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Man tried to smuggle meth to Japan as Snickers bars, feds say www.privateofficer.com
Los Angeles CA July 31 2012 A Long Beach man has been charged by federal authorities with trying to smuggle more than four pounds of methamphetamine from Los Angeles to Japan in what looked like Snickers bars, officials said Monday.
Rogelio Mauricio Harris, 34, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations while preparing to board a flight to Japan.
Harris faces a charge of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. If convicted, he faces at least 10 years in prison and a possible maximum sentence penalty of life in prison. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
The agents were conducting routine baggage inspections when they noticed a large box labeled as Snickers bars inside Harris’ checked luggage and discovered 45 individually wrapped, full-sized “candy bars.”
Each “was coated in a chocolate-like substance to make the contents of the package appear to be a real candy bar,” officials said. Agents tested the bars and found they contained “a white, crystalline substance” determined to be methamphetamine, the agency said in a statement.
All told, the contraband candies contained four pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of about $250,000 in Japan, the agency said.
Source:LA Now
Makeshift meth lab forces evacuation of Center City hotel www.privateofficer.com
Philadelphia PA July 31 2012
Hundreds of tourists were rousted from their Center City hotel rooms Saturday morning when a dangerous makeshift methamphetamine lab set off a fire alarm.
At least 300 guests were evacuated from the Hampton Inn at 1301 Race St. about 5:30 a.m. as first Philadelphia firefighters, then the Police Department’s homeland security and terrorism unit arrived to handle the volatile chemicals left behind by a would-be meth-maker.
Investigators discovered in a third-floor room the chemicals and materials used in the “one-pot” or “shake-and-bake” method of producing the dangerous, highly addictive stimulant.
The procedure can result in toxic fumes and explosions, leave behind a dangerous trail of chemicals, and render the room uninhabitable
Joe Sullivan, chief of the Homeland Security unit, said a 26-year-old Philadelphia-area man who rented the room Friday night was in custody and would probably be charged. The narcotics unit is seeking a second suspect, he said.
Most guests were provided shelter in the neighboring Convention Center, Sullivan said, and were able to return to their rooms by about 8 a.m., with the exception of seven rooms kept vacant for the difficult and expensive cleanup.
The hotel has 250 rooms and was about 60 percent full Friday night, a hotel worker said.
Hotels and motels are increasingly used by meth-makers because the chemicals used – which can include lighter fuel, lye, lithium, and acetone, among other dangerous substances – seep into fabrics, furniture, and floors, according the Department of Justice website.
“It’s popular to do this,” Sullivan said. “You basically destroy someone’s hotel room, and then you leave.”
The single-pot method uses a combination of chemicals shaken up in a plastic bottle, with explosions sometimes resulting.
Professional cleaners are required to make the room safe. In this case, the hotel and the city Department of Licenses and Inspections will oversee the cleaning, authorities said.
Some of the guests were out-of-town firefighters, in town for the International Association of Firefighters convention, which ended Thursday, Sullivan said.
“Certainly, it is really disturbing that this is the experience they have in Philadelphia,” Sullivan said. “The actions caused a lot of damage, and not all of it is tangible, but it’s serious nonetheless.”
Had authorities not found out about the lab and the men conducted their business without detection, the chemical residues would have endangered any subsequent guests, especially children, according to Sullivan.
“Thank God we’re aware of what occurred in there,” he said. “This is a very serious matter that had very serious implications for the future.”
Source:philly.com
Church security officer finds burglar hiding in closet www.privateofficer.com
Fort Lauderdaqle Fla July 31 2012 Joshua T. King was at church on Sunday but not for the right reasons.
The 25-year-old man was arrested Sunday morning after he was found inside a closet at First Baptist Church at 301 E. Broward Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale.
King is facing one charge of burglary in an occupied dwelling after a security guard unlocked a storage room and found him there. He was found with multiple driver licenses in his name: two from Florida and four from New York.
During Sunday School while children were in the playground area, teachers asked the security guard to unlock the storage closet and retrieve toys for them, the arrest report states.
“When he unlocked the door, he could smell and see urine in the basket on the kids’ tricycle,” the report states.
The security guard said he then noticed King was hiding behind props and toys “in an attempt to conceal himself.”
The students and teachers were evacuated.
According to the report, King was in the closet “hiding from people” when he felt the need to go to the restroom. Because he did not want to leave the room, he urinated in the tricycle basket.
He was also found with a pair of scissors he said he was going to use to cut his clothes.
During Monday’s bond court hearing, King was adamant about not paying the bond amount set at $5,000.
“I’m not paying the $5,000 fine, that’s outrageous,” King said. “It has nothing to do with me.”
Broward County Judge John “Jay” Hurley lowered his bond amount to $3,500.
In an exchange with Hurley, King maintained his innocence.
“I didn’t break in, the door was open,” King said.
“Clearly he doesn’t know the elements to burglary,” Hurley said in response.
