonsville on Saturday night, grieving the loss of Phillip.
“He was fun, he was energetic, he was happy,” said Gena Parker, Phillip’s mother.
To his many friends, Phillip was known as the boy who told everyone they’re beautiful.
“He kept telling me he had a rock on his chest,” said Ruby Harris, Phillip’s grandmother. “He just wanted to take the rock off where he could breathe.”
Phillip’s family said they reported their concerns over their son’s bullying to Gordonsville High School on multiple occasions, but the bullying by a group of students just got worse.
“I believe my whole family up in heaven’s taking good care of him,” said friend Megan Redinger.
“I want to say I love him dearly,” added friend Heather Hunt. “He’ll never be forgotten. He’s always in my heart.”
“That’s my son,” said Phillip Parker, Phillip’s father. “I love him. I miss him. He shouldn’t have had to kill himself to be brought to life.”
An official with Smith County Schools told Channel 4 they are now planning how to handle a crisis situation with students Monday. Friends added they are planning to set up a memorial fund in Phillip’s name but haven’t made the arrangements just yet
Former president of Clarksville Department of Electricity indicted on fraud charges www.privateofficer.com
NASHVILLE, TN Jan 27 2012 - A federal grand jury indicted a former president of the Clarksville Department of Electricity (CDE) on fraud charges.
Rick Ingram Sr. has been charged with 36 counts of wire and mail fraud. Ingram served as president of the CDE from November of 2008 to July of 2009.
Ingram had been fired after audits revealed alleged kickbacks between himself and several companies totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The heads of two out-of-state companies have also been indicted in connection with the case.
Sumner County TN commissioners abolish constable’s office www.privateofficer.com
Gallatin TN Jan 27 2012 Sumner County voters won’t see the office of constable on the ballot when they go to the polls in March after commissioners voted 22-1 Jan. 23 to permanently abolish the office.
For more than two centuries, Tennessee constables have had the power to make arrests and issue tickets. In December, county leaders voted on second reading to strip all legal powers from the constables, citing liability concerns as the main reason. Sumner’s 12 constables, all unpaid volunteers, will continue to have legal powers until their terms expire in August.
Area constables say they are disappointed with the county’s decision.
“They questioned our professionalism, and they took a voting right and liberty away from the citizens of Sumner County,” said Tim Cummins, constable for the 6th District. “We have worked to improve the standards for constables. That’s been our mission over the last five years in Sumner County, to improve the standards of the office as far as qualifying standards and training.”
Commissioners said the move would not only eliminate any potential threat of liability to the county, but it would also save taxpayers thousands of dollars if a 2012 election is not held for the offices.
Lori Atchley, Sumner County administrator of elections, said she expected her office would save a minimum of $25,000 by not having constables on the ballot. The savings would come by not having to mail out new voter registration cards prior to the March 6 primary, she said.
But Cummins said the savings won’t be realized because he and three other constables were generating more than $100,000 a year in assessed fees through General Sessions Court, the majority of which was going directly to the county, he said.
Although constable is an upaid office, they do receive $22 for citations and $42 for arrests. Those monies are from fees collected by General Sessions Court.
Cummins said he and others in the elected office have met with constables from other counties and hope to ultimately have the constable offices reinstated in Sumner County.
“If something can be voted out, it can be voted back in,” Cummins said. “I think one of the biggest problems with this whole thing is that many of the commissioners were getting bad information. What we are working to do is to help preserve the constables that are still active in the state, which is about 400 to 500.”
The first constables in the state were elected in Tennessee in 1796, prior to marshals, sheriffs, police or any other forms of law enforcement. They remain today the only law enforcement officials who have the authority to arrest a sheriff.
In all that time, no local constable has ever come under legal fire, Cummins said.
“You hear of all the complaints of lawsuits, but no constable in Sumner County has ever been sued, indicted or removed from office,” Cummins said. “You can’t say the same for all of the (law enforcement) departments in this county.
“This decision (to abolish the office) is just kind of frustrating when we have been out there trying to do the right thing.”
Source:the Tennessean
Ohio casinos ban applicants who smoke www.privateofficer.com
COLUMBUS OH Jan 27 2012 — Job seekers who smoke, chew tobacco or even use nicotine patches won’t be considered for the 3,200 casino jobs in Toledo and Columbus when Penn National starts filling positions later this year.
Hollywood Casino Columbus General Manager Ameet Patel said applicants who test positive for nicotine will be disqualified and workers will be subject to random tests during employment.
Penn National’s policy will mean no tobacco use on or off the job for their 3,200 workers and Ohio’s indoor smoking ban means customers will have to step outside before lighting up.
Penn National is joining the ranks of thousands of companies and hospitals that refuse to hire smokers in the hopes of curbing medical costs and encouraging a healthier workforce.
Patel, a 22-year veteran of the casino world, called it an unusual if not unprecedented step in an industry where a vast majority of customers are smokers. “It is a very, very big change,” he said.
The Toledo and Columbus casinos will be the only two of Penn’s 21 properties that ban tobacco use among employees, Patel said.
Rock Gaming plans to hire 3,300 workers for casinos in Cleveland and Cincinnati. It won’t prohibit workers from using tobacco, but it will give employees and dependents cash incentives to quit, said spokeswoman Jennifer Kulczycki.
