Archive
Two people die after planes collide in mid-air in Virginia www.privateofficer.com
WARRENTON, Va. May 29 2012 - Virginia State Police say two people died and another was injured after two planes collided in mid-air in Fauquier County.
Authorities say they recovered two bodies from a six-seater aircraft after the Monday afternoon collision, which caused the planes to crash a mile apart from each other.
The pilot of the second plane was transported to Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg. His condition was not immediately known but a spokeswoman said he spoke to troopers. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown said both planes were small, private aircraft.
She said the plane operated by the pilot was injured appeared to be inbound for the Warrenton-Fauquier airport. Brown said that plane, a Piper PA-28, landed safely.
No further details were immediately available. Brown said FAA investigators were dispatched to the scene.
Source:AP
Gun toting shoplifter taken into custody after fight with security www.privateofficer.com
Richard Allen Carver was booked into the Southwest Detention Center on suspicion of robbery, making criminal threats, being a felon in possession of a firearm and stealing a gun, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
The incident occurred at 5:37 p.m. at the Vons in the 11800 block of De Palma Road.
According to a police report, a Vons guard stopped the man outside the store. A scuffle ensued in which two shoppers help subdue the man. During the struggle, the report said, a small handgun was discovered in the man’s wasteband.
Carver suffered bruises to his wrists, back and face. Neither the guard nor the shoppers were injured.
Pumps at one out of every five gas stations in Houston fail inspection www.privateofficer.com
HOUSTON TX May 29 2012—Nearly one out of every five gas stations in Houston have pumps that failed inspections, meaning they could be over-charging you.
Inspectors say an HEB gas station at 2805 Business Center, Pearland was one of the worst offenders with 31 violations.
According to the Houston Chronicle, more than 350 gas pumps in the Houston area overcharged customers for gas.
This could cost a customer anywhere from three cents to three dollars per fill-up.
Gas pumps are only inspected once every four years unless someone files a complaint. If inspectors do find a problem and it’s not fixed, the gas station owner gets a ticket.
One way customers can fight back is to use the QR code sticker on every gas pump. It works like a barcode—you can scan it with your smartphone. Then you can see a station’s inspection history and instantly file a complaint.
Two Tyler Teens Arrested for Stealing Security Guard’s Truck www.privateofficer.com
The sheriff’s office has reported that they have recovered a truck stolen from a local security guard this week.
Sheriff Investigator Lt. Tony Dana told us that deputies received the a call around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday from the security guard at Emerald Bay in Bullard notifying officers that two teens jumped inside the security guard’s truck and sped off.
Shortly before 1:30 a.m., deputies spotted the truck and attempted to stop the vehicle. A pursuit began and went through Flint and Gresham and then north on Highway 69, where Tyler Police assisted and deployed spikes, stopping the truck in the 2700 block of South Broadway.
Sheriff deputies and Tyler police officers were able to take 17-year-old Daniel Bennett, and 17-year-old Christopher Hamrick both of Tyler into custody.
Bennett is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and evading arrest, Hamrick is being held on a drug possession charge.
Both could face additional charges this week.
No injuries were reported but some minor damage to the stolen vehicle was reported.
Carjacker holes up in construction crane at Southern Methodist University www.privateofficer.com
DALLAS TX May 29 2012 — Dallas police say a man is holed up in a construction crane at Southern Methodist University after threatening to shoot campus police if they approached him.
Police say the man climbed the 150-foot crane late Monday morning.
Dallas police Sr. Cpl. Melinda Gutierrez says officers haven’t confirmed whether the suspect is armed, but he told SMU police that he would shoot if they approached.
The city’s police are helping SMU officers manage the scene.
SMU spokesman Kent Best says the man is believed to be fleeing police and is in the cab of a crane helping with student housing construction.
Best says a limited number of people are on campus because of the Memorial Day holiday, but officials are warning people to avoid the area.
Source:AP
Safeway Worker Stops Man From Beating Pregnant Woman, Gets Suspended www.privateofficer.com
Del Ray Oaks CA May 29 2012 You would think Safeway would hold up Ryan Young as a model employee, even award him a medal of bravery and honor. But instead, the supermarket chain has suspended the meat clerk after he broke up a fight in which a male customer at a Northern California store was pummeling his pregnant girlfriend.
Safeway’s decision, meanwhile, has turned Young into something of a folk hero. There are protests in front of the market in Del Ray Oaks, a petition on change.org with more than 175,000 signatures, and regular mentions on Twitter and Facebook, all calling for Young’s reinstatement. Hiring Now
Philadelphia JobsAccording to news accounts, Young was working the meat counter in Del Ray Oaks when he saw a male customer beating up a pregnant woman and tried to get the man to calm down. But Quyen Van Tran reportedly refused to stop pounding on his girlfriend, who was five months pregnant. So Young got between them and pushed Tran off, according to TV station KION in nearby Salinas.
