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Buffalo NY security guard charged with murder of son www.privateofficer.com
BUFFALO, N.Y. April 19 2012 — A security guard at a Buffalo newspaper was charged in the apparent beating death of his 10-year-old stepson, who was found in the family’s basement when police responded to a call about a missing child, authorities said Wednesday.
“There were certain indications the victim had been beaten,” Chief of Detectives Dennis Richards said, “certainly a disturbing scene.”
Ali-Mohamad Mohamud, 40, was charged with second-degree murder after being interviewed by investigators. Abdifatah Mohamud’s body was discovered late Tuesday.
His stepfather “made a statement to police indicating his involvement in the death of his stepson,” Richards said.
Mohamud, a Somali immigrant who has been in the country about 10 years, pleaded not guilty in City Court on Wednesday and was ordered held pending a felony hearing scheduled for Monday, said attorney Kevin Spitler, who was assigned by the court to represent him. He did not know Mohamud’s immigration status.
Mohamud was not at the single-family home when officers arrived about 10:45 p.m. Tuesday in response to the missing child report, Richards said. The report was called in by another family member, who was at the home when police arrived, he said. He declined to identify that person.
The stepfather was arrested within an hour at The Buffalo News, where he worked as a guard for a company that provides building security. Richards said he was not armed at the time of his arrest and described him as cooperative.
The victim was a student at International Preparatory School.
Interim Superintendent Amber Dixon said the district’s crisis team would be available to provide counseling for students, parents and staff at the school.
“As a school community, we will do all that we can to comfort those students and staff who are most affected by this tragic end to a young life,” Dixon said.
Source: WTW
H.L. Watkins Middle School teacher arrested on drug charges www.privateofficer.com
FORT PIERCE Fla April 19 2012 –– An H.L. Watkins Middle School teacher was arrested on drug charges Tuesday after an officer saw a small bag containing a white residue fall out of her pocket and the residue in and around her nostrils, according to an arrest report.
Celestine Jones Baker, 52, was booked into the St. Lucie County Jail at 2:33 p.m. Tuesday on charges of possession of cocaine and possession of drug equipment.
Baker, of Fort Pierce, was released at 9:23 p.m. after posting $15,750 bond, according to a jail spokeswoman.
Fort Pierce Police responded to the Race Trac gas station at 5870 Okeechobee Road at about 11:50 a.m. after dispatchers received an anonymous call regarding someone in a gray Dodge Ram pickup truck driving erratically.
Officer Ronald Kern watched as Baker pulled into the gas station and got out of the truck. He got out of his car to speak with her.
Baker complained that she had locked herself out of the truck and dug into her pockets, likely looking for her keys, the report said.
When she withdrew her hand from her pocket a small bag containing “white residue” fell out onto the ground.
The officer picked up the bag while Baker continued to complain about her keys.
She said she may have left them on her front passenger seat, prompting the officer to look in the car.
She was right.
The officer also spotted was another small bag with white residue in it on top of her keys, according to the report.
Kern continued to speak with Baker who had to look up at him because he was considerably taller, he wrote in the report.
Because of that he was able to see a clear view of her nostrils and spotted white residue “in and around” them.
“This and the plastic bags led me to believe she had been snorting cocaine; which is what caused her erratic driving behavior,” he wrote in the report.
While waiting for a back up officer to come and test the substance in the bags, Kern continued conversation with Baker who told him she was a “high school teacher” at H.L. Watkins.
During the conversation he observed Baker was unable to balance and her speech was “slightly slurred,” the report says.
The substance in the bag tested positive for cocaine.
H.L. Watkins Middle School is located on MacArthur Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens.
Baker has been employed with the district since 2004.
Police investigating robbery at George Mason University www.privateofficer.com
Fairfax VA April 19 2012 Campus police at George Mason University in Fairfax are trying to catch a suspect after a rare broad daylight robbery at the school.
It happened a little after ten in the morning Tuesday right outside what’s called Student Union I.
Police say a worker at the Chik Fil A had taken a cash bag outside and planned to walk it to a nearby bank at the campus’s Johnson Center. She was approached by a man who police say talked to her, then punched her in the face and tried to take the bag.
She was able to keep him from getting it and ran back inside.
Police say the man got away with the woman’s cell phone but later ditched it.
Police say the suspect is described as an African American wearing a gray shirt and dark pants. They say he had light facial hair and wore his hair in dreadlocks. He was last seen fleeing the scene on a green and black bicycle north into the city of Fairfax.
Students at George Mason say they received an alert about the incident from campus police.
They say they find it unsettling, especially since they normally consider the campus a pretty safe place even at night—let alone in broad daylight.
“Things like this happening in the daytime, in morning? It’s unbelievable,” said George Mason senior Atif Qureshi.
Students say campus police do a good job keeping crime down, and the incident hasn’t shattered their sense of security.
“I think it’s kind of an isolated incident,” said freshman Courtney Chapman. “George Mason’s a pretty safe place. You don’t ever feel like you’re in danger walking back from class or anything like that.”
University Police assistant chief George Ginovsky says it appears the suspect saw the worker with the money bag and made a spur of the moment decision to try to steal it.