King is being held at Broward County’s Main Jail.
source:tribune.com
Mother of slain Va. inmate claims guard conspiracy www.privateofficer.com
Aaron Cooper, 26, was killed on July 28, 2010, when Robert Gleason strangled him through a separate cage on the recreation yard at the supermax Red Onion State Prison. Gleason, who was serving a life sentence for a 2007 slaying and had killed his cellmate in 2009, had vowed before Cooper’s death to keep killing unless he was sentenced to death. Gleason received the death sentence last year.
Kim Strickland claims in a federal lawsuit filed late Friday that Gleason traded favors with prison guards in order to arrange her son’s slaying. It accuses prison guards and security officers of not doing required searches, of allowing Gleason to determine which inmates were allowed out that day and where they were positioned, and of arranging for in-person and video monitoring stations to be abandoned.
The lawsuit accuses 19 individuals, from Department of Corrections Director Harold W. Clarke and warden Tracy Ray to several prison guards and investigators, of acts and policies that were “shocking to the conscience of civilized persons and intolerable in a society governed by laws and due process.”
In an interview from death row on Monday, Gleason said those named in the lawsuit did not know his intentions to kill Cooper. But he said they put him in a position to do so.
“There’s no way in the world if they would have done their job that I could have killed him,” Gleason said. “They ignored all of these warnings. All of them.”
In addition to the threats – both in court and in interviews with the AP -to continue killing if not given the death penalty, another inmate testified at Gleason’s sentencing in September that he warned institutional investigators on two occasions that something was going to happen on the recreation yard. Inmates are held in isolation 23 hours a day at the prison, and inmates are held in individual cages in the recreation yard.
Gleason arranged for another inmate to make a braided necklace that could be used as a noose. The lawsuit claims he conspired with four guards to orchestrate a recreation time without the required search so that he could sneak the noose onto the yard. He also told them which inmates to put into the other adjoining cages and to place Cooper next to him. Gleason then conspired with the chief of security and five other officers to “create the absences necessary for no officer to view or enter the rec yard during Gleason’s project,” the lawsuit claims.
Gleason told Cooper, who was serving 34 years for robbery and carjacking, that he needed his help to measure a religious necklace. Cooper put his back to Gleason in the cage, wrapped the necklace around his neck and gave the other end to Gleason, who put one foot onto the cage and pulled to strangle Cooper. One hour and 14 minutes after Cooper was put into the cage beside Gleason, two officers returned to find him dead.
The lawsuit also claims the security officers falsified a required head count that was to be done while the inmates were on the recreation yard. Prison records falsely show everyone was accounted for at 1:28 p.m., but video surveillance shows that no officers returned to the yard until 1:43 p.m., when Cooper was found dead.
The lawsuit was filed by Abingdon attorney Mary Lynn Tate, who did not immediately return a message seeking further comment.
Virginia Department of Corrections spokesman Larry Traylor said the agency does not comment on pending litigation. He did not immediately answer questions on whether any of those named in the lawsuit had been reprimanded. A spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office said he had not seen the lawsuit.
Strickland said Monday she hoped to see the prison system held accountable.
“Finally my son’s going to see some justice,” she said
Source:WFLX.com
Meth lab explodes in guest room at Holiday Inn www.privateofficer.com
PEABODY, Mass.July 31 2012 - Police evacuated the Holiday Inn on Route 1 in Peabody late Sunday night, after discovering a possible drug lab for making crystal methamphetamine.
Police were forced to order about 200 people out of the hotel.
Peabody police said a hotel security guard noticed smoke coming from a room which led to the discovery of a large amount of “dangerous” chemicals.
“The security officers reported that they saw a large amount of chemicals in the room, which was highly unusual,” said Peabody Police Capt. Dennis Bonaiuto.
Some hotel guests said they heard and felt the explosion.
“We were just watching TV and all of a sudden there was this loud pop, and I actually was alarmed by it,” said hotel guest Jillian Hahn.
After several hours, hotel guests were allowed to return to their rooms.
Bomaiuto said there was no one in the room after the explosion but that the person who checked-in, had done so just hours earlier. Police were trying to figure out if the name used to check-in was legitimate.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are assisting in the investigation.
Source:www.wcvb.com
7-year-old boy forced to smoke pot at gunpoint www.privateofficer.com
The Northwest Daily News reports 26-year-old Justin Blake Mitchell is being held at the Walton County Jail without bond since the July 12 incident.
According to arrest reports, Mitchell pointed a gun at the child and threatened to shoot him if he didn’t smoke marijuana. Authorities say he pointed the gun at his wife’s head and threatened to kill her. He’s also accused of robbing his wife of cash and personal property.
In addition, deputies say Mitchell is accused of stealing a man’s debit card and robbing another woman of personal property.
He faces multiple charges. No attorney was listed on jail records.
Jacksonville police still investigating security officer shooting www.privateofficer.com
Police in Jacksonville are still investigating a shooting that left one man in critical condition and two others shot.
