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Two Kmart store security officers shot www.privateofficer.com
Roseville MI March 30 2012 Two Kmart store security officers were shot and injured Monday evening when a suspected shoplifter shot at them, the bullet hit the floor and fragments struck them, according to Roseville police.
The incident occurred about 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Kmart Super Center on Frazho Road. Police said in a news release that loss prevention agents at the store saw the man remove security tags from a Blu-ray player, DVDs and other electronic devices.
He concealed them in a hoodie and was exiting the store when the employees approached him and attempted to take him into custody, the release said.
The man fought the employees, pulled a revolver from his pants and fired one round at the store security officers, the release said.
Both employees had minor injuries from shrapnel and were treated at a local hospital.
The suspected shoplifter ran to a waiting Chrysler Sebring driven by a woman, the release said. She sped off, and officers spotted the car traveling on westbound I-94 at 10 Mile.
According to the release, the woman refused to pull over and led officers on a high-speed chase. She then stopped the car in the area of Harper and I-94, and the man got out and ran. Police used tracking dogs but were unable to find the man.
The woman was arrested and has been identified as Javon Nicole McCoy, 33, of Detroit, and she was charged Tuesday in 39th District Court with armed robbery, fourth-degree fleeing and eluding police and second-degree retail fraud, said Roseville Deputy Police Chief James Berlin.
If convicted of armed robbery, she faces life in prison. McCoy is at the Macomb County Jail on a $250,000 bond and scheduled to appear in court April 4 for a probable cause hearing.
Anyone who knows the man’s identity is asked to call Roseville police at 586-447-4483.
Brunswick NC detention officer arrested on felony drug charges www.privateofficer.com
BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC March 30 2012 – A former part-time detention offer who worked for the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office has been charged with felony possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to sheriff’s officials.
Authorities say 56-year-old Bryan Marshburn, of the 50 block of Burton Road in Southport, was charged Wednesday, and was immediately terminated from his position.
Officials say Marshburn also worked for the City of Boiling Spring Lakes. He apparently worked with Animal Control and Security for the city for about two years.
He is currently being held under a $5,000 bond.
Marshburn began working for the county in June of last year.
Pasadena police arrest 911 caller, alleging his fabrication led to the shooting www.privateofficer.com
Pasadena CA March 30 2012 The investigation into a controversial police killing of a college student last weekend took a dramatic twist Wednesday when Pasadena authorities arrested a 911 caller, alleging his fabrication led to the shooting.
An officer shot 19-year-old Kendrec McDade on a narrow street in the city’s Northwest district about 11 p.m. Saturday.
Police were dispatched to the scene after a man, identified as Oscar Carrillo, called 911. He said two armed men had stolen his laptop computer and backpack as he was buying tacos at a stand on Orange Grove Boulevard.
But on Wednesday, officials said that Carrillo, 26, lied to police about the existence of a gun and that detectives now believe neither McDade nor the other person were armed.
Carrillo was arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter. “Mr. Carrillo emphatically indicated a gun was involved … that is very important. It sets the platform for the mind-set of the responding officers,”
Pasadena Police Chief Phillip Sanchez said at a news conference Wednesday. On a 911 tape released by police, Carrillo is heard saying first that one of the suspects had a gun and later that both were armed.
Here is an excerpt: “Two guys … just put a gun in my face,” the caller said. “It was two guys…. Oh my God.” The dispatcher asked for details about the attackers and in which direction they fled. “Did they have any weapons?” the dispatcher asked.
”Yeah, they have a gun,” the caller responded. “Do you remember anything about the gun?” the dispatcher asked.
“Both have a gun, man,” the man said. “They run away from me.” Sanchez said that after more interviews, Carrillo admitted to detectives that he lied about the gun.
But Sanchez said a security camera video shows that the two young men were involved in the theft of a backpack from Carrillo’s car. Sanchez alleged that McDade was a lookout in the theft.
The officer who fired was sitting on the driver’s side of his cruiser. He shot McDade after the teenager allegedly made a motion toward his waistband, Pasadena police Lt. Phlunte Riddle said.
