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Oxnard safety officer was named 2012 Security Officer of the Year out of more than 100,000 others www.privateofficer.com
Oxnard CA May 5 2012 An Oxnard safety officer was named 2012 Security Officer of the Year out of more than 100,000 others.
Securitas Security Services recognized Senior District Safety Officer Andres Fernandez, 24, of Oxnard, last month for his work protecting citizens and businesses in downtown Oxnard.
The international company each year recognizes two employees for notable heroism and outstanding performance on the job. Fernandez was recognized for his job performance in 2011.
“He is consistently committed to doing well on the job. He is a guy who wants to make a difference,” said Joshua Walker, Securitas account manager for the downtown district safety program.
Walker nominated Fernandez and both attended the award ceremony April 19 in Parsippany, N.J.
Fernandez received $5,000 and a plaque. He also got a plaque of recognition from the Oxnard City Council on April 24.
“Every day, I am going out and doing the best I can. I didn’t think I’d get anything,” Fernandez said. “I don’t expect to get recognition because I don’t do the job by myself.”
Fernandez is part of the security team contracted by the Oxnard Downtown Management District and the Oxnard Police Department to help keep downtown safe. Security officers observe, coordinate tasks, and report suspicious circumstances and behavior to police. They patrol the area 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Fernandez helps patrol a 40-block area from Second Street to Wooley Road and from Meta Street to C Street. On foot, by bike and sometimes in a vehicle, he observes and provides assistance to those in need.
Fernandez stands out for assisting in six arrests last year on allegations of driving under the influence, according to Abel Magana, executive director of the district.
“We are exceptionally proud of Andy and the job the team has done,” Magana said. “DUIs are part of what is going to happen where you have entertainment and hospitality. We need to manage that type of activity to keep it fun and safe for everyone.”
Fernandez has helped police combat other crimes, including graffiti tagging, robbery and public nuisance. His and his team’s efforts have contributed to a 41 percent drop in crime in the area since 2005, Magana said.
“Downtown Oxnard has had a reputation for being a negative place, but working with Oxnard police and making it better gives me a sense of pride,” Fernandez said.
A native of Houston, Fernandez started his career in security after moving to Oxnard in 2006. He assembled computers for Hewlett-Packard before then.
Approaching his sixth year serving in downtown Oxnard, Fernandez is preparing to pursue a career as a patrol police officer.
“I had never wanted to be an officer, but now that I’ve got a taste of it working closely with Oxnard Police Department, it’s something I want to purse,” he said. “It will be doing what I do a little more serious.”
Source:vcstar
Sheriff opens training space at Richland Mall www.privateofficer.com
Richland County SC May 5 2012 Soon, you’ll see Richland County sheriff’s deputies swarming the ramps of the parking garage at Richland Mall in Forest Acres.
But they won’t be chasing a criminal.
Instead, they’ll be using the ramps to stay fit as part of a new training facility, called Richland 1 CrossFit, that the sheriff’s office opened Thursday on the second floor of the mall. It’s an initiative that mall developers hope will increase traffic at the struggling retail center with the bonus of making customers feel safe.
We’re going to have a constant flow of deputies in and out of there,” said Sheriff Leon Lott. “Richland Mall is a safe place. This will just give that extra level of security.”
The mall owners – a group of Columbia-area investors led by Don Taylor and Bill Walkup – have been working to fill the center since buying it at a steep discount out of foreclosure two years ago.
So far, the mall has gained an eclectic mix of retailers, theaters, service providers and even a small manufacturer.
But in an economic climate that still is struggling, the mall has not yet landed a major retail anchor tenant.
“Most urban infill malls are going to morph into a mixed-use mall,” said Joe Walker, who recently was appointed general manager of Richland Mall.
In fact, Forest Acres recently created a new zoning category specifically designed to help the mall bring in a variety of tenants.
“It’s a very liberal zoning policy to accommodate most anything,” Walker said. “This economy is not healed yet and national big box retailers are really not doing anything.”
The major retailers that are expanding are “still leapfrogging out to the perimeter,” Walker said. “It’s difficult to get a big national box to look back (toward town).”
Owners approached the Sheriff’s Department about creating a presence in the mall about the same time the law enforcement agency was looking for a permanent location for a CrossFit facility.
“It’s just the perfect marriage for what they were looking for and what I was looking for,” Lott said.