Ginovsky does not believe the man was a student.
University of Southern California police shoot armed robbery suspect www.privateofficer.com
LOS ANGELES CA April 19 2012 — A gunman was shot Wednesday during his arrest by a University of Southern California police officer after a group of students was robbed near the campus, authorities said.
The shooting came a week after two Chinese graduate students were killed off-campus as they sat in a BMW, but police said it was too early to determine whether both crimes were linked.
“Certainly they are looking very closely into what happened here,” said Los Angeles police Lt. Andy Neiman. “Hopefully, there is a connection, but to say there is one right now would be complete speculation.”
Ballistic tests will be done on the handgun used in the robbery and the evidence recovered from last week’s slayings, he said.
The shooting of the suspect on Wednesday occurred shortly after 12:30 a.m. near sorority row and the Shrine Auditorium. Police said Jeremy Hendricks, 24, of Compton approached three men and a woman and demanded their belongings.
The man loaded up a backpack with the stolen items and two of the victims gave chase, authorities said. They were able to find a USC Department of Public Safety officer who joined the pursuit.
Department of Public Safety Capt. David Carlisle says USC officers confronted the suspect at 12:36 a.m. on Wednesday on 30th Street near sorority row and the Shrine Auditorium.
Neiman said the officer confronted the suspect and shot him once in the leg. The shooting was under investigation and it unclear whether the man pointed the gun at the officer.
The man was taken to a hospital and will be booked for investigation of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, Neiman said.
Hendricks has a criminal record that includes robbery and burglary and may have been on probation, authorities said.
None of the victims were injured and their belongings, along with the handgun, were recovered.
Some students said they were concerned for their safety after Ming Qu and Ying Wu, both 23, were shot and killed about a mile from the USC campus.
Investigators have said the attack might have been part of a robbery or attempted carjacking. Some of the victims’ items were missing, but police declined to elaborate.
Authorities have not yet released a description of the shooter in that attack. A $200,000 reward has been offered leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer.
A Wednesday evening memorial service was set at the Shrine Auditorium for Qu and Wu, whose families have flown from China.
Anadarko police officer shot and killed himself inside police department www.privateofficer.com
The OSBI says 34-year-old Ashley Burrus walked into the department about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, sat in a chair in the lobby and shot himself in the chest. The agency initially spelled the officer’s name Burris.
Authorities say Burrus died at the scene.
The OSBI says agents have determined that Burrus was going through undisclosed domestic issues and that Anadarko police asked the agency to investigate.
Bronx teacher arrested for having sex with 16-year old student www.privateofficer.com
Richard Hovan is being charged criminal sexual activity for having oral sex with the girl twice in 2011 and endangering the welfare of a child. He has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors said Hovan, an MIT and Columbia University educated teacher, lured the girl with multiple email and text exchanges sent over a period of several months, with court papers stating the sexual encounters took place at his Chelsea apartment.
Tuition for the elite Riverdale Country School charges a hefty $40,050 a year.
As The New York Times notes, Hovan’s arrest comes at a time of increased concern over sexual abuse occurring in schools.
Early April, an investigative report produced by the city’s education department found 16 New York teachers accused of various sexual misconduct charges were found to still be employed in schools.
Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said of the disturbing report, “If I had my way, these teachers would no longer be in the classroom” adding “common-sense reforms” would permit him to remove the teachers from the school system.
Businessman strips down naked at Portland International Airport www.privateofficer.com
PORTLAND OR April 19 2012 – Frequent flying businessman John Brennan set off an explosives wand at Portland International Airport Tuesday and stripped naked to show Transportation Security Administration screeners he was not carrying a bomb.
John Brennan stripped off his clothes at the TSA security station and stood there naked, as waiting passengers and their families looked on, took photos or looked away.
“I am being tired of being hassled by the TSA,” he told KGW after leaving jail Tuesday evening.
Brennan said that removing all his clothes was not premeditated. The frequent traveler who had heard of many TSA issues while on prior business travels was just fed up as he set off the detector at PDX.
“And the machine went off, and I asked what it was and he said ‘nitrates’ which I know from Oklahoma City is one of the explosive ingredients,” Brennan told KGW, “and I was not interested in being hassled so I took off my clothes to show them I was not carrying any explosives.”
Brennan says he hopes his actions will start a trend.
“I don’t think Americans can sit around and put up with this anymore. TSA needs to just do their job and not intimidate people.”
TSA spokeswoman Sari Koshetz told KGW “TSA partners with the traveling public to screen all passengers safely and efficiently. When a passenger chooses to be purposefully disruptive, we notify law enforcement. “
A Port of Portland Police report said Brennan was asked several times to put his clothes back on. Two screening lanes were closed for a short time until Brennan was wrapped in a towel and arrested. Alcohol and drugs were not a factor in the incident, police said.
He was taken to the Multnomah County Jail and booked on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and indecent exposure. He was then released on his on own recognizance.
Brennan thinks he committed no crime.
“I know that ‘nude, but not lewd,’ is protected speech in Oregon,” he said.
According to ORS 163.465.
