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TN court clerks resist suspending licenses over unpaid fees www.privateofficer.com
Nashville TN July 29 2012 Come Wednesday, Omar Dhies is set to lose his driver’s license.
Not because of the DUI charge, but because he hasn’t paid nearly $2,500 in court fees he owes after his conviction in Davidson County.
“I’m trying to pay the court costs,” Dhies said. “But (what) if you don’t have nothing to pay to get the license back?”
Starting July 1, clerks throughout Tennessee gained the power to begin suspending driver’s licenses if court fees and fines go unpaid for a year. But not a single license has been suspended, according to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Even Tommy Bradley, chief administrative officer for the Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk’s Office and the man who wrote the law, is holding off until Aug. 1 to give debtors one last chance to pay at least something.
Other clerks are questioning whether to suspend licenses at all, out of logistical or moral reservations.
“I just want to wait and see,” said Wilson County Circuit Court Clerk Linda Neal. “I’m afraid this law is going to be hurting the people who would really like to put out the effort to pay and they simply can’t.”
Bradley acknowledges there is “widespread” opposition to the law, which he wrote to help collect hundreds of millions in uncollected court costs.
Wiggle room
In Davidson County alone, taxpayers are owed more than $300 million in court costs — enough to run Metro’s police and fire departments for a year. Bradley noticed that courts had far less trouble collecting costs from defendants in traffic cases who risked losing their licenses for not paying up. So he persuaded the legislature in 2011 to extend that potential penalty to all criminal court defendants.
The law states that clerks are supposed to file to have a debtor’s license suspended if their fees are uncollected a year after disposition. Clerks were given wiggle room, however, to delay filing for a suspension, as in the case of debtors setting up payment plans.
Bradley said that even his office won’t suspend licenses of debtors who pay at least $15 a month.
“We’re only going to be sending the ones who aren’t paid and aren’t paying,” he said. “If they’re making a minimum monthly payment of $15 a month, we’re not sending it. The point is not to take away your license, but to get it paid.”
Since his office began sending out warnings, he said the simple threat of suspension has helped collect on fees. More than $600,000 has been collected in court fees than the prior year. “That’s a chunk of change,” he said. “The word’s out.”
Broad opposition
But Bradley recognizes that the new law isn’t particularly popular among clerks.
“I understand clearly the opposition for this statute,” he said. “I think it’s widespread, to be frank.”
Neal said that aside from moral qualms at saddling poor offenders with even more burdens, she’s not sure she has the money or staff to send out notices and then process debtors for suspensions.
“We’ve got all the work that we can say grace over now,” Neal said. “To me, it’s going to be more record-keeping and a little bit more difficult to keep up with.”
Neal said she’s more likely to just continue sending unpaid debts to a collection agency. It’s cheaper and easier on her overworked staff.
The new law also has created more work for attorneys. Davidson County Public Defender Dawn Deaner said more clients are asking judges to have their fees waived, so as to avoid having their licenses suspended.
“You can’t get blood from a turnip. I think, frankly, a lot of the clerks out there recognize that they’re chasing a turnip, that these folks don’t have the money,” Deaner said. “Most of the people in the criminal justice system, they are indigent, they are living below the federal poverty guideline. When you then suspend their driver’s license, you make it harder for them to find employment, find resources, find ways to pay these debts.”
Source:the tennessean
Former constable gets second indecency charge www.privateofficer.com
Lititz police arrested Mark E. Brubaker, 44, of 501 Front St., on Tuesday and charged him with indecent exposure for an incident earlier this month.
Brubaker is currently unemployed.
According to the criminal complaint filed by Lititz police, Brubaker exposed his genitals in front of a 57-year-old woman and asked, “Do you think you can handle this?”
Police said the incident occurred July 13 in the first block of Plum Street in the borough.
Police arrested him on July 24. He is charged with one count of indecent exposure and is awaiting a preliminary hearing.
The charge was filed before Magisterial District Judge Edward A. Tobin.
This is the second indecent exposure arrest against Brubaker. According to newspaper records, in July 2006, he was accused of exposing himself to a female security guard at Manheim Auto Auction. He pleaded guilty to the charge, according to court records.
The guard told police she was at a gate where vehicles enter and exit the auction grounds at 1190 Lancaster Road (Route 72), Manheim. Brubaker, who was on duty to direct traffic, allegedly called the guard over to his car, pulled his constable hat from his lap, and exposed his genitals to the woman, police said.
