Five people, including the gunman at Atlanta area spa www.privateofficer.com

 

 

NORCROSS, Ga. Feb 22 2012
Five people, including the gunman, died Tuesday night in a shooting at a spa in Gwinnett County. Norcross police Chief Warren Summers said the shooting appears to be a murder-suicide.

The shooting took place at the Su Jung Health Sauna at 6005 Buford Highway around 9 p.m.

Investigators updated a Channel 2 Action News crew with new information at about 12:15 a.m. According to police, surveillance video showed a gunman walking into the spa, exchanging words with one of the victim, then he opened fire.
Four people, including the gunman, died at the spa. Another victim died at a hospital.

Police believe upwards of 20 people were inside the 50,000 square foot building at the time of the shooting.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been called in to assist with the investigation.

Police did not provide details about the victims.

Two security companies awarded $350 million in federal contracts www.privateofficer.com

 

 

McLean VA Feb 22 2012 Valentines Day turned out to be a good day for security guard companies in the United States.

One company, Vendtech-SGI, LLC, of McLean, VA, landed a contract worth more than $311.5 million to provide about 600 guards to protect approximately 200 different posts at more than 130 separate buildings in the states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, according to a DHS notice posted online on Feb. 14.

The same day, another firm, Master Security Company, LLC, of Hunt Valley, MD, was awarded a $43.1 million small business set-aside contract by the same DHS office to protect two facilities in Suitland, MD, and one each in Seabrook and Camp Springs, MD.

Both contracts were issued by the Federal Protective Service.

The award to Vendtech envisions approximately 1,000,000 hours of basic service, 100,000 hours of “temporary additional service” and 40,000 hours of emergency security services, says the DHS award notice.

The agency intended to award a one-year base contract, with four one-year options to Vendtech.

“The required class of security guard services is Guard II, and the Government requires a mix of fixed and roving posts assignments, providing interior and exterior coverage, with some posts requiring 24/7 coverage,” explains the DHS notice.

Ohio school teacher arrested in Myrtle Beach for biting-fighting bouncers www.privateofficer.com

 

 

MYRTLE BEACH, SC Feb 22 2012 An Ohio middle school teacher has been charged with public intoxication and simple assault after two bouncers claimed she bit them while drunk early Sunday morning.

According to a police report from the Myrtle Beach Police Department, officers were dispatched around midnight to Shamrocks Sports Bar and Grill located at 2510 N. Kings Hwy in reference to an assault. When they arrived, one of the bouncers said Mia Misae Chiarella, 27, of Columbia, OH had been pushing and shoving her way through the bar and causing a disturbance.

The victim said as he was escorting her out of the bar, Chiarella bit him on the right side of his chest.

Officers then spoke with a second victim, who said he saw Chiarella bite the bouncer and went to help him get her out of the bar. Once they were outside, Chiarella allegedly bit the second victim on his left bicep. At that time, he told the bouncer to call 911 and Chiarella fled the scene, the report said.

She was described as a white female standing 5’4″ and weighing 110 pounds. She was wearing a gray shirt, blue jeans and sandals at the time of the incident. Officers were able to locate Chiarella who claimed she and her boyfriend had been in an argument and she was upset and mad.

She further told police when the victims escorted her out of the bar, she “just panicked and bit them to get them to leave her alone.”

Both victims positively identified Chiarella as the woman who bit them and she was arrested and charged with public intoxication and simple assault. According to the report, Chiarella is a middle school teacher, however, it is unknown at this time which school she teaches at.

The report said both victims had to receive medical attention for minor bite marks.

Louisville KY selects Steve Conrad as new police chief www.privateofficer.com

 

 

LOUISVILLE, KY Feb 22 2012 – Mayor Greg Fischer announced Tuesday that Steve Conrad will become the new chief of the Louisville Metro Police Department. He will be the second person to serve as chief of the merged department.

Conrad is a Louisville native who currently serves of chief of police in Glendale, AZ. Mayor Fischer’s office said Conrad earned accolades as a strong, steady and compassionate leader.

“Steve has deep knowledge of Louisville — its neighborhoods, its people, its history — but he also has an outsider’s perspective, having left his hometown to serve as chief in Glendale,” said Fischer. “He has a passion for law enforcement, for Louisville and for LMPD, which was evident from the time I spent with him in Arizona over the weekend and from the many Arizona citizens that I interviewed about him.”