(1) A person commits the crime of public indecency if while in, or in view of, a public place the person performs:
(a) An act of sexual intercourse;
(b) An act of deviate sexual intercourse; or
(c) An act of exposing the genitals of the person with the intent of arousing the sexual desire of the person or another person.
He may have a point. And an annual Portland bike ride to back up his claim.
Florida security guard accidentally shoots himself www.privateofficer.com
BELLE GLADE Fla April 19 2012— An unidentified security guard in Belle Glade is in the hospital this morning after he accidentally shot himself in the leg overnight, authorities report.
Police and rescue services responded to the incident which happened shortly after 3 a.m. at the Belle Glade Gardens apartment complex on South Main Street, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue spokesman Capt. Don DeLucia reports.
The guard was taken to Delray Medical Center to be treated for injuries that are not thought to be life-threatening, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Teri Barbera confirmed this morning.
Statesville NC man faces 122 sex crime charges in abuse of girl www.privateofficer.com
Statesville NC April 19 2012 A Statesville man was arrested last week and charged with 122 sex crimes after he was accused of abusing a girl during an 11-year span.
The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office said it received a report of a juvenile girl who’d been sexually assaulted on several occasions. The victim told authorities that the abuse began in 1998 and ended in 2009.
After an investigation, detectives charged 39-year-old Christopher Charles Harris with 122 crimes, including first- and second-degree rape, statutory rape and sex offenses.
He was arrested last week and was being held under a $200,000 bond in Iredell County jail.
Harris also faces two counts of indecent liberties with a child involving another girl, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Those charges, which were filed in 2009, are still pending.
Source:www.charlotteobserver.com
Benton Harbor couple jailed for filing fake W-2 taxes for customers www.privateofficer.com
Police say Linda Rowe and Donald Garland would the file the fake W-2 forms with the real ones for their customers without them knowing.
Once the couple got the tax return back, they would take part of it for themselves giving the rest to their unsuspecting customers. Police say about 100 people may be victims.
Police were able to catch the couple after a marijuana possession arrest warrant was served at the apartment where they were running the tax operation. They could spend up to 20 years behind bars if found guilty.
Source:wndu.com
SC McDonald’s employee arrested after spitting in customer’s ice tea www.privateofficer.com
GREENVILLE COUNTY, SC April 19 2012 - An Upstate McDonald’s employee is charged with unlawful and malicious tampering with food after customers reported finding phlegm in their tea, deputies said.
Greenville County deputies said a mother and her daughter ordered sweet tea from the McDonald’s in Simpsonville on Saturday.
After getting the tea they noticed it was not sweet, according to deputies. After returning the drinks the customers realized that the order was still not correct, deputies said.
Deputies said rather than going back to the restaurant, the victims went home to add their own sweetener.
The victims said when they open the top they noticed a large deposit of phlegm was found floating in both drinks.
Greenville County deputies said they arrested Marvin D. Washington Jr., 19, and charged him with unlawful and malicious tampering with food.
According to an arrest warrant, Washington was seen on video leaning his face down to the drinks before filling them with tea.
Washington is in the Greenville County Detention Center, pending a bond hearing.
Source: WYFF
Bi-Lo shoplifter assaults security officer www.privateofficer.com
ROCK HILL SC April 192 2012 – A woman punched a security officer and tried to stab herself with a pen after she was caught shoplifting at a Rock Hill store Tuesday, police say.
The 41-year-old York woman has been charged with shoplifting, her fourth offense, according to police documents.
A cashier at the Bi-Lo on East Main Street noticed the woman leaving the store pushing a cart that was empty except for her purse, according to a Rock Hill police report. After the store’s alarm went off, the cashier and a security officer followed her outside and chased her.
The woman struck the security officer on the cheek, the report states. He decided not to press assault charges against her.
Several stolen items were found inside the purse, including cold medicine, men’s hair color and bottles of hair products, including conditioner, polisher and anti-breakage strengthener, the report states. The items were worth $35.
Back inside the store, the woman said she wanted to kill herself. She grabbed a pen from the counter and stabbed herself in the arm, according to the report. Officers pulled the pen away, and noted she had scratched herself.
She was taken to Piedmont Medical Center for evaluation.
During a background check, officers discovered the woman has previous convictions of shoplifting in 2003 and 2009, the report states. She is also wanted by York Police for shoplifting.
Source:www.heraldonline.com
Boston purse snatcher bites security officer www.privateofficer.com
During the struggle, Drayton bit a security officer on the arm, drawing blood, and then when he was being booked said he was HIV positive and had Hepatitis C.
He allegedly stole a purse from a woman shopping at White House Black Market in Copley Place. The woman was about to pay at the counter, when she realized her tan wristlet was missing.
Security responded to the scene, and got word that a man matching the description of the suspect was trying to use a stolen credit card at Victoria’s Secret. According to the police report, he made eye contact with officers as he was leaving the store, and bolted. Security gave chase but Drayton was able to hand off the purse a female friend, who escaped.
Security caught Drayton, which is when he punched, kicked and bit one of the guards, the report says.