Twenty-nine states passed laws making it illegal to refuse to hire smokers, but Ohio isn’t among them, said Lewis Maltby, president of the National Workrights Institute, a spinoff of the ACLU and opponent of hiring bans.
Maltby calls smoker hiring bans misguided. “To not hire smokers, you would have to turn down the most qualified applicant one out of every five times,” said Maltby, noting that nearly 20 percent of American adults smoke cigarettes.
“Turning them down is a loss…The savings are very visible. The cost is less visible.”
He added, “When does this stop? There is nothing unique about smoking. Smoking is one of 100 things Americans do that are unhealthy.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19.3 percent of American adults smoke cigarettes, while 22.5 percent of Ohioans do so. The CDC says smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in America and attributes one in five deaths to tobacco use.
The vast majority of casino patrons smoke. Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia do not have statewide smoking bans and Michigan and Pennsylvania’s bans exempt casinos.
Kulczycki said Rock Gaming isn’t worried that gamblers will shun the Ohio casinos because of the smoking ban. “We think there are a lot of things that will be attractive to smokers and non-smokers,” she said.
“There are casinos that are smoke-free and they’re still open,” said Shelly Kiser of the American Lung Association. “I’m confident (the Ohio casinos) will do fine. And I’m confident it is what the people of the state want.”
Source:Dayton Daily News
Ohio Kroger stores replace police officers with private security www.privateofficer.com
DAYTON, Ohio Jan 27 2012 - You won’t see local police officers guarding Kroger stores soon.
The grocery chain has announced it will replace them with security guards.
Kroger HR representatives held a meeting to tell the police officers Wednesday evening.
We spoke with several officers afterwards who say it’s not right and it’s not safe.
Kroger has announced it plans to terminate 73 undercover police officers from its 29 stores throughout Greater Dayton and replace those positions with uniformed and armed security guards.
Those on the chopping block say its a risky move.
“The value, the expertise, the professionalism, the level of training
with doing their jobs at local stores. I don’t think they will be matched with a security guard in uniform sitting at a front door,” said Bryan Statzer, Law Enforcement Officer.
As it stands, local law enforcement agencies are not allowed to be in uniform when off-duty.
Therefore, a spokeswoman with Kroger told 2News in an oral statement the corporation would be partnering with Columbus based U.S Protection Service for future security.
Saying quote Kroger is changing how its managing its security. We believe our customers feel safer with a uniformed officer, end quote.
U.S Protection Service was not available for comment in terms of certifications and training.
Source:kdtn
Former security guard indicted for stealing identities-filing false tax returns www.privateofficer.com
Montgomery, Alabama Jan 27 2012 - Chiquita Smith, 22, of Montgomery, Alabama, was indicted last week for conspiring to steal identities in order to obtain cash from falsely filed tax returns, announced George L. Beck, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama.
According to the indictment, Smith was at one time an employee at Vinson Guard Service, Inc. During her employment at Vinson Guard Service, she was given a key to the entrance of the Department of Human Resources building. Smith and two other people used that key to go into the Department of Human Resources and steal names, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth of persons who received services from the State of Alabama, Department of Human Resources. Smith then turned over those names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth to a false tax preparer. This tax preparer used this stolen information to file false tax returns that generated tax refunds. The money from the tax refunds was illegally kept by the false tax preparer.
“My office will continue to work with the IRS to vigorously prosecute those people who steal an innocent person’s identity, just to file a false tax return and steal the tax refunds,” said U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama George L. Beck. “These criminals need to be punished for the harm they cause to the person whose identity is stolen and the harm they cause to U.S. taxpayers.”
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Smith faces a maximum potential sentence of 15 years in prison. She is also subject to fines and mandatory restitution if convicted.
The case was investigated by Special Agents of the U.S. Secret Service and Internal Revenue Service. Assistant United States Attorney Brent Woodall is prosecuting the case.
Information Source: US Department of Justice
Fla. teams may be fined for not housing homeless in stadiums www.privateofficer.com
Miami Fla Jan 27 2012 In March, a homeless man made headlines in England when authorities discovered he had eluded security and been living in a secret hideaway underneath a pro soccer stadium.
Now, if some Florida legislators get their way, the homeless will not need to sneak into stadiums – they will be encouraged to seek refuge there. Either way, the teams who have neglected the homeless may have to fork over millions.
According to the Miami Herald, when the Florida legislature passed a bill in 1988 to get public money for stadiums, they included an obscure provision that required every taxpayer-funded pro team (as well as MLB teams with Florida spring training facilities) to house homeless people in their stadiums on non-event nights.
Over the past two dozen years, that provision has been totally ignored – until now. That’s right: Senate Bill 816, which would force teams and stadium owners to pony up almost $300 million if they can’t prove that they’ve been housing the homeless on non-event nights, passed with a unanimous vote by a Senate committee on Monday.
“We have spent over $300 million supporting teams that can afford to pay a guy $7, $8, $10 million a year to throw a baseball 90 feet. I think they can pay for their own stadium,” said Sen. Michael Bennett, R-Bradenton. “I cannot believe that we’re going to cut money out of Medicaid and take it away from the homeless and take it away from the poor and impoverished, and we’re continuing to support people who are billionaires.”
