Archive
Allegheny County PA police officer dies after his motorcycle hits deer www.privateofficer.com
The Allegheny County medical examiner’s office says 44-year-old Sgt. Perry Vahaly of Clairton died shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday at Allegheny General Hospital, North Side.
Police said the Allegheny County officer was heading down Route 51 in Rostraver in Westmoreland County when the deer ran into his path at 12:41 a.m. Saturday.
James Morton, assistant police superintendent, called his death “a big loss for us.”
County Executive Rich Fitzgerald issued a statement extending his sympathy to the family and friends of the 17-year veteran, who is survived by a wife and six children.
Alaska hunter dies in shooting accident www.privateofficer.com
Kyle Strong, 29, of Wasilla, and Cody Parry, 26, of Trapper Creek, were staying in a cabin owned by Parry’s family about a half-mile off the Parks Highway at the Alaska Railroad crossing, around Mile 169 near Denali State Park. They had scouted around on Saturday and planned to go moose hunting Sunday, troopers said.
Strong cleaned his 30.06 rifle and was still working with it when a round discharged around 10:30 p.m., troopers said. Parry was on the couch and the round entered and exited his leg, inflicting a lot of damage, troopers said.
Strong called 911 on his cellphone and the call went first to Palmer police then was patched through to troopers.
An off-duty trooper based in Cantwell headed to the scene, as did medics from Trapper Creek.
In the meantime, Strong tried CPR and take Parry to the highway. They got on a four-wheeler but it overturned on the narrow trail to the road, trooper spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said, adding the trail was bumpy and ran through a swamp.
“He ran out to the road and flagged someone down to help him right the four-wheeler so he could bring his friend out,” Ipsen said. Strong and the motorist who stopped were able to turn over the four-wheeler and the group made it to the highway, she said.
Medics from Trapper Creek pronounced Parry dead.
His body was sent to the state medical examiner for an autopsy, but troopers said they don’t suspect foul play.
Source:www.adn.com
Police charge man with growing pot on church property www.privateofficer.com
GROVE CITY, Pa.Sept 4 2012 – Police say a western Pennsylvania man has been arrested and charged with growing marijuana on a church’s property.
State police arrested 28-year-old Jason Como on Saturday after the Beloved Disciples Church reported that two suspected marijuana plants were growing on their property in Grove City, about 60 miles north of Pittsburgh.
Authorities found a small path that led from the plants to the backyard of a nearby home. They contacted Como and say he confessed to growing the plants.
Como was charged with manufacturing and cultivating a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Court papers don’t list an attorney for Como, and a phone number for him couldn’t immediately be located.
Source:AP
Alabama couple found dead in rural ditch www.privateofficer.com
RUSSELL COUNTY, AL Sept 4 2012- Two bodies were found on a secluded road in East Alabama Sunday morning.
Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor tells us Kenneth and Monica Brown were in a ditch on Johnson Road in Hurtsboro. Authorities believe they were in their 30′s.
The couple’s car, a red Chevrolet Impala, was spotted along the road around 9:30 a.m.
According to Sheriff Taylor, the deaths appear to be a murder, suicide. Taylor would not say how the pair died but he said the couple recently separated.
Both bodies will be sent to Montgomery for autopsy.
Source:WTVM
Chicago Transit security officer helps police nab robbery suspect www.privateofficer.com
Chicago IL Sept 4 2012 Two men facing charges of robbing Red Line riders appeared in bond court Sunday.
Sherman Wilson, 55, of the 7400 block of North Ashland Avenue, brandished a silver knife on the Red Line headed toward Howard Street, demanding that a rider hand over his wallet, cellphone and watch, authorities said. Wilson struggled with the victim, pushing him to the ground and taking his watch, prosecutors said
Wilson was arrested Thursday when a Chicago Transit Authority security guard recognized him from surveillance video of the Red Line attack, prosecutors said. Sherman was arrested at the Jarvis Avenue station in Rogers Park. Chicago Police News Affairs did not have information about when the robbery occurred.