Virginia church bookkeeper facing charges of stealing thousands of dollars www.privateofficer.com
COLONIAL HEIGHTS, VA April 19 2012 - The former bookkeeper of a Catholic church in Colonial Heights is now facing charges of stealing thousands of dollars from her church.
Now, Catholic church leaders who are urging parishioners not to lose faith.
For more than 20 years, Saint Ann’s Catholic Church in Chesterfield County trusted Nancy Snyder with their money.
But investigators say she broke one of the key commandments: thou shall not steal. While she kept track of the books, Snyder is accused of keeping a piece for herself. The Catholic Diocese of Richmond did an internal investigation.
According to court documents, Snyder was embezzling money from the church for ten years. State Police were told about the irregularities in January 2011. When it was added up, investigators say Snyder had pocketed $30,000.
“That’s the amount we can prove was taken,” says Steve Neill, spokesperson with the Catholic Diocese of Richmond.
Church leaders fear parishioners could lose faith with a case like this.
“It’s very disheartening because we want Catholics to feel that when they are making a donation in the parish collections that their money is safe and is used for the intended purpose,” says Neil.
Neill says churches under the Richmond diocese must follow strict guidelines when the collection is added up.
“The money has to be counted immediately,” he said. “It is counted by at least two people, three if two of them are related. It’s put in a tamper resistant bag, signed off with the date and the people signing off.”
While Snyder faces charges of embezzlement and forgery, Neill says those hurt must practice a key Christian principle.
“We know the church has sinners,” he said. “And sin is wrong. We’ve got to try our best to avoid it, but when it happens we have to also forgive.”
Snyder is out of jail and free on bond. Her next court date is June 14. The pastor at Saint Ann’s told us that the church community believes she deserves a fair trial
Source: WWBT
Marysville woman arrested in assault-shoplifting at Marshall’s store www.privateofficer.com
Yuba City CA April 19 2012 Marshall’s department stores advertise that customers “never pay full price for fabulous,” but police said a Marysville woman didn’t want to pay anything for about $80 in lingerie Tuesday afternoon and assaulted a security guard who tried to stop her from leaving the Yuba City store with a purse full of underwear.
“She may have taken that slogan a little too seriously,” police spokeswoman Shawna Pavey said.
Instead of name brand undergarments, Maria Guadalupe Perez-Rios was fitted with a less fabulous jumpsuit designed specifically for the Sutter County Jail.
Perez-Rios, 19, actually paid for a few items of children’s clothing just after 5 p.m. before she tried to take off with the underwear and a sweater, Pavey said. The security guard, whose name was not available, was assaulted when he tried to stop the woman, according to police.
“She slugged him in the shoulder twice while screaming and yelling at him,” Pavey said.
He was not hurt.
The guard restrained the woman until police arrived a short time later at the store in the 1100 block of Harter Parkway.
Pavey said Perez-Rios continued to fight with police, but was eventually taken into custody.
Perez-Rios remains in custody without bail on suspicion of one count of robbery. She is due Thursday in Sutter County Superior Court for arraignment and bail review.
Source:www.appeal-democrat.com
Beware of Fake Verizon Bills being emailed www.privateofficer.com
RICHMOND, VA April 19 2012 – Be careful when you open up your next Verizon bill online, it could be a fake. Fraudulent emails claiming to be from Verizon are making the rounds.
Clicking the links attached to the emails could mean big trouble.
If you’re a Verizon customer, this will get your attention. A bill for more than 900 bucks. The notification claiming to be from Verizon looks real and it’s supposed to, it’s what crooks want you to think. It even has an email address with a Verizon account. But be warned, this email is a fake.
Clicking any links could mean you’re putting your personal information at risk. Verizon says it is aware of the recent scam and warns customers about these type of emails on its website. Even if you think you’re good at spotting these phony emails, you can be fooled. The crooks use company logos and other convincing wording.
Many times the phony emails won’t be addressed specifically but have a generic greeting, like “dear customer.”
One trick you can use to determine if the email is a fake, run your mouse over the links, be sure not to click them. But when you hover your mouse over the intended link an address should pop up. If looks suspicious, don’t click it. In this fake Verizon email when you do this test, each link contains an awkward address and none of them link you to Verizon.
If you get one of these fake emails, don’t respond and of course don’t click any links. Verizon says you can send it to them. Forward the email to phishing@verizon wireless.com. You can also contact the customer service at (800) 922-0204.
Verizon also says it does not send email notices asking for customer payment information, username, or passwords used to manage accounts. If you are not sure about an email, contact Verizon directly.
Here is a link to Verizon for more information on how to protect yourself.
Verizon responded to our request for comment saying:
“We are investigating a phishing attack involving a bogus email disguised as a Verizon Wireless online bill notification statement. The fake emails notify the customer on an unusually high balance due. Verizon Wireless did not send these emails.
Anyone who receives an email of this nature should not click on any links. Instead, customers are advised to access their account via their internet browser at the http://www.verizonwireless.com url.”
Source: WWBT
Deputies serving eviction notice find old corpses in funeral home www.privateofficer.com
An Anson County funeral home is shut down after state investigators revoked its license.
