Shelby NC teacher in court over student sex charges www.privateofficer.com

Shelby NC Aug 31 2010 Nicole Chapman slipped from her seat in the very back of the courtroom to stand beside her lawyer, Katherine Haen, when her name was called during court proceedings Monday morning.

The former North Shelby School teacher was arrested in May and charged with indecent liberties with a student and sex offense with a student.

The 19-year-old student she allegedly had a relationship with sat near the front of the courtroom, dressed in a green t-shirt and khaki shorts. He sat up straighter when Chapman was called to the front.

Chapman, 29, stood with her hands behind her back as the prosecution read the charges against her. She was neatly dressed, her sleek blond hair styled in a short bob.

Court officials said between April and May, while she was a teacher at North Shelby, Chapman began a sexual relationship with the student.

The state offered Chapman a plea to the two separate charges against her, both felonies, according to Haen.

Chapman has not made a decision yet, Haen said Monday afternoon.

The prosecution told the court Chapman was more than forth coming with police about the relationship.

Police said Chapman had a sexual relationship with the teen. North Shelby School is a school for students with varying degrees of physical and mental challenges.

“This is an unusual case a rare case, fortunately, in this county,” said Haen. “From my understanding, it was consensual.”

Chapman’s lawyer said she had heard from the student’s mother that morning before court and both the victim and his family wanted to speak.

Previously, the 19-year-old student told The Star that he was not a victim.

“I love her,” he declared.

When Shelby Police arrived to arrest Chapman they found her at the student’s home, and according to the report, Chapman kissed him good bye when she left with the officers.

The teen’s mother also defended Chapman, saying her son was not a victim and he was not in Chap-man’s classroom.

“He knows what he’s doing,” she previously told The Star. “He’s responsible.”

Chapman was released from jail on a $75,000 secured bond three days after her arrest.

During the proceedings Monday, Haen said she would like a short sentencing hearing. Haen said she wanted to clear the courtroom to allow the family and the teen to speak without media attention. She said she was concerned public opinion would affect the district attorney.

“I intend to follow the law. Not public opinion,” replied Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Lari.

Chapman’s sentencing hearing is scheduled the first week in Nov.

“I think these charges are unique,” said Judge James W. Morgan.

Chapman and her lawyer briefly talked in whispers and then Chapman left the courtroom.

The student left the court room with a woman. He kept his gaze straight ahead and refused to comment.

When asked if he was still seeing Chapman, he shook his head no.

Chapman also declined to comment.
Source:The Star Newspaper

Police shoot armed man at TN. school www.privateofficer.com

BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. Aug 31 2010 -- A police dispatcher says an armed man who tried to enter an East Tennessee high school has been taken to the hospital with injuries.

School officials in Sullivan County say the man, who has not been identified, confronted a security officer at Sullivan Central High School on Monday morning. WJHL-TV reported that when more officers arrived, the man drew his gun and was shot by Sullivan County Sheriff's deputies.

School district supervisor Evelyn Rafalowski said no students or teachers were injured and school was dismissed at 10:30 a.m. EDT, shortly after the man showed up at the school.

Rafalowski said she did not know the man's motive.

Salt Lake Police Kill Heavily Armed Army Deserter www.privateofficer.com

Salt Lake City Utah Aug 31 2010 A 28-year-old Army deserter wearing fatigues, military boots and full body armor exchanged fire at a busy intersection with Salt Lake City (Utah) PD officers, who fatally shot him, Sgt. Robin Snyder told said today.

Army specialist Brandon Barrett shot an officer in the leg during the shooting near the Grand American Hotel on Friday.

Barrett used an automatic rifle and had strapped almost a dozen high-capacity magazines of ammunition to his body, said Snyder, the Salt Lake PD's public information officer.

During the exchange of gunfire between officers and Barrett, several civilian vehicles were struck with rounds and a power line from a utility pole fell near 600 South and Main streets. Police cordoned off the intersection, including the area with the live wire.

"Several other vehicles were hit in the crossfire," Snyder reported. "It's amazing that no one else was hit."

Barrett had returned from serving in Afghanistan in June and had been classified as a deserter just eight days prior to the shooting, the Deseret News reports.

The Salt Lake City officer is the third Utah law enforcement officer shot in a a 36-hour period. A Kane County Sherieff's deputy was ambushed by a robbery suspect. Also, a South Jordan PD officer was shot while serving a warrant early Thursday.

Reading school security hold in-service training www.privateofficer.com

Reading PA. Aug 31 2010 As Reading School District teachers and students prepare for the first day of school Tuesday, so are the people charged with keeping them safe.

For the first time, the district is holding full-day training sessions for security staff.

The 52 district security guards will take part in a second day of training today with a program that will include communication training.

Guards spent eight hours Friday in sessions about sexual harassment, fire safety, CPR and performing searches.

Russell A. Delrosario, a former New York police officer, was hired to head the district's security force in January.

Reading administrators, Delrosario said, felt it was vitally important to bring a training element to the security team.

Delrosario said the training sessions are meant to give guards a broad review of the rules, regulations, policies and techniques of their jobs.

"Just overall skills to patrol the schools better," he said.

Manny Santiago, who has been a guard in the district for seven years, said the training sessions are a great way for guards to keep their skills sharp.

The training also will help ensure that all guards perform duties such as student searches the same way.

Ramon Acevedo, who has been a guard for 16 years, said he's been asking for training for years.

"Sometimes you forget about things," he said.

"And sometimes things change, and we want to stay up to date."

Delrosario is planning follow-up training sessions to be held throughout the school year. He said he sees it as essential to having an adequate security force.

Four city police officers also will be assigned to Reading schools.

Officers will be located in Reading High School and in the new Citadel intermediate high school.
Source:ReadingEagle.com

Chicago security guard arrested for shooting at respo men www.privateofficer.com

Chicago IL. Aug.31 2010 A 65-year-old store security guard shot at a tow truck as his car was about to be repossessed, officials say.

Ike D. Holmes was working at an Aldi food store in the 5600 block of West Fillmore Street on Aug. 27 when a tow truck arrived at about 7 a.m. to repossess his car, police said.

Holmes argued with the two men in the tow truck, then took out a gun and shot one of the truck's tires, police said.

Holmes, of the 2100 block of West 119 Street, was charged with felony aggravated discharge of a weapon, misdemeanor criminal damage to property, failing to register a fire arm and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, police said.

Man arrested for taking pictures of YMCA patrons www.privateofficer.com

DAYTON OH Aug 31 2010— A Dayton man who allegedly took photos of West Carrollton YMCA patrons, including children, in the showers and locker room is in Montgomery County Jail today on multiple voyeurism charges.

West Carrollton Deputy Chief Doug Woodard said a complaint by a patron back in January led to an eight month investigation of Daniel E. Wagner, 40.

Police seized a laptop, cell phone and other media from Wagner’s home, 227 W. McPherson St., in January and discovered dozens of illicit pictures of people in various stages of undress.

The location of most the pictures could not be identified so he has only been indicted on charges related to complaints at the YMCA.

Wagner is charged with two felony counts of voyeurism and one misdemeanor count. He faces up to 26 months in prison if convicted on all counts.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2124 or kwedell@coxohio.com.