Conrad said he was honored and humbled to be selected for the job.

“I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity to lead the Louisville Metro Police Department,” Conrad said. “It is an incredible organization filled with men and women who are willing to do what it takes to make our community safer. I am truly honored to have the opportunity to work with them again.”

Conrad began his career in 1980 as a patrol officer with the Louisville Division of Police. He patrolled the Portland, Russell, Shawnee and California neighborhoods. He rose through the ranks, eventually becoming assistant chief of LPD from 1997 to 1999.

During the administration of Mayor David Armstrong, Conrad was replaced as assistant chief and returned to his civil service rank of captain. But with the merger of the city of Louisville and Jefferson County governments in 2003, Conrad was named one of the first assistant chiefs of the new Louisville Metro Police Department. In that role, Conrad oversaw the day-to-day administration and helped develop the first budget for the newly merged department.

In 2005, Conrad became chief to 600 employees of the Glendale Police Department, which has an annual budget of $70 million.

Chief Conrad will spend Tuesday meeting with LMPD officers and leaders across Louisville. On Wednesday, he will meet with various community groups before returning to Arizona.

Conrad was among 16 people who applied for the chief’s position and one of the five finalists for the job. As LMPD chief, Conrad will be paid $165,000. He will begin his new duties on March 19.

Source: WAVE

Scanner app doesn’t prevent drug arrests www.privateofficer.com

 

 

LOUISVILLE, KY Feb 22 2012 – Metro Police stopped a car for expired registration plates in the 4400 block of Kurtz Ave. on Wednesday. When officers approached the vehicle they could hear Louisville Metro Police dispatches coming from the car, according to the arrest report.

Inside the car the officers found the passenger, 23-year-old Matthew W. Goodlett of Louisville, with a cell phone that had a police scanner application. Police say Goodlett was attempting to turn off the application and simultaneously hide a meth pipe and methamphetamine rock between the passenger door and seat when they approached the car.

The driver of the vehicle, 31-year-old James D. Jones of Radcliff, gave police consent to search the car and they discovered a clear bag of suspected meth along with meth pipes and items matching those needed to manufacture methamphetamines.

Both Goodlett and Jones were arrested and charged with manufacturing meth, possession of a controlled substance among other charges. Police say that both men have previous convictions for possession of a controlled substance.

Source:WAVE

Country group Sugarland’s attorney shifts blame in stage collapse on fans www.privateofficer.com

 

 

INDIANAPOLIS IN Feb 22 2012 (AP) – Fans who were killed and injured when stage rigging and sound equipment collapsed onto them as they awaited a Sugarland concert at the Indiana State Fair failed to take steps to ensure their own safety and are at least in part to blame for their injuries, the country duo’s attorneys said.

The statement, part of a Feb. 16 response to a civil suit filed by survivors and families of some of those killed, comes in sharp contrast to earlier statements by lead singer Jennifer Nettles and appears to be an attempt to cast blame elsewhere.

Calling the powerful winds that toppled the stage on Aug. 13 an “act of God,” Sugarland’s attorneys said fair officials and Mid-America Sound Corp. were responsible for the stage setup, and that the fans voluntarily assumed risk by attending the show.

“Some or all of the plaintiffs’ claimed injuries resulted from their own fault,” according to the band’s response. Sugarland attorney James H. Milstone did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment Tuesday.

Seven people died and 58 were injured in the crush beneath the metal rigging and concert sound equipment.

Nettles told The Associated Press in a statement issued through her manager two days after the collapse that she was “moved by the grief of those families who lost loved ones. Moved by the pain of those who were injured and the fear of their families. Moved by the great heroism as I watched so many brave Indianapolis fans actually run toward the stage to try and help lift and rescue those injured. Moved by the quickness and organization of the emergency workers who set up the triage and tended to the injured.”

Attorneys representing at least 20 law firms across Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky filed the complaint Nov. 22 in Marion Superior Court in Indianapolis alleging breach of reasonable care to the victims. The suit names as plaintiffs dozens of people injured and the families of some of those killed, and it seeks unspecified damages from Sugarland, producers, stage riggers and others associated with the show.