“I just became afraid for her safety and also other customers,” he said. “The guy was out of control.”
Del Ray Oaks police arrived, and Tran was arrested and has since plead no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge. (He was sentenced to three years probation.)
And while Young says that he was assured by a manager that his job was safe, he was notified the following day that he was being suspended without pay, effective April 22, according to the San Jose Mercury News. He was also not given an end date for the suspension.
The Safeway supermarket chain, North America’s second largest, could not be reached for a comment by AOL Jobs. But in speaking to KTVU News, a spokeswoman for Safeway praised Young. “We agree that Mr. Young is to be commended for choosing to intervene,” she said, adding Young wasn’t suspended for coming to the women’s aid. Safeway said it is investigating the incident because of acts it saw on video footage. It didn’t specify what those acts were, although the Mercury News quoted a witness as saying that Young struck Tran. The union that represents Safeway workers said it is working to resolve Young’s case.
Meanwhile, Young is not receiving a salary and is unable to provide for himself and his own pregnant wife.
The public and local police have rallied to Young’s side. Ron Langford, the chief of the Del Ray Oaks police squad, even wrote an open letter in defense of Young, according to KION News.
“Mr. Young’s actions were courageous. We commend him for his action that prevented further injury to the victim, protected others and led to the arrest of the suspect in this case,” he said in the letter.
Young also has become thing of a folk hero. Safeway’s corporate Facebook page was inundated with messages calling for Young’s reinstatement. His case also struck a nerve with locals, who have begun picketing the Safeway market in Del Ray Oaks.
“Ryan is a hero,” Jennie Tezak of Monterey, Calif., who attended the rally told the Monterey Herald, according to KTVU news. “Domestic violence is uncalled for, deplorable. What Ryan did was heroic. Is Safeway really safe? Not without Ryan Young.”
Two Alabama pedestrians die in Las Vegas crash www.priavteofficer.com
LAS VEGAS NV May 29 2012 – Two pedestrians are dead after being struck by a car Saturday night on Las Vegas Boulevard near Robindale Road.
The crash happened around 9:15 p.m. Investigators say a man and woman were crossing the road when they were struck by a white Honda.
Investigators say the impact of the crash severed the woman’s leg. The man and woman were transported to the hospital where they were pronounced dead.
While the identifies of the victims has not been released, both were 52 years old and from Mobile, Alabama.
Police say the driver of the Honda said he never saw the pedestrians and was only aware he had hit them after he felt the impact. Police say the driver showed no signs of impairment on the scene.
Officers shut down Las Vegas Boulevard south of Warm Springs Road while they investigated the crash scene.
This is the 55th and 56th traffic fatalities in Metro’s jurisdiction this year.
Suicide call leads Georgia officers to marijuana grow operation www.privateofficer.com
DORAVILLE, Ga. May 29 2012 – A suicide call to Doraville 9-1-1 ultimately uncovered a grow operation that netted over 400 marijuana plants.
Doraville Police spokesman, Officer Gene Callaway, said officers went to a residence in the 3400 block of Pin Oak Circle Sunday to investigate a possible suicide attempt by the caller’s girlfriend.
Officers were unable to make contact with the girlfriend. After 20 minutes on the scene, a man opened the door, but refused entry by police into the home.
Callaway said officers smelled the odor of marijuana smoke coming from inside the residence and obtained a warrant to enter the house.
Investigators discovered the home was being used to grow marijuana plants. Callaway said every room in the home was filled with plants in various stages of growth.
Police arrested the resident, but have have not released his name.
Woman commits suicide by walking in front of Denver’s light rail www.privateofficer.com
Denver CO May 29 2012 Police and RTD officials said they believe a woman who entered a fenced-off area of light rail tracks where she was struck and killed late Saturday night committed suicide.
The woman was on the tracks between Mississippi and Acoma when she was struck by a light rail train at 11:45 p.m. , said John White , public information officer for the Denver Police Department. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
“The early indication is that it appears to have been a suicide,” White said. “We are unsure of how she managed to get inside the fenced area, that is still part of the ongoing investigation.”
White said he did not know how fast the train was moving or if there were passengers on board.
Source:denverpost.com
Pittsburgh area police officer broke into house to do laundry www.privateofficer.com
Rankin police Officer Jason Rocco is charged with trespassing and criminal mischief for allegedly breaking into a neighbor’s home to wash his clothes.
