Archive
Two Los Angeles residents locked up after shoplifting spree at Desert Hills Premium Outlets www.privateofficer.com
CABAZON CA Feb 12 2012 — Two Los Angeles residents were behind bars this weekend on suspicion of shoplifting from several stores at Desert Hills Premium Outlets in Cabazon and other outlet malls in Southern California.
Twenty-nine-year-old Flor Sandoval and Jose Rivas-Orozco, 27, were arrested at the Cabazon outlet in the 48-000 block of Seminole Drive.
Security officers noticed the thefts and detained Sandoval and Rivas- Orozco, sheriff’s Sgt. Alan Meservey said.
Meservey said the suspects “entered several stores at the mall where they removed property without offering payment. Several citizens and store employees witnessed the thefts and immediately reported the crimes to mall security.”
Both suspects were booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on suspicion of burglary and other felonies. They were being held without bail because of immigration violations, Meservey said.
This week, authorities served search warrants at the pair’s Los Angeles residence in the 1300 block of West 37th Place, discovering about $10,000 worth of stolen property, Meservey said.
“This recovered stolen merchandise was determined to have been taken during several additional burglaries from outlet malls throughout Southern California,” the sergeant said.
New York State Senator Mark Grisanti -wife attacked at casino www.privateofficer.com
BUFFALO, NY Feb 12 2012 – New York State Senator Mark Grisanti and his wife Maria say they were the victim’s of a brutal attack at the Seneca Niagara Casino Friday night.
Grisanti tells Eyewitness News that he and his family were attending an event at the casino to watch his daughter sing with the Scinta’s, a popular performing group at the casino.
It was after this event, in a lobby bar, that the senator and his wife say there were attacked, after Grisanti tried to intervene in an argument between two men.
“He asked me who I was….I said I’m Mark Grisanti I’m a state senator and he made a comment like ‘you haven’t done blank for the Seneca’s’ and punched me in the ribs. And then as I backed up I got hit in the side of the head,” Grisanti described at a press conference held at his North Buffalo house Saturday afternoon.
“I said, ‘I don’t understand why you just punched me, I don’t have a problem with the Seneca’s', and then that’s when I looked over and somebody said, ‘mark you wife is on the ground and she was being attacked violently,” Grisanti continued.
His wife, Maria, was coming to the aid of her husband, she says, when she was suddenly struck and thrown to the ground.
“I don’t know what hit me..all I knew is I hit the ground and I was down with two girls on top of me,” she recalls.
“I thought I was going to die on the ground, and my kids were there.”
Maria Grisanti was taken to Kenmore Mercy Hospital by her husband after the altercation where she underwent an MRI.
Doctors told her she has a concussion, as well as a large bruise on the side of her head and an abrasion on the bridge of her nose.
Niagara Falls Police are not commenting on the case, but they said there is currently no one in custody. They released the following statement Saturday evening:
“At this time the Niagara Falls Police Department is reviewing the situation and investigating any and all facts to determine what exactly took place. This includes interviewing those involved as well as Seneca Casino employees and video footage.
“Once the facts are determined, the Niagara Falls Police Department will decide what course of action to take, if any.”
Seneca Nation of Indians President Robert Odawi Porter released the following statement Saturday:
“Early this morning, I spoke to Sen. Grisanti to express my concern.
“I was upset to hear about what transpired at our Niagara Falls property in the incident involving several individuals from the Seneca Nation. I want to express my personal sympathies to the senator and his wife Maria, who attended my inauguration on the senator’s behalf in November 2010. We hope she is faring well and is on a speedy path to recovery.
“I would hope for better behavior and conduct from everyone at such an event as this, although it transpired sometime after the gala ended. Sadly, one cannot control individual behavior. On behalf of the Seneca Nation, I extend my heartfelt sympathy to Sen. Grisanti, his wife Maria and their family.”
The Grisanti’s did not say whether or not they intend to press charges against their attackers.
Senator Grisanti also said that Nation President Porter told him that he would conduct an internal investigation into the matter.