Jeff Stesiak, a South Bend attorney involved in the suit, said the band’s response was strange given the circumstances of the fans’ injuries.

“It’s unusual to put the blame on victims. The concert wasn’t canceled and they weren’t told to leave. I can’t imagine what the victims did to be at fault,” Stesiak said Tuesday. “They had a duty to warn fans. An open and obvious danger is more like walking along a road and seeing a downed power line and walking over it anyway. The storm wasn’t like that.”

Lawyers for the band are seeking a jury trial.

In a Jan. 16 deposition on a lawsuit against the company that built the stage rigging, Indiana State Fair Commission Executive Director Cindy Hoye testified that Sugarland resisted delaying the start of the concert despite threatening weather.

Hoye said a representative for a concert promotion company working with the fair twice approached Sugarland about the fair’s desire to delay the show. But Hoye said the band expressed concerns about how a delay would affect the time Nettles needed to warm up and complicate the band’s travel to its next show.

Sugarland tour manager Hellen Rollens told investigators with the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration that there was no discussion of delaying the show.

Earlier this month, Indiana regulators released a report saying Hoye and other fair officials were too slow to order an evacuation.

IOSHA fined the State Fair Commission $6,300 for failing to conduct proper safety evaluations of its concert venues. It also called the commission’s emergency plan inadequate.

The agency also cited Mid-America, the company that erected the stage rigging, and the union whose members worked on the structure for various workplace violations.

Iowa mother accused of getting toddler drunk www.privateofficer.com

 

 

IOWA CITY, IA Feb 22 2012 (KGAN/CNN) – Natasha Kriener is charged with getting her 22-month-old child drunk. Police said the toddler’s blood alcohol level was above the state’s legal limit.

According to police, the toddler’s father brought the child to the hospital the night of Feb. 15. He told doctors the child wouldn’t stop crying and could not keep a steady balance.

Doctors concluded the child had been given alcohol and had an alcohol blood level of .09.

Source: KGAN/CNN

Reward doubles for information on killer of Florida security officer www.privateofficer.com

 

PALM BEACH GARDENS Fla Feb 22 2012 — The reward has been doubled to $10,000 for information that leads to solving the murder of Jacques Novembre, a father of five and grandfather of 11, who was found beaten last summer behind Promenade Shopping Plaza.

“We’re getting closer. We need that one last tip,” said Gardens Police Chief Stephen Stepp.

Novembre, 61, was found unconscious by a police officer on patrol about 1 a.m. on July 14, behind the plaza on Alternate A1A. The tall, bespectacled Novembre never awoke. He died in Kindred Hospital in Riviera Beach on Sept. 29.

“It’s been very hard on all of us. We are waiting for answers,” said Novembre’s step-daughter Maryse. Her mother Ariane recently returned from a trip to Haiti to inform Novembre’s family of his death, she said.

Novembre, 61, of West Palm Beach, was a two-year employee of United K9 Security in West Palm Beach. He worked for another firm, Command Security in Delray Beach, two days a week.

“He was very popular among the workers at the plaza,” said Gardens Police Commander Laurie Van Deusen.

Customers at Swampgrass Willy’s Bar-B-Q in the plaza are still dropping off contributions to the Novembre family. A foot-tall plastic bottle is packed with change, as well as many $20 and $50 bills.

“People are very frustrated that no arrests have been made. People ask me about (Novembre) all the time,” said Tiffany Blitstein, who has worked in the restaurant for 16 years.

Gardens police say Novembre interrupted someone trying to steal a back-flow prevention device from behind the plaza, which is just north of Northlake Boulevard. The devices bring about $20 at a scrap metal dealer.

The murder weapon was a “blunt object.” Novembre’s nose was broken, and he suffered severe facial and skull fractures, police say.

Novembre was carrying a cellphone, 22 photos, a flashlight and prescription glasses when his body was found, according to the police report. His wallet was missing.

“I hope someone out there comes forward with information,” said Maryse.

Police ask anyone with information about the murder to call CrimeStoppers at (800) 458-8477. Callers remain anonymous.

Luck runs out for man accused of dealing drugs www.privateofficer.com

 

 

ALTOONA, Pa. Feb 22 2012 (AP) — A man accused of dealing drugs had his luck run out when he won $2,500 playing blackjack at a casino near Philadelphia.

