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Alabama man arrested for shooting himself in chest www.privateofficer.com
DEKALB COUNTY, AL June 24 2012 – A man with a history of calls to his residence involving gunfire has been arrested and charged with a felony county of discharging a gun into an occupied dwelling after he accidentally shot himself in the chest.
Back on On May 27th a few minutes past 9:00 p.m., deputies of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a mobile home on County Road 926 in the Kilpatrick community.
On their arrival, deputies discovered Jose Santiago Amaya, 29, lying in the living room floor with a single gunshot wound to the chest. Amaya was treated on the scene and was later airlifted to Huntsville Hospital where he made a full recovery.
During investigation of the shooting, the Sheriff’s investigators learned that Amaya had been in a struggle with his sister as he was firing the gun inside the house.
In an attempt to keep the gun muzzle pointing away from her, Amaya’s sister grabbed his wrists. During their struggle, Amaya discharged the weapon, striking himself in the chest.
Based upon the evidence discovered during the investigation, the case was presented to the District Attorney’s office and a warrant was issued charging Jose Santiago Amaya with discharging a gun into an occupied dwelling, which is a felony.
On June 21st, investigators from the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office arrested Amaya at his residence on County Road 926 without incident. Amaya was transported to the DeKalb County Detention Center and a detainer to commence deportation proceedings was placed on him by Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Amaya remains in jail on the warrant with bond to be set at his initial appearance and awaiting disposition of the detainer.
Sheriff Jimmy Harris said, “I’m pleased to have this matter resolved because this is not the first time that my deputies have responded to shots being fired at that residence. We are concerned any time we have gunshots in a residential community because once a gun is fired you cannot take the bullet back or change its direction of travel. Many young children reside in the immediate area along with innocent adults. I feel that the Kilpatrick area is a little safer now due to this arrest being made.”
Source:WRCB.com
Off-duty Atlanta police lieutenant interrupts robbery www.privateofficer.com
Lt. Terry Joyner noticed four juveniles acting suspicious on Bolton Road Wednesday, so he parked his car to keep an eye on them. His intuition was correct: As he sat there and watched, one of the juveniles walked into a gas station with a gun and robbed the clerk, police said.
Joyner immediately called for backup and helped arrest the 15-year-old suspect. Nearby, they found the replica gun used in the robbery, said Sgt. Curtis Davenport, an Atlanta police spokesman.
The name of the suspect was not released because he is a juvenile.
Virginia man extradited to Phoenix in sexual exploitation case www.privateofficer.com
PHOENIX AZ June 24 2012 (AP) – Arizona authorities say a Virginia man has been extradited to Phoenix to face charges in a sexual exploitation case.
Phoenix police said Friday that 43-year-old Daniel J. Courtney has been booked into the Maricopa County Jail.
He’s being held on suspicion of numerous counts of luring and aggravated luring of a minor for sexual exploitation.
Phoenix police detectives from the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted an investigation last August and September that led them to Courtney, of Chantilly, Va.
Authorities say Courtney had an electronic relationship with who he thought was a 14-year-old girl in Phoenix and allegedly propositioned her for sex.
But they say he actually was communicating with a task force member.
Police didn’t immediately know whether Courtney has legal representation yet for his case.
Chicago police officer injured during disturbance at the Museum Campus www.privateofficer.com
The female officer was not badly hurt and has been released as of this morning from Northwestern Memorial Hospital, authorities said.
It was about 11:30 p.m. when the officer tried to stop a man on a motorcycle who was wanted for causing a disturbance with a park security officer in the 700 block of East Solidarity Drive between the Adler Planetarium and Soldier Field, said Central District police Lt. John Willner.
The security officer had told him it was time to leave because the park had closed an hour prior. When he refused, Chicago Police were called.
“The motorcyclist tried to leave and in the process, struck her,’’ Willner said.
It was not known what kind of injuries she had, but her partner called an ambulance and also tried to curb the biker, who fled southbound and entered the Stevenson Expressway (I-55), the lieutenant said.
Chicago Police pursued him and Illinois State Police were notified to be on the lookout for him, according to an ISP District Chicago trooper.
