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Line of Duty Death Officer Josh Williams
Police Officer
Josh Williams
Waxahachie Police Department, Texas
End of Watch: Saturday, July 28, 2012
Bio & Incident Details
Age: 44
Tour: 17 years
Badge # Not available
Cause: Vehicular assault
Incident Date: 7/28/2012
Weapon: Automobile; Alcohol involved
Suspect: Not available
Police Officer Josh Williams was killed when his patrol car was struck by a drunk driver at approximately 1:30 am.
He was responding to a disturbance at a fast food restaurant in the 600 block of Highway 77. He was turning into the parking lot when his patrol car was struck on the passenger side by an SUV that was driving without its headlights on. The driver of the SUV was taken into custody after being flown to a nearby hospital.
Officer Williams was transported to Baylor Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Officer Williams had served with the Waxahachie Police Department for 17 years. He is survived by his wife and three children.
Please contact the following agency to send condolences or to obtain funeral arrangements:
Chief Chuck Edge
Waxahachie Police Department
216 N College Street
Waxahachie, TX 75165
Phone: (972) 937-9940
Birmingham police make arrest in 2002 murder of police officer www.privateofficer.com
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama July 28 2012 – Birmingham police this afternoon announced they have filed charges against a man in the 2002 shooting death of Birmingham Police Officer Joseph Jerome Daniels.
Adam Bradford, 31, who is serving time in the St. Clair Correctional Facility on unrelated charges, was charged this morning with capital murder in the shooting death of Daniels, said cold case Detective Jody Jacobs. The charges were announced at a press conference this afternoon at Birmingham police headquarters.
Jacobs declined to say what led to the arrest but said “Bradford’s name did come up” when the investigation began in 2002. “This case is close to our hearts,” Jacobs said.
Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper said the case is ongoing and urged the public to provide any information they might have.
Bradford also is charged with attempted murder in connection with the injury to a patron during the shooting incident.
Daniels, 31, was killed Nov. 18, 2002, while off duty and not in uniform at Reno Chicken and Burgers on Graymont Avenue near his home. The 10-year police veteran was waiting to eat dinner when the gunman entered.
Investigators said the man ordered everyone inside to the floor, demanded money and fired several shots into the ceiling. Restaurant worker Albert Mitchell was shot in the back when he didn’t move fast enough.
Daniels pulled his gun, fired back and foiled the hold-up. He was shot several times in the chest during a struggle.
Daniels was survived by a son who his now 16, Jacobs said. Several of Daniels family members moved back to Birmingham from Florida, last week, Jacobs said.
Daniels mother is elated at the news of the arrest, Jacobs said.
“I am extremely proud of our cold case unit and their efforts in this case. These detectives chased down every lead, some involving out of town travel. The citizens of Birmingham should be proud of their professionalism and dedication to duty not just in this case but on a daily basis,” Roper said after the press conference.
Mayor William Bell also thanked investigators for their hard work.
“We will pursue anyone who takes the life of a police officer,” Bell said. “We will use any and all resources we have available.”
Bradford has a history of vehicle break-in, theft, and robbery charges dating back to 2002, according to court records.
In December 2003, Bradford pleaded guilty to theft and robbery charges. He was given a 20 year split sentence, with four years in prison and five years of supervised probation.
Court records also show that Bradford was still on probation for the robbery conviction in 2008. After failing to report to his probation officer for several months, Bradford’s probation was revoked in 2009 and he was sent back to prison.
According to the Alabama Department of Corrections website, Bradford’s release date is March 13, 2025.
Two NH women charged in Walmart theft of $3000 in merchandise www.privateofficer.com
At about 6 p.m., Dartmouth police responded to Walmart, at 506 State Road, for a report of two suspicious women inside of the store. Walmart security associates reported that these women were allegedly responsible for stealing three computers and other electronics from earlier that day. It was reported the alleged perpetrators had exited the store with the stolen merchandise. The women then fled in a gold colored Buick SUV. Walmart valued the stolen property at nearly $3,000.
While officers were responding to Walmart, store security reported that the women exited the store and left the area in the same vehicle, described as a Buick Rendezvous.
Officers located and stopped this vehicle as it was traveling on Old Westport Road. The operator of the vehicle was identified as Jennifer L. Morgan, 40, from Berlin, N.H., and her passenger as Paizli Commander, 19, from Gorham, N.H.