Another alleged CTA robber, Justin Harris, 17, of the 500 block of West 81st Place, was arrested Saturday night after snatching an iPhone out of a woman’s hand, prosecutors said. The woman chased Harris out of the Red Line station at 79th Street. She waved down police on foot patrol, and the trio caught up to Harris in a nearby parking lot, prosecutors said.
Wilson was charged with felony armed robbery and is being held in lieu of $250,000 bond. Harris is charged with robbery. The amount of his bail was not available.
Source:tribune.com
Minnesota State University student arrested for hitting security officer with car www.privateofficer.com
MANKATO MN Sept 4 2012 — Felony assault charges have been filed against a Minnesota State University student who allegedly clipped an apartment complex security guard with his car.
Police were called to the complex near the intersection of Briargate Road and Monks Avenue at about 1:50 a.m. Aug. 24. A security guard there reported he had hit a car’s windshield with his flashlight as it sped toward him in a parking lot.
The guard said he was patrolling the complex on foot when he saw a Volkswagen Jetta speeding through the parking lot. After the car was parked nearby, the guard walked toward it to tell the driver to slow down, according to a criminal complaint filed last week. The driver drove to the other side of the parking lot before the guard could reach him.
When he started walking toward the car again, the driver drove directly at him, the guard reported. He said he used the flashlight to see the driver’s face and make sure the driver knew he was there. The driver only grinned and kept driving toward the guard, the complaint said.
The guard told police he used his hand to push himself away from the car as it clipped him. In the process, the guard said he likely broke the car’s windshield with the flashlight. The guard used that damage to identify the car in the parking lot the following day.
Officers later learned that 20-year-old Miller Winston Crawford, who lives in the apartment complex, had called management there the day after the incident to report a security guard had broken his car window the night before. When Crawford was questioned by an officer, he said he wanted to talk to an attorney before he talked to the officer.
Crawford was arrested and charged with felony second-degree assault and gross misdemeanor charges of criminal vehicular operation.
Source:thefreepress.com
University of New England security tried stopping DUI driver before crash that killed passenger www.privateofficer.com
Biddeford ME Sept 4 2012 A 20-year-old Rhode Island man is charged with manslaughter for a suspected drunk driving accident that killed his passenger in Biddeford.
Biddeford police say 20-year-old Anthony Ciccone, of Pepperell, Mass., died when the SUV he was riding in hit a utility pole around 12:30 Sunday morning near Pool Street and the Westbrook Skating rink. Investigators say the driver, Christopher Bennett, of Johnston, Rhode Island, suffered non-life threatening injuries and is now charged with manslaughter and felony OUI.
Police believe the two men were visiting friends at the University of New England in Biddeford Saturday night when they left a party in a dark colored ford Explorer. UNE security officers suspected the two men were intoxicated and tried to stop them from leaving. They were unsuccessful, and notified Biddeford police.
An officer noticed the SUV speeding westbound on Pool Street and clocked the vehicle going 80 miles per hour in an area where the speed limit is 30 miles per hour. Two officers responding were unable to catch up with the SUV.
Just before 12:45 a.m., dispatchers received a call from an officer saying the SUV crashed into a utility poll. Ciccone died and Bennett was taken to Maine Medical Center. Once released, police arrested Bennett. He is being held at the York County Jail on $300,000 bail.
Police are working to reconstruct the accident and tell News 13 they are continuing with the investigation.
Wilmington man arrested for assaulting police horse www.privateofficer.com
A New Hanover County Sheriff’s Deputy was flagged down at a Sputnik to help someone who was unconscious.
Witnesses described to police what had happened and pointed out the two men who they said had assaulted the victim, leaving him unconscious.
Police say the two tried to run from the scene.
However, the deputy passed along their descriptions to other officers and police arrested the two men. Nicholaus Geurkink and Jerry Matthew Vanek were charged with disorderly conduct by fighting. Their bond was posted at $1,000.
Police have not released the name of the assault victim or details on his condition.