He was last seen westbound on the I-290 near 9th Avenue in Maywood, sources said.
Source:WGN
Small town politics lands Housing Authority chair in jail www.privateofficer.com
Since 2009, Gary Bell has conducted Atlantic Beach’s Housing Authority meetings and during Thursday night’s meeting, an Atlantic Beach Sergeant John Jackson walked him out in handcuffs.
Bell was booked at J. Reuben Long Detention Center at 6:52 p.m. Thursday and released at 11:16 a.m. Friday.
Town judge, Cheveron Scott, dismissed the charge against Bell, saying it was improperly filed.
Jackson charged Bell for Impersonating an Official on a traffic ticket.
Scott said Jackson needed a warrant to make such a charge against Bell.
“It was really really hell,” said Bell. “I’ve never been to jail in my life. I’m 51-years-old.. never been to jail, sleeping on hard benches for no reason.”
Atlantic Beach Mayor Retha Pierce said Bell was kicked off of the Housing Authority because he no longer lives in the town. Pierce is still mayor because Jake Evans, the candidate who won the May election, still hasn’t been sworn in.
But the South Carolina Housing Authority official, Larry Knightner, said South Carolina code Section 31-3-970 states being a resident is not a requirement to serve on a housing authority board.
Knightner said Bell cannot be taken off as chair unless town council finds a legitimate reason to relieve him of his appointment.
Bell’s term ends next May, said Knightner.
On Friday, Atlantic Beach decided to hold a town council meeting at 2 p.m. Saturday
Council members are expected to discuss the Housing Authority Board during that meeting.
NewsChannel 15 is still awaiting a copy of Bell’s arrest report from Atlantic Beach Police Chief Mike Bordner.
Source:carolinalive.com
NYPD arrest man in triple killings near Columbia University’s campus www.privateofficer.com
The suspected gunman was arrested Saturday in the Bronx.
Police say they have recovered the gun used in the killings. Additionally, they say they have found DNA linking the suspect to the shootings. Police say the DNA came from a shirt the gunman discarded near the crime scene.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly says the detectives assigned to the case did a masterful job.
Police didn’t immediately release the suspect’s name, saying they were waiting for formal charges to be filed.
Arrest made at Orlando International Airport when gun found www.privateofficer.com
Orlando Fla June 24 2012 Police say a man has been arrested for trying to bring a gun through security at Orlando International Airport.
The incident happened Friday afternoon at the TSA security checkpoint in the airport. A TSA officer noticed the gun in the briefcase as it went through the x-ray machine, according to an arrest report.
Police say the suspect, 62-year-old Manuel Mota, had a Beretta handgun and several loose rounds in his briefcase.
During questioning, Mota told police that he had asked his wife to take the gun out of his briefcase. He also said that the incident “is not a big deal.”
Police say Mota has a concealed weapons license for the gun.
He was booked in to the Orange County jail and has since bonded out.
source:wftv.com
Alabama Governor wants to streamline 22 state law enforcement agencies www.privateofficer.com
Montgomery AL June 24 2012 Alabama Governor Robert Bentley launched his crime fighting initiative by signing an Executive Order creating two task forces to manage law enforcement in Alabama. The two groups are supposed to review the law enforcement functions in Alabama and make them more efficient and less redundant.
The Integrated State Law Enforcement Task Force, or ISLETF, created by Thursday’s order is charged with finding ways to make state-level law enforcement agencies run more efficiently. ISLETF is supposed to figure out what the 22 state law enforcement agencies do, and then find ways they can coordinate more closely and share information.
“This is about making sure our agencies are working hand-in-hand with each other,” said Bentley. “Through better coordination and increased efficiency, I believe we can provide better public safety.”
The order also creates the Law Enforcement Stakeholder Advisory Task Force, or LESATF, to also review Alabama law enforcement functions and analyze how the changes recommended by ISLETF will impact the state. LESATF will also be tasked with recommending new laws “necessary to implement any recommended changes.”
