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“Skill Set Training Model” facilities for private security set to open www.privateofficer.com
PRESS RELEASE Charlotte NC March 15 2013 Private Officer International, a leader in the private security training arena announced today that four regional “Skill Set Training Model” facilities will be established in the United States during the next two years. The first facility, located in Atlanta Georgia will open in September.
The SSTM facilities will include a “Shoot House” and eight scenario based internal and external modules that will simulate the most frequent situations that private security and law enforcement officers are faced with while on duty.
The latest tools and weapons utilizing simunition, laser and defensive weapons and techniques will be taught as part of the SSTM curriculum. The SSTM programs will be available in one-two and five day blocks and Continuing Education Units will be awarded upon successful completion of the course. The facilities will also be wired with the latest audio and video technology to record and playback training activities for assessment and critique which will further enhance the learning experience.
In addition to the campus based programs, the entire eight blocks of training will be available to be brought to secondary locations and train personnel at their office, school, mall or training facility upon request.
The Skill Set Training Model has been used for many years by POI in seminars and classroom training and has been enhanced to accommodate live-hands on- real life training that engages the student to think, respond, confront and overcome the challenges and the dangers of being an officer on the front line in today’s world.
Strategic Partners will be needed to expand this skill based training and inquiries may be made to: helpdesk@privateofficercom
Further information on the new SSTM, locations, opening dates and available courses will be updated regularly at www.privateofficer.com.
Security officer rescued from flooded mall www.privateofficer.com
By: Rick McCann/Staff
PRIVATE OFFICER NEWS
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Emergency crews continued their rescue operations as flood waters continued to swamp many areas of the city.
Police said that a mall security officer also had to be rescued from the Warwick Mall because he was stranded inside the shopping center on Wednesday.
Firefighters were able to use a boat to get the mall security officer out.
“He had been there for the last 24, 25 hours or so, and they felt as though it was getting to be a situation where he might have been panicking a little bit, a health issue,” said Bruce Cooley of the Warwick Fire Department.
Water had completely flooded out the parking lot right up to the mall doors.
That guard had refused to leave his post even as the mall area flooded.
Gov. Don Carcieri has ordered the continuation of the state of emergency in effect from the storm two weeks ago.
The Pawtuxet River, which is expected to reach an all-time high of 20 feet, flooded homes and backyards in Warwick on Tuesday. Some local emergency crews evacuated residents and responded to those in need via wave runners.
“We don’t want anybody to be caught in a situation where there is a flash flood or where it rises so quickly that they’re trapped in their property. It puts not only those families but the responders at risk to get them out of there,” said J. David Smith of Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency.
Authorities said that the security officer was in good condition but did not release his name.
Dance teacher arrested for rape of student www.privateofficer.com
Dawhone Perry, who runs the popular New Dimensions Dance Academy, has been charged with rape but was released from police custody on bond, WFTV, Orlando, Fla., reported Tuesday.
A former student has accused Perry of having sex with her between 800 and 900 times during a three-year relationship that allegedly started in 2005 when she was 15, WFTV said.
Perry’s arrest reportedly came after Brevard County sheriff’s investigators recorded a conversation between Perry and his alleged victim during which Perry allegedly admitted he was “sorry for what he did.”
Casino security arrest serial burglary suspect www.privateofficer.com
Casino security officers arrested Bernard Snead just after midnight Wednesday as he tried to flee Caesars Atlantic City, where surveillance operator Art Lin had spotted him on video. The 43-year-old Pleasantville man was wanted in the Dec. 12 burglary of five vending machines at the Claridge Hotel Towers.
After Caesars security officer Jim Menz and Bally’s officer Jean Morales apprehended Snead, he was found with items from a vending machine burglary at Caesars earlier in the night, police said.
Snead is charged with criminal mischief, burglary and theft in both cases, and he is being held in the Atlantic County Jail in lieu of $15,000 bail. He was also arrested in December 2004 for breaking into 17 vending machines at six different casinos.
Atlantic City resident James Hill, 50, was arrested Jan. 4 outside Showboat Casino-Hotel on suspicion of breaking into a vending machine there. Police recovered evidence of several other machine burglaries at Showboat. Hill also was charged with criminal mischief, burglary and theft.
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School security guard arrested, fired for smoking pot with teen www.privateofficer.com
Larry Brown, 63, was dismissed from his job at the high school during a closed session portion of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District board meeting on Tuesday night. Brown had been on unpaid leave since his arrest in November.
Jim Watson, the district’s Human Resources Director, declined to comment on details of Brown’s dismissal because it is a personnel matter, but confirmed Brown is no longer a security guard at the high school.
“I can verify that Larry Brown is not currently employed by Lake Tahoe Unified School District,” Watson said.
An El Dorado County Sheriff’s deputy arrested Brown during a traffic stop after allegedly smelling marijuana coming from a vehicle occupied by Brown and the teenage girl. The pair told the deputy that they had smoked marijuana and drank beer together, according to authorities.
Prosecutors have charged Brown with a single count of employing a minor for unlawful transactions, a felony. Conviction of the charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in state prison.
A pre-preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Jan. 29.
Brown’s attorney, John Castellanos, did not immediately return a request for comment on Wednesday afternoon.
Conviction of a crime is not required to dismiss classified employees at the district, Watson said. Classified employees include non-certified employees like administrative assistants, janitors and security guards, Watson said.
