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Police officers die sooner www.privateofficer.com
Anniston AL July 12 2012 Law enforcement is a dangerous job, but it only gets worse in the off hours.
Last month Calhoun County Sheriff Larry Amerson, acting as the new president for the National Sheriff’s Association, attended a Department of Justice Conference in Washington D.C., on the mental and physical health concerns among those who wear the badge. Perhaps not surprisingly, the findings weren’t positive for those who dedicate their lives to the motto “to protect and serve.”
“It’s a continuing concern when you look at the mortality rates among law enforcement officers,” Amerson said. “When you look at the personal issues that seem to go along with the law enforcement profession you start to see why.”
Amerson said among the alarming statistics brought up by the Department of Justice include the average age of death for a law enforcement officer – 66, or about 11 years less than the national average – and the fact that on average a law enforcement officer will die within four years of retirement, according to a study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine in 1997 led by University at Buffalo Sociology professor John Violanti.
Attempts to reach Violanti Monday and Tuesday were unsuccessful.
Part of the problem is simply a matter of physical activity, or lack thereof, involved with the job.
“In general, law enforcement is not a very healthy profession,” said Mark Lanier, a criminal justice professor at the University of Alabama. “It’s a job where you go from complete boredom to complete excitement in a matter of seconds.”
Lanier said studies about health for police officers really began to pick up steam in the 1970’s, when the stereotypes about police officers eating jelly doughnuts on the job started to look more like a reality.
“Firefighters can spend a lot of time working out or training,” Lanier said. “A lot of what police officers do is sit in a patrol car all day.”
And the long hours and lack of free time not only mean officers aren’t getting proper exercise, they’re also not always making the best choices when it comes to nutrition, Amerson said.
“It’s getting a little better today, but when you have less time for a meal, a lot of times these guys are eating fast food,” Amerson said. “That’s a lot of calories, high fat and a lot of grief.”
Piling on the physical side of the equation is the mental stress that comes with the job.
“We have the highest suicide rate, the highest divorce rate, the highest alcoholic rate,” said Oxford police Lt. L.G. Owen, pointing out the hazards most people don’t even think about when considering the profession.
“It’s a calling,” he said. “No one does this for the money.”
Again, numbers indicate the dangers associated with law enforcement. According to numbers published by the Badge For Life organization in 2009, police have a high rate of suicide – 14 in every 100,000 compared to the national average of 11.
“A uniform police officer goes from 99 percent boredom to 1 percent sheer terror in a matter of seconds,” Owens said. “They’re suddenly making life or death decisions in a matter of seconds. That’s hard for any officer to have to go through.”
Amerson said common sense solutions to the problem, like mandating more exercise or a certain level of physical requirements for officers, may only exacerbate the problem.
“As you get older, it gets harder to find the time to exercise,” Amerson said. “Now you’re adding this extra stress that if I don’t get this run in, I could lose my job.”
Amerson said he thinks the best strategy is to incentivize rather than force a healthier life style on people, and to provide the proper outlets for stress. The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office allows deputies 20 minutes of exercise every shift, and it works with the Northeast Alabama Crisis Response Team, which can provide counseling and group therapy to deputies going through stressful situations including response to homicides and other violent crimes.
All of which can help, Amerson said, but the reality is the job will always have its hazards that will be hard to shake.
“The problem is every law enforcement officer has their demons,” Amerson said. “That’s just a tremendous amount of stress.”
Source: Anniston Star
Dayton Ohio security guards charged with murder of trespasser www.privateofficer.com
DAYTON, Ohio July 12 2012 - A Montgomery County Grand Jury has indicted two security guards who fatally shot a man outside a Dayton apartment complex.
Christopher Tarbert and Justin Wissinger are each charged with one count of murder and one count of abduction.
Dante Price was killed March 1 when the guards opened fire on Price while he was in his car.
Tarbert and Wissinger said Price was trespassing at a townhouse where his girlfriend and infant son live, and tried to run them over with his car.
The Montgomery County prosecutor said the security guards had “no legal right” to detain Price or use deadly force against him.
The security guards are in the Montgomery County Jail.