Source:lancasteronline.com
Woman arrested in Jacksonville after incident on Jet Blue flight www.privateofficer.com
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. July 29 2012– A woman was arrested by Jacksonville Aviation Authority police after landing at Jacksonville International Airport on a Jet Blue flight from Puerto Rico, JIA spokesman Michael Stewart confirmed.
The woman, who was going through customs and found to have outstanding warrants, was escorted from the plane in Jacksonville by JAA police, Stewart said.
Prior to her arrest, the airline and JAA were contacted and the airline was able to identify her. However, Stewart said he did not have the woman’s name.
She was then taken into custody, taken downtown and booked. There will be a booking report from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Stewart said.
She was wanted by the state of Maryland.
Source:First Coast News
3 Men arrested in attempted theft of hospital ATM www.privateofficer.com
Officers say Taveon Deaunta Davis, 26, Paul LaRue McCoy, 27, and Kendrick Raynard Johnson, 27, attempted to steal an ATM machine near the entrance of the OU Medical Center-Edmond at 1 South Bryant at 2:55 a.m. Thursday.
A hospital security officer was watching security cameras and saw the men enter the south entrance of the hospital, according to police. One of the men was carrying a red dolly. Within seconds, security saw the man attempting to carry the ATM out the south door, officers said. The security officer ran toward the area and told police he saw four men running out the hospital doors.
Security personnel then saw a white van speeding away from the south entrance of the hospital and two men running eastbound toward Bryant, according to police. When Edmond officers arrived they saw a white van sitting between a Walgreens and McDonalds in a private drive. The van was not occupied.
The hospital security officer believes about 30 minutes before attempting to steal the ATM that two of the suspects entered the emergency room admitting entrance of the hospital and walked through the hospital. Two of the men running from the scene matched the description of the two men seen earlier in the ER, according to police.
At around 3:38 a.m. officers were sitting with the van when a silver four-door car with three black men inside attempted to pull onto the private drive. When the three men saw the patrol cars sitting by the van the driver, who officers said appeared surprised, immediately turned back onto 2nd Street and continued eastbound.
Another Edmond officer made a traffic stop on the silver vehicle and Davis, McCoy and Johnson were arrested. Officers are still investigating the incident and say other perpetrators remain at large.
Source:www.koco.com/
Police Dogs Die After Being Left in Hot Car www.privateofficer.com
SAN ANTONIO, TX July 29 2012 - The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of two of the department’s service dogs who died after they were left inside patrol vehicles overnight.
Officials with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office say the dogs were “inadvertently left inside” the vehicles and suffered from heat exposure. A news release states “Deputy Steve Benoy, a 23-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office assigned to the K9 Section, is completely devastated by this tragic accident. He has been assigned to the unit for 13 of those 23 years and has a flawless record.”
Officials say Benoy discovered the dead animals Wednesday in their kennels inside a county-owned SUV at his residence. Authorities believe the deputy drove home and parked that vehicle Tuesday, then went out for the evening. He allegedly forgot to place the dogs in their regular quarters at his residence.
“Deputy Benoy has been a dedicated officer during his career; he has never received any discipline during his tenure with the Sheriff’s Office,” Sheriff Amadeo Ortiz stated in the release. “It is my belief that this is a tragic accident however; the Sheriff’s Office is following standard procedures in conducting a thorough investigation.”
The Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division is working with Animal Care Services in the investigation. Names of the two Belgian Malinois law enforcement dogs haven’t been released.
Deputy Benoy has been placed on 10 days of administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Source:wkrc.com
California man arrested in connection with international child porn ring www.privateofficer.com
Anderson CA July 29 2012 An Anderson man and guardian of two children is in custody after authorities say they found violent child pornography on his computers and online chats in which he discussed torturing and eating children.
Jason Scarcello, 42, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of having and distributing pornographic videos and photos of children, said agents with the Homeland Security Investigations branch of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Scarcello’s was one of 42 arrests made around the world in what authorities called one of the most disturbing cases of its kind they’ve seen. He is one of 12 arrested in the U.S.
“Just being able to finally SEE an actually (sic) child cooking would be a dream come true. I really am hoping that I can find some attainable targets up here,” Scarcello wrote in one chat under a screen name, investigators said. They said he wrote that he’d like to try eating one child and he’s “not worried about any of the potential kids.”