The officer used the cruiser to block McDade’s path, she said.
”It was close range less than 10 feet,” she said. A second officer, who was chasing McDade on foot, also opened fire, “fearing for [the] other officer’s safety,” Riddle said.
McDade, a football standout at Azusa High School who attended Citrus College, died of his injuries at Huntington Memorial Hospital. Police spent the next two days looking for a gun or the stolen laptop computer, but said they found neither.
The case has generated concern on the part of the American Civil Liberties Union as well as the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People. Seeking to appease those and other community concerns, Pasadena police asked the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Office of Independent Review to investigate the shooting.
Police officials have declined so far to release the officers’ names. The department has also put a security hold on McDade’s autopsy report. “There is a great number of questions unanswered here…. The bottom line is this young man was not armed when he was shot dead.
The underlying question is they said he is an armed robbery suspect, but they never recovered a gun,” said Earl Ofari Hutchinson, of Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, before the chief’s news conference. “He is not a gangbanger or a drug dealer.”
The shooting occurred in a neighborhood where tensions between African American residents and police have surfaced. McDade was African American.
Police did not reveal the race of the officers. Those who knew McDade said they cannot believe what happened. “He was a good kid who was never in trouble, never got suspended from school or anything like that,” said Joe Scherf, head football coach at Azusa High.
“His mother was always behind him, making sure he was doing the right thing.
I remember she pulled him out of practice when he got a really bad grade.” Sanchez began his news conference Wednesday by saying that the shooting was a “tragedy for the McDade family, the City of Pasadena and police officers.”
Source:LA Times
SC deputy sheriff K-9 team brings smiles and cheer www.privateofficer.com
COLUMBIA, SC MRCH 30 2012 - When it comes to making the best of a bad situation, it’s tough to find a better team than Sgt. Lewis Marshall and his K-9 partner Lucky.
Only Lucky isn’t what you think of when you think of a deputy dog.
He’s a standard poodle.
“I said, ‘Tell you what, there’ll be no pink bows in his head, and his toenails won’t have to be painted. He’ll have to go like he is,’” Marshall said.
That’s good enough for the kids he sees on a weekly basis at Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital. Some are at the hospital for a few hours and others are there for weeks.
“When you first meet someone with him, his size does intimidate,” said Marshall.
But therapy training and tricks go a long way for a very large dog.
“By the time we leave, they’ve forgotten all about the pain,” Marshall said.
Marshall has combined a career in law enforcement with a lifelong passion for dogs. When you throw in his sense of humor, it’s easy to see why the staff also look forward to his visits.
But as much fun as he has, the job, inherently, can be rough.
“You go see these people, they become personal friends, and then some of them don’t make it,” Marshall said. “The kids, that tears me up when I get there and so-and-so’s gone.”
Moments of grief are easily outweighed by tender moments when the pain pauses.
“When he comes in, it’s out of this world to watch them,” Marshall said. “It really is.”
Source:WIS
Virginia Beach couple arrested accused of embezzleing millions from the wife’s employer www.privateofficer.com
NORFOLK, Va. March 30 2012 - A Virginia Beach couple has been arrested following accusations they embezzled millions from the wife’s employer.
Terri Lynn Nagy-Phillips, 41, and Craig Phillips, 42, both of Portsmouth, Va, are facing charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and mail fraud.
Last year, Continental Realty Service contacted the police department’s Economic Crime Unit to report that an employee had been embezzling money. According to the company, between January 2007 and October 2011 nearly $3 million was stolen from business accounts.
Based on an investigation by Virginia Beach police, a search warrant was executed on the couple’s Portsmouth home.
Teri was employed by Continental Realty Service. During their search, police say they recovered “substantial property linked to this embezzlement”.
Police also searched a warehouse storage facility in the 400 block of London Bridge Road in Virginia Beach.
According to police, the recovered items included; seven luxury vehicles, jewelry, a Harley Davidson motorcycle and a transport trailer.