“There are requirements for behavior and performance that may run different from a court of law, that may require dismissal or discipline,” Watson said.
The school district employs two full time security guards at the high school and is embarking on a new system where a pool of pre-screened security guards will be maintained on an as needed basis, Watson said. The system will provide security to students and staff, while reducing costs at a time that is likely to see more belt-tightening at the district, Watson said. Currently, there are four people in the security guard pool, Watson said.
South Lake Tahoe Police Aaron Crawford will also take over as the high school’s resource officer following the retirement of former school resource officer Scott Willson, Watson said.
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Security officer stops crime spree www.privateofficer.com
news channel 8 – A security guard may be responsible for stopping a crime spree Monday night.
It all started with two armed robberies and a car theft at the Riverview Park Apartments near 21st and South Jackson Avenue.
Police found the car abandoned a few blocks away, but no suspects. A short time later, a Utica Square security guard witnessed what he believed was a drug deal and began to pursue the car as it was leaving.
Just as police arrived, three people got out of the car and scattered. One of them climbed onto the roof of a business, but officers were able to surround the building and get him down.
Two of the three men were captured and police say both had a large amount of marijuana on them. The suspects were also identified by the robbery victims.
A third suspect was able to get away.
Laid-off Cleveland police will work security www.privateofficer.com
Many of those officers came to the union hall for information and help. The union will pay them about $1,000 a month.
And Sheriff Bob Reid will make them “Special Deputies,” with police powers, so they can perform security work.
The reality of the layoffs now starting to sink in.
“I think it finally hit me when I had to turn in my gun and badge, which I worked so hard to get,” said laid-off Officer Brent Hathaway.
The city argues that the union should accept 4 percent concessions to help fill a big budget hole. Many other unions have approved concessions, saving 240 jobs.
“We asked for minor concessions, basically four cents on the dollar. We hope they come back to the table. We can’t create money. We can’t print money,” said Cleveland Safety Director Martin Flask.
Mayor Frank Jackon’s insisting on concessions to help fill a $23 million budget hole.
The CPPA proposed delaying payments from court settlements, having schools pay for officers performing security work, and shifting schedules to save money.
The city’s insisting on givebacks of fees and paid days off.
“If the union decided to accept concessions, we would get members back on the street in 72 hours,” Cleveland Police Chief Michael McGrath promised.
CPPA President Steve Loomis calls his officers the busiest and lowest paid big-city department in Ohio.
“They won’t balance the budget on our backs,” he said.
Some laid-off officers are still hopeful.
“When they call us back, I’ll be ready to work again. This is what I do. I’m a police officer,” said laid-off officer Johnny Harris.
But right now, there’s no sign when that might happen.
Shoplifter sent to prison for injuring security agent www.privateofficer.com
news-herald.com A Cleveland woman was sentenced Monday to four years in prison for stealing groceries at a Willowick Marc’s and then striking a security guard with her car as she escaped.
Atosha Redrick, 32, and 26-year-old Cleveland resident Tiffany Sanders left the Lake Shore Boulevard store in August without paying for $59.15 worth of groceries.
A female security guard — recognizing Redrick as someone who had shoplifted at the store the week before — followed the women to the parking lot, Chief Assistant Lake County Prosecutor Karen Kowall said.
Instead of stopping, the women — with Redrick at the wheel — escaped in a Ford Taurus, striking the 31-year-old security guard, breaking a bone and dislocating her right ankle.
“The security officer did what she was supposed to do,” Kowall said.
“Now she has six screws in her ankle and cannot return to work.”
Police attempted to pull over Redrick, but Redrick did not stop until she got near East 170th Street in Cleveland.
Redrick pleaded guilty last month in Lake County Common Pleas Court to aggravated robbery and failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer.
Redrick said her criminal behavior led to her losing her nursing license and time with her children.
Assistant Lake County Public Defender Margaret Campbell asked Judge Vincent A. Culotta to give Redrick probation with local jail time, plus treatment for her drug and mental health issues.
“This was basically a shoplifting that went bad,” Campbell said.
“Her friend told her there was a warrant for her arrest, and Atosha panicked. She does not recall hitting the individual. If she had realized she had injured someone, she would have stopped and done the right thing. She made poor choices that turned a simple shoplifting into a horrible accident.”
Culotta said he had no choice but to send Redrick to prison because the security guard — who did not attend the hearing — suffered serious and permanent physical harm.
In addition, Redrick was on probation and out on bond for a different felony theft offense when she was arrested for the Willowick case.
“You knew police were following you, but you kept going,” said the judge, who also suspended Redrick’s driver’s license for six years after her release.
Redrick could have received up to 11 1/2 years in prison.
Redrick’s co-defendant/passenger previously pleaded no contest to and was found guilty of a misdemeanor theft charge in Willoughby Municipal Court. Sanders was sentenced to a $1,000 fine with $800 suspended and 90 days in jail with 80 days suspended.
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Ohio teacher caught having sex with student www.privateofficer.com
Source: Dayton News
Police say a teacher at the Upper Valley Joint Vocational School in Piqua has been arrested on suspicion of sexual contact with a student there.
Capt. Chris Anderson of the Troy Police Department said Thursday, Dec. 31, that Eric Williams, 32, was arrested by a Troy police officer after he was found after 7 p.m. Wednesday at Duke Park in the company of the juvenile female.
The officer was checking the park after it closes, which is after dark, Anderson said.
