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Two South Florida officers shot, gunman commits suicide www.privateofficer.com
PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – May 12 2012
It started with a robbery of a barber shop and ended with an armed guard shooting wildly at the robbery suspect, 2 injured law enforcement officers and a dead suspect.
On Friday, the FBI identified the deceased suspect as David Edwin Bradley, 23, of Miami Gardens.
“He wasn’t a big guy, was a small guy, probably like (5 feet 3 inches tall) with dreads,” said barber Dwight Francis.
The incident started about 2 p.m. when the FBI was tracking a carjacker in Miami-Dade County. A man ripped off a minivan, then moments later hit Pembroke Pines to rob GQ Barber Salon.
“He came in (and said), ‘Where is the money?’ I opened the register and got the money out,” said Francis.
Francis handed over $350 but his customer, an off-duty security guard, wasn’t about to let the robber get away.
“When the guy tried to leave, the guard opened fired on him,” said Francis.
But, the gunman sped off, headed west, dumped the van and carjacked a blue Infiniti. He found his way onto the Turnpike, where he got into an accident and ran into a Key Biscayne police officer on her way home.
“Whenever she sees anyone in trouble, she stops to help,” said Key Biscayne Police Chief Charles Press. “She chose to stop and render aid to what she thought was a traffic accident.”
The robber pulled out his gun, shot at the officer, then turned on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent also on the highway.
Key Biscayne Police Officer Nelia Real, 54 was hit and is in critical condition.
“She knows she’s in good hands. She understands the situation. She’s very calm. (She was) agitated last night, but she’s with her family today,” Press said.
Press described Real as “the consummate community police officer.”
“She is in charge of the traffic unit. She is probably the best-known officer in Key Biscayne. Her niche has been traffic safety, especially the safety of children,” Press said.
Cops from all ends of South Florida hit the road to help. Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputy and Iraq war veteran Osvaldo Petitfrere, 32, put the injured Key Biscayne officer into his cruiser and rushed her to the hospital. Law enforcement sources told Local 10 that that deputy also fired shots to protect the wounded officer.
“He definitely played a role in saving her life. He’s quite a heroic young man,” Press said. “His actions went far beyond those of a five-year veteran.”
Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputy Enid Conley, 23, with the Dania Beach district was on her way to the scene was involved in a crash on Interstate 95 and Sheridan Street. She was hospitalized with a broken leg.
The gunman then committed suicide as the Turnpike was shut down for hours, backed up for miles in the height of rush hour.
The ICE agent, Assistant Field Office Director Gabriel Martinez, was in stable condition at Memorial Regional Hospital on Friday. ICE said he is a 10-year veteran with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations.
The FBI said it is looking into Bradley’s motive in the incident.
According to records, Bradley was arrested about 20 times between 2007 and 2011 on charges including possession of marijuana and cocaine, dealing cocaine, trespassing, loitering and prowling and resisting arrest. He also was accused of minor traffic infractions and driving with a suspended license, but he was never accused of any violent offense.
The FBI asked that anyone with information about Bradley’s activities on Thursday or anyone who witnessed any of the events is asked to call the FBI at 305-944-9101.
Houston security guard charged with rape at Grehound Bus Station www/privateofficer.com
“I was on my way to work this morning when I saw him get arrested,” Barbara Brown said.
Brown is talking about her neighbor, Tyler Duhon, a commissioned security guard. The 29-year-old security officer is accused of raping a pregnant woman inside the security office at the Greyhound station where he worked. The unidentified woman was about to board a bus to Dallas in April when she got caught with a small amount of marijuana while passing through security and was turned over to Duhon.
According to court documents the woman begged the defendant to let her go, citing she was four months pregnant and had a young child at home. She told him she would do anything if he let her go.
Donna Hawkins with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office said, “The defendant indicated he needed to do a strip search of her to look for more drugs, but he did in fact sexually assault her while they were alone.”
This allegedly happened in a private security room. Prosecutors say the victim pleaded with Duhon not to touch her. His response, according to court documents, was, “Remember, I did you a favor, now you have to do me a favor. … At least you can’t get pregnant.”
Prosecutors say afterwards Duhon let the woman go.
The woman who answered the door at the apartment where Duhon was arrested wouldn’t identify herself.
The security company conducted its own investigation and fired him. The issued the following statement to Eyewitness News:
“Top Gun Security Services on April 30 initiated an internal investigation upon first learning of the allegations against Tyler Duhon. Following our investigation, Mr. Duhon”s employment was immediately terminated.
Top Gun maintains the highest professional and ethical standards. We have a zero tolerance for any improper employee behavior. It is our strict policy to conduct criminal background checks on all new officers when they are hired. Mr. Duhon’s background check came back clean at the time — he had no prior criminal record. He was given and passed a drug test. And he passed a Texas and FBI background check before they issued him an armed security license.
We will have no further comment to make about the matter which is under criminal investigation by local law enforcement. Top Gun is fully cooperating with the investigation.”
Duhon is charged with sexual assault. He no longer works for ‘Top Gun’ security. Bail has been set at $30,000.