Meantime, police said that as a mounted officer was helping to control the crowd following the assault, Seth Bishop slapped the officer’s horse, Elton.
Another officer witnessed the incident and took Bishop into custody.
He was charged with injury to law enforcement or assistance animal.
He is out on a $500 bond.
Source:WECT
Security officer injured stopping Subway restaurant burglary www.privateofficer.com
CITRUS HEIGHTS Cal. Sept 4 2012– A security guard was injured after fighting off a would-be burglar at a Subway restaurant in Citrus Heights on Monday.
Surveillance video from the restaurant on the 7800 block of Madison Avenue shows a man smashing the window. Once inside, the man opened the till, but there wasn’t anything inside. Police say the man then tried to open the safe, but couldn’t.
The burglar left the restaurant and got into a car waiting nearby just as a security guard arrived. A scuffle ensued between the guard and the burglar, and as the burglar was closing the car door, the guard put his knee in the way and was injured.
The owner of the business says nothing was taken.
The security guard has been hospitalized and may have broken bones.
Source: CBS13
Springfield bouncer injured after hit with blunt object www.privateofficer.com
Two men, Juan Bastaldo, 24, and Elvin Bastaldo, 33, both of 32 Myrtle St. in the Indian Orchard section of the city, were arrested and charged with assault and battery causing serious bodily injury and mayhem, Police Sgt. Christopher D. Hitas said.
The bouncer was outside Taylor Street club at 2 p.m., helping clear crowds from the parking lot when he was attacked. It is uncertain why the two men struck the bouncer, Hitas said.
Charlestown Police animal-control officer sold drugs from city vehicle www.privateofficer.com
Robert Young, 39, was arrested by Charlestown Police Department on Friday after an undercover investigation, according to a CPD release.
Officers stopped Young after observing him complete a drug transaction. After he was arrested, officers located precursors used to manufacture methamphetamine inside the city’s animal-control vehicle, which Young was driving. Officers called upon the Indiana State Police’s Meth Suppression Team to assist.
Officers initially received numerous civilian complaints as well as complaints from city employees about Young’s involvement in drug activity.
“Officers worked diligently with city officials during this investigation to see that Young was apprehended and will no longer be able to sell drugs to the citizens of Charlestown” said CPD Maj. Jason Broady.
Young was arrested on preliminary charges of dealing methamphetamine, a class A felony; possession of methamphetamine, a class B felony; and manufacturing methamphetamine, a class C felony.
This investigation is ongoing and more details will be released as it becomes available, according to the release.
Source:the evening news and tribune
Armed robber hits Charlotte Walmart at closing time www.privateofficer.com
CHARLOTTE, NC Sept 4 2012 – Robbing a store takes moxie. And sometimes it takes a little inside knowledge, plus remembering to bring a bigger bag than the guy who recently hit a Walmart at Mountain Island Lake.
Five minutes before closing time at midnight, with customers still in the store, three
At that moment, surveillance video shows a gunman appear and demand all the money. He had brought a plastic garbage bag to carry the loot, but dropped it in favor of a larger bag he found in the store. Police took fingerprints from the plastic bag.
CMPD Detective Marty Cuthbertson figures this robber must have had inside knowledge. “He had to have known because they said they do the same thing every night, about the same time. This person came in as they started to do the money pickups and knew exactly where to go.”
But as he started to run with a bag full of money, he began losing some of it.
“He was dropping money, like paper money, coins, with the bag he had was too much and then as he got outside the store witnesses saw him getting inside a white colored vehicle-some type of SUV.”
Det. Cuthbertson says while big box stores like Walmart deal with a lot of everyday shoplifting, rarely does an armed robber come in. He hopes it’s not a trend.
The suspect is described as a black male with medium build. Surveillance pictures never did get a good shot of his face.
If you know anything that can help police and would like to earn a reward, call Crimestoppers at (704) 334-1600.