The 8,400-square-foot space gives deputies a spot to do short, intense workouts that combine cardiovascular and muscle training. The department is leasing the space for a penny a year, and Gold’s Gym donated the equipment so the new center carried no cost to taxpayers, Lott said. (The Sheriff’s Department still pays for all deputies to have a Gold’s membership.)
The extra training is important, Lott said, because it cuts down on injuries and protects lives.
“It’s part of the job, just like putting your uniform on, driving a car and having a gun,” he said.
In other mall news:
• Sadie’s American Cafeteria is still on track to open by Mother’s Day, which is May 13, in the former S&S Cafeteria space on the lower level of Richland Mall. David Martin also is running his catering business out of the site. Diners apparently are ready for some sweet tea, a meat and three, and lemon pie. Walker said Sadie’s new sign went up April 30 and a line of about 100 people formed outside at lunchtime the next day. Martin still was waiting on some final permits before opening.
• A Rainsoft water purification store, run by Charles Lee, opened recently after moving from Main Street into the former Bath & Body Works space in the mall.
• And Pilates of Forest Acres opened a few weeks ago on the lower level near Belk, offering pilates, barre and yoga classes in addition to one-on-one training. Ashley Hayes is the owner
Source:www.thestate.com
Two Cuban brothers arrested in $80-million heist of pharmaceutical drugs from a Connecticut warehouse www.privateofficer.com
Some of the drugs believed stolen in the March 2010 robbery of the Enfield, Conn., building were recovered in a storage facility in Florida, officials said at a news conference from New Haven, Conn. At least 11 people were arrested Thursday in Florida, accused of possessing and selling stolen goods — including some from the Connecticut warehouse.
An errant water bottle played a role in identifying the suspects, officials said.
Amaury Villa, 37, and Amed Villa, 46, citizens of Cuba who have been living in Miami, were arrested in connection with the Connecticut robbery. During the heist, thieves scaled a wall of the Eli Lilly & Co. warehouse, cut a hole in the roof, then lowered themselves with ropes into the interior, officials said. Once inside, the suspects disabled the security system and loaded dozens of pallets of costly anti-depressants and other drugs onto a truck.
The Villa brothers were charged in an indictment unsealed Thursday with conspiracy and theft of interstate shipment, according to U.S. Atty. David B. Fein.
“The charges announced today are the result of a sustained and thorough investigation by the FBI and the Enfield Police Department,” Fein said. “As a result of their efforts, and our counterparts in Florida and across the country, we believe that a prolific cargo theft ring has been dismantled.”
At the televised news conference, Enfield Police Chief Carl Sferrazza praised the spirit of cooperation that led to the arrests; the heist was the biggest in the state’s history and one of the largest thefts of legal drugs in the nation.
“I am extremely happy that the alleged perpetrators in this case have been identified and arrested,” Sferrazza said. “I believe this case shows that collaborative efforts between federal law enforcement officers and local law enforcement officers can yield successful results.”
The robbery reads like the plot of a “Mission Impossible,” movie, complete with an unexpected twist.
According to the indictment emailed to reporters, Amaury Villa flew from Miami to LaGuardia Airport in January 2010, rented a car and drove to Windsor, Conn., where he checked into a hotel. The following day, Eli Lilly surveillance video captured an individual looking through the front door of the warehouse in Enfield.
On the day before the robbery, two individuals purchased a “particular combination of tools” at a Home Depot in Flushing, N.Y., officials allege.
Just before the heist, Amaury Villa again flew from Miami to LaGuardia Airport, arriving in the early morning hours of March 13, according to the indictment. Villa rented a car and, later that morning, checked into a hotel in Windsor, Conn.
Between 10:22 p.m. and 10:32 p.m. on the night of March 13, 2010, surveillance video recorded individuals at the scene. After 10:30 p.m., the individuals using the tools purchased at Home Depot cut a hole in the roof of the warehouse and disabled parts of the facility’s security system, authorities say.
Over the next five hours, Amed Villa and others used a forklift inside the warehouse to load numerous boxes of drugs, including the schizophrenia drug Zyprexa, the antidepressant Prozac and the chemotherapy drug Gemzar, into a tractor-trailer truck, officials charge. During that time, they say, Amed Villa touched a water bottle that had been stored within the warehouse; he reportedly left that bottle inside the warehouse when he departed.
Officials did not give further details about the evidence, saying they were waiting for the trial to present it
The tractor-trailer carrying the stolen drugs was on the road by 3:40 a.m. on March 14.