Source: KTRK
Westchester Mall security report numerous thefts www.privateofficer.com
A security officer for Nordstram’s told police a Brooklyn man, 22, took two Burberry button down shirts worth $250 each and one Lacoste stripped polo shirt worth $95 to the fitting room, then saw him exit without them. After noticing the shirts weren’t in the fitting room, security confronted the suspect, who then ran away down Bloomingdale Avenue around 6:25 p.m.
While being chased, the suspect discarded the three shirts he had taken behind a bush near the mall, police said. Mall security recovered the shirts and police caught the suspect and took him to headquarters.
After searching him, police found seven pieces of aluminum foil in his pockets, which they determined were consistent with those wrapped around the electronic alert sensors on the three shirts.
He is charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, a misdemeanor, petit larceny, a misdemeanor, and possession of burglar’s tools, also a misdemeanor. He is being held pending $1,250 bail.
About 30 minutes later at 7 p.m., another Brooklyn man, 20, was charged with petit larceny and possession of burglar’s tools for taking a polo shirt, worth $195, a Moncler shirt, worth $180, and a pair of True Religion jeans, worth $319, from Neiman Marcus.
Security told police he stuffed the clothes into his pants, then tried to leave the store without paying. He was arrested and taken to headquarters, where police found three pieces of aluminum foil in his pocket, which the suspect said he used to get past the anti-theft devices. He was held on $500 bail.
14 Yr old Alabama boy charged with murder of half-sister www.privateofficer.com
St. Clair County Sheriff Terry Surles said the victim, Katelynn Arnold, was discovered Thursday night outside her home in Ragland, some 40 miles northeast of Birmingham.
The child was taken to St. Clair Regional Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, he said.
Citing laws covering juveniles, Surles would not identify the suspect. A hearing has been set to decide whether he will be certified as an adult.
St. Clair County District Attorney Richard Minor told CNN the suspect was charged in juvenile court with one count of murder and that the charging documents are sealed.
Both children lived with foster parents at the home where the body was found, Surles said.
It was not clear whether they were related to the foster family, he said. “We’re trying to find out who’s related to who,” Surles said.
Asked what the motive may have been, he said, “I have no idea.”
But he said he had no doubt that the killing was no accident. “That’s why he’s charged with murder,” he said.
The victim’s foster mother found the child in the yard after having searched for her by driving around the neighborhood, he said. “This child was actually touching the ground; it wasn’t as if she was dangling on from a tree limb.”
Surles said the cotton rope had been tied to a limb in a figure-8 knot, not a noose. “That rope apparently had been used for an old tire swing and I think during a storm last year the tree got blown down. The rope was readily available.”
The boy was taken into custody Thursday night, Surles said.
Neighbors had seen the children in the yard earlier in the day, he said.
St. Clair County Coroner Dennis Russell said the cause of death was ligature strangulation. He has ruled the case a homicide, he said.
Killer of Maryland State Trooper gets life in prison without parole plus 25 years www.privateofficer.com
Prince George’s County Circuit Court Judge Sean Wallace ordered Cyril Williams, 29, to life in prison without parole plus 25 years for the shooting of Brown, who was killed in June 2010 after he kicked Williams out of the Forestville restaurant where Brown was moonlighting as a security guard.
“Trooper Brown would have been well within his right to lock you up,” Judge Wallace said. “He gave you a break and instead of enjoying your good luck and going home, you took revenge.”
Williams was convicted of first-degree murder in February.
The night of the murder, Williams was drunk and urinated on someone inside an Applebee’s restaurant, Prince George’s Deputy State’s Attorney Tara Harrison said. Brown, 24, and Karl Peoples were working as part-time security guards at the restaurant and escorted Williams outside for being disorderly. Officer Peoples said Williams took a swing at him and he wanted to arrest the man, but Brown, wanting to give him a chance, told his partner to “just let him go.”
About an hour after the incident, prosecutors said Williams returned to the restaurant with a gun and fatally shot Brown when he stepped outside to make a phone call.
“He gave someone a chance who didn’t deserve it,” Brown’s sister Patrice Faison said at the sentencing. “Our family is hurting. Our family is broken.”
Law-enforcement officers, family and members of the Seat Pleasant community, where Brown was from, packed the Prince George’s County courtroom for the sentencing. Brown had only worked as a state trooper for a few years but had founded a mentoring group for youth in Seat Pleasant. His part-time security job at Applebee’s had helped pay for field trips and other activities for the young men to whom he dedicated so much of his time, his fiancee, Ebony Norris, said.
Commenting after Williams was sentenced, Ms. Norris said the entire ordeal has been a “long journey.”
“We feel like justice has finally been served,” she said.
Williams did not speak at the sentencing. His attorney, William Brennan Jr., said his client maintains his innocence and plans to appeal his conviction.
A co-defendant in the case, Anthony Milton, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact in Brown’s death and testified against Williams during the trial. Milton provided the gun prosecutors said was used in the murder and was sentenced to five years in prison.
