OFFICER DOWN Don Williams

 

 

 

Reserve Deputy
Don Williams

Dale County Sheriff’s Office, Alabama

End of Watch: Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Bio Incident Details
Age: 55

Tour: 17 years

Badge # 26-77

Cause: Automobile accident

Incident Date: 2/8/2012

Weapon: Not available

Suspect: Not available

Reserve Deputy Don Williams died after being involved in a single vehicle accident on South Union Avenue, near Martin Street, in Ozark.

He had just completed serving civil papers when his patrol car left the roadway and struck several parked cars. It is believed that he may have suffered a medical emergency prior to the accident.

Deputy Williams had served as a reserve deputy with the Dale County Sheriff’s Office for 17 years. He is survived by his wife and six children.

Please contact the following agency to send condolences or to obtain funeral arrangements:

Sheriff Wally Olson
Dale County Sheriff’s Office
100 Court Square
Ozark, AL 36360

Phone: (334) 774-2335

Former MATC employee charged with thefts www.privateofficer.com

 

 

MILWAUKEE WI Feb 9 2012— A 44-year-old former MATC employee has been charged with two counts of theft (value exceeding $10,000) after an audit found misuse of MATC-issued credit cards. Kristin Seimits is accused of using her MATC credit card, and the card of another MATC employee for her own benefit while serving as MATC’s purchasing manager.

The criminal complaint in this case says during the audit, it was discovered that Seimits had used her MATC-issued credit card to make several purchases that did not appear to be for MATC purposes. The complaint says the audit uncovered $104,000 in personal purchases made by Seimits using the credit card assigned to her, along with the credit card assigned to another MATC employee from 2005 through 2009. The complaint states from January 1, 2010 through August 2011, Seimits made purchases exceeding $154,000.

The complaint says Seimits purchases furniture, televisions and kitchen appliances, and receipts showed deliveries made to Seimits’ home address. The complaint says Seimits also purchased a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer in April of 2011 which she titled in her name. The audit uncovered Seimits also paid for travel for herself and her family not connected to MATC business, and that when she was traveling on MATC business she used her MATC-issued credit card to pay for massage services, spa services and alcoholic beverages.

The complaint goes on to say Seimits used her MATC credit card to pay for expenses connected to a suburban fire department at which she volunteered. Seimits allegedly used her card to pay for equipment for the fire department, and then submitted the reciept to the fire department for reimbursement, and then kept the money for herself.

The complaint says Seimits also spent thousands on computer software and equipment, including several Apple computers and products like iMacs, iPads and iPods. Receipts show the purchases were made through Apple directly and through electronics merchants in Milwaukee.

The complaint says Seimits attempted to hide her personal purchases by making those purchases at vendors that were used by MATC departments, and then allocate the purchase to that department.

When interviewed by investigators, Seimits acknowledged she had used her MATC credit card to make purchases for personal purposes, but denied using the card belonging to another MATC employee to make non-MATC purchases, and denied using the MATC card to buy non-Apple computer products.

The criminal complaint says investigators produced a receipt from December of 2008 showing a 15-inch MacBook Pro laptop had been purchased for $2,532.29 using the MATC employee’s card, and delivered to the loading dock at MATC, where Seimits signed for it. The complaint says that laptop was sold by Seimits and her husband to a non-MATC buyer for $1,000.

The complaint says Seimits took her family on a trip to Clearwater, Florida in April of 2011, and spent over $4,000 using the card, and charged nearly $4,000 at the Treasure Island Hotel in Las Vegas where she was married in September of 2010.

MATC issued a statement Monday: “The employee was immediately put on unpaid, administrative leave, and resigned on September 16th, 2011. Upon confirming the transactions, it became clear that the matter raised serious legal concerns. Records related to this matter were presented to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office for review in October 2011. We have fully cooperated with the District Attorney. We have made a claim with our insurance company on this matter, and continue to work closely with company representatives. Further, as part of the legal resolution, we will seek restitution for anything not covered by our insurance policy.”

Source:FOXNOW.com

Fake Ga. guard cashes fake check www.privateofficer.com

 

 

ALBANY, GA.Feb 9 2012  – Sylvester police are asking for the public’s help in locating a check fraud suspect.

Last week a black male entered the Piggly Wiggly in Sylvester and passed off a fraudulent check to the cashier.

After receiving money from the transaction the man took off.

Sylvester police say the check was written out from Priority Security to Keith Smith of Lee County. After checking the information officials say they discovered the account was fake.

Businesses are advised to check identification before cashing any checks.

“We ask all businesses to please be on the lookout for these types of checks. Do whatever you can to see that this check is legitimate because a lot of them are fake, fictitious and made up,” said Sylvester Police Investigator Kenneth Washington.

The suspect is around 5’8. He was last seen wearing an Albany security uniform.

Anyone with information about this individual is asked to contact the Sylvester Police Department.

Source:FOX31online.com

Janitor at Germain Elementary School in Chatsworth charged with molesting student www.privateofficer.com

 

 

 

Chatworth CA Feb 9 2012 A janitor at Germain Elementary School in Chatsworth was arrested early Monday on suspicion of molesting a student, adding to the woes of Los Angeles Unified officials trying to contain a sex-abuse scandal at a South Los Angeles campus. | See photo gallery.

Paul Adame, 37, of Mission Hills, was arrested shortly after 1 a.m. Monday, about 10 hours after a mother went to the LAPD’s Devonshire Division and reported there had been “inappropriate contact” between the janitor and her child.

He was freed after posting $100,000 bail. Los Angeles Unified officials said Adame has been removed from campus and placed on administrative leave.
Police refused to release details of the investigation – including the age or gender of the student – but said they believed there was probable cause to support Adame’s arrest on suspicion of committing a lewd act.