The student and teacher had driven to the park in separate vehicles but at the time of the arrest, both were in one of the vehicles, Anderson said.
Thursday night Williams remained in the Miami County Jail on suspicion of one count of sexual battery, a third-degree felony. The juvenile was released to her parent’s custody.
Williams could be arraigned Monday morning, Anderson said
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Security officer rescues kidnapped victims www.privateofficer.com
PRIVATE OFFICER NEWS
NETWORK
http://www.privateofficer.com/ Police detectives said that an alert private security officer patrolling the city overnight found two kidnapped victims.
Police said that they are now searching for the three people who left a mother and son out in the cold early on Friday, shivering and in distress when it was 4 degrees.
A security officer , who police did not identify, found Irma Mendez, 21, and Alex Mendez, 4, of Des Moines, shortly before 2 a.m., walking in the 2200 block of University Avenue.
The officer stopped to assist the mother and child and put them in his vehicle and called 911.
Police officers arrived shortly and determined that the woman and her son were abducted from their apartment after midnight by men who were drunk.
The woman said there was a knock at the door and that when she opened it three men forced their way inside and forcefully took them to a white truck.
After the men drove around for awhile Irma and Alex Mendez were left in the street, she told officers. The woman said that she had previously dated one of the men for a short time.
Police said mother and son were very cold. Alex was crying and shivering. “I noticed that his feet and lower legs were blue,” Reserve Officer Benjamin Bonanno said in a report. “I called rescue who came and helped re-warm Mendez and her son.” The mother said she did not want to go to a hospital.
Officers escorted Mendez and her son to their apartment. One of her roommates had returned by that time, officers said in a report, and she felt safe staying there.
Officer Bonanno said, “Both Mendez and her son appeared to be recovered from the cold when we left.”
Police said that the security officer prevented serious injury to both the woman and child when he brought them into a warm vehicle and that his actions may have made a difference on the outcome of the safety of these victims.
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Three charged in computer robbery at Best Buy www.privateofficer.com
Tips to Crime Stoppers helped the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office to identify the suspects from the bold December 15th robbery.
David Ford, Jr. and Winifred Guillen were charged with robbery with a deadly weapon and Jessie McCambridge-Ford was charged with grand theft.
Guillen and Ford were in the Best Buy according to authorities trying to steal four HP laptops when they were confronted by the store’s security person.
Detectives say Ford pointed a knife at the officer threatening to cut him if he did not get away. McCambridge-Ford, according to deputies, drove the getaway vehicle that was taken from JB Auto Sales under the pretense she was using it for a test drive.
All three subjects were arrested without incident.
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Shotgun toting robber holds up armored car www.privateofficer.com
ASPEN HILL, Md.Dec 24 2009
According to police a man held up an armored truck outside an Aspen Hill bank Wednesday morning and then vanished.
Officers said that the man was carrying a shotgun as he approached the driver of an armored car outside of a Wachovia Bank in the 3800 block of International Drive.
The suspect is described as a black male, 25 to 30 years old, between 6 feet and 6 feet, 3 inches tall, with a heavy build and a goatee. He was wearing a dark shirt and blue jeans.
The man fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. No one was injured.
Anyone with any information about the incident or the suspect is asked to call the Montgomery County Police Robbery Section at 240-773-5100, or submit a tip anonymously at 1-866-411-TIPS.
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Security-bouncer stabbed breaking up fight www.privateofficer.com
A 29-year-old Elyria man was stabbed in the leg and chest yesterday morning after trying to break up a fight inside Benchwarmers Sports Bar and Grille. One man has been arrested in connection with the stabbing, while someone who fired a gun during the fight is still on the run from police.
Officers were called to 11 Lake Ave. around 2:30 a.m. after a fight broke out in a hallway that connects Benchwarmers to Mardi Gras Lounge. Brian Helke, who works as a security-bouncer at Benchwarmers, tried to break up the fight, but was punched in the eye and knocked to the ground, according to an Elyria police report.
After the fight broke up, Helke was approached by Frederick Ferris, who began fighting him and ended up on top of him. Ferris allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed Helke in the chest and leg before fleeing out a Lake Avenue exit, police said.
Ferris was stopped a few minutes later as he was walking on Middle Avenue near Ely Square. No weapons were found on him, but a black-handled kitchen knife was later discovered at the north end of Ely Square across from the Lake Avenue intersection, police said.
Ferris was charged with felonious assault and tampering with evidence.
Later on, officers were called back to the bar after workers found a shell casing and a handgun magazine. A bullet hole was also found in the wall, which police believe was fired during the fight. A gun was found discarded in a sewer on Washington Avenue, outside of Mardi Gras Lounge, police said. The gun, which is listed as stolen through the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office, was taken from an Eaton Township home in December 2008.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Elyria Police Department at (440) 323-3302.
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Argument at assisted-living facility leads to murder www.privateofficer.com
An argument in an assisted-living residence at 270 E. Second St. between two men in wheelchairs turned violent in the early hours of Sat., Dec. 19, and one of them stabbed the other to death, police said.
The suspect, Felipe Rivera-Cruz, 51, plunged a folding knife four times into the chest of the victim, Ronal Garcia, 24, at 4:12 a.m. in a second-floor hallway of the four-story Barrier Free Living residence between Avenues C and D, according to the complaint filed by the Manhattan district attorney. Garcia was taken to Beth Israel Medical Center with several other stab wounds in addition to the four fatal ones, and was declared dead soon after.