Altoona police say 34-year-old Mateen Johnson was arrested Saturday because he had to produce identification to cash out his winnings at Philadelphia Park Racetrack & Casino in Bucks County. Casino officials learned Johnson was wanted for drug offenses in Altoona and called authorities.

The Altoona Mirror (http://bit.ly/AfbcNp ) reports Tuesday that Johnson told police he expected to be arrested soon and was trying to win enough at blackjack to make bail.

Online court records don’t list an attorney for Johnson, who was wanted on separate drug delivery charges filed last year.

Johnson remained in the Blair County Prison on Monday.

Police find 11 children living in Texas house -3 tied to their beds www.privateofficer.com

 

 

DAYTON, Texas Feb 22 2012– In a case police say is unlike anything they’ve ever seen before, 21 people – including at least 11 children – were found living in a single home in Liberty County.

Eight of those kids were found together in a dark bedroom at the back of the home. Police said three of them, including a 5-year-old blind girl, were tied to their beds.

Detectives said the 5-year-old’s mattress was filthy.

Though CPS took custody of the 11 children, police said as far as they knew Monday, no charges were filed against any of the adults in the home.

The adult residents told police they didn’t think there was anything wrong with tying the kids to the beds, because it was for their safety.

They said they sometimes tied the children up for two to three hours a day, and again at night.

Douglas Waller, a man who claims to be the biological father of one of the children, said he’s fighting to get custody of his 2-year-old daughter.

“It is very, very disturbing when you figure your daughter or son is safe with their grandmother, and come to find out they’re not,” Waller said. “I would like charges put down on them for abuse of children – child abuse.”

“This woman is supposed to be their caregiver, the one that loves them and cherishes them and she’s the one tying them up. It’s wrong. It’s just wrong,” Waller added. “It makes me want to grab ahold of somebody and just slap them.”

Waller said he’s most bothered by the idea of his child being tied up on a bed.

“None of them should be allowed to be returned to that house, none of the children,” Waller said. “When you injure a child, whether it be physical or emotional, it scars them for life. And that’s something they’re going to have to have time to get over, and sometimes it takes a long time.”

KHOU 11 News attempted to contact the Liberty County District Attorney’s Office about the case, but they were closed for Presidents Day on Monday.

Long Island pharmacy using DNA deterrent to robberies www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Uniondale NY Feb. 22 2012–A small Uniondale pharmacy Thursday became the first such store on Long Island to get a DNA deterrent to robberies.

At a news conference outside the Uniondale Chemists drugstore, state Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City) touted the device as a way to apprehend and deter criminals who steal synthetic opiates and other prescription drugs.

The device hangs above the store’s front door, and is activated by an employee from behind a counter. When the robber passes underneath, a motion sensor triggers a spray containing plant DNA.

The indelible fluorescent mist is made visible by a special light, and the “presence of the marker provides forensic evidence” of the linkage to the crime, according to the manufacturer, Applied DNA Sciences of Stony Brook.

On Long Island, the system so far has been installed only at Gold Coast Bank sites in Suffolk, according to the company.

“In light of the increasing number of pharmacy robberies, some of which have resulted in murders, many business owners are anxious to make their premises as secure and safe for themselves and their customers as possible,” said Hannon, who as chairman of the Senate’s health committee is pushing for a statewide plan to combat prescription drug abuse.

“Shootings at a Medford pharmacy left four dead last Father’s Day, while off-duty ATF agent John Capano was shot accidentally on New Year’s Eve while trying to stop a robbery at a Seaford pharmacy.

Donald Cantalino, owner of the Uniondale drugstore, said store owners and workers are increasingly concerned about coming to work.

“And I don’t want to have to work from behind bulletproof glass, which is very impersonal,” Cantalino said. “I think this [device] can make a difference.”

James Hayward, chief operating officer of Applied DNA, noted that signs warning that “intruders will be marked, traced and convicted,” on doors and windows also act as deterrents.

The system device costs about $2,200 with installation and, after the first year, an additional $1,000 a year.

Freehold Raceway Mall security leads police to drug arrests www.privateofficer.com

 

 

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP NJ Feb 22 2012 — Three young men were arrested and charged with drug-related offenses on Feb. 14 at the Freehold Raceway Mall.

