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Deputy sheriff resigns after wife steals patrol car www.privateofficer.com
April 29, 2009
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LAKELAND, Fla., April 28 2009 (UPI) — A Polk County, Fla., deputy with 21 years service resigned after his wife, a convicted felon, took his patrol car for a spin, sheriff’s officials said.
Deputy Charles Buckner, 44, turned in his badge after his wife, Gail Buckner, 38, allegedly used the car for a joy ride in Lakeland with her mother, Sharon Cooper, 54, and a friend, Alexander James Quintasket, 19, also a convicted a felon, The Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Tuesday.
The two women were charged with vehicle theft, theft of a firearm and impersonating a law-enforcement officer, arrest documents said.
Deputy Charles Buckner, 44, turned in his badge after his wife, Gail Buckner, 38, allegedly used the car for a joy ride in Lakeland with her mother, Sharon Cooper, 54, and a friend, Alexander James Quintasket, 19, also a convicted a felon, The Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Tuesday.
The two women were charged with vehicle theft, theft of a firearm and impersonating a law-enforcement officer, arrest documents said.
Gail Buckner also faces charges of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
Quintasket was arrested on similar charges.
The three were arrested Sunday after another sheriff’s deputy spotted the patrol car driving erratically and followed it to the Buckner home, the Sentinel reported, adding no information was immediately available on Gail Buckner and Quintasket’s convictions.
The three were arrested Sunday after another sheriff’s deputy spotted the patrol car driving erratically and followed it to the Buckner home, the Sentinel reported, adding no information was immediately available on Gail Buckner and Quintasket’s convictions.
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Alexander James Quintasket, Deputy Charles Buckner, deputy sheriff's wife steals police car, Gail Buckner, lakeland florida, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, national association of private officers, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, Sharon Cooper, www.privateofficer.com
Organized shoplifting ring busted stealing baby formula www.privateofficer.com
March 9, 2009
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Organized shoplifting ring busted stealing baby formula http://www.privateofficer.com
LAKELAND FLA Mar 9 2009 – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office today announced 21 arrests in what authorities say is a multimillion-dollar baby-formula theft ring operating in at least three states.
The men and women arrested face a variety of charges, including organized retail theft, shoplifting, possession of fake driver’s licenses, larceny and fraud. All are in the country illegally.
The investigation began in October, when Polk deputies stopped a vehicle while looking for a suspect in an aggravated battery.
Deputies found that the men in the vehicle were in the country illegally and that they were carrying stolen baby formula and had more stored in a local motel. Seven people were arrested that day.
Interviews with the men put investigators on the trail of an organization they say orchestrated the theft of thousands of cans of expensive powdered baby formula over the past several years.
Last week alone, detectives seized 1,955 cans of formula, representing about one week’s work for the theft ring, the sheriff’s office said. At $25 per can, that’s $48,875 worth of formula.
According to deputies, one of the women arrested said she had been stealing formula for seven years. Assuming the thieves kept up the same pace, they could have stolen $17.5 million in formula over that period.
To amass that much formula, teams of thieves would strike up to 15 stores in a single day, investigators said.
Based on accounts from the suspects, investigators learned that teams of two men would enter a store, leaving a getaway driver outside. They would walk straight into stores, load up carts with baby formula, then meet a team of women in a different aisle.
The women would fill oversized purses with the cans of formula, then simply walk out of the store.
The teams made no effort to cover up their thefts by buying other items, investigators said. They would hit the same store several times before moving on to another one.
For a day’s work, each individual involved in the ring would be paid between $100 and $300.
The lucrative theft ring was based in Atlanta, investigators said. Stolen formula was transported to North Carolina.
The men and women arrested face a variety of charges, including organized retail theft, shoplifting, possession of fake driver’s licenses, larceny and fraud. All are in the country illegally.
The investigation began in October, when Polk deputies stopped a vehicle while looking for a suspect in an aggravated battery.
Deputies found that the men in the vehicle were in the country illegally and that they were carrying stolen baby formula and had more stored in a local motel. Seven people were arrested that day.