At an afternoon press conference outside the Devonshire station, Capt. Kris Pitcher said detectives were aggressively pursuing multiple leads, including serving search warrants at the suspect’s home.

“Detectives are asking the parents of any student who attends Germain Street Elementary School who has either been approached by this individual, has had any inappropriate contact with this individual, or has been told of or witnessed inappropriate contact with any other individual at the school to speak with their children, find out the information, and ultimately give us a call,” he said.

Parents were asked to call the Devonshire Sexual Assault Unit at 818-832-0609; or the LAPD tipline at 877-527-3247.

Parents of Germain students said Adame seemed to have an easy rapport with students, who helped him clear the tables at lunchtime and pick up trash on campus.

“He appeared to be a nice guy,” said Dawn Smith, a former Germain PTA president who attended the LAPD press conference in order to glean
information about the alleged incident. “There were never any (signs) that there was anything wrong going on.”
Smith was en route to Germain to pick up her fourth-grade daughter, one of the youngsters who regularly helped Adame around campus.

“I’m going to have to have the very uncomfortable conversation with her about whether anything happened,” she said.

Germain Principal Sonia Ugarte sent a letter reassuring parents that every precaution will be taken to ensure their child’s safety. In addition, crisis counselors will be at the Chatsworth campus today in case any issues arise.

Adame had worked for LAUSD since October 2000, but officials could not immediately say where he was assigned during his first five years with the district. He worked at Calahan Elementary in Northridge from 2005 until December 2010, when he was transferred to Germain as a plant manager. He was promoted last September when Germain’s long-time janitor retired.

The LAPD said Adame had a conviction for joy-riding, a misdemeanor, stemming from his arrest on charges of grand theft-auto. They did not know when that incident occurred.

Los Angeles Unified officials said all employees are subjected to a pre-employment background check, which includes a fingerprint check against law-enforcement records statewide. In addition, the district is supposed to be notified of any employee arrests.

However, officials could not say whether they knew about Adame’s record.

Adame is the third Los Angeles Unified employee arrested in the past week on molestation allegations.

Mark Berndt, 61, who taught at Miramonte Elementary School for 32 years, was charged last week with committing lewd acts on 23 children between 2005 and 2010. Authorities said the popular teacher blindfolded children and allegedly fed them his own semen in his classroom in what children were told was a tasting game.

Berndt remains jailed on $23 million bail and could face life in prison if convicted.

Another Miramonte teacher, Martin Springer, 49, is being held on $2 million bond on suspicion of fondling two girls in his second-grade classroom.

The Los Angeles Unified school board released a statement Monday as district officials tried to quell parents’ anger over the alleged incidents at Miramonte.

“The district takes each and every reported act of criminal and administrative misconduct seriously, and we will continue to work with law enforcement to ensure the safety and security of our students and campuses.

“In the coming weeks, the board will be working with the superintendent to make all district employees even more aware and vigilant regarding suspected cases of child abuse on our campuses. This tragic incident reminds us that reporting suspected child abuse or any criminal act is everyone’s moral, legal and ethical obligation and responsibility and highlights the need for all stakeholders – parents, students, school staff and community to break the code of silence.”

Source:dailynews.com

TSA tells lawmakers that private security is more expensive www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Washington DC Feb 9 2012 Lawmakers wrangled at a House hearing Tuesday over allowing more airports to hire more private baggage screeners, with Republicans supporting an expansion and Democrats wanting to stick with federal Transportation Security Administration officers.

Congress sent President Obama a Federal Aviation Administration law Monday that would make it harder for TSA Administrator John Pistole to reject applications from airports for private screeners.

But Pistole has said private companies cost 3% to 9% more than their federal counterparts and must provide the same services, so he is reluctant to approve any more that can’t prove a “clear and substantial advantage.”

Last week Pistole agreed to allow the West Yellowstone airport in Montana, which is open seasonally, to hire private screeners. But at the same time he rejected applications from Bert Mooney Airport in Montana and Orlando International Airport in Florida.

Republicans on the Homeland Security subcommittee for transportation security pressed him on whether he would follow the legislation that Obama is expected to sign. The bill says Pistole must decide on applications within 120 days and can reject them only if he finds they would hurt security or wouldn’t be cost effective.

“I was disappointed with TSA’s decision last January to not expand the program beyond the 16 airports utilizing private screening services,” said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., the subcommittee chairman, before noting Yellowstone’s addition. “We do we go from here?”

Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Calif., said Pistole made it “extremely difficult” to win approval, which discouraged airports from applying. He noted that Pistole’s “clear and substantial advantage” standard wasn’t in the law, but something that Pistole created.

Pistole said he is still reviewing the FAA legislation, but would work with lawmakers to follow it. He expects a flood of applications, after receiving only about 30 from the country’s 450 airports during the decade since the TSA was created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.

“It is changing the burden on the discretion I have,” Pistole said. “I look forward to working with the committee to find the best way forward on this.”

Sixteen airports – the largest are San Francisco and Kansas City – won approval from TSA to hire private screeners, mostly for unusual security or staffing needs.

Subcommittee Democrats led by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas argued that federal workers are less expensive than their private counterparts, and that the government doesn’t contract for other security forces such as the FBI.

“This is not a time for humoring small businesses,” Lee said. “We need to be fiscally responsible.”

Two men who clean airplanes charged in theft of passenger valuables www.privateofficer.com

 

 

 

ST. LOUIS IL Feb 9 2012 Two men who cleaned airplane cabins at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport have been charged with stealing valuable items left on airplanes instead of turning them in.

In June, airport police received an anonymous tip that employees of Airport Terminal Services were stealing items that had been left in airplane cabins by forgetful passengers.

