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Local Elementary School Teacher Arrested on Sexual Offense Charges www.privateofficer.com
Rockville MD Feb 23 2013 An elementary school teacher was arrested Thursday, accused of sex offenses that allegedly took place at Meadow Hall Elementary School in Rockville, Md.
Montgomery County Police made the arrest after receiving information Wednesday from two 11-year-old female victims who said they were sexually abused by their teacher, Timothy Vincent Krupica.
An investigation revealed that Krupica, 30, inappropriately touched both victims and forced or attempted to force both victims to inappropriately touch him as well, police said.
Krupica, a resident of Frederick, Md., was charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a minor and several other sexual offense charges.
He is being held at the central processing unit until his bond review hearing Friday afternoon.
A fifth-grade teacher at Meadow Hall since 2009, the school district placed Krupica on administrative leave pending the investigation.
Source: NBC Washington
Man Shot Bouncer, Bystander In Md. Bar Fight www.privateofficer.com
ODENTON, Md.Jan 24 2013 — Police have issued an arrest warrant for a man that shot a bouncer and bystander at My Place Bar and Lounge in the 1600 block of Annapolis Road in Odenton, Md. on Saturday.
After an investigation, police say they learned there was a verbal fight between the bouncer and the patron, 25-year-old Raynard Boston, that led to Boston shooting the bouncer several times.
Police say an innocent bystander was also shot. Both victims were transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
According to police, the arrest warrant obtained for Raynard Boston, charges him with Attempted Second Degree Murder, First Degree Assault, Reckless Endangerment and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
Police need your help. Anyone with information regarding this crime is asked to call Detective Kevin Carberry of the Western District at 410-222-6155. Anyone who knows where the suspect is should call 9-1-1.
source-WUSA
Former State Department employee pleads guilty in an identity theft scheme www.privateofficer.com
No arrests have been made in the 2008 slaying of a co-conspirator in the scam, and D.C. police have said they have no information that the killing is connected to the identity theft scheme.
Twenty-six-year-old Rodney P. Quarles Jr., of Charlotte Hall, Md., a former low-level employee in the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, admitted in U.S. District Court of D.C. on Friday to a charge of conducting illegal transactions with credit cards. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
According to prosecutors, from September 2007 to 2008, Quarles worked in the Passport Office, where his job consisted mainly of destroying old passports and passports that had been reported lost or stolen. He got the job as a member of the department’s student work program.
As part of the conspiracy,
a mail sorter for the U.S. Postal Service stole credit cards from envelopes, and the names on these cards were passed along to Quarles. Using his position at the State Department, Quarles used the agency’s database to retrieve personal information to activate the credit card accounts.
Quarles accessed the files of least 700 people, court papers said. The identity theft ring stole credit cards and used them to obtain about $72,000 worth of in ATM withdrawals, jewelry, electronics, gift cards and designer clothing.
But the scheme unraveled in March 2008 during a routine traffic stop of one of the conspirators, a 24-year-old with the unusual name of Lieutenant Quarles Harris Jr.
D.C. police searched Harris’ vehicle and found more than dozen ziplock bags containing marijuana.
He arrested possession with intent to distribute. During a search of Harris, police found 19 credit cards and eight passport application printouts.
Harris revealed that his connections in the State Department and postal service.
He agreed to cooperate with federal investigators to tell a grand jury what he knew.
On April 17, 2008, police responding to the sound of gunshots and found Harris slumped dead over the steering wheel of his car in front of the Judah House Praise Baptist Church in Northeast D.C.
Armored truck driver charged after pointing gun at car www.privateofficer.com
Fed indicts 17 in $75 million Charlotte mortgage fraud scheme www.privateofficer.com
Md. man arrested for hiring undercover cop to kill wife www.privateofficer.com
Leesburg police say Wendell Mansel of Annapolis, Md., approached a man there several weeks ago for help with finding a contract killer.
The Leesburg resident contacted police, who arranged for Mansel to meet with an undercover officer. Police say Mansel spoke about his wish to have his wife killed.
Mansel was arrested on Friday after police say he drove to Leesburg to meet with the officer again, bringing a gun and other valuables as partial payment.
He’s been charged with attempted capital murder, murder-for-hire and soliciting murder-for-hire and is being held without bond. An attorney for him could not immediately be located.
Source:AP
North Virginia zoo director arrested for animal cruelty www.privateofficer.com
Authorities say 26-year-old Megan Mogensen of Silver Spring, Md., was arrested Friday following a 5-month investigation.
The probe began after officers got a complaint about the circumstances surrounding the death of a wallaby.
In addition to the animal cruelty charge, Mogensen was charged with possession of a controlled substance.
Authorities say the zoo did not have the appropriate permits or training to dispense the euthanasia drug that was used to kill the animal.
Maryland man given 66 months in prison for credit card fraud involving 700 victims www.privateofficer.com
ALEXANDRIA, Va. March 25 2012 Olubunmi Oladapo Komolafe, 33, of Laurel, Md., was sentenced Friday to 66 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in an identity theft and credit card skimming ring that involved more than 700 victims.
Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, David E. Beach, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office; M. Douglas Scott, Chief of Police, Arlington County Police Department; and J. Thomas Manger, Chief of Police, Montgomery County Department of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Anthony J. Trenga.
Komolafe was found guilty on Dec. 13, 2011 by a federal jury. According to court documents evidence at trial, Komolafe and co-conspirators led an identity theft ring that stole credit card numbers from restaurant customers in the Washington, D.C., metro area. Komolafe and his co-conspirators recruited, trained, and paid restaurant servers to swipe customers’ credit cards through a skimmer that recorded customer credit card numbers.
The men used the stolen credit card numbers to re-encode credit cards and gift cards to purchase gift cards and designer merchandise, and sometimes returned this merchandise for cash.
From at least January 2010 to June 2011, Komolafe and others facilitated thousands of fraudulent transactions from stolen credit card numbers throughout Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.
Four individuals have pleaded guilty for their roles in the identity theft and credit card skimming ring, including: William Samuel Martin, Usman Muhammed, Anthony Danero Thomas, and Raoul Lycorish, all from Maryland.
Source: WUSA
Former Sirius XM Radio administrator convicted in scheme to steal $1 million www.privateofficer.com
Washington DC Jan 9 2012 A former Sirius XM Radio administrator has been convicted in a scheme to pilfer nearly $1 million from the D.C. office of the satellite radio company.
Brenda L. Jones, 46, of Lothian, Md., pleaded guilty in federal court to one count conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the theft of more than $900,000.
Under federal sentencing guidelines, Jones likely faces two to two-and-a-half years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000. No sentencing date was set.
She also must make restitution, prosecutors said.
In 2005, Jones began working at what was then called XM Satellite Radio as an administrator in the accounts payable department in Washington.
Her duties included being responsible for payments to the business commercial vendors.
Shortly after her first day on the job, Jones and another XM Radio employee began to embezzle large payments that were supposed to be paid to XM vendors, but instead were paid from to Jones’ personal bank accounts.
Jones then gave a portion of the monies to the other XM employee, identified as an unindicted co-conspirator with the initials “V.P.”, according to court papers.
The duo covered up the scheme by altering data in the company’s accounting system.
Prosecutors said Jones resigned from XM Radio in July 2006, indicating to management that she got a job somewhere else.
But the checks continued to go to Jones, long after her leaving, prosecutors said.
In fact, most of the money, more than $690,000, went into Jones’ bank accounts after she no longer worked for the company, prosecutors said.
The theft was discovered when vendors complained that they had not received their payments. A company investigation revealed that employees paid themselves instead of cutting checks to vendors, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court in Greenbelt in 2010.
The New York-based company sued Jones and another former employee, Valencia P. Person, of Anne Arundel County. In June, the company won a $2 million judgment against the women.
Person has not been charged, according to a review of federal records.
The investigation is continuing, prosecutors said.
Source:washingtonexaminer.com
Drew University public safety officer assaulted www.privateofficer.com
Patrolman Anthony Maccario was contacted by Drew Public Safety Officers on Friday at 11:59 p.m.
The Drew officers said they had stopped three individuals on campus and had discovered they were not Drew Students. One of the three, Qawwee Harris, fled from the officers during questioning but was apprehended by a Drew University lieutenant who Harris allegedly punched in the face while he was being taken into custody.
Harris was charged with aggravated assault on a Drew public safety officer and criminal trespass on campus.
Also arrested were Richard Irving, 18, of Easton Pa., and Michael Irving, 20, of Temple Hills, Md., who were charged with criminal trespass.
All three were taken to police headquarters for processing. Richard Irving and Michael Irving were released pending a mandatory court appearance. Harris was released on $2,500 bail, pending a mandatory court appearance.
The Drew safety officer was taken to the hospital, treated for his injuries and later released.
Source:DailyRecord.com
Body found on top of 18-wheeler was suicide victim www.privateofficer.com
Maryland State Police say a driver saw a man fall over a pedestrian overpass and land on top of the trailer Tuesday afternoon. The driver called 911 and police in Virginia pulled the truck over on southbound I-95 near Lorton, about 11 miles away.
Police found the body of 38-year-old Jeffrey Matheny of Gaithersburg, Md., on top of the canvas-covered, open-bedded trailer, which was hauling waste products.
Matheny was pronounced dead at the scene. The medical examiner has ruled his death a suicide.
Shenandoah University students nabbed by security with drugs www.privateofficer.com
WINCHESTER VA Sept 8 2011 — City police arrested two Shenandoah University students on charges of having marijuana at a campus dorm early Tuesday morning.
Trace Nolan Rossi, 19, of Winchester, and Robert Dennis O’Brien, 20, of Fallston, Md., are each charged with one misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, according to Winchester police Sgt. Frank Myrtle. Both men live in the dorms on University Drive, according to court information.
A university security officer notified police about the suspected drugs, Myrtle said. Both men were arrested shortly after midnight without incident.
Officers recovered approximately 5 grams of marijuana during a search of the dorm room at the university building in the 600 block of Millwood Avenue, Myrtle said. The amount of the drug has a street value of $100, according to Myrtle.