“To all of those who think this type of behavior is acceptable, if you take the life of an officer who is sworn to protect us, we will prosecute you and we will take your life away from you,” State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks said after the sentencing.
Provo school resource officer fired for wearing speedo at birthday party www.privateofficer.com
Officer Cody Harris was fired Thursday after an internal investigation, Lt. Mathew Siufanua said in a news release.According to the police department, Harris, who was a resource officer at the high school, violated multiple police policies when on May 2 he participated in a birthday celebration at the school clad in nothing but a green hoodie and a scant swimsuit.
Harris was supposed to portray a frog as part of a “Princess and the Frog” theme party. Officials said he volunteered to wear the swimsuit over a pair of leggings as part of the costume.
“Upon the day of the party, he indicated he was not able to fit into the provided ‘leggings’ that would have covered his legs,” Siufanua said in the release. “Officer Harris made the conscious and independent decision to wear only a speedo/swimsuit and a green hoodie.”
On at least four separate occasions, authorities said Harris removed his uniform pants in the presence of female students and Provo High staff members, revealing the swimsuit he was wearing. He also allegedly made inappropriate gestures and comments to individuals in the room. The incident was recorded by students and the school security system.
“In the course of his behavior, he left several individuals, who rely upon him as a school resource officer to protect them and watch over them, so uncomfortable that they sought to leave his presence and to remove themselves from his unacceptable and unwanted conduct,” Siufanua said.
Siufanua said Harris violated five police policies, which encompassed guidelines for behavior and appearance in public, behavior toward members of the public, and also addressed sexual harassment.
Argument at New York hotel turns into murder-suicide www.privateofficer.com
NEW YORK CITY NY May 12 2012— Police say an argument between two Florida men in a New York City hotel turned fatal when one pulled out a gun and shot the other, then apparently shot himself.
The shooting occurred Thursday afternoon at the Hilton Garden Inn hotel near Kennedy International Airport in Queens.
Police say 31-year-old Brian Weiss, of Davie, was shot in the head. The shooter was identified as 47-year-old Gary Zalevsky, of Sunny Isles Beach. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police say the two men were in a group with others when the argument broke out. It’s not clear what sparked the fight, but police believed the two were not strangers.
The others in the hotel room fled the scene after the shooting, but police tracked them down and were interviewing them.
Police chief, firefighters arrested in sexual abuse investigation www.privateofficer.com
ALLENTOWN, Pa. May 12 2012 – Authorities wasted no time when a 23-year-old woman walked into the district attorney’s office last week to report that she’d endured years of sexual abuse inside the police and fire departments of a northeastern Pennsylvania town.
Within days of the report, state police had arrested the police chief, a captain and a former volunteer firefighter in Old Forge, a Scranton-area borough with about 8,300 residents. The FBI has joined the investigation, and Lackawanna County prosecutors say there may be still more arrests as authorities work to confirm details of the accuser’s story.
“We felt we had to move quickly. When you’re talking about police officers, they’re in a position of trust within the community. It really wasn’t something we could afford to wait on,” Deputy District Attorney Jennifer McCambridge said Thursday, one day after the arrest of Chief Larry Semenza on charges that include aggravated indecent assault and unlawful contact with a minor.
Also facing charges are Capt. Jamie Krenitsky, 34, and a former volunteer firefighter, Walt Chiavacci, 46, both of whom were arrested last week.
McCambridge declined to say whether any additional accusers have come forward, but confirmed the investigation is ongoing.
“It’s certainly possible there could be other charges or other arrests,” she said.
The woman approached prosecutors on May 2 and told them she’d had sexual contact with members of the police and fire departments starting in 2004, when she was 14 years old.
An arrest affidavit says that Semenza, then a police sergeant and fire captain, met the teen when she became a junior firefighter. Semenza trained her and became a mentor, and soon was taking her out for coffee and buying her expensive fire equipment, including a helmet that cost hundreds of dollars.
Within months, the relationship turned sexual, documents say, with multiple encounters in the firehouse kitchen, living area and shower beginning when the girl was 15. Semenza plied her with jewelry, including a Claddagh ring and a Maltese Cross charm and gold necklace, according to police.
It’s not clear how the alleged relationship broke off.
Semenza did not respond to questions from media as he was led out of court Wednesday. A message left at his home wasn’t returned Thursday and his attorney, David Solfanelli, also didn’t return a phone call.
Krenitsky’s attorney, Jason Mattioli, said his client intends to plead not guilty. He said he wasn’t prepared to address the specific accusations against Krenitsky but would do so at a June 27 preliminary hearing.
“Do not always believe what you read in the early stages of an investigation,” Mattioli said.
No one from the public defender’s office was available to speak about Chiavacci.
While none of the suspects are accused of using force, Kristen Houser, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, said child predators often employ more subtle forms of coercion. And there’s an inherent imbalance of power between a police officer and any civilian, much less a minor, she noted.
“I’m just not sure how any teenage child would feel like they have a right or a place to not comply with a police officer,” she said. Such cases “become even more egregious and outrageous because what path is left to those victims? Can I report it, will people believe me, what kind of danger will I put myself in if I tell his colleagues he’s been doing this?”