Source: WDTN
Oregon highway worker killed by DUI driver www.privateofficer.com
Canby OR July 12 2012 A highway worker was struck and killed Tuesday evening on South New Era Road near Canby.
Police were dispatched about 7:40 p.m.to New Era and Haines roads on a report of a crash with a pedestrian and car.
Canby Fire Department crews tried to revive Gregory Priest, 48, of Salem. He was taken by Lifeflight to Legacy Emanuel where he was pronounced dead.
Priest’s family sent KGW the following statement Wednesday night:
“We want to thank everyone for their thoughts and the kindness they have extended to us today, and also for respecting our privacy during this difficult time. This is hard beyond words. Not only did we lose our fun-loving, hard-working Greg in that accident, but his 6-year-old son lost his father. We are a close family, which makes this so hard to take but also helps hold us together. We will miss our time with Greg — particularly the fishing trips he loved so much — and we will keep his memory alive for his son. Thank you again for your prayers and understanding.”
Bruce Dancer, 41, of Aurora was arrested and accused of DUII. He stopped immediately after the collision and called 9-1-1.
“There was plenty of light you know, it wasn’t in a shady spot or anything like that,” Clackamas Deputy Bryon O’Neil said.
Priest worked for the Knife River Corporation. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Greg’s family, friends and co-workers as they deal with this unnecessary loss,” said Brian Gray, president of Knife River’s operations in Oregon. “This is a tragic reminder to drivers to slow down and pay extra attention in construction zones for their own safety and for the well-being of the men and women who are working there. Safety is more important to us than any job. We provide our team members extensive training to protect themselves and the traveling public, and we ask drivers to look out for us, too. Greg’s death is devastating to us.”
The company provided grief counselors for Priest’s co-workers, several of whom said the best therapy was to simply go back to work on the paving project.
“So they are out there working hard,” Gray said, “Knife River asks that you watch out for them today and every day.”
“He loved his job, he loved his house, he met a new person that was special in his life and he was just happy about life just really doing good, I just hate to see everything cut so short,” neighbor Debbie Harring said.
The accident remains under investigation.
Anyone who may have seen it was asked to call the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office’s confidential Tip Line, 503-723-4949, or by using the online e-mail form.
Source:kgw
Feds announce 134-count indictment against Bloods www,privateofficer.com
COLUMBIA, SC July 1 2012- A multi-year federal investigation into a gang in South Carolina resulted in an indictment on 134 counts of racketeering.
U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles and FBI Special Agent in Charge David Thomas announced the indictment in Columbia on Wednesday.
Nettles said the investigation targeted the Bloods street gang. Federal prosecutors unsealed a 134-count racketeering indictment and announced that about 23 people were under arrest.
Some of the people were arrested Tuesday after the indictment charged members and associates of the United Blood Nation, also called the Bloods Street Gang. They are charged with various violations of federal law, including racketeering conspiracy, narcotics violations, firearms violations, interstate prostitution and sex trafficking.
Getting cooperation has been no easy feat for investigators. The indictment shows the rules are: no snitching.
“They also take steps in their organization to weed out people who would turn, who would rat on them,” said J.D. Rowell from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Investigators made the arrests on the streets of Columbia, after years of digging and researching the gang. They say the local members are behind robberies, sex trafficking, kidnapping and murders.
The indictment says the Bloods started in a New York prison in the 1970′s and the gang made its way south to Carolina.
Midlands law enforcement agencies stood together Wednesday saying they infiltrated the gang, and the problem is real.
“I’m asked every day in meetings, ‘Do we have gangs in Columbia?’ and I think here’s your absolute answer – yes!” said Columbia Police Chief Randy Scott.
Five of the defendants were already in custody. Nettles said fugitive teams are looking for nine more.
Prosecutors say the lead defendant, David Jenkins, was arrested in the Los Angeles area. Jenkins is a Columbia area native, but was living in Huntington Beach, CA.
Investigators say all of the others accused in the indictment are either residents of the Columbia area, or from here.