Officers also seized suspected drug paraphernalia such as scales and plastic baggies, Myrtle said.
A judge in Winchester General District Court on Tuesday granted each man release pending the posting of $2,500 secured bond. The defendants appeared for their court hearings via video from the regional jail. The judge set their trial dates for Nov. 9, according to court information.
Police charge men with theft of Elk antlers from NRA convention www.privateofficer.com
Pittsburgh PA May 4 2011 Two men working for an exhibition service at the National Rifle Association convention over the weekend were arrested late Sunday for stealing two sets of elk antlers.
According to Pittsburgh police, the antlers were stolen from a vendor’s booth while the operator was waiting to pack up his truck at the loading dock of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
An employee at Velvet Ranch, a hunting lodge in Rexburg, Idaho, confirmed the antlers were stolen from the company’s booth but could not elaborate on what occurred.
The owner, who did not return messages left for him, told Pittsburgh police the antlers were priceless.
The theft was reported about 8:45 p.m. Sunday. Security officers in the area spotted two men on the east side of the convention center walking with the antlers, and they were detained.
Stephen C. Lee, 44, of Cumberland, Md., and Gary C. Felts, 49, of Joppa, Md., are charged with theft and criminal conspiracy, and taken to the Allegheny County Jail.
Both men worked for Brede Exposition Services, of Beltsville, Md.
Female security officer sues Md. company for discrimination www.privateofficer.com
Cristina McVicker, age unavailable, says in her lawsuit that she was an armed security guard for a contractor at the McKeesport Social Security Office when Knight Protective Service Inc. of Lanham, Md., took over the contract and her employment. Several of the company’s managers have told her they would prefer to have a male security guard in that position, and have since moved her to other buildings and hired two male guards for full-time positions instead of her, the lawsuit says.
McVicker is seeking compensatory and punitive damages and either reinstatement to the McKeesport office with her previous hours or placement into one of the full-time positions she applied for.
A company spokesman couldn’t immediately be reached for comment
Source:www.pittsburghlive.com
Maryland helicopter crash kills four www.privateofficer.com
The aircraft was engulfed when firefighters arrived at the scene minutes after receiving a call at 10:30 p.m. Thursday, said Washington County emergency services director Kevin Lewis. No vehicles on the highway were hit when the helicopter smashed into the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70. All four aboard the helicopter were killed, though there were no injuries on the ground.
Three people who worked for Advanced Helicopter Concepts in Frederick and a passenger were killed in the crash, one of its instructors, Gary Smith, said Friday morning. He said the company had suffered a “huge loss.”
“We thank everyone for their support and understanding during this difficult time,” he said, declining to release further details. Smith said the company was cooperating with National Transportation Safety Board investigators. The company trains pilots, takes photographers on aerial tours and fixes and sells helicopters, according to its Web site.
Advanced Helicopter Concepts’ office sits at the end of a hangar at Frederick Municipal Airport, where small planes could be seen taking off and landing Friday morning. Several cars were parked outside the office.
Visibility was somewhat limited by fog at the time of the crash, but it wasn’t clear if weather played a role, Lewis said. Storms had passed through the area earlier in the night.
Lewis said a witness saw the craft flying low when a bright arc of electricity flashed in the air, apparently caused by the helicopter striking a power line. It wasn’t clear if the craft was already on its way down when it hit the lines.
“The witness basically saw a large arc at which point the helicopter crashed onto the interstate,” Lewis said. Before seeing the arc, the witness thought the helicopter might have been trying to land along the roadway.
Troopers temporarily shut down lanes in both directions at the crash site near Smithsburg, which is about 10 miles east of Hagerstown, and Lewis said there were downed power lines in the interstate. The highway was reopened early Friday.
Wreckage could be seen just off the shoulder of the three eastbound lanes. A blade jutted out from twisted metal. The wreckage is almost directly beneath a set of power lines.
Federal Aviation Administration records list the owner of the four-seat Robinson R44 helicopter as Marsan Aviation Inc., of Wilmington, Del. Telephone messages weren’t immediately returned early Friday by an attorney for Marsan listed in FAA records.
Maryland State police, who are in charge of the investigation, declined to release the victims’ names until family members were notified. Investigators from the NTSB and the FAA were also at the scene west of the Washington County-Frederick County line, on the western slope of a ridge known as South Mountain.
Maryland State police spokesman Greg Shipley said the bodies were being taken to the state medical examiner in Baltimore. Any information about the owner of the aircraft and the cause of the crash will come from NTSB, which will conduct a briefing Friday morning at the Hagerstown Regional Airport.
Frederick Municipal Airport Manager Kevin Daugherty said Friday morning he was shocked by news of the accident. He said Advanced Helicopter Concepts had been at the airport for well over 10 years and was a “top-notch operation.”
“They run a very safe, efficient operation. They’re great tenants,” Daugherty said. “We are obviously very distraught over this. We are all still in shock that this happened.” He said he had spoken to employees of the company and that “they’re grieving very much.” Daugherty said operations at the airport continue as normal as possible.
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