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Parolee convicted in murder of Riverside police officer www.privateofficer.com
Riverside CA May 13 2012 A Riverside County jury convicted a parolee Friday of first-degree murder for shooting a Riverside police officer in 2010, a brutal slaying that occurred after the officer pleaded with the killer.
Earl Ellis Green, 46, faces a possible death sentence for the murder of Officer Ryan Bonaminio, an Iraq War veteran who had been on the force for four years.
The jury deliberated for about three hours before returning with the guilty verdict with special circumstances that would make Green subject to execution. The same panel is scheduled to return to court on May 21 for the penalty phase of the trial.
The trial began with defense attorneys acknowledging that Green had shot and killed Bonaminio in a church parking lot in November 2010. Green’s attorneys tried to convince jurors that their client should be convicted of a lesser charge that would not carry the death penalty, saying he was in mental distress after being exiled from his family.
On the night of the shooting, Green, a convicted felon then on parole, jumped out of a stolen big rig that had been involved in a hit-and-run accident and ran into Riverside’s Fairmount Park.
Bonaminio, 27, chased Green into a parking lot at an adjacent church. When the officer slipped in the mud near a stairwell, Green emerged and bludgeoned the officer with a metal pipe, prosecutors told the jury. Green then took the injured officer’s .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun and chambered a new round, according to the prosecution.
Stephen J. McQueen, a homeless man who volunteered at the church, told the jury that he witnessed the shooting while smoking a cigarette in the parking lot.
Bonaminio held his hands up and told the killer, “Don’t do it. Don’t do it,” McQueen testified.
In his opening statement, prosecutor Michael Hestrin said Green’s first two shots missed the officer. Green then walked up to Bonaminio, severely injured and on his knees, and fired at the back of the officer’s head from a foot or so away.
“He died there, on the cold and dirty asphalt,” Hestrin told the jury.
Among the evidence presented at the trial was Bonaminio’s gun, which later showed traces of the officer’s blood and DNA, and was found in a closet inside the home of Green’s girlfriend. Green’s fingerprints were lifted from electrical tape he apparently used when hot-wiring the rig.
The jury also convicted Green of vehicle theft and gun charges.
Bonaminio was a military police officer in the Army, serving in Baghdad and Mosul, Iraq, as well as in Kuwait City and Hohenfels, Germany. When he left the military to join the Riverside Police Department in 2006, he remained in the Army Reserves and was called back to duty in Iraq in 2008-09.
Buddhist monk accused of beating fellow monk to death at Grand Bay temple www.privateofficer.com
GRAND BAY, Alabama May 13 2012 – A Buddhist monk from Thailand was found bludgeoned to death inside a temple in Grand Bay today — and investigators immediately arrested his fellow monk on a murder charge.
Members of the Wat Buddharaksa Temple, mostly Thai and Laotian immigrants, gathered in mourning and disbelief as Mobile County Sheriff’s deputies combed the worship grounds, including a monk house, for evidence this afternoon.
Chaiwat Moleechate, 45, the temple’s leader, was beaten to death around 10 a.m. today, according to the Sheriff’s Office, although it was unclear exactly what weapon was used.
Sgt. Paul Burch said investigators found one witness to the altercation, and they were in the process of finding a Laotian interpreter to help interview the witness.
Vern Phdsamay, 32, a monk who lived at the temple, was arrested and charged with murder, according to Burch.
Burch said that Phdsamay is known among other congregants for refusing to speak.
The temple sits on 5 acres amidst rolling farmland in Grand Bay off Boe Road. It was built after a fire in 2008 destroyed the congregation’s temple in another Grand Bay location.
“I can’t believe it,” said Sasikant L. Noreross, who lives in Mobile, as she sat with other temple members under a tree on Friday afternoon.
Noreross said that Phdsamay, who is from Laos, had recently refused to talk to anyone and locked himself in his room for months, sneaking out only for a bowl of noodles before the other monks woke up.
She said temple members had helped find psychological counseling and meditation therapy for him, which helped for a while, but over the past two months, he had gone back to isolation.
Meanwhile, she said, Moleechate was known as a loving, kind and outgoing monk who brought people to doctor’s appointments, helped with their immigration process and sorted through other life problems.
In Thailand, she said, monks aren’t supposed to drive, “but he had to drive to take care of the people.”
Moleechate told the Press-Register in 2010 that he grew up in a poor family in Thailand near the Laotian border and began religious studies at age 12. He became a monk at 21.
He said that when he arrived in the U.S. more than a decade ago, he learned English from watching TV.
In his religious practice, Moleechate said he emphasized meditation and chanting as a way to instill calmness.