The three men were shot outside a Jacksonville gentleman’s club by a security guard who says he was acting in self-defense.
It started with a fight between bouncers and clubgoers at Wacko’s Gentleman’s Club early Sunday.
The security guard, Jarod Chemay, was patrolling the shopping center where the club is located and says he shot at the pickup truck because the driver was trying to run him over.
Jail records indicate Chemay has not been charged with any crime but police say that he could if he used unreasonable deadly force.
Small fire quickly contained at Gwinnett Medical Center www.privateofficer.com
DULUTH, Ga. July 31 2012– A fire that occurred at Gwinnett Medical Center-Duluth on Saturday was contained to the laundry area, although smoke was reported in the kitchen area.
The Gwinnett Daily Post reports that Gwinnett County Fire officials responded to the call within five minutes.
A hospital spokeswoman said the fire was contained quickly due to an effective sprinkler system and hospital employees who used four fire extinguishers.
Workers who helped keep the fire from spreading were evaluated in the emergency room and are in good condition. One employee was reportedly admitted for observation.
Source:11Alive.com
Gulfport radio DJ arrested for sexual exploitation of children www.privateofficer.com
GULFPORT, MS July 31 2012 - Coast Radio Group terminated Robert Dever, 50, of Gulfport on Saturday, according to Coast Radio Group Operation’s Manager Bryan Rhodes.
On Saturday, Dever was arrested and charged with misdemeanor malicious mischief and felony sexual exploitation of children.
According to the Coast Radio Group’s website, Dever was the midday announcer on Kicker 108 as Bob Dever. He was also an announcer on Z-95 FM as ‘Jay Roberts.’
Dever’s arrest was the result of a joint investigation conducted by members of the ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) Task Force, the Biloxi Police Department and the Gulfport Police Department.
During the investigation, it was discovered that Dever had posted a note on the wall of the bathroom at a park in Biloxi asking that individuals who had an interest in sharing children for sex contact him.
That posting lead to the misdemeanor malicious mischief charge and also lead to an undercover internet investigation which identified Dever as being the person making the posting.
The investigation also lead to the execution of a search warrant at Dever’s residence where investigators recovered numerous images of children engaging in sexually explicit activities.
Those discoveries lead to the felony sexual exploitation of children charge.
After his arrest, Dever was incarcerated in the Harrison County Adult Detention Center pending a Biloxi Municipal Court bond of $300.00 for malicious mischief and a Harrison County bond of $50,000.00 for the sexual exploitation of children.
Harrison County Justice Court Judge Bruce Strong set the bond on the felony.
Dever was arrested in the 1200 block of Mill Road in Gulfport.
Source:WLOX
Las Vegas police make arrest in stabbing at House of Blues www.privateofficer.com
LAS VEGAS NV July 31 2012 – Metro police have a suspect in custody following a stabbing at Mandalay Bay’s House of Blues on Saturday night.
Police say the stabbing happened when a fight broke out during the Tenacious D concert around 9:30 p.m. One person was stabbed in the leg and taken to the hospital, but they are expected to recover.
The stabbing forced police to clear the House of Blues and cancel the remainder of the Tenacious D concert, as well as the following Steel Panther event. The House of Blues was closed for the rest of the night.
One person is under arrest and police say they are not searching for other suspects.
Wilmington NC police benefit from area filmmaking www.privateofficer.com
WILMINGTON, N.C. July 31 2012– The last time Wilmington police officer Mark Anderson saw a movie in a theater, he watched John Travolta in “Wild Hogs” in 2007. Before that, he saw Tom Hanks in “Saving Private Ryan.”
These days, Anderson is becoming a big movie fan without buying popcorn and huge sodas. The StarNews of Wilmington reports that filmmaking in the Cape Fear region puts dozens of law enforcement officers and fire crews to work directing traffic, providing security and ensuring residents’ safety during stunts.
“I’m not falling over myself trying to meet stars. For the most part, I don’t have a ton of interaction with the stars. That’s not why I do it,” said Anderson, a 51-year-old retired U.S. Marine. “I make my mom’s and my house payments and these contracts help pay for that.”
Wilmington Police Chief Ralph Evangelous said the extra work allows his department to increase its footprint in the community without costing taxpayers.
“Any of the contracts they work, whether it’s security for a business or traffic control for an event, are high visibility. And the officers are still having to abide by all of our rules and regulations.” Evangelous said.
Although Anderson and other local police officers volunteer for a variety of lucrative off-duty assignments, including security work with retailers such as Walmart, the film and TV production contracts are his favorite.
“Movies are the best contracts to work,” Anderson said. “You’re part of the team, and these guys make you feel at home.”
Source:www.myrtlebeachonline.com
Former Army recruiter sentenced to three life sentences for murders of mother and sons www.privateofficer.com
Matthew Perkins pleaded guilty Monday to murder charges for the September 2010 deaths of Stephanie Hershman and her sons, 3-year-old Jathan and 1-year-old Jaylon.