Under the law, teams are allowed to take up to $2 million per year of taxpayer money and the cumulative tally is soaring. According to the Herald, pro sports teams operating in Florida have taken $271,539,778 in public coffers – with the Marlins, Dolphins, Jaguars, Rays, Lightning, Buccaneers, Panthers, and Heat accounting for most of that figure.
It will be interesting to see if this unconventional bill actually is passed. And, if so, will these stadiums actually cough up millions to the community, not to mention start opening their doors to the homeless. As the Herald notes: “Based on the dozens of homeless people who sleep on the street two blocks west of American Airlines Arena in downtown Miami, it doesn’t appear that a homeless shelter is functioning at the glitzy home of the Miami Heat.”
Source:CBS Sports
Brinks Armored Car guard charged with rape may be serial rapist www.privateofficer.com
Garden Grove CA Jan 27 2012 A 39-year-old man who works for the Brinks Armored Car company in Garden Grove was behind bars Wednesday for allegedly raping a woman in Santa Ana.
Investigators suspect Jose Luis Capacete, of Baldwin Park, may be responsible for multiple rapes in Orange County. Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said Capacete preys on illegal immigrants.
Capacete made his first appearance in court Tuesday on felony charges of sodomy by force, oral copulation by force and two counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object, according to court records.
Capacete’s arraignment was postponed until Feb. 9, and he was being held without bail.
He is accused of abducting a woman walking in the 300 block of South Harbor Boulevard on Dec. 24, taking her in his 2001 Chrysler Town and Country minivan to the 1600 north block of Harbor, where he allegedly sexually assaulted the woman, Bertagna said.
“He bound the victim in the car, took her clothes off and when he was done with her he pushed her out of the car nude and threw her clothes on top of her,” Bertagna said.
The alleged rape happened behind a rental business. Employee Carroll Herren said he will never forget the woman’s frightened look.
“You could tell she was traumatized, you could tell she was cold,” Herren said.
Herren added the woman could only describe her assailant as Hispanic.
“All she said to me was she had been raped, the guy had a gun, and she had been tased and tied up,” Herren said.
Police connected Capacete to the crime through an undisclosed piece of evidence that ended up on the pile of clothes, Bertagna said.
Capacete was arrested Friday, he said.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Capacete was a security guard for the Brinks Armored Car company, Bertagna said, adding the suspect does have a gun permit.
Capacete also put himself through a police academy and has been applying for law enforcement jobs, Bertagna said. He has a prior arrest for solicitation of prostitution, Bertagna said.
Santa Ana investigators suspect he may be involved in another attack in Garden Grove, and they are working with Homeland Security officials on another case, Bertagna said.
After a search of his home on Friday, investigators suspect there may be several more victims, Bertagna said.
“We believe that he selects people that are illegal immigrants and possible prostitutes because he has one prior arrest for solicitation of prostitution and these are people who won’t report the incidents,” Bertagna said.
Anyone with information was asked to contact Orange County Crime Stoppers at (855) TIP-OCCS or (855) 847-6227.
Source:NBC Los Angeles
Charter High School student arrested for attempting to rape school employee www.privateofficer.com
Redwood City CA Jan 27 2012 Police have arrested a student who investigators say tried to sexually assault a school employee Monday night in the underground parking garage at Summit Preparatory Charter High School in Redwood City.
David Velasquez, 19, was arrested after brandishing a knife at a 29-year-old San Francisco woman and forcing her toward her car about 6:05 p.m., police said. Investigators declined to say what she does at the school, but identified Velasquez as a student there.
When the woman resisted, the attacker forced her to the ground, inflicting minor injuries, police said. The assault was interrupted by another Summit employee who came upon the scene and began yelling. Police say the suspect then ran away.
During the investigation, Redwood City police identified Velasquez as a suspect, but didn’t say what led to them to him. He was arrested at 7 p.m. in his Redwood City home. Investigators believed, based on the actions of the suspect, that the motive for the attack was rape.
Summit Executive Director Todd Dickson said the school is waiting until it gets more information from police before deciding what action to take against Velasquez. Dickson, the head of the 420-student charter school founded in 2003, declined to release any information about the student.
The school planned to contact students’ families and employees Tuesday afternoon about the assault.
“We’ll take every precaution to make sure our community is safe and secure,” Dickson said
Aspen man continues driving with security officer handing onto hood after being struck www.privateofficer.com
Aspen CO Jan 27 2012 An Aspen man was issued a criminal summons for third-degree assault and reckless driving Wednesday after he allegedly drove with a security guard at the Winter X Games venue on the front hood of his car, bloodying the man’s nose.
Martin Horowitz, 66, is scheduled to appear in court in March to face two misdemeanor charges, said Pitkin County Sheriff’s Deputy Alex Burchetta, who made the arrest.
Burchetta said Horowitz was trying to gain access to Buttermilk — its parking lot is closed to motorists for this week’s X Games — but was denied entrance by a security guard employed by the event’s sponsor, ESPN.
“The security guard was standing next to the vehicle when the driver accelerated and the security guard had to jump on the car to avoid being run over,” Burchetta said. “They ended up traveling 120 feet before [the car] stopped into a snowbank.”