Among those indicted on the racketeering count:
David Jenkins, a/k/a Arma G, a/k/a Dread
Titus Bowman, a/k/a TI
Torrean Sims, a/k/a Slim, a/k/a Arsonist
Andre Cummings, a/k/a Dre
Craig Alston, a/k/a CK
Darrell Alston, a/k/a Hell Rell
Nicholas Wright, a/k/a Tater Head
Stewart Stroman, a/k/a Stew
Brandon Hawkins, Sr., a/k/a Shotgun, a/k/a Gun
Steven Bradley, a/k/a Red Boy
Nathaniel Farmer, a/k/a Gucci
Davonte Lane, a/k/a Lil D,
Tashonda Parker, a/k/a Big Mama, a/k/a Big Mama Blood
Jarius Jones, a/k/a Buck
Bernard Breeland, Jr., a/k/a Bneezy
Calvin Hall, a/k/a Kebo
Kenneth Cottoy, a/k/a Fish, a/k/a Koppo, a/k/a Kapone
Edmond Levy, Jr., a/k/a Southside
Alex Anderson, a/k/a Black
Antwain Brisbon, a/k/a Tweeze, a/k/a Twan G
Shantane Simmons, a/k/a Shantane L. Craft
Odell Martin, Jr., a/k/a Teazy
Karish Brown, a/k/a TB
James London, a/k/a Prince, a/k/a Rockaroni
Michael Taylor, a/k/a Puncho
Shonta Harrison, a/k/a Ta
Tameka Smith, a/k/a Meka
Christen Spencer
Joshua Kitt, a/k/a Metro
Tyrone Lewis, a/k/a Ty Ty
Michael Long, a/k/a Killer
Frank Henderson III
Hassaan Brown a/k/a Hossy
Degregory Reaves a/k/a Junior
Damien Antonio Burgess
Daion Bowers and Rhonda Baker are charged with wire fraud. Tevin Ramsey and Darrell Alston are also charged in the indictment.
Arrests were made after serving search warrants at locations in Columbia and California. During the raids, investigators say they seized drugs, cash, guns and a bullet-proof vest.
“When you’re trying to prosecute organized crime, it takes time to see the pattern to see the big picture to see it’s not an isolated robbery or drug dealing activity,” Rowell.
This is the second big federal racketeering investigation to wrap up in South Carolina this summer. Last month, 19 people affiliated with the Hells Angels motorcycle gang were arrested in North and South Carolina as part of a 2-year investigation into gun and drug crimes.
Source: WIS/AP
KY teacher hurt breaking up 2011 school fight dies www.privateofficer.com
CORBIN, KY July 12 2012 – A former Kentucky state lawmaker and high school teacher injured last year when he tried to break up a school fight has died.
DeWayne Bunch taught math at Whitley County High School in Williamsburg for 17 years. On April 12, 2011, Bunch suffered a brain injury when he tried to break up a fight between two students in the school cafeteria. Bunch hit his head on the cafeteria floor and was knocked unconscious.
A Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives elected in 2010, Bunch, 50, spent 23 years in the Kentucky National Guard and served a tour of duty in Iraq.
Bunch resigned from the House on October 26, 2011 due to his injuries. His wife Regina was elected to replace him by the voters of District 82, which covers Whitley County and part of Laurel County.
The two boys involved in the fight, who were 15 and 16 at the time, were charged with assault. It is unknown whether the charges will be upgraded now that Bunch has died.
Funeral arrangements for Bunch have not been released.
Source:WAVE.com
Wisconsin father arrested in death of three daughters www.privateofficer.com
RIVER FALLS, Wis.July 12 2012 – A Wisconsin father was under arrest Wednesday after police found his three young daughters dead in a house officers said smelled of gas.
Aaron Schaffhausen turned himself in to River Falls police late Tuesday afternoon and was being held on suspicion of first degree intentional homicide, city administrator Scot Simpson said Wednesday. The district attorney has yet to file formal charges, Simpson said.
Officers discovered the bodies of 11-year-old Amara Schaffhausen, 8-year-old Sophie Schaffhausen and 5-year-old Cecilia Schaffhausen on Tuesday after their mother called the city police, Simpson said. Jessica Schaffhausen said she had received a phone call from her ex-husband that made her concerned for the safety of their children, he said. Court records show that Aaron and Jessica Shaffhausen divorced last year.