The North Carolina Board of Funeral Service sent the notice of revocation to F & M McLendon Funeral Home in Wadesboro in late March.
According to state officials, the investigation began in November 2010.
That’s when Anson County sheriff’s deputies went to the funeral home to serve an eviction notice and said instead, they discovered three corpses inside.
State investigators said the funeral home director, Mary McLendon, told them the dates of death were all in the past few weeks.
But an investigation revealed the bodies of Richard Bennett, Willie Mae Odom and Larry Kendall had actually been there for months.
As one investigator testified, “at least one of the bodies were wrapped in black plastic inside the casket without a body tag and [he] noticed an odor.”
Richard Bennett’s longtime companion, Katherine Ross, told Eyewitness News she had no idea Bennett’s body was left unattended for five months.
“It made me feel angry because it wasn’t right,” Ross said.
Ross said her family held a funeral at McLendon’s, and then paid Mary McLendon to cremate Bennett’s remains and take them to a cemetery.
But investigators said McLendon never followed through, and Ross said her calls to the home about Bennett’s ashes went unreturned.
State officials also investigated five separate complaints where customers alleged they paid McLendon for funeral services or headstones that were never received, nor were they reimbursed.
The officials report concluded McLendon “…embezzled, or fraudulently or knowingly and willingly misapplied, or converted…funeral funds to her own use.”
Eyewitness News called McLendon and went to the funeral home Tuesday but was unable to find her.
McLendon did post a statement on Facebook that read, in part, “I love my job as a Public Servant. My composure is kept and right now I’m praying to GOD to show me why this is happening.”
State officials said McLendon can seek a new license after one year but must complete education courses and fully reimburse all of the affected families.
Source:wsoctv.com
Charlotte residents falling for prepaid credit card scam www.privateofficer.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. April 19 2012
A year ago, scammers called Jessica Mullins and told her she had won $2.5 million in the mega buck lottery.
“And why did I win this again? ‘Oh, it’s for paying your credit card bills on time.’ I didn’t say anything, but I don’t pay credit card bills,” she recalled.
The next red flag was when she was told to wire $225 to claim her prizes, which is a give-away for scams.
While Mullins refused, others have fallen for the scam and wired money. But now, more and more scammers are moving away from asking people to wire payments. Instead, they are asking for a prepaid debit card.
The scammers tell people to buy the Green Dot Moneypak card and load it with a set amount of money, then call back and ask for the serial number for verification.
What the victim does not realize is that this gives the scam artist the information needed to drain the entire balance, said Better Business Bureau officials.
“So scammers do as they do and find a way, and that’s what they’ve done with this Green Dot Moneypak,” said the BBB’s Tom Bartholomy.
Bartholomy said there is no recourse when the money disappears off the card. Moneypak’s written agreement states that the card is a money transfer mechanism and, unlike bank-issued cards, offers no security.
“They’re saying, ‘It’s not our fault that you did business with a scammer, that you got taken.’ And so they’re claiming, ‘Nope, we’re not going to make good on this,’” Bartholomy said.
Green Dot is aware of the problem, and its website has a big warning about scams, advising people to protect themselves by never releasing their Moneypak number to anyone they do not know.
Former TN deputy sheriff-bondsman arrested in “Jerky” sting www.privateofficer.com
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officers have their trucks and badges. But in this undercover case, their best tool was Facebook.
“Social media has become a friend of ours,” said TWRA Officer Dan Hicks.
Hicks says officials caught Josh King, a former Warren County deputy and a current bail bondsman, advertising deer jerky for sale on his Facebook page.
In Tennessee, selling or purchasing any wildlife is illegal, so investigators organized an undercover buy and say they caught King with three bags of white tail deer jerky in hand.
“I guess people should be aware that what they put on their Facebook page can sometimes get them in trouble,” Hicks said.
Hicks says breaking this law isn’t as uncommon as some might think. He says people have tried to sell snakes, turtles and even certain black bear parts.
“In Asia, the gall bladder and some other parts of the black bear are considered an aphrodisiac and are highly sought after,” Hicks said.
The act is illegal because the USDA doesn’t regulate wildlife products like they do with food products such as store-bought beef. Plus, if it was legal, Hicks says, some wildlife species would become endangered.
“We like to protect that resource and make sure it’s there for the next generation and the next generation,” Hicks said.
So while an undercover jerky bust might sound a bit extreme, and perhaps a bit odd, Hicks says you can count on more of them to come.
“As long as that law is on the books, we’re going to enforce it,” Hicks said.
King now faces a Class A misdemeanor. When reached for comment, King hung up the phone.
King waved his right to a preliminary hearing and instead requested a jury trial. If he is found guilty, King could face almost a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
source-wsmv.com
Seneca EMS paramedic-turned-office-manager stole more than $77,000 www.privateofficer.com
Seneca PA April 19 2012 A paramedic-turned-office-manager for the nonprofit Seneca EMS stole more than $77,000 from her employer, spending the money during personal shopping trips to Giant Eagle, Sam’s Club, Target and elsewhere over the course of five years, the Allegheny County district attorney’s office said today.