The security guard’s nose was bloodied from his face hitting the windshield, Burchetta said. He was treated by paramedics and did not suffer serious injuries, Burchetta said.
Horowitz, contacted Wednesday night after the incident, declined comment. He only said he was trying to gain access to Buttermilk so he could drop off some items.
Sheriff Joe DiSalvo said the incident underscores the need for people to try to find public transportation, such as a Roaring Fork Transportation Authority bus, to Buttermilk this week.
“In the context of avoiding traffic at the X Games, everyone should try take public transportation,” DiSalvo said.
Said Burchetta: “This is just an opportunity to highlight the safety aspects of the venue. There are a lot of people out there and security are there to do a job: make sure everybody is safe.”
Source:Glenwood Springs Post
Barnes-Jewish Hospital security sued for assaulting former medical resident www..privateofficer.com
ST. LOUIS, MO. Jan 27 2012
A lawsuit filed in St. Louis Circuit Court Wedneday, claims Barnes-Jewish Hospital security guards twice beat a member of its medical residency staff.
It is a complicated case, and nothing has been proven in court, but the allegations are serious.
Osama bin Laden The claims are made by Oladimeji Alade, a former medical resident at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in the psychiatric program.
Alade claims that on July 8th, 2011, and July 9th, 2011, hospital security guards beat him, the first time in his hospital office and the second time near the hospital parking lot.
According to the lawsuit, Alade had a rocky relationship with the director of the residency training program, who Alade says did not approve of his taking time off from his residency duties for military leave. According to the suit, Alade is a Captain is theU.S. ArmyReserves.
Under pressure, according to the suit, Alade resigned his residency effective July 11th, 2011.
But on July 8th, three days before that deadline, Alade claims he came to the hospital to attend a retirement party and then begin cleaning out his desk.
And that’s when, while in his office, Alade alleges security guards came to the door, guns drawn, telling him he had to leave the hospital because he had been fired several weeks earlier.
Alade says he asked that the police be called and while waiting for them to arrive, he alleges the guards beating him, stripping him naked, and confiscating his personal laptop and USB drive.
“At one point in time, the human resource manager that was directing the activities of the security personnel crouched down, looked at me, made some racial statement and spat on me,” Alade said.
Alade’s attorney offers this explanation for the confiscation of the computer.
“They told the FBI and the police that my client worships Osama Bin Laden and thinks that the Ft. Hood alleged shooter, Major Hassan is his hero. The FBI investigated thoroughly and did not find anything whatsoever on my client,” said Alade’s attorney, Andrew Ndubisi Ucheomumu.
An FBI spokesperson would neither confirm nor deny the attorney’s claims, or even whether the bureau participated in the investigation.
Alade alleges after the first beating, the guards, not police, took him to three hospitals, trying unsuccessfully to have him declared mentally ill.
The following day, July 9th, Alade claims he came back to the hospital to ask for the return of his laptop computer, but was told he could not have it. At that point, Alade says he headed for his car, but while walking to the parking lot, about a half dozen hospital security guards surrounded him.
Hospital security camera video shows Alade taking a seat on the ground, talking to the officers for several minutes. Then suddenly, the officers begin wrestling Alade to the ground.
“I begged them during that episode that okay please let me go you can see I am outside that is my car over there, I just wanted to go home. And they refused to let me go,” Alade said.
After that incident, St. Louis Police were called and Alade was charged with misdemeanor trespassing. But the charge was later dropped.
As for his alleged support of bin Laden or the Ft. Hood shooter, Alade denies ever giving any indication that he supported either man, saying of bin Laden, “he got what he deserved,” and of the Ft. Hood shooter, “he is unworthy of being in this country.”
The suit claims as a result of these incidents, Alade’s career has been damaged. The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages from Barnes-Jewish Hospital and BJC Health Systems.
A spokesperson for the hospital says it has can not comment because the matter is under litigation.
Source:FOX2
Chief Financial Officer of former Pennsylvania design company guilty in bank fraud www.privateofficer.com
NEWPORT NEWS VA Jan 27 2012
The Chief Financial Officer of a former Pennsylvania design company pleaded guilty on Wednesday to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud charges that left a Gloucester bank with losses of more than $700,000.
At an hearing at the U.S. District Court in Newport News, Bernard Stromberg Jr., 40, of Morrisville, Pa., admitted to the charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a press release.
Stromberg was indicted on Oct. 13, 2011, by a federal grand jury on conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud charges, engaging monetary transaction in proceeds derived from unlawful activity and false statement on a loan application. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years when he is sentenced on May 1.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office referred to court documents that stated Stromberg was the Chief Financial Officer of Atomica, a Pennsylvania design company that had a working relationship with Chesapeake Bank of Gloucester.
“In 2009, at Stromberg’s direction, over 250 false invoices were submitted to the bank to cover various Atomica shortfalls. These invoices related to fictitious entities, entities that had no business relationship with Atomica, and entities for which Atomica had not completed work. Stromberg also submitted false financial information to the bank in an effort to increase Atomica’s line of credit,” the statement from Neil MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said.
Atomica dissolved in December, 2009, resulting in losses to Chesapeake Bank of more than $700,000.
Source:Daily Press
Bounty hunter shot in Wichita Kansas www.privateofficer.com
Wichita KS Jan 27 2012 Police were called to the 3400 block of east Munger lane around 8:00 Wednesday night for a report of someone being shot.