Source:wkbw.com
Dickinson State University dean found dead of self-inflicted gunshot wound www.privateofficer.com
DICKINSON ND Feb 12 2012 – Dickinson police say a Dickinson State University dean was found dead Friday afternoon from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Douglas LaPlante, the dean of education, business and applied sciences, had been reported missing at 9:27 a.m. after missing a meeting at the school. Officers responded to his home and found that he had left on foot, leaving behind his identification and cellphone, according to a statement from police. Officers also learned a large caliber rifle was missing from his home.
A passer-by saw him walking toward Rocky Butte Park, where his body was found near the band shell at the intersection of Seventh Avenue West and Sixth Street at 1:23 p.m. The police statement said the cause of death appears to have been a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
DSU President D.C. Coston had called a 1 p.m. all-student meeting to explain problems with the university’s special international student exchange program. Instead, he walked into Beck Hall, where students had crowded in, standing room only, grabbed the microphone and ordered the students to get to safe quarters.
Police said precautions were taken on campus due to LaPlante’s apparently distraught condition.
A message was sent to students via a campus-wide emergency alert system called Notifind.
“An individual has been missing for six hours and believed to have a weapon. Until this individual is located, we are activating our emergency system. Faculty, staff and non-resident students are asked to leave campus immediately,” the message said. “Resident students are asked to return to their residence halls or apartments and shelter in place. We will notify the campus via the campus emergency system as soon as this situation is resolved.”
Later, students received another message that said, “The individual in question has been located and the threat to DSU has been resolved. Campus will remain closed for the day. Classes will resume on Monday, Feb. 13, 2012.”
The emergency was not explained for another two hours, when the Dickinson Police Department confirmed reports that had been swirling about LaPlante’s death.
Source:bismarcktribune.com
Oregon faith healing couple charged in son’s death www.privateofficer.com
CRESWELL, Ore. Feb 12 2012– A Lane County couple has been arrested in connection with the December death of their 16-year-old son, because they failed to provide adequate medical care, police said.
Austin Sprout had been ill for more than a week before his death was reported to police on December 20, according to Lt. Spence Slater with the Lane County Sheriff’s Office.
“His parents declined to seek any medical attention for Austin, reportedly due to their religious beliefs,” Slater said. “Although the exact cause and manner of death is not being released, medical professionals have indicated that Austin’s condition was highly treatable.”
The family belongs to the General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn, which is said to rely on faith healing instead of medical treatment. The church has a history of controversial deaths related to healing by prayer, according to the Eugene Register Guard.
The boy’s mother, 34-year-old Brandi Bellew, and his stepfather, 39-year-old Russel Bellew, were arrested Friday. They were charged with second-degree manslaughter, which in Oregon includes causing a dependent person’s death by neglect or maltreatment.
Several Lane County agencies and the Oregon Dept. of Human Services had been investigating the circumstances of Sprout death since the day it was reported.
Source:kgw.com
Grain Valley school district teacher suspected of sex abuse since 2008 www.privateofficer.com
Grain Valley MO Feb 12 2012 In a letter released Thursday, Grain Valley School District officials said a “concern” first was brought to their attention in 2008 regarding a teacher arrested last month on alleged child sexual abuse offenses.
A separate letter, released last month by district officials, maintained that an “initial report” regarding the teacher’s alleged offenses dated to Jan. 9 of this year.
District officials issued this week’s letter to clarify what they knew when and to be as forthright with patrons as possible, said Brad Welle, Grain Valley’s assistant superintendent for academic and student services.
“We knew on Jan. 9 that there had been this anonymous report in 2008,” Welle said Friday.
The Jan. 27 letter was intended, he said, “to basically tell the story of the chain of events and how we responded to that specific Jan. 9 report.”
“Given the fact that everybody is going to respond to this in their own way, we want to be as upfront as possible, as early as possible, that this is what we know and when we knew it.”
The 2008 allegation originated in an anonymous report called in to the Missouri School Violence Hotline maintained by the Children’s Division of the Missouri Department of Social Services.
District officials discussed the allegation with Matthew H. Nelson at the time, Welle said.