According to Commonwealth’s Attorney Neil MacBride, the couple made over $450,000 in fraudulent charges on a company credit card, including airfare and jewelry from a store located in the Caribbean.
Terri also allegedly wrote herself checks from her employer’s account, depositing the amounts into her and her husband’s bank account.
Source:WAVY.com
Private citizens may aid State Police to keep tabs on registered sex offenders www.privateofficer.com
Currently, State Police physically check the home and work addresses of registered sex offenders for compliance. But under a proposal in the new budget plan, 40 civilians would join their ranks, assisting them with the task.
“Once hired, the individuals will attend a two week training session to prepare them to assist our existing troopers in the Sex Offender Investigative Unit,” said Corinne Geller, spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police.
The civilians picked for patrol would also undergo an extensive background check.
In Hampton Roads, 10 troopers watch over more than 1,700 registered sex offenders. The plan would free up a number of troopers statewide for road patrols and other duties.
Mary Devoy, executive director of Reform Sex Offender Laws of Virginia , wants the more experienced state troopers to continue their watch.
“What we don’t want to see is ‘rent-a-cops’ who have had their 20 hours of training and a chip on their shoulder against those who bear the label sex offender,” Devoy explained.
If approved, civilian employees could start as soon as July. They would not be allowed to carry weapons but would get a vehicle to use.
Source: WAVY
Archbishop Chapelle High School teachaer accused of sex offense www.privateofficer.com
Jeannine Seoane was placed on leave, according to McDonald. School officials did not confirm whether student went to Chapelle.
“This was in response to parental concerns reported to the school administration,” said a statement from McDonald. “Please know that as soon as we were made aware of these concerns, we contacted both officials with the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.”
McDonald added that officials are cooperating fully with the investigation.
ACLU warns tread lightly in “Virtual Character Checks” www.privateofficer.com
Washington DC March 30 2012 Recent reports that some employers are asking job applicants for access to their social networks during the hiring process have raised questions about the legal liability of such practice.
This growing controversy is also at the center of proposed legislation in at least two states — Illinois and Maryland — that would ban government agencies from seeking social network access from their potential employees.
Civil rights groups are also questioning the legality of such practice. This week, the Virginia office of American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sent a letter to Virginia State Police, warning that it may be violating federal law by asking trooper applicants to access their social networks during the vetting process.
“Absent a concrete reason to believe that a potential employee is engaged in wrongdoing of which his Facebook account is likely to contain evidence, these communications are simply none of the Virginia State Police’s business,” according to the letter ACLU sent.
But the state police say reviewing applicants’ social media sites is “a necessary part of the overall background investigation process” and that such a comprehensive vetting process is needed to better serve and protect its citizens.
“Providing Virginia’s citizens with the highest quality and caliber of state troopers requires a comprehensive vetting process. The Virginia State Police is a unique public agency in the services it provides; therefore, in today’s society, the virtual character check is just as important as the ‘physical’ character check,” state police spokesperson Corinne Geller told Insurance Journal
We feel our investigative background process is necessary and appropriate for the job our applicants are expected to do and the authority granted to such individuals upon being hired on to the Virginia State Police.” She also said that if a person should refuse to sign the waiver, then the process is stopped and the application is taken under review — in the context of the entire application process.
“State police received the ACLU’s letter Tuesday. It’s being evaluated and we will respond back to the ACLU as appropriate. In the meantime, we will continue our existing hiring practices,” Geller said.
At Virginia State Police, the social-media component of its background investigation process for trooper applicants went into effect January 2012. So far, no one has refused a background investigator access to his/her social media sites, according to the state police. “No one, to date, has been refused employment resulting from content featured on his/her social media site.”
With the rising popularity and usage of social media, it became a necessary part of the overall background investigation process, according to the Virginia State Police.
Geller explained that the background investigation for applicants starts with a one-on-one meeting with applicant investigator. At the end of the interview, the applicant is provided a waiver to sign and date that allows the applicant investigator to review that individual’s social media sites.