Police say several bounty hunters were in the area looking for a wnated fugitive, southeast of Pawnee and Hillside.
Police said that one of the men was shot by an unknown person.
The 29-year-old man was taken to Via Christi St. Joe, and then transferred to St. Francis in critical condition.
Police have no suspects in the case. They say whomever shot the victim may be armed.
NC man faces 20 felonies for metal thefts www.privateofficer.com
SALISBURY, N.C. Jan 27 2012– AP A Salisbury man has been arrested and charged after sheriff’s deputies say he tried to sell about 400 pounds of metal he had stolen.
The Salisbury Post reported that 28-year-old Bradley Keith Hampton was charged with 20 felonies earlier this week.
Rowan County sheriff’s deputies say Hampton was questioned by deputies as about 400 pounds of metal was being weighed at the scrap yard.
Investigators say they determined the steel frame supports had been taken from an auto parts store in Salisbury.
Detectives say Hampton had sold metal to at least two businesses on more than a dozen occasions.
Hampton was charged with 12 counts of felony larceny and eight counts of felony obtaining property by false pretense.
It was unclear if he has an attorney.
Mentor Ohio police searching for man who assaulted Macy’s loss prevention agent www.privateofficer.com
MENTOR, OH Jan 27 2012- The Mentor Police Department is looking for help to identify a man wanted in a robbery at Macy’s department store on January 10th.
The suspect is a white man, about 40-years-old old, approximately 5’10″ and a stocky build.
The man attempted to steal several items and fled the store. After being chased by security, he then attempted to assault the security officer. The man fled the area in a late model GMC truck, red in color.
If anyone has information on the identity of this man, please contact the Mentor Detective Bureau at 974-5763.
Florissant MO. man nabbed by security charged with bank robbery www.privateofficer.com
ST. LOUIS COUNTY MO Jan 27 2012 A Florissant man has been charged with robbery after a security officer caught him trying to rob a bank.
Brian Joseph Schappe, 27, of the 1000 block of Cheyenne Drive in Florissant, was charged Wednesday in St. Louis County with first-degree robbery. He is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.
On Tuesday afternoon, Schappe allegedly walked into the Southern Commercial Bank at 6969 South Lindbergh Boulevard and demanded money. A security officer who works for the bank held Schappe until police arrived. No one was hurt.
Schappe is scheduled to make his initial court appearance this morning at the courthouse in St. Louis County.
Schappe’s criminal history includes drug possession in Jefferson County in 2007 and a stealing a firearm in St. Louis County in 2008. Court records show he was ordered to undergo drug treatment. He was put on five years’ probation.
When his probation was revoked several months later, he was ordered to serve a 120-day “shock” sentence in the Missouri Department of Corrections.
Source:www.stltoday.com
Las Vegas-pastor wanted on charges of having sex with underage girls was captured in Mexico www.privateofficer.com
HENDERSON, Nev. Jan 27 2012– A Las Vegas-pastor wanted on charges of having sex with underage girls was captured in Mexico on Wednesday night.
Fifty-five-year-old Otis Holland allegedly fled the Henderson area after an arrest warrant was issued for him on 11 counts of sexual assault of a victim under 16, one count of child abuse and conspiracy to commit a crime.
Holland’s case was recently featured on America’s Most Wanted. A tip from someone who watched the show lead to his arrest.
The U.S. Marshals Service, working with the Mexican National Police, who apprehended Holland in Tijuana Wednesday night.
Holland was then turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service. He is currently being held in the San Diego Central Jail pending extradition back to Henderson.
Holland was arrested in December of 2010 on three counts of sexual assault of a victim under the age of 16. During the investigation, detectives discovered allegations that Holland may have had inappropriate contact with other minors.
In January of 2011, Holland was arrested on a felony count of lewdness with a minor under 14 years old. The January arrest involved allegations from a different girl.
Holland is a pastor at the United Faith Church, which had been holding services in the lobby of a tax service business on Hacienda Avenue in Las Vegas. The alleged incidents involving Holland are said to have occurred at various locations in Henderson and in Las Vegas.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Henderson Police Department at (702) 267-4750 or Crime Stoppers at (702) 385-5555.
Source:8newsnow.com
Armed man shot by a MetroLink security faces two felonies www.privateofficer.com
ST. LOUIS COUNTY MO Jan 27 2012 A man who was shot by a MetroLink security guard after pointing a gun at that guard has been charged with two felonies in St. Louis County.
Dominic L. Webb, 29, was charged Wednesday with unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a concealable firearm. Bail is set at $20,000.
At about 4 p.m. Tuesday, a security guard at the Rock Road MetroLink station saw Webb and another man get into a fight on the platform. The officer intervened. Webb pulled a handgun and pointed it at the guard, police say. The guard shot Webb and recovered his handgun.
Webb was critically injured but is expected to survive, police say. Webb lives in the 1600 block of Jett Drive in north St. Louis County.
The Rock Road station is near the 7000 block of St. Charles Rock Road. The guard was uninjured. The guard is an employee of a private company working on a contract basis for Metro.