Police discovered several new items inside of the vehicle with Walmart price tags still attached. A razor knife and scissors were found inside of Morgan’s pocketbook. Both female subjects were identified by Walmart security as the alleged thieves. Morgan and Paizli were arrested without incident.
Both Morgan and Paizli were scheduled to be arraigned Monday at New Bedford Third District Court, each charged with larceny of more than $250.
Officer Justin Fonseca is the lead investigator on the case, assisted by Officer Tony Vincent.
Source:www.heraldnews.com
Walmart employee, customer stole $16,000 in merchandise www.privateofficer.com
UTICA NY July 28 2012 — A Walmart employee and a store customer were arrested Monday after store security called police about a suspected larceny, Utica police said.
An investigation determined the two allegedly worked together to steal more than $16,000 worth of electronics from the store over the course of four months, police said.
Anthony Sitts, 20, was charged with felony third-degree grand larceny. Elizabeth Johnson, 33, was charged with misdemeanor petit larceny. Both are residents of Utica, police said.
Source:uticaod.com
Security guard charged in theft at The Journal News www.privateofficer.com
Peterson Phanor, 32, of 77 Locust Hill Ave., Yonkers, was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny, a felony, in the theft of two iPhones and a phone charger from the second floor of The Journal News building at 1 Gannett Drive.
Cops said the theft took place shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday when Phanor, a former US Security Associates guard who had worked at the newspaper, was let into the building by the guard on duty, along with another man who police said was there to repair the on-duty guard’s personal laptop computer.
Phanor allegedly went to the second floor and took the phones from a desk drawer. He was questioned at Police Headquarters on Thursday and arrested after admitting to the thefts. The security guard who allowed Phanor into the building has been fired, police said.
Phanor was released on $250 bail and is due in Town Court on Tuesday.
Source:lohud.com
Airport employee faces theft charge for taking backpack www.privateofficer.com
The woman was at Hector International Airport on July 1 and stopped at a coffee shop just outside of the security checkpoint, where she left a backpack, court documents say.
She told police she didn’t realize the backpack was missing until several hours later, but she went back to the airport to search for the bag, which held a laptop, an iPad and her wallet and credit cards, police reports say.
Fargo police were later called by a supervisor at the airport who said he saw video of Branden Serrano taking the backpack.
Police say Serrano admitted to taking the bag and said he could get all of the property back, most of which was at his home. The woman was able to get her bag back before flying back to her home in New York.
Serrano was charged Friday in Cass County District Court with one count of theft, a Class C felony.
Source: WDAY TV
Armored car guard-three others charged in $64,000 theft www.privateofficer.com
The five men all appeared Friday before U.S Magistrate Judge Dorina Ramos, who formally charged them with taking money by force from a federally insured financial institution.
The men were held without bond pending an upcoming detention hearing.
The men were identified as Omar Pando Perales, 27, Luis Armando Silva, 26, Michael Valle, Eric Haines, 35 and 31-year-old Alberto Bautista.
Federal court records say McAllen police was called to International Bank of Commerce, 1700 S. 10th St., on June 3 after an ATM had been burglarized and $64,760 had been taken from it. The ATM had been forced open with a metal bar and a special code had been used to open the money box.
Four days after the burglary, McAllen police and FBI agents interviewed Omar Pando, a driver at Rochester Armored Car Company. During the interview Pando was arrested after he admitted to having burglarized the ATM along with the four other suspects.
Pando told police that on June 1, two days before the burglary, Silva went to a nearby Walmart to buy the crowbar used to pry open the ATM. On the day of the actual burglary, Pando acted as a lookout, using Valle’s vehicle that he parked nearby, court records state. Haines and Silva allegedly used Haines car to drive to the ATM and break into it.
Records show that after the burglary, the group met at Chavez’s home where they went into the garage and split a small part of the money and hid the rest inside a duffle bag that was then locked inside a safe.
The following day, Chavez met Haines at his home in order to get rid of the clothes they used, as well as the plastic cases that the money was in, records show. The tow men dug a hole and burned the items.
On June 7, Bautista took the money to Pando’s home, court records say, but when he arrived he saw the police vehicles outside and fled the area throwing the money out in a nearby grassy field, where officers found it shortly after.