McCambridge, the prosecutor, also said the suspects’ jobs played a role in the alleged abuse.
“Your moral compass isn’t developed at 14 and we can’t expect them to look at things through the same prism of wisdom and experience that we as adults do,” she said.
“That’s where their positions of authority would have had such a huge impact on what happened.”
Source:AP
NorthPark mall security enforcing curfews, dress codes www.privateofficer.com
Dallas TX May 12 2012 NorthPark Center’s new code of conduct has several wrinkles for shoppers.
Effective immediately, parents or legal guardians must accompany anyone 17 and younger in the mall after 6 p.m. Security can ask anyone not in compliance to leave the mall. Unaccompanied teenagers and children can be asked to produce an ID, such as a driver license, school ID, visa or passport.
“It’s outrageous, actually,” said 19-year-old Tatyana Mitchell.
“I think it’s crazy, and I probably wouldn’t come if I couldn’t come after 6 o’clock,” said 19-year-old Marisa Ensley.
The curfew also extends to moviegoers. Teenagers and children going to NorthPark to see a movie after 6 p.m. should go straight to the theater and leave the building after the movie, the mall said.
“We’re asking that … if they’re going without a parent, that they go directly to the movie, that they enjoy the movie and that, when the movie’s over, that they head to the parking lot,” NorthPark spokesman Mark Annick said.
Teenagers who work at the mall are exempt from the curfew.
Mall security began informing parents and minors Wednesday night about the new rules. A security guard stopped 17-year-old Grant Swenke and his 15-year-old brother on their way to buy a wallet and gave them a warning and a copy of the code of conduct.
“After today, we won’t be able to, but if you have your older brother with you, I don’t understand why you can’t go to the mall,” Grant Swenke said. “It’s kind of stupid.”
The mall’s code of conduct also said that all visitors must dress “appropriately for a family-oriented shopping center.” The dress code forbids visible undergarments, clothing that obscures the face and clothing with lewd, obscene, vulgar or offensive language or images. The rules also say that clothing must “adequately cover the body,” so shoppers wearing tank tops or short shorts that reveal too much may be asked to leave the mall.
NorthPark representatives said the code of conduct is intended to create a family-friendly environment.
“It’s a family-oriented environment, and we just think, in that environment, it’s a good idea to have common-sense rules for behavior for everybody to follow,” Annick said.
But some parents said they don’t agree with the policy. Lori Kiser said she has fond memories of dropping her teenagers off at NorthPark to shop.
“They didn’t want to be seen with me, and I didn’t want to hang out with them, either. … I knew they were safe in numbers, and they had their cellphones and could call if there were trouble,” she said.
“I definitely think that it’s going to cost the mall money, but I ultimately think it’s kind of a good change,” said Brittany Hoffman, who works at NorthPark.
NorthPark said it is the No. 1 destination spot in Dallas County for visitors living at least 50 miles outside Dallas. From its 235 stores and restaurants, it expects retail sales to exceed $1 billion this year.
The code of conduct is in keeping with a national trend of malls with teen curfews to promote a family friendly environment and cut down on loitering. NorthPark said it believes it is the first local shopping center to adopt a code of conduct.
source-nbcdfw.com
Disoriented airline passenger tries to open cabin door on US Airways Express commuter jet www.privateofficer.com
Boston MA May 12 2012 An airline passenger who apparently became disoriented and tried to open a cabin door on a US Airways Express commuter jet from Maine to Philadelphia was arrested Thursday.
Massachusetts state police said 40-year-old Michael J. Ensalaco, of Mooresville, N.C., was held on a charge of interfering with a flight crew and was being questioned.
Flight 3801, operated by Air Wisconsin, was diverted to Logan International Airport, airline spokesman Andrew Christie said. A flight attendant subdued the seemingly disoriented man, and a passenger watched him until the plane landed safely at 4:30 p.m., he said.
Other passengers deplaned and were interviewed by police. The flight later was cancelled, and the passengers were being accommodated on other flights, Christie said.
Amee Downing, who answered a phone call to Ensalaco’s Charlotte-area home and said she was a neighbor speaking for his family, said he has had seizures before.
“This is the first time this has ever happened when he’s been traveling on business,’’ Downing said.
She said Ensalaco works in the food service industry and was headed home from a business trip.
The flight from Portland, Maine, was on a Canadair CRJ200 and had 50 passengers and three crew members.
US Airways Group Inc., the nation’s fifth-largest airline, is based in Tempe, Ariz.
Source:Boston.com
Former New York police officer sentenced to prison for bribery and extortion www.privateofficer.com
Michael Brady, who in February pleaded guilty to bribery and extortion, was sentenced to 37 months in prison, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
Brady’s attorney, Joseph Sorrentino, said he was vulnerable at the time because he had recently been told of his former wife’s lesbian affair. He described Brady as an honorable man who briefly lost his way for a few months and said he was remorseful.
“He made some very poor decisions,” Sorrentino said.