The waiver also requires the applicant to list all social media sites he/she subscribes to. The applicant investigator hands the applicant a state police laptop and is asked to log on to those sites for the background investigator to review. The investigator does not ask for the applicant’s passwords.
“There has been much discussion among public safety organizations and the International Association of Chiefs of Police — of which Virginia State Police is a member — of how to address the role and importance of social media in the vetting process for future law enforcement professionals,” the spokesperson said.
“State police has followed the same course many other law enforcement agencies have implemented nationwide.”
Northern Virginia police arrest violent gang forcing high school girls to prostitute www.privateofficer.com
The defendants, most of whom were arrested overnight, were scheduled to appear in federal court Friday afternoon in Alexandria, Va., on charges that include underage sex trafficking.
The alleged ringleader is identified in court documents as Justin Strom, 26, of Lorton, Va., a suburb of Washington. He is described as the Fairfax County, Va., leader of the Underground Gangster Crips. The arrests of the five alleged members of the gang follow six other arrests of members of the gang in the past year and a half, officials said.
The investigation began in September 2011, but an affidavit lists alleged crimes by the reputed gang members dating back to 2006.
Officials from the U.S. attorney’s office, the Virginia attorney general’s office and others said Strom and his associates recruited high school girls to work for them as prostitutes and vowed violence if they tried to leave.
Authorities identified at least 10 high school girls between 16 and 18 years of age who were recruited.
The amounts of money involved were generally small, with prostitutes often receiving $50 for performing sexual acts.
Authorities arrested Michael Jefferies, 21, of Woodbridge on Wednesday night. Police said he handled the money.
They arrested Strom and Henock Ghile, 23, of Springfield early Thursday. Ghile transported the girls, police said.
Donyel Dove, an alleged bodyguard and driver, was arrested on March 24 in Warren County on separate charges, police said.
The fifth man, Christopher Sylvia, 22, of Springfield, Va., was arrested on March 8 as a driver in the sex trafficking conspiracy, police said.
Chicago school security guard questioned about Facebook gang postings www.privateofficer.com
Chicago IL March 30 2012 - Ramon Bedolla works security at Chicago’s Little Village High School, in the heart of one of Chicago’s most violent neighborhoods.
That’s why we wanted to ask him about his Facebook page. It’s packed with references to gang banging, threats against rival gangs, and numerous references slamming cops.
That sort of behavior is not what’s usually expected from a guy getting paid with tax dollars to protect children.
Placko: “Are you a gang member?”
Bedolla: “I don’t have to answer that.”
Placko: “Excuse me?
Bedolla: “I ain’t answering that.”
Placko: “You’re not answering that?”
Placko: “What do you mean here when you wrote ‘ya finballs better look out we gon’ be hittin ya n-words hard,’ What is that?”
Bedolla: “I ain’t answering no questions.”
Placko: “Is it appropriate to be putting this kind of stuff on the internet when you work at Chicago Public Schools?”
Bedolla: The cops, they ain’t doing their jobs anyway.”
Placko: “Not doing their jobs, what do you mean?”
Bedolla: Letting everybody get away with sh**.”
Neighborhood sources said “finballs” is a reference to the Latin Kings gang. Bedolla lists a rival gang, “Two-Six,” as a “like” on his Facebook page. He also talks about wearing black and beige, the “Two-Six” colors.
However, friends of Bedolla said it’s just Facebook, and it doesn’t mean anything.
“That’s Facebook! Everybody puts stupid sh** on Facebook!” Jennifer Salgado, a lifelong friend of Bedolla’s said.
Last week Salgado’s brother Ramon, nicknamed “Munchie,” was killed in a Little Village alley due to an escalating gang war. You can still see the bullet hole in a garage door.
Salgado said her brother and Bedolla were best friends. She defends his Facebook threats as nothing more than pain and frustration.
“He’s a good kid. I’ve known him since we were young,” Salgado said. “Everything’s gang material around here, everything. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s not a teacher that’s a gang member.”