Source:Dayton Daily News

Phoenix security officer discovers murder victim www.privateofficer.com

PHOENIX AZ Aug 31 2010 - Police have arrested a suspect they say killed a man by throwing him from the 4th floor of a parking garage in Phoenix over a week ago.

Phoenix police say a security guard found Javier Barajas-Caperon, 37, just after 4 a.m. in an alley north of 2nd and Washington streets on August 21st.

Barajas-Caperon was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Phoenix Police Sergeant Trent Crump said Monday that 36-year-old Michael Velasquez has been arrested and is being held on a warrant in New Mexico for 2nd degree murder.

The two men reportedly met a couple days before the murder.

They got into an argument in the parking structure when Velasquez allegedly pushed Barajas off the side and he fell to his death in the alley.

KCMO armored car robbed www.privateofficer.com

KANSAS CITY, MO Aug 31 2010- Police in Kansas City, Missouri, are looking for three suspects after they allegedly robbed an armored car driver as he was filling up a Midtown ATM on Monday.

According to police, the suspects robbed a Brinks Armored Car driver as he was filling up a drive-through ATM at the Bank of America at 3100 Main Street on Monday around 2:30 p.m.

The suspects are described as black males, two of them in their early 20's and with slender builds while the third suspect is described as in his late-20's with a slightly heavier build. The suspects fled the scene in a blue Ford Escape with no license plates.

There were no injuries, and police did not say how much money the suspects got in the robbery. Authorities say that anyone with any information should call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-TIPS.
Source:FOX4KC

Two Alaska police officers killed www.privateofficer.com

ANCHORAGE, Alaska AUG 30 2010

A man accused of killing two police officers in a small Alaska village surrendered to authorities Monday.

Alaska State Troopers said John Marvin Jr. turned himself in shortly after 9:30 a.m. in the southeast Alaska village of Hoonah. Marvin, who was taken with no injuries, is charged with two counts of first degree murder.

Marvin, 45, barricaded himself in his home after the shootings of officers Tony Wallace and Matt Tokuoka late Saturday. The officers died sometime after the shootings.

A motive for what troopers called an ambush has not been disclosed.

During the standoff, troopers and other law enforcement agencies maintained their positions through the night into Monday, authorities said. Troopers had urged residents in the shoreline community of about 800 to stay away from the area.

"We are thankful this incident resolved without further loss of life or injury," Public Safety Commissioner Joe Masters said in a statement. "Now that this incident has resolved, the community of Hoonah can hopefully start the healing process."

Masters said two chaplains with the troopers were heading to the community, located on an island about 40 miles west of Juneau.

Just before the shootings, Tokuoka left the home of his father-in-law, George Martin. Tokuoka, 39, was off-duty and had spent the evening there before leaving with his wife and two children, Martin said.

Soon after they left, Martin heard two shots. Wallace was knocked down, and Tokuoka told his wife and children to get away and then he was shot as well, said Martin, who believes his son-in-law was trying to help the fallen officer.

Wallace, 32, was on-duty at the time of the shooting. It was unclear why he was in the area. Wallace died during surgery in Juneau and Tokuoka died at a clinic in the Native village, according to Martin.

"The whole town's in shock," he said Sunday. "I've been getting calls all day. It's a bad situation."

Martin said his home is just a block and a half from Marvin's. He didn't know why the officers were ambushed but said police have had run-ins with Marvin in the past. He said Marvin lives alone.

Bob Prunella, acting administrator in Hoonah, said the deaths leave the Tlingit community with just two full-time officers - the police chief and a trainee. He said the southeast Alaska town of Wrangell sent some officers to help out as needed.

Wallace was originally from Ohio and one of the few hearing-impaired officers in the nation, according to officials at Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate New York, where he attended the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. He also was a wrestler and was inducted into the university's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.

He first joined the Hoonah police force in 2006, left after seven months and then rejoined in 2008. He served as the small department's evidence officer, and was recently designated as a breath-test maintenance technician.

According to the law enforcement networking website http://www.usacops.com, Tokuoka was a former Marine Corps staff sergeant who served in special operations. The Hawaii native had been with the department since spring 2009.

Police kill armed woman at Delta Air Lines facility www.privateofficer.com

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga.Aug 30 2010 -- Clayton County police officials said a woman was shot and killed outside a Delta Air Lines facility on Monday afternoon.

The woman, who is a family member of a Delta employee, arrived at the Delta Technical Operations Center just after 2 p.m. armed with a handgun, according to police. The woman sat in her car at the security gate until she was confronted by an officer, police told Channel 2's Ryan Young.

Armed Woman Killed Outside Delta Parking Lot

"The individual did come onto airport property, into the employee parking lot with a gun. We responded and shots were fired," said Lt. Tina Daniel with Clayton County police. Police would not identify the woman but did say there had been some family violence prior to the woman's arrival at the parking lot.

"This had nothing to do with Delta Airlines. Again the airport is safe, there is no reason for anyone to be concerned about their safety. Flights are going as usual," said Daniel.

Delta Airlines spokeswoman Susan Elliot released a statement. "Delta is cooperating with authorities in their investigation of what appears to be a domestic situation involving a shooting that occurred near the Delta Technical Operations Center security entrance. No Delta employees were injured in this incident. As part of Delta’s Employee Assistance Program, confidential and free counseling is available for all Delta employees," said Elliot.

Police investigate missing money from armored car company www.privateofficer.com

Key West Fla Aug 30 2010 Nearly $3,000 is missing from a Key West armored-car company, and police have listed two employees as suspects.

Elsa DeGraffenried, a manager at Keys Armored Express, told Key West police that a bag containing $2,915.72 from Office Depot in Key Largo was missing after the two employees, one age 54 and the other age 45, picked it up on Aug. 17.

A police report says DeGraffenried reported that the two men picked up seven bags of cash overall from Office Depot, mile marker 99.6, and were to put the bags in Keys Armored Express' vault at 1517 Dennis St. in Key West.

On Aug. 18, one of the suspects was tasked with taking the seven bags, plus 24 others full of cash, to a Wachovia Bank receiving center in Miami. But when he arrived at that center, DeGraffenreid told police, there were only 30 bags delivered, not the 31 expected.

DeGraffenried told police there's no log book for contents of the vault, so she doesn't know if the missing cash even made it to the vault from Office Depot.
Source:Keysnet.com

Fla. security guard charged with child porn www.privateofficer.com

Collier County Fla Aug 30 2010 A 25-year-old Golden Gate man faces a charge of possessing child pornography.

A Collier County sheriff's deputy went to the Whitestone Group, 1035 Collier Center Way, North Naples, where a company executive told him he suspected that Shelton Berger, a company security officer, had pornography on his company laptop computer.

The Whitestone executive told the deputy he had looked at the computer and found images and videos of what appeared to be underage children.

The deputy said he found 12 explicit videos containing younger than 12 in in sex acts, including but not limited to sex acts with adults, alone, or with each other.

He then arrested Berger at 6 p.m. Friday. Berger, of the 1800 block of 42nd Terrace Southwest, was charged with obscene material-promoting a photo or movie containing a sex performance by a child.