Interviews with the men put investigators on the trail of an organization they say orchestrated the theft of thousands of cans of expensive powdered baby formula over the past several years.
Last week alone, detectives seized 1,955 cans of formula, representing about one week’s work for the theft ring, the sheriff’s office said. At $25 per can, that’s $48,875 worth of formula.
According to deputies, one of the women arrested said she had been stealing formula for seven years. Assuming the thieves kept up the same pace, they could have stolen $17.5 million in formula over that period.
To amass that much formula, teams of thieves would strike up to 15 stores in a single day, investigators said.
Based on accounts from the suspects, investigators learned that teams of two men would enter a store, leaving a getaway driver outside. They would walk straight into stores, load up carts with baby formula, then meet a team of women in a different aisle.
The women would fill oversized purses with the cans of formula, then simply walk out of the store.
The teams made no effort to cover up their thefts by buying other items, investigators said. They would hit the same store several times before moving on to another one.
For a day’s work, each individual involved in the ring would be paid between $100 and $300.
The lucrative theft ring was based in Atlanta, investigators said. Stolen formula was transported to North Carolina.
Deputies haven’t said what happened to it there because an investigation is still in progress, but they did warn consumers that deeply discounted baby formula available on the Internet and elsewhere is often stolen and may not be fresh.
Law enforcement agencies from throughout Central and South Florida collaborated on the investigation. They believe three more baby-formula theft rings are operating in the central part of the state.
Those arrested were: Eli Nimrod Castillo-Almendarez, 29; Nery Rodriguez, 24; Johny Zuniga, 23; Jose Urrutia, 26; Lucia Reyes, 30; Melba Ovellana, 31; Carlos Chacon, 22; Dania Hernandez, 24; Nelson Matute, 24; Carlos Hernandez, 23; Silvia Hernandez, 18; Neolvy Garcia, 34; Alexander Ponce, 25; Jefery Colindres, 19; Jose Chirinos-Hernandez, 25; Carmen Banega-Castillo, 22; Jessie Lopez, 36; Blanca Sevilla, 40; Eber Ramon Escalante-Almendarez, 19; David Ruiz, 26; and Sonya Ponce, 27.
Law enforcement agencies from throughout Central and South Florida collaborated on the investigation. They believe three more baby-formula theft rings are operating in the central part of the state.
Those arrested were: Eli Nimrod Castillo-Almendarez, 29; Nery Rodriguez, 24; Johny Zuniga, 23; Jose Urrutia, 26; Lucia Reyes, 30; Melba Ovellana, 31; Carlos Chacon, 22; Dania Hernandez, 24; Nelson Matute, 24; Carlos Hernandez, 23; Silvia Hernandez, 18; Neolvy Garcia, 34; Alexander Ponce, 25; Jefery Colindres, 19; Jose Chirinos-Hernandez, 25; Carmen Banega-Castillo, 22; Jessie Lopez, 36; Blanca Sevilla, 40; Eber Ramon Escalante-Almendarez, 19; David Ruiz, 26; and Sonya Ponce, 27.
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Categories: loss prevention, police, security made app/arrest
Alexander Ponce, baby formula, Dania Hernandez, Eli Nimrod Castillo-Almendarez, Johny Zuniga, lakeland florida, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, national association of private officers, Nelson Matute, Nery Rodriguez, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, www.privateofficer.com
Shooting at Publix plant leaves 1 dead, 1 wounded www.privateofficer.com
February 18, 2009
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Shooting at Publix plant leaves 1 dead, 1 wounded http://www.privateofficer.com
LAKELAND Fla Feb 18 2009 A fight between two former best friends apparently led to a fatal shooting Tuesday about 11:45 a.m. outside a Publix plant on George Jenkins Boulevard.
Police say Christopher J. Robinson, 21, of Lakeland shot Robinsonne Joseph, 26, of Haines City multiple times in the parking lot outside the fresh produce plant before entering his car and killing himself.
Joseph was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center with nonlife-threatening injuries. About 60 workers were inside the building at the time of the shooting.