Bedolla has been arrested twice by Chicago police, including back in 2009 after a gang fight. During that arrest he allegedly told officers he was a “Two-Six” member.
A Chicago Public Schools spokesperson said Bedolla is not actually a security guard, but part of the community watch program. He was hired by a security company that has a contract with CPS. The district said in a statement:
“The behaviors demonstrated here are not to be tolerated and upon becoming aware of this, the contractor has moved to immediately terminate this individual.”
Source:Fox Chicago
Georgia security guard involved in shooting was unlicensed with expired gun permit www.privateofficer.com
Ervin Jefferson, 18, was with his mother and sister when the family pulled into their driveway off Pleasantwood Drive and noticed two vehicles parked in front.
Inside one car were four females out to settle a score with Jefferson’s 17-year-old sister, Precious, DeKalb County police said.
Jefferson’s mother, Candy Grimes, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution her son went over to investigate. Within seconds, he was felled by a single gunshot to the torso by Curtis Scott, who claimed Jefferson approached him in an aggressive manner.
DeKalb Public Safety Director William Miller said the 18-year-old “possibly threatened to kill” the guard. Scott has not been charged in the shooting, but police are still investigating.
Among other unanswered questions: Why did Scott, accompanied by fellow security guard Gary Jackson, feel compelled to leave The Village at Wesley Chapel Apartments to investigate a car parked several hundred yards away?
Scott and Jackson work for Shepperson Security & Escort, Kennesaw. Shepperson officials did not respond to requests for comment.
Ben Maner, owner of Guardian Protection Services in Atlanta, said, “I tell my people if they’re on the property to stay on the property.
Unless it’s something like a murder or rape, it’s not your place to intervene. That’s not your job.” Maner said it was also unusual for the guards to be armed, considering where they worked.
Usually, he said, if apartment complexes feel the need for armed security, they’ll look to law enforcement personnel, offering them a rent-free residency in exchange for protecting the property. It’s unclear whether The Village at Wesley Chapel wanted armed guards.
A leasing officer referred questions to Jamco Properties, the property manager. Officials with Jamco have not responded to repeated calls seeking comment. Shepperson, which hired Scott and Jackson, has a current state license to operate.
But according to the Secretary of State’s Office, there is no record of Jackson, 26, being certified to work as a guard. The two men have been released from DeKalb jail, where they were being held on charges of impersonating a police officer.
Scott and Jackson illegally detained the young women in the “suspecious vehicle,” police said. Jefferson’s stepfather, Bobby Hubbard Jr., 35, was also arrested. He was charged with reckless conduct and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Police said he fired at the guards after Jefferson was shot.
Jefferson’s mother said her son’s funeral is set for Saturday, and she hopes by then police will charge Scott in his death. “He was just trying to protect his sister,” Grimes said, “and they killed him for it.”
Source:AJC.com
Casino security-State Police busy at Parx Casino www.privateofficer.com
Bensalem PA March 30 2012 On March 23 at 11:40 p.m., state police responded to Parx Casino for a reported forgery. Police said a 21-year-old man from New York City attempted to exchange a counterfeit $20 bill at the cashier cage. Trooper Wilfredo Moreno investigated the incident.
On March 24 at 12:50 a.m., state police responded to Parx Casino for a reported forgery. Police said a 41-year-old woman from Philadelphia attempted to exchange a counterfeit $5 bill at the main cashier cage. Trooper Allen Karch investigated the incident.
On March 24 at noon, state police responded to Parx Casino for a reported forgery. Police said a 46-year-old man from Upper Darby attempted to exchange a counterfeit $10 bill at a cashier cage. Trooper Daniel Reed investigated the incident.
On March 25 at 12:45 a.m., state police responded to Parx Casino for a reported trespass. Police said Parx security asked Christopher Gress, 32, of Delran, NJ, to leave the casino.
He ignored the request and was subsequently arrested for criminal trespass. Trooper Allen Karch investigated the incident.