Later that morning, Amaury Villa checked out of the hotel room, and his rental car is logged going through a southbound toll station on the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge at approximately 11:35 a.m. On March 15, he flew from LaGuardia Airport to Miami, according to the charges.
In Connecticut, Amaury Villa and Amed Villa are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit theft from an interstate shipment; that charge carries a maximum penalty of five years. They also face four counts of theft from an interstate shipment; each of those counts could bring 10 years in prison.
In Florida, 11 people — including Amaury Villa — face a variety of charges, including attempting to sell some of the medications taken from Enfield. A storage facility in Florida was searched in October 2011, and some of the drugs from Connecticut were recovered, officials said.
As part of the overall investigation, Amed Villa has been charged with the theft of more than 3,500 cases of cigarettes valued at more than $8 million from a warehouse in Tazewell County, Ill., near Peoria, on Jan. 24, 2010, according to an indictment unsealed on Thursday in Illinois.
Alert Shelby County deputies nab burglary gang in the act www.privateofficer.com
Chelsa AL May 5 2012 Several people have been arrested for allegedly trying to burglarize a self-storage business in Chelsea.
According to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies observed three individuals acting suspiciously within the fenced-in area of a local self-storage business in the 14000 block of US Highway 280, in Chelsea May 2, 2012 about 2:10am CT.
Deputies observed that all three were wearing ski masks and one person was carrying a large bolt cutting tool commonly used to cut locks and chains.
The people ran away and two of them were later captured in nearby woods.
A cell phone was located with the suspects.
While the area was being searched, deputies observed a vehicle approach the back entrance of the business with a female driver and male passenger crouched down in the passenger seat.
The vehicle was stopped a short distance away and both occupants were detained.
A cell phone was discovered in the vehicle that established a connection with the two suspects already in custody.
Condarius Tremayne Marbury, 19 years of age from Sylacauga, Al., was arrested and has been charged with five counts of Burglary 3rd degree, each having a $15,000 bond. He is currently in the Shelby County Jail and his total bond is $75,000.
Nelson Rashad Seals, 18 years of age from Sylacauga, Al., was arrested and has been charged with five counts of Burglary 3rd degree, each having a $15,000 bond. He is currently in the Shelby County Jail and his total bond is $75,000.
Robert Octavius Barber, 25 years of age from Sycamore, Al., was arrested and has been charged with five counts of Burglary 3rd degree, each having a $50,000 bond. He is currently in the Shelby County Jail and his total bond is $250,000.
Danesha Davine Phillips, 21 years of age from Sylacauga, Al., was arrested and has been charged with five counts of Burglary 3rd degree, each having a $15,000 bond. She is currently in the Shelby County Jail and her total bond is $75,000.
Sheriff’s investigators have identified a total of 20 storage units that were broken into and are in the process of contacting all of the victims.
Additional arrest warrants are likely forthcoming.
Some cops-citizens upset over officer assigned toprivately-owned Merchandise Mart www.privateofficer.com
Chicago IL May 5 2012 With about 1,400 vacancies, the Chicago Police Department has a critical shortage of officers. Perhaps that’s one reason why police sources are upset with police brass assigning a cop to patrol a privately-owned downtown building.
The Better Government Association and the 2 Investigators checked out the tip that infuriates residents and business owners in high crime areas.
“We used to have beat officers,” said Roderick Pierce, the owner of Englewood Hardware. “I don’t know where they went, but we used to have them walk the beats.”
“This area needs policemen on a daily, and an hourly basis,” said Loretta Langford, who lives with her children in Englewood
In Englewood and other high-crime neighborhoods, residents are begging for more cops on the street.
So, the 2 Investigators and the Better Government Association were surprised to learn the Chicago Police Department has assigned an officer to patrol the privately-owned Merchandise Mart. His name is Joseph Pagan and he is paid $78,000 a year.
The 2 Investigators watched day after day, as Officer Pagan ambled his way around the commercial space at the Merchandise Mart.
“What are you supposed to be doing here?” CBS 2′s Pam Zekman asked Pagan.
Contact News Affairs,” Pagan said.
A spokeswoman for Police News Affairs said a Chicago police officer has been assigned to the building for the past 30 years. Pagan has been there for three years.
The department said the Merchandise Mart needs a cop to ensure the public safety of approximately 30,000 people who pass through the building a day — over 1 million a year — including commuters riding CTA lines that run into the building.