Source: WBTV
Good Samaritan bitten by shoplifter www.privateofficer.com
The accused shoplifter, Sarah Ann Costello, was spotted placing several boxes of perfume and sunglasses inside a large empty purse Monday inside Nordstrom Rack in the 200 block of North Glendale Avenue, according to police reports.
A loss prevention worker tried to stop Costello, 32, as she exited the store, but her boyfriend suddenly appeared in a fighting stance, police said. The worker, fearing for his safety, then let Costello and her boyfriend leave.
Meanwhile, the Good Samaritan was watching the confrontation unfold.
Police said Costello and her boyfriend ran toward a parked Ford Focus and, as she began to enter the passenger side, the Good Samaritan attempted to pull her out of the car. The boyfriend ran away.
Costello tried reaching the driver’s side and placed the key in the ignition, but the Good Samaritan pulled it out, police reported.
The loss prevention worker then pulled Costello out of the Ford through the driver’s side and handcuffed her, police said.
The Good Samaritan — who police did not identify — stepped in to stop Costello because he was once a loss prevention worker, and just “wanted to help,” Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.
Loss prevention workers were on alert for Costello after a bulletin was distributed that alleged she was responsible for thefts at other Nordstrom Rack stores.
A second woman, identified as 20-year-old Laura Garcia, was allegedly in the Ford’s driver’s seat, which she exited during Costello’s struggle with the Good Samaritan.
While Costello was inside the police lockup, she repeatedly said she “messed up” and admitted to biting the Good Samaritan as he grabbed for the keys, according to police reports.
Costello and Garcia, both of Pico Rivera, were arrested on suspicion of robbery, police said.
NH Fire chief dies on duty www.privateofficer.com
Hopkinton Deputy Fire Chief Jeffery Yale had not yet confirmed the death last night while consulting with the family, the paper reports, but Epping fire Chief Donald DeAngelis reported that the death was announced over the emergency dispatch radios at about 9 p.m.
DeAngelis told the Monitor that Schaefer was in his early 50s and had been the chief for at least a decade. He is survived by his wife and two adult children.
Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.
Walgreens fires store manager over scuffle with shoplifter www.privateofficer.com
SACRAMENTO, CA Sept 4 2012 - Walgreens has fired a store manager who scuffled with a shoplifter over a stolen stick of deodorant at the store’s entrance.
Chamkaur Sahota, 32, said he was terminated Thursday for violating company policy in the August 17 incident at the store at 1420 Meadowview Road.
“I was terminated for stopping a shoplifter,” Sahota said.
Sahota said he confronted Najiib Ali Jones, 18, after Jones passed the cash registers and headed for the door with the deodorant in his front pocket.
Jones then left the store and dropped the deodorant just outside the sliding glass doors.
Sahota said Jones pushed his arm away as both men reached for the deodorant, and Sahota shoved Jones in response.
“When somebody touches you, you have the right to protect yourself, and that’s what I did,” Sahota insisted.
Sahota, a seven-year Walgreens veteran, said the company brought him in to open the Meadowview store last year because he was a successful manager at stores in other low income neighborhoods.
He said that as a result of his no-nonsense approach to shoplifting, losses at his store were nearly 50 percent lower than Walgreens had projected when the store opened.
Walgreens did not respond to a request for comment, but a company handbook obtained by News10 forbids employees from following shoplifters outside the store.
“While shoplifting is a major casue of lost store profits, Walgreens believes, first and foremost, in the safety of our employees, customers and other possible bystanders,” the policy reads.
Sahota was able to get the license plate of the shoplifter’s car, and Sacramento police later arrested Jones and two companions who were wanted for an outstanding warrant and a parole violation.
“I got two criminals wanted by the cops off the streets,” Sahota said. “And my reward was getting fired.”
Court records show the shoplifter, Najiib Jones, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor theft and battery charges last week and was ordered to serve 90 days on the sheriff’s work project.
Source:news10
Three people shot-50 shots fired outside Nashville nightclub www.privateofficer.com
NASHVILLE, TN Sept 4 2012 - About 50 shots were fired outside a Nashville nightclub near Briley Parkway overnight, hospitalizing three people.