Sunshine MacIntyre, 41, of the North Side, was charged today with theft and fraud.
She told investigators she used the money for things she could not afford, such as chiropractor fees, laser surgery for her eyes, dental work, clothing, flowers, a trampoline and magazine subscriptions, Detective Frances Laquatra wrote in a criminal complaint.
“She did not realize that she took the amount of money that she did and said that it snowballed and she lost track of how much she was spending,” the detective wrote. “When asked if she intended to pay back the money that she was taking, she said ‘no.’ She added that she felt that if she worked longer hours it would make up for the amount that she took.”
Ms. MacIntyre was able to take the funds in her capacity as Seneca’s office manager, a position she accepted in 2006 after serving as a part-time paramedic since 2004, investigators said.
Seneca filed for bankruptcy in 2006.
Investigators said she used Seneca’s credit cards and bank accounts, normally reserved for medical and office supplies, to pay her own bills and student loans. Seneca officials told detectives that whenever Ms. MacIntyre was asked to make a purchase, she claimed there was not enough money in the bank accounts.
She surrendered today at District Judge Elissa Lang’s office and was released on her own recognizance
source:post-gazette
Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging former employee sentenced in thefts www.privateofficer.com
Jodie Lorraine Yarger, 45, Brisbin, pleaded guilty to five counts each of forgery and theft by unlawful taking. She was sentenced to 60 days to one year in jail and four years consecutive probation. A condition of the plea agreement was that she pay $10,000 of the restitution prior to sentencing. She owes and additional $2,536. She is prohibited from being employed as a social worker.
The charges stem from incidents that occurred between Jan. 2005 and Sept. 2010. During this time Yarger was employed by the CCAAA as Director of Long Term Care Services. She was hired in Dec. 1999.
Prior to sentencing Judge Fredric J. Ammerman stated that he had received a letter from the victim’s children which “paints a pretty pathetic picture”. Yarger was trusted and she stole the victim’s money. What made it worse, Ammerman noted was that she was working for the CCAAA at the time.
Yarger apologized, explaining this was “the biggest regret of my life”.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, in July 2005 the victim was deemed unable to care for herself and was placed in a dementia unit of a nursing home. A court order made CCAAA her plenary guardian.
An investigation began after an attorney for the victim received a letter from a collection agency requesting information about the victim’s estate. The agency had a debt of over $1,500 from a credit card in the victim’s name. The address listed on the account was actually the address of CCAAA.
The collection agency had spoken with someone they were told was the victim’s daughter at a cell phone number registered to Yarger. As they tried to collect the debt, Yarger promised payment would be made and later told them the victim was deceased. She verified the last four digits of the victim’s social security number and said she would take care of the debt.
Because of this incident, employees of CCAAA began to look into the victim’s other accounts and discovered Yarger had written out several checks on a bank account and used electronic checks to pay for things. She also took out a loan on the victim’s life insurance policy for over $6,000. It is believed that Yarger obtained the victim’s check book when her personal possessions were taken to the CCAAA.
Rogersville TN Walmart shoplifter hid jewelry in body cavity www.privateofficer.com
ROGERSVILLE TN April 19 2012 — Nine rings, a pair of earrings and a hairstyle clip were officially listed as “damaged” after a Hawkins County jail deputy allegedly removed them from the body cavity of a Rogersville Walmart shoplifting suspect Saturday afternoon.
All nine rings still had their Walmart price tags, according to a report filed by Rogersville Police Department Assistant Chief James Hammonds.
Hammonds responded to a complaint of an intoxicated shoplifter Saturday about 2 p.m. at the Walmart on Route 66.
Upon his arrival, store manager Ethel Hensley told Hammonds that Crystal Gayle Lawson, 29, 7166 Route 66, Rogersville, had gone into the fitting room with several items of clothing.
Hensley said when Lawson exited the fitting room, it was obvious that those clothes had been concealed beneath what Lawson was wearing.
“I then made contact with (Lawson), who was sitting on the floor, and I could observe items wadded up under her sweatshirt,” Hammonds said. “Upon making contact with (Lawson), I observed her to have very slurred speech and to be very unsteady on her feet. (Lawson) stated she had been taking her prescribed medication when asked about her obvious signs of intoxication.”
Hammonds stated that Lawson had three shirts, a dress and a bra concealed under her sweatshirt, and she was taken into custody.
It was while she was being searched at the jail by a female jailer that the nine rings, earrings and hair clip were allegedly discovered in Lawson’s body cavity.
The value of the “damaged” items was listed at $96.56.
The remaining items of clothing were released back to Walmart.
Lawson was charged with public intoxication and theft under $500.
Her bond was set at $20,000 by Judge Kindall Lawson (no relation) because it was her second shoplifting arrest in less than week.
She was also charged with theft under $500 on April 6 for allegedly shoplifting from the Dollar Store on Route 66 in Rogersville.
Lawson will be arraigned April 25 in Hawkins County Sessions Court.
Source:timesnews.net
Wyoming Firefighter Who Suffered Stroke Dies www.privateofficer.com
Natrona County WY April 19 2012 A firefighter who suffered a stroke while responding to a grass fire last week has died.