“Given the generic nature of the report, it didn’t give a lot of information to point the administration in any particular direction,” Welle said.
The Grain Valley Police Department has a copy of the report, he added.
Authorities on Jan. 25 arrested Nelson, 33, who has taught second- and third-grade students for 10 years at Prairie Branch Elementary School.
Prosecutors initially filed charges based on allegations made by four children. Grain Valley police stated at the time that there could be more victims and asked that they come forward. Additional charges, filed Wednesday, involve allegations from four more victims. All eight boys were age 7 to 9, court records say. The crimes allegedly started as early as the 2009-2010 academic year and continued into January.
Court records also allege Nelson inappropriately touched a girl, but no charges have been filed related to that allegation.
Nelson currently faces five counts of first-degree child molestation for inappropriately touching children through their clothing and three counts of first-degree statutory sodomy for skin-to-skin contact.
Students alleged that Nelson touched them sometimes on their backs or stomachs and sometimes on their genitals, either through the clothing or inside their clothing, during reading time or when the class was watching a movie. He allegedly touched them while in the classroom, during summer school and on school outings, including one to Kauffman Stadium for a Royals game.
Nelson has pleaded not guilty to the original charges.
A Jackson County judge on Wednesday scheduled a hearing for March 12 in the Jackson County Court Annex in Independence. Nelson is being held, with cash bond set at $250,000.
District officials posted Thursday’s letter on the district website and then alerted families and faculty members to it through an automated school message system.
District officials want anyone with concerns to take them to the district or law enforcement officials, Welle said.
“We want people to come forward,” he said. “If you do have something to report, please report and be specific and clear.”
Wake County NC Deputy Sheriff shot-killed suicidal man www.privateofficer.com
RALEIGH NC 2-12-12 — Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said Saturday that a deputy shot and killed man at an address on Live Oak Trail in Raleigh around 9:40 a.m.
Officers went to the area after getting reports of a man threatening to commit suicide.
Harrison said 25-year-old Adam Wade Carter was shot when he confronted the deputy with a knife.
Carter was taken to WakeMed, where he later died.
The deputy involved – Tavares Thompson – was not hurt. He has been with the Wake County Sheriff’s Office for nearly five years. As a standard procedure, he has been placed on administrative duty.
Two witnesses were being questioned.
The State Bureau of Investigation was beginning a probe of the shooting – which is standard procedure.
Source:WTVD
Wyoming Seminary music teacher charged with corruption of minors www.privateofficer.com
Forty Fort PA Feb 12 2012 Police on Friday charged a Wyoming Seminary music teacher with corruption of minors and indecent assault after he kissed a 16-year-old girl during a private music lesson at the school in November, according to arrest papers.
The school placed the teacher, 41-year-old Robert A. Lugiano Jr., of 850 Kasko Road in Jackson Township, on an “indefinite leave of absence” on Nov. 18 after learning of the police investigation, according to statement from school President Kip Nygren.
Wyoming Seminary takes the allegations “extremely seriously,” Nygren said.
“Since mid-November when the school was first made aware of the police investigation, we have taken numerous steps to ensure that our campus remains a safe place for every community member,” Nygren said in the statement sent to members of the Wyoming Seminary community Friday morning.
Police did not say where the girl went to school, but Nygren’s statement indicated the girl was “not associated” with Wyoming Seminary.
Lugiano remains on leave, Alexis Kropp, a spokeswoman for the school, said Friday. The school also hired legal counsel and asked its board of trustees “to review our protocols and our responses to allegations of this nature,” Nygren said in the statement.
Lugiano drove the girl from Pittston Area High School to the Wyoming Seminary Lower School in Forty Fort at about 8:30 the night of Nov. 11 for a music lesson, according to arrest papers. While in his office, Lugiano hugged the girl and kissed her “multiple times on her lips,” police said.
The girl told Lugiano that another girl, who had gone for ice cream, would return soon, police said. Lugiano caressed the girl’s back, then tried to kiss her again, police said. The girl resisted the advance by keeping her lips closed, according to arrest papers.