Source:www.stltoday.com
Beech High School assistant football coach and math teacher arrested for rape www.privateofficer.com
Goodlettsville TN Jan 27 2012 An assistant football coach and math teacher at Beech High School was arrested Wednesday and charged with one count of aggravated statutory rape of a female student.
Darrell Allen Keen, 32, 22 McMurtry Road, Goodlettsville, was taken into custody at Beech High School, said Major Don Linzy with the Sumner County Sheriff’s Department.
The arrest affidavit shows Beech’s school resource officer Darren Roseberry received a report from school officials Tuesday that Keen might be having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student.
Detectives said they interviewed the victim, who said she had sex with Keen on Dec. 18 at the Holiday Inn Express in Hendersonville.
According to the affidavit, Keen told police he got a room at the hotel for the victim and her friend. He admitted to staying in the room with the two girls, but denied any sexual contact. But the victim told police Keen told her to get into bed with him.
“The victim’s friend confirmed that the defendant and the victim were in the same bed the following morning and that the victim disclosed the sexual activity to her,” the report said.
Linzy said the department is looking into the possibility of more victims. Keen was being held in Sumner County jail late Wednesday on $150,000 bond.
An employee with the school system for five years, Keen has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of the case, said Jeremy Johnson, Sumner County Schools spokesman. His court date is set for March 7.
Source:the Tennessean
Grain Valley elementary school teacher charged with child molestation www.privateofficer.com
GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. Jan 27 2012— A Grain Valley elementary school teacher has been charged with child molestation and sodomy of young boys at his school, prosecutors announced on Wednesday.
Matthew J. Nelson, 33, faces one count of first-degree child molestation and three felony counts of statutory sodomy in connection to the alleged attacks on the boys, ages 7 through 9.
According to court documents, Nelson – a teacher at Prairie Branch Elementary School in Grain Valley – is alleged to have touched the boy’s private areas through their clothing or directly to their skin during classroom hours, including during movie times and reading periods. In an interview with Child Protection Center authorities, one of the boys said that the alleged incidents always happened while there were other students in the classroom, but never when there were any adults around.
The parents of the alleged victims told police that they had noticed behavior changes in their children, slipping grades and unusual outbursts.
In addition, the alleged victims said that they felt safer when Nelson was “not at school,” and that Nelson would kiss them on the cheek when they would ask him about school work at his desk.
Prosecutors have requested a $250,000 cash-only bond in the case. Nelson is in custody at the Jackson County Jail.
Fountain Lake High School English teacher arrested www.privateofficer.com
HOT SPRINGS, Ark.Jan 27 2012 – Garland County Sheriff’s Department says they’ve arrested a teacher after he allegedly had sexual relations with a student.
Timothy Oshields, 34, was arrested for sexual assault of the second degree, and for having child pornography on his computer. Oshields was a English teacher at Fountain Lake High School but has resigned.
Police say that the relationship between Oshields and the 17-year-old female student had been allegedly going on since Thanksgiving weekend of 2011.
Police say that the contact between the two began with a Facebook message and continued through text messaging, instant messaging, communicating on campus, and phone conversations using different phones.
Police say that the mother of the student stated that Oshields would often ask her daughter to sneak out of their home. He also asked her daughter to perform sexual acts.
Police say that the mother stated that Oshields kissed her daughter on two different occasions and grabbed her daughter’s buttocks while on campus.
In addition, police say the mother stated that Oshields texted her, thinking he was texting her daughter, asking her to sneak out of the house to meet him at his home. Pretending to be her daughter, the mother agreed to meet Oshields.
The mother’s fiancée met Oshields instead, and confirmed that Oshields was there to meet the student, with a sexual agenda.
Police say that Oshields sent a text message to the mother stating that he would pay for counseling for her daughter, resign from teaching, and work “five jobs if he needed to.” In addition, he offered money to help the student victim. The mother told police that in the same conversation, he admitted to have been sexually conversing with the student.
Fountain Lake Superintendent Darin Beckwith says his administration learned of sexual misconduct by Oshields after returning from Christmas break.
“The minute that it was reported to us, we took the allegations very seriously and we picked up the phone and reported it to the proper authorities,” said Beckwith.
Beckwith says the district is working with police, chasing leads and talking with students.
“We want our kids and our patrons to know that safety is priority number one for our kids,” said Beckwith.
Source: KTHV
Sussex Tech High School teacher arrested for sex with student www.privateofficer.com
GEORGETOWN, DEL.Jan 27 2012 — Delaware State Police have arrested a Sussex Tech High School teacher who is accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17 year old student.
On Wednesday, January 25, 2012, Delaware State Police detectives were contacted by the Sussex Tech school administration that the victim was involved in a sexual relationship with a teacher.
Through further investigation it was determined that the teacher and student have had a sexual relationship since the beginning of January 2012.
Charles B. Coursey, 38, of Milton, has been charged with three counts of sexual abuse of a child by a person of trust and four counts of unlawful sexual contact.
Coursey was arraigned and committed to Sussex Correctional Center on $17,000.00 secured bail.
A statement released by the school indicates that officials are aware that Coursey was arrested Wednesday. The district also acknowledged that when allegations were brought to the attention of the district, they were immediately reported to the Delaware State Police.
“Charles Coursey is suspended pending the completion of the investigation. State and federal law protect the privacy rights of District employees. Thus, the District is not in a position to release additional information.”