Rocco lives next door to the Marie Avenue, Avalon house, which is on the market to be sold.
The owner hasn’t lived there for months so found it odd that his electric bill was unusually high, WPXI reported.
The homeowner told police he walked into his house and heard the dryer running.
He found a load of clothes inside, including police officer and Marine Corps T-shirts.
Avalon police who questioned Rocco said he told investigators the home’s back door was already broken and he ‘just had to do some laundry’.
He has since asked to get his clothes back.
Los Angeles Police deputy chief to replace head of security at Dodgers Stadium www.privateofficer.com
The Dodgers said Sunday that Rich Wemmer’s last day will be Thursday, and Michael Hillman will oversee security at the stadium for the rest of the 2012 season.
Wemmer took the job in April 2011 after security became an issue when San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow was severely beaten in the stadium parking lot. Wemmer, who retired from the LAPD in 2008 after nearly 40 years in law enforcement, said he had been planning for his retirement for quite some time.
Dodger President Stan Kasten said he believes the team’s ongoing efforts to provide a safe, family-friendly environment to its fans will be in good hands with Hillman.
Source:AP
West Virginia State Police find four bodies in wooded area www.privateofficer.com
Police said in a news release that the bodies were found about a mile from where the man’s missing 2003 Chevy Venture van was discovered Friday night near Carl, in Nicholas County. Police suspected foul play based on the vehicle’s condition.
The news release said that police found the bodies after executing a search warrant.
Authorities said they believe the bodies are those of Steven Hendrix; his girlfriend, Amber Martin; and his two young children, ages 6 and 4. They had not been seen since May 19; Hendrix’s daughter, Cheyenne Hendrix, had reported the four missing May 21.
Police have identified James Roy Belknap as a suspect. His whereabouts were not known late Saturday. Police said he may be operating a white Ford F-150 or a Chevrolet Monte Carlo, color unknown.
A police spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment late Saturday.
Source:AP
Trussville Alabama police saving money using compressed natural gas to fuel patrol vehicles www.privateofficer.com
TRUSSVILLE, Alabama May 29 2012– Trussville Mayor Gene Melton estimates his city will save $17,000 a year per vehicle over the next five years, once the city finishes converting its fleet to run on compressed natural gas.
And that’s assuming the price of unleaded gasoline stays where it is at the moment.
“As gas prices go up, the savings get bigger,” he said.
The city is in the process of converting its police car fleet to run on CNG. Earlier this year, the city purchased 32 Chevrolet Tahoes at a cost of $27,500 each from the state bid list. The city is spending $10,000 to $11,000 each to convert the vehicles.
Police Chief Don Sivley said the city is still waiting to convert the vehicles to run on CNG, which should happen within a month. The police department currently has two Chevrolet Malibus that run on CNG for its investigations department.
In addition, the city put its CNG dump truck into operation recently. Trussville began using CNG vehicles three years ago, and installed a refueling station at the city’s public utility. City officials have been working over the past year on a public-private partnership to bring a commercial CNG station to Trussville.
CNG prices per gallon vary nationwide, but they range from $1.50 to $1.75 at stations through the Southeast, according to CNGNow.com, a website advocating its use.
Compressed natural gas is largely methane gas compressed to less than 1 percent its total volume. CNG cars can run on unleaded gas as well. There are an estimated 12 million vehicles on the road around the world using CNG technology, with 112,000 in the U.S., according to CNGNow.com. CNG usage in the U.S. has increased almost 4 percent per year over the last decade, but about 30 percent per year globally over the same time.
Trussville isn’t alone in looking for alternative fuels. Birmingham City Schools last year bought six CNG buses, and Hoover for several years has been fueling its fleet of municipal vehicles on E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.
One of the stumbling blocks to more widespread use of CNG, supporters say, is the lack of refueling locations around the country. Melton has spent the last year traveling to cities around the Southeast advocating municipal use of CNG, usually arriving in his converted Honda Civic.
Melton said conversion requires installing a conversion pressure kit under the hood and installing a rear fuel tank. CNG engines are quieter than regular gasoline engines, he said, and CNG can extend the life of a vehicle by about two years.
Source:AL.com
Hospital security helps nab burglar www.privateofficer.com
Hospital security personnel said they saw a suspicious man walking around the hospital and they believed he may have stolen a phone.
Prate was later found in a bathroom. He allegedly admitted to taking the phone, and it was recovered in a wooded area near the hospital.
Police later determined Prate also took a wallet from a purse in the Elmhurst Center for Health, 1200 S. York. He was taken to DuPage County Jail.