“We try to lead the Buddhist people to meditate,” Moleechate said in the interview. “To cool down, to slow down. The clear mind. The pure mind.”
Phoenix man sentenced to 42 years in prison for a string of bank and armored car robberies www.privateofficer.com
Maricopa County prosecutors say 52-year-old Stephen Bernard Young was sentenced Friday to two consecutive 21-year terms in each of the three cases brought against him. The three sentences will run concurrently.
Young previously pleaded guilty to eight counts of armed robbery.
Authorities say Young robbed armored cars in Phoenix in April 2009 and June 2009 and in September 2010 in Glendale.
He also was accused of robbing three Bank of America branches at gunpoint between May 2009 and August 2010.
Authorities say Young stole nearly $230,000 in the robberies.
One of heists was captured on surveillance cameras. Young was found at a Phoenix hotel and arrested.
Source:www.abc15.com
Man uses Bobcat front loader to steal deodorant and a bunch of gift cards www.privateofficer.com
Chicago IL May 13 2012 A man who used a small Bobcat front loader to break through the windows of a West Side Family Dollar before walking off with two cans of deodorant and a bunch of gift cards has been charged this afternoon, according to police.
Michael Younger, 50, of the 8100 block of South Vernon Avenue, was charged with two counts of felony burglary, according to police News Affairs.
Younger is expected to appear in bond court Saturday, police said.
Officers stopped Younger about a block away because he matched the description provided by a security company who was monitoring the store at 5410 W. Chicago Ave., police said.
Younger stole the Bobcat loader from a nearby construction site at 5327 W. Chicago Avenue – the site of the former 15th District police station – and broke the windows at the Family Dollar store a block away, according to police.
Police said an alarm company watched the theft unfold from security cameras inside the store and called Chicago police. Responding officers saw a man in the area matching the description and stopped to talk with him.
One of the officers noticed a bulge in Younger’s pocket and found gift cards after patting him down, police said.
The man told police he found the cards about a half-block away, police said. They brought him back to the Family Dollar and compared him to security video and he was arrested, police said.
Younger did not attempt to take the cash register, police said.
The Bobcat was being used to help build a community center for young mothers, according to police.
Thieves stole 22,000 feet of copper cable from a tunnel inside Seattle Transit www.privateofficer.com
Seattle WA May 13 2012 Thieves stole 22,000 feet of copper cable from a tunnel inside the elevated light rail track between Seatac and Seattle, Sound Transit said Friday.
The 70,000 pounds of copper has a street value of around $250,000.
“Our best evidence is …it was cut down into into chunks…50-60 pounds a piece…then carried out,” said Ron Griffin, chief of the Sound Transit police force.
“There’s no danger to the trains or passangers with this being missing. What it does is protect the structure from any stray currents,” said Sound Transit’s Bruce Gray.
Sound Transit believes that by now the copper has been sold to a metal dealer. The agency is asking the public to contact the King County Sheriff’s Office if they have any information about the crime.
source-king5.com
Two Va. letter carriers are taking action against hostile working environment relating to nudist community www.privateofficer.com
IVOR, Va. May 13 2012 – Two letter carriers are taking action against what they call a hostile working environment. They say they are forced to deliver packages to unclothed customers.
It`s a culture clash between those who enjoy being naked and workers who don`t want to see their nakedness.
Letter carriers are a devoted bunch. They live by the pledge “neither rain, snow, nor gloom of night would deter it`s couriers from their appointed rounds.”
Darden Gillette says he is willing to deal with nature’s weather, but not unclothed customers who greet him up-close and butt naked.
The ‘in your face’ nudity happens at White Tail Resort—a family nudist community in Ivor, Virginia.
“Everybody thinks funky things are going on inside, this is a family resort, says Cathy Roettjer, a 10 year White Tail resident.
Roettjer has enjoyed the nudist community for the last ten years.
“Why people think it’s a bad thing because people take their clothes off it’s crazy,” says Roettjer.
Letter carriers Darden Gillette and Yoder Starr think it’s crazy talk to expect them to encounter nudity while on the job. The federal workers are fed up and went to a law office to file a complaint to make it stop.
“We are alleging this has created a hostile working environment for them—working conditions no one should be subjected to,” says Attorney Neil Bonney who represents the workers.
“I’ve been married 38 years this year and until I went into that park, I had never seen another man nude except for my husband,” says Star.
The letter carriers say it is unbearable to see nude people frolicking in the park on their appointed rounds.
While they respect the nudists and their right to be naked, they say it’s against their own personal convictions and the exposure to it is affecting their health and well-being.
Formal documents have been filed on behalf of letter carriers with the EEOC, Susan Lyle is the post mistress named in the complaint. We traveled to the main post office in the little town of Ivor to ask her about it.