Due to the sensitivity of this case, and in consideration of the victim, no further information regarding the victim is being released at this time.
Source:sussexcountian.com
Grissom Air Reserve Base security officer charged with arson www.privateofficer.com
WALTON, Ind.Jan 27 2012— Indiana and military police have arrested a security officer at Grissom Air Reserve Base and his wife in connection with an fire at their home.
The Cass County Jail in Logansport was holding 38-year-old Ben Durr of Walton on a charge of arson and his wife, 33-year-old Wendy Durr, on a charge of conspiracy to commit arson following their arrests Wednesday. Both were being held on $2,000 bonds. Jail records did not indicate whether they had attorneys.
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security says state fire marshals determined a Sept. 14 fire at their home near the northern Indiana air base had been intentionally set. Other details were not released.
New Orleans police volunteer killed by carjacking suspect www.privateofficer.com
NEW ORLEANS LA Jan 27 2012 – As New Orleans police continue to search for the killer who shot and killed an Algiers Point man, those who knew Harry “Mike” Ainsworth say he had a soft spot for law enforcement.
“I’m thankful for neighbors like you!” read the sign someone placed where Ainsworth died.
Many in the Algiers Point neighborhood are calling the 44-year-old a hero after attempting to stop a carjacking near his kids’ school bus stop.
“Ainsworth jumped on the hood and [the gunman] shot him through the windshield twice, he stumbled over in front of my house with the two little boys. I heard [the victim] scream,” said Al Schmitt, who heard his neighbor retell her terrifying ordeal.
He also heard her screams bright and early this morning.
“I saw two little kids leaning over their dad, crying their eyes out, and so I got the two kids away,” said Schmitt.
A small memorial has started to appear in the spot where Schmitt says Ainsworth took his last breath, just 50 feet from where he tried to stop a criminal.
His bravery convincing Tommy Boudreaux — also a father — to offer his professional “trauma scene” cleaning services free of charge.
Boudreaux’s small way of reaching out to a grieving family.
“To hear that the victim was a volunteer himself, I thought the least I can do is volunteer my services and be kind to the family. It was very traumatic for me to hear his children witnessed their father’s passing,” added Boudreaux.
The Algiers Point man who had a soft spot for law enforcement would spend countless hours volunteering here at NOPD’s 8th District Station.
“So when he saw we really wanted to fix up the station, he and his brother said: ‘Well, we’re going to donate the time whenever we can,’” said B.B. St. Roman, president of Cops 8.
Ainsworth was a member of the non-profit, citizen-based group that raised money to support NOPD’s 8th District station.
The Algiers Point man and his brother helped re-paint the entire front lobby.
“We were very appreciative of it and he basically did it out of the kindness of his own heart. He had a real zeal for this Department and he loved the 8th District tremendously,” said NOPD Officer Frank Robertson.
Those who knew the 44-year-old say he always wanted to be a police officer, which is why friends aren’t surprised by his tragic attempt to help a neighbor in distress.
“To me, he was killed in the line of duty, if not as a police officer but as a Good Samaritan, the duty of a good citizen,” said St. Roman.
The family is accepting donations at the Algiers Branch of Whitney Bank at 501 Verret St., New Orleans, La, 70114.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Crimestoppers at 822-1111. You could be eligible for a $5,000 reward.
Alarming Claim Against Methodist Hospital www.privateofficer.com
HOUSTON TX Jan 27 2012 (CN) – Married lawyers in their 60s say security guards refused to let them leave The Methodist Hospital, then had the husband taken to jail while the hospital held the woman overnight, injected her with Ativan against her will, and checked her needlessly into its psych ward.
The hospital did this even though a doctor said “he saw no reason why they couldn’t leave,” Lisa and Russell Guttshall say in their complaint in Harris County Court.
According to the complaint: “On Tuesday, August 17, 2010 Russell Guttshall called 911 for his wife, Lisa Guttshall. They had a dispute, and he feared that she might have overdosed on prescription drugs. Lisa Guttshall was taken by ambulance to Methodist. Russell Guttshall went to Methodist in his car.”
The Guttshalls say blood tests showed that Lisa was OK, and they decided to leave the hospital.
However, “As Lisa Guttshall and Russell Guttshall attempted to leave Methodist, a security guard blocked them,” the complaint states. “Both Lisa Guttshall and Russell Guttshall are in their sixties, and they posed no threat to this security guard. They simply made it clear that they wanted to leave the hospital, even if it was against medical advice. Both Lisa Guttshall and Russell Guttshall are also lawyers, and they told this security guard that he did not have authority to keep Lisa Guttshall at Methodist against her will.
“Despite this, the security guard grabbed Lisa Guttshall and started pulling her away. Russell Guttshall asked the security guard to leave his wife alone. At this point, other Methodist security guards joined the dispute. On information and belief, at least one of these security officers was an off-duty police officer. Russell Guttshall was grabbed, thrown to the floor and held down against his will. Lisa Guttshall was grabbed and thrown into an enclosed room while she was pleading with security to leave her husband alone. Russell Guttshall was eventually let up and put into the room with Lisa Guttshall.