Passenger aboard US Airways flight attacks crew www.privateofficer.com
Lee County Port Authority spokeswoman Victoria Moreland said Wednesday her agency’s police arrested a US Airways passenger but would not provide other details.
US Airways spokesman Bill McGlashen said he didn’t know how early in the flight the passenger became unruly. Reports say a passenger on US Airways flight 1697 from Charlotte to Fort Myers kicked, scratched and spit on crew members.
A reporter from an North Carolina TV station spoke to arriving crew members in the terminal. A US Airways representative confirmed to Channel 9 that the incident did take place and the disturbance did not delay the flight and there was no diversion.
The US Airways representative said 135 passengers and 6 crew (2 pilots, 4 flight attendants) members were on board.
The incident came hours after passengers restrained the agitated pilot of a JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas.
Truck driver dead in his truck for months at NC truck stop www.privateofficer.com
Shoplifters arrested at CVS after theft of baby formula www.privateofficer.com
A store supervisor told police he saw the two leave without paying for the merchandise. The two reportedly got into a black car driven by an older female. The car sped off down Back Rock Turnpike, the supervisor told police.
Shortly after the report from CVS, the driver of the car called to tell police she believe her niece — Turoczi — and her niece’s boyfriend had shoplifted from CVS.
They had asked the aunt for a ride to pick up a prescription; she told police they told her to “hurry up” when they got back in the car with the baby formula, according to the report.
Police went to Turoczi’s residence and identified her and Gaites as the suspects on surveillance video provided by CVS.
They were taken into custody and charged with sixth-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit larceny. Turoczi was released on a promise to appear in court on April 10.
Gaites was held on a total $11,090 bond after police discovered he had three outstanding warrants for failures to appear in court, according to the report. He is also due in court on April 10
Manila bank guard killed in blast during robbery www.privateofficer.com
MANILA, Philippines March 30 2012— Police in the Philippines say two robbers opened fire and threw a grenade inside a mall in downtown Manila, killing a security guard and injuring at least six people.
Chief Superintendent Mario dela Vega says two bank tellers with two security escorts were delivering money to a foreign exchange shop at Robinsons Galleria mall Thursday when the robbers attacked.
The shooting sent customers inside mall restaurants fleeing.
One of the guards died of wounds and three bank personnel and three other people were hurt.
The robbers fled on a motorcycle. It wasn’t immediately clear if they took the money.
Dela Vega says police will review CCTV tapes to check initial accounts that the gunmen pretended to be bank guards to gain entry to the mall.
Johnston County NC high school teacher arrested on sex crime charges www.privateofficer.com
JOHNSTON COUNTY, N.C. March 30 2012 — Charges have now been filed against a Johnston County high school teacher.
Late Thursday afternoon, James McNamara, a teacher and wrestling coach at Corinth Holders High School, was arrested.
The 25-year-old is charged with one felony county of incdecent liberties with a student.
The alleged victim is a 16-year-old girl at the school.
McNamara was put on leave earlier this month. There has been a huge support group behind him.
Many parents and students claimed the story was made up.
McNamara has been at Corinth Holders High School since Aug. 2010 as a history and civics teacher. He is currently being held in the Johnston County Jail on a $5,000 secured bond.
Source: WTVD
Philadelphia man arrested with homemade bomb at airport www.privateofficer.com
Philadelphia PA March 30 2012 A 29-year-old man faces a maximum 10 years in prison for attempting to carry homemade fireworks on a plane Thursday morning at Philadelphia International Airport, officials said.
Joseph A. Picklo, of Dallas, Pa., attempted to get a on flight bound for San Francisco carrying two homemade M-80s, a plastic bottle filled with a powdery mixture, a test tube with a powdery substance and a wick, and a cigarette lighter, according to his arrest warrant.
Picklo was carrying the items in a back pack as he tried to get through a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint for Terminals D/E around 6 a.m., the warrant said.
The discovery prompted the checkpoint to be shut down and passengers were moved to the security check-in at Terminal C, said airport spokewoman Victoria Lupica.