According to Freehold Township police Sgt. Jerry Kiwit, police received a call at 1:57 p.m. from mall security personnel who reported seeing individuals at the mall who they believed were acting in a suspicious manner.

Kiwit said Freehold Township police officers responded to the mall and located Evan Franco, 20, of Freehold Township, Brent Liebner, 23, whose last known address was in Colts Neck, and Andrew Oksman, 19, of Freehold Township. He said all three young men are single and unemployed.

Upon further investigation, Sgt. Scott Keenan and Police Officer James Kolis determined that Franco was in possession of four decks (packets of narcotics) of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS) believed to be heroin, and drug paraphernalia, including a hypodermic syringe without a valid medical use.

Franco was charged with possession of CDS and being under the influence of a CDS. He was placed in the Monmouth County jail, Freehold Township, in default of $6,000 bail.

The police officers determined that Liebner was in possession of 23 decks of CDS believed to be heroin. He was charged with possession of CDS and being under the influence of a CDS. Liebner was placed in the Monmouth County jail in default of $6,000 bail .

The police officers determined that Oksman was in possession of drug paraphernalia, a pipe. He was charged with being under the influence of a CDS and possession of drug paraphernalia. Oksman was processed and released.

Source: News Transcript

Man critical after stabbing at Rochester nightclub www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Rochester NY Feb 22 2012  Police Tuesday released the name of the man who was seriously injured in a fight outside a city nightclub Monday morning.

Siaquan Moore, 21, of Rochester was stabbed at least three times in the upper torso outside Venu, 151 St. Paul St., about 1:15 a.m., said Rochester Police Officer Stephen Scott.
Moore was inside Venu when the fight started. He and several others were was pushed outside by club security, Scott said.
The fight resumed outside and Moore was stabbed. Security officers brought the injured Moore back inside Venu to wait for an ambulance, Scott said.
He was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital with serious injuries. He underwent surgery and was listed in guarded condition Tuesday, Scott said.
Officers said it was not clear what led to the fight. Officers are investigating.
Anyone with information about the stabbing is asked to call (585) 428-9810.

Source:Democrat and Chronicle

Boyd County KY women facing 86 felonies for fake prescriptions scheme www.privateofficer.com

 

 

BOYD COUNTY, KY Feb 22 2012 – A Boyd County woman has been charged with 86 felonies after state police say she obtained fake prescriptions.

49 year-old Donnessa McCarty was arrested last Tuesday. Police say McCarty has worked at an Ashland doctor’s office since May of 2010.

During that time police say she would pose as another employee to call in Hydrocodone prescriptions for herself to local pharmacies.

Source: WAVE

Polk County Sheriff’s employee charged with having sex with teen www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Polk County Fla Feb 22 2012 A 33-year-old Lakeland woman quit her job with the Polk County Sheriff’s office after she was accused of having sex with a teen boy during a two- month period.

Lisa M. Goepferich, a payroll specialist, is accused of having sex with a 17-year-old boy she met through a friend in December.

They had sex three to five times and both admitted that Goepferich knew the boy’s age, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said.

She was arrested Monday evening on three charges of unlawful sexual activity with a minor

Goepferich was hired by the Sheriff’s Office in June 1995 as a file clerk in human resources. The Sheriff’s Office said she eventually transferred to a department called fiscal services, where her most recent job title was payroll specialist.

North LasVegas man tries to commit suicide after crash www.privateofficer.com

 

 

North Las Vegas NV Feb 22 2012 A man might have been driving to the desert to commit suicide when he got into a wreck then shot himself in the head as he sat in his crashed car, North Las Vegas Police said.

It appears the man tried to kill himself Monday morning after a two-car accident near the Las Vegas Beltway and Losee Road, police said.

The Nevada Highway Patrol and North Las Vegas Police responded to the crash, which happened about 7 a.m. in the north part of the valley.

Authorities said it appears a PT Cruiser was headed north on Losee Road and ran a red light, colliding with a Toyota Prius going east on the Las Vegas Beltway. Responding officers found the driver of the PT Cruiser with a gunshot wound to the head, officials said.