She directed us to the district communications director for the United States Postal Service and while they declined to comment specifically about the complaint, they issued a statement regarding the policy:
It reads in part: “We safeguard the health and safety of our employees. We would not ask them to do anything that would harm them or jeopardize their health.”
“I told the postmaster I could have lived my entire life and not seen what I saw that day, and it didn’t seem to faze her. She laughed and she thought it was funny,” says Star.
The owner of the nudist community declined to be interviewed, but other residents don’t appreciate being the subject of the complaint.
Some of the nudists say their lifestyle is being put on trial when they are nude and proud and just minding their own business on private property.
“But there is an old saying Dad used to say “your rights stop at the end of my nose,’” says Gillette.
In an effort to get some distance, the letter carriers have been permitted to stop going inside of the community to deliver mail and now they deliver to the row of boxes outside of the gate.
They are not going in, but now complain they drive up the long road to the gate and find the nudists are coming out.
“We’re still encountering nudity,” says Star.
“It’s very distracting to have that playing in your head all day,” says Gillette.
Attorney Neil Bonney says they’re in the middle of the formal process of this complaint, but hopes the post office will take action now to resolve it.
But the owner of White Tail Park says that`s not the whole story. He says there are other factors in this case, and he firmly denies that any of his residents go nude outside of the community gates.
He feels his resort has been thrown under the bus in this complaint, and he plans to bare it all and tell his side.
Source: WTKR
Harrah High School teacher charged with felony counts of lewd or indecent acts www.privateofficer.com
“Another teacher arrested for sexually abusing kids,” Toni Cook, a mother of two children from Oklahoma City, said. “What is the world coming too? Kids all over the country are being abused by the people in charge of educating and caring for our children.”
Dan Mahoney, Oklahoma City Thunder Vice President, issued a statement that Jim Miller had been “removed from duties as Thunder PA announcer. This was due to the criminal case and allegations against him at this time.
“I hope Harrah High School fires him,” Cook continued. “If he’s guilty, he should never be allowed to be around kids, even if he is supervised. These sickos are never reformed.”
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation found 449 pornographic images from Miller’s computer. This goes along with the statements from three different children, all under the age of 16. All three children stated Jim Miller forced them to watch him masturbate as he watched pornography on his computer. In addition to that, sexual abuse was reported by two of the victims.
“If [Jim Miller] is convicted, I hope they shoot,” Joshua Fletcher, a father of five from Oklahoma City, said. “I’m tired of having to pay for room and board for pieces of trash like that. Not to mention their health care, education, cable bill and gym memberships. Of course, they also don’t have to be put in the general population. If they aren’t shot, put them with everyone else and let what happens happen. Let’s save some money. I’ll even buy the bullet.”
This happened the same day that the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children investigated the home of Chris “The Birdman” Andersen, Denver Nuggets basketball player. They, too, seized property from the home. However, Andersen was not arrested at that time.
The bond for Jim Miller was set at $30,000. In addition to the three felony charges, additional charges could be added. At the time of publication, it was unknown if Jim Miller paid his bond and was released as well as what the additional charges could be. It is also unknown who will replace Jim Miller as the Oklahoma City Thunder PA announcer.
source-kwtv.com
CT Deli owner scammed senior citizens out of $200,000 www.privateofficer.com
Fairfild CT May 13 2012 Police Detective Jason Takacs has two thick files filled with paperwork supporting charges that a local deli owner bilked three elderly siblings of more than $200,000.
Takacs credits cooperation among police, People’s United Bank, the Fairfield Probate Court and a forensic accountant from the chief state’s attorney’s office with the Thursday arrest of Carmella Jamshidian, 54, of Madison Avenue, Trumbull. Jamshidian, who owns CJ’s Deli on Kings Highway, was charged with first-degree larceny by scheme.
According to Takacs, Jamshidian befriended the three Fairfield seniors — a brother and two sisters, who were not identified by police — after overhearing a call they made from a phone at the deli to a lawyer regarding an inheritance in 2009. The deli owner soon befriended the three, who all lived together in a house within walking distance of the deli. The siblings don’t drive, Takacs said, and lived simple lives. They never had a checking account, always paying bills with money orders. The sisters also had been appointed as conservators for their brother.
“The siblings inherited a substantial amount of money from a wealthy cousin,” Takacs said. “It should have supported them for the rest of their lives.”
But “under the guise of friendship, [Jamshidian] helped them with their bills, food, transportation,” according to Takacs, driving them to the bank and setting up a tab for them at her deli. The inheritance was paid out to the siblings in several installments and Jamshidian offered to store the checks in the deli safe. She was able through the friendship to gain access to their newly opened bank account, and eventually told the seniors they no longer needed to sign the checks because she could do it for them, police said.