Lugiano laughed, lowered his arms and then told the girl she shouldn’t tell anyone about the encounter “because they would be jealous,” police said.
Investigators arrested the teacher Friday. He was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge David Barilla in Swoyersville and released on $75,000 unsecured bail.
Neither Lugiano nor his attorney could be immediately reached for comment.
At the time of the incident is alleged to have taken place, Wyoming Seminary allowed teachers to give private music lessons at the school, Kropp said. The board of trustees is reviewing that policy, she said
Source:citizensvoice.com
Gaston County teacher arrested for sexual crimes with student www.privateofficer.com
GASTONIA, NC Feb 12 2012 - A Gaston County teacher was arrested Friday in connection with a sexual incident with a student in December.
Bradford Wayne Mulkey, 32, is charged with indecent liberties with a student, according to a news release from Gaston County Police.
Mulkey was a teacher at East Gaston High School and assistant basketball coach.
He was suspended from his job in December after the incident on November 29 was reported to police by the school on, according to police.
The name of the victim is not being released by Gaston County Police due to the victim being a minor.
Mulkey received a $100,000 secured bond.
School officials say Mulkey, who works with the boy’s basketball team has been with the school since 2009. The school’s website also lists Mulkey as an English teacher.
WBTV has learned that Mulkey was suspended from his job, with pay, on December 2.
Mulkey was hired as a teacher assistant with Gaston County Schools in 2007 and became a behavior lab assistant in 2008, school officials told WBTV. He took a teaching position in 2009.
Mulkey has a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, according to East Gaston’s website.
Source: WBTV
Henrico Virginia police seek armed robbers of clothing store www.privateofficer.com
HENRICO, VA Feb 12 2012 – - It’s happened again! Another women’s clothing store is robbed by a man with a gun. This time at a store in the 11,400 block of West Broad Street, in Henrico’s West End. Police say all of the crimes have striking similarities. Like the others, during this most recent armed robbery, a masked man displayed a gun and demanded money.
They’re back at work, shaken-up over what happened in this store hours earlier. It was around 8:50 Thursday night when the employees at Dot’s Clothing Store say they were caught off guard. A man wearing a mask walked into the store — pointed a gun at the women and demanded money.
Police say the crook later ordered the ladies to the back of store — before taking off. The employees didn’t want to talk on camera, but several of their customers had plenty to say.
“It’s messed up. People shouldn’t do stuff like that. It’s wrong all day long,” said customer Iris Byrd.
Luckily, no one was hurt — which this customer calls divine intervention.
“God protected them because something with a gun like that – it could have been a lot more final,” Donna Nelson said.
There have been several similar recent armed robberies. Earlier this week in Richmond a man with a gun stormed into the Cato’s women’s clothing store. There were also hold-ups at Dress Barns in Henrico and Hanover.
Charity Dinko calls this most recent armed robbery – surprising.
“Because Short Pump is a cool area and you see cops — people always around very busy and stuff,” Dinko said.
Shawn Jackson works a few doors down from Dots. He says the crime will keep him on his toes.
“This will defiantly make me more alert – I can be a person who doesn’t pay much attention to my surroundings – but now I’ll pay more attention,” Jackson added.
Back at Dots — there’s now a security guard at the door. A measure these employees say will hopefully help prevent something like this from happening again.
Those two employees say they were minutes away from closing the store when the crook walked-in. If you have any information about that armed robbery — please, contact Henrico police at 501-5000.
Source: WWBT
San Diego cop sentenced to nine year prison for abuse of authority www.privateofficer.com
SAN DIEGO CA Feb 12 2012 — To the young women who got into trouble partying in San Diego’s popular downtown Gaslamp Quarter, officer Anthony Arevalos offered a way out: In return for sex, he would look the other way on traffic infractions.
His arrest last year marked one of the most egregious examples of a department that had gotten out of control with nearly two dozen officers busted on allegations ranging from rape to drunken driving to domestic violence.
On Friday, as Arevalos was sentenced to nearly nine years in state prison, San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne applauded the judge for “his handling of this difficult case and his thoughtful consideration concerning what punishment was appropriate for someone who so completely violated the public trust.”