The St. Louis-based company provides services such as baggage handling and airplane cleaning to airlines at Lambert and more than 35 other airports in the U.S. and Canada.

Airport police responded with a sting operation. In the early morning hours of June 26, police placed an Apple iPad and a Nintendo DS video game console on two American Airlines airplanes that were to be cleaned by ATS employees.

According to the charges, ATS employee Jessie A. Webb III, 23, boarded the plane where the Nintendo DS had been hidden about 12:30 a.m. He left a short time later with other employees. Police later boarded the plane and discovered that the game console was gone.

Later, about 3:25 a.m., Webb boarded the plane where the iPad had been placed. He ran off the plane five minutes later carrying a magazine in his hand, police said. Again, police boarded that plane and discovered the iPad was missing.

At the end of the shift, police searched all seven ATS employees who had been working and found both the Nintendo DS and the iPad in the backpack of Cornelius L. Palm, 25, of the 5300 block of Wilborn Drive in St. Louis. The iPad was concealed in the magazine Webb had been seen with and Palm told police that he had agreed to take the items, which he knew had been stolen, from Webb.

Palm and Webb were both charged with theft of objects worth over $500, a felony.

Peggy Hohl, an employee services representative at ATS’ corporate headquarters in Maryland Heights, said the men had been fired. She can “count on one hand” the number of incidents of employee theft in recent years.

“We, as a company, have zero tolerance for any kind of pilferage,” she said.

The company regularly assesses its employee training and cooperates with airport authorities in any investigations, Hohl said.

The charges against Webb and Palm come as the Transportation and Security Administration is under fire for a spate of incidents in which its agents allegedly stole items from passengers baggage and belongings, both checked and carry-on.

Most recently, a TSA employee at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York was arrested last week for allegedly stealing $5,000 in cash from a passenger’s coat pocket as the coat went through an X-ray machine, the Associated Press reported.

Another TSA agent in Dallas was arrested last month after a passenger whose iPad had gone missing used the device’s tracking feature to locate it at the agent’s home. Police found seven other iPads there, AP reported.

Source:www.stltoday.com

Bradford County Schools resource officer charged with having sex with a minor www.privateofficer.com

 

BRADFORD COUNTY, Fla. Feb 9 2012- A Bradford County Schools resource officer was charged Tuesday with having sex with a minor.

Bradford County Sheriff’s Office deputies said an investigation into 36-year-old Johnny Hernandez began in early November.

Hernandez was hired in 2009 as a patrol deputy before he was transferred to the school resource position in August 2010.

Hernandez was fired on Nov. 23 after refusing to show up for an interview. He had been suspended since the investigation began, deputies said.

On Tuesday, prosecutors charged Hernandez with three counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor.

Deputies did not release the findings of the investigation.

Hernandez was already in jail after he was arrested on Jan. 25 for his involvement in a domestic dispute with his wife. He is also charged with domestic battery and aggravated child neglect.

Hernandez is being held with bail set at $410,000.

Source:news4jax.com

San Antonio lawyer dies in traffic crash www.privateofficer.com

 

 

San Antonio TX Feb 9 2012 An area attorney was killed in a crash Monday on a rural highway in Wilson County.

Shelly Siegfried, 39, was driving west along FM 1681 near Nixon about 8:20 a.m. when she lost control of her vehicle on a curve, according to officials with the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The 2000 Lexus reportedly veered off the roadway and overturned, killing Siegfried. No one else was involved in the crash.

The San Antonio Bar Association has set up a donation account to help raise funds for her special-needs teenage son and for funeral costs. Jimmy Allison, the group’s executive director, said Siegfried spent much of her career representing underprivileged clients.

“She dedicated her life to helping other people,” Allison said. “She has been active in all aspects of the law where you help people in need.”

Checks can be written to the Shelly Siegfried Fund and mailed to the San Antonio Bar Association, 100 Dolorosa, #500, San Antonio, TX 78205.

Source:www.mysanantonio.com

Ashville K-Mart security nabs man wanted for attempted murder www.privateofficer.com

 

 

ASHEVILLE, NC Feb 9 2012 - Asheville police said they arrested a Tennessee man for shoplifting who was wanted in Indiana on attempted murder and armed robbery charges.

Officers said they were called to the Kmart on S. Tunnel Road in East Asheville about 7:44 p.m. Sunday where the loss prevention officers had stopped a shoplifter who stole Xbox accessories, Microsoft pointscards and Gummy Bears from the store worth $252.

Police said Christopher Crawford said he was from Kingsport, TN, and during their investigation, he gave a false identification to officers at the scene, but they determined through his cell phone and Facebook account his real identity.

Investigators said the Crawford was wanted in Howard County, IN, for attempted murder and armed robbery probation/parole violations.

Asheville police obtained a fugitive warrant for Crawford and charged him with larceny misdemeanor, drug paraphernalia, resist delay and obstruct. His bond was set at $1,001,000.

Source:FOX NEWS

Armed female bus driver in Knoxville attacks school security www.privateofficer.com

 

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.Feb 9 2012 — A tip that a Knox Co. Schools bus driver may have been impaired led to a confrontation between officers and the driver, according to the district’s Director of Public Affairs Melissa Copelan.

School officials were actually told around 9:00 a.m. that the driver of bus number 108 serving Whittle Springs Middle School may be impaired. While they found no evidence she was intoxicated, members of the Knoxville Police Dept. and school security reportedly found a knife when they met her.

According to Copelan, the yet unnamed bus driver was arrested for Aggravated Assault on a School Security Officer, Resisting Arrest, and Possession of a Knife. She has also been removed from the roster of approved bus drivers until the district can investigate.