The order identifies the members of the ISLETF review group as:
- The Director of the Alabama Department of Homeland Security
- The Director of the Alabama Department of Public Safety
- The Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
- The Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Insurance
- The Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Revenue
- The Administrator of the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board
- and anyone else the Governor decides to put on the board
Meantime, Executive Order 32 says the LESATF group will include:
- The Pro-Tem of the Alabama State Senate or his designee
- The Speaker of the Alabama House of Representative or his designee
- A representative of the Alabama Sheriffs Association
- A representative of the Alabama Association of Chiefs of Police
- A designee of the Governor’s Office
- The Director of the Alabama State Personnel Director Department or her designee
- and anyone else the Governor decides to add.
“To my knowledge, Governor Bentley is the first Alabama governor to take action of this nature by ordering a comprehensive review of the state’s law enforcement resources and capabilities,” says Bentley’s Homeland Security Director Spencer Collier.
Noticeably missing from both lists is Alabama’s top law enforcement officer, the Attorney General. During the last legislative session, Attorney General Luther Strange proposed and pushed a package of law enforcement bills through the legislature he said would also “strengthen and support law enforcement in Alabama.”
Strange says the process he used to create those bills included talking to law enforcement agencies across the state. He said, “These bills reflect concerns they have shared with me about changes needed in the laws to help them perform these important duties.”
The groups are to meet regularly and ISLETF is to provide a written plan to the Governor by December 15, 2012. That plan is to include recommendations for “more efficient delivery of law enforcement services by state agencies and departments,” as outlined in the order.
Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh applauded the effort saying, “We have no choice but to rethink state government operations in order to maximize taxpayer resources.”
Lumberton NC police officer for trafficking opium www.privateofficer.com
LUMBERTON NC June 24 2012- A Lumberton police officer has been arrested on allegations that he was involved in drug-related activities, authorities said.
Officer Jason Walters, 35, was charged June 14 with attempted trafficking in opium by possession, said Noelle Talley, a spokeswoman for the State Bureau of Investigation.
Walters was charged by the SBI, Lumberton Police Chief Michael McNeill said Thursday. He declined further comment.
Walters, who was hired Aug. 21, 2008, has been suspended without pay, said James Moore, human resources director for the city of Lumberton.
Walters, who had no other disciplinary actions in his record, was making $32,475 annually, Moore said.
Walters’ bail was set at $20,000, Talley said.
Walters is the second Lumberton police officer charged with drug-related offenses in the past year.
Officer Matthew Albert Miller, 25, was charged in September with embezzlement and trafficking opium by possession.
Miller is no longer employed by the department.
The SBI also handled that investigation.
El Monte Union High School Board fires two longtime employees involved in thefts www.privateofficer.com
The board also fired three other employees in closed session. The identities of those employees and the allegations against them were not provided.
Employees Richard Cordero and Laszlo Logacz asked for a public hearing to decide their employment fate. They were among 12 employees put on paid leave a year ago while the district investigated alleged misconduct in the school’s maintenance department.
With Wednesday’s dismissals, eight of the 12 employees related to that investigation have been fired, according to district officials. The fate of the other four employees is still pending, according to Superintendent Nick Salerno.
Cordero and Logacz opted to have their termination hearings in public at a meeting at the school district’s headquarters, saying they didn’t understand why the seemingly minor infractions touched off a year-long investigation and the threat of getting fired.
Cordero and Logacz each worked at the district for 26 years.
Cordero, who worked in the district’s warehouse, was among several employees who would keep the last bits of toilet paper and trash liners when staff changed out nearly spent rolls for new rolls. He also admitted during Wednesday’s hearing to stealing four bottles of liquid cleaner, four AA batteries and four AAA batteries.
Logacz, an electrician, admitted during the hearing to taking discarded shop tools home after getting permission from his boss, and to recycling school-owned scrap metal and then putting the money into a fund for the school’s maintenance staff to use. He returned all the tools to the district after he was told to do so.
Supervisors were well aware of the taking of remnant toilet paper and trash bags, the recycling fund and the taking home of the shop tools, according to employees and district officials.
The men’s attorney, Lizette Espinosa of Whittier, pleaded for the district to dole out lesser consequences spelled out in the districts bylaws, such as a few weeks of unpaid leave and a forfeiture of some of Cordero’s pay.
“Let’s let the actions fit the consequence,” she pleaded.