“His presence minimizes issues of aggressive panhandling, robbery and pickpocketing of commuters entering the building from the CTA,” the spokeswoman said.
But in his three years working at the Merchandise Mart, Officer Pagan has made no arrests.
A Merchandise Mart spokeswoman said the building employs its own staff of about 20 private security guards.
In addition, the CTA has its own security force.
“This may be one of the last vestiges of someone deployed where they’re not really needed for public safety,” said Andy Shaw, President and CEO of the Better Government Association.
“I don’t know the logic of them having a police officer, unless you’ve got some kind of connections, or juice. … But I wish I had that connection down here, where we could have police officers walking the beats of Englewood,” Pierce said of his neighborhood.
Until recently, the Kennedy family owned or ran the Merchandise Mart complex for decades. A Merchandise Mart spokeswoman said they have never asked for a police officer to be assigned there.
“It would seem to me that an office building populated by mostly white collar individuals, who are not super crime prone, probably is not as important as some of the tough neighborhoods in Chicago,” Shaw said.
“Look at the murder rate in this area,” Langford said about her Englewood neighborhood. “It’s ridiculous. Why would you patrol a building, and you haven’t made an arrest, when you can come out here and do a job that needs to be done?”
A spokeswoman for the Chicago Police Department said clout has nothing to do with the assignment of an officer at the Merchandise Mart.
A spokeswoman for the Merchandise Mart said neither the Kennedy family, nor anyone else from the Mart ever asked the city to supply an officer there.
Oklahoma casino employee pleads guilty to embezzlement www.privateofficer.com
According to the court records and the plea proceedings, Stevenson was an employee at the casino, which is on American Indian land and is operated by the Chickasaw Nation.
Stevenson admitted that in April and May 2007 she helped security guards, family and friends win promotional games that were intended for random drawing. The parties agreed that the financial loss did not exceed $17,500.
Stevenson will be sentenced Aug. 1.
Source:newsok.com
Guns now welcomed at Virginia State Parks www.privateofficer.com
RICHMOND, Va. May 5 2012 – A trip to the park is a great escape for Richmond resident, Rebecca Clugston, but she tells CBS 6, not anymore because some people will have their guns in tow.
“I think it would be great if they weren’t allowed in the parks”, says Clugston.
It’s too late for that because Governor Bob McDonnell is mandating that Virginians officially be allowed to openly carry their gun at any state park without question. McDonnell says the state has no authority to prohibit you from doing so.
“We have had no instances of people carrying guns or causing problems with guns”, said Gary Waugh with the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
In fact, Waugh says they started to suspend enforcement of this gun ban last year after getting word from the Governor that it would officially be repealed this year and says safety hasn’t been compromised in any way and he attributes that to a heavy police presence.
Still some park-goers question the need for a gun in a state park.
“You never know when something is going to happen,” says gun rights advocates, like Phillip Van Cleave. Van Cleave tells CBS6, it’s all about having protection no matter where you go.
“If you’re out in a park, you may be isolated and a more attractive victim because no one is around to help you than you would if say you were in downtown Richmond” says Van Cleave
Source: WTVR
KY security officer discovers fiery crash that killed Fayette First County Attorney www.privateofficer.com
Woodford County KY May 5 2012 Fayette First Assistant County Attorney Brian Mattone died late Wednesday in a fiery auto crash in Woodford County.
Woodford County Coroner Ronald Owens said Mattone’s body was badly burned, and dental records were used to help make the identification.
The coroner said the cause of death was blunt-force trauma. “He was dead before the vehicle caught on fire,” Owens said.
Mattone was driving a Toyota 4Runner east on Old Frankfort Pike when the SUV went off the left side of the road, struck a tree and went through a plank fence, Versailles police Lt. Daniel Clark said.
The vehicle then caught fire. “By the time our officers arrived, the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames, and there wasn’t anything anybody could do,” Clark said.
Fayette County Attorney Larry Roberts said he went to the crash scene, where he saw Mattone’s cellphone and a placard from the county attorney’s office.
The crash between Aiken and Midway roads was reported shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday by a night security guard who was driving in the area and came upon the wreck, Clark said.
Source:www.kentucky.com
Hanford Police officer arrested on drug charges www.privateofficer.com
30-year-old Ernesto Servin was arrested late Thursday afternoon at the police department after he showed up for work.
Servin reportedly had oxycontin, methamphetamine and marijuana in his car.