The stabbing, which staff members saw in progress on a surveillance monitor, followed an argument an hour or so earlier when the victim had made fun of the suspect, according to reports. Police also responded to the earlier call, but said it was just an argument with no injuries and neither party wanted to file charges. However, a New York Times report quoted a witness as saying the suspect had sustained a cut on his forehead during the earlier incident, and the victim had phoned his family in the Bronx between the first and second calls.
A security guard, who got to the scene too late to prevent the stabbing, observed the folding knife in the suspect’s hand, took it from him, and then called 911, the complaint says.
The nonprofit Barrier Free Living residence, operated under contract to the city, is one of the few that are completely accessible to wheelchairs. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeless Services said the city is investigating the circumstances of the stabbing.
Rivera-Cruz was held on charges of second-degree murder and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon pending a Dec. 24 court appearance
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Wal-Mart settles with girl fondled in SC www.privateofficer.com
The State reported Thursday that Wal-Mart agreed last week to pay a girl an undisclosed sum after she was fondled by an employee who was a registered sex offender in 2004 at a store in Orangeburg.
The newspaper reported that Wal-Mart began conducting criminal background checks on new hires at its stores within weeks of that incident.
A spokeswoman for Wal-Mart’s corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., Daphne Moore, would not discuss the Dec. 16 settlement on Wednesday. But Moore said the matter has been resolved.
The family’s attorney, David Massey of Columbia, said he’s glad the lawsuit has been resolved.
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Security officer assaulted in robbery www.privateofficer.com
Brett Davis/Staff
PRIVATE OFFICER NEWS
NETWORK
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Police responded to an incident at a local dollar store and say that three people were arrested Wednesday after a robbery.
Police said that the three are accused of stealing from a west side Dollar General Store.
Officers responded to the store at around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and found a security officer in a battle with several people.
Investigators said that two men and one juvenile walked into the store at 6901 North Mesa, and the two men tried stealing a few items.
When approached by a security officer, the group began assaulting the officer and tried to flee.
All three were arrested and now face robbery charges.
Police have not yet released their identity.
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Cincinnati police officer killed in Afghanistan www.privateofficer.com
Hundreds attended the visitation Tuesday morning for Tech Sgt. Anthony C. “Tony” Campbell, who was killed while trying to disarm an improvised explosive device last week. The Air Force Tech Sgt. was serving in Afghanistan as an explosive ordinance disposal specialist.
Campbell, 35, had been serving as a Cincinnati police officer for just a few weeks before he was deployed.
“He was my best friend and a wonderful husband and father,” said his widow, Emily Campbell.
Campbell’s statements came from a program given to those who attended the visitation at Florence Baptist Church at Mt. Zion.
“He dedicated his life to his country,” Campbell’s statement continued.
Hundreds upon hundreds stood in line for a chance to express their sympathy for the family.
The 1992 Boone County high school graduate had his mother sign his enlistment papers at the age of 17 so he could join the Air Force.
In 2009 he became a Cincinnati police officer and served at downtown’s district one headquarters before he was deployed to Afghanistan.
In an additional statement Emily Campbell thanked the community for their support at this most difficult time.
“On behalf of the Campbell family I would like to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation for the outpouring of love and support we have received over the last week. The love that has been shown for my husband, Anthony, myself, and our grieving family has gone beyond my imagination,” Campbell said.
Campbell also leaves behind three children.
His 2-year-old son saluted his father before the service began.
During the funeral, Campbell was remembered by his best friend, Chris Webster.
“Anthony Campbell Junior was a father, a husband, a son, a grandson, a brother, an uncle and a friend,” said Webster, Campbell’s Best Friend. “He was a union brother to two of the biggest families in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Police Department and the Plumbers and Pipe fitters Local 392 and a member to an even bigger family the United States Air Force. I’ve known Tony for 24 years and trust me when I say Tony was doing exactly what he wanted to do.”
Cincinnati Police Chief Tom Streicher also paid tribute to Campbell.
“Tony put himself in harms way so that other people could be protected. Other people in a community much larger that what we experience here in the Greater Cincinnati area in fact his community was the entire world and I think that’s something that speaks volume about his character, his tenacity and about his commitment to duty,” said Chief Tom Streicher of Cincinnati Police. “In my estimation, each and everyone one of us owe him a debt of gratitude for his loyal service to his community and to his country.”
Air Force commanders posthumously awarded Campbell the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and the Combat Action Medal.
Tech Sgt. Campbell was escorted to the Veterans Cemetery in Williamstown where he was laid to rest.
“Tony Campbell was a great American, Tony Campbell is a hero in our minds, and he will live in our hearts forever,” said Streicher.
Pot store guard fired for being “over aggressive” www.privateofficer.com
The dispensary owner said he was let go for being “over-aggressive and scary.” The dispensary’s owner said Earth Cann has hired two new guards who are “nice and professional.”
Former security guard George Covarrubias was hired to keep an eye on the parking lot of Earth Cann Wellness Center in Lake Forest Here he’s shown outside the dispensary in October.
Club owner Shannon Saccullo immediately posted warning signs – telling club members that marijuana prescriptions must remain in a sealed bag until they are taken home – and hired Covarrubias to enforce the dispensary’s rules.
In a short time Covarrubias made sure there was no smoking and loitering around Earth Cann or other businesses. He stopped “drug deals,” he said. He also developed a rapport with nearby businesses and introduced himself, asking for their worries and input.