Prosecutors had been seeking the death penalty, but the district attorney general’s office said in a statement that they accepted the plea agreement based on uncertainties about whether a jury would unanimously impose the death penalty.
Prosecutors said the victims’ family members approved the plea agreement.
Investigators have said they found the three bodies stuffed in trash bags inside a bedroom closet of Hershman’s home.
Source:wsmv
9 People arrested for assaulting Orlando officers working at nightclub www.privateofficer.com
The arrests happened early Sunday after a group of woman tried to get back in the club without paying. Police say a group of men leaving the club added to the disturbance.
The Orlando Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/PYs1mF ) both officers were working the security detail in police uniform when they were punched in the face during a scuffle. One officer said he felt “tugs” on his gun holster and baton.
Four people are charged with battery on a law-enforcement officer. Five others are charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. One of them is also charged with depriving an officer of means to communicate for ripping the officer’s radio from his belt.
Currituck County High School teacher arrested on sex charges www.privateofficer.com
CURRITUCK COUNTY, N.C. July 31 2012 - Authorities confirmed today that a Currituck County High School teacher has been arrested for being sexually involved with several male students.
A Grand Jury indicted Christina Corbo, 44, on five counts of sexual activity by a custodian. She was arrested on the 27th and released on a $10,000 secured bond.
The investigation began on June 8, 2012, when someone from the Currituck County school system contacted the Sheriff’s Office to report the alleged crime. Detectives immediately began looking into the case.
Because of the nature of this investigation, no additional information will be released by the Sheriff’s Office, according to spokeswoman Lindsay Voorhees.
According to her faculty page, Corbo has taught at the school for four years. She previously taught at Moyock Middle School and Camden County High School.
The school system is not commenting on the arrest.
Two women charged with Sears shoplifting scam www.privateofficer.com
Boynton Beach Police say Taylor Thomas and Anna Banks fought with the people who approached them outside of the store located on the 800-block of North Congress Avenue at The Boynton Beach Mall.
One of the women managed to get away, but was located by police on North Congress Avenue, shortly after.
The two face a Strong-arm Robbery charge.
Former BISD employee and wife charged with felony theft www.privateofficer.com
Beaumont TX July 31 2012 A BISD employee who was fired in May turned himself into authorities, according to a Jefferson County Correctional Facility personnel.
Daryl Johnson, 42, a former warehouse maintenance supervisor, was charged with two counts of felony theft on $10,000 and $20,000 bonds.
He turned himself into authorities last Friday and bonded out the same day, according to the Jefferson County Correctional Facility.
His wife Erin Johnson, 34, also turned herself in the same day and bonded out, according to the jail personnel. She was charged with one felony count of theft on a $20,000 bond.
Beaumont ISD detective Danny Moore confirms that Johnson was investigated for theft for approximately $280,000.
The district released a statement in May that Johnson, who was not named at the time, was fired because he appeared to have paid wages to two persons who did not work for the district.
Source:www.beaumontenterprise.com
Tennessee Titans football player commits suicide www.privateofficer.com
NASHVILLE, TN July 31 2012 - A Tennessee Titans football player killed himself Monday morning outside the high school where he graduated from in Tampa, FL, according to local police.
Officers discovered wide receiver Orenthal James Murdock, 25, about 8:30 a.m. in his car in front of Middleton High School in Tampa with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Murdock was taken to Tampa General Hospital in critical condition but was pronounced dead at 10:43 a.m., Tampa police said.
Murdock was signed by the Titans in July 2011. However, he was on injured reserve after hurting his right foot during training camp, according to the team’s website.
Murdock was listed on the team’s “did not report list,” according to WSMV Sports Director Rudy Kalis.
Below is a statement released by the Titans:
“We are shocked and saddened to hear of Orenthal James Murdock’s death this morning. In his brief time here, a number of our players, coaches and staff had grown close to O.J., and this is a difficult time for them. He spent the last year battling back from an Achilles injury as he prepared for this year’s training camp. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends as they try to cope with this tragedy.”
Source:WSMV.com
Former Wood River City employee sentenced to three years in prison for embezzlement www.privateofficer.com
EDWARDSVILLE IL July 31 2012 - A former Wood River employee charged with stealing from city coffers has been sentenced to three years in prison and is being required to pay back the money she stole.
Leslie E. Dona, 42, was charged on Sept. 21, 2011, for stealing approximately $143,000 since 2007 by altering software, fund and report manipulation and destroying records. Her theft came to light after she failed to report to work on Aug. 15, 2011, which led to a missing persons report being filed. Three days later, she was located in Eureka, Mo.
Dona had been scheduled to meet with local auditors who were conducting the city’s annual audit before she failed to show up for work.
Following investigation by the City of Wood River and its Police Department, the theft by Dona was discovered, which led to charges being filed by the State’s Attorney’s Office.