The arguments between the two friends began about seven months ago, said Keyafi Edler of Lakeland, who said Robinson was the father of her three children.
Robinson relied on Joseph for rides to and from the plant, where they both packaged produce for shipment to Publix stores. But after Robinson got a car, he no longer needed rides from Joseph, and that’s when the tension began, Edler said.
Robinson felt Joseph was talking behind his back and saying Robinson just used him for rides, Edler said. Robinson kept a gun in his car and over several months threatened to do something if Joseph kept “pushing him.”
Edler said she thought he must have followed through with those threats Tuesday.
Robinson had an arrest record that included 2008 charges of domestic violence and carrying a concealed weapon, both of which were dropped, according to court records.
Edler said most people who knew Robinson wouldn’t expect him to be violent, but she said she had seen other sides of him.
“People say, ‘He’s so quiet. He’s so nice. He don’t bother nobody.’ When people found out about that, it’s a shocker. But when someone keep picking on him and bothering him, he can’t take it anymore, and he would react.”
Robinson’s relatives and family members of other plant workers waited outside the plant for information Tuesday. By 1 p.m., police still hadn’t notified relatives of Robinson’s death, but they appeared upset.
“Let’s wait until they tell us something. They don’t know nothing yet,” Robinson’s aunt Debrah Flournoy said to a woman who was crying.
While Publix spokeswoman Maria Brous said the facility was not on lock-down, workers were not allowed in or out of the building Tuesday afternoon until about 3:30 p.m. as police investigated the shooting and interviewed witnesses.
The facility does not have metal detectors, but there are security guards at each of the gates. Brous said Publix would provide workers with counseling.
Dwayne Tubbs said his wife worked at the plant with Robinson and Joseph. About 12:30 p.m., he received a call from one of her co-workers asking him to pick her up from work. He asked why, and she said there’d been a shooting.
“‘She can’t take it. She’s crying,’” he recalled the woman said. “So I just got in my car and zoomed over here.”
Once he arrived, he discovered his wife was stuck inside the building. Other parts of the facility remained operational, according to relatives waiting at the scene.
Police say Christopher J. Robinson, 21, of Lakeland shot Robinsonne Joseph, 26, of Haines City multiple times in the parking lot outside the fresh produce plant before entering his car and killing himself.
Joseph was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center with nonlife-threatening injuries. About 60 workers were inside the building at the time of the shooting.
The arguments between the two friends began about seven months ago, said Keyafi Edler of Lakeland, who said Robinson was the father of her three children.
Robinson relied on Joseph for rides to and from the plant, where they both packaged produce for shipment to Publix stores. But after Robinson got a car, he no longer needed rides from Joseph, and that’s when the tension began, Edler said.
Robinson felt Joseph was talking behind his back and saying Robinson just used him for rides, Edler said. Robinson kept a gun in his car and over several months threatened to do something if Joseph kept “pushing him.”
Edler said she thought he must have followed through with those threats Tuesday.
Robinson had an arrest record that included 2008 charges of domestic violence and carrying a concealed weapon, both of which were dropped, according to court records.
Edler said most people who knew Robinson wouldn’t expect him to be violent, but she said she had seen other sides of him.
“People say, ‘He’s so quiet. He’s so nice. He don’t bother nobody.’ When people found out about that, it’s a shocker. But when someone keep picking on him and bothering him, he can’t take it anymore, and he would react.”
Robinson’s relatives and family members of other plant workers waited outside the plant for information Tuesday. By 1 p.m., police still hadn’t notified relatives of Robinson’s death, but they appeared upset.
“Let’s wait until they tell us something. They don’t know nothing yet,” Robinson’s aunt Debrah Flournoy said to a woman who was crying.
While Publix spokeswoman Maria Brous said the facility was not on lock-down, workers were not allowed in or out of the building Tuesday afternoon until about 3:30 p.m. as police investigated the shooting and interviewed witnesses.
The facility does not have metal detectors, but there are security guards at each of the gates. Brous said Publix would provide workers with counseling.