The closed checkpoint was reopened at 6:18 a.m., Lupica said.
The Philadelphia Police Bomb Squad neutralized the fireworks. Police said early in the day that Picklo told authorites that forgot he was carrying the fireworks.
Picklo was charged with with attempting to carry on an explosive device on a plane, said a spokeswoman for the United States Attorney’s Office.
Picklo appeared before a federal magistrate and had a federal defender appointed to represent him.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Source:philly.com
Former Muskogee High School security on trial for having drugs www.privateofficer.com
Ashley Cooper will be in court at 1:30 p.m. May 3 for her district court arraignment, where a date for her trial will be set.
Cooper had marijuana in her car when arrested in September, said Muskogee County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Gragg.
Gragg testified Wednesday his K-9 unit “made a hit” on Ashley Cooper’s vehicle Sept. 15 in the Muskogee High School parking lot. Gragg said his K-9 indicated on the car, then traveled through the parking lot before returning to Cooper’s car and indicating on it again. Gragg had two MHS officers go into the school to find the car’s owner.
“I was surprised to see (Cooper),” Gragg said, stating he knew her, not criminally, but from law enforcement. Gragg said Cooper then opened the car for a probable cause search, and Gragg found “a small baggie” of marijuana in the center console.
Before the search, Gragg said, Cooper told him there was a bag of marijuana in the vehicle, but that it wasn’t hers. After taking Cooper’s service weapon from her and placing her in his car, Gragg said Cooper told him the marijuana was hers. “She stated she had more information and could help us if we could help her,” Gragg said.
“I believe on the way to jail, she stated (the marijuana) was hers and that she had used recently and couldn’t pass a drug test.” Gragg said he believed Cooper had spoken to the Sheriff’s Drug Task Force at the time she was arrested. “I believe they talked to her and some names were turned over to the drug task force,” Gragg said.
Source:www.MuskogeePhoneix.com
Security Officer at Marcy Psychiatric Center accused of sexually abusing child www.privateofficer.com
ROME, N.Y. March 30 2012 - A Safety and Security Officer at the Marcy Psychiatric Center has been accused of sexually abusing a child under the age of 14.
According to the Oneida County Child Advocacy Center, Steven James Minsaas, 33, of Rome, who is a safety and security officer at the Marcy Psychiatric Center, was charged Tuesday with three counts of second-degree sexual abuse and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Minsaas is alleged to have subjected a child less than 14 years of age to sexual contact during the months of May and June 2011 while in the City of Rome.
Authorities were made aware of the incidents after the victim notified an adult of what had taken place. Minsaas was placed under arrest and taken to Rome City Lock-Up where he was held overnight. Minsaas was subsequently arraigned in Rome City Court where bail was set at $9,000.
Investigators from the New york State Police, Oneida County Sheriff’s Department and New York Mills Police assisted in the investigation.
The victim is being offered counseling services through the Oneida County Child Advocacy Center.
Source:wktv.com
Virginia Beach high school teacher guilty in sexual spanking of student www.privateofficer.com
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. March 30 2012 - A Virginia Beach high school teacher accused in the sexual battery of one of his students has been found guilty.
Back in Jan., the student accused Michael Shanklin, Jr. of spanking her.
Police arrested Shanklin, 37, and charged him with abduction and sexual battery of a minor.
Shanklin was tried Thursday on the sexual battery charge, found guilty and sentenced to 12 months in jail.
Police said on Jan. 18 at approximately 4:30 p.m., a student at Landstown High School stayed after school for a tutoring session.
The student failed to complete an assignment and the teacher reportedly felt the student needed to be punished.
Police said Shanklin proceeded to strike the student on her buttocks with a belt numerous times. Macie Pridgen, with the Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, said the student was allegedly struck 20 times. Afterwards, the student left the classroom and reported the incident to the school nurse.
Pridgen said Shanklin noted his appeal during the trial.
Thursday’s trial also included a preliminary hearing on the felony abduction charge, which was certified by a grand jury. Shanklin remains in jail without bond.
Source: WAVY