$75 million lawsuit accuses a Mississippi casino of causing death www.privateofficer.com
Bryan Lee Glenn, 30, died in August 2009 in his room at the IP Casino Resort and Spa in Biloxi.
Glenn was taking several painkillers, including Percocet and morphine, along with antipsychotic medications. He suffered a traumatic brain injury in a four-wheeler accident in 2004, lost everything in Hurricane Katrina a year later and then injured his back in a 2007 car accident. The suit also claims he had attempted suicide days before he died.
Glenn, his mother and brother had relocated to Virginia after their Long Beach, Miss., home was wiped out. They and a friend had returned to Mississippi to pick up Glenn’s $15,000 check from a settlement from a previous lawsuit and to look for a place to live, AP writes.
But once back at the resort, Glenn began betting up to $1,000 a hand on blackjack and ordering two drinks at a time – whiskey and cola and shots of tequila. The suit says a dealer, pit boss, waitress and security guard were among those who refused to intervene after Glenn was falling down drunk and his family begged the casino to stop serving him.
“He’s old enough to make his own decisions,” the lawsuit claims a pit boss said to Glenn’s brother.
The lawsuit says Glenn had attempted suicide days before his death, was highly intoxicated and became agitated when his family tried to get him to leave the casino. When his friend and relatives finally convinced Glenn to leave, the lawsuit says, a dealer told him he still had chips and said, “‘Aren’t you going to come back and play?’”
He went back to gamble more and met a prostitute, whom he paid for services to be rendered later. When the casino stopped serving Glenn he began to leave with the prostitute, who reached in his pocket and took money. Glenn’s mother argued with the prostitute, then went to a security guard, who made the woman give the money back, according to the lawsuit.
Glenn then went to a casino bar, called the Chill Lounge, and began drinking Long Island iced teas, a drink made with five liquors. His relatives say they asked the bartender to stop serving Glenn, but the relatives then had to leave to take another family member home. Glenn was not in the lounge when they returned. A doorman told his relatives he had been escorted out of the casino by security, the lawsuit says.
His mother, brother and friend found him “half in the bathtub, facing the toilet with his pants around his ankles,” the suit says.
A spokeswoman said the casino does not comment on pending litigation.
Columbus school resource officer arrested by FBI in sexting www.privateofficer.com
Officer Todd L. Smith served as a school resource officer at Centennial High School during the 2011-12 school year. He has served with the Columbus Division of Police since 1985.
A source told 10TV News that Smith, 49, is accused of “sexting” a teenage girl, who was a student at the high school.
Smith was arrested by FBI agents on Thursday and federally charged. He was being held in the custody of U.S. Marshals.
Court records regarding the issue were sealed.
10TV News obtained Smith’s personnel file and found that it was not his first time he was accused of inappropriate actions.
In 1992, Smith was suspended for 30 days for misconduct, accused of making sexually suggestive remarks to two women while working an off-duty security jobs.
Smith also was accused of coercing one of the women to kiss him and then lie about the incident to his supervisor. Smith was ordered to get counseling.
According to the Columbus City Schools, Smith has no previous complaints.
Zack Bailey, a Centennial High School graduate, said that the allegations spread quickly.
“Facebook’s been blowing up,” Bailey said. “I’ve had a few friends text me like, ‘Hey dude. Did you hear?’ ‘Yeah, I’ve heard.’”
Bailey said that he could not believe what he was hearing. He had nothing but kind words to say about Smith.
“Really charismatic outgoing guy, whose always friend, always has a smile,” Bailey said. “You talk to him, ‘Hey Officer Smith, how’s it going?’”
Bailey said that it was a lot to process.
“I always saw him as kind of a great guy,” Bailey said.
Columbus police said that Smith was relieved of duty. His badge and gun were taken.
If and when Smith is allowed to return to work, he would be put on desk duty pending the outcome of a criminal and internal investigation, a spokesperson for the Columbus Division of Police said.
Local Fraternal Order of Police President Jim Gilbert said that the FOP would not represent Smith at a hearing, scheduled for Monday afternoon, because it was a criminal investigation.