Covarrubias said he suspended about eight people from use of the club – including one he characterizes as a good customer.
Covarrubias said he also called police when it seemed that violations of the zero tolerance policy were taking place outside his area of patrol.
In one case Covarrubias said he caught a club member packing a bowl of marijuana and smoking it.
“He buys a quarter pound at a time and at $300 an ounce, he spends $1,200 each time,” said Covarrubias. “I set high standards for the place and was professional,” he said. “They treated me like I was an old gang banger. I got spit on, almost got knocked down by speeding cars and got flipped off.”
Covarrubias said he is disappointed by his removal.
Saccullo said she received countless complaints about Covarrubias’ aggressive behavior.
“People were coming into the club saying ‘your security guard is really obsessed,’” she said. “I told him to mellow out and be nice to people. He was not approachable and polite. I want people to have a positive experience in the club and not to be hassled.”
Since November police have not gotten reports of any problems associated with the dispensary.
Vickie Simpson, executive director of Us Too Center which focuses on special needs children, is familiar with the dispensary and located in the neighboring business park.
“Before the security guards people would speed through the parking lot and we saw multiple drug transaction right in front of our door,” said Simpson. “Now we have no problems at all.”
Earth Cann’s membership has grown to more than 2,500 now, almost 1,000 more since late October.
In November the dispensary won a lawsuit against its landlord, which tried to evict the business, when a judge rejected the landlord’s argument that the dispensary should be forced to close because it allegedly violated a city zoning rule.
David Welch, an attorney who represented Earth Cann, called Superior Court judge’s ruling a victory in the medical marijuana battle.
City officials – who on Sept. 1 announced that complaints had been filed against 35 people associated with 14 dispensaries.– said the tenant-landlord dispute will have no affect on the city’s legal efforts to close down dispensaries citywide.
“If the landlord takes action to remove the tenant and they are removed, that’s one less dispensary the city would have to close,” said Jeff Dunn, a partner with Best, Best & Krieger, representing the city in its legal action against the dispensaries.
“The city has taken legal action to close all storefronts in Lake Forest. But if the landlord doesn’t do it, it won’t change what the city will do. Nothing has happened that will affect the city’s process to move forward.”
Dunn said all dispensaries – now more than 20 – could be shut down by early next year.
But Saccullo remains optimistic and hopes the city will agree to regulate a few of the dispensaries that a re running legitimate businesses.
“Things are great,” said Saccullo adding that club members are bringing in cans for the needy for the holidays. “I have a book of 100 testimonials of what medical marijuana is doing for people. I’ll be the poster child for how a business liker this should be run. I’m very proud of it.”
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Blufton teacher charged with sexual misconduct with minor www.privateofficer.com
The 36-year-old former Bluffton-Harrison schools teacher Tracey Pace faces sexual misconduct charges.
Police in Bluffton say Pace performed sexual acts on a teenager from January to March in 2007.
She was not a teacher at the time.
Pace is also charged with sending pornographic pictures to a minor in 2007.
Pace has been arrested and is being held in the Wells County Jail on $30,000 bond.
Pace is on administrative leave from her teaching position.
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Florida cop busted for DUI accident www.privateofficer.com
But that goal and his law enforcement career were endangered by his arrest this weekend on charges that the off-duty officer drunkenly crashed into two different vehicles, then drove away.
Green, 30, was arrested early Saturday on charges of driving under the influence/crash, DUI involving property damage and two counts of leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage.
Both incidents took place on Fourth Street N about 10 p.m. Friday, according to St. Petersburg police.
The first crash took place as Green attempted to pass a vehicle near the 3500 block of Fourth Street.
Both vehicles were headed north. Green drove over the raised concrete median while passing a 2009 Honda sedan, police said, and struck the driver’s side mirror of that vehicle.
The Honda’s driver was not injured, but police said the officer didn’t stop after the collision.
Instead, Green continued north on Fourth. Police said Green’s vehicle struck another vehicle at 38th Avenue N and Fourth Street. Police said no one was injured in that crash, but that Green kept going.
After the incidents, officers searched the area and found Green’s damaged vehicle parked outside his Shore Acres home.
Green, who was off duty, was still inside the vehicle, according to police. His blood-alcohol level tested at 0.179 and 0.173. Florida law presumes a driver is impaired at 0.08 or greater.
He was arrested and booked into the Pinellas County jail about 3:30 a.m. Saturday. He could not be reached for comment Monday.
Green, a graduate of Lakewood High School and the University of South Florida, has been a patrol officer since November 2005. His personnel file shows nothing but positive reviews.
His file also showed that he has never been disciplined by the department. Green was involved in three crashes while driving his police cruiser, according to records, but only one incident was declared “preventable.” He received a warning for that incident.
According to police, he was placed on administrative duty pending an internal investigation. After the investigation, a chain-of-command board will determine any disciplinary action.
Shoplifter captured after stabbing Wal-Mart agent www.privateofficer.com
Officers learned that a security guard, Terry Edward Counts, of Vanceboro, had been cut by a man trying to take shoes from the store. Counts told officers he followed the suspect out of the store, and the man turned around and attacked him, cutting his arm repeatedly.
The suspect fled the scene on foot, and thanks to citizens who provided officers with information on his movements, police pursued him across Highways 17 and 70 to Egret Circle in the Woodland Crossing Apartment complex. As part of the New Bern Police Department’s Holiday Task Force, numerous officers were already in the immediate area, which allowed for a rapid response time. The suspect, Randolph Jones, Jr., of 728 Cedar St., was apprehended within 10 minutes of the call to police.