Scarcello, who serves as a guardian to two children, had multiple CDs and DVDs depicting children being abused and, in some cases, dead, Special Agent Gene Kizenko said in a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.
Agents say they still are investigating whether Scarcello ever assaulted any children.
The District Court website listed Matthew McCrary Scoble, of the Office of Federal Defenders, as the attorney for Jason Scarcello.
Scoble declined to comment on the case.
Agents say they were led to Scarcello after arresting others allegedly involved in an international child pornography ring. Participants used “peer to peer” networks to trade images and videos of child pornography using special keywords to identify the explicit material, Kizenko said.
Agents built their case by piecing together clues from Scarcello’s IP address, his Yahoo! email account and tracking pornographic images shared by Scarcello, Michael Arnett, of Kansas City, and others, Kizenko said in his complaint. An IP address is the unique numeric code assigned to a computer when it is connected to the Internet.
Kizenko said Scarcello traded images over the Ares Network, both downloading and distributing images and video. Kizenko said agents found at least 37 unique files shared between December 2011 and June 2012 under an IP address registered to Scarcello, including two videos of prepubescent children being raped and one involving use of a sex toy on a child.
He said Scarcello also used chat rooms to discuss fantasies. He said Scarcello allegedly chatted online with Arnett about kidnapping, torturing, killing and eating children.
The chats took place between August 2011 and March 2012, Kizenko said.
In several chat logs included in the complaint, Scarcello allegedly asked Arnett about kidnapping children.
“One thing I always forget to ask you is what do you keep in your van, like what’s a good ‘hunting kit’ and supplies do you have,” Kizenko said Scarcello wrote under his screen name. He said Scarcello wrote about the ecstasy he’d expect from kidnapping a child, including the fear his victim would feel.
The pair also discussed cannibalism, Kizenko stated. Arnett asked Scarcello at one point if he would like to “take one to eat for real?” according to the complaint.
“I like to think so. My ideal of coarse would be to have a partner to do it with and learn from, but the reality of it is that I’d probably have to do it alone,” Scarcello wrote, according to Kizenko’s complaint. “I’d say my concerns of doing it are really only in the getting caught. I’m not concerned with what the child or it’s parents think or feel. All of that ‘boo hoo’ BS belongs under the category of ‘woulda coulda shoulda done something to prevent it.’ “
Arnett also used the network to share a photograph he’d taken of two children, younger than 2, bound and gagged in a roasting pan, Kizenko said. Those children were later found alive.
The chats were found by authorities after they arrested Arnett in May.
Ross Feinstein, spokesman for ICE, said Arnett chatted online with Scarcello and one other individual, who also was arrested in another part of the United States, about cannibalism.
“I’ve been a part of this investigation for a while. Everything’s horrific about it,” he said. “The level of discussion of exploitation of children is the most disturbing I’ve ever seen.”
On Wednesday agents showed up at Scarcello’s single-story ranch house, Kizenko said. They searched the two-bedroom, one-bathroom home, which has a children’s jungle gym on the side, he said.
One of the rooms was “obviously” set up for two children, he said. Agents found at least two computers and began searching them.
Kizenko said Scarcello, his wife and the two children showed up; his wife took the children inside while investigators questioned Scarcello.
At first Scarcello said a computer virus had brought up strange things on his computer, but then he admitted to possessing pornography, Kizenko said.
He said Scarcello acknowledged the username for Yahoo! chat that investigators had tracked was his.
He said Scarcello then led investigators to his bedroom and showed them two CD pouches.
A purple pouch with black trim was marked “Jason’s downloaded CDs,” “HANDS OFF,” and “That means you, Hunny Bunny!” Kizenko said in the complaint.
Inside, officers found CDs and DVDs depicting prepubescent children having sex with adults, Kizenko said. He said Scarcello said “he preferred images and videos of girls, but could not say for certain if (he) had images or videos of boys.”
Kizenko said Scarcello told agents he began downloading child pornography about one year ago, with the last time he did it about a month ago.
Kizenko said in the complaint that the photographs involved children being physically abused and in bondage, with some photos of dead children and autopsy photos of children.
Kizenko said Scarcello and his wife have two young children, who were either adopted or in foster care, younger than 10.
Roxanne Burke, a community relations representative for the Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency, Children’s Services, declined to comment on the case.