Source:10TV
Lawsuits alledges Sheriff fired deputies to cover up “illicit affair” www.privateofficer.com
Then last month, after a rash of firings, we started looking a little closer at why those deputies lost their jobs and if the email had anything to do with it. A lawsuit filed with the county attorney alleges just that.
Former Lt. Mike Hall, a 21-year veteran of the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office, got a knock at his door just before midnight on June 12 from sheriff’s office Capt. John McLeod.
McLeod, surrounded by four other deputies, had bad news for Hall in the form of a letter of termination.
“He fired me for the sheriff right there on my deck,” Hall said.
The letter offered no explanation, simply that Sheriff Byrd didn’t need Hall’s services anymore. Now, more than 5 weeks later, it’s still a mystery as to why he lost his job.
“All I can say is I would have to look him in the eye and ask him why,” Hall said. “What did I do?”
Hall says he wasn’t ready to leave the sheriff’s office.
We were there as the sheriff’s commanders took inventory of the fired deputies’ cars, guns, and equipment.
Byrd took to the media to explain why he fired the deputies. First, he said they were misusing county computers, then he said they were campaigning on the clock. He also told a Myrtle Beach TV station that the deputies were “going through some of the offices, printing out reports and things that they should not have been and different things like that.”
Hall says both those statements are untrue.
“I can’t speak for the other guys, that’s their business, but no, not with me,” Hall said.
Hall thinks the email we obtained through a source 3 months ago might explain why he lost his job.
The email appears to be from Sheriff Byrd’s Gmail account to Kristan Jeffords, his assistant at the sheriff’s office.
It reads, “I stand here tonight longing for your touch. I can’t have you and I can’t live without you. Our day will come. I want you. I need you. I love you. Signed, Wayne.”
The email surfaced 2 months before we ever met Mike Hall. Hall says he had nothing to do with it in the first place.
“It’s none of my business what he did. I could care less, and people have talked about it. Most of the department has talked about it,” Hall said. “Why is he singling me out? Do I feel like that’s why I got fired? Yeah, I sure do. Exactly why.”
Hall hired Columbia attorney and state Rep. James Smith to clear his name, and to help save his law enforcement career.
“The effort to terminate some of these individuals was essentially an effort to create a false — what is a false story — a story to explain away the email. Well, the fact is he can’t do that. The email is pretty hard evidence of what has been going on,” Smith said.
Smith filed a lawsuit last week, and we were there as a process server delivered it to the sheriff. The suit says Byrd fired Hall and the other deputies in an effort to keep an “illicit affair” a secret.
“We have evidence and evidence has come forward since bringing this case that shows, specifically, an illicit affair between the sheriff and someone else,” Smith said.
“He was the scapegoat. He was the way to sort of, somehow place blame for what was actually going on,” Smith said.
Because Sheriff Byrd does county business with his Gmail account, we filed a Freedom of Information request to see those emails. We also filed a request for Kristan Jeffords’ county email account.
The sheriff handed us a disk with some of his emails from his official county account, but that wasn’t what we requested. The sheriff has refused to talk with us about why we haven’t been able to see the records.
Kristen Jeffords works as a records tech for Byrd. We uncovered a budget request in which Byrd planned to give Jeffords the highest raise in the department at $9,700. In contrast, another records tech, Edith Williams, who has nearly 30 years of service at the sheriff’s office, was set to get the standard increase of $576.
Then, four days after we filed an open records request for the Byrd emails, Jeffords started training to become a deputy at the state’s police academy.
We went to Byrd several times to get him to explain the emails and the pay raise. He showed no interest in talking with us and our messages were not returned.
“I want my name cleared,” Hall said.
Meanwhile, Hall is trying to figure out how he’s going to start over professionally.
“I’m not saying nothing bad about the man. I wish him no bad luck. None, whatsoever. I wish him the best. If he can lay his head on his pillow at night and sleep knowing he’s done this to me, God bless him,” Hall said.
Sheriff Byrd has 30 days to respond to the lawsuit, which is currently sitting in the county attorney’s office.
Hall’s attorney plans to issue subpoenas to Google for the sheriff’s emails, as well as Kristan Jeffords’ personal Yahoo email account.
Hall is scheduled for a grievance hearing Friday. We’ll let you know how that turns out.