Brady, 36, had said he was told the man sold mulch, and prosecutors acknowledged in court papers that Brady’s knowledge of the oxycodone distribution could not be established.
“This defendant, while a sworn law enforcement officer, took cash from an individual he barely knew in exchange for aiding his passage through airport security,” U.S. Attorney David Fein said. “This kind of illegal activity is a violation of his oath of office and endangers our national security.”
Brady worked at Westchester County Airport, north of New York City. Authorities say he received about $20,000 from a trafficker of the painkiller oxycodone.
Twenty people have been charged as a result of the investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Three former Transportation Security Administration officers and a Florida state trooper have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
Fein commended a DEA task force “for shutting down a pipeline of highly addictive prescription pills from Florida to Connecticut and for bringing to justice this and other corrupt officers who facilitated the illegal scheme.”
Authorities say the trafficker called Brady in December 2010 at the Westchester airport and told him that he had been placed into a secondary search because he was carrying $100,000 in cash. Within minutes, Brady arrived and tried to convince the searching TSA officer and his supervisor that the trafficker was a legitimate businessman and that any money on him was legitimate, prosecutors said.
After the trafficker was allowed to pass through security, authorities say, Brady told him, “that is what I’m here for.”
Brady was ordered to forfeit $20,000.
Clifton teacher charged with having sex with student www.privateofficer.com
CLIFTON, N.J. May 12 2012 New Jersey high school teacher Kristin Leone has been arrested for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old student, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Investigators determined the 26-year-old Clifton High School history teacher engaged in sexual conduct with the male student on at least two separate occasions. Police launched an investigation into the allegations on Monday, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes told CBS New York.
Leone was arrested Monday and charged with sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of criminal sexual contact, luring and enticing a child, and two counts of official misconduct. She was released Monday night on $100,000 bail.
Parents and students expressed shock over the allegations.
“That’s disgusting, that’s unacceptable, that should never happen,” one parent told the station.
Clifton High School has had more than its share of sex scandals. CBS New York reports that in the past year, at least three girls have claimed to having been raped or sexually assaulted by other students on campus. In 2010, the former principal was accused of exposing himself to the mother of a special needs student during a meeting about her child.
Leone faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Dource:CBS NY
Two Martinsville teachers arrested on felony child seduction charges www.privateofficer.com
MARTINSVILLE, Ind. May 12 2012 - Two Martinsville teachers were arrested on felony child seduction charges, Indiana State Police officials announced Wednesday afternoon.
Tim Wolf, who retired after his arrest in Indianapolis, and second grade teacher Jeff McGown are both facing the charges.
Wolf was arrested in February after he was found in a state of undress in a vehicle with a 17-year-old in an Indianapolis park.
ISP has been investigating the two men since Wolf’s arrest. Later investigating revealed McGown had a relationship with the same 17-year-old girl in Wolf’s car at the time of the arrest.
Wolf was the former Martinsville High School basketball coach. McGown is the girls tennis coach now on administrative leave.
“Between January of 2011 and February 2012 both these individuals carried on an inappropriate relationship that included inappropriate sexual activity with a young lady,” said Special Prosecutor Doug Cummins.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Martinsville High School administrators were aware of rumors involving Wolf and the 17-year-old student. School officials also told police there were even rumors of video of the student and Wolf holding hands walking on the track at the high school.
“The relationship initially was with Jeff McGown and then later on with Timothy Wolf,” Cummins said.
The student later came forward and admitted having a relationship with both men.
Police said during their investigation, they interviewed a number of people including several students from Martinsville High School.
News of the arrests come as a shock to the community.
“It doesn’t look good on the community,” said Kristen Poparad of Martinsville. “I know Coach Wolf; It’s disappointing and I’m sure that’s what people think too.”
Both men turned themselves in to police Wednesday afternoon and have since bonded out of jail. Both are facing three counts of child seduction, a Class D felony. if convicted, they face six month to three years in prison.
Source: WISH
Airport Security Complaints: Officers Disrespect, Lie To Passengers At Canadian Airports, Complaints Allege www.privateofficer.com
Toronto Canada May 12 2012 Canada’s airport security officers breached their own rules by placing children into “naked” scanners without the consent of their parents and often lied to travellers about the need to undergo a full body scan.
Complaint forms sent to the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) and obtained by The Huffington Post Canada suggest some agents who screen carry-on bags and passengers are rude, aggressive and misinform people about their right to choose a full pat down instead of the virtual strip-search machine.
“When I asked for a pat down from a female agent, the male security agent refused and said ‘everyone’ did the body scan. He also told me that it was not a body scan but a radio-frequency scan and no image of my body would be made,” said a passenger travelling to the U.S. from Montreal. “The full-body scan should never be lied about or forced on passengers.”
“I was never given a choice,” wrote another traveller, an American on a business trip who felt he had been racially profiled.
An elderly woman from Victoria, B.C., wrote to complain that she felt a CATSA officer had threatened her with what she understood to be a naked full-cavity body search if she didn’t go through the scanner.