Washington judge rules police chief violated "Whistleblowers Act" www.privateofficer.com

Washington DC Aug 30 2010 A D.C. Superior Court jury ruled that senior police officials, including Chief Cathy L. Lanier, violated the District's whistleblower act when they suspended a police officer in 2005 after he informed city officials that the department allegedly brokered an illegal deal to provide security for the Gallery Place entertainment area downtown.

The jury ruled Thursday that officer Sean McLaughlin was wrongly suspended after he alerted the mayor's office and the D.C. Council that the department had brokered a deal to make officers available to provide security in the area, after the department had rejected requests by McLaughlin and other officers to supply off-duty security in the same neighborhood.

Citing the District's Whistleblower Protection Act, the jury sided with McLaughlin, saying Lanier wrongly disciplined him. In 2005, the police union and nine officers filed a class-action suit against Lanier and the department, arguing that the officers were wrongfully punished for the disclosure.

Last year, Judge Judith E. Retchin dismissed the claim filed by six of the officers. But the jury found Thursday that the three remaining officers -- McLaughlin, Duane Fowler and Martin Freeman -- had alerted officials of the department's wrongdoing, constituting whistleblowing. In March 2005, Freeman was terminated and McLaughlin and Freeman were suspended.

According to the complaint, the officers submitted their off-duty security requests for Gallery Place in October 2004. A month later, while the officers were waiting for supervisors to approve their requests, the department brokered its own security deal with Gallery Place officials, the complaint alleges.

But D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles said no such deal was brokered by the department.

"This was a bogus allegation," Nickles said, adding that the lawsuit was a "waste of union member funds."

Department officials said the officers had started working the off-duty security job without department approval when they notified their supervisors, which was the cause of their suspension and termination.

Still, while union attorneys were able to prove that McLaughlin's suspension was directly linked to whistleblowing, attorneys were not able to prove such a case for Freeman and Fowler. Using the two officers' personnel files, D.C. attorneys convinced the nine civil jurors that their being disciplined would have occurred without whistleblowing, based on their prior departmental infractions.

Calls to the Fraternal Order of Police were referred to the union's attorney, Anthony Conti. Calls and an e-mail to Conti requesting comment were not returned.

In its verdict, the jury said McLaughlin should be awarded $6,800 in lost wages and $6,000 in punitive damages. Lanier said the department plans to challenge the jury's verdict.

"There is no evidence in the record to support this conclusion," she said in a statement.
Source:Wahington Post

Alabama man Tasered during Wal-Mart incident www.privateofficer.com

Valley Al. Aug 30 2010 Police tell News Leader 9 a man caused quite a scene at Walmart.

Police were called around 11:30 p.m. Thursday to assist paramedics as they tried to calm down a combative patient in front of Walmart off Highway 29 in Valley, AL.

Twenty-five-year-old Terrell Glasco of Lanett reportedly assaulted a paramedic as they were en route to the hospital.

The paramedic told police he was struck several times in the head and arms, then knocked to the floor of the ambulance. After the assault, Glasco ran from the ambulance into Walmart.

Officers tried to confront Glasco as he was coming out of Walmart, but he ran back inside. That's when officers say the chased Glasco in the store -- running down several isles.

When officers caught up with him, he allegedly refused to comply at which point an officer stunned him with a taser – not once, but twice.

Once officers were able to restrain Glasco, he was transported to the hospital for observation.

After Glasco was examined and released into the custody of police, he reportedly became combative again and started to fight officers who were trying to restrain him.

During this fight, a Valley officer says Glasco struck him in the face.

Following the incident, Glasco was transported to the Chambers County Detention Facility. He was charged with two counts of assault, resisting arrest, public intoxication and disorderly conduct.
Source:WTVM

Police arrest 35 at Tom Petty concert www.privateofficer.com

Buffalo NY Aug 30 2010 Some concert goers are probably wishing they had backed down when confronted by authorities Saturday night, following a concert by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at Darien Lake.

Genesee County sheriff's deputies made more than 30 arrests -- including several that involved physical confrontations with either Darien Lake security or sheriff's deputies.

One of the arrests involved a Brockport man who allegedly punched a deputy in the face.

Adam J. Phillips, 28, was charged with second-degree assault. He's also accused of injuring the deputy's hand.

Phillips tried to enter the seating section of the concert several times during the show without the appropriate ticket, deputies said.

When deputies went to arrest him, he fled and upon being apprehended he punched the deputy in the face. He faces additional charges of trespass and resisting arrest and was taken to county jail on $5,000 bail.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have a hit song, "I Won't Back Down," that they frequently play during concert stops.

Other fans who appeared to have taken the anthem too far Saturday:

* Sarah J. Cooper, 19, and Matthew J. Pasternak, 20, both of Amherst, also were accused of struggling and fighting with arresting officers.

Deputies said Cooper allegedly kicked a corrections officer and a security guard while she was being processed prior to her arraignment in Darien Court. She was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, resisting arrest and second-degree harassment.

After allegedly fighting with deputies, Pasternak also was accused of kicking an emergency medical technician who tried to treat him for minor abrasions.

* A father and son from Lockport were accused of fighting with Darien Lake security as they walked from the concert to the campgrounds. Charged with disorderly conduct were James R. Ross Sr., 49, and James R. Ross, 25. Both men were arraigned and taken to jail on $200 bail.

* Myles D. Macleod, 22, of Akron, was charged with disorderly conduct after he allegedly threatened a sheriff's deputy in the concert venue area.

* Tyler N. Taylor, 25, of Welland, Ont., and Jonathan Raymond, 21, address unknown, were charged with trespass after allegedly refusing to leave the parking lot despite being instructed to do so by authorities multiple times.

In addition, deputies charged a Buffalo teenager and a Dunkirk man with possessing psilocybin, commonly known as mushrooms, with the intent to sell them.

Joseph W. Kulig Jr., 17, of Buffalo, and Brett A. Tofil, 27, of Dunkirk, were taken to county jail on $5,000 bail and charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Tofil also received a weapons charge when deputies found a set of brass knuckles on him.

Also, a Lancaster woman, Sara N. Rogers, 24, of Country Place, was charged with unlawfully dealing with a child after allegedly providing alcohol to minors. Twenty others concert goers under 21 years old -- the legal drinking age, who were charged with possession of alcohol.

Portland City Council canidate charged with DUI www.privateofficer.com

PORTLAND, Ore.Aug 30 2010 -- A woman running for city council was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants Friday night after a security guard reported seeing her fall off her scooter.

Portland police said they arrested Mary Volm, 56, at about 10:15 p.m. in Washington Park.

The Portland Water Bureau security guard called 911 and said the woman was agitated and picking fights with witnesses, police said.

Officers said they arrested Volm at the scene on suspicion of reckless driving and DUII.

Volm is running against Dan Saltzman for a place on the City Council. She’s expected in court Monday

Omaha mall shooting brings back painful memories www.privateofficer.com

Omaha NE Aug 30 2010 Police in Omaha, Nebraska, said Saturday they were investigating a shooting outside the same mall where a gunman killed eight people nearly three years ago.