And he may have gotten the drugs from cases he worked and arrests he made as a Hanford Police officer.
Servin resigned from the department Thursday afternoon after investigators confronted him with allegations he falsified police reports and had drugs in his possession.
“This is a guy who was out on the street and supposedly enforcing laws and he was doing this. And we had to jump on this,” said Hanford Police Chief Carlos Mestas.
Mestas says the Kings County District Attorneys office got a tip about Servin two days ago. Police Investigated.
A search of Servin’s personal car turned up oxycontin, methamphetamine, marijuana and a gun in the trunk. The gun belonged to Servin, it was not his department issued weapon.
Investigators suspect some of the drugs came from arrests Servin made as a patrol officer.
“Theres a possibility some of those narcotics were taken from other cases but we’re not sure about that. That’s something we would automatically look at,” Mestas said.
Servin has been with the Hanford Police Department for four and a half years. The police chief says Servin’s record has been spotless until now.
At the Thursday night Marketplace in downtown Hanford, residents were stunned by news of the officer’s arrest.
“I know a few of the Hanford police officers and they’re very good people, so I’m surprised at that. So it’s a little disappointing,” said Tamara Fish of Hanford.
“I think it just reflects on the one person he just got a little bit greedy and decided to go out and do his own thing it’s just terrible that people will think it’s the whole department,” said Hanford resident Steven Fish.
The arrest comes roughly three weeks after Selma police officer Fredrick Sayles and former Selma officer Gabriel Hernandez were arrested in Virginia and charge with trafficking marijuana.
Servin’s arrest could jeopardize some of his criminal cases. The department is now looking over the arrests he’s made.
SC DNR volunteer charged in gas thefts www.privateofficer.com
MCCLELLANVILLE, SC May 5 2012 - SLED agents arrested a volunteer with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources on Wednesday after they say he filled his own vehicle with gas from DNR pumps.
Charles Darren Arthur, 46, of McClellanville, is charged with breach of trust with fraudulent intent, value $2,000 or less.
Investigators say between September 2011 and February 22, 2012, Arthur used DNR fuel at the Santee Coastal Reserve for personal use on several occasions. Agents say he even filled up his girlfriend’s car with DNR gas one time last winter.
SLED officials say SCDNR requested the investigation. Based on monthly gasoline audits, investigators say Arthur stole 346.8 gallons of fuel valued at $1,148.
Arthur was taken to the Charleston County Detention Center.
Source:wis.com
San Antonio nightclub security gunned down www.privateofficer.com
SAN ANTONIO TX May 5 2012 - A South Side strip club’s bouncer was fatally shot early Thursday after an unwelcome customer was thrown out of the establishment and then returned with a gun, police said.
Frank Bernard Lurati Jr., 24, was shot twice around midnight at the MVP Club in the 3700 block of Roosevelt.
Lurati’s family said he had only been working at the club for two weeks, and they didn’t want him to work there.
“He was looking for a job and nothing was panning out the way that he wanted it to, and taking the job at the club was really just a last resort for him, because he knew he needed the income to come in,” Lurati’s sister, Tanya Gutierrez, said.
She said he needed the money to take care of his three kids.
“It’s unfortunate that young people like my brother have to go that route to make a living and end up potentially losing their life because of it,” Gutierrez said.
Police say a customer believed to be in his mid-20s got into an argument with Lurati, then left the club saying he’d be back.
Twenty minutes later, the man returned and opened fire, hitting Lurati once in the chest and once in the groin.
People at the club say the shooter was a regular, and he was also tossed out two weeks ago.
“For someone to just be vengeful and just have this grudge against him and just kill him for no reason, it’s just really hard right now,” Gutierrez said.
Police collected a beer can from the club that might give them more information about the shooter’s identity.
Lurati’s family has set up a memorial fund in his name to help cover funeral expenses
Ventura transient arrested in disturbance at public health building www.privateofficer.com
Police said Henri Brother allegedly burst into a meeting inside the building and started yelling and making threats that he had a weapon.
Brother then allegedly attacked four employees, hitting them with his fists.
A security guard and several people intervened and held Brother on the ground until police arrived and took him into custody, authorities said.
He was arrested on suspicion of assault and taken to Ventura County jail.
Howard County Police Probe Double Shooting At Ellicott City Church; Man Found Dead In Nearby Woods www.privateofficer.com
Police are still investigating and trying to sort out the evidence. Meantime, Ellicott City residents are stunned.