Source:WIS
39 generators stolen during storm-11 people arrested www.privateofficer.com
West Virginia state police said Thursday that authorities have recovered five stolen generators, which has resulted in 11 people being charged with the theft and possession of the machines. A warrant is out for the arrest of another person.
A total of 39 generators belonging to companies and individuals were reported stolen to West Virginia State Police.
State police said that while crews worked to restore electricity, telephone and other services after the storms in late June, thieves decided to prey on others’ misfortune and caused setbacks to emergency and disaster response efforts.
Scam alert: Callers pose as lawmen and threaten arrest www.privateofficer.com
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama July 28 2012 – Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale has issued a warning about a telephone scam that threatens victims with arrest.
Authorities said the scam goes like this: When a victim answers the phone, a caller identifies himself as an investigator with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. They go on to say that the victim has an outstanding warrant, or a balance owed on an old fine.
The caller gives the victim instructions to wire the money and says that if the money is not received by the close of business, they will be arrested.
Some of the victims have even reported that the Caller ID shows “Jefferson County Sheriff.”
Chief Deputy Randy Christian said the callers have identified themselves as Hale, the Chief of Police of New York City and the Montgomery County Sheriff.
The sheriff’s office, Christian said, does not collect fines. That collection and disposition of court fines or fees is the responsibility of the district and circuit Clerks.
The sheriff’s office has had five reports in the past two weeks, and a total of eight since May. So far, none of those who have reported receiving the call have sent money.
Authorities offered these tips:
– Do not provide the caller with any personal information, even if it is to verify that you are not the person sought.
– Do not wire money to anyone you have concerns about.
– If you receive a call such as this, attempt to gather as much information as possible and report the call to local law enforcement.
– You may also wish to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. This can be done through their web site at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/.
“It is mighty bold of someone to try and conduct a scam in the name of a law enforcement agency. Our track record of arresting that type is pretty darn good,” Christian said. “They have our attention, and that’s not good for them.”
Source:AL.com
SC man killed wife for insurance and 401k money www.privateofficer.com
COLUMBIA, SC July 28 2012 - Brett Parker, the man accused of a double killing inside his Ascot Estates home, made his first appearance in court on Thursday where bond was denied after prosecutors described what they characterize as a cold-blooded scheme to kill his wife and one of his employees.
Dressed in all-blue prison slacks, the 42-year-old Parker and his two attorneys appeared before Judge DeAndra Benjamin to answer charges that he killed his wife, Tammy Parker, and Bryan Capnerhurst, a fellow employee in a sports gambling operation.
The two were found dead inside the Ascot Estates home on Tackeria Court on Friday, April 13.
During the hearing, prosecutors said Brett Parker was involved in at least two extra-marital affairs in the four months prior to the incident. They also allege that Parker killed Tammy to try to collect over $1 million in insurance money and 401K proceeds.
Capnerhurst’s stepson, Heyward Barnes, represented the victims’ families asking that the judge deny bond.
“Knowing the person who had been free to go about their daily life intensifies our hardship and fear,” Barnes told the court.
Parker’s defense attorney says the accusations are “absolutely ridiculous.”
“Everybody has insurance coverage, most people we know” said defense attorney Mark Whitlar. “Everyone has 401ks. And if that’s a motive to kill someone, then everyone in this county is sitting there with a potential motive to kill.”
“If you’re in debt, that’s no reason to shoot your wife,” added co-counsel Dave Fedo. “Otherwise there would be a lot of wives shot in this county.”
Parker initially told sheriff’s investigators that he acted in self-defense, but Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said that was not the case.
“You know some people say that gambling is a victimless crime,” said Lott. “But I think if you asked the children of Tammy Parker, her parents and her friends as well as Bryan Capnerhurst’s family, they’ll tell you there are victims associated with gambling.”
Fifth Circuit Solicitor Dan Johnson may eventually have to decide whether the twin killing will be prosecuted as a death penalty case. To qualify, the murders would have to include at least one of a dozen aggravating circumstances.
Source:WIS
Alabama security guard left work to kill wife www.privateofficer.com
Frederick Boyd, 43, of Saks, surrendered to officials in Meridian, Miss several hours after he was alleged to have shot and killed his wife Carmella, 41, and shot at a relative in Hobson City.