“A male security agent said to me, in a manner that sounded like he was joking, ‘Would you like to have a full-body search?’ … if not, then proceed to the body scanner. I was quite taken aback, but proceeded,” she wrote. “After retrieving my belongings, I walked away trembling, found a chair and sat down and cried … I felt I was treated without respect and my dignity was violated.”
Several parents said they were shocked when they realized their underage children had been scanned without their consent.
“My daughter is [age blanked out but is under 18] went through the full-body scanner without my consent on April 27, 2010 around 5 PM at YYC [Calgary airport] on our trip to Las Vegas. I talked to the supervisor who said it was a miscommunication, they though that she was older. It is not acceptable to assume the age of a passenger,” she wrote.
At the Greater Moncton International Airport, another mother complained that her daughter had opted for a pat down but that the screening officer had forced her to take the full-body scan.
“I do not think it should be an option to view children naked and ask that you do not use it on anyone under 18,” wrote another passenger in Halifax.
Although former transport minister John Baird assured Canadians when the machines were purchased in 2010 that no one under 18 would have to go through the scanners, CATSA now screens children between 12 and 17 who provide their own “informed consent,” while parents or tutors must provide consent for kids under 11.
Transport Minister Steven Fletcher’s spokesman Brayden Akers insisted there has been “no change” in policy relating to secondary screening.
In the documents, obtained by HuffPost under the Access to Information Act, many pregnant women expressed concerns they were not informed there might be a potential risk to their unborn child.
A woman travelling from Toronto to Timmins, Ont., said she asked if the full-body scan was safe and was told “yes, no problem.” But as soon as she was screened, another security officer told her next time she should not opt for millimetre-wave body scans and instead ask to be given a pat down.
“I started to panic,” the pregnant woman wrote. “Why am I getting two different responses? Should the staff be trained for all that beforehand? They should know whether or not it is safe?”
Citing Health Canada approval, CATSA insists the 56 L3 ProVision machines the Conservative government purchased pose no risk to passengers.
“Full-body scanners do not pose a risk to human health and safety in single or repeated exposures,” CATSA says on its website.
But HuffPost has learned the federal government never tested the machines or gathered independent information from a third party source upon which to base its decision.
Gary Holub, a spokesman for Health Canada, said: “We don’t test machines.”
When asked Health Canada was asked how they could know the device poses no threat to human health if no independent testing was done, the department pointed the finger at Industry Canada, which refused to say whether or not it had tested the machines.
Source:huffpost.com
Violent shoplifter assaults Kroger securuty agent www.privateofficer.com
COVINGTON, GA May 12 2012 - A suspected shoplifter tried walking out of a Covington grocery store with steaks stuffed down his pants, but after he allegedly punched a loss prevention officer in the face, a 17-year-old grocery bagger stepped in.
The suspect didn’t know the grocery bagger was actually a Covington Police Explorer, and the whole thing was caught on camera.
“He struck her in the face, then I went over to help her and stop him,” recalled Robert Bradford, the grocery bagger turned crime fighter. “He hit her. You don’t hit a lady, and that’s what my parents always taught me.”
The cameras didn’t catch 42-year-old Jeffery Pace allegedly punching the loss prevention officer in her face. But Robert saw it and before Pace could flee, Robert wrestled him to the ground.
“I wouldn’t call myself a hero, I just did what everybody else would do,” explained Robert.
Robert had just started his very first job bagging groceries at the Kroger grocery store in Covington. But Pace didn’t count him being part of the Covington Police Explorers, a program for teenagers who are interested in becoming police officers.
“The next thing I know, I was on him,” said Robert.
During the struggle, Robert heard a familiar voice.
“I heard my name being yelled and I looked around and it sounded like my dad and then I realized my phone had butt-dialed him,” laughed Robert.
“I was saying, ‘Robert, Robert!’” exclaimed Robert’s father, Capt. Philip Bradford of the Covington Police Department. “I heard all of this commotion and I heard someone saying, ‘Get on the ground, and stop! You better stop.’”
The surveillance video showed Robert as he took his phone out of his pocket and ended the call.
That made Phillip Bradford spring into action.
“Immediately I panicked and I jumped in my car,” said Philip Bradford.
By the time Philip Bradford arrived at the grocery store, police had already arrested Pace. Then Robert tucked in his shirt and headed right back to work.
“He did good, I was proud of him,” said Philip Bradford.
“It just happened real fast, it was instinct and I’m ready for round two,” laughed Robert.
Pace was charged with shoplifting, public drunkenness and battery. Investigators say he also violated his probation.
Man confesses to murders, three decades later www.privateofficer.com
Waterloo IA May 12 2012 The grisly murder and robbery of an elderly couple in Waterloo, Iowa, stunned the community three decades ago. But the case remained unsolved until a 66-year-old man walked into a police station and confessed on Wednesday.
Jack Wendell Pursel was in court today for an initial appearance, where a judge raised Pursel’s bail from $500,000 to $2 million for shooting Richard Huntbach, 85, and wife Goldie, 77.