Police said they could smell gas when they arrived at the house, but Simpson provided no details about how the children died or what their mother told police.
Greg Lee, director of operations for St. Croix Valley Natural Gas, said his company handles gas service to the area. He said company officials were in contact with police and firefighters but were told they weren’t needed. The company has no reports of any gas leaks or anything else out of the ordinary in the area, Lee said.
“We don’t know if it was gasoline or natural gas,” Lee said. “We know nothing.”
A message left at the River Falls Fire Department seeking details on the smell wasn’t immediately returned.
The house stands in a newer subdivision on the east side of River Falls, a city of 15,000 about 30 miles east of Minneapolis-St. Paul. No one else was in the house when the girls’ bodies were found, and it was not immediately clear who lived at the property. On Wednesday morning, police had blocked off the streets surrounding the house with tape and barricades.
Neighbor Heather Johnson said the girls played with her 8-year-old son, Blake Patrow. They rode bikes and skateboards and played at a neighborhood park. Blake also was in Sophie’s elementary school class.
Blake loved playing with Amara, because she was more of a tomboy and loved to skateboard and play soccer, Johnson said.
But Sophie was always around too, Johnson said, and apparently had a “little crush” on her son. Johnson said last summer, when the girls were away at their grandparents’ house, Sophie wrote Blake a letter saying she missed him.
Sophie also participated in martial arts and Girl Scouts, Johnson said.
She said Blake seems to be doing OK, but has been clingy and doesn’t want to sleep alone after learning his friends are gone.
“He doesn’t like that he’s not going to see his friends anymore,” she said.
Theresa DeRusha, another neighbor, has two boys, ages 1 and 4. She was headed to the library with them on Wednesday, saying she had to get them out of the house because she had run out of excuses about why the neighborhood was so busy.
“This is tragic and we all wish that it somehow could have been prevented,” she said, sadly. “My heart goes out to the mom.”
Julie Matzke said her 7-year-old daughter was in Girl Scouts with Sophie. She has created a Facebook page to honor the girls and was planning a Wednesday evening vigil at a local park.
Source:www.azcentral.com
Metrorail Security guard stripped of weapon www.privateofficer.com
Miami Fla July 12 2012 Police are searching for a subject who allegedly took a security guard’s weapon early Tuesday morning.
Officials said the guard was working at the Metrorail station at East 21st Street and First Avenue when a man disarmed her of her gun and gun belt. Police responded to the scene.
Authorities are still searching for at least one suspect.
If you have any information on this theft, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.
Source:www.wsvn.com
Fired North Myrtle Beach police officer sues to get job back www.privateofficer.com
The lawsuit also details efforts by Senter and William Bailey – the city’s former public safety director – to have state Rep. Tracy Edge, R-North Myrtle Beach, fired from his job at Burroughs & Chapin Co. Inc. because Bailey thought Edge was leaking information to the media about the city’s failed response to an April 2009 wildfire that destroyed dozens of homes in the Barefoot Resort neighborhood.
Senter’s legal action contrasts a September 2009 letter he wrote to city officials in which he accepted full responsibility for his actions, said he “failed my city, command staff and officers” and called Mayor Marilyn Hatley “the prettiest mayor in the country.”
This week’s lawsuit was filed more than a month after Senter’s lawyer, Bonnie Hunt, sent letters to City Manager Mike Mahaney, Tracy Edge and his wife, Melissa, and Marilyn Hatley and her husband, David, demanding that the city and both couples pay $100,000 apiece to Senter to keep him from going public with the allegations. Hunt, in the letter, gave the city, the Hatleys and the Edges a 30-day deadline to comply with Senter’s demands. Senter also wanted to return to his job with the city, according to the letter.
Tracy Edge said the lawsuit includes “complete falsehoods” and said Hunt’s letter amounts to “extortion.”
“I never had any intention of paying him,” Tracy Edge said of Senter.
Marilyn Hatley said the letter’s demands are “legal blackmail” and it appears Senter filed the lawsuit solely in an attempt to embarrass city officials.
“It’s old news,” she said. “I don’t think Jeff Senter will get anything.”