A bank employee noticed that “money was flying out of the account,” Takacs said, and because there was a conservatorship in place, contacted the Probate Court, where Judge Daniel Caruso put a freeze on the account and contacted police.
“It was an astounding number of checks,” Takacs told the Fairfield Citizen. “In a one-year period there were 373 checks drawn on their account. Out of the 373 checks, 356 were written to [Jamshidian], the deli or to cash.”
The checks made out to cash were endorsed by Jamshidian. In total, police allege, Jamshidian stole $218,408 from the siblings.
Takacs said Jamshidian declined to be interviewed by police. “I’m pretty sure there are other residents out there who might be victims” of Jamshidian, he said, and urged anyone who believes they may have been taken advantage of by Jamshidian’s to call him at 203-254-4840.
A lawyer has been appointed by the Probate Court to file a civil suit to recoup the scammed money for the siblings, who have all been relocated to new living quarters with the assistance of the town’s Social Services Department, Tackacs said.
“This was definitely a cooperative effort here,” said police Sgt. Suzanne Lussier, a department spokeswoman. “Not only with the criminal element, but the human aspect as well.”
Jamshidian was released on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear May 24 in Bridgeport Superior Court.
Largo man was arrested after he carried a concealed gun through airport security checkpoint www.privateofficer.com
Charles Wright, 45, attempted to pass through security at the airport at about 6:45 a.m., Pinellas sheriff’s deputies said. His backpack, when put through the checkpoint’s X-ray machine, was found to have a loaded Kel-Tec .32-caliber pistol inside.
Transportation Security Administration agents at the airport called the sheriff’s office. Wright, a boat mechanic, said he typically carried the gun while working at night for protection. He was on his way to Kentucky to visit relatives and forgot to remove the firearm from his bag, he said.
Wright was released Friday on a $5,000 bond, according to jail records.
source:tampabay.com
Jefferson Forest High School teacher arrested for contributing to the delinquency of a minor www.privateofficer.com
Bedford County VA May 13 2012 The Sheriff’s Office has arrested a 28-year-old man who has been a teacher at Jefferson Forest High School and charged him with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Authorities said they arrested Joseph Clark on Thursday. Sheriff’s Major Ricky Gardner said the office was not providing details of what allegedly occurred because the case involves a juvenile.
A news release from the sheriff’s office said the alleged crime occurred either during the evening of April 28 or early April 29.
On May 4, the incident was reported to school officials and a sheriff’s office school resource officer, according to the release, which added that it did not occur on school grounds.
The department said Clark was taken to the Blue Ridge Regional Jail and then released on bond.
Ryan Edwards, a spokesman for Bedford County Public Schools, said Clark taught English and became a school employee in August 2009.
“He is currently suspended and has tendered his resignation,” Edwards reported in an email. “He will not be returning to Jefferson Forest HighSchool.”
Campbell County VA ambulance driver still on the job after causing fatal crash www.privateofficer.com
Lynchburg VA May 13 2012 The ambulance crew member charged in the fatal crash that killed a Lynchburg man last week is still employed by Campbell County, officials said.
Justin Kidd, 25, of Rustburg, was driving an ambulance as a paid staff member of the Campbell County Rescue Squad when Lynchburg Police said he ran a light at the intersection of Campbell and Florida avenues on May 3.
The ambulance hit a pickup truck in the intersection. The truck’s driver, Dean Anders, 69, a retired Lynchburg firefighter, died at the scene of the crash.
Kidd has been charged with reckless driving, a class 1 misdemeanor.
Campbell County Public Information Officer Sherry Harding said she could not comment on Justin Kidd’s employment status Thursday except to say he remains a county employee.
In a search warrant filed in Campbell County the day of the crash, Lynchburg Police Officer Ronnie Sitler requested the Electronic Restraint Control Module from the Ford F-350 ambulance Kidd was driving.
The equipment would show data such as the speed the ambulance was traveling before the crash, whether seatbelts were in use, brake application and airbag deployment.
Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Doucette said Thursday, as the evidence has been presented so far, there’s not sufficient cause to charge Kidd with anything beyond reckless driving.
The Code of Virginia defines reckless driving as driving “recklessly or at a speed or in a manner so as to endanger the life, limb, or property of any person …”
County officials released Thursday the requirements for driving county vehicles, which include:
—4 or fewer demerit points issued by Virginia’s Department Motor Vehicles;
–No DWI/DUI convictions within the past two years;
–At least two years of continuous valid licensing; and
–An overall pattern of safe vehicle operation and driving habits.