Counts was taken to Carolina East Medical Center and then airlifted to Pitt Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Jones has a criminal history that includes larceny, assault, trespassing, common law robbery, shoplifting and felony breaking and entering. He was charged with Larceny and Assault with a Deadly Weapon with Intent to Kill Inflicting Serious Injury.
He was placed in the Craven County jail under a $150,000 bond and scheduled to make a first appearance in court December 28, 2009.
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$5 Million taken in armored car robbery www.privateofficer.com
The spokesman for the FBI office in San Juan, Harry Rodriguez, said that the six or seven criminals came on Monday morning to the company facilities, where they overpowered several guards charged with the custody of the vehicle’s shipment.
The robbers unloaded the money and fled in the vehicle they arrived in without injuring any of the Ranger American employees.
Police chief Jose Figueroa Sancga said that he will cooperate with the FBI to solve the case as quickly as possible, noting that practically 100 percent of armored car robberies in Puerto Rico end with the arrests of the criminals.
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Three friends guilty in Wal-Mart employee murder www.privateofficer.com
Timothy Smith, Anthony Howe and Amber Talbot, who pleaded guilty to murder and conspiracy in the October 2008 death of 25-year-old Christopher Gray, sat at adjoining tables in court as the victim’s family members tearfully remembered him and berated his killers.
“Just remember that night,” said David Kemp, 33, Gray’s brother. “I hope it eats you and eats you and eats you until can’t take it (any) longer.”
Smith and Howe each got 40 years to life and Talbot 25 to 50 years for taking the Groton, Vt., man to a mobile home under the pretext of watching movies. There, Smith, 24, and Howe, 19, who are cousins, stabbed and strangled him as they stood around a campfire.
Gray, an aspiring auto mechanic whose buoyant personality helped him overcome a low IQ, attention deficit disorder and a speech impediment, became a target after wooing Talbot, 18, who also worked at the Woodsville Walmart.
Her boyfriend, Michael Robie, 19, became enraged when he heard about it and plotted revenge, enlisting the other three from his cell. Robie, who was heard discussing the attack in tape-recorded telephone calls from jail, has pleaded guilty to assault and conspiracy.
He is awaiting sentencing.
On the night Gray went missing, Walmart surveillance video showed the three picking him up after work at the Woodsville store, before they drove to Talbot’s home. “He was only there because he wanted you to be his friend,” his father, Michael Gray, told them Monday.
Talbot hung her head, her brown hair falling in her face, as Gray’s “mom,” legal guardian Annie Crowley, 38, of Groton, Vt., chided her as the one who lured Gray.
“Are you more than just a stupid girl that who caught up with the wrong crowd?” she told Talbot, standing at a podium in the hushed courtroom. “I think so. I believe all the young men involved are your victims.”
Crowley, who had been his guardian for about two years before his death, broke down in tears as she read her statement. “How am I supposed to live with myself, knowing that I was his guardian? I was supposed to be looking out for him,” she said.
Shirley Kingsbury, Gray’s aunt, stood by the podium as Assistant Attorney General Jeffery Strelzin read her statement for her.
“You are despicable human beings,” he read from her statement. “My heart is broken forever.”
Smith, who had confessed to the killing in a handwritten letter to Gray’s family after the slaying, apologized again Monday.
“I see Chris every time I try to sleep. No matter how many times I say I’m sorry, I can’t bring him back. But I wish I could. That night, I should’ve told Chris what we planned on doing, and not to come,” Smith said.
Before the sentencings, Gray’s family and friends threw an appreciation luncheon for police and prosecutors from Vermont and New Hampshire who cracked the case.
A dozen uniformed officers and plainclothes detectives received lapel pins from Crowley in an informal ceremony before sitting down to a buffet lunch at a community organization’s office in nearby Wells River, Vt.
“It was my honor to work on this case,” said Assistant New Hampshire Attorney General Lucy Carrillo, as she stepped up to have Crowley pin her.
“We just felt it was important that they be recognized for the work they put into it,” said Crowley. “I felt Chris would have appreciated that and would have wanted us to be grateful,” she said
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Security helps nab burglar in the act www.privateofficer.com
Athens Police arrested Nicole Anne Chavez, 26, of 19260 Airfield St., Lot 54 in Athens on a charge of third-degree burglary, records show.
A security guard at Oakview Apartments on U.S. 31 North saw two people carrying copper from the construction site about midnight and approached them, said Lt. Floyd Johnson. One of the suspects fled in a vehicle and the other fled on foot, prompting the guard to call police, Johnson said.
A few hours later, Officer Neal Muse saw Chavez walking on North Jefferson Street and stopped her because she fit the description of the suspect described running from Oakview Apartments, he said.
Muse and Lt. Trevor Harris questioned Chavez, and she admitted taking copper from the apartments, Johnson said.
She was transferred to the Limestone County Jail, where she remained in lieu of posting a $2,500 bond, records show.
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Pierce County deputies ambushed, kill gunman www.privateofficer.com
The officers killed the gunman before they were rushed to the hospital. One was listed in stable condition, the other was in critical condition in the intensive-care unit.
Sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said the sergeant and a deputy were shot at around 8:45 p.m. Monday while responding to an altercation between David E. Crable and his brother near Eatonville, a rural community in the Cascade foothills. The home is about 15 miles west of Mount Rainier National Park and 50 miles south of Seattle.