North Las Vegas Police spokesman Tim Bedwell said, based on evidence and witness statements, investigators concluded the man tried to commit suicide after the crash.

Investigators believe the man may have planned to commit suicide in a desert area north of the accident site, he said.

Police said he was the only person in the car and a weapon was found near him.

The man was transported to University Medical Center in critical condition, authorities said.

The occupants of the other car suffered minor injuries.

Source:las vegas sun

Museum of Science security -Mass. State Police chase suspect in auto burglaries www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Boston MA Feb 22 2012 A Lowell man suspected in several break-ins at the Museum of Science parking garage was arrested – and briefly hospitalized – after leading State Police troopers on a chase and then suffering from symptoms of an apparent drug overdose.

Ryan T. Parrott, 24, will be charged with disorderly conduct and charges stemming from two outstanding warrants, State Police said. The parking garage break-ins remain under investigation.

Shortly before 11 a.m., security officers at the Museum of Science in Cambridge called State Police to report that they were chasing a man they suspected was breaking into several cars in the garage. State Police Lieutenant Eric Anderson, who was working a detail near the museum’s entrance, spotted Parrott on the second floor of the garage and began to chase him on foot.

Troopers chased Parrott as he ran across Monsignor O’Brien Highway, behind the Museum Towers condos and into a Department of Conservation and Recreation labor yard. After a brief struggle, Parrott was arrested. State Police said Parrott then began to suffer a medical emergency.

“He began to have labored breathing and slumped over. Based on the troopers’s experience, they determined that he appeared to be suffering from symptoms of a drug overdose,” State Police spokesman David Procopio said. “The troopers called Cambridge EMS to respond and took the handcuffs off of him. He did not lose consciousness, but it was obvious he was in pain, so he was transported to MGH.”

In a statement, State Police said Parrott “made statements relative to heroin use.”

Troopers recovered a plastic shopping bag and a black backpack Parrott dropped during the pursuit. Between the two bags and Parrott’s wallet, troopers found a number of gift cards, credit cards, IDs for another man, a Nintendo DS, and an iPod. Procopio said the iPod contained thousands of pictures of another man with a family.

Parrott was treated at Massachusetts General Hospital and released, Procopio said. He is being held without bail and is due to be arraigned in Cambridge District Court today or tomorrow.

Source:boston.com

Georgia men arrested after stabbing Lowe’s security agent during shoplifting www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Warner Robins GA Feb 22 2012 Two men face aggravated assault and felony shoplifting charges after allegedly stabbing a Lowes’ security guard in the chest.

Warner Robins police spokeswoman Tabitha Pugh says 58-year-old Alfred Thomas and 62-year-old Robert Broady, both of Macon, were arrested Friday.

According to police, security guards saw the men shoplifting from the Lowes on Watson Boulevard on Feb. 7.

When officers tried to stop them, Pugh says, one of them stabbed an officer in the chest.

She says the officer’s injuries were not life threatening.

Thomas and Broady are being held in the Houston County jail without bond. Both are charged with aggravated assault and felony shoplifting.

Pugh says more charges are pending.

Illinois men charged with videotaping inside Walmart -fighting with security www.privateofficer.com

 

 

 

Evergreen Park IL Feb 22 2012 After two men were caught videotaping inside Walmart and asked to leave by security, one of them challenged the guards to a fight while the other videotaped it, according to reports.

Evergreen Park police charged Robert E. Menzies Jr., 21, of Chicago, with two counts of battery and criminal trespass to property. Eric L. Wilson, 19, of Chicago, was also charged with criminal trespass to property, police said.

Just before 5 p.m. Jan. 16, police said the two men were seen videotaping by the entrance, and store security told them to stop and leave several times. Once Menzies got outside, he became belligerent, police said, and yelled at two Walmart employees. “He took off his shirt and challenged one of Walmart’s security agents to a fight,” police said. When police took Menzies into custody, he started swinging at officers while Wilson filmed the incident, according to reports.

According to reports, Wilson took off and ran into Sam’s Club next door. Police said they found and took him into custody. He was positively identified by Walmart witnesses, according to police.

Police report information is provided by the Evergreen Park Police Department and other law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.

New research shows employee theft costing US businesses $200 billion a year www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Atlanta GA Feb 22 2012

According to new research, employee theft is costing U.S. businesses about $200 billion a year, 40 percent of which can be attributed to the practice of sweethearting.