“Let’s look at the human factor here,” she said to the board. “They made a mistake. Let’s not hold these men to a standard of perfection.”
Espinosa said Cordero and Logacz were lumped with the other accused employees, some of whom allegedly took more expensive items from the district.
But the school board, with almost no discussion, voted unanimously to fire the two men.
The only school board members to speak before the vote were Theresa Velasco and Salvador Ramirez.
Ramirez said the district considered each employees’ case individually and were not lumping them together with others accused of more severe theft.
As for Velasco, she didn’t realize that Espinosa was an attorney representing the employees and instead thought the lawyer was a district employee herself. Velasco watched Espinosa talk for about 10 minutes and then repeatedly asked why Espinosa did not admit to any wrongdoing.
“You keep talking about what others did, but you won’t talk about what you did,” Velasco said.
The comments and questions flummoxed Espinosa for about two minutes until someone in the crowd yelled out that Espinosa was an attorney representing Cordero and Logacz.
No other board members commented regarding their decision and Salerno declined to discuss the matter Wednesday.
The investigations into the maintenance employees last year coincided with a separate inquiry into Alsaleh Project Management, the contractor that was responsible for implementing the district’s bond-funded building program.
After Salerno accused Alsaleh of mismanaging projects, the company and the district cut ties. The two parties reached a settlement in October to no longer discuss the matter publicly. And the district has since hired a different construction firm to finish the projects.
Salerno said last month the two investigations into Alsaleh and the maintenance employees weren’t related, but he said the coincidental timing made it difficult for the district to handle detective work while still trying to run a school district.
After the investigation started, employees began making what added up to hundreds of allegations about other employees, many of which were proven to be untrue, he said.
Espinosa called the board’s decision, “unbelievable,” and she wondered if there was some other motivation to fire the employees.
“It’s like they cast this net to catch these big fish that were doing seriously bad things, and then these little fish got caught in the same net,” she said.
The men will still get their accrued pension benefits, she said.
Source:www.pasadenastarnews.com
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens employee wanted for theft www.privateofficer.com
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.June 24 2012 – A woman who worked in the finance office at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is wanted by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on charges of employee theft.
Spring Smith, 33, was fired on Wednesday after an audit revealed that she had stolen $4,488.06 from a deposit she had transacted, according to a JSO police report.
When confronted by the human resources manager, Smith said she did not know where the money was. She was then terminated and signed a form which stated she was fired for theft, the police report said.
Smith prepared two deposit tickets for Wells Fargo Bank on June 7. One was for $4,488.06 in cash and one was for $1,129.40 in checks. Two deposits in the amounts of $12,550.14 and $34,583.58 were picked up by Brinks on June 8.
The $1,129.40 in checks were deposited and the $4,488.06 in cash was not, according to the report.
Police investigation revealed that Smith was the only employee working in the finance department on June 7.
Source: First Coast News
Leon County Sheriff’s Office arrest organized group of females stealing www.privateofficer.com
The incidents were captured on video surveillance and observed by loss prevention officers as well as detectives from the Crimes Against
On multiple occasions, the women would enter the store together carrying large shopping bags. Surveillance images show the women stuffing the bags with designer clothes and then walking out of
the store without paying for the items hidden in the bags. During one of the incidents, loss prevention officers attempted to contact the women as they exited the store with the large shopping bags.
The women left the bags outside the store and fled the area. Loss prevention officers recovered over $1,200.00 of stolen clothing. They also discovered that the large shopping bags contained an
aluminum lining which defeated the stores anti-theft sensors.
At least five different incidents have been captured on the store’s video surveillance. On each occasion the stolen clothing is valued in excess of $300.00. Detectives believe this group is part of a larger group of individuals who are targeting retail stores in the area.
On June 18, 2012, Detectives located Kimly Jones, 18, Kenia Germain, 22, Stephanie Germain, 21, Lateria Williams, 25, and Kavira Green, 25. All were arrested and taken to the Leon County Jail.
This investigation is continuing and additional arrests and charges are likely. All are charged with grand theft.
source:wctv
Party City employee charged with theft from store www.privateofficer.com
Whitehall Township PA June 24 2012 An employee at Party City in Whitehall Township was charged Friday with taking more than $1,200 from the store over the past five months, according to court records.