Copelan added that the driver never threatened a student or school staff.

The school was placed on soft lockdown during the incident.

Source:WVLT

Marsh Junior High School sues school district after being aquitted of child abuse www.privateofficer.com

 

 

 

CHICO CA Feb 9 2012— A veteran history teacher at Marsh Junior High School who was arrested, tried and acquitted of misdemeanor child abuse charges, is suing the school district to get back pay.
Michael L. Sullivan, 62, filed a suit in Butte County Superior Court on Jan. 31, asking that the Chico Unified School District restore him to paid leave, a status he lost in May 2010.

In December 2009, a 13-year-old girl in one of Sullivan’s history classes told Marsh officials the teacher had allegedly touched her during class, by running his thumb from her ear, down her neck to her shoulder. When the girl tried to push aside the teacher’s hand, Sullivan allegedly grabbed the eighth-grader’s hand.

Sullivan was escorted from the campus, his keys confiscated, and put on a paid leave of absence.

According to documents filed with the court by Sullivan’s attorney, Lesley Beth Curtis of Sacramento, Chico police school resources officer Dave Richardson was called in.

“We gave them (the Chico police) everything we had,” Bob Feaster, assistant CUSD superintendent for human resources, told the Enterprise-Record on Tuesday.

In May 2010, the Butte County District Attorney’s Office filed a misdemeanor charge of annoying or molesting a child.

The Chico Unified School District board of trustees, at its June 30, 2010, meeting, voted to place Sullivan on unpaid leave, effective retroactively to May 28, according to the court documents.

On Oct. 6, 2011, after a jury trial conducted in Butte County Superior Court, Sullivan was acquitted.
However, according to the teacher’s lawsuit, on Oct. 14, 2011, Sullivan was presented with a “notice of intention to dismiss” from the school district.

In court documents, Curtis charged that prior to receiving the notice, her client had not had “the opportunity (on the district level) to challenge the accusations against him.”

The CUSD document accused the teacher of “immoral conduct and evident unfitness for service.”

Feaster said the district “chose to let the legal system run its course,” before taking action on Sullivan.

The assistant superintendent also said the move to put Sullivan unpaid status was “triggered” when the District Attorney’s Office filed the criminal charge against the teacher.

Feaster said Sullivan’s acquittal in court did not exonerate him as far as the CUSD is concerned.

The suit charges the district neither went through the right series of hearings before putting the teacher on unpaid status, nor before issuing the dismissal notice.

Feaster also said other than the December 2009 allegation, no other complaints had made against the teacher, who has worked at Marsh since he was hired by the district in 1986.

The case is scheduled to go before Superior Court Judge Sandra L. McLean on March 23, in the court’s civil division on Oleander Avenue in Chico.

Source:ChicoER.com

St. Joseph-Ogden High School teacher arrested for sexual assault www.privateofficer.com

 

 

ST. JOSEPH IL Feb 9 2012 — A teacher and coach at St. Joseph-Ogden High School has been charged with criminal sexual assault for allegedly having sex with female students about a decade ago.

Lt. Ed Ogle said Jon A. Jamison, 33, of Fairmount, turned himself in to sheriff’s investigators on Tuesday after a warrant had been issued for his arrest. Effective Tuesday, he was placed on administrative leave with pay, according to St. Joseph-Ogden school Superintendent Jim Acklin.

“On Jan. 31, we received information that Jamison had been having inappropriate contact with high school students at St. Joseph-Ogden High School. We got information he had sexual contact with at least three female students. They are now out of school, having graduated,” said Ogle, adding that the girls were 17 or younger at the time.

“We believe the first incidents occurred during 2002 or 2003 and the latest incident occurred in the fall of 2006.

“Aside from contact of a sexual nature, he also allegedly bought and allowed illegal consumption of alcohol for these minors,” Ogle said.

Ogle said police got their information from a local attorney who got it from a client.

“From that, we developed other information that he had also been involved with other people,” he said.

State’s Attorney Julia Rietz said she filed a two-count information against Jamison Tuesday alleging sexual contact with two girls, one in 2003 and the other in 2006.

“Only two have spoken to us at this point,” she said. The girl involved in the 2003 case allegedly met with Jamison at his home. The contact with the girl in 2006 occurred both at his home and the St. Joseph-Ogden bus garage, Rietz said.

The law allows charges to be brought against a person for 20 years after the victim turns 18, Rietz said.

Judge Holly Clemons issued an arrest warrant with a $100,000 bond. Jamison posted 10 percent in cash and was released from custody. He is expected to make an appearance in court this afternoon.

If convicted of the Class 1 felony, Jamison faces penalties ranging from probation to four to 15 years in prison.

Jamison, who graduated from the high school in 1996, started work for the school in 2001 as a bus driver for sporting events, Acklin said.

He’s held a number of positions over the years since then, Acklin said, including bus driver, special education teacher’s aide, girls’ basketball coach, and cross country and track coach. Jamison began as a full-time certified special education teacher this school year, said Acklin, who coached Jamison on the cross country team when Jamison was in high school.

“The first priority here at St. Joseph-Ogden High School has always been and will always be the safety of our students,” said Acklin, who said he was first made aware of the allegations late Monday afternoon.

Acklin said Jamison was sent home that day and did not go to practice. His paid leave was effective Tuesday morning, Acklin said.

Jamison is from Ogden and graduated from Danville Area Community College and the University of Tennessee. He is married.

Ogle said his detectives have interviewed him and three girls, but he declined to elaborate on what any of them said. Under the law, children 17 and under are unable to give knowing consent to sexual relations with an adult in a position of trust or authority

Source:the news gazette

Little Rock man arrested in Target store theft-assault on officer www.privateofficer.com

 

 

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Feb 9 2012 - A Little Rock man is under arrest for allegedly shoplifting at a local Target store.