Heflin Police Chief Robert Pittman said Boyd worked as a security guard at Southwire/Forte and his department “learned early on to be on the lookout” for him.
According to Chief Pittman, Boyd had come to work at around 6 a.m. Monday and clocked in but left the property very soon thereafter.
Pittman said his department worked with Southwire officials and the Cleburne County Sheriff’s Department to put undercover officers inside the plant “to do a visual” but Boyd was not spotted.
The grounds and area outside the plant were then searched. “He (Boyd) came in and stayed only a short time and left.
However, we were prepared for the worst,” added Pittman.
Calhoun County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call in Hobson City around 7 a.m. after a family member of Boyd called to report he had been shot at.
Boyd is believed by investigators to have driven from his home in Saks to Mississippi after the shooting incidents. He faces murder and attempted murder charges.
Source: The Cleburne News
Olympic venue security staff arrested on suspicion of immigration offenses www.privateofficer.com
The arrests come after Newcastle City Council earlier this week replaced G4S — the company providing security at its Olympic stadium — with local firms amid concerns over the company’s staffing shortfalls. The city in northern England is hosting Olympic soccer matches for both men and women at St. James’ Park.
Council press officer Nigel Whitefield confirmed Friday that the three people were arrested by local police working with U.K. border agents. Whitefield declined to say what jobs their jobs were, referring calls to London Olympics Organizers who he said hired them.
London Olympic organizers declined to comment.
Northumbria Police said the arrests took place Wednesday on suspected immigration offenses, which could mean anything from overstaying a visa to working illegally.
The U.K. Home Office confirmed the arrests and said two of the individuals remain in custody.
“The U.K. Border Agency is working closely with employers and contractors at Olympics venues to prevent illegal working,” it added in a statement.
Source:www.foxnews.com
Passaic NJ man charged with assaulting security officer www.privateofficer.com
Anthony Williams, 29, was also charged with flight to prevent a law enforcement officer from arresting him, Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik said.
The incident occurred around 12:49 p.m. at the probation office at 55 Dale Ave. Williams allegedly pushed security officer Issam Kozrosh as he tried to run out of the office. Kozrosh suffered minor injuries.
Williams was being held in the Passaic County Jail Thursday.
Chattanooga police officers file lawsuit in pay dispute www.privateofficer.com
The main complaint centers on a promotion program that has allowed new police officers training and raises that, in many instances, paid lower-ranking police more than their supervisors.
Filed in Chancery Court this week, the lawsuit seeks back pay, lost benefits, damages allowed under certain state provisions, court costs, attorneys fees and a solution to the pay disparity.
Attorneys for the officers, Bryan Hoss and Stevie Phillips, said in a statement Wednesday that Mayor Ron Littlefield and the City Council have acknowledged a significant problem with the pay plan.
“They’ve only exacerbated it by ignoring the older, more senior officers,” Hoss wrote. “It’s a ludicrous situation when a subordinate makes more than their supervisor especially in any organization in which there is a military-style chain of command like the police department.”
Littlefield’s spokesman Richard Beeland deferred comments on the pending lawsuit to city attorneys who did not return messages Wednesday. The city has 30 days to respond to the court filing.
The lawsuit states that officers with the rank of sergeant and above were not provided with a training and raise program similar to what new officers could use.
In 2009, Fraternal Order of Police representative Danny Hill wrote the city that the promotion and pay system was creating pay disparities between subordinates and supervisors and if “left unattended this disparity will only grow worse.”
Hoss wrote that his clients have tried to avoid a lawsuit but they’ve gotten little response.
“They simply want a pay plan that is fair and that reflects the chain of command, time in rank and service, and merit,” Hoss wrote. “But the mayor’s office is the proverbial ostrich with its head in the sand.”
Eighteen of the officers are over the age of 40 and claim age discrimination as part of their complaint to the court. Many, but not all, of the lower-ranking officers who received pay and promotions above their supervisors are younger than 40, the suit states.
In 2010 the City Council approved a pay remedy for sergeants and above, according to the lawsuit. The plan set base salaries for sergeants, lieutenants and captains and also outlined raises once the respective officers had held that rank for three years and another raise at five years.
Since the 2010 plan was authorized, those who’ve reached the required time in rank have not received the accompanying pay raise, according to the lawsuit.