Firefighter Adam Longo had been moved out of the ICU on Tuesday, but died Wednesday morning at Wyoming Medical Center while undergoing treatment, according to KTWO-Radio.
Longo was driving a squad truck to the station to pick up a brush truck when he fell ill on April 12.
Other firefighters in the truck were able to get control of the vehicle and bring it to a safe stop after he suffered the stroke, The Billings Gazette reported.
He was part of a crew that was responding to a grass fire near Andrea Street west of Salk Creek Highway that destroyed a small camper and burned about 3,000 square feet of grass.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
NYPD officer in critical condition after being stabbed in head www.privateofficer.com
NEW YORK NY April 19 2012 — A call to take an emotionally disturbed man to the hospital ended in a life-threatening injury for Officer Eder Loor, 28, who emerged from surgery in late afternoon.
A man with a concealed knife plunged the blade into the left temple of a police officer responding to an emergency call placed by the man’s mother on Tuesday morning, the police said.
The violence broke out on Third Avenue, not far from the man’s building in East Harlem, after the officer, Eder Loor, 28, and his partner told the man he had to be taken to a hospital, as his mother had requested, the police said.
Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said the blade had penetrated Officer Loor’s skull, causing bleeding on his brain, which required surgery. Before the procedure, Mr. Kelly said the officer’s surgeon was “cautiously optimistic.” On Tuesday afternoon, Officer Loor was in critical condition, heavily sedated and under observation at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Officers from the 23rd Precinct quickly apprehended the man, Terrence Hale, 26, who had been arrested in the past, the authorities said, including in a knife attack in 2006. Mr. Hale was taken to Metropolitan Hospital Center for psychiatric evaluation.
The attack illustrates how quickly routine police work can turn treacherous, as officers wade into complicated situations that do not always present telltale signs of danger.
“Today is another reminder of how, in a split second, a police officer’s life may be jeopardized,” Mr. Kelly said. “We’ve seen that in a rash of shootings over the last four months, and in seemingly routine stops.”
He cited a 2007 episode in which a police officer was injured when he was stabbed in the head after approaching a suspect who was smoking on a subway platform. And he noted two other, separate stabbings of officers in the past month.
The attack on Officer Loor occurred at 10:30 a.m. near East 107th Street, outside the Franklin Plaza Apartments, where Mr. Hale lived with his mother, Vearry Hale, the police said. Ms. Hale called 911 that morning, saying her son was bipolar and had stopped taking his medications, the police said.
When Officer Loor and his partner, Luckson Merisme, arrived, they were met on the sidewalk by Ms. Hale, who said her son was in their apartment, Mr. Kelly said.
As the three walked indoors, they encountered Mr. Hale, who was coming out of the elevator in the lobby, Mr. Kelly said. Ms. Hale confronted her son, telling him he needed hospitalization, to which Mr. Hale responded, “I’ll go by myself,” and then walked out the door, Mr. Kelly said.
The officers quickly caught up to Mr. Hale. Standing on each side of him, they explained that they would take him to the hospital, the Police Department’s chief spokesman, Paul J. Browne, said.
Without any warning, Mr. Kelly said, Mr. Hale stabbed Officer Loor in the temple. At first, Officer Merisme thought his partner had been punched, Mr. Kelly said, only realizing what had occurred after Officer Loor cried out and blood began to run down his face.
In an interview in her apartment, Ms. Hale accused the police of irritating her son, saying the officers had pushed him against a storefront. She said Mr. Hale had punched an officer, but had not been armed, adding that she believed the police were framing him.
“The system didn’t work,” Ms. Hale said, “and now he’s in trouble.”
Ms. Hale said her son had bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
A law enforcement official said Mr. Hale had pleaded guilty to assault in the 2006 knife attack and a 2002 assault in New York. Mr. Hale has also been arrested in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the police said.
The police were summoned to the family’s apartment within the past two years after Mr. Hale threatened to kill himself, another law enforcement official said.
Officer Loor has spent all of his six years in the Police Department in the 23rd Precinct, which covers East Harlem, and he is a member of the Air Force National Guard.
In remarks to reporters after visiting Officer Loor, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg observed that the officer’s wife, Dina, was pregnant with the couple’s second child.
“And she’s going to have the baby at the same hospital that Officer Loor was at, so I told her they’d probably give her a special room,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “Hopefully, he’ll be O.K.”
Northwest Florida Regional Airport begins in-house police force www.privateofficer.com
FORT WALTON BEACH Fla April 19 2012 — Travelers passing through Northwest Florida Regional Airport will see the new in-house police force up and running by the end of April.
Okaloosa County Judge T. Patterson Maney on Tuesday presided over the swearing-in ceremony for the county airports police chief, a sergeant and five officers.
View a slideshow from the swearing-in ceremony »
“The airport is a unique environment and I think we’ve found the right team,” Okaloosa County Airports Director Greg Donovan said during the County Commission meeting.
Donovan said the new officers are eager and prepared “to specialize and focus on aviation.”
New officer Jennifer Futch, a former deputy with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, said she is eager to apply her law enforcement experience to an airport setting.