An off-duty police officer working security at Westroads Mall was chasing two shoplifting suspects when they hit him with their car, Omaha Police Officer Michael Pecha said. The off-duty officer then fired on the vehicle, striking one of the shoplifting suspects.

The off-duty officer and the suspect were transported to Creighton University Medical Center. The officer was in serious condition and the suspect was in critical condition Saturday night, Pecha said.

The shooting occurred just before 7 p.m. (8 p.m. ET), Pecha said.

In December 2007, a 19-year-old gunman killed eight people and himself at the same mall.

Shaley McKeever, a hostess at the P.F. Chang's China Bistro there, said she panicked when she heard that the mall was under lockdown Saturday night.

"We had a few people calling in saying they couldn't come in through the parking lot because police had blocked all the entrances," she said.
Source:CNN

Fight at Miami mall ends with dozen arrests www.privateofficer.com

Aventura Fla Aug 30 2010 The line leading to the AMC 24 Theaters at the Aventura Mall stretched from the box office to the nearby mall entrance Saturday, as a noisy crowd of teens had gathered to buy tickets to two movies opening that night.

A fight soon broke out between two youths near the box office, spiraling into a mass brawl that spread to the theater, across the mall and to the parking lots.

``There was a fight at `Lottery Ticket,' and they evacuated an entire aisle of the theater,'' said Luis Chiu, 17, a twelfth-grader at North Miami Senior High. ``Then the fight continued outside, so the cops took over. It wasn't pretty.''

The melee erupted at about 10 p.m. and ended with the arrest of 12 minors, all between the ages of 14 and 17, according to Aventura police. At least three suspects were arrested for battery on a police officer and resisting arrest with violence.

Most of the minors were released to their parents. Those charged with felonies were taken to a Juvenile Assessment Center.

No one was seriously hurt in the fight or the rush to the exits, though some officers received minor injuries while trying to make arrests, said Aventura police spokesman Chris Goranitis.

Officers used Taser guns on several suspects. While witnesses reported hearing what they thought were gun shots in the parking lot, Aventura police determined there was none fired during the incident.

While police have not said what caused the fight, WPLG Channel 10 interviewed witnesses who said that it may have been sparked by two rival high school groups.

The scene was chaotic: As the fighting spread, several hundred people, many of them screaming, fled the theater at once, running from the concession stand area and knocking over the rope barriers by the exits.

Police directed the crowd outside the theater to exit the building, but initially did not let anyone leave the area by the parking lot outside the mall. Aventura police received assistance from the police departments of North Miami Beach, Golden Beach, Sunny Isles Beach and Miami-Dade County.

Niouseline St. Jean, 17, of Miami, was part of the crowd that was kept outside the mall, near the Cheesecake Factory, for about 30 minutes.

``All these middle and high school kids were fighting,'' she wrote at the time in a text message. ``Everything is on lockdown.''

This is not the first time crowd control has been an issue at the AMC in the Aventura Mall.

In January 2005, an off-duty Aventura officer was trying to remove a group of kids he said were causing trouble in the theater. The officer said he was jumped by other teens, and by the time it was over, the police had used Taser stun guns against four youths. Nine juveniles and two adults were arrested.

Goranitis said the police and mall management will meet with the theater to come up with a plan to prevent incidents like Saturday's from happening again.

There is already a robust police and security presence at the mall.

The Aventura police maintains a nine-officer unit on the property, which is mostly funded by the company that runs the mall, Turnberry Associates.

``Aventura Mall has a comprehensive security program in place, which includes off-duty Aventura Police Department officers and a sophisticated CCTV system,'' Aventura Mall general manager Oscar Pacheco said in a statement. ``We will continue working with the police and AMC Theaters regarding the incident.''

On Sunday, the Aventura Mall was crowded, as usual. Some people indicated they were worried about security near the theater.

``Security is an issue there and it's going to drive people away,'' said Amy Scharf, 37, of Aventura.

Seth Kaplan, 42, also of Aventura, agreed.

``I usually avoid the mall at nights,'' he said. ``I do think that these fighting issues are going to cause other people to stop going to the movies, but I was already concerned before this. The movies are dangerous in the evening.''

Other frequent mall shoppers were not as concerned.

``I'm still going to go to Aventura Mall,'' said Lauren Ovadia, 17, of Davie. ``There is going to be fights everywhere. Things happen.''

Mauicio Diocis, 20, of Aventura, said that while he was concerned about the incident, he still thinks the mall is best option in the area.

``When I heard about the fights it was really surprising, because Aventura is such a nice place,'' he said.

Source:www.miamiherald.com

Virginia Beach teacher charged in sex sting www.privateofficer.com

Virginia Beach VA Aug 29 2010 Randall Pilon, 54, a teacher at Salem Middle School on Lynnhaven Parkway was arrested on Friday and charged with attempted indecent liberties and use of a communications device to facilitate offenses against children. He was taken into custody at the school.

According to Virginia Beach Police, Pilon was talking over the internet to someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. The girl turned out to be a detective in Kentucky who reported the teacher to VBPD.

Pilon is a special education teacher.

Folsom State Prison Riot-5 Shot www.privateofficer.com

SAN FRANCISCO CA Aug 29 2010 — A prison spokesman says guards shot five inmates during a riot at California's Folsom State Prison.

Prison spokesman Lt. Anthony Gentile says guards fired their weapons to stop about 200 rioting prison inmates Friday.

Another two inmates were hospitalized in area hospitals for injuries sustained from other inmates during the riot.

None of the inmates suffered life-threatening injuries.

Gentile says correctional officers first tried to break up the fight in the main exercise yard using tear gas and rubber bullets, before opening fire with their guns.

No officers were hurt in the riot, which began about 7 p.m. and ended after 30 minutes.

The prison remains on lockdown during an investigation, which could take several weeks.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — About 200 inmates rioted at Folsom State Prison and shots were fired by guards to quell the disturbance. Seven inmates were hospitalized but officials said it wasn't clear how many suffered gunshot wounds.

Correctional officers opened fire as they tried to break up rioting that erupted about 7 p.m. Friday in the main exercise yard, prison spokesman Luis Patino said.

Prison officials initially said guards wounded five inmates, but Patino later clarified that that officials still don't know many were shot by guards, or if they were hurt in some other manner during the riot.

None of the inmates suffered life-threatening injuries.

No officers were hurt in the riot, which reportedly ended after about 30 minutes.

Patino said he doesn't know what precipitated the violence. The prison was on lockdown as an investigation got under way.

The prison, made famous in the Johnny Cash song "Folsom Prison Blues," has been hit with sporadic violence in its 130-year existence.

Most recently, eight inmates were injured in October after a fight involving about 120 prisoners erupted in a dining hall at the prison.

Prison officials described most of those injuries as bumps and bruises. None were life-threatening, although the inmates were sent to area hospitals.

In April 2002, 24 inmates and one guard were injured during a riot.

Opened in 1880, Folsom State Prison is California's second oldest prison, primarily housing medium security inmates. The prison also operates a minimum-security unit and a transitional treatment facility.