City spokesman Pat Dowling said the city will “move to dismiss Jeff Senter’s lawsuit and pursue sanctions” against him, adding that Senter previously waived his right to sue the city over his firing.
Hunt did not respond to a request for comments.
Most of the allegations in the lawsuit have already been reported by The Sun News, such as Senter’s romantic relationship with Melissa Edge, their turbulent breakup culminating with an obscenity-laced confrontation at the city’s Cherry Grove fire station and claims by Melissa Edge that David Hatley stalked and harassed her after he “began to be obsessed with Mrs. Edge,” according the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also claims that Tracy Edge, R-North Myrtle Beach, pressured Bailey to fire Senter after Tracy Edge learned about Senter’s relationship with his wife. When Bailey declined to fire Senter, Tracy Edge allegedly started leaking damaging information about the wildfire response to area media, according to the lawsuit.
“I just don’t know how much more I can handle,” Bailey told Senter at the time, according to the lawsuit. Senter then told Bailey that if he wanted to stop Tracy Edge, he should call Edge’s boss at Burroughs & Chapin and “advise him of Mr. Edge’s actions.”
A few days later, Bailey told Senter that he had called the boss, who stated that he met with Tracy Edge and told him “if he continued his action he would be terminated from Burroughs & Chapin,” according to the lawsuit.
Senter also claims in the lawsuit that Marilyn Hatley conspired to have him fired because Senter was critical of the city’s response to the wildfire and because he complained to city officials about David Hatley’s alleged conduct toward Melissa Edge.
Senter’s criticism over the wildfire response was caught on another dashcam video in which he told Melissa Edge during a telephone conversation that city officials “got caught with their pants down” and failed to prepare for the fire. Senter and Melissa Edge also made references to their relationship during that conversation.
Senter claims in his lawsuit that he tried to break off his relationship with Melissa Edge in early 2010 but she continued to harass him through telephone calls and e-mails. Their relationship culminated with a nearly hour-long confrontation between Senter and Melissa Edge – caught on a dashcam video – that started at 9:45 p.m. on Sept. 14, 2010, at the city’s fire station on Sea Mountain Highway.
The video shows that Melissa Edge was angry because she believed Senter had been talking to a firefighter at the station with whom she also was having a relationship. The video shows a combative Melissa Edge, who admits drinking alcohol before the event and at several points spoke directly into Senter’s microphone while detailing their romantic trysts. Melissa Edge also threatened to have Senter fired if he takes her to jail.
Senter states numerous times on the video that Melissa Edge is intoxicated, but he does not arrest her. Instead, he urges her to get psychological help and arranges for Tracy Edge to pick her up and take her home.
No charges were filed, and Senter did not write a report about the incident. The city fired Senter because of his actions on the video and for failing to give a sobriety test to Melissa Edge.
In addition to the conspiracy claim, Senter said in his lawsuit that he has suffered emotional distress, loss of income and damage to his reputation. He also accuses Melissa Edge of assault, saying she “attempted to strike” Senter and that he “was in fear of Mrs. Edge’s actions.”
Senter also accuses the city of wrongful termination and the city’s Aquatic and Fitness Center of violating his right to privacy by disclosing that Melissa Edge had paid for his annual membership at the center.
Senter is asking for a jury trial and wants unspecified actual, consequential and punitive damages as well as attorney’s fees and costs.
Dowling said Senter signed away his rights to sue the city when he dropped out of a 2010 lawsuit seeking public disclosure of the dashcam video showing his confrontation with Melissa Edge. Bailey and The Sun News also sued the city to release the video under terms of the S.C. Freedom of Information Act.
Senter – who dropped out the lawsuit prior to a city grievance hearing over his firing – agreed at that time to dismiss “any and all such claims which have or could have been made related to the subject matter of [the FOIA] action.”
“Having seen a draft copy of the complaint Jeff has now filed, it is apparent that the dashcam video and its release are an integral part of his new lawsuit,” Dowling said in a written statement, adding that the waiver Senter signed in 2010 precludes any subsequent litigation over the matter.