On Wednesday, Pursel, who most recently lived in South Gate, Calif., told Waterloo police details about the crime only someone involved with it would know, said Capt. Tim Pillack of the Waterloo Police Department. The town, located along the Cedar River, is home to nearly 70,000 residents, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.
“He just wanted to get it off his mind,” Pillack told ABCNews.com. “He knew of the family. He said his intention was to go in and rob them and kill them.”
After the Huntbachs didn’t answer their door on Jan. 12, 1981, a friend alerted officers.
The “nice elderly couple” was found tied up, gagged and shot to death. Their home had been ransacked.
At the time of the murder, Pillack said authorities interviewed “a lot of people,” including Pursel, but weren’t able to make any arrests. He may have dated a relative of the couple around the time of the crime, the Associated Press reported.
Soon after, Pursel moved to California, where he was convicted of two counts of oral copulation with a minor, according to California’s sex offender registry.
Months after the Waterloo killings, Pursel began serving a 21-year sentence for the two sex offenses; however, he was paroled in 1992. He was completely discharged from his sentence in September of 1995, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported.
The convicted felon wanted to make amends with his past, Dan Trelka, director of Waterloo’s safety services, told the newspaper.
“It’s my understanding he found Christ and felt this was the right thing to do,” he said.
After three decades, Pillack said he’s happy the Waterloo Police Department can put the cold case to rest.
“We were able to put someone in jail and close the case. It’s a great day,” he said.
Pursel is being held in the Black Hawk County Jail and is charged with two counts of first degree murder. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 18.
Garda armored truck crashes into PA. school bus www.privateofficer.com
The 3:50 p.m. crash took place as the bus was stopping in the westbound lane of Route 772, near Opal Drive, to discharge students.
According to Northern Lancaster County Regional Police, the bus driver had activated amber flashing lights as the bus prepared to stop. An eastbound vehicle approaching the bus was slowing to stop. The driver of the Guardia armored truck, which was traveling eastbound behind the car, had to brake to avoid striking the car ahead but instead hit the school bus.
There were no injuries, and the approximately 15 students on the bus were examined by Rothsville and Warwick ambulance personnel.
A team of Warwick School District administrators arrived on the scene, and, as is district protocol, had the students taken via another school bus to the middle school. There they were examined by a school nurse before being released to their families or were provided transportation to their homes by the school district.
Route 772 was closed for about 90 minutes. Both the bus and the armored vehicle were driveable after the crash.
Police said investigation into the crash was continuing.
Source:lancasteronline.com
Armored truck crash in Texas sends man to hospital www.privateofficer.com
TEMPLE TX May 12 2012—A collision between an armored car and a pickup truck sent one man to a local hospital Thursday afternoon in Temple.
The accident happened at the intersection of Highway 317 and Adams Avenue.
The pickup was stopped at the light at the intersection when it was rear-ended by the armored car, a police officer at the scene said.
The driver of the pickup was taken to a hospital for treatment of what police said were minor injuries.
Neither of the two people in the armored car was injured.
The accident slowed down traffic briefly on Highway 317 Thursday afternoon.
Blairsville Walmart employee may have stolen $$240,000 from store www.priavateofficer.com
38-year-old Eileen Zimmerman of Homer City allegedly began stealing from the Blairsville Walmart in early February, and was arrested on Saturday.
Police say Zimmerman allegedly took at least $56,000, but the investigation is ongoing and they believe the total may be $240,000.
Zimmerman is charged with theft and receiving stolen property, and was released on $50,000 bail.
An attorney for Zimmerman wasn’t listed and she couldn’t be located for comment.
Gesu Parish trusted staff member charged in $525,000 theft www.privateofficer.com
Patricia Ann Stanz, 61, of Toledo was charged with one count each of counterfeit securities and fraudulent use of access device. She was employed as the parish business manager from August, 2007, to August, 2011.
According to court documents, Ms. Stanz is accused of creating and signing 97 checks totaling about $295,000 that she then cashed from the Gesu Parish checking account.
It is further alleged that she fraudulently used a credit card issued to Gesu Parish to obtain $230,757 in cash advances and purchases.
The alleged thefts began in June, 2008, and lasted through August, 2011, and totaled $525,757, according to court documents.
The charges carry a combined maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
“This person abused the trust of her employer and the entire congregation,” said Steven Dettelbach, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
Gesu parishioners were informed about the alleged thefts in August and told earlier this year that the money totaled more than $500,000. They were assured that despite the loss, parish and school financial obligations were being met.
The Rev. Jim Cryan, pastor of the West Toledo parish, said Wednesday that he had not seen the information charging Ms. Stanz and so declined to comment. He had previously written in a letter to parishioners that parish officials had cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation and offered reassurance that “despite the substantial size of the fraud, our parish’s overall financial condition remains solid.”
According to a statement released Wednesday by the Catholic Diocese of Toledo, the diocesan finance office also conducted “an extensive review of the parish and school financial records” in accordance with the federal investigation.
The results of the diocesan review were shared with federal authorities. According to the statement, every parish in the diocese is subject to a periodic financial audit by the diocesan finance office and is audited whenever there is a change in pastor. The last diocesan audit at Gesu was for fiscal year 2003-2004.