The facility's web site said it has a custody staff of 643, with 3,540 inmates in custody, and located about 20 miles east of Sacramento.

Security is in demand

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/north_phoenix/armed-security-guards-in-demand

Alaska State Fair protestor arrested by security www.privateofficer.com

ANCHORAGE, Alaska Aug 28 2010
A 10-minute YouTube video from the Alaska State Fair is getting people's attention after an Obama protester was taken down by fair security for what they say was disorderly conduct and criminal mischief.

But others say the man civil liberties were violated.

It's not the typical scene you expect to see at the Alaska State Fair.

Where security took down Sidney Hill on the fair grounds for refusing to stop protesting while holding an Impeach Obama Now sign.

"He was interfering with a show that was taking place there and he's wanting to put the sign in front of people," said Dean Phipps, of the Alaska State Fair.

The situation escalated with the crowd surrounding the security guards.

"He became belligerent and started yelling at the crowd and inciting people," said Phipps. "When he began to foil about and yell out them and scream and everything, we felt at that point it became a public safety issue and he needed to be escorted from the area and we resisted that, is when they decided to restrain him and that point he was inciting the crowd."

"He wasn't yelling, shouting or screaming," said Brian Standfill, a witness who videotaped the arrest. "He wasn't heckling the crowd and moments later security personnel from the state fair approached him and asked him to leave."

In Palmer court Friday, Hill had an arraignment for disorderly conduct and criminal trespass.

Something his wife says is simply unfair for someone who was practicing his freedom of speech.
"He was just exercising just that, his freedom of speech," said Erin Hill. "They let him in with the banner that's in your face and then turned around and tried to stop him after they let him after he paid admission."

State fair officials say they are all for freedom of speech but there are rules in place to rent a vendor booth to do so.

"When you step outside the rules that we established to make this a safe environment and start interfering with program that we paid for to have for people to enjoy, you are overstepping those bounds," said Phipps.

A boundary, that is still a fine line when it comes to what you can say and where.

"It doesn't matter if someone assaults you, if you are not causing them harm you don't have the right to assault them," said Josh Fannon who is Hill's attorney. "The security guards assaulted him, it's clearly on the video of them taking him down for no apparent reason other than him holding the sign." "People walk around that place all the time with banners signs, clothing."

State fair officials say their property is private which is why they asked Hill to comply with their rules or leave.

As part of the arrest, fair security also found a loaded revolver on him, which is not allowed on fair grounds.

This is not the first time something has happened as officials say later that night they had to take down a person and remove a weapon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppBZM88mHvQ

ATF investigates TN Islamic Center fire www.privateofficer.com

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. Aug 28 2010 – Federal agents have been called out to investigate a possible arson case at the construction site of a controversial Islamic Center of Murfreesboro in Rutherford County.

Officials said four construction vehicles were doused in some kind of flammable liquid accelerant early Saturday morning. Firefighters were alerted to the situation by a passerby who saw flames at the site.

Only one large earth hauler was set on fire before the suspect or suspects left the scene. Investigators believed the people responsible for the fire was spooked and ran off before igniting the other three pieces of machinery.

Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were called to the scene to lead the investigation. The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office and Murfreesboro Police Department also responded.

Heavy equipment began clearing trees and removing soil on Monday as work got underway on the new center at the corner of Bradyville Pike and Veals Road.

Phase one of the project began amid continuing debate and controversy.

Some critics have opposed the new mosque, objecting to the Islamic religion. Others have said they don't want the traffic that comes with such a large facility.

A recent posting on the Support the Islamic Center's Facebook page states: "Some people in our city are doing everything within their power to prevent the building of our center and revoke our existing permit. Upon the advice of our attorney we must do everything in our power to begin building right away."

Officials did not say if the arson was being investigated as a hate crime. A media briefing was expected Saturday afternoon to address the issue.

Police said the construction equipment on scene was the property of the project contractor – not the Islamic Center.

Source:NewsChannel5

OFFICER DOWN Chief of Police Paul Jeffrey Fricke

Chief of Police Paul Jeffrey Fricke
Hawk Point Police Department
Missouri
End of Watch: Friday, August 27, 2010

Biographical Info
Age: Not available
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Date of Incident: Friday, August 27, 2010
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available

Chief Paul Fricke was killed in an automobile accident on Highway 47, near Highway U, at approximately 10:30 am.

It is believed that Chief Fricke's patrol car went off the right side of the roadway, and that he over-corrected, causing his patrol car to cross the highway and strike a utility pole on the left side of the road.

Chief Fricke served as Hawk Point's part-time police chief and also served as a full time deputy with the Warren County Sheriff's Office.

Agency Contact Information
Hawk Point Police Department
161 W. Lincoln
PO Box 302
Hawk Point, MO 63349

Phone: (636) 338-4377

Please contact the Hawk Point Police Department for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.

OFFICER DOWN-Deputy Sheriff Brian Harris

Deputy Sheriff Brian Harris
Kane County Sheriff's Office
Utah
End of Watch: Thursday, August 26, 2010

Biographical Info
Age: 41
Tour of Duty: 19 years
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Thursday, August 26, 2010
Incident Location: Arizona
Weapon Used: Rifle
Suspect Info: At large

Deputy Brian Harris was shot and killed while tracking a burglary suspect in the desert near Fredonia, Arizona.

Deputy Harris had begun a foot pursuit of the man in Kane County, but the man fled across the border into Arizona. As Deputy Harris tracked the man's movements he was fatally struck by rifle fire.

A large manhunt was initiated in which the suspect exchanged fire with other officers multiple times. The suspect, who was familiar with the desert area, was believed to have to stored supplies in various locations. He was able to elude capture and remains at large.

Deputy Harris had served with the Harris County Sheriff's Office for 19 years and Gulf War veteran who served with the United States Army.

Deputy Harris is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Agency Contact Information
Kane County Sheriff's Office
76 North Main Street
Kanab, UT 84741

Phone: (435) 644-4916

Please contact the Kane County Sheriff's Office for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.

Officer Charles Collins killed

Officer Charles Collins
United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations
U.S. Government
End of Watch: Sunday, July 11, 2010

Biographical Info
Age: 56
Tour of Duty: 8 years
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Date of Incident: Sunday, July 11, 2010
Incident Location: Alaska
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available

Officer Charles Collins was killed in an automobile accident in Alaska while traveling between the Port of Eagle and the Poker Creek point of entry. He was driving on the Taylor Highway when his vehicle left the roadway.

His department vehicle went down a 200-foot embankment and landed in a rain-swollen creek. A passerby who saw tracks down the embankment notified Alaska State Troopers, who started a massive search along with other state and federal agencies.

Officer Collins' body was recovered on August 15th.

Officer Collins had served with the Office of Field Operations for eight years. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

Houston security officer kills man armed with butcher knife www.privateofficer.com

Houston TX Aug 28 2010 An apartment security guard fatally shot a 35-year-old man who threatened him with a beer bottle, fireplace poker and butcher knife late Friday at a Greenspoint-area apartment complex, officials said.

Roderick McGuire, 26, was working security at the complex in the 800 block of Greens shortly before midnight when he and another guard checked on two men drinking beer, listening to loud music and talking loudly outside.