Dwayne Tubbs said his wife worked at the plant with Robinson and Joseph. About 12:30 p.m., he received a call from one of her co-workers asking him to pick her up from work. He asked why, and she said there’d been a shooting.
“‘She can’t take it. She’s crying,’” he recalled the woman said. “So I just got in my car and zoomed over here.”
Once he arrived, he discovered his wife was stuck inside the building. Other parts of the facility remained operational, according to relatives waiting at the scene.
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Categories: police, security
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One shot, killed at Florida nightclub www.privateofficer.com
December 26, 2008
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One shot, killed at Florida nightclub http://www.privateofficer.com
LAKELAND FLA Dec 26 2008
By: Bryan Hill
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
www.privateofficer.com Police are investiating the murder of a 23-year-old man who was killed on the dance floor of a packed club Thursday.
Marc Metelus of Winter Haven was shot about 12:20 a.m. inside Gonzo’s Nightclub, 1239 E. Memorial Blvd. He was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center where he died about 1:15 a.m.
Police spokesman Jack Gillen said that several people inside the club began fighting and shots rang out inside the crowed nightclub.
Club owner Carlos Guerrero said he was standing outside the back door, urging loiterers to leave the parking lot, when three shots rang out. Security officers were also stationed inside and outside of the club prior to the shooting.
About 200 people who had packed into the club for Ladies Night fled through the doors, abandoning their drinks and knocking over tables, he said.
Guerrero said Metelus remained on the floor, a bullet lodged in his head.
Several employees at the club told Guerrero that Metelus and the male shooter, who had come to the defense of the woman, were regulars at Gonzo’s.
Eight security employees regularly enforce security at the club, Guerrero said. “I don’t know how a gun got in. That is a good question.”
Police are asking anyone with information to call Heartland Crime Stoppers at 800-226-8477 .
Florida Corrections records show Marc Metelus was on probation for various drug and driving offenses. Jail records reveal a history of arrests on drug possession and sale charges dating back to 2005.
Gillen said that he could not say whether police had identified a suspect and refused to comment on a motive.
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
www.privateofficer.com Police are investiating the murder of a 23-year-old man who was killed on the dance floor of a packed club Thursday.
Marc Metelus of Winter Haven was shot about 12:20 a.m. inside Gonzo’s Nightclub, 1239 E. Memorial Blvd. He was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center where he died about 1:15 a.m.
Police spokesman Jack Gillen said that several people inside the club began fighting and shots rang out inside the crowed nightclub.
Club owner Carlos Guerrero said he was standing outside the back door, urging loiterers to leave the parking lot, when three shots rang out. Security officers were also stationed inside and outside of the club prior to the shooting.
About 200 people who had packed into the club for Ladies Night fled through the doors, abandoning their drinks and knocking over tables, he said.
Guerrero said Metelus remained on the floor, a bullet lodged in his head.
Several employees at the club told Guerrero that Metelus and the male shooter, who had come to the defense of the woman, were regulars at Gonzo’s.
Eight security employees regularly enforce security at the club, Guerrero said. “I don’t know how a gun got in. That is a good question.”
Police are asking anyone with information to call Heartland Crime Stoppers at 800-226-8477 .
Florida Corrections records show Marc Metelus was on probation for various drug and driving offenses. Jail records reveal a history of arrests on drug possession and sale charges dating back to 2005.
Gillen said that he could not say whether police had identified a suspect and refused to comment on a motive.
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Husband kills wife as children watch www.privateofficer.com
August 24, 2008
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Husband kills wife as children watch http://www.privateofficer.com
Lakeland, Fla. Aug 24 2008
Kyle T. Greene
Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers
http://www.privateofficer.com/ Early Saturday morning, neighbors did not hear gunshots. Instead, Julie Clayton heard screams from the two girls next door.
“It just was shocking and [we] didn’t know what to do except just love on the girls as much as we could,” said Clayton.
12-year-old Paige and 7-year-old Jordan were in the kitchen with their parents. Soon, they were yelling over the fence for help.