An off duty Pulaski County Sheriff’s deputy went inside the Target on N. University to use the restroom, and while inside he says he heard someone on the phone in the next stall say, “I got the drugs and sticks. I’ll be there soon.”

This caught the deputy’s attention. The officer says he looked through the door and saw the suspect, Charles Hicks, 30, try to open a plastic package with pliers.

The deputy then left the bathroom and went to the customer service desk. He took off his jacket which was covering his sheriff’s shirt, gun, and badge and gave his jacket to an employee. He asked the employee to call security.

The deputy went back into the bathroom and knocked on the stall door. The deputy says Hicks said, “What?” Then the deputy said, “Sheriff’s Office. I need to talk to you.”

The deputy says he could see Hicks place the item in his jacket through the door hinge. He says he again said, “Sheriffs’ Office, come out of the stall.” The deputy says Hicks came out of the stall and said, “What? What? I wasn’t stealing anything.”

The deputy says he told Hicks to turn around and calm down, but Hicks tried to run out of the restroom. At this point, the deputy says he grabbed Hicks’ arm and began yelling, “Sheriff’s Office, get on the ground” several times. The deputy says Hicks refused to get down and struggled with him.

The deputy says he was eventually able to get Hicks to the ground by the customer service desk and was helped by Target security. The deputy says Hicks started kicking both him and the security officer and continued to struggle as he was handcuffed.

Hicks is charged with robbery and resisting arrest. He also has an active misdemeanor warrant for FTA and three probation violation felony warrants. Hicks also had warrants from Sherwood and Benton.

Source:todaysthv.com

Lakewood Police officer arrested for embezzling more than $120,000 from Fallen Officers Fund www.privateofficer.com

 

 

LAKEWOOD, Wash.Feb 9 2012 - A Lakewood Police officer who served as the treasurer of the Lakewood Police Independent Guild has been arrested for allegedly embezzling more than $120,000 from the Fallen Officers’ Fund.

The fund is intended to benefit the families of four Lakewood Police Officers who were killed in the line of duty in November 2009.

Skeeter Timothy Manos, 34, of Dupont, was arrested at the Lakewood City Hall on Wednesday morning and charged with 10 federal felonies.

According to the criminal complaint, Manos set up a secret bank account for donations to the Lakewood Police Officers’ families. He diverted approximately $151,000 intended for the families to this account. He then used about $120,000 from the account for purchases at Costco, Home Depot, for Alaska Airlines tickets to Las Vegas, and for cash withdrawals at various casinos.

The stolen money was just a portion of more than $3.2 million the public contributed for the benefit of the families of the murdered officers.

“Stealing from the children of our fallen officers is disgraceful,” said Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist. “While these allegations are despicable, we should not lose sight of the honorable work the Lakewood Police Department does for our community.”

Source:king5.com

Weeksville School PS 243 teacher’s aide arrested again for child porn www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Brooklyn NY Feb 9 2012 A teacher’s aide charged with possession of child porn last month was arrested again last night after it was discovered two of the videos were shot inside a school classroom.

Forty-year-old Taleek Brooks, a teacher’s aide at PS 243, The Weeksville School, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, was arrested on Monday night for production of child pornography.
Among the videos and images that the defendant allegedly produced is a video of the defendant touching a child’s penis and a video of the defendant spanking a naked child, according to a statement from the FBI.

According to the government’s complaint, on December 29, 2011, FBI special agents downloaded several videos and images depicting child pornography from shared directories that the defendant maintained on a peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing program.
On January 13, 2012, FBI special agents executed a search warrant of Brooks’ Brooklyn home.

According to the FBI, a computer and two external hard drives, among other items, were seized from his bedroom.

Brooks, who is also an after-school volunteer at the school with the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club, admitted to agents that he had been using a P2P file sharing program to download and share child pornography for approximately seven years.
He also admitted that he had collected and saved over 1,000 digital files on his computers containing child porn, according to a statement from the agency.

Brooks was arrested the same day of the search, and appeared in the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on child pornography shipping and transportation charges.
His most recent arrest stems from the FBI’s forensic examination of the computer equipment seized from his bedroom, which revealed that he was also producing child pornography between approximately January 2008 and January 2011.
According to the New York Daily News, PS 243 Chancellor Dennis Walcott was meeting with the principal and staff today to address the arrest of the long-time teacher’s aide.
He said in a statement to the newspaper: ‘As Chancellor, and as a father, I am horrified and disgusted at the charges we learned of today from the FBI. Our paramount concern is for the safety of our students, and we are cooperating fully with the federal authorities as they continue their investigation.’

As the Daily News reports, Brooks was free on $100,000 bail after spending weeks in jail at the Metropolitan Detention Center.
Appearing for his arraignment on Monday afternoon in Brooklyn, United States Magistrate Judge Joan M Azrack said: ‘Had I known of this conduct there’s no way I would have released him under any circumstances.’
If convicted, Brooks faces minimum sentences of five, ten and 15 years in prison for distribution of child pornography, possession of child pornography and production of child pornography.
Anyone with information concerning the case is asked to call the FBI at (212) 384-2700.

SC school teacher tased- arrested in Greenville disturbance www.privateofficer.com

 

 

GREENVILLE, S.C. Feb 9 2012– An Upstate coach and elementary physical education teacher was in a Greenville courtroom Wednesday morning.

David Joshua Bush is charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Bush was arrested in downtown Greenville on Jan. 29, police said.