The guards asked the two men to turn off the music and go indoors.

Elvin Jeovanny Flores refused to go in, threw a bottle at the guards and retreated indoors. He returned with the fireplace tool, police said.

Flores went back inside and came outside with a butcher knife, which he used to try tried to stab McGuire, and the guard shot him in the stomach, police said.

Flores died at Memorial Hermann Hospital-The Texas Medical Center.

Ohio man gets 28-life sentence in security officer murder www.privateofficer.com

DAYTON OH Aug 28 2010 — Christopher Beatty-Jones, who failed to convince a jury that he shot two security guards last March in self-defense, was sentenced Friday, Aug. 27, to 28 years to life in prison.

Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Michael L. Tucker sentenced Beatty-Jones about a half hour after the jury convicted him of murder, attempted murder and four counts of felonious assault.

For sentencing purposes, the felonious assault charges merged with the murder and attempted murder counts. Tucker sentenced Beatty-Jones to 10 years for the attempted murder of William St. Peter and 18 to life for the slaying of James C. Locker. Those two sentences, both of which include three years for firearms specifications, are to be served consecutively.

Earlier, St. Peter asked Tucker to sentence him to the maximum possible, for “what the man’s done, taking the life of Jim and scrambling mine.” Assistant county prosecutor Tracey Ballard Tangeman asked for the same “given the ridiculousness of the testimony of the defendant.”

Defense attorney Doug Hess noted the absence of any adult felony record and Beatty-Jones’ youth.

Beatty-Jones, 21, told Tucker “I didn’t mean it. I accept responsibility for what I did.”

Tucker gave the case to the jury at 11:43 a.m. The jurors deliberated for less than two hours before returning the verdicts, which were announced about 2:15 p.m.

Beatty-Jones admitted shooting Locker and St. Peter, two Moonlight Security guards, on March 30 but claimed he fired in self-defense.

St. Peter, shot in the chest, arm and thumb, testified Tuesday. Locker, shot in the side, died at Miami Valley Hospital on April 3, his 51st birthday.

During her closing argument Friday morning, assistant county prosecutor Michelle Grodner described the guards working at the Western Manor apartments on James H. McGee Boulevard as “two men doing their jobs. These men never had a chance”

Grodner noted that St. Peter was shot twice in the chest, including one shot that was dead center and would have hit his heart or his main blood vessels.

“William St. Peter is alive today because he wore a bullet-proof vest,” Grodner said. “Those were direct hits.”

St. Peter testified Tuesday that he and Locker were investigating a parked truck with lights on. Inside was Jodi Grigsby, a friend of Beatty-Jones, who was waiting for him. He said he moved away from the truck and waited in a different part of the property for Beatty-Jones to return to the truck.

Defense attorney Doug Hess said that the shootings were tragic, but that the guards escalated the situation by not following standard procedures, including making themselves visible and using verbal commands. He said St. Peter hid and came up behind Beatty-Jones as he was returning to the truck.

Hess acknowledged that Beatty-Jones was not cooperative, even telling guards he did not remember his birthday, and combative, but did so in reaction to the guards.

“He was tired of being hassled by these guys,” Hess said.

Beatty-Jones pushed away from the truck when Locker began patting him down, and the guards struggled with him, tried to handcuff him, then pepper sprayed him, heightening the situation significantly, Hess said. When one of them yelled “gun,” Beatty-Jones pulled his weapon and began firing, Hess said.

“He thought he was going to get shot,” Hess said. “He felt that it was going to be his life if he didn’t do something. That’s self-defense.”

Assistant county prosecutor Tracey Ballard Tangeman disagreed, telling the jury that, under the law, the defendant bears the burden of proving a self-defense claim by the preponderance of the evidence, a lesser standard than reasonable doubt.

Tangeman said Beatty-Jones must prove that he wasn’t at fault in starting or escalating the incident, that he had an honest, reasonable belief that he was in imminent danger of death, and that he had no other means to escape besides deadly force. None of the evidence would support any of those elements, Tangeman said.

“The defendant emptied his clip into the bodies of these two men for a pat down he didn’t think he deserved,” she said.
Source:Dayton Daily News

Men sentenced to prison for security officer's murder www.privateofficer.com

SANTA ANA, Calif.Aug 28 2010—A Long Beach man has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for the killing of a security guard during a burglary at a church construction site in Orange County.
Prosecutors say 29-year-old Sean Christopher Hodge pleaded guilty Friday to a felony count of voluntary manslaughter in the death of 51-year-old Michael Garry.

Prosecutors say Hodge and co-defendant David Zimmer broke into a storage facility at a church construction site in Cypress in September 2007 intending to steal welding equipment. Hodge struck up a conversation with Garry, who suffered from high-functioning autism, as Zimmer hit Garry from behind with his fist and a blunt object. Garry died the next day at a hospital.

Zimmer is serving life in prison without parole.

Woman charged with assault, resisting security www.privateofficer.com

Norfolk NE Aug 28 2010 A woman was arrested for allegedly assaulting security officers and assaulting a police officer after she was removed from a local club.

Norfolk police were called to Club Hollywood shortly after midnight Saturday, said Capt. Leon Chapman of the Norfolk Police Division.

Security personnel had removed a customer, Melanie M. Woodard, 25, of Norfolk from the club. Officers arrived to find Woodard attempting to get back into the building, Chapman said.

Responding officers warned Woodard several times to leave the area. She refused and attempted to re-enter the building.


Officers told Woodard that she was under arrest on suspicion of obstructing an officer. She then began kicking and moving away from the officers. While placing Woodard in a police unit, she kicked an officer on his thigh with high heels.

Woodard was also arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest, Chapman said.

After being placed in the patrol car, she began trying to kick out the side window.

Officers also found that Woodard had assaulted security personnel when they tried to remove her from the building, Chapman said.

Woodard was lodged in the Norfolk jail. As a result of the investigation Woodard was also cited for third-degree assault on an officer, third-degree assault on the security guard and first-degree criminal trespass.

Woodard was transferred to the Madison County jail Sunday morning.

Source:Norfolk Daily News

Security officers nab drug user www.privateofficer.com

Woodcliff Lake NJ Aug 28 2010

A 20-year-old man from Ho-Ho-Kus was arrested in Woodcliff Lake on Aug. 16 at 4:24 p.m. and charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance and drug paraphernalia.

Police received a phone call from security from a business on Tice Boulevard that reported they had detained a trespasser. Upon arrival, police officers Dennis DeAngelis and Sean Hammel were informed by security that they had observed a gray sedan enter their parking lot on their surveillance cameras and noticed that no one entered or exited the building. A security officer went out to investigate and reported that he saw the suspect smoking a controlled dangerous substance out of a pipe.

The police officers approached the car and noticed a pipe and a white powdery residue on aluminum foil in plain site. The man was arrested, his vehicle was impounded, and the pipe and powder were taken into evidence.