“The older daughter was already on the phone with 911 and she told me ‘Ms. Julie, my daddy just shot my mommy and shot himself’,” said Clayton.
Larry Rimmer, 40, shot and killed his 37-year-old wife, Heather. Larry had a lawn maintenance service. Mrs. Rimmer was a beloved third grade teacher at South McKleen Elementary School.
“We’ve been neighbors for over five years and our girls played with their girls many a days, so it’s been tough,” said Clayton.
“Kids love her. They always have. She even taught my daughter,” said School Superintendant Harold Maready. “She wanted to make sure all of her kids learned, so she would make games, she would decorate her room. The environment in her room was just wonderful.”
The loss will be especially difficult for the school because both of the daugthers, Jordan and Paige, also attend South McKeel.
“It’s going to be devastating Monday. This is the second year that we’ve lost a teacher at the beginning of the year,” said Maready.
Last year, the band teacher died from an overdose. Counselors will be at the school on Monday to help both staff and students cope with the tragic loss. Meanwhile, neighbors say that the two girls are staying with their grandmother.
“It just was shocking and [we] didn’t know what to do except just love on the girls as much as we could,” said Clayton.
12-year-old Paige and 7-year-old Jordan were in the kitchen with their parents. Soon, they were yelling over the fence for help.
“The older daughter was already on the phone with 911 and she told me ‘Ms. Julie, my daddy just shot my mommy and shot himself’,” said Clayton.
Larry Rimmer, 40, shot and killed his 37-year-old wife, Heather. Larry had a lawn maintenance service. Mrs. Rimmer was a beloved third grade teacher at South McKleen Elementary School.
“We’ve been neighbors for over five years and our girls played with their girls many a days, so it’s been tough,” said Clayton.
“Kids love her. They always have. She even taught my daughter,” said School Superintendant Harold Maready. “She wanted to make sure all of her kids learned, so she would make games, she would decorate her room. The environment in her room was just wonderful.”
The loss will be especially difficult for the school because both of the daugthers, Jordan and Paige, also attend South McKeel.
“It’s going to be devastating Monday. This is the second year that we’ve lost a teacher at the beginning of the year,” said Maready.
Last year, the band teacher died from an overdose. Counselors will be at the school on Monday to help both staff and students cope with the tragic loss. Meanwhile, neighbors say that the two girls are staying with their grandmother.
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Categories: police
heather rimmer, husband kills wife, lakeland florida, larry rimmer, larry rimmer kills wife, loss prevention association, national association of private officers, privateofficer.com, security association, security guard association, security officer assaociation, security police association, south mckleen elementary school
Security employee charged with theft www.privateofficer.com
April 16, 2008
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Security employee charged with theft http://www.privateofficer.com
Lakeland Fla. April 16 2008
Lakeland police arrested a Sentry Barricades employee Friday for breaking into the building April 5 and using a forklift to load an all-terrain vehicle onto a Mitsubishi truck he also stole, Lakeland police said.
Andrew Colon Griffin, 37, of Lakeland was arrested and charged with burglary and two counts of grand theft, third-degree felonies, after other employees said Griffin had appeared disgruntled at the business earlier in the day, police said.
Lakeland police arrested a Sentry Barricades employee Friday for breaking into the building April 5 and using a forklift to load an all-terrain vehicle onto a Mitsubishi truck he also stole, Lakeland police said.
Andrew Colon Griffin, 37, of Lakeland was arrested and charged with burglary and two counts of grand theft, third-degree felonies, after other employees said Griffin had appeared disgruntled at the business earlier in the day, police said.
According to a report, the suspect cut the padlock on the west side of the building, which does not have a surveillance system or alarm, and used a forklift to remove the ATV from the back of a truck.
The suspect then used a Mitsubishi truck, which had the keys inside, to take the ATV and an acetylene torch system out of the complex, police said.
Police tracked down the stolen truck after it was abandoned without gasoline on Melody Lane in Lakeland.
Two witnesses later identified Griffin as the man they had seen asking for a ride after he ran out of gas, the report said.
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