In an emailed statement, she said all children fostered through Shasta County Children’s Services can go into homes only if everyone 18 and older passes a criminal record check that includes fingerprints. Foster parents must also take a 27-hour course, and are screened through a process involving interviews and home visits.
The Scarcello investigation was part of an international child pornography probe that began in Boston, Feinstein said.
It began with the arrest of a hotel manager there, he said. Agents found a series of explicit pictures that stood out from the rest, because of a stuffed animal and newer clothing.
ICE agents tracked it to The Netherlands. A television spot involving the child’s face was aired, and within two hours Dutch agents arrested Robert Mikelsons, a day care worker, and his boyfriend, Feinstein said.
He said Mikelsons had abused about 87 children, and agents tracked the photographs’ distribution to Arnett.
Scarcello was the 11th of 12 arrested in the U.S., Feinstein said, while a church bus driver was No. 10.
Scarcello is being held without bail in the Sacramento County jail
Source:redding.com
Three people charged with trespassing and defacing a building at the Y-12 National Security Complex www.privateofficer.com
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. July 29 2012(AP) — Authorities at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge say they have arrested three people for trespassing and defacing a building at the site.
A press release from the facility said the incident occurred about 4:30 a.m. on Saturday and an investigation is being led by the Department of Energy Inspector General.
The individuals, who were not named, were to be transported to another facility to be processed with federal trespassing charges.
Y-12 maintains the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile and provides nuclear fuel for the Navy and for research reactors worldwide. The statement from the facility said the incident appeared to be a protest-related action.
Northhampton County sheriff’s detective arrested while providing private security at club www.privateofficer.com
The Office of Northampton County Clerk of Court Laquitta Cooper said charges were filed against Det. Sgt. Lynette Clements, of the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office, stemming from an incident that occurred April 8.
The warrant against Clements states she “unlawfully and willfully did assault and strike (the female victim) by pushing her numerous times with both hands in her back.”
Clements’ attorney, Jamal Summey, said the incident occurred at a club April 8, when Clements was working security. A woman, Summey said, was asked to leave the club.
“She escorted a woman out and the woman said (Clements) assaulted her,” Summey said, adding he is eager to defend Clements against the charges. “I’ve known Lynette Clements for 10 years and I’ve never known her to be anything but courteous to everybody.”
Summey said he believes the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office is “under attack,” citing the fact Lt. Cory Jackson, also from the office, was charged with false imprisonment and assault in June.
“These officers are under attack and they’re being wrongly charged with this stuff,” Summey said. “Who’s looking out for these officers? It’s getting so they’re scared to put their hands on people, and all this could make them second guess what they’re doing and could cause them to get killed.”
Northampton County Sheriff Wardie Vincent said Clements is on administrative leave with pay pending investigation. He declined to comment further.
Clements, 41, is charged with misdemeanor assault and battery and is due in court Aug. 27.
Source:the daily herald
Off-duty Prince George’s County police officer injured in gunfire outside night club www.privateofficer.com
HYATTSVILLE, Md.July 29 2012 — An off-duty Prince George’s County police officer is recovering after being shot in the leg outside a Hyattsville nightclub where she was working a security job.
Police say Officer Rachael Jacob was injured early Saturday morning at the Galaxy nightclub on University Boulevard. She is recovering after having surgery.
Police spokeswoman Julie Parker says the officer kicked three adults out of the club. Parker says the group then drove their car slowly past the entrance of the club, and a male suspect reached through the passenger side window and shot at Jacob.
Police have charged 32-year-old Kelly Gilliss of Beltsville with attempted first degree murder, first degree assault, reckless endangerment and using a handgun in the commission of a crime.
Source:Washington Post
Bounty Hunter Chases Down Wrong Man, Faces Assault Charge www.privateofficer.com
Police found 43-year-old Charles Ray Damrow, of Farmington, with a black collapsible baton on his belt, pink chain handcuffs and a pocketknife, Sgt. Michael Glassberg wrote in the charging documents.
Damrow came to officers’ attention at 5:40 a.m. June 29 when police rushed to a garage in the 12th Avenue North alley, near the Hopkins Library, in response to a report of an assault in progress.
Officers arrived to find Damrow walking away from an unoccupied SUV, with the baton on his belt. They ordered him at gunpoint to put his hands in the air and lay on the ground, then seized the baton and pocketknife.