Walt Disney parks pays 69 employees in back wage disputes www.privateofficer.com

Orlando Fla Aug 28 2010 Walt Disney Parks and Resorts agreed to pay almost a half-million dollars in back pay to 69 employees to compensate for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

Labor officials said an investigation revealed that inventory-control clerks in the company's food and beverage department were not paid for work activities that occurred before and after their shifts,

Disney spokeswoman Andrea Finger said the wages owed to the employees in question have been paid, and the company has provided additional training to deter any underreporting issues in the future.

Officials say the investigation also revealed that the clerks worked through meal times and from home without compensation.

According to a Department of Labor release, 69 employees were due $433,819 in back wages.

"While Walt Disney has specific rules regarding off-clock work, an investigation conducted by the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found that managers within the company were not adhering to those important policies," Nancy Leppink of the agency's Wage and Hour Division said in a statement.

"It is not enough to have policies," Leppink said. "Management must also ensure that all supervisors are implementing them."

The Fair Labor Standards Act establishes, among other things, minimum-wage and overtime-pay guidelines.

According to the release, the amount of hours worked includes "all time an employee must be on duty, or on the employer's premises or at any other prescribed place of work."

Source:Orlando Sentinel

Cleveland security officer finds murder victim www.privateofficer.com

CLEVELAND OH Aug 27 2010 - An 87-year-old man was killed early Friday morning in his apartment at 2250 Community College on Cleveland’s east side.

Cleveland police said the building’s security officer noticed the victim’s apartment had been broken into just before 2 a.m. and went in to check on the resident.

Phillip Gossett was found dead in a living room chair with a pillow over his head. The Cuyahoga County coroner will determine the cause of death.

"He didn't bother nobody. He didn't deserve that. He'd do anything for you. If you asked him for it, he'd give it to you," the victim's neighbor Warren Young said.

There are no suspects or arrest at this time.

The Cleveland Division of Police is asking that anyone with information about to contact the Cleveland Division of Police Homicide Unit at 216-623-5464

Accused murderer John Paul Necaise hangs himself www.privateofficer.com

GULFPORT, MS Aug 28 2010 - Accused murderer John Paul Necaise had died. Necaise hanged himself with a belt in the holding cell of the Harrison County Courthouse Thursday morning. He was there changing out of his jail uniform.

The Harrison County Sheriff's Department said they learned Friday afternoon that his family gave doctors permission to take him off of life support.

Coroner Gary Hargrove said Necaise was removed from life support at 3:15. He died at 4:30.

Necaise is charged with the 2008 kidnapping and stabbing death of 78-year-old Frank Roberts.
Source:WLOX

Former FBI agent gets prison for gun selling www.privateofficer.com

EL PASO, Calif. Aug 28 2010 — A federal judge sentenced former FBI agent John Shipley on Tuesday to two years in prison after his conviction of gun dealing without a license.

Shipley, 40, also was convicted in April of providing federal agents with false documents to hide the number of guns he sold. Shipley's lawyer Leon Schydlower described his client as an honest family man, a law officer and a churchgoer. He was not a "dirty cop," rather an avid gun collector, he said.

"Is this community better served by putting this man behind bars?" he asked.

Schydlower asked U.S. District Judge David Briones to sentence Shipley to probation. Briones denied it.

Shipley's voice was breaking when he explained to Briones that he did not intend to violate the law. His statement prompted quiet sobs from his wife, other relatives and friends.

Shipley said he often consulted with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to make sure he was in compliance when he bought and sold guns.

"To say that somebody would throw away everything they worked for their whole life for. For what?" Shipley asked. "If I did break the law, it was absolutely unintentional."

Shipley, also an Army veteran, made $115,000 a year, Schydlower said. He had been working for the FBI since 1996.

Federal authorities began investigating Shipley in 2008 after they traced a .50-caliber sniper rifle seized after a gunbattle in the city of Chihuahua back to him. Schydlower said the gun was once owned by Shipley but had since belonged to other people.

ATF and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General found that Shipley bought and sold several guns over the Internet without a license. Private owners can sell guns on an occasional basis, the federal law says.

He also filled out ATF forms saying he was the buyer of the weapon when he was selling it. When ATF agents searched his home, Shipley allegedly handed them a false document of his purchases and sales of guns.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory McDonald said Shipley sold 52 firearms and earned $118,000 in profits from 2005 to 2008. "That became his personal slush fund," he said.

McDonald said imprisonment was justified. "He has been given a tremendous amount of discretion," McDonald said. "He did abuse a position of trust."

Schydlower said Shipley bought and sold guns simply to improve his collection. He said he plans to appeal.

The National Rifle Association, which has expressed support for Shipley, will assist him in appealing the guilty verdict, according to its website.

Briones ordered Shipley to report to La Tuna, a low-security prison, in Anthony, Texas, on Oct. 22 to serve his sentence. Briones also ordered that Shipley be placed under supervised release for three years after his prison term.

School employee commits suicide while investigated for sex crimes www.privateofficer.com

Barrington IL Aug 27 2010

A special education aide at the Barrington Middle School-Prairie Campus who committed suicide was under investigation for possible inappropriate sexual contact with a 13-year-old boy, police said.

Barrington police began investigating Steve Mirkin, 32, of the 400 block of West Russell Street in Barrington, on Aug. 15 after the boy's parents reported that their son may have had sexual contact with Mirkin outside of their home, according to a news release issued by police Thursday evening.

Police immediately began an investigation and notified School District 220 officials. Mirkin was not charged with criminal offenses when his body was found by police in the house where he lived alone Wednesday night. Mirkin died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the chest, and his death was ruled Thursday as a suicide, a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner said.

Mirkin had taken a leave of absence for the beginning of the new school year.

Security chief sues West Mifflin Area School District www.privateofficer.com

West Mifflin PA Aug 27 2010 The former director of security of the West Mifflin Area School District has sued the district and school board in federal court alleging that his job termination in June violated a five-year employment contract he had with the district and violated his civil rights.

Joseph Gajdos said in his suit that he entered into an employment agreement to be director of school security on Dec. 10, 2007 and the agreement was to run until Dec. 9, 2012. His annual salary was $53,430.

Mr. Gajdos was among a handful of administrators who were laid off as of June 30 as part of the school board's efforts to balance the 2010-11 budget.

The suit alleges that Mr. Gajdos received a letter on May 21 stating he would be terminated. But he was not given the opportunity to appear before the board before its members made their decision to terminate him.

Board President Mick Price said he could not comment on the suit, but explained that the terminations of Mr. Gajdos and the others were for budgetary reasons and no reflection on their job performance. Patricia McGrail, the district's acting solicitor, said she hadn't seen the suit and couldn't comment.

The suits asks for compensatory damages, additional damages for emotional distress and attorney fees.

Source:www.post-gazette.com

Security officer suffers severe burns in explosion www.privateofficer.com

Austin TX Aug 27 2010 On Wednesday, August 25, 37-year-old Austin police department officer Bobby Vu was injured in a workplace explosion in Austin, TX.
At the time of the accident, Vu was off-duty but working as a security guard at The Cottages apartment complex on Slaughter Lane.
According to early reports, Vu hear a hissing noise coming from a gas barbeque grill near the apartment’s pool at approximately 1:00 a.m.
Vu went to turn off the grill when it exploded, severely burning his arms and legs.
Vu was rushed to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio with 2nd and 3rd degree burns.
His injuries are serious, but he is expected to survive.
The incident remains under investigation.