Tracy Edge said he plans to countersue Senter for any court costs or attorney’s fees he might incur because of the lawsuit and intends to file a complaint against Hunt for filing what he terms a frivolous lawsuit. Marilyn Hatley said she has not determined whether she or her husband will take any legal action against Senter.
Source:www.myrtlebeachonline.com
Granite Falls Washington may or suing aiport police over his arrest www.privateofficer.com
GRANITE FALLS, Wash. July 12 2012
The mayor of Granite Falls, who was jailed after a vocal confrontation with a family member at Sea-Tac Airport, tells KIRO 7 Eyewitness News he will sue airport police for false arrest.
Haroon Saleem, accused of threatening to kill his relatives at the airport, told reporter Gary Horcher that he’s determined to fight the accusations that he says are outrageous and false.
“I worked very hard all my life for my reputation. I never cared about money or anything else. All I cared was my reputation, and be a good, law-abiding citizen. And this thing has tarnished my reputa…,” Saleem said, overcome with emotion. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
Saleem was arrested by Port of Seattle police and jailed for allegedly threatening his niece and nephew at baggage claim Monday night.
Saleem said his 13-year-old daughter had been bullied by his niece and nephew during a trip to California.
“And she says, ‘Daddy please help me get me out of here!’” he said. “She got beat up with a water bottle, and so she called me just crying and hysterical and couldn’t even breathe.”
Saleem said he confronted his relatives, who he says threatened to beat his daughter right there.
“So when I approached her and I said, ‘Did you threaten to kick my daughter’s ass?’ She goes, ‘Yes I did and I will!”
He said that in front of dozens of witnesses, he was assaulted and he said nothing.
“And then she pushed me — twice. She pushed me, and there was a witness who saw she pushed me. I backed away.”
Saleem said police arrested him despite a witness, who said, “‘She’s wrong. This gentleman did not do anything! She is the one who pushed him!’ The police just told her to go away.”
He said he’ll be back in court in two days. The prosecutor has not decided whether or not to charge him.
He said he was treated poorly by a Port of Seattle officer and he intends to find justice.
The mayor has been the focus of controversy before, when a group confronted him when he was dismissing the police chief.
Source:KIRO.com
Pittsburgh Housing Authority security provider sues state constable www.privateofficer.com
Victory Security Agency wrote in the lawsuit that until May 1 it employed Constable Brian Van Dusen, of the Hill District. He worked under its contract to provide armed, off-duty constables to patrol seven authority developments.
On April 25, the complaint said, he submitted a report of his daily activities saying that he was at the authority’s Northview Heights property, but another Victory employee said he was not. Victory then fired him, the complaint said.
In late May, Mr. Van Dusen showed to the Post-Gazette and to KDKA-TV electronic documents filed by other constables detailing daily activities, but apparently completed and sent in hours before the ends of their eight-hour shifts. He also shared text messages written to the authority shortly after his firing in which he alleged “over 35-50 instances of individuals lying” on activity reports and sign-in sheets.
Mr. Van Dusen’s accusations spurred an ongoing authority investigation of the Victory contract.
Victory’s complaint against Mr. Van Dusen, which was served this week, said that in possessing and revealing its activity reports, he misappropriated its trade secrets and property, and breached a duty of loyalty. It said that as a result, Victory has suffered unspecified monetary losses.
The authority pays $30.44 an hour for each constable, which is expected to total $1.23 million over the first year.
Attorneys for Victory and for Mr. Van Dusen could not be reached for comment.
Source:post-gazette.com
Man charged after string of robberies www.privateofficer.com
The first robbery happened June 23 at 11:20 p.m. A man robbed a business in the 600 block of Balmoral Street, confronting a female clerk and demanding cash.
Sunday, the same man went on an afternoon crime spree downtown, robbing three restaurants and one lounge while telling staff he was armed.
At 1:45 p.m., when the man attempted to rob a restaurant in the 300 block of St. Mary Avenue, security guards arrived on the scene and tried to detain him. The suspect assaulted one of the guards, who sustained minor injuries, police say.
The 49-year-old is facing charges including one count of robbery, four counts of robbery with intent and one count of assault with intent to resist arrest. He has been detained in the provincial remand centre.