There was also an unidentified husband and wife at the scene. Police noted the woman was crying hysterically and her hands were shaking, according to the charging documents. The man said he and his wife were rearranging their vehicles to leave for work when they saw a vehicle stop in the library parking lot.
Damrow then got out of the vehicle and began running across the alley at them “with some type of stick above his head” that they thought was a tire iron, the man told police. He got into his vehicle and began backing up—planning to hit Damrow if he continued forward.
The man said Damrow was yelling, “Jamie!” and telling him to get out of the vehicle.
Meanwhile, the wife had fled the garage, according to the court documents. She initially pounded on a neighbor’s door, but there was no answer. She then went to another neighbor, who called 911.
“I thought the guy was going crazy and he was going to smash the window and kill my husband,” the court documents quoted the woman.
After officers detained him, Damrow told them he is a bounty hunter looking for a fugitive wanted for providing false information to police, a gross misdemeanor. He said he learned through an Internet search that the fugitive might be living at the victim’s house.
Damrow—who said he had training in “Pressure Point Control Technique,” use of a Taser and advanced tactical firearms procedures—then conducted surveillance of the home the evening of June 28 and the early morning of June 29. He thought the victim fit the fugitive’s description. Although the hair color was different, he reasoned that the fugitive could’ve changed his hair color.
Damrow admitted running after the victim and said he extended the baton when the man got into the vehicle. But he added that when he went to the driver’s side window, he noticed the victim had a different name embroidered on his shirt. The victim threatened to call police, and Damrow went back to his vehicle to get paperwork, which is when police arrived, he said.
“When asked why he did not call the police first if he was doing surveillance and taking enforcement action, he claimed the situation happened quickly and noted that if the police arrest the fugitive he does not get paid. He acknowledged that makes him take more risks,” the complaint states.
Police initially had trouble verifying Damrow was working as a bounty hunter, according to the charging documents. He said he worked for “Dave’s Bail Bonds,” which they later determined was a man named “Dave” at Ace Bail Bonds.
Dave, whose last name wasn’t provided, confirmed that Damrow was trying to locate two “bail jumpers”—including one named Jamison “Jamie” McElhaney whose charges matched what Damrow told police.
Officers released Damrow pending charges. He’s been charged with second-degree assault, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years and a $4,200 to $14,000 fine.
Source:hopkinspatch
Waxahachie police officer killed in crash www.privateofficer.com
WAXAHACHIE TX July 29 2012 — A Waxahachie police officer was killed in a crash early Saturday morning.
Officer Josh Williams was responding to a disturbance at a fast food restaurant in the 600 block of Highway 77 around 1:30 a.m. As he was turning into the parking lot, a Chevrolet Suburban sport utility vehicle traveling northbound struck his patrol car on the passenger’s side, police said.
Williams, 44, was rushed to Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators said the Suburban did not have its lights on; its driver was taken by helicopter to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas for treatment of injuries.
Investigators believe the driver of the SUV may have been under the influence of alcohol. He is in police custody at the hospital.
Waxahachie police Chief Chuck Edge said Officer Williams’ death is a tremendous loss for the department.
“He’s been with the force for 17 years. Good officer. Very friendly. Very well respected among the officers,” Edge said.
Officer Williams is survived by his wife and three children.
The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating the accident.
Williams is the fourth North Texas public safety official to be involved in a serious motor vehicle accident this month.
A Watauga police officer is recovering in the hospital after he was involved in a crash Thursday night at Old Denton Highway and Main Street in Haltom City.
Early Sunday morning, Everman volunteer firefighter Sergio Rodriguez was struck and killed as he was walking along Highway 287 in Fort Worth.
And off-duty Lancaster police Officer Dustin Dodson was fatally injured one week ago when a suspected drunk driver crashed into his motorcycle on Highway 67 near Venus.
Miami TSA agent arrested in disturbance www.privateofficer.com
Key West Fla July 29 2012 A Transportation Security Administration officer from Miami found herself under arrest in Key West over the weekend after reportedly grabbing a phone away from a bystander videotaping the officer and a friend.
Witnesses told Key West police that Milagros Casanas and a friend “were very intoxicated” as they negotiated the 200 block of Duval Street in the early-morning hours Sunday.
Casanas was arrested around 1:15 a.m. after police were flagged down and reported seeing Casanas “attacking another woman…who was trying to get away. Casanas continued while people tried to pull her off,” according to a report prepared by Sgt. Joseph Tripp.