“At this point, Dr. Chang with Methodist got involved in the dispute. He spoke with Lisa Guttshall and determined she was not a danger to herself or others. He told Lisa Guttshall and Russell Guttshall that he saw no reason why they couldn’t leave. After talking with security, Dr. Chang told the Guttshalls that security was insisting that Russell Guttshall be arrested. Lisa Guttshall was also going to be arrested unless she agreed to stay at Methodist.”
Then, the Guttshalls ,say an on-duty police officer arrived at the hospital.
“On information and belief, the off-duty officer lied to the on-duty officer about the Guttshalls’ conduct in an attempt to anger the on-duty officer. The Guttshalls came out of the room where they had been detained. They were acting peaceably and with their hands out, anticipating being arrested. Without any provocation, the on-duty officer threw Russell Guttshall against a wall, handcuffed him and put a Taser gun against his ribs. The on-duty officer threatened to Taser Russell Guttshall,” according to the complaint.
It continues: “The on-duty officer took Russell Guttshall out to the patrol car in handcuffs. Russell Guttshall explained to his officer that he had done nothing wrong, and there was a videotape of the incident which would verify his version of the facts. The on-duty officer said, ‘I’ll fix that,’ got out of the car and went back into Methodist.”
The Guttshalls say the officer took Russell to jail, where he told jailers “that Russell had ‘beaten up a cop.’ He was therefore treated terribly while in jail,” the complaint states. “He was placed in the ‘bullpen’ with numerous other detainees. He was told that his wife had committed suicide. His paperwork was purposefully ignored. When he finally got before a judge at 1:00 p.m. the next day, the judge properly found that there was no probable cause to detain him and he was ordered to be freed. However, jail personnel would not let him go until he had been ‘processed,’ which they did as slowly as possible. Despite the fact that they had all of his paperwork that same day, Russell Guttshall was not released from prison until 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, August, 19, 2010.”
The bizarre complaint continues: “Meanwhile, Lisa Guttshall was being detained against her will at Methodist. The first night she was kept in the room where she had been first detained. Security officers would look at her through the window and laugh at her. She was forcibly injected with Ativan against her will. She was bruised on her legs, arms and inner thighs due to Methodist’s treatment of her. She was then checked into the psychiatric ward, which is locked down, against her will. She was finally evaluated by a psychiatrist, who found no reason to continue to detain her. Despite this fact, she was detained in the psychiatric ward of Methodist Hospital until 2:00 p.m. on Thursday August 19, 2010. She was released without a hearing, which would normally be required of a psychiatric patient.”
The Guttshalls seek damages for assault, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, negligent hiring, aiding and abetting and conspiracy.
They are represented by Craig Keener.
NJ police arrest couple in violent Target store robberies www.privateofficer.com
Manalapan NJ Jan 27 2012 The police arrested a pair of locals they say are responsible for one of two violent burglary attempts at the Route 9 Target store recently, each of which left employees with injuries.
Berron West, 42, and Cortney Appelbaum, 32, were arrested at their Oak Knoll Drive home Wednesday afternoon, one week after police allege they tried to lift $650-worth of baby formula from the big-box store.
The two, who are both unemployed, schemed to load a shopping cart with baby formula and clothes and walk out of the store about 10 a.m. last Friday, Capt. Christopher Marsala said. But West was stopped by an employee as he approached the exit and assaulted the officer and another store employee, Marsala said.
The crime, from beginning to end, was a carbon copy of what played out inside the store a week earlier, when a couple attempted to leave the store with a cart full of baby formula but failed to get past security, ending in a vicious attack on a store employee. The police are still investigating that crime and no arrests have been made.
With the help of Old Bridge Police, Manalapan detectives were able to track down the suspects in last week’s burglary attempt, Marsala said.
West was charged with robbery, simple assault, conspiracy to commit shoplifting and criminal attempted shoplifting. He was being held on $140,000 bail in Monmouth County Jail, Freehold Township.
Appelbaum was charged with conspiracy to commit shoplifting and criminal attempted shoplifting. She was also taken to county jail, on $80,000 bail.
Utah teens planned to bomb school-steal airplane www.privateofficer.com
Roy Utah Jan 27 2012 School resumed as normal today at Roy High School in Roy, Utah, only one day after police arrested two students who were allegedly planning to bomb their school assembly and make their getaway in a stolen plane.
Dallin Morgan, 18, and Joshua Hogan, 16, were arrested Wednesday after a female student received a troubling text message from one of the suspects.
“It was a text she felt was a threat and a danger and so she immediately went to the administration,” Roy Police Department spokeswoman Anna Bond told ABCNews.com. Bond declined to reveal what the text message said because of the ongoing investigation.
Administrators contacted police, who executed four search warrants on the students’ homes and vehicles, and conducted a thorough sweep of the school.
No explosives turned up during the search,” Bond said. “However, investigators found “maps of the school and information about security systems had been prepared with plans for an escape using a plane from the Ogden Hinckley Airport.
“We know for certain they had been planning this for at least three months,” she said.
Authorities also discovered the two boys had trained on flight simulation software in preparation for their getaway.
The FBI and its Regional Forensics Computer Laboratory will assist in analyzing any confiscated computers, but declined to comment on the case in a statement.
Morgan, who is an adult, is being held at the Weber County Jail. Hogan is being held at the Weber County Detention Center.
Source:ABC NEWS