Paid emergency vehicle operators must have a valid, class 3 or higher, Emergency Vehicle Operator Certification (EVOC) from the Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads or Virginia Department of Fire Programs.
Responders Lament ‘Butt-Dialed’ 911 Calls www.privateofficer.com
Ottumwa County IA May 13 2012 Most children learn that “false alarms” keep rescuers from getting to real emergencies in time. Yet too many southeast Iowa residents have been calling 911 by mistake.
“I’d hate to try and give you exact figures [how often it happens], but it is a problem,” said Brenda Bennett, the datacom supervisor for the Wapello County Law Center.
A recent consultation by the city of New York gave estimates for their area. Their consultant blamed cell phones — especially cell phones carried in the back pocket. According to reports by NBC and The Daily News, nearly half of all 911 calls to the police were “butt-dialed” last year.
That happens because many cell phones have an emergency panic button: Just press down (or sit down) on the “9″ for a moment, and the phone will automatically dial 911.
“It’s a safety feature built into the phone,” Bennett said, adding that some phones will call emergency if any number is held down. “We have to try to track down the call, because we don’t know if it’s an emergency.”
In some cases, dispatchers may be able to resolve the mystery with a phone call to that number. But if they can’t get through because someone in real trouble may not be able to speak, dispatch has to figure out where the call came from, then send an officer to search the area.
There are already plenty of tasks for communications personnel.
For example, the 911 dispatchers at the Ottumwa Law Center handle calls for the Ottumwa Police Department, the Ottumwa Fire Department, Ottumwa Regional Health Center’s ambulance service, the Wapello County Sheriff’s Office, Wapello County Volunteer Fire Department plus police, fire and rescue for surrounding towns like Eddyville, Eldon, Agency and Batavia.
“Put a ‘lock’ on the phone,” suggested Bennett. “You enter a pattern or code [before] dialing. I’m not very technological, but it’s easy.”
That also helps avoid a problem that exists alongside butt dialing. Baby dialing.
“Parents like to give their small children their old (disconnected) cell phone. The kids play with them like a play phone,” said Bennett. “But as long as it has a battery and no lock, it can still call 911.”
Source:AP
Two guns found at Charlotte Douglas airport www.privateofficer.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C.May 13 2012
Two guns were found Thursday evening at the security checkpoint at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, TSA officials said.
At 6:45 p.m., a loaded .45 caliber Colt firearm was discovered in a passenger’s carry-on bag, officials said. Airport police took the bag and cited the passenger.
Shortly after 7 p.m., a loaded .40 caliber Smith & Wesson firearm was discovered in another passenger’s carry-on bag, according to officials. Airport police took possession of that bag and arrested the passenger.
“I want to recognize the vigilance of our transportation security officers in identifying these firearms,” said TSA Federal Security Director Mark Haught. “We encourage passengers to check the contents of carry-on bags before they come to the airport to ensure they do not contain prohibited items.”
Nationwide, more than 1,300 firearms were discovered at TSA checkpoints last year including 14 at Charlotte Douglas, officials said
Veteran MO. fire captain dies after collapsing at fire station www.privateofficer.com
Kinloch MO May 13 2012 A veteran fire captain with the Kinloch Fire Protection District who collapsed at the fire station last month has died.
Capt. Richard Parks, 47, suffered a medical emergency and was put on life support on April 16 shortly returning from a fire in where a 16-year-old victim was successfully rescued, according to a department news release.
“He’s essentially the life of this firehouse,” Capt. Mike Bowman told KSDK-TV when the incident occurred. “Without him being here it’s somber and dull. That’s the best way to put it. It’s not the same atmosphere.
“He’s been a mentor to a lot of us. I’ve been here 11 years and since the day I started he’s been a mentor to me. He’s been like a father-figure in the firehouse to most of us.”
Parks began his career with Kinloch in 1980 as a junior firefighter at the age of 16 and became a firefighter two years later.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Kriegshauser Mortuary in Olivette Mo. and will be announced when completed.
Atlantic City bank security captures would be robber www.privateofficer.com
Brandon Lesueur, 39, of Helfin, Ala., allegedly presented a note to the Wells Fargo teller at about 9:30 a.m., demanding money.
When police responded to Wells Fargo, Officer Paul Aristizabal found the suspect already in custody of bank security.
Security Officer William Rodriguez, 55, of Ventnor, had already detained the suspect and had him in custody when police pulled up to the bank.
He did not show or threaten to use a weapon, Sgt. Monica McMenamin said.
Lesueur did not get any money and no one was injured, McMenamin said.
Macy’s shoplifter tries to make getaway on city bus www.privateofficer.com
Springfield PA May 13 2012 Macy’s security reported May 3 at 10:24 a.m. that a man was seen removing three bed comforters from a display and leaving the store without paying.