Crable, 35, shot the two officers before he was killed when they returned fire, Troyer said, adding that the gunman has a history of “terrorizing” his family. The names of the officers were not immediately released.
Troyer said the officers were met at the door by Crable’s brother, Troyer said. When the deputies entered the house, Crable opened fire from upstairs, hitting one of the officers multiple times.
“This issomebody that was laying in wait for our guys,” Troyer told reporters near the shooting scene. “There’s not much we’re going to be able to do when somebody is hiding and arming themselves and we have somebody else inviting us into the residence and the second person opens fire on us.”
Crable’s family tried to help the wounded officers by providing first aid, Troyer said. Deputies said the brother was cooperating with investigators and did not call him a suspect.
“It looks like people that were in this residence went out of their way to help our people,” he said.
The shooting comes three weeks after four Lakewood police officers were shot and killed at a coffee shop before their shift. After a two-day manhunt, suspect Maurice Clemmons was shot to death by a Seattle police officer. The Thanksgiving weekend attack on the officers occurred about 17 miles northwest of Monday’s shooting scene.
A month earlier, Seattle Officer Timothy Brenton was killed as he sat in his patrol car Halloween night. Christopher Monfort, 41, has been charged with aggravated first-degree murder in Brenton’s death.
“Most people of the community as we have seen in the last few weeks have a tremendous regard for (law enforcement),” Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor said at the scene late Monday. “But there are people in the community that don’t come from there, and that’s the people we deal with day after day.”
After Monday’s shooting, the deputy was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where spokeswoman Susan Gregg-Hanson said he was in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
The sergeant was taken to Madigan Army Medical Center and was in serious condition, Troyer said. Madigan spokeswoman Julie Calohan said he was in stable condition early Tuesday.
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UMC employee forced to resign after Tweet To Governor www.privateofficer.com
Tuesday, December 15th Governor Haley Barbour put a message on Twitter stating he was looking forward to hearing the legislature’s ideas on trimming state expenses.
Jennifer Carter, a former administrative assistant for UMC’s nursing school, tweeted the following to Governor Haley Barbour,
“Schedule regular medical exams like everyone else instead of paying UMC employees over time to do it when clinics are usually closed.”
Carter was referring to an incident she heard about three years ago when she claims the Governor came to the Pavilion on a Saturday and had it specially staffed for a check up.
“I wasn’t really jabbing at him. That’s just what people do on Twitter,” said Carter.
Two days later Carter was contacted by UMC’s Department of Compliance for violation of HIPAA Laws.
“I was told I would be suspended for three days without pay until the paper work could be done. I was strongly encouraged to resign,” said Carter. She did resign.
Carter doesn’t believe her Tweet broke any privacy laws that protect patients. Attorney Terris Harris specializes in health care law and does not represent any parties involved. He said just because the Governor is a public figure doesn’t mean his health information can be public knowledge.
“Without a specific statutory exception than any provision of his health care would be in my opinion a violation of HIPAA laws,” said Harris.
Attorneys for WLBT tell us according to federal regulations and the health and human services website, only health-care related entities are covered by HIPAA. Carter never was involved with the Governor’s health care, but was employed by UMC.
“If the Governor wants to do something with the budget and stop job losses, causing a single mom to lose her job eight days before Christmas really doesn’t help the matter,” said Carter.
University Medical Center sent us this statement, “Disclosing a patient’s protected health information is a policy violation that we take very seriously. We will do whatever is necessary to protect the privacy of our patients. An investigation of this matter was pending and the employee resigned, so we consider it closed.”
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Teacher Billy Ray Smith arrested for sexual assault www.privateofficer.com
Officers started the investigation over a week ago after the Department of Human Services received a tip.
Public information officer Carrie Wyrick says the victim and Smith both attend the same church in Durant, and that’s where the instances took place. She says the victim and Smith came in for voluntary interviews last week
“Based on information given both by the victim and the suspect there was enough to make an arrest. The investigation is far from being over, it’s going to be a long process just because there are different jurisdictions involved and trying to gather information from a lot of different locations,” said Wyrick.
Wyrick says the victim reported the abuse has been going on for at least two years. So far no reports of assault have been filed in Coleman, Oklahoma, or at the school where Smith teaches. But Police are looking into it.
“We don’t know how long he’s been doing this so it’s a possibility once the story runs and more victims come forward saying “hey he did this to me too,” I mean that’s always a possibility or this may be a singular occurrence, just typically it’s not,” said Wyrick.
Billy Smith is currently charged with three counts of sexually abusing a child and forcible sodomy, which are felonies punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Smith was arraigned in a Bryan County Court room Monday afternoon to be formally charged. And Wyrick says they expect additional charges will be filed as the investigation continues.
Serial bank robber captured in Charlotte www.privateofficer.com
Michael Gene Terrelonge, 41, recently admitted his involvement in a total of 17 bank robberies and indicated that he is the “Bearded Bandit,” Charlotte police said Tuesday morning.
Police also said that his partner, Latries George Murphy, 40, has been implicated. The string of robberies that Terrelonge admitted his involvement in date back to the summer of 2004, police said.
The end for the ‘Bearded Bandit’ appeared to come on Oct. 1 when Murphy and Terrelonge were arrested by CMPD officers minutes after fleeing from the armed robbery of the Wachovia Bank at 10210 Couloak Drive, police said.