The study, which surveyed 800 service employees and customers in a variety of businesses, found that a majority of respondents (67 percent) had taken part in sweethearting in the past two months and that many employees were motivated by the prospect of receiving better tips and similar deals at the customer’s place of business, according to a statement issued by Michigan State University.

“I was surprised by how pervasive this behavior was across a wide range of service industries,” said Clay Voorhees, a marketing expert at MSU who co-authored the study with Michael Brady and Michael Brusco of Florida State University. “I fully expected to see this behavior in bars and restaurants, but I was surprised at how prevalent it was in industries like retail, sports and recreation, and even with insurance claims.”

Voorhees said that one of the best ways to combat this practice would be through a better screening process for job candidates.

“Our results show that by adding a few screening questions that focus on the potential employee’s risk-taking, ethics and need for social acceptance, employers could identify ‘bad apples’ up front and simply avoid hiring them,” he explained. “In the long run, this approach would address the issue.”

The study will appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Marketing.

Former Cobb County church volunteer jailed on child molestation charges www.privateofficer.com

 

 

 

Cobb County GA Feb 22 2012 A former Cobb County church volunteer jailed on child molestation charges now faces additional allegations, jail records show.

Cesar Pastrana, 25, of Kennesaw, was charged Monday with three counts of sodomy and an additional charge of molestation, according to Cobb County Jail records.

The latest charges are in addition to the two counts each of aggravated child molestation and child molestation, all felonies, that Pastrana already faces. Pastrana allegedly had inappropriate contact with students while volunteering at NorthStar Church in Acworth, police have said.

At the time of his arrest, Pastrana allegedly had touched a juvenile at a Feb. 3 lock-in held at a private home in Acworth, Sgt. Dana Pierce with Cobb County Police said. Investigators also discovered that two other juveniles were victimized at a private residence in late December 2010 to early January 2011 in unincorporated Cobb County, Pierce said.

Pastrana allegedly also physically injured a 14-year-old boy while molesting him last fall, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the AJC. The warrant said the crime occurred at an address that corresponds to Pastrana’s Spangle Court home.

Two years ago, Pastrana was banned from volunteering at Barber Middle School, said police, who declined along with school officials to discuss the circumstances surrounding the school’s actions.

Monday night, Pastrana remained in the Cobb jail, where he was being held without bond.

Anyone with information about possible crimes involving Pastrana is asked to contact either Cobb County or Acworth police.

 

NM college student who took a pumpkin found guilty of shoplifting www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Torrance County NM Feb 22 2012 A college student who took a pumpkin from McCall’s Pumpkin Patch in Moriarty was found guilty Tuesday of shoplifting.

Lauren Medina will have to serve 40 hours of community service and will have to pay court costs.

The judge deferred her sentence – meaning that if she successfully carries out that sentence, her conviction will be wiped from her record.

Medina, a 22-year-old college student, told us she grabbed a tiny pumpkin from a display at McCall’s Pumpkin Patch in Moriarty after attending the haunted house in October.

Medina told us she didn’t know the pumpkin was for sale and said she offered to pay for after she found out.

The Torrance County Sheriff’s Office said it is pursuing the case because a law was broken and if it is not enforced, more people will break them.

McCall’s Pumpkin Patch owner Kevin McCall told us he felt “violated” by the theft.

South Brunswick NJ Target store security nab 14 shoplifters in crackdown www.privateofficer.com

 

South Brunswick NJ Feb 22 2012 Fourteen individuals were charged with shoplifting at the Target department store on Route 1 over the last month. South Brunswick Police said the store initiated an aggressive plan to crackdown on thefts of merchandise.

The individuals are accused of offenses that included placing items under a baby seat, and attempting to take a shopping cart full of merchandise out of the store, according to police.

In each case, the suspect was arrested, transported to police headquarters, fingerprinted and photographed, police said.