Arlin Gordon, 50, of the 5300 block of N. 16th Street in Philadelphia, was approached by security in the parking lot. He dropped the items and entered a SEPTA bus leaving the lot.
Patrolman Joseph Prendergast stopped the bus and Gordon was identified by store security, taken into custody and transported to the police station and charged with retail theft for allegedly taking $750 worth of merchandise from the store and receiving stolen property.
Detective Daniel McNeely is handling the investigation.
Ohio man pleads guilty to robbery at Mentor Walmart www.privateofficer.com
Mentor OH May 13 2012 A Painesville Township man pleaded guilty to robbery after he scuffled with a security guard at the Mentor Walmart back in January.
Virgil Combs, 49, pleaded guilty to robbery, as well as an unrelated charge of receiving stolen property, Monday in Lake County Court of Common Pleas.
Combs faces between two and nine years in prison when Judge Richard Collins Jr. sentences him June 4.
Combs was arrested on Jan. 13.
A security guard spotted Virgil Combs walking around the the Walmart that evening. The guard thought Combs looked like someone who had stolen a television from Walmart previously, Mentor Police Lt. Ken Zbiegien said at the time of Combs’ arrest.
Consequently, the guard watched Combs and saw him take a TV and use wire cutters to cut the scanner from its box. Then Combs tried to take the television but security guards and the store manager stopped him.
Combs refused to cooperate and scuffled with the guards.
At one point, he shouted, “I have a gun and I’ll shoot you,” according to the police report.
Combs then pulled the wire cutters from his pocket and hit one of the guards in the neck, giving him a 1-inch cut, Zbiegien said.
An off-duty Mentor Police officer happened to be shopping at the store. He saw the fracas and handcuffed Combs.
The guard who was cut declined medical treatment.
Source:mentor patch
Three men charged in theft of $2,000 in electronics and merchandise at Walmart www.privateofficer.com
Red Bluff CA May 13 2012 Three men reportedly tried to walk out with some $2,000 in electronics and merchandise in shopping carts at Walmart Sunday morning.
Security officers at the store watched the crime in progress all before 5 a.m. as the three men gathered the merchandise into shopping carts and pushed them to the front of the store, a Red Bluff Police press release said.
Officers nabbed the suspects just outside the front of the store in their getaway car, a 2008 Kia.
Anthony Richard McIntire, 32, and Shane Christopher Phipps, 37, both of Redding, and Tyler Shaver, 20, were arrested at the store.
The three had gathered computers, televisions and other items in the store and headed for the south side emergency doors, logs said.
Shaver stayed inside the store while McIntire and Phipps went for the car, the release said.
License plate numbers on the vehicle were covered with masking tape.
Officers pulled over the Kia in the parking lot as it pulled near the doors, the release said. Phipps and McIntire were arrested without incident.
Shaver was arrested later when he left the store and tried to blend in with store employees who were taking a break outside, the release said.
Phipps and McIntire were each charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and second degree burglary and booked into Tehama County Jail. Bail was set at $100,000 each.
Shaver was released pending further investigation into similar crimes in other jurisdictions, the release said.
Police are looking into connections between the arrested suspects and other similar cases at the Red Bluff Walmart since January, the release said
Source:Red Bluff Daily News
Home Depot calls police about shoplifter-then refuses to cooperate www.privateofficer.com
BOARDMAN OH May 13 2012
Police caught a shoplifter with merchandise from a retailer but ultimately let him go after the store’s manager said she did not want to press charges.
A Home Depot employee called police to report a theft about 9 a.m. Thursday and gave a description of the suspect and his vehicle, which was heading north on Southern Boulevard, police said.
An officer stopped the suspect’s car a few blocks away, near Lucy Drive, and the suspect got out of the car and began to run toward the cruiser, reports state.
The officer drew his gun and ordered him to stop, and the suspect complied, police said.
Boardman Police Chief Jack Nichols was in the area and stopped to assist the first patrolman. Nichols said the two patted down the suspect and found merchandise stolen from Home Depot.
When officers went to Home Depot, the employee who called police said he could not cooperate with the prosecution of the suspect because of Home Depot’s corporate policy: Suspects who take merchandise outside the store are not to be pursued, according to police records. An unidentified female manager recited the same corporate policy, police said.
Home Depot spokesman Stephen Holmes told The Vindicator on Friday he could not comment on specific corporate policies but said the company “aggressively defends against theft and has protocols in place.”
“We do have asset-protection associates in the field and in stores, and there are different policies regarding what they can do versus what non-asset-protection associates can do,” Holmes said.
There are strict policies and we enforce them, and we have them for the protection of customers and associates. No amount of merchandise is worth risking anyone’s safety,” he continued.