Dona pleaded guilty today to theft by deception, a Class 2 Felony. In addition to receiving a three-year prison sentence, Dona is also being required to compensate the city for the funds that she stole.
State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons, who personally handled the case, secured Dona’s Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund pension, both her contributions and the city’s contribution, to be used toward restitution.
Gibbons said that in discussions with IMRF, they told him they couldn’t recall prosecutors ever having been successful at taking a pension for repayment for a crime.
“Our citizens deserve the very best from their public employees, and I have made it a priority of my administration to hold individuals who work for the public to the highest standards,” Gibbons said in a statement. “Holding the defendant accountable for her crimes by sending her to prison and taking every last penny from her sends the strongest message to other would-be thieves that this will not be tolerated in Madison County. Leslie Dona betrayed the public’s trust so we’re taking away her public pension.”
In addition to her IMRF pension, valued at approximate, $30,555, prosecutors also seized money from a 457 investment account, funds from multiple bank accounts and CDs and money that her insurance company sent her following a car crash that occurred after she was located in Missouri. All of Dona’s accounts and pensions were frozen immediately following her arrest and totaled almost $55,000.
The City of Wood River has also received another $50,000 through an insurance policy they had for situations such as the theft. Dona will still have to pay the remaining funds owed to the city following her release from the Illinois Department of Corrections. Dona has been in custody since being charged last September.
“I want to thank Chief Otis Steward, the investigators from the Wood River Police Department, and the Finance Department and City Attorney and for their outstanding work on this case,” said Gibbons. “Their exceptional efforts have now resulted in a successful prosecution and substantial recovery of the stolen proceeds, which will now be returned to the citizens of Wood River.”
Source:www.thetelegraph.com
Anderson County Sheriff’s investigator charged with being drunk at Kroger store www.privateofficer.com
KNOXVILLE TN July 31 2012 - An Anderson County Sheriff’s Office investigator accused of carrying a loaded gun while drunk was arrested July 25 in Knoxville.
Danny Edward Bowie, of Andersonville, was taken into custody in the parking lot of Kroger on Clinton Highway. He’s charged with public intoxication and handgun possession while drunk or on a controlled substance.
According to a court affidavit, an officer who responded to a public intoxication complaint saw Bowie walking unsteadily in the parking lot. He also allegedly had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and smelled of alcohol.
The affidavit says the officer saw the butt of a weapon in the rear pocket of Bowie’s shorts when he asked to see his ID. The gun turned out to be a Springfield Armory XP40. It was loaded with nine rounds and one in the chamber.
Bowie was booked into the Knox County Jail on a $200 bond. He’s scheduled to be in court on August 2.
Source:WATE.com
Mother-sister shoplifters abandon 1-year-old son during escape www.privateofficer.com
Ocala Fla July 31 2012
A 19-year-old mother is wanted not only for what police say she and her sister tried to take from a Walmart store, but also for what she left behind — her 1-year-old son.
According to the Ocala Police Department, Allison Nicole Niemeyer and her sister Laura Niemeyer, 22, are wanted for felony child neglect and retail petit theft. Laura Niemeyer is also wanted for resisting a merchant.
Ocala police provided the following account of the case:
At 1:45 p.m. Friday, Officer Melissa Buetti went to the Walmart at 4980 E. Silver Springs Blvd. in response to a call about a retail theft and an abandoned child.
A Walmart loss prevention officer told Buetti that Allison Niemeyer and her sister had put clothes in the baby’s diaper bag. As they left the store, the loss prevention officer stopped them and asked them to come back inside.
The child’s mother immediately ran, leaving the boy behind with his aunt, who soon broke free from the employee and also ran away. The two sisters were picked up in the parking lot by a blue Ford Aerostar van, which headed west, police said.
Aside from the baby, officials recovered $57.12 worth of merchandise — four women’s shirts, a bathing suit and men’s white undershirts.
Police contacted the Department of Children and Families, which has taken custody of the child.
Authorities say Allison Niemeyer is on house arrest until 2021 in connection with a home invasion robbery with a firearm. She was pregnant when that crime occurred, authorities said.
In the October 2010 robbery, five teenagers were accused of committing a home invasion on Northeast 37th Place Road in which a 61-year-old man was pistol-whipped by one of the robbers. Authorities said Allison Niemeyer, whose boyfriend was in the group, was the getaway driver.
Her sister, Laura Niemeyer, has three previous convictions for retail theft, as well as convictions for grand theft and uttering a forged instrument, according to court records.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the sisters can call the Ocala Police Department at 369-7000, Crime Line at 369-7061 or Crime Stoppers at 368-STOP, or visit http://www.ocalacrimestoppers.com. Tipsters can also text the word “ocalapd” and the tip to TIP411.
Source:Ocala.com
LAPD officer given jail in thefts at Surf and Sand www.privateofficer.com
Los Angeles CA July 31 2012 A veteran Los Angeles Police Department officer who moonlighted as a Surf and Sand security guard was sentenced today to jail and probation after copping to repeatedly stealing cash from the tony Laguna Beach resort.