Horrific acts of violence happen in one of the most unlikely of places.
Howard County Police say around 5:20 p.m. Thursday, two women were shot inside St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in the 3600-block of Rogers Avenue in Ellicott City.
“We had a custodian call 911. He was in the building cleaning when he came upon the office, saw the two women and called immediately,” Sherry Llewellyn, spokesperson for the Howard County Police Department, said.
Police say the surviving victim was taken to Shock Trauma in very critical condition.
While a Maryland State Police Medevac searched above, on the ground a SWAT team– unsure of the shooter’s location– searched the church building and scoured the area.
A short time later, they found a man dead in the woods near the church.
He had an apparent gunshot wound. They also found a gun, though police were trying to determine if he was in fact the church shooter.
“Certainly, thoughts and prayers go out to the victims’ families,” Andrea Mandato, an Ellicott City resident, said. “But very troubling and shocking to hear that it would happen so close to home.”
Ellicott City residents were stunned to hear the news of a shooting inside a church. Those WJZ spoke with were anxious to hear the news of what happened and why.
“It’s very troubling. Just, you hear about this kind of stuff but never think that. I don’t know, it’s just really weird,” Kelly Shaw, a resident of Ellicott City, said.
“At this point, we’re still working to determine who the man in the woods might have been. But we certainly are looking into the possibility that this might be related,” Llewellyn said.
Howard County Police have not identified the women nor the man found. They’re still trying to determine the women’s connection to the church and whether the man found shot them before apparently killing himself.
Source: WJZ
SC deputy accused of shooting at wife surrenders to authorities www.privateofficer.com
RIDGEVILLE, SC May 5 2012- An Orangeburg County sheriff’s deputy accused of beating and shooting at his wife has surrendered to the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities say 42-year-old Kenneth R. Winningham surrendered to the sheriff’s office Friday afternoon wanted in connection to assaulting and shooting at his 23-year-old wife at their home in Dorchester County.
Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said on Friday,”Based on the investigation of an off-duty incident involving Kenneth Winningham by the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office, as of May 3, Winningham is no longer an employee of this agency and we have retrieved all county-owned equipment from his residence.”
Deputies were on patrol in the area of Carters’ Fast Stop on Highway 78 early Wednesday morning when they were flagged down by a man. The man then requested investigators speak with a woman who appeared to be upset and was being consoled by family members.
Investigators say the woman had injuries including bruising and complained of tenderness to her side, knee, arms and face.
The woman told deputies that she wanted to file a report regarding a physical domestic altercation that happened on Wednesday at her home on Winningham Road. The victim said that the incident involved her husband, Kenneth Roy Winningham, who she said was a deputy with the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the victim, her husband began punching her body while she was sleeping in her bed around 12:30 a.m. The victim said an argument followed where her husband said he had looked through her cell phone and saw text messages to another man.
The victim said her husband struck her several times with closed fists to her arms and left side. She told deputies that she also fell to the floor where the suspect kicked her several times.
An incident report states that the suspect took out a .45 caliber gun, made threats to the victim and hit her twice on the knee using the loaded gun.
According to deputies, the victim was seated on the edge of the bed when the suspect shot two rounds within close proximity of her. The victim told deputies that one round was discharged into the bed, a short distance from where she sat. She said she was unsure where the second round went.
Deputies say the suspect then forced her accompany him to a store and prevented her from leaving. She said she was unable to contact 911 immediately because the suspect took her cell phone.
The victim said that the suspect made several threats to harm her and told her he was going to “slit her throat causing her to bleed out” and threatened to shoot her feet to disable her.
The victim gave a written statement to officers and was escorted to the Hess Gas station in Jedburg after she consented to a search of the home. She was then left at the station with a detective for her own safety as officers went to the house.
Investigators were provided a key to the home after officers found the home locked with no one answering the door.
Detectives then went into the home and recovered a .45 caliber bullet casing from the floor beside the bed. Fragments from a small caliber weapon were also found in the bed’s spring box.
Officers say they also found what appeared to be a bullet hole in the mattress.
The Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office was contacted regarding the case and took possession of equipment at the home belonging to their department.
Source: WCSC
Paramus NJ school teacher arrested for child porn www.privateofficer.com
FBI agents arrested Evan Zauder, 26, on Tuesday, authorities said. During a search of Zauder’s home, federal agents seized a computer that Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said today contained hundreds of images and videos of minor children engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Zauder is a teacher at the Yeshivat Noam School in Paramus.