In late 2010 the city paid $840,000 to former deputy chiefs T.E. “Skip” Vaughn and Charles Cooke, who sued the city after being fired in 2007 and replaced by younger, lower-paid officers.
Lee Davis, who practices law with Hoss and Phillips, represented the men in that lawsuit.
Source:timespress
Denver preschool teacher charged with possessing and distributing child pornography www.privateofficer.com
DENVER CO July 28 2012 — A man who has been teaching at a Denver preschool for almost 20 years was arrested Tuesday and charged Wednesday for possessing and distributing child pornography.
According to affidavit filed by the Colorado district attorney’s office, David Moe, 45, has been a teacher at Paddington Station, a prestigious preschool in East Denver, for 18 years. Police served a search warrant on his home after it was determined a computer at the residence was populating a peer-to-peer downloading service with files containing child pornography.
The affidavit said investigators found child pornography on Moe’s computer and on DVDs and CDs that were located at the residence.
“It was determined,” the release stated, “that Moe used the Internet to make available, trade, and collect images of child pornography.”
Moe faces one count of distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography. If convicted on that charge, he would face between 5-20 years in federal prison as well as a fine of up to $250,000. Moe also faces a charge of possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Source:FOX31
Police arrest man for stealing book on ethics www.privateofficer.com
Campus police reportedly arrested Terry J. Davis on Wednesday and charged him with stealing a textbook called “Resolving Ethical Issues” from the University of Louisville’s Health Sciences Center.
Police say Davis later tried to sell the book to Gray’s College Bookstore in Louisville.
The arrest report said surveillance video cameras captured the theft and attempt to sell the book.
Source:www.wlky.com
Man arrested after huffing Redi Whip in store www.privateofficer.com
LOUISVILLE, KY July 28 2012 – A Louisville man was arrested Wednesday night after he was huffing cans of a whipped cream product in a Highlands supermarket.
Louisville Metro Police were called to ValuMarket at Mid City Mall around 5:15 p.m. on July 25 after store security saw James Nathan Crittenden opening cans of the Redi Whip and inhaling the nitrous oxide gas.
Crittenden, 36, who had been banned from the store in the past for disorderly conduct and theft, opened 10 cans of the product, which totaled $23.90. Crittenden told store personnel that he would pay for the opened cans, but only had $7.00 in his pocket.
The arrest report states Crittenden said he was huffing the cans to wake up and that the U.S. Constitution allowed him the authority to huff Redi Whip.
Crittenden was booked at Louisville Metro Corrections on charges of theft by unlawful taking, public intoxication under the influence of a controlled substance, disorderly conduct, and criminal trespassing.
Source:WAVE
Cookeville police charge two with forgery after finding fake checks www.privateofficer.com
Rosco D. Jones, 40, of Clifton Ave., Nashville, and Rhonda Russell, 27, of 21st. Ave. N., Nashville, are charged with two counts of forgery and one count of attempted forgery, says a report by Cookeville Police Officer Roy Chesnut.
It began when Jones and Russell went into the Tractor Supply store on S. Jefferson Avenue and attempted to buy a chainsaw, a trailer and other items, the report says.
Allegedly, they tried to pay with what turned out to be a fake check, and store officials called police. But by the time Officer Chesnut arrived, the couple had left the store.
However, after further investigation, officers located the suspects at O’Charley’s restaurant on Interstate Drive.
Officers working the case allege that the couple’s vehicle was found to contain numerous driver licenses and identification cards, numerous blank checks with different company names and from different banks, Chesnut’s report says.
The vehicle also contained “an assortment of merchandise from Walmart, Staples, and Office Max,” the report says.
Jones and Russell were arrested in the restaurant and taken to the Putnam County jail. Detectives are still investigating the case.
Source: Herald Citizen
Former TN state trooper pleads guilty to sex crimes www.privateofficer.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. July 28 2012(AP) – A former state trooper in Pickett County has pleaded guilty to five criminal counts stemming from a sexual assault investigation.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol said in a news release Wednesday that 38-year-old Wade Williams was sentenced to eight years in jail. The release said he pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated statutory rape, two counts of attempt to commit especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Williams resigned when faced with termination earlier this year. He became a trooper in 2000.
The case originated from a complaint received by the Department of Safety and Homeland Security.