Ms. Stanz could not be reached for comment. No court dates have yet been set in the case, which was assigned to Judge James Carr.
D. Michael Collins, a Toledo city councilman, former policeman, and 35-year member of Gesu Parish, said that Father Cryan asked him to be part of a small parish committee in December, 2011, to discuss policies, procedures, and criminal prosecution in wake of the alleged thefts.
Ms. Stanz allegedly used the money for gambling as well as other unauthorized personal expenses, Mr. Collins said. Being the church’s business manager, she would then write checks on the parish account to pay the bills.
The parish has a finance committee, he said, but new policies have been enacted, using a manual from the Toledo diocese, to safeguard church funds since the financial discrepancies were discovered by Fifth Third Bank and reported to the FBI in May, 2011, he said.
Mr. Collins said most Gesu parishioners were shocked and angered when they learned of the missing funds, ultimately wanting to know “how we are going to be made whole” and “whether we have insurance protection from this.” The insurance questions “are yet to be resolved,” he added.
Mr. Collins said the loss of more than half a million dollars “was a severe blow” financially to Gesu, but “the parish is holding its own, the parish is paying its bills. We will not seek financial receivership remedies.”
He said Ms. Stanz was fired as soon as the parish was notified of the missing money and is now believed to be in Tennessee.
According to documents filed in Lucas County Common Pleas Court, a case involving a home in her name on Wiler Lane in Toledo was referred to foreclosure mediation on April 26. Ms. Stanz, who has not responded to the court, was ordered to make contact by May 10.
Mr. Collins said he believes any sentence should be a long one.
“If all you get for stealing half a million dollars from an organization is a hand-slap, I think there’d be a lot of hand-slapping going on,” Mr. Collins said.
Gesu is in the process of accepting applications and interviewing prospective business managers, he said.
Former Elgin Police Department community service officer pleads guilty to thefts www.privateofficer.com
Elgin YL May 12 2012 A former Elgin Police Department community service officer pleaded guilty Thursday to felony misconduct for taking $1,500 from the department in August 2010.
Sarai Villarreal, 35, of the 300 block of South Clifton Avenue, Elgin, will be on probation for 30 months and must perform 200 hours of community service.
Kane County Assistant State’s Attorney Adam Katz said Villarreal also must repay the $1,500 to the department.
The top penalty for the misconduct charges was five years in prison, but probation was an option
Until the 2010 charges, Villarreal did not have a criminal record and that was a factor in the plea agreement, in which Kane County authorities dropped felony theft charges that carried a maximum sentence of seven years.
Judge James Hallock accepted the plea from Villarreal, a nine-year city employee who resigned after a warrant was issued for her arrest in early September 2010.
Villarreal was accused of stealing money on three occasions — Aug. 7, 12 and 24, 2010 — when she worked the front desk at the department and accepted payments from the public. An internal audit system tipped off police.
Cesar Valdez, her attorney, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Elgin Police Cmdr. Glenn Theriault declined to comment on the outcome of the case and noted that no new security changes have been made for employees who handle money since Villarreal’s arrest.
“We had sound practices in place, which is what allowed us to identify this issue right away,” Theriault said.
Source:daily herald
Rialto police officer arrested for engaging in sex acts with minors www.privateofficer.com
Fontana CA May 12 2012 A Rialto police officer was arrested on suspicion of engaging in sex acts with an underage female, authorities said Thursday night.
Theodore Fernandes, 50, was arrested by Fontana police and was being held on $2-million bail, authorities said.
The alleged victim is now an adult. Authorities became aware of the accusations in February, the Fontana Police Department said in a statement.
Police said investigators do not believe there are additional victims.
Police shoot naked gunman near Indiana University in Bloomington www.privateofficer.com
Police didn’t immediately identify the man, who was taken to a hospital. Capt. Joe Qualters said in a news release later that the man was in surgery. Police didn’t say how badly the gunman was wounded. Qualters described the man as college age, but did not say if he was a student.
Officers called to the scene shortly before 7 a.m. saw the man leave an alley a few blocks southwest of Memorial Stadium, waving a gun around, police said.
Qualters said officers told the man to stop, but he pointed the gun at one of the officers, who shot him. When the man sat up and lifted his gun toward the second officer, that officer also shot him, Qualters said.
No other injuries were reported. The back door of a house and three cars were damaged by 9mm bullets, Qualters said.
IU spokesman Mark Land said the school didn’t issue an alert because the situation was off campus and ended so quickly.
By the time campus police arrived at the scene, city police officers had already captured the gunman, Land said.
Land said IU’s text and email alert system is designed to warn students of imminent or ongoing threats on or near campus. “In this case, the facts of the situation didn’t rise to the level where we would issue an alert,” he said.
“If they hadn’t caught him, and there was an ongoing search, we probably would have issued an alert,” Land said.
Qualters said police initially were told there was a man screaming and setting off fireworks, but another call two minutes later reported a naked man was firing a gun into the rear of a house.
Source:South Bend Tribune