Bush’s attorney, Alex Kornfeld, asked for a jury trial in court Wednesday. He said Bush is ready to get back to coaching and hopes the process is a speedy one. Kornfeld said video evidence and witnesses that can show Bush is innocent.

Spartanburg County District 1 spokesperson Cathy McMillan said Bush is a physical education teacher at Campobello Gramling Elementary School and is also the head wrestling coach at Chapman Highway School. McMillan said Bush is on administrative leave.

Alia Urps, Greenville police spokeswoman, said an officer asked Bush and a group to leave the G Spot because the group was rowdy and it looked like a fight might start.

She said the group left, but an officer spotted the group again a little while later.

Urps said the officer asked the group to leave the area but Bush refused and was being loud.

Urps said an officer attempted to arrest Bush but he resisted.

She said officers were trying to subdue Bush, but he kept clenching his hands to his body. Urps said one officer eventually used a Taser to subdue Bush.

Bush was arrested and taken to the Greenville County Detention Center.

Source:www.wyff4.com

Former Bellevue mayor-wife found dead-suspected murder-suicide www.privateofficer.com

 

BELLEVUE ID Feb 9 2012 – The Hailey Police Department confirms that the former mayor of Bellevue and his ex-wife are dead in what appears to be a murder-suicide.

Police were called to a home at 320 Walnut Street in Bellevue around 9 a.m. Tuesday. Once inside the home, police found the body of 58-year-old Linda Vaughn of Bellevue. She was the apparent victim of a homicide.

Lying next to her body was her ex-husband, 55-year-old Jon Anderson of Bellevue. It appears the former mayor died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A caretaker found the bodies and called police. It appears the couple died in the early morning hours. There was a note left, but those details have not been released.

Linda was in the advanced stages of multiple sclerosis. Anderson’s friends said he has worked hard throughout the last year to become sober.

Police say although the couple was divorced, they lived at the home amicably.

“They are feeling a lot of mourning and loss,” Bellevue’s Mayor Chris Koch told KTVB’s Andrea Lutz. “They both volunteered for a lot of different organizations, The Hunger Coalition, the animal shelter.”

Koch also talked about how fast word spread in the Wood River Valley, “The words traveled fast up and down this valley, I think this valley is going to be shock for a quite awhile.”

After Koch was finished talking with Andrea, he headed over to city hall to lower the flags to half-staff.

The incident remains under investigation by the Bellevue Marshals Office and the Hailey Police Department. The Idaho State Police crime scene unit is assisting.

Source:ktvb.com

West Terre Haute police supervisor arrested in gas thefts www.privateofficer.com

 

 

WEST TERRE HAUTE, Ind. Feb 9 2012

A western Indiana police officer faces theft charges for allegedly using a department-issued gas card multiple times to buy gas for his personal truck and his girlfriend’s sport-utility vehicle.

The Tribune-Star reports that West Terre Haute police officer Lt. Mark J. Arnold surrendered Monday on six counts of felony theft. He was released from the Vigo County Jail after posting bond.

The State Board of Accounts had found a spike in police department gas consumption and alleged misuse of a gas card assigned to Arnold.

Further investigation by state police found that Arnold allegedly bought gasoline for his personal truck, his girlfriend’s SUV and a portable gas can on multiple occasions.

Twenty-three questionable fuel purchases were found and five of those totaling about $270 were captured on video surveillance.

Westmoreland police officer arrested in connection with sex trafficking case

 

 

 

Westmoreland PA Feb 9 2012 An indictment was unsealed recently charging Ronald Miko, with one count of obstruction of a criminal investigation, according to United States Attorney Zane David Memeger.

According to the indictment, Miko, while he was a police office, utilized a room in a house at which convicted federal defendants Paul Sewell and Michael Johnson operated a prostitution business that trafficked females who were under the age of 18. The indictment alleges that between May 2, 2011 and June 7, 2011, Miko wired money to Johnson’s federal prison account to prevent the communication of information to criminal investigators regarding Miko’s involvement in that business.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.

An indictment or information is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source:westmoreland times

Veteran New Orleans police officer arrested for hit-run accident www.privateofficer.com

 

 

New Orlans LA Feb 9 2012 A veteran New Orleans police officer was arrested Monday by the agency’s internal affairs unit and booked on hit-and-run charges. Roger J. Jones Jr., the officer who handles “quality of life” issues in the 8th District, was booked for his alleged role into a September hit-and-run in the Lower Garden District.

Jones, 38, was previously booked in Jefferson Parish on hit-and-run charges for an alleged crash that occurred there on the same day.

Police spokeswoman Remi Braden confirmed the arrest this evening. She said additional details from the department were forthcoming.

Jones’ attorney, Donovan Livaccari, said the officer surrendered to the NOPD’s Public Integrity Bureau this afternoon.

Jones was already on desk duty due to the Jefferson Parish charges. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

In that case, investigators determined that Jones had crashed his NOPD cruiser Sept. 19 near Airline Drive and Central Avenue in Metairie. A Louisiana State Police trooper went to Jones’ home in Jefferson and spotted the damaged cruiser. The trooper noted that Jones had bloodshot eyes and “a moderate odor” of alcohol on his breath, according to the report.

The trooper went to the scene of Jones’ alleged curb run-in, and later to a spot where Jones said he struck a pole and destroyed a garden. There were no signs of an accident in those spots.

While the officers were on that scene, they received a report of a different hit-and-run that occurred earlier that morning in New Orleans in which an NOPD cruiser allegedly struck a red vehicle at Magazine Street and Jackson Avenue and drove off.

That report seemed to jibe with the red paint streaks and damages on Jones’ cruiser.

The NOPD opened its own internal probe into the Lower Garden District incident.