The shooting occurred outside Yea Baby’s on Murfreesboro Road near Kermit Drive just after 2:30 a.m.
Police said two groups of men began shooting back and forth when the club was closing for the night. This forced dozens of innocent bystanders to run for cover.
The three people who were shot are Javon Young, 21, Cedric Doss, 20, and Dantarius Hancock, 18. Police said Young was treated and released from Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Doss and Hancock are both in critical but stable condition at Vanderbilt.
Police said the victims may have been caught in the crossfire and were not involved in the shooting.
Four persons of interest were detained and interviewed by police. Three of the four were later released. The fourth, Michael Tate, 21, was taken into custody on outstanding warrants charging him with two counts of aggravated robbery. Tate is being held on $160,000 bond.
Three semiautomatic handguns were recovered near the scene of the shooting which may have stemmed from an argument inside the nightclub.
Nine to 11 cars were also hit by the gunfire.
Different Name, Same Problems
From 2010 to mid-2011, the club was called Silverado’s and had similar violence. Police responded to the club nearly 200 times, including five shootings.
Last year a judge declared Silverado’s a public nuisance and temporarily shut it down because of the trouble it caused when violence spilled over to neighboring businesses.
Source:WSMV
Volunteer Des Moines Police chaplain charged with theft www.privateofficer.com
Des Moines IA Sept 4 2012 A pastor who volunteered as a Des Moines Police Department assistant chaplain was arrested on Friday for felony theft.
Sherman Brown, 70, was charged with first-degree theft and dependent adult abuse by financial exploitation. It is unknown how much money Brown is accused of taking, but for that charge it had to be a minimum of $10,000, said Sgt. Chris Scott with the Des Moines Police Department.
Brown was power of attorney for a dependent adult man in a care facility. The police department was notified of suspicious activity with the dependent man’s finances by the Iowa Department of Human Services.
An investigation began in late July, at which time Brown voluntarily resigned as a volunteer chaplain. Brown also cooperated with the investigation, Scott said.
Source:DesMoines Register
Liberty Village security help police nab shoplifter www.privateofficer.com
Flemington Police gave the following account:
On Aug. 27, at about 2:30 p.m. Patrolman Louis Hribik received a call to respond to the Bass shoe outlet store in Liberty Village for a shoplifting complaint.
The manager of Bass told the patrolman that three Hispanic males, one wearing a white T-shirt with two large gold rings on his right hand, one in a red shirt and another in a white shirt, removed several pairs of shoes from the store.
The patrolman then checked the area and with the help of a Liberty Village security guard they were able to catch and detain two subjects, later identified as Robinson Cabrera-Camilo, 22, of Paterson and Fausto Peguero-Nunez, 24, also of Paterson.
The security guard told the patrolman that the third suspect ran though some houses towards Brown Street.
While other police officers were checking the area for the third suspect, Detective William Svard saw a male matching the description running near 179 Main St. carrying a bag of items.
The male was then detained without incident and identified as Benito Vinas-Castillo, 22, of Paterson.
All three subjects were placed under arrest and charged with shoplifting, theft and hindering. Bail was set at $25,000 full for all three subjects. They were lodged in the Hunterdon County Jail in lieu of bail.
Items from Bass, Nike, Jockey and Polo were recovered from the subjects.
American Food and Vending Co. employee charged with theft www.privateofficer.com
Lisa S. Crandell, 44, of 233 Winters Lane, Montoursville, has admitted to taking the money and using it to purchase lottery tickets between June 21 and July 13, police said.
Crandell, who has admitted to having “a gambling problem,” told investigators that she had “hoped to win enough money to repay her employer, but this did not occur,” an officer said in an affidavit. American Food Vending, located in the 400 block of East Third Street, manages the cafeteria at Shop Vac, police said.
Charged with theft of required disposition of funds, Crandell has been sent a summons to appear before District Judge James Carn.