They bonded out on their state charges and were placed into the CMPD Electronic Monitoring Program. The United States Attorney accepted the case for federal prosecution and both men were federally indicted on December 15, 2009, police said.
Terrelonge and Murphy were arrested on December 18, 2009, based on the federal indictment.
CMPD Detectives, as part of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, led this extensive investigation, police said. Police also said it is important to note that this investigation is in its early stages and is ongoing.
Additional charges against both Terrelonge and Murphy will likely follow, but it is important to note that they have been formally charged with only the robbery of the Wachovia Bank at 10210 Couloak Drive, on October 1, 2009, police said. The cases involved are listed at the end of this story.
Authorities say that a bank in the Southpark Area of Charlotte was robbed Friday, July 3 by the ‘Bearded Bandit’ who — at that point they throught — had robbed 11 banks in 3 years.
At that point, FBI officials thought they may have made a break in the case with the July 3 robbery.
According to authorities, shortly before 9:30 a.m. on July 3, The Bank of Granite at 3920 Sharon Road, was robbed by a man wearing a mask, carrying a hand gun. The person also had a beard, which was fake, authorities said.
A witness noticed a portion of the robber’s neck that was not covered by make-up, the FBI reported. Detectives believed from that robbery and information that he was a white man, not a Hispanic or black man.
Witnesses had given different descriptions in the other robberies linked to the “Bearded Bandit” because he is covering his exposed skin with make-up. He’s also using a wig, fake facial hair, glasses, a hat, gloves and a padded suit to disguise his true identity.
The FBI said the robbery on July 3 was the 11th robbery linked to the Bearded Bandit in the last three years. He has used a weapon in all the robberies, and even threatened customers forcing them to the floor.
Here is a list of all of the ‘Bearded Bandit’ robberies, according to police:
Bank
Address
Date and Time
BB&T
101 Queens Road
06/29/2004 10:46
US Airways Federal Credit Union
2830 Boyer Street
07/30/2004 09:56
Clearview Federal Credit Union
2830 Boyer Street
07/07/2005 09:14
RBC Bank
14925 John J. Delaney Drive
08/09/2005 09:16
RBC Bank
230 E. W.T. Harris Boulevard
10/19/2005 09:08
Wachovia Bank
1527 W. Morehead Street
12/30/2005 09:11
First Citizens Bank
7837 Pineville Mathews Road
06/05/2006 09:29
RBC Bank
1000 East Boulevard
11/01/2006 09:34
Clearview Federal Credit Union
2830 Boyer Street
06/05/2007 09:25
First National Bank (Gastonia)
529 South New Hope Road
04/03/2008 09:21
RBC Bank
14925 John J. Delaney Drive
10/20/2008 09:11
RBC Bank
1000 East Boulevard
10/30/2008 09:45
SunTrust Bank
7801 Pineville Matthews Road
01/06/2009 09:06
Wachovia Bank
10210 Couloak Drive
11/25/2008 10:13
Bank of Granite
3920 Sharon Road
07/03/2009 09:19
RBC Bank
1000 East Boulevard
08/20/2009 09:14
Wachovia Bank
10210 Couloak Drive
10/01/2009 09:13
Nashville uses “Beet Juice” to melt snow from roads www.privateofficer.com
The Tennessee Department of Transportation will begin using beet juice this winter to help remove snow and ice from state roads and interstates.
TDOT said in a news release Monday that beet juice mixed with salt and salt brine will be spread at various locations across the state.
Beet juice is a byproduct of the beet after the sugar has been extracted.
The department is also evaluating the effectiveness of larger snow plows and some new tools for applying salt and deicing agents.
TDOT currently has more than 160,000 tons of salt and more than 1.1 million gallons of salt brine ready for use. The department has budgeted more than $12 million this year for snow and ice removal operations across the state.
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Atlanta’s Buckhead area victim of another smash-grab www.privateofficer.com
cbsatlanta.com
Earlier this week, Atlanta Police arrested six members of the 30 Deep gang. Many of the men arrested, police said, are connected to a rash of smash-and-grab burglaries across the metropolitan Atlanta area.
Burglars made their own entrance into Seven Over Escape, smashing through glass to break into the store. The owner would not comment about the burglary that happened in the early morning hours on Sunday.
Police said the six men arrested are implicated in a smash-and-grab burglary at Georgio’s Big and Tall store at Greenbriar mall, a Radio Shack on Metropolitan Avenue and eModa in Midtown.
The owner of Georgio’s spoke to CBS Atlanta News Sunday about the arrests and how he thinks Atlanta Police are handling these cases.
“You know, only a few members were arrested, the rest are still at large. I am not surprised that another store was hit. Police are not doing enough to capture criminals. There will be a lot more of them [smash-and-grabs], especially in the next 10 days or two weeks, especially during the holidays it happens more often, always does,” Ellie Karam said.
The robbery at eModa at the end of November put the store’s owner over the edge. The store now sits vacant and empty, not from thieves, but from workers packing up shop and closing down.
“I am thinking about getting out of Atlanta, it’s not worth my time. I blame security in the building of that complex and the police department they have a camera right in front across the street aiming at my complex and my store. They are not quick enough, they are not preventing it there is not enough going on preventing this from happening they are not scaring these guys at all they are not catching enough people,” Dan Kogan said during an interview in November 2009.
Police have not commented on whether the latest robbery is affiliated with a local gang.
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