Livaccari declined to comment on the facts of the case, but questioned whether the NOPD needed to arrest Jones, as opposed to issuing a summons.

Last year, there were 6,000 hit-and-runs in New Orleans and only 200 of them were cleared by a physical arrest, Livaccari said.

“It seems like there is a double standard regarding the department’s policy as it relates to issuing a summons whenever possible,” he added.

Source:nola.com

Wisconsin Court of Appeals throws out confession of man who confessed to armored car robbery www.privateofficer.com

 

St. Croix County WI Feb 9 2012 The state Court of Appeals has thrown out a man’s confession to an armed robbery because it occurred after he had asked for a lawyer and invoked his right to remain silent during a police interrogation.

Five years after a 2003 armed robbery of an armored car in St. Croix County, investigators linked a gun used in the crime to Zachary Wiegand. He was picked up and questioned for over an hour about possible welfare fraud before a different officer, who worked with Wiegand’s father, also a police officer, took over the interview.

Though Wiegand, 35, had agreed to talk about the welfare fraud after police read him his Miranda rights, when the conversation turned to the gun, he said he wanted a lawyer. The second officer kept telling him he was only trying to help Wiegand out. Wiegand ultimately made incriminating statements, police then searched his home and car, and he was charged in 2009 with armed robbery and arson (because a minivan used in the robbery was found burning near the crime scene).

After the trial court denied Wiegand’s motion to suppress his subsequent inculpatory statements, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He then appealed.

“This is a straightforward case,” the appellate court found.

During the course of a custodial interrogation, (an officer) asked Wiegand a question meant to elicit an incriminating response. Wiegand responded, “I don’t want to say anything more.” We discern no ambiguity in the meaning of that statement. This is particularly so given that
the statement was immediately followed with a mention of “lawyer.”

The ruling sends the case back, but Wiegand’s admissions, and the evidence obtained from a search warrant based on his confession, must all be suppressed.

Norwalk man charged with lewd acts at hospital www.privateofficer.com

 

 

NORWALK CT Feb 9 2012 – A 59year-old city man was arrested on a warrant Tuesday for allegedly directing lewd, suggestive gestures at a 14-year-old girl while in the waiting area to the emergency room at Norwalk Hospital.

John Hines was charged with risk of injury to a minor and breach of peace. He was held on $10,000 bond and given a court date of Feb. 17.

The alleged incident occurred in September 2011, and a 14-year-old girl who had witnessed Hines’ actions reported the incident to police.

The 14-year-old girl claims she was seated in the emergency room next to her mother when she noticed a man across the aisle staring at her, according to police.

The teen told police that Hines covered his lap with his jacket, unzipped his pants and began to make “rapid up-and-down motions with his hand, police said.

The girl got the attention of her mother, who reported the incident to security, according to police.

Security officials then confronted Hines who denied everything and hastily left the emergency department.

Police identified Hines as the suspect shortly after the incident was reported. Hines also has a pending case in New Haven for attempt to commit second-degree robbery and is being treated for mental health issues at a New Haven facility, according to statements made during his arraignment Wednesday.

Woman in underwear arrested at Louisville airport www.privateofficer.com

 

 

LOUISVILLE, Ky.Feb 9 2012 — A Knoxville, Tenn., woman is charged after police say they received a call saying she was in her vehicle at the Louisville International Airport in her underwear.

Upon arrival, the first officer said that 46-year-old Connie Allen was already dressed and had her luggage out on the curb.

According to the arrest report, Allen was belligerent and would not comply with the officers.

Police say she said she had a plan and was doing what she was told, but they say she had no ticket and would not tell them where she was going.

Allen is charged with disorderly conduct.

Source:www.wlky.com

Middletown NY court security kill man armed with shotgun www.privateofficer.com

 

 

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. Feb 9 2012- (AP) — A man killed in a gunfight with security officers at a courthouse Wednesday was convicted a week ago of menacing the city mayor’s daughter and was angry at the mayor, according to authorities and court documents.

Timothy Mulqueen, of Middletown, opened fire with a 12-gauge shotgun in the lobby of his hometown courthouse at about 9 a.m. Officers returned fired as people in the building dove under desks and scrambled for the rear door, authorities said.

“He had more rounds for the shotgun and had he made it past the officers, who knows what mayhem might have ensued,” said David Bookstaver, spokesman for the state office in charge of New York’s local court system. “It appears at this point that the officers may have saved countless lives.”

The 43-year-old Mulqueen died at a hospital. One of the officers suffered a graze wound to the arm, and two others were treated for shock.

Police and witnesses said Mulqueen rode a motorcycle to the city’s downtown, went City Hall at first and then ran to the courthouse in Middletown, a city of about 25,000 in the Hudson Valley, about 60 miles north of New York City.

Orange County District Frank Phillips said the investigation is continuing and it wasn’t immediately known how many shots were fired.

Mulqueen’s motive wasn’t clear, but court records show he had been arrested on menacing, trespass and harassment charges after an encounter with the 23-year-old daughter of Mayor Joseph DeStefano at their home in August.

Nicole DeStefano told police she heard a “violent knocking” on her front door on the evening of Aug. 6 and answered it to find Mulqueen asking for her father.

“This person then got agitated after I told him my father was not home. This person started to make violent hand gestures and he began to yell at me,” DeStefano said, according to court records. “The way this person was behaving made me fear for my safety.”

She said he was dressed in a camouflage hat and black shirt and was carrying a black satchel.

Mulqueen was arrested after her family filed a complaint with police.

“Yeah, I knew it was Joe-Joe’s house. I needed to talk to him about something,” he told police. “I don’t want to talk with you.”

The mayor said Wednesday evening that Mulqueen was armed with a machete, razors and homemade weapons made with nails and sticks when he showed up at his house on Aug. 6.