Witnesses told police that Casanas and a friend “were very intoxicated,” and the victim, “was video recording them with her phone because it was funny.”
The arrest report indicates that Casanas “ripped the phone,” away from the other woman, who was not identified by the police.
Police said they found the phone in Casanas’ back pocket during a search. After consulting with an on-duty prosecutor from the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office, Casanas was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
In his report, Tripp noted that “we had the elements of a robbery,” but changed the arrest charge after the early-hours consult.
Casanas, 35, is a “lead transportation security officer” at Miami Internal Airport, according to TSA spokeswoman Sari Koshetz.
“If an employee is arrested,” Koshetz says, “an investigation is conducted. Each situation is evaluated and resulting action determined.”
Koshetz says Casanas earns between $33,627 and $50,494 annually.
SourceLkeysnet.com
Three masked men set state trooper’s house on fire www.privateofficer.com
GREENVILLE, S.C.July 29 2012 (AP) – Authorities say three men in masks tried to break into the Greenville home of a state trooper, then set it on fire.
Investigators say Homer Rose was on duty and his wife was home alone Friday morning when the couple’s dog started to bark.
Greenville County deputies say Rose’s wife saw the masked men and called 911, and was able to get out of the home uninjured before the fire spread.
Firefighters estimate the blaze did $175,000 worth of damage.
Deputies say the home had a 6-foot tall security fence that requires a code to enter, and they aren’t sure how the suspects got inside. No arrests have been made
Police charge NY man with theft of security system from Walmart www.privateofficer.com
After an investigation by the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office into thefts at the store, Potsdam Town Justice James Mason issued a warrant for the arrest of Thomas M. Larose, 44, of 1513 Ford St. He was taken into custody by Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies and arraigned before Potsdam Justice Sam Charleson and sent to the county jail in lieu of $1,000 cash bail.
He was charged with petit larceny and sixth degree conspiracy, due to the alleged involvement of a female.
The alleged theft occurred June 3.
Source:north county now
Pa. church, pastor charged in fake kidnapping, intended as lesson in religious persecution www.privateofficer.com
The Glad Tidings Assembly of God in Middletown and 28-year-old Andrew David Jordan of Elizabethtown were charged Friday with false imprisonment and simple assault, said Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico.
The church staged the event in March. Mock kidnappers covered the teenagers’ heads, put them in a van and interrogated them. Neither the young people nor their parents were told beforehand that it wasn’t real. The mother of a 14-year-old girl filed a complaint with police.
“This is a sad case for all those involved,” Marsico said, adding that while the church’s and Jordan’s intentions were not necessarily harmful, “they in essence terrorized several children.”
“We need to protect children, no matter where the harm occurs,” Marsico said, adding that a grand jury recommended the charges. He noted that some of the teenagers in the group were not members of the church, and that a semi-automatic rifle was displayed in the exercise.
A message left at the church was not immediately returned, and there was no phone listing for Jordan. Neither were defense attorneys listed on court papers.
Glad Tidings pastor John Lanza said in March that the church was “so saddened” that youth were traumatized during the event, but added that other youth from the church sent emails of support. The church is about 10 miles outside Harrisburg. Lanza said the goal of the exercise was to prepare the youth for what they might encounter as missionaries in foreign countries. He didn’t disclose the names of those involved but said the mock kidnappers included an off-duty police officer and a retired Army captain.
“It was a youth event, to illustrate what others have encountered on a regular basis,” he said, adding that the focus of the lesson was “the persecuted church” in other countries.
Lanza said the church had conducted similar events at least twice before, without complaints.
Lawrence County treasurer’s office employee charged in theft www.privateofficer.com
Mindy Joseph, 30, of 568 Township Road 253, Ironton, has been formally charged with theft being over $1,000 but less than $7,500, a felony 5; misdemeanor theft under $1,000 but over $500; identity fraud, a felony 4; and tampering with evidence, a felony 3, according to Assistant Prosecutor Brigham Anderson.
The charges stem from an investigation by the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office. County Treasurer Stephen Burcham said he contacted the sheriff’s office on July 20 about the alleged incident.
“It was a discrepancy that came to my attention,” he said.
Burcham said the amount missing from his office is $2,267.49.
“It was limited to two transactions on (the taxes) on a total of four parcels,” he said.
During Burcham’s attempt to resolve the difference, Joseph, who had been with the treasurer’s office for seven years, went on sick leave, the treasurer said.