Through a court deal, Jeffry Paul Quinton, pleaded guilty to two felonies and Judge Robert R. Fitzgerald sentenced the Anaheim Hills 47-year-old to 120 days behind bars and three years probation.
Prosecutors thought Quinton should remain in custody for a year, according to a statement from the Orange County District Attorney’s office. The maximum penalty for the felonies the cop pleaded guilty to–grand theft and commercial burglary–is more than three years in prison.
On Oct. 17, 2011, staff at the Surf and Sand, where rooms can go for more than $500 a night, recovered $2,000 from a hotel room, secured the money in a hotel safe and detailed the discovery on the resort’s online “lost and found” logging system. Quinton had access to that electronic system, and the next day he changed the log to indicate the “$2,000″ was instead a “gold watch,” that it was recovered from a different room number and that the watch had been returned to its owner. He then stole $960 out of the safe.
The cop was not done giving himself unauthorized bonuses. On Dec. 26, 2011, he used tape to cover the surveillance camera lens in the security office for several minutes as he stole $680 out of a safe deposit box there. Then, this past Jan. 24, Quinton disappeared from his shift for more than an hour as he ferried $290 in stolen bedding from a locked hotel storage room to his car.
The Laguna Beach Police Department investigated the final theft, reviewing surveillance video to discover the crime. Further probing uncovered the other thefts. A 21-year LAPD veteran, Quinton’s been on paid administrative leave since his arrest.
Lesbian couple confesses to torture, murder of college student www.privateofficer.com
Cochranton PA July 30 2012 A lesbian couple admitted to luring one of the women’s former lovers into the woods, beating her and strangling her, and finally burying her in a shallow grave as she took her last breaths.
Pennsylvania prosecutors are weighing whether to seek the death penalty for Jade Olmstead and Ashley Barber, the Erie Times-News reported.
Their victim, Olmstead’s 20-year-old ex Brandy Stevens, suffocated on the dirt they shoveled into the grave they’d dug in advance of the horrific crime, autopsy results showed.
On May 17, the two women told police, Olmstead convinced Stevens to come see a fort she was building in the woods outside their home near Cochranton.
Barber, Olmstead’s new girlfriend, was lying in wait at the scene. They savagely beat Stevens, stuffing a cap into her mouth because “they were freaking out from her screams,” state police Trooper Eric Mallory testified.
Barber strangled Stevens with a rope as Olmstead continued to bludgeon her, and head-butted her so hard that she bruised her own forehead.
Olmstead and Barber rolled Stevens into the makeshift grave, they said. When they saw that she was still breathing, they slammed a rock into her face and poured water into her nose and mouth before piling on the dirt that eventually killed her.
Both women face charges of homicide and conspiracy to commit homicide, as well as evidence tampering for burning some of Stevens’ belongings and their own blood-soaked clothes, according to the Times-News.
Crawford County District Attorney Francis Schultz will determine if he will pursue the death penalty before their Aug. 24 arraignment.
San Antonio security officer captures armed robbery suspect www.privateofficer.com
The man is fighting for his life after he was shot in the stomach for refusing to hand over his laptop.
The victim was near his car outside the Oaks on Bandera apartments, in the 1200 block of Bandera Road, when he was approached a man with a gun around 2:30 a.m., San Antonio police said.
The victim refused to give the gunman his laptop and was shot in the abdomen following a brief struggle, police said.
The suspect than tried running away but was quickly caught by the apartment’s security guard.
The security officer was able to take the man into custody until police could arrive.
The victim was taken to University Hospital in critical condition.
Georgia police searching for hair extensions thief www.privateofficer.com
Mike Petchenik, the owner of PD&K Beauty Supply, told WSB-TV ( http://bit.ly/OvshqY) that thieves threw bricks through the front door of his store Friday and took a supply of human hair extensions. He estimates the theft took about 10 seconds.
He now plans to install security cameras and reinforced glass to deter future break-ins.
Roswell police said they have no suspects but are investigating whether the theft may be related to two similar crimes at a Sandy Springs store.
Disorderly person arrested at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Racetrack www.privateofficer.com
A 28-year-old Elizabethtown man was charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct after an incident at the Hollywood Casino at Penn National Racetrack early Sunday.
State police at Penn National said security officers asked Phillip Lee Kiser to leave the casino around 1:25 a.m. after he showed signs of being intoxicated.
Kiser refused to leave.
State police were contacted and upon meeting with Kiser, he again refused to leave and became combative upon being arrested, police said.
Security officer faces more surgeries after violent attack www.privateofficer.com
She prepared to take her last breath, but thanks to 19 year old security guard Jalen Farmer she survived.
“With blood streaming from one eye and blind, and glass in another, he never retreated. He kept putting himself in harm’s way, to serve as bait or a decoy so the attacker would be focused and isolated at the front of the daycare center until help arrived, “Minor says.