The scandal in one of the country’s safest cities raised questions about whether the department was turning a blind eye to the misconduct amid the plummeting crime rate.
The chief thanked the victims for stepping forward and said the sentence should make it clear that officers will be held accountable for their actions. The department has undergone major reforms since the cases emerged.
“As difficult as this has been for the San Diego Police Department, I believe we have emerged a stronger and more resilient organization,” Lansdowne said in a statement after the sentencing.
Lansdowne said last year that public trust in the force had fallen so low at one point that people were verbally challenging officers when stopped for questioning. One officer was arrested on charges that he raped and kidnapped a woman while on duty the day after Lansdowne apologized to the public for his officers’ misconduct and announced his crackdown.
Since then he has beefed up internal-affairs staffing and ethics training, reviewed use-of-force tactics, and conducted meetings with uniformed and civilian employees. The department also set up a 24-hour hotline for people to report officer misconduct.
The 2,300-member department has seen improvement, spokeswoman Lt. Andra Brown said. But the problem has not completely disappeared. Last month, a former supervisor of Arevalos was charged with fixing a ticket for a friend, a deputy district attorney, who was also charged.
The force may never regain the trust of some.
When Judge Jeffrey Fraser announced the sentence, he said he took into account the fact that Arevalos targeted drunken young women who were vulnerable and could not call on anyone else for help.
“They will forever fear the police,” he said.
During the hearing, prosecutor Sherry Thompson read the judge a statement from one of the victims who said she cannot sleep at night and is afraid of being alone.
“I still do not understand how for 18 years the sick propensities of Mr. Arevalos were ignored,” the victim said in the statement about his time on the police force.
A jury convicted Arevalos of eight felony and four misdemeanor charges for sexual battery, bribery, assault by an officer and false imprisonment. The crimes involved five women during an 18-month period starting in 2009. All were stopped in the Gaslamp Quarter.
Arevalos was arrested last March after a woman reported he had stopped her in the district for failing to use a turn signal. The victim testified in court that after she tested above the legal limit for blood-alcohol content, Arevalos asked what she would be willing to do to make the DUI go away. He eventually led her to a nearby convenience store bathroom where he sexually assaulted her.
Arevalos was fired from the San Diego Police Department after he was charged in April.
The sobbing officer begged the judge to have mercy on his family and not send him away. He apologized to the victims, the Police Department, community and his family.
“I realize my actions caused a lot of pain,” said Arevalos, who must register as a sex offender. “I’m deeply remorseful and I pray for forgiveness.”
The defense had asked the judge to spare the 41-year-old father of two from jail time, pointing out that he had been a decorated police officer who removed drug dealers and rapists from city streets and saved a young boy’s life during his career.
Fraser, however, said the eight-year, eight-month sentence was meant to punish Arevalos and act as a deterrent to any other potential violations of public trust by officers. The prosecution had asked for the maximum sentence of nine years, eight months.
New York City Department of Sanitation worker busted for theft of iPad www.privateofficer.com
New York City NY Feb 12 2012 A New York City Department of Sanitation worker was busted after he was caught stealing an Apple iPad from an East Village cafe.
Michael Maldonado, 38, was on duty in the East Village Friday, when he knocked on the door of Cafe Cortadito on East Third St. near Avenue B at 11:40 a.m., asking to use the bathroom, said a police source.
Maldonado found the unattended electronic tablet in the restrooom and hid it in his pants, said police.
The cafe owner realized the iPad was missing before Maldonado left and he handed it over after she confronted him about it, police said.
The owner called police, who nabbed Maldonado on the street nearby, said police. He was charged with petit larceny.
Source:www.nydailynews.com
Willingboro man charged with shoplifting www.privateofficer.com
MOUNT HOLLY NJ Feb 12 2012 — A Willingboro man has been accused of trying to steal merchandise from the Home Depot on Route 541 in Westampton.
Jeffery Bradford, 47, made a first appearance in Superior Court on Tuesday before Judge Jeanne T. Covert, who set his bail at $2,500.