Yeshivat Noam School is a coed pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school with 650 students, according to the school’s website.
“As a teacher, Evan Zauder was supposed to help children not, as alleged, contribute to their exploitation,” Bharara said in the press release. “Protecting children from harm is an important priority shared by our Office and the FBI, and we will continue to work tirelessly to pursue and prosecute individuals who prey on the innocent.”
Janice Fedarcyk, the assistant director-in-charge of the New York office of the FBI, said in the press release: “The FBI remains committed to protecting children from exploitation. The market for child pornography creates demand for production of images, and every photo and video is a record of abuse.”
Former Santa Ana Unified School District teacher charged with sex crimes www.privateofficer.com
NEWPORT BEACH CA May 5 2012 – A former teacher was arrested Thursday on charges of molesting two female students, ages 13 and 15, and possessing graphic child pornography depicting young girls, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said.
Prosecutors have charged Alex Bassinne, 50, of Newport Beach, with one felony count each of lewd acts upon a child younger than 14, lewd acts upon a child, and possession and control of child pornography.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of nine years and four months in state prison.
Bassinne was arrested by Newport Beach police and posted $100,000 bail. He is expected to be arraigned June 15 at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach.
At the time of the sexual assaults, Bassinne was a teacher with the Santa Ana Unified School District who had worked at Santa Ana High School and Raymond A. Villa Fundamental Intermediate School, the D.A.’s office said in a news release.
He is accused of making inappropriate sexual comments and leering at students.
On Feb. 15, 2009, Bassinne is accused of molesting the 15-year-old by touching her buttocks during a class trip. In early November 2010, Bassinne looked down the shirt of the 13-year-old and when she attempted to move her shirt, the defendant is accused of grabbing the victim’s shirt and positioning it so that he could continue looking down, the D.A. said.
In 2011, Bassinne moved from Laguna Niguel to a home in Newport Beach, leaving several items behind, including a disc containing images of graphic child pornography depicting girls, approximately 10 to 12 years old, the release said. In April that year, someone discovered the disc and turned it over to authorities.
A search of Bassinne’s Newport Beach home by police found he was in possession of additional child pornography, prosecutors said.
Newport Beach police investigated the case and determined Bassinne had been a teacher. Detectives worked with the Santa Ana Unified School District Police Department to investigate any possible victims and discovered the sexual assaults against the two girls, the news release said.
Fla teacher Kacy Wilson arrested for sex crimes with student wwww.privateofficer.com
KISSIMMEE, Fla.May 5 2012 - Former Osceola County, Fla. teacher Kacy Wilson has been arrested for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old student and sending pornographic photos to the teen, police said on Thursday.
CBS affiliate WKMG reports that the 28-year-old was arrested in Salida, Colo. She was charged with one count of unlawful sexual activity with certain minors and one count of unlawful transmission of pornography by electronic device.
According to Kissimmee police, officials were made aware in October of a possible relationship between Wilson and a male student at Osceola High School.
Detectives tried to talk to Wilson, but she resigned from her job and moved to Colorado, police said. The teen initially denied the allegations.
In April, however, the teen told school officials about the relationship, saying it occurred the year before. According to police, he also told detectives about inappropriate photos that she recently sent him.
An arrest warrant was obtained for Wilson, who was arrested and will be extradited to Osceola County. She’s being held on $85,000 bond.
According to the Osceola County school district, Williams was hired in Aug. 2009. She resigned this year in January.
School officials said as soon as the district learned of the allegations, they immediately notified the Department of Children and Families, law enforcement and the State Department of Education.
Source: CBS/WKMG
TN man gets prison for bank robbery wearing guard’s uniform www.privateofficer.com
Fifty-two-year-old Charles Asher was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Huntington. He previously admitted robbing the First Priority Federal Credit Union in Barboursville on Aug. 23 and a BB&T branch in Hurricane on Oct. 3.
Federal prosecutors say Asher wore a security guard uniform and threatened tellers with a replica pistol during both robberies. He fled the banks with a total of $30,000 in cash.
According to court records, Asher was released from a federal prison in Kentucky on Aug. 19, 2011, and taken to a bus station in Huntington. He was supposed to go to a halfway house in Nashville, Tenn., but he never arrived.
Lodi fire captain dies in a motorcycle crash www.privateofficer.com
Joe Hansen, 50, served the Lodi Fire Department for 25 years. The fire department said a passenger motorist found Hansen and notified emergency services.