Source:winnipeg Free Press
6 arrested in casino credit card scam www.privateofficer.com
NORTH COUNTY CA July 12 2012 — Investigators broke up an extensive North County casino fraud case Saturday when Pala Casino security officers detained six men and women from the Los Angeles area, sheriff’s officials said.
The six are believed to be part of a larger crew organized to make counterfeit cards and steal credit card numbers, then use them for cash advances at several casinos, sheriff’s Sgt. Darryl Kimball said.
Kimball called the losses “fairly significant” but declined to be more specific.
Security officers at the Pala Casino on state Route 76 called about 2 a.m. for deputies to take custody of the three men and three women, all in their 20s and 30s.
They had kept returning to some of the same casinos over the past two months, and security officers were able to identify them from video of past transactions using cards that later proved to have been fake or stolen, Kimball said.
Keith Shigetomi and Tracy Ser of Rowland Heights, Dan Enriquez of Baldwin Park, Ali Qadir Aljadir of Los Angeles, Sarah Howbert of Chino, and Josephine Chai of Hacienda Heights were jailed on suspicion of burglary, credit card theft and fraud.
Source:UT San Diego
Three suspects in shooting death of 3-year-old Sacramento boy arrested www.privateofficer.com
Gabriel Quintero (pictured), 20, was booked into Sacramento County Jail, and the other two suspects, ages 16 and 17, were booked into Sacramento County Juvenile Hall, all on suspicion of murder.
Sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos said the 16-year-old turned himself in about 5 p.m. and the other two came in over the next couple of hours.
“I think the heat just got to be too much for them,” Ramos said.
After the Sheriff’s Department publicly identified the suspects over the weekend, Ramos said, “their names and faces were out there.”
Because of the nature of the crime, they faced particular animosity from the community, he said.
Young Jorge Azios was shot and killed the night of July 4 while riding in a vehicle with his father at the intersection of Loucreta and Palmer House drives in south Sacramento. Ramos said investigators believe that Quintero and the two juveniles were in another vehicle, and that they confronted the child’s father in the vehicle he was driving and fired multiple gunshots into the vehicle killing the youngster.
Ramos declined to discuss a motive for the shooting. With the three suspects in custody, he said detectives will reinterview people who might have been reluctant to talk when the suspects were still at large.
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the sheriff’s homicide bureau at (916) 874-5115.
Source:sacbee.com
York County school board member arrested with child porn www.privateofficer.com
York County SC July 12 2012 A charter school in York County is holding a meeting Wednesday night after a member of the school’s board was arrested and charged with having child porn.
According to a letter sent to parents at York Preparatory Academy, a meeting will be held on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. after 52-year-old Timothy Frank Ruzbacki was charged with ten counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child.
Ruzbacki is the Academic Committee Chair for the York Preparatory Academy’s Board of Directors and is the husband of a teacher at the school.
According to the York County Sheriff’s Office, Ruzbacki was released from prison on Wednesday morning, just after midnight, after he posted a $50,000 bond.
Investigators obtained search warrants against Ruzbacki after receiving information from another agency suspecting Ruzbacki was in the possession of child pornography, deputies told WBTV.
“They followed an IP address from that agency to somewhere in North Carolina,” York County Sheriff’s Office PIO Trent Faris said. “North Carolina called us to say ‘Hey, this IP goes to a Comporium address’ and they tracked that back to Ruzbacki.”
After further investigation, detectives discovered Ruzbacki was in the possession of images of children engaging in sexual acts on his computer.
He was arrested at his home on Monday without incident and charged with ten counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child.
“We regret having to post this information but yesterday we learned from news media reports that Tim Ruzbacki, member of our school’s board of directors, was arrested by the York County Sheriff’s Office,” the YPA Board of Directors said in a letter to parents on Wednesday morning. “Like you, we were caught off guard by this incident. We have no information regarding the details of Mr. Ruzbacki’s arrest and were previously unaware of any police investigation or activities.”
Right now there is no word on how long investigators have been tracking the school board member or if any of the students at York Preparatory Academy had an inappropriate encounter with Ruzbacki.