Bradford was charged with shoplifting for allegedly trying to walk out of the store without paying for $219 worth of undisclosed merchandise shortly before 3:45 p.m. Monday.
He previously was convicted of theft in 1999 and of resisting arrest in 2008 and 2009, according to court records.
He also was convicted of 21 disorderly-persons offenses, 15 of which were for shoplifting, an assistant prosecutor said in court Tuesday.
Bradford is being held in Burlington County Jail.
Lauderdale County Solid Waste employee charged with thefts www.privateofficer.com
Lauderdale County AL Feb 12 2012 An employee of the Lauderdale County Solid Waste office has been arrested after she was accused of altering department payment receipts, authorities said.
Trina Holden Reynolds, 46, 314 Simpson St., Florence, is charged with second-degree theft of property, officials said.
Reynolds was arrested Tuesday, said Travis Clemmons, chief investigator with the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department.
Reynolds, who is the office administrator for the Solid Waste Department, has been an employee of the county since 2007. She has denied the allegations.
Robert Bevis, manager of the solid waste department, said Reynolds has been suspended without pay.
Second-degree theft involves a theft of $500-to-$2,500. Clemmons said the arrest was made after that much money was found missing.
“At this point, we don’t know how much money we’re talking about or how long this has been going on,” Clemmons said.
He said his office is in the process of going through all of the department’s receipt books, but a thorough audit also will be needed.
“It could be thousands of dollars that are missing, we just don’t know right now. That’s what an audit would find,” Clemmons said.
He said he has talked with county officials who agreed if state auditors could not provide the information needed quickly, they would hire an outside agency to conduct the audit.
That matter was briefly discussed at Tuesday afternoon’s commission work session, where the commissioners were briefed on the arrest.
Authorities said in her capacity as office administer, Reynolds would check the daily receipts of fees from the disposal of commercial debris sent to the county commission office for deposit.
Reports indicate Reynolds is accused of altering the receipts and taking some of the cash payments made to the office.
The landfill, located in the Underwood community on Alabama 157, accepts only debris, trash and construction materials. Companies must pay a fee to dispose of the debris at the landfill.
Clemmons said an investigation began last week after the Sheriff’s Department was notified of the allegations.
County Commission Chairman Dewey Mitchell said Bevis notified county officials of discrepancies in the commercial fee receipts Thursday.
Mitchell said he and county attorney Chris Smith then met with Bevis.
“Robert … did his own internal investigation and brought that information to us,” Smith said. “Once we reviewed the information (Bevis) had, we met with the district attorney and he advised us to turn everything over the sheriff’s office.”
Clemmons said once the investigation is concluded the information will be turned over to the district attorney’s office and the case will be presented to a grand jury.
Reynolds was released from jail on bail of $1,500.
Second-degree theft of property is a Class C felony and is punishable by 1-10 years in prison if convicted.
Source:TimesDaily.com.
Manhattan KS Target store security nabs woman with thousands of dollars worth of stolen electronics www.privateofficer.com
MANHATTAN, Kan. Feb 12 2012– Riley County police say employees at the Manhattan Target store helped them arrest a woman who managed to steal thousands of dollars worth of electronics.
Alexis Hamilton, 20, of Manhattan, is charged with shoplifting from the Target off of Seth Child Road.
Officials say on February 1, 2012 between 11-11:30 AM, she stole $2070 worth of items, including four cameras, two Xbox consoles, a Blu-ray player and a Motorola Zoom tablet. Staff members reported the incident to police.
Lieutenant Josh Kyle, an RCPD spokesman, says Hamilton left the scene but based on information that employees provided to police, they were able to identify her as the suspect.
She was arrested on February 3, 2012 at 6:45 PM at the Riley County Police Department on unrelated charges and later charged with felony larceny-shoplifting in the Target case.
Lieutenant Kyle would not say how Hamilton allegedly got all of the electronics out of the store without paying for them or getting caught in the process. He also did not reveal how employees came to realize that a crime had occurred.
The stolen items have not been recovered.
Source:WIBW