“It’s very different from road patrol,” Futch said after the meeting. “I love airports. I’m really into studying about terrorism, and this just seemed like a good fit for me.”
Representatives from various law enforcement agencies, including the Sheriff’s Office and the Fort Walton Beach Police Department, attended the ceremony to show support for the new force.
Airport Police Chief Melvin Tennyson and Sgt. Richard Noiseux have hired six of the force’s eight officers. They expect to fill the remaining two slots in the next two weeks.
One of the six officers had just accepted the job offer and could not make it to the ceremony.
“We are searching for the best candidates we can find,” Tennyson said after the meeting. “We need people that can hit the ground running, who are self-starters and who can think for themselves.”
Tennyson, a former St. Johns County sheriff’s deputy, said he needs officers “who have a degree of intuition.”
The department also will provide law enforcement coverage for Bob Sikes Airport in Crestview, Destin Airport and other airport facilities, he added.
Tennyson and Noiseux also showed off the Police Department’s new uniform, which features a patch that blends the county seal with the airport’s logo.
The police force officially will take over from the Sheriff’s Office, which currently provides law enforcement services, at midnight April 30, Donovan told commissioners.
Donovan proposed forming an in-house police force in 2011 after the Sheriff’s Office wanted to raise its contract rates by 30 percent.
source-nfwdailynews
Alleged Kennewick shoplifter strips to prove she didn’t steal www.privateofficer.com
Kennewick WA April 19 2012 An alleged shoplifter stripped off all her clothes Monday in an apparent attempt to prove that she had not stolen anything from a store at the Columbia Center mall, authorities said.
Kennewick police were called to the JCPenney store around 6:15 p.m. after loss prevention personnel reported they had detained an uncooperative shoplifter, said Mike Blatman, Kennewick police spokesman.
The 31-year-old Pasco woman apparently began taking off her clothes and the loss prevention staff kept telling her to put her clothes back on, but she refused, Blatman told the Herald.
They eventually stepped out of the room where she was being held and waited for officers to arrive.
After the woman got dressed again, her 9-year-old daughter reportedly started crying and pulled out a box of jewelry that was hidden under her shirt, he said.
The woman claimed she did not know anything about it, but when officers reviewed the store’s security video, they saw the mom apparently instructing her daughter to put the jewelry under her shirt, Blatman said.
The woman also had three other children, ages 4, 6 and 13, who reportedly were unsupervised and running around the mall.
She was not arrested, but officers forwarded their report to the city attorney to review for possible charges of theft, shoplifting and failure to supervise children. Officers also referred the incident to Child Protective Services, Blatman said.
Source:www.thenewstribune.com
Loudoun County Virginia public defender arrested for shoplifting www.privateofficer.com
Winchester VA April 19 2012 The public defender of Loudoun County, Lorie E. O’Donnell, was arrested last month in Winchester for allegedly stealing a can of Red Bull energy drink from a grocery, according to the Frederick County sheriff’s office.
O’Donnell, 46, was issued a summons and released, but a Frederick sheriff’s deputy also took her driver’s license after determining it had been suspended.
O’Donnell did not respond to a phone message and e-mails seeking comment. She has overseen the public defenders, a taxpayer supported office, in the criminal courts in Loudoun, Fauquier and Rappahannock since at least 1998 and also handles cases herself.
David Johnson, executive director of the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission, said O’Donnell remained the public defender for the 20th Circuit pending the outcome of the case, but that he could not discuss it further. A Winchester lawyer listed in court records as O’Donnell’s counsel did not return calls. She was not assigned a public defender.
An incident report filed by a Frederick County sheriff’s deputy indicates that O’Donnell had been caught stealing from the same store once before, a Martin’s on Gateway Drive, but was not charged.
The deputy was summoned shortly before 11 a.m. on Friday, March 2 by the store’s security officer. The officer told the deputy she had watched a woman select several items from the store’s shelves, place them in her cart, and then place a can of Red Bull beside her purse, and then inside her purse.
The officer reported she watched the woman through the checkout process, and she did not attempt to pay for the drink.
The security officer, Christine McCombs, told Deputy P.A. Saville that “she had caught the female taking items once before but never had her charged.”
Saville spoke to O’Donnell, who reportedly said that “she knows what she did is wrong and said that she has a problem and is going to seek professional help.” Saville added that, “Lorie explained to me that she has plenty of money and could have paid for the drink.”
The can of Red Bull was priced at $2.59. A court date was set for April 16 June 19. A first-time shoplifter would be unlikely to receive anything more than a fine, but she could suffer some repercussions from the Virginia Bar and in her post as supervisor of the public defenders in three counties.
Saville checked O’Donnell’s criminal history and found none, but found that her driver’s license was suspended. A check of local court records shows that O’Donnell has received at least four traffic tickets in the last five years, two for speeding and two for failing to obey a sign.
She declined to pre-pay any of them, did not show up in court for any of them, was found guilty in absentia on all of them, and paid the fines after each conviction. She was also charged with driving on a suspended license in 2006, but the charge was dismissed.
Source:Washington Post