“That’s part of the investigation,” Faris said. “We just know we found children on his computer involved in sexual acts.”
According to the letter from the YPA Board of Directors, Ruzbacki joined our board nearly two years ago as a parent-elected volunteer. The board says a background investigation was conducted before he was approved.
“Upon hearing of his arrest yesterday, the board took immediate action and suspended Mr. Ruzbacki from the board,” the board’s statement said. “We share this information with you in order to keep you informed and aware of our plans. These matters are unfortunate. However, our commitment to finding a strong leader and relocating to a new facility has not waned and will not be impacted.”
According to his profile on the York Preparatory Academy’s website, Ruzbacki has “three grown children all in college and graduate school, and two daughters here at YPA.”
“There are not many areas in life more rewarding than watching our children grow through their education and life experiences,” he says on his profile. “To that end, the most important contribution I can make to their growth is to actively use my talents and experience to maintain and improve their academic and social environments.”
WBTV has learned that Ruzbacki’s daughters participate in the Girl Scouts of America and Ruzbacki was registered as a participating parent with his daughter’s troop.
Girl Scout leaders say he is now prohibited from participating in, or being at, the meetings pending the outcome of the investigation.
Neighbors who live near the school are shocked.
“They are supposed to be a leader of the school,” neighbor Tim Allen told WBTV. “And that is very unacceptable.”
Many people agreed with the board’s decision to remove Ruzbacki from office.
“I don’t feel that he should be in that position,” neighbor Randal Taylor said. “He should be fired immediately and until it goes to court. If he is proven innocent, fine – let the gentleman have his job back.”
The South Carolina Attorney General’s office, The South Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, North Carolina Bureau of Investigations and the Rock Hill Police Department assisted the York County Sheriff’s Office on the investigation of Ruzbacki.
The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office is expected to release more information about this case
NYC cab drivers trained to spot sex trafficking victims www.privateofficer.com
The law goes into effect this fall.
Sex trafficking by taxi is rare, but advocacy groups say as police crackdown on brothels, traffickers have adjusted – now paying drivers of all kinds to ferry victims to the customer.
The city plans to train taxi drivers to spot clues.
But some cabbies say they’re being unfairly targeted by the law and question how police can enforce it.
Taxi drivers who knowingly transport sex trafficking victims will lose their license and face a $ 10,000 fine.
Source:CNN
Decatur Walmart employee arrested for stealing cell phone from store www.privateofficer.com
DECATUR, Alabama July 12 2012 - Police arrested a Walmart employee for stealing a cell phone from the store Tuesday, Decatur police said.
Brianna Smith, 21, of Decatur was charged with second-degree theft, a news release said. She is in Decatur City Jail and will be transferred to the Morgan County Jail with bond set at $2,500, police said.
Police said that another Walmart employee found the phone missing from the box and reported it to the management. Smith was arrested after an investigation, police said.
Source:AL.com
Norwalk Hospital security discovers man shot to death www.privateofficer.com
Norwalk CT July 12 2012 A 21-year-old Stamford man was found shot to death shortly after midnight by Norwalk Hospital security personnel.
The body was located near the entrance to the hospital’s maternity ward at the intersection of Stevens St. and Woodbury Ave., according to acting Police Chief Thomas Kulhawik.
Stamford Police Capt. Richard Conklin said a bookbag or duffle bag was located in the area containing a gun, stashed in some bushes near the victim.
Conklin named the victim as Wyclif Bel-Jean, of the 100 block of Custer St.
Police said they’re currently trying to piece together what occurred, but stated there is a strong possibility the shooting is related to the weekend shooting of Darious Jones in Stamford. Conklin said sources have informed them Jones and Bel-Jean had been “very good friends, by all accounts.”
Kulhawik said it appeared Bel-Jean was being driven to the hospital when his body was dumped out of a vehicle.
He said detectives are not certain that the shooting did not occur in Norwalk, but there were no shots fired calls in the city overnight. Stamford, however, had a reported shooting on Spruce St. around midnight, according to Conklin.
Conklin said they’ve identified the type of shell at the scene, but would not comment on whether the shells appeared to come from a similar weapon in both incidents.
Source:patch.com