Nicole Lynn Bickley, 27, of Allentown, admitted to taking the money by taking customer receipts that were left behind in the store and using them to make a cash return to herself, according to court records.
She said she used 18 of them to make $1,219 in returns from December to May 16, police said.
Bickley, of 719 Railroad St., was charged with theft by deception and released on $20,000 unsecured bail.
Kennewick teacher charged with rape www.privateofficer.com
Rachinski went to the Police Department to report that he had sexual contact with a 16 year old girl. The allegations don’t involve any school district property or activities. Information has been filed to the Superior Court charging Rachinski with 3rd degree rape.
Rachinski has been ordered to not have contact with the victim in this case.
No other victims have come forward. An arraignment date has been set for July 5, 2012.
Two separate incidents land teachers in handcuffs at Kell High School www.privateofficer.com
COBB COUNTY, GA June 24 2012 - Cobb County police said they have arrested two people in connection with two separate incidents at Kell High School in May.
The most serious charge against social studies teacher James Brigham is for felony sexual battery. A female student under age 16 claims he slapped her on the butt. The principal of the school was arrested because she failed to report the claim right away.
“That’s crazy, that’s crazy. He seems amazing and super nice,” said a neighbor of Brigham’s that didn’t want to be identified.
Neighbors of the teacher were stunned to learn he turned himself in on charges of sexual battery and two counts of simple battery.
“You hear these things on the news and I just had no idea it was across the street,” said Linda Howe.
According to the arrest warrant, Brigham is accused of slapping a female student across the face. Three days later, the same student claims Brigham slapped her on the butt. It’s alleged both incidents happened inside a classroom at the high school.
Brigham ran to his car and sped off when CBS Atlanta News showed up at his Woodstock home.
Cobb County police arrested principal Trudie Donovan for failing to report the incident within 24 hours as required by law. She waited four days.
The arrest warrant shows another female student came forward during the original investigation. She claims Brigham caressed her arm and said, “Don’t act like you don’t like it.”
“It happens. You think you know, sometimes you think you live in a pretty nice neighborhood and everything is good, but you never know who your neighbors are,” said Howe.
CBS Atlanta News reached out to the Cobb County school district. They said they don’t comment on personnel matters.
Principal Donovan will retire at the end of this month.
Both were released on bond.
Source:wgcl.com
Alabama husband and wife arrested for exchanging graphic letters of acts against children www.priavteofficer.com
A Franklin County man accused of exchanging letters with his wife that outlines explicit sexual acts the couple wanted to perform on children has been arrested, authorities said Friday.
They said Seth Alexander, 28, DBI Trailer Park, Russellville, turned himself in at the sheriff’s office late Thursday.
Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver said Alexander is charged with five counts of facilitating the solicitation of unlawful sexual contact with a child under 16.
The children were named in the letters exchanged between Alexander and his wife, Jennifer Milam. The youngest child mentioned in the letters was 17 months old, investigators said.
Milam, 29, faces the same charges. She was arrested Tuesday at their residence.
The sheriff said deputies had been looking for Alexander since Tuesday when arrest warrants were issued for the couple.
Oliver said Milam and Alexander are accused of sending at least five letters to each other while they were in the Franklin County Jail on drug charges.
Investigators said it appears Milam and Alexander never carried out the actions detailed in the letters.
Courthouse officials said the Sheriff’s Office was notified about the accusations by the Franklin County Department of Human Resources after officials they received the letters from someone who claimed to have found them.
Oliver said his office began the investigation after receiving the information.
The charges are Class C felonies, which are punishable by 1-10 years in prison if convicted.
Milam and Alexander are being held in the Franklin County Jail without bail.
Source:TimesDaily.com
Midlothian therapist charged with having inappropriate contact with patient www.privateofficer.com
RICHMOND, VAJune 24 2012 - The Midlothian therapist charged with having an inappropriate encounter with one of his patients has been in trouble before.
Documents reveal that the Virginia Board of Social Work reprimanded Derek Findlay earlier this year. The licensed social worker was accused of billing several patients for non-existing appointments, and not billing other sessions at all.