Police said both the Boardman manager and employee expressed greater concern Thursday that an employee may have violated corporate policy by following the suspect through the entrance of the store than that a crime had occurred, or that police became involved because of the report of that crime.
The officer asked what the store wanted police to do with the suspect and was told nothing. Then, the officer asked if the store wanted its property back, and he wrote in the police report: “I was told ‘No, he can keep it.’”
Without witnesses to go to court and someone willing to pursue charges, police released the suspect and let him keep the stolen property.
“The problem is we could have arrested him, but we have no witnesses to proceed with the case and then it gets dismissed,” Nichols said.
Holmes said the corporate asset-protection team is reviewing the Boardman case.
“They’re going to see if they can appropriately assist with prosecution,” Holmes said.
The chief said the whole episode was extremely frustrating.
“There’s a number of stores of that do that — don’t pursue shoplifters — and essentially when word gets out, [those stores] are funding the heroin trade,” he said.
Nichols said many shoplifting cases involve drug addicts who are stealing to either trade the items for drugs or sell stolen items to get cash for drugs. He did not say if that was the case in Thursday’s incident.
“When a store throws up their hands and says, ‘Go ahead and take whatever,’ that’s how people fund their habits. It’s just ridiculous,” he said.
Source:vindy.com
National Institutes of Health, employee faces up to 10 years in prison www.privateofficer.com
Tamia M. McCoy, a former employee for the National Institutes of Health, faces up to 10 years in prison at her sentencing in Baltimore’s U.S. district court, set for July 26. In all, she stole between $70,000 and $120,000 prosecutors said.
“McCoy brazenly sought to profit at the behest of tax payer dollars. What she didn’t know is that the Office of Inspector General has been utilizing sophisticated software to detect aberrant credit card patterns that indicate criminal behavior,” said Special Agent in Charge Elton Malone of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Special Investigations Branch.
Baltimore police cancels “Fugitive Files with Fox TV when station doesn’t surrender wanted fugitive www.privateofficer.com
Baltimore MD May 13 2012 For the past five years, news anchors at Baltimore’s Fox affiliate have partnered with city police to hunt down fugitives. The segments, aired on the last Friday of every month, were more telethon than ride-along, with mug shots, a brief description of crimes and officers shown at desks fielding calls from the public.
But police pulled out of the collaboration — which helped take more than three dozen wanted suspects off the streets since 2007 — after a man sought in a high-profile assault walked into the studio at WBFF-TV (Channel 45), apologized on camera and left without authorities being notified.
Station managers are trying to revive the segment called “Fugitive Files,” but so far their queries to the Police Department have gone unanswered. The last word from police — upset that they missed a chance to arrest the suspect — was an April 14 email that said “this case raises significant ethical concerns and trust issues.”
The dispute highlights the sometimes tricky symbiotic relationship between the media and government, where alliances can raise ethical concerns on both sides. The media can draw viewers with such crime coverage, but experts say most try to avoid being perceived as co-opted by government agencies they’re supposed to hold accountable.
Christopher Hanson, a professor of journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park, called the “Fugitive Files” segment a “ludicrous stunt” that erodes journalistic impartiality. “Your job is to get the news and report it,” he said.
The dispute arose as police sought Aaron Parsons, a 20-year-old from Rosedale, in connection with the videotaped beating, stripping and robbing of a tourist outside the downtown courthouse in March. Parsons — who has since been charged with robbery, assault and other crimes — is in jail and his bail has been set at $500,000.
Baltimore police publicly denounced the station as they pulled out of the show. A senior police official accused producers of putting their desire for a scoop ahead of public safety and civic responsibility.
Anthony Guglielmi, the Police Department’s chief spokesman, wrote to the station that “management had full knowledge that Parsons was wanted by police and failed to notify authorities that he was at their studio.”
“Our relationship around ‘Fugitive Files’ is designed to share information so that individuals who are wanted by police are profiled and the news organization forwards information gained through media outreach to authorities,” Guglielmi wrote.
Mike Tomko, the station’s news director, said he views “Fugitive Files” — and a spinoff called the “Wheel of Justice,” in which a wheel with mug shots is spun and the lucky “winner” showcased as the featured suspect — as a public service.
“They’re interesting. They’re compelling. But they’re not something we do because we think we can get ratings,” Tomko said. “The Police Department has a challenging job to do. There are a lot of people wanted on warrants. What can we do to help the city of Baltimore?”
In a statement, Tomko said the show has featured more than 120 wanted suspects, and highlights the station’s “commitment to working with police in keeping our streets safe.”