While Minor and others called 911 for help, Farmer kept taking blows from the suspect identified as 26 year old Mickel Tyrone Young. Young eventually grabbed an employee’s car keys and fled.
Farmer lost the sight in his right eye during the vicious attack. A gash above his left eye needed 20 stitches to close , and he has numerous other facial fractures and injuries.
He says he never thought about backing down.
“No, I didn’t, ” Farmer says. ” I did what any responsible person would have, I did my job. My job was to protect everyone at the daycare center.”
Eighty kids and 20 staff members were inside at the time.
His mother, Chanell Gray, says seeing her oldest son suffer has been tough.
” I say to him all the time, you really did a good job, and he always says, “I’m not a hero”. I tell him, you were a hero to a lot of people that day because you don’t know what could have been,”Gray says.
The daycare center held an appreciation dinner at the Jaycees Community Center in Waldorf for Jalen .
They’re trying to raise money to help his mom, who has six other kids, pay for his upcoming eye surgery and other medical needs There’s a 60 percent chance he’ll get at least some of his vision back.
“Everybody’s kept coming by, and I’ve gotten a lot of support from friends and the parents at the daycare center. I feel so blessed for that,” Jalen says.
If Jalen’s next eye surgery goes well, he’ll apply for college admission. His dream is to be the star safety for the Virginia Union football team. He’d like to major in Sports Communications.
There are two ways you can help Jalen Farmer’s family with his medical bills.
You can send donations to:
Jalen Farmer
P.O.Box 215
Brandywine, MD 20613
You can also drop off donations at :
It’s a Family Affair Childcare Center
310 Garrett A Morgan Blvd
Landover, MD 20785
Source:www.myfoxdc.com
Police Abuse Reporting wants to take over police complaints www.privateofficer.com
Randy Newingham, 26, of Jacksonville helped form Police Abuse Reporting, a grassroots movement, last fall.
“I would like to see more oversight of police and more police training in communication skills,” Newingham said.
“I have sent Chief [Tony] Grootens lists of types of training that PAR would like officers to undergo. We are on the side of police, but we believe we are all equals as humans and should be treated fairly. We should be treated the way a police officer would wanted to be treated.”
Jacksonville Police Chief Tony Grootens believes the process for handling complaints about police is already in place.
“We don’t need a police oversight board for several reasons,” Grootens said. “First of all, if it is a criminal allegation against a police officer, that complaint is forwarded to the Illinois State Police to investigate and if it is an allegation of excessive force, the FBI has jurisdiction over civil rights violations.”
A movement to create citizen oversight of the police in the United States began in the 1970s, with citizen oversight in some form established in 80 percent of the country’s 50 largest cities and in more than 100 municipalities, according to the Police Assessment Resource Center in Los Angeles.
“Efforts to create external or citizen oversight of the police have traditionally been fueled by public concerns that exclusively internal mechanisms to investigate and track police misconduct have not always resulted in unbiased, thorough and timely investigations of citizen complaints of police misconduct,” the Police Assessment Resource Center said.
Proponents of enhanced civilian oversight believe that, even where internal processes have been adequate, police agencies benefit by the increasing scrutiny and transparency citizen oversight provides.
Urbana is one Illinois city that has civilian oversight of its police.
“To my knowledge, there was no precipitating incident or incidents that led to the establishment of the Civilian Police Review Board,” said Todd Rent, human relations officer for the city of Urbana. “It was something that the mayor believed to be important.”
Urbana’s seven-member Civilian Police Review Board was formed in April 2008 to oversee internal police investigations of citizens’ complaints against police officers.
“Since the inception of the review board, there has only been one appeal to the board,” Rent said. “In the end, the board supported the police department’s decision in that case.”
Rent said the majority of the complaints made to the Urbana Police Department deal with police procedures, rudeness and conduct. “There haven’t been a lot of complaints about police use of excessive force,” he said. “I think the review board is a very positive and important process because it gives the community a systematic way of achieving oversight of the police department.”
Newingham said PAR members are collecting complaints about police, including those alleging verbal and physical abuse and harassment.
“We will act as witnesses, or mediators, when people interact with police,” Newingham said. “And people have the right to file a complaint without fear of retaliation from police. Furthermore, the whole police complaint process is biased, in that the police are the ones investigating the complaint against them. What we are trying to do is to step in and create our own oversight system. Right now, we can’t be effective because state law won’t allow us to audio record police interactions with the public.”
Newingham has had a number of conflicts with Jacksonville police over the years. He has a record of misdemeanor offenses dating back more than 10 years, including cannabis possession, alcohol-related crimes and charges of resisting or obstructing a peace officer.
“I have had interactions with police and I know how some officers can abuse their authority,” Newingham said. “I know many of the officers approach situations with respect for the person they are investigating, but there are certain officers who treat certain people in our community without respect.”
Grootens said Newingham and all citizens should realize that police handle many difficult situations, including some that require physical restraint.