Findlay faces a sexual battery charge involving an alleged incident in his office with one of his patients. He has since resigned from Tri-Cities Counseling in Colonial Heights.
Source: WWBT
Memphis security officer catches copper thief at Macy’s store www.privateofficer.com
Memphis TN June 24 2012 It used to be a Macy’s storage room, now it’s just a room full of copper tubing and ripped-up insulation.
”There is someone masterminding this, someone behind this,” said Juanita Jones, the general manager of Raleigh Springs Mall.
Police say the vacant department store became a gold mine, or copper mine, for a thief. Jones says the security guard caught the criminal in the act, “There was a gentleman throwing copper piping onto the ground here.”
Police arrested Eric Jackson outside the vacant store Monday morning. They say he had a backpack with a hacksaw, 2 hammers, and a flight light and a pile of copper piping ready to go, worth $2,000.
Jones believes the man had been living in the old Macy’s and working on dismantling the bathrooms and ceilings for the last month.
“We can’t lease this building because there is so much damage,” said Jones. “It has to be totally gutted out and redone. There are no panel boxes, the copper piping is all gone, the air conditioners are gone.”
She says this is the second time the mall’s been hit in the last few weeks.
“We wish u would stop. Just stop,” she said. “Stop destroying our building. Stop destroying our mall.”
The total damage? Jones says it’s more than $500,000 worth.
Jones has a warning for other potential copper thieves: that they will be caught. The Raleigh Springs Mall has security cameras and security guards.
Jackson is being held on a $160,000 bond.
source-wreg.com
Pearl Jam’s former chief financial officer stole hundreds of thousands of dollars www.privateofficer.com
SEATTLE WA June 24 2012 – Pearl Jam’s former chief financial officer allegedly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of several years from Seattle’s seminal rock band, spending the money on lavish family vacations, spa treatments, life insurance and pricey California wines, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Rickey Goodrich was charged with 33 counts of theft on Thursday, which was his 54th birthday, according to charging documents. A summons was sent to Mr. Goodrich’s home in Novato, Calif., that day, ordering him to appear for arraignment in King County Superior Court in Seattle on June 28.
Charged with 25 counts of first-degree theft and eight counts of second-degree theft, Mr. Goodrich is accused of bilking the band out of at least $380,000 between October 2007 and June 2010, when Mr. Goodrich’s alleged embezzlement was discovered by another band accountant, charging papers say.
Mr. Goodrich, who doesn’t have a criminal history, could face 31/2 to nearly 5 years in prison if convicted.
Source:www.post-gazette.com
Mail handler charged with stealing Walmart gift cards in South Florida www.privateofficer.com
FORT LAUDERDALE Fla June 24 2012 — A grand jury has indicted a mail handler on a charge that she stole four Walmart gift cards from correspondence addressed to two Miami residents.
Shennell Lehue Fluellen, 42, of Fort Lauderdale, began herU.S. Postal Service career in 1998.
She is charged with stealing four gift cards in May and was arrested Tuesday.
The value of the cards was not disclosed by investigators.
According to a USPS spokeswoman, Fluellen worked as a mail handler in Fort Lauderdale. A mail handler sorts, moves, organizes, loads and ships mail for transport to local post offices for delivery by letter carriers.
Mail handlers can also operate some mail-sorting machinery, the spokeswoman said, and they may load packages into trucks and vans for delivery to a local post office, an airport, or elsewhere.
Fluellen had not been arrested in Florida previously, Florida Department of Law Enforcement records show.
A woman who answered the phone at her home Tuesday declined to comment.
According to the federal indictment, if Fluellen is convicted she could fact a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years’ supervised release.
On Friday, theU.S. Department of Justiceannounced the conviction of a Dundee, Fla., woman who was sentenced to 366 days in federal prison for theft of 122 pieces of mail that represented a customer loss of $5,147.
The woman, Kimberly L. Hunter, 41, had been a USPS employee for 15 years and was a distribution clerk in Winter Haven.
A report to Congress for the period October 2011 to March 2012 by the USPS Office of the Inspector General describes 179 indictments for theft, delay or destruction of mail by employees or contractors during that period.
Source:Tribune.com