The California Highway Patrol said that Hansen was westbound on Highway 88 near Foster Meadow Road at an unknown speed. He allowed his motorcycle to go off the north side of the road where it hit a snow marker.
The motorcycle overturned and he was ejected. Hansen died at the scene.
He is survived by his wife, Natalie, and son, Alex.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of our lost colleague,” said a press release from the fire department.
source-sacbee.com
Three CT woman nabbed in $8,500 shoplifting spree in Maine www.privateofficer.com
KITTERY, Maine May 5 2012— Three woman from Hartford, Conn., were arrested Friday and charged with shoplifting at one of the outlet malls.
On Friday, at about 4:30 p.m. the Kittery Police Department responded to Kittery Premium Outlet #4 on Route One for a reported shoplifting.
An alert employee of one of the outlet stores observed a theft of merchandise and contacted the Police Department. The employee was able to provide a description of the individuals involved and an associated vehicle.
Members of the police department arrived at the outlet within two minutes of the call and began checking the area on foot. The described individuals and the associated vehicle were located. After a short investigation Tatiana Byrd, 29, Ebony Wilson, 24, and Latoya Ellis, 18, all from Hartford, Conn. were arrested.
At the time of the arrest, all three women were found to be in possession of stolen merchandise and additional merchandise was located in their vehicle.
The total of all recovered merchandise was at least $8,500 with some merchandise unable to be valued due to missing price tags. Also located during the inventory search was a variety of empty shopping bags of various stores typically used as “boost bags.”
All three women were charged with Class C receiving stolen property; a felony, due to the value of the stolen merchandise. All were released on $10,000 unsecured bail to appear in the Alfred Superior Court on June 5.
7 Month old baby dies after being left in truck all day in Texas heat www.privateofficer.com
SUGAR LAND, Texas May 5 2012 - A 7-month-old died Thursday after the baby’s father left the baby in a pickup truck all day while he was at work, Sugar Land police said.
The father made the discovery at his home in the 14000 block of Mary Sue Court and Jo Ann Lane in the Covington Woods neighborhood.
Sugar Land police said the dad dropped off his elementary school-aged kids at school, but apparently forgot about the baby. Police said he then went to a conference on Highway 290 at the West Loop in northwest Houston.
He came home at about 5:30 p.m. Police said that was when his wife called to ask about the baby and he made the discovery.
“You cannot manage it unless you’ve gone through it yourself,” Sugar Land resident Gary Piet said. “It’s a sad case.”
Sugar Land police are investigating. A decision on whether charges will be filed has not yet been made. The case will be turned over to the District Attorney’s Office.
Tips To Prevent Tragedy
According to Kids and Cars, this case is not uncommon.
In 2010, more than 1,000 children were left alone in cars. Of those, 239 of the children died, including 83 in Texas.
Child safety experts have tips to prevent this from happening.
1. Put something you have to have with you, such as a purse or briefcase, in the back seat next to the child that forces you to check the back seat.
2. Put a stuffed animal in the front seat as a reminder that your child is in the back.
For more tips, visit http://www.kidsandcars.org.
Texas alarm company sales rep wanted for sexual assault www.privateofficer.com
LA PORTE, Texas May 5 2012- Police are searching for a man who allegedly tried to sexually assault a woman in La Porte.
Johnny Lara, 23, sold alarms door-to-door for Bulldog Security.
Workers must go through a background check for a state license. Police said Lara had a license, but it had been suspended when he allegedly attacked the woman in La Porte two weeks ago.
He said, ‘I want to have sex with you one time,’” the victim said. “He was grabbing my butt and trying to go up to the private areas. I was fighting him and pushing his hands off.”
Lara had to pass a background check in August 2011 to get private security contractors license. According to the Department of Public Safety, he shouldn’t have gotten a state license if he’d previously been convicted of a Class B misdemeanor or above.
According to Harris County records, Lara was convicted on twice for class-B misdemeanors — once for marijuana possession in 2009 and once in 2008 for interfering with a public servant. He was also convicted of a more serious class a offense, evading detention.
Department of Public Safety officials are trying to figure out how Lara obtained a license.
A spokesman for Bulldog Security said the company wasn’t aware of Lara’s license being suspended. He he said the company fired Lara two weeks ago, after learning of the La Porte allegations.
La Porte police have issued a warrant for Lara’s arrest on a felony charge of attempted sexual assault charges.