“What Randy Newingham and other PAR members may not understand is that police officers often have to deal with people in a situation where emotions are high and logic is non-existent,” Grootens said.
“Police have to quell potentially hostile situations the best they can at the time. Police don’t have the luxury of devoting an inordinate amount of time to quell certain situations. Citizens involved in hostile situations are often given the choice to leave immediately or be arrested. And more often than not parties involved are heavily intoxicated. If you look at the scenario, the officers’ job is to not allow the hostilities to escalate. Oftentimes, you can’t do that in a nice way.”
Newingham said that PAR is an outgrowth of several incidents in which police were accused of using excessive force, including the Dennis Lancaster case in 2009.
“PAR basically started with Dennis’ case,” Newingham said. “Since then, we have protested several times in front of the [Morgan County] courthouse, a few times in front of the Ferris wheel on Morton Avenue, and we even marched into the mayor’s office one time.”
In addition, Newingham and other PAR members have gone door to door with petitions, asking for police communication skills training, and attended several Jacksonville City Council meetings, requesting independent oversight of the police department.
Grootens said he is a strong advocate for police training.
“I would love to see more training for officers, but mainly training dealing with the deaf, blind and the mentally disturbed in our community,” he said.
PAR started as an online group with 228 “concerned citizens,” according to Newingham.
“We just set up the public Facebook page and that’s where a person can go to file a complaint against the Jacksonville Police Department,” Newingham said. “There is a link on the page where a person can file a complaint that we will do our best to investigate. The link asks for a person’s name, but we keep the name confidential. We don’t have subpoena power to get an officer to sit down and talk with us about the situation, but what we can do is to provide phone numbers for people to call for outside help.
“The only reason I got involved was because I saw a guy — Dennis Lancaster — who needed help getting his voice heard,” Newingham said. “I have skills in community organization that were useful in helping Dennis.”
Grootens concedes that officers handle certain situations in different ways.
“Newingham may be correct in that some officers may not treat some individuals with the utmost respect because that individual has probably created a hostile environment in which the officer has to deal with,” Grootens said. “And oftentimes alcohol is involved. You take alcohol out of the equation and, generally speaking, the situation de-escalates.
“The main message of the police department is don’t be disrespectful to the police and they won’t be disrespectful to you,” Grootens said.
Source:myjournalcourier.com
Special Olympics softball player dies during a regional tournament www.privateofficer.com
The Daily News of Longview reports that Charles T. Huff died of a heart attack.
Just minutes before he collapsed in the dugout at LBA Park Saturday, Huff had hit a single. His stepfather, Tyler Johnson, was on the field coaching when several people yelled there was a medical emergency.
Olympia Fire Department medics tried to revive Huff but were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at St. Peter’s Hospital.
Huff, who was born with Down syndrome, graduated from high school this year. His softball team had won their first game of the day and was leading their second game when Huff collapsed. The rest of the game was called off.
Mass. father shoots 7-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son -commits suicide www.privateofficer.com
OXFORD, Mass. July 30 2012 – A father shot his 7-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son before taking his own life. The 7-year-old daughter did not make it; the 9-year-old boy is fighting for his life.
A police officer pointed his gun at a mother who came home to find a crime scene at her house.
“I didn’t do anything,” she cried.
Colleen Benway was initially handcuffed by police. She was quickly released and escorted to the hospital to see her son.
Neighbors said the woman wasn’t home when an ambulance turned up to take away her husband and one of her two young children.
“I’ve been here 43 years, never seen so many police cars in my life,” said one neighbor Angelo Cascione.
Friends and neighbors watched as officers taped off the two apartment home on Main Street in oxford. People at the house next door say they didn’t hear anything unusual. They only knew there was problem when they saw all the lights outside.
“I never seen anything wrong I don’t know what the heck’s going on. I used to be over there all the time I don’t understand,” said Amanda Ahearn, a friend of the family.
Family and friends were surprised by the tragedy.
“He seemed fine when I was younger. He was a nice guy. Always nice to me. He didn’t seem like the type of person to do something like this,” said Ahearn.
Friends said the family of four lived upstairs. They shared the house with relatives downstairs. Neighbors and relatives are hoping for some kind of good news about the kids who live here.
“I know it’s serious because I’ve been here 43 years and nothing like this has ever happened,” said Cascione.
Police got a 911 call around 5p.m. about gunshots fired in the suburban oxford neighborhood.
“It’s a horrible scene, it’s a horrible situation 03:03 we have a 7-year-old girl dead, a 9-year-old boy wounded. It doesn’t get any worse than this,” said Joseph Early Jr. of the Worcester County District Attorney’s office.
The DA’s office said a 41-year-old man shot his two children before turning the gun on himself. The 9-year-old boy is now in the hospital fighting for his life.
Officials said the man had separated from his wife about a month ago. His gun license had expired in 1999.
Police are expected to be on the scene for most of the evening.
Source:www1.whdh.com