“We had a long history,” DeStefano said. “He was arrested in 2000 and spent a few days in jail after we had a crackdown on housing code violations. He ended up losing his properties.”

DeStefano said Mulqueen owned quite a few properties and some had major code violations. “We took him to court to force him to correct them,” DeStefano said. “He was arrested after he ignored a court order to make repairs.”

DeStefano said Mulqueen has been living on disability and had “mental health issues.”

The mayor said he didn’t know what led to Mulqueen’s courthouse confrontation on Wednesday.

On Feb. 1, Mulqueen was convicted on the harassment charge and fined $129.

His lawyer didn’t return a call Wednesday.

Walker County AL Chief Deputy killed in wreck www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Jasper AL Feb 9 2012 The Chief Deputy of the Walker County Sheriff’s Office has died in a wreck.

The Walker County Coroner tells Alabama’s 13 News that Chief Deputy Paul Kilgore died in a crash Monday, February 6, 2012, about 9:00 a.m CT.

The wreck happened on Coal Valley Road in the Townley area.

Kilgore’s patrol car left the roadway, and struck some trees.

Kilgore was also the director of the county’s narcotics unit.

Arrangements have been made, and include visitation from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. CT Thursday, Feburary 9, 2012, at Kilgore-Green Funeral Home in Jasper.

Funeral services will be Friday, February 10, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. CT at Kilgore-Green Funeral Home in Jasper.

Missouri teenager faces lifetime in prison for murder of 9 tr old www.privateofficer.com

 

 

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. Feb 9 2012 (AP) — A Missouri teenager who had described the slaying of a young neighbor girl as an “ahmazing” thrill made an emotional apology Wednesday to the girl’s family and was sentenced to a potential lifetime in prison.

Moments before her sentence was imposed, 18-year-old Alyssa Bustamante rose from her chair — with shackles linking her ankles and holding her hands to her waist — and turned to face the family of 9-year-old Elizabeth Olten, whom she confessed to killing in October 2009.

“I really am extremely, very sorry for everything. I know words,” she said, pausing to take a deep breath and struggling to compose herself, “can never be enough, and they can never adequately describe how horribly I feel for all of this.”

She later added: “If I could give my life to get her back I would. I’m sorry.”

Elizabeth’s mother, Patty Preiss, who on the first day of Bustamante’s sentencing hearing called her an “evil monster” and declared “I hate her,” sat silently, staring forward as Bustamante’s finished her apology.

Cole County Circuit Judge Pat Joyce then sentenced Bustamante to the maximum possible sentence for second-degree murder — life in prison with the possibility of parole. She ordered the teenager to serve a consecutive 30-year term for armed criminal action, a charge resulting from her use of a knife to slit the throat and stab Elizabeth after she had strangled her into unconsciousness.

Elizabeth’s family declined to comment about the sentencing, as did Bustamante’s family.

There were no immediate indications that Bustamante planned to appeal the sentence.

Bustamante originally had been charged with first-degree murder but pleaded guilty last month to the lesser charges to avoid a trial and the possibility of spending her life in an adult prison with no chance of release.

Bustamante was 15 years old at the time of Elizabeth’s murder in the small town of St. Martins, just west of Jefferson City. Evidence presented during her hearing revealed that Bustamante had dug a shallow grave in the woods several days in advance, then used her younger sister to lure Elizabeth out of her home with an invitation to play. Bustamante, who had hidden a knife in a backpack, said she had a surprise for Elizabeth in the forest. The surprise turned out to be her demise.

During her two-day sentencing hearing, prosecutors referred repeatedly to an entry Bustamante wrote in her journal on Oct. 21, 2009 — the night of Elizabeth’s death — in which she admitted to having just killed someone.

“I strangled them and slit their throat and stabbed them now they’re dead,” Bustamante wrote in her diary, which was read in court by a handwriting expert. “I don’t know how to feel atm. It was ahmazing. As soon as you get over the ‘ohmygawd I can’t do this’ feeling, it’s pretty enjoyable. I’m kinda nervous and shaky though right now. Kay, I gotta go to church now…lol.”

Bustamante then left for a youth dance at a Mormon church her family attended while hundreds of volunteers began a two-day hunt for the dead girl. Although she initially lied to authorities about Elizabeth’s whereabouts, Bustamante eventually confessed to police and led them to Elizabeth’s leaf-covered shallow grave.

Defenses attorneys had argued for leniency after presenting evidence from family members and mental health experts about Bustamante’s troubled childhood. Bustamante was born to teenage, drug-abusing parents; her father was imprisoned and her mother abandoned her, leaving her in the legal custody of her grandmother.

After a suicide attempt on Labor Day 2007 as she was starting eighth grade, Bustamante was prescribed the antidepressant Prozac. Her dosage had been increased just two weeks before Elizabeth’s death. A defense psychiatrist testified that the medication could have made Bustamante moodier and more violent and contributed to the murder — a theory rejected by a different psychiatrist testifying for prosecutors.

Charlie Moreland, one of Bustamante’s attorneys, described the sentence imposed Wednesday as “a harsh punishment.”

“This was a child who had been spiraling out of control, but has treatable conditions,” Moreland said.

Under Missouri guidelines, Bustamante would have to serve 35 years and 5 months in prison before she is eligible for parole, said Department of Corrections spokesman Chris Cline. It’s also possible that the more than two years Bustamante spent in jail while awaiting her sentencing could be counted toward that time.

After spending several weeks at a diagnostic prison, Bustamante could be placed in either one of Missouri’s two female prisons or sent out of state. Cline said department officials also would evaluate whether Bustamante should be kept separate from other adult woman inmates.