“(The identity theft charge) does not have anything to do with the taxpayers of the county,” the treasurer said. “That is an issue that is outside the missing money from the treasurer’s office. The identity theft was not related to that particular issue.”
According to Sheriff Jeff Lawless, his office had been investigating the identity theft allegations before the alleged theft of money was brought to his attention.
“Another employee of the treasurer’s office had her identity used to obtain a credit card,” Lawless said. “The other employee contacted us about three and a half to four weeks ago. As our investigation continued into that, this information surfaced.”
Anderson declined to give a motive or the method for the alleged theft.
“At this point we can’t discuss those issues,” Anderson said.
According to the Ohio Revised Code, the county treasurer is responsible for any money missing from that office, Burcham said.
“I am extremely concerned about money being correct,” he said. “ … If she doesn’t pay that money back, I have to pay that back. I understand the responsibility and accept that responsibility.
“While we work diligently to make sure all transactions are handled and properly accounted for, we handle about $24 million. This is less than one one/hundredth of a percent. Even being off a penny is unacceptable. We work diligently to ensure the safety of the taxpayers’ money through daily reconciliation and investigation of any discrepancy. This did not go on for a very long period of time.”
Prior to her joining Burcham’s office as a deputy treasurer, Joseph was a constable at the courthouse. She was also a special deputy with the sheriff’s office and has been terminated from that post, Lawless said.
She was terminated from the treasurer’s office on July 23.
Joseph will appear in Ironton Municipal Court at 1:30 p.m. Monday.
Source:IrontonTribune.com
Women Arrested for Stealing Thousands in Clothes www.privateofficer.com
Johnson City, NY July 29 2012 Four women are sent to jail without bail after police say they stole nearly $2,700 worth of stuff from the Oakdale Mall.
On July 25, Johnson City Police arrested a group of females for shoplifting. Police say they acted as a group and stole a large amount of clothing from the GAP store and The Children’s Place in the Oakdale Mall
Arrested:
Isophine Butts, 36, Syracuse
Anotya Dixon, 26, Syracuse
Maria Clark-Ensley, 27, Syracuse
Tamika Ensley, 25, Sayre, PA
The women are facing multiple charges including felony grand larceny.
Investigators say the women had foil-lined bags to deflect store security alarms on clothing security tags and say the group had special tools to take off those tags.
The females were charged with stealing more than $1,100 from the GAP and more than $1,600 from The Children’s Place.
Butts is also charged with assault and resisting arrest. Police say she caused minor injury to a police officer. The officer had a sprained hand and had to be treated at Lourdes Hospital.
All of the women were arraigned in Village Court and sent to the Broome County Jail without bail.
Binghamton Police Department, Broome County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police assisted.
Source:WBNG
Tempe police officer charged with burglary-theft www.privateofficer.com
TEMPE, AZ July 29 2012- Tempe Police arrested one of their own Saturday morning after discovering Officer Aaron Smith had been involved with theft of police property.
Smith, who has been with Tempe Police for over seven years, was arrested by detectives on multiple charges of theft, burglary and tampering with physical evidence, both misdemeanors and felonies.
According to Tempe Police, employees started to notice items missing in early July. Two police bicycles, an equipment case, a GPS and money were reported missing from different locations.
Approximately $750 was stolen from a lock box that was reportedly discovered on July 20. Forced entry was involved in taking the money.
As the incidents escalated over time, police kept a close eye on the department and who had access to certain locations.
Smith had access to all locations in question, but forced entry was used many times in terms of the thefts and burglaries.
On July 26, an undercover detective turned in a purse with $142 inside it to Smith after officials began to suspect Smith of the crimes. Smith made no attempts to process or impound the money, according to the news release.
Tempe Police used a search warrant to enter Smith’s home where they found some of the stolen items. He was arrested without incident Saturday morning.
Smith admitted to the crimes and said that he stole the items because he was in a difficult financial situation and that he gave some of the items as gifts.
Police do not believe that any other officers or individuals acted with Smith.
Smith resigned his position as a Tempe Police Officer.
“I want our community to know that all members of the Tempe Police Department remain committed to the highest standards of professionalism, accountability and oversight. In partnership with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, we will ensure that Aaron Smith is held accountable for his violation of the public’s trust,” said Chief of Police Tom Ryff in the news release.
Source:www.abc15.com