The following people were charged with shoplifting at Target over the last month:

•Jonarose Valmores, 19, of South Brunswick, charged on Feb. 20 with stealing cosmetics valued at $92
•Jalen Crockett, 19, male, of South Plainfield, charged on Feb. 15 with stealing $50 of YU-GI-OH trading cards
•Roland Deriggs, 21, of Piscataway, charged on Feb. 15 with stealing $50 of YU-GI-OH trading cards
•Three 16-year-old South Brunswick males were charged on Feb. 13 with stealing skull candy headphones valued at $100
•Christopher Coffman, 20, of Old Bridge, charged on Feb. 9 with stealing two DVD players valued at $200
•Christina Baader, 22, of Franklin, charged on Feb. 6 with stealing clothing valued at $70
•Mecheka Miranda, 21, of South Brunswick, charged on Jan. 31 with stealing clothing valued at $320
•Lisa Shyken, 40, of Hillsborough, charged with stealing $1,800 of clothing and household items on Jan. 29
•Brian Figueroa, 37, of East Brunswick, charged on Jan. 24 with stealing a television valued at $300
•Robin Day, 37, of South Brunswick, charged on Jan. 24 for stealing food valued at $110
•Takara Agosto, 22, of South Brunswick, charged on Jan. 17 with stealing nail polish and clothing valued at $25
•Barbara Wegner, 55, of South Brunswick, charged on Jan. 15 with stealing clothing valued at $300
Each person charged for shoplifting was released on a summons pending his or her first court appearance. If convicted, the individuals face up to a $1,000 fine, or the store may civilly fine them up to $500, police said.

A second shoplifting offense could carry a sentence of 30 days in jail, and a third offense carries a mandatory 90 days in jail.

Watertown NY disables security cameras at Walmart during shoplifting www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Watertown NY Feb 22 2012 A Watertown man faces several charges after he allegedly disabled security cameras before attempting to shoplift at Wal-mart in the town of LeRay.

State police say 23 year old Michael Desormeau was stopped by store security several times between February 8 and February 17 after allegedly disabling the security devices, but before he had a chance to steal anything.

Desormeau was charged with four counts of attempted petit larceny, three counts of fourth degree criminal mischief and one count of criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument.

Police say he was also charged with violating parole.

Desormeau was arraigned in LeRay town court and sent to Jefferson County jail on $10,000 bail for the criminal charges and no bail for the parole violation.

Source:fox28

Three ex-officers Jackson Police officers accused of accepting bribes www.privateofficer.com

 

 

JACKSON, Miss.Feb 22 2012 — Three ex-officers of the Jackson Police Department are accused of accepting bribes to protect what they believed were drug transactions, federal authorities said Tuesday.

U.S. Attorney John Dowdy and FBI Special Agent in Charge Daniel McMullen said Monyette Q. Jefferson, 27, Terence D. Jenkins, and Anthony R. Payne Jr., both 25, were arrested following an undercover drug operation.

According to Dowdy’s office, an undercover FBI operative met on June 25, 2010, with Jefferson and Payne to discuss their protection of a cocaine shipment en route to Jackson.

Later that day, Jefferson helped the agent remove four suitcases — that he believed contained cocaine — from an airplane at Hawkins Field Airport and put them into the agent’s car, authorities said.

Jefferson was paid $6,000 for his protection, Dowdy said.

Also on that day, Jenkins is accused of providing protection for what he believed was a drug transaction of about 20 kilos of cocaine between two undercover officers in the airport’s parking lot. Jenkins was paid $5,000 for protecting that transaction and for escorting the agent from the airport to Interstate 20, authorities allege.

Another undercover FBI officer arrived at the airport later that day. He simulated the purchase of about 20 kilos of cocaine from the first undercover officer in the presence of Payne and Jefferson. Payne was paid $5,000 for his protection and then provided further protection by following the third undercover person from the airport to the Hanging Moss Road area, Dowdy’s office said.

In each instance, the officers were either in uniform or driving their patrol car.

Assistant Police Chief Lee Vance said Payne resigned in 2010, while Jefferson and Jenkins are no longer on the force as of Tuesday. He would not comment further on whether they may have resigned or been fired.

“It is a reprehensible crime for a police officer to betray the badge,” Dowdy said in a news release. “If a police officer chooses to side with criminals they have sworn to protect the public from, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The overwhelming majority of men and women who strap on a badge every day and put their lives on the line are dedicated and honorable.”

Officials said Jenkins and Payne were released after posting $10,000 bond. Jefferson remained in custody.

Source: WTW