Nevada police arrest assistant baseball coach in marijuana grow operation www.privateofficer.com
HENDERSON, Nev.July 28 2012 – Police have arrested a former CSN assistant baseball coach in connection with a suspected marijuana grow operation in Henderson.
Police arrested 29-year-old Ezekiel Parraz and 28-year-old Candice Blackwell after raiding a home in Henderson. Parraz, a former UNLV baseball player, is listed as an assistant coach with the College of Southern Nevada baseball team, but CSN Athletics Director Marc Morse said Friday that Parraz is no longer an employee.
“The college and I are surprised and saddened by this news,” Morse said in a prepared statement. “Assistant baseball coach Zeke Parraz’s part-time contract with the college expired, as is customary, May 31, and he is not currently employed at CSN. This matter must now proceed through the court system.”
According to police, officers found 186 plants in the house about 6 p.m. Thursday. The house is in the 300 block of New Hope Drive, located near Green Valley High School, near Arroyo Grande Boulevard and Warm Springs Road.
Metro Lt. Laz Chavez said police received a tip from neighbors about an overwhelming smell of marijuana from the home. After some surveillance, police determined it was a sophisticated grow operation.
“These sophisticated criminal enterprises are looking for these types of neighborhoods,” Chavez said. “They like the idea of being able to hide underneath everybody’s noses.”
On the day of the bust, Henderson and Las Vegas Metro police obtained a search warrant and went into the home. Along with the marijuana plants, officers found chemicals and plant food.
The entire garage was transformed into a grow room, including lights and a watering system for the plants. The garage door was walled off to help conceal the operation.
Chavez said police are seeing these grow operations show up in affluent neighborhoods such as this one, because the growers think they won’t get caught. Neighbors said they are shocked and said they never suspected anything like this.
Cam Silva has lived in the neighborhood for four years with his two kids. He says judging by the outside, he never would have expected something like this.
“I actually sell fireworks for my daughter’s dance studio, and I knocked on that door for presales,” he said. “You couldn’t tell nothing was going on inside.”
“These criminals are coming in and taking advantage of these people, and they don’t care about the children who live here, the families that are here and the neighborhood,” Lt. Chavez said.
Police suspect this grow operation was running for at least six months. Officers say these dangerous grow operations are popping up more often in homes you would least expect.
“They come in here, and they are all about greed, and it’s not uncommon for us to find firearms, chemicals, exposed wiring and in some cases, these houses catch on fire,” Lt. Chavez said.
Chavez said the two are renters and not the owners of this home. The owners of the home have an address listed in California, according to the Clark County Assessor’s Office.
The street value of the pot seized more than $600,000. This is the 83rd grow operation police have busted in Clark County this year.
Source:8NewsNow.com
Sacramento International Airport considers replacing TSA with private security www.privateofficer.com
SACRAMENTO July 28 2012– The Sacramento International Airport is considering making a security change, and it could mean getting rid of TSA agents.
Long lines and long faces are usually what TSA security checkpoint employees see everyday.
But now the airport may be the third largest airport in the country to replace these government workers with ones from a private company.
“It’s a win-win for everything has no bearing on security procedure or the processes the public has become accustomed to,” said Linda Beech Cutler, Sacramento International Airport.
So far passengers at large airports like San Francisco and Kansas City are becoming accustomed to thsame plan already in place.
Fourteen smaller airports around the country have also joined the screening partnership program.
“It might be better, less intrusive on us. I don’t like how the government runs their business,” said one flyer.
Airport officials say the change will in no way compromise passenger safety and won’t cost anyone less money.
In fact, TSA will still manage the new company coming in.
“They will issue proposals, evaluate the private security companies and ultimately choose the company that would operate here,” said Cutler.
Airport officials say them having more control means more flexibility and better customer service and faster lines.
“Makes us more flexible for staffing, for peak times and not being so staffed up for not so busy times,” said Cutler.
Passengers here don’t seem too worried. In fact, many say they’ll feel safer.
“I doubt they’ll get some rinky-dink company coming in and taking care of security. I don’t see that happening,” said Chad Harrison, airport passenger.
If approved, it could take up to a year to change over.
Any current TSA employees at Sacramento International Airport can apply and be trained to work for the new private security coming in.
Source: CBS13