Tomko said the agreement with police did not prevent his reporters from asking tough questions. “We have done stories that are very challenging to the police,” he said. “Even though we have ‘Fugitive Files,’ they know we have a job to do. It’s never come up that we can’t do a story because we’re friendly.”
The news director called Guglielmi’s statements a “misrepresentation.” He said Parsons’ attorney told the station that his client had been in touch with prosecutors to coordinate his surrender and had planned to go to authorities after the midafternoon studio taping on Friday, April 13.
“We had no reason to believe otherwise,” Tomko said. Parson’s appearance for the interview was not part of a “Fugitive Files” segment.
Parsons, a party promoter, had been targeted in relation to the assault on St. Patrick’s Day weekend before police even considered him a suspect. A video of the incident outside the downtown courthouse on North Calvert Street went viral on the Internet, and computer sleuths identified Parsons and posted his name online.
Police later found the victim — who had filed a report but could recall little of the attack — and started issuing arrest warrants. Parsons’ attorney, Warren A. Brown, told authorities his client would surrender on April 13.
But first, he wanted Parsons on television. “I needed the public to see a remorseful suspect before he went off to jail,” Brown said.
The lawyer said he went to the television station about 3 p.m. that Friday. On air, Parsons apologized for punching the victim but called his recollection of events hazy, and Brown said his client had nothing to do with stripping and humiliating the man.
Afterward, Brown said he returned to his office to finish paperwork and intended for Parsons to go to police. But police quickly learned of the interview — before it aired. Noting Parsons’ failure to immediately surrender, they launched a citywide manhunt, visiting the suspect’s apartment, relatives, friends and workplace. Brown said officers accused news officials at the station of harboring a fugitive.
Brown said Parsons surrendered to police at 6:30 p.m. at the Warrant Apprehension Task Force Office on West 29th Street in Remington. The attorney said they arrived to find television cameras camped out front. “They had the press waiting for us,” said Brown, suspecting a leak from police. “I thought that was kind of petty.”
Guglielmi said the surrender occurred only because police had pressured the suspect.
The incident raised the question of whether station officials should have called police about Parsons. For the media, exclusive information is the ultimate commodity, and the challenge is obtaining such information without appearing too cozy with sources.
Few suspected criminals, or whistle blowers, would talk to a reporter if police were waiting around the corner. But both the news director and defense attorney said no pre-conditions or promises were made for the WBFF interview.
“If the only premise that Fox has is the assumption that [the suspect] was going to turn himself in anyway, then I don’t think they have an argument for not calling the cops,” said Christopher Dreisbach, director of Applied Ethics and Humanities at the Division of Public Safety Leadership at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education.
“The station had no reason under basic ethics or journalistic ethics to keep quiet,” said Dreisbach, who is leading ethics training for U.S. Secret Service agents after the prostitution scandal in Colombia. “The common-sense thing would’ve been to pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey, I know you’re looking for this guy. He’s here.’”
Speaking broadly, he said, “the journalism house should keep itself out of the law enforcement house.”
Hanson, the University of Maryland professor, agreed, calling “Fugitive Files” more a “public relations stunt and helping the cops” than journalism.
“You can pat yourself on the back and say, ‘We’re good citizens and so are you,’” he said. “But it’s getting pretty far away from what we used to think news gathering is all about.”
He did note that the station missed a golden opportunity, and a sure ratings-grabber.
“When this guy came in for an interview,” Hanson said, “they could’ve tipped the cops and had a live arrest.”
Source:baltsun.com
Newark security officer shot, second man dead www.privateofficer.com
NEWARK, N.J.May 12 2012 — Police in New Jersey are investigating a shooting at a nightclub that left one man dead and a security officer injured early Saturday.
The shooting was reported shortly before 3:00am local time at Club Sensations in Newark, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release.
Officers arrived on the scene and found two men suffering from gunshot wounds. One, identified as 35-year-old Andrew Henry, was taken to nearby University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The other victim, a security guard at the club, was listed in serious but stable condition suffering from several gunshot wounds according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
No suspects have been identified or arrested.
Club Sensations describes itself on a New Jersey business website as “North Jersey’s largest entertainment complex” with “three levels of entertainment for the ‘grown and sexy.”
San Antonio security officer stops Starbucks safe theft www.privateofficer.com
SAN ANTONIO TX May 13 2012 - Police say a security guard foiled a burglary at a North Side Starbucks late Thursday night.
The guard spotted two suspects trying to load the store’s safe into a van parked in front of the Starbuck’s around midnight.
The guard blocked the van with his truck and the suspects were unable to drive away. They fled on foot near the 18300 block of Tuscany Stone.
Police said the suspects remain at-large. The van they were in was registered to someone in Montgomery, Texas, which is north of Houston.
Source:KSAT