Lawsuit filed against hospital by patient claiming he was assaulted by security www.privateofficer.com

Prince George County MD Aug 27 2010 A car crash victim who doctors wrongly tagged as a cancer patient claims he was beaten by hospital guards when he tried to leave to avoid unnecessary chest surgery.

Joseph Wheeler said he awoke at Prince George's Hospital in Upper Marlboro, Maryland after a June 23 car accident and he was feeling hungry, Courthouse News Service reports.

His is seeking $3.6 million in compensation damages and a further $10.7 million in punitive damages for assault and battery, false imprisonment and infliction of emotional distress from owner of the hospital Dimensions Health Corporation.

Prince George County Court heard when Mr Wheeler asked a nurse for food she told him he could not eat as he was scheduled for surgery for a "potentially cancerous mass removed from his chest".

Mr Wheeler told he checked his ID bracelet which stated a woman's name who had a birth date 13 years before he had been born.

He said he told his wife what was going on and decided to leave the hospital, despite suffering from serious internal injuries.

Nurses called security officers to prevent Mr Wheeler leaving the hospital and an argument ensued.

Mr Wheeler said he was grabbed by one of the officers and shoved into a wall before falling to the ground.

One of the security guards then allegedly yelled "Get off the floor bitch! This game is over!".

The Wheelers eventually convinced hospital staff of Mr Wheeler's identity and he was admitted to St Mary's Hospital, where he was diagnosed with four broken ribs, a sprained shoulder, ruptured spleen and a concussion.

Bouncer charged with assault www.privateofficer.com

Rocky Mount NC Aug 26 2010 Police were called to the D&I Center Nightclub early Wednesday morning in reference to a fight. When they got there, Michael Perry, a bouncer at the club, was allegedly assaulting a 25-year-old man.

According to police reports, officers ordered Perry to stop fighting. He refused, and officers used a taser on him.

Perry was then arrested without further incident. He was charged with simple assault and placed in the Nash County jail under a $500 secured bond. The victim was not injured.e_SClBOfficers also charged Michael Angelo Jones Jr., 34, in an unrelated incident, with second-degree trespassing. Jones was placed in the Nash County jail under a $500 secured bond.

Baltimore girl 14, charged with robbery-murder www.privateofficer.com

Baltimore MD Aug 26 2010 The two Honduran men sitting on the front steps of a Southeast Baltimore rowhouse couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of a 14-year-old girl clutching a silver revolver and demanding money.

But Arteesha Holt wasn't like most girls her age. A tomboy who liked playing football and basketball, relatives said she also had an explosive temper and was prone to uncontrollable outbursts.

Once, she slung an ashtray across her family's home, tore pictures from the wall and kicked out a heating vent, all because her infant nephew stepped on a bowl of strawberries. The girl's mother says she tried repeatedly to get her daughter help through the juvenile justice system, to no avail.

But the men enjoying the evening of Aug. 13 didn't know all that. So they laughed. And, police say, the seventh-grader pulled the trigger, striking both in the head and killing Jose Rodolfo Gonzalez-Coreas, 43.

Holt was arrested late Tuesday and charged as an adult with first-degree murder. District Court Judge Theodore B. Oshrine ordered her held without bond, following prosecutors' appeals that she is a "danger to the community."

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi described the shooting as "heinous."

"It speaks to the guns that are out there and the frustrations we in law enforcement have at trying to deal with all this," he said.

Holt's 18-year-old brother, Shawn Palmer, has been charged with being an accomplice to murder. Police say he helped Holt escape and took her silver .32-caliber revolver.

The girl's mother, Raichelle Johnson, 39, said she was horrified by the allegations. She said she worried for her daughter and sought help but never anticipated "in a million years" the situation she faces now.


"I don't condone my child taking a life -- if she took this man's life, then she needs to be prosecuted," Johnson said.

Her mother said Holt's rage often got bottled up, erupting with terrifying results.

"Arteesha is . . . " Johnson paused, searching for the right words. "Unstable."

The girl frequently expressed suicidal thoughts, she said, and over the past two years often hit the streets when she got frustrated, bouncing between relatives.

The shooting occurred in the 100 block of N. Linwood Avenue. Police said an officer was flagged down by Wilmer Bonilla, 26, whose head was grazed by a bullet. The officer found Gonzalez-Coreas lying on the steps of a rowhouse with a gunshot wound to the head.

Gonzalez-Coreas was rushed to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was pronounced dead Aug. 20.
Source:Washington Post

Sylvester Stallone's security team arrest trespasser www.privateofficer.com

Hollywood CA Aug 26 2010 Sylvester Stallone has a fan who wanted to meet him so badly that he snuck onto his Los Angeles property, but Stallone wasn’t even home at the time. Luckily, the fan did get to meet the ‘Expendables’ actor’s security team instead.

According to TMZ, a 22-year-old man was able to get past Stallone’s gates but was then apprehended by the security team who conducted a citizen’s arrest. While the fan claims he just wanted to meet the star, he was later arrested and booked for trespassing by the Los Angeles Police Department.

The man is still in custody at this time and being held on $2,500 bail. Next time, if he wants to take the risk, he should only try to meet a celebrity who is actually on their property.

Hospital security, police charge man with credit card thefts www.privateofficer.com

ALBANY NY Aug 26 2010 -- A 50-year-old city man has been charged with stealing credit cards from purses on three occasions inside St. Peter's Hospital, police said.

Michael Frechette of Central Avenue is accused of swiping the credit cards from purses on May 31, June 12 and June 16.

Albany police say Frechette charged items on the cards.

Detectives made the arrest after piecing together the string of thefts with the help of hospital security.

Frechette was charged with grand larceny and identify theft and later arraigned in City Court. He is being held in the Albany County jail on $10,000 bail.

Courageous man saves police officer www.privateofficer.com

Miami Gardens Fla Aug 26 2010 A man's courageous act saved a police officer who crashed his patrol car into a pole Wednesday morning at a Miami Gardens gas station while he fought off an attacker.

The officer had responded to a report that a woman had accidentally driven her car into the BP gas station's convenience store at Northwest 199th Street and 37th Avenue.

``The girl had slammed her car into the window,'' said Abubakar Pasha, 25, a clerk at the gas station. ``The police officer parked his car in the back of the gas station, and I think he was doing paperwork in the car. I went back to work.''

Then, Pasha heard a loud noise and a man screaming for help. He stepped outside and saw the police officer had crashed into the pole, so he called 911.

As he approached the car, he saw a man punching the officer.

According to Miami Gardens police Capt. Ralph Suarez, the altercation started after the officer questioned ``a subject who appeared kind of strange.'' The man, who had been walking by the station, attacked the officer. The car's gear shift moved to ``drive,'' during the struggle and the car hit the pole.

``They were fighting. A guy wearing a black shirt had jumped into the police car through the window,'' Pasha said.

One shot was fired during the struggle, Suarez said.

Pasha said he approached the crashed car and asked the officer whether he could help.

``Half of the man's body was inside the car and half of his body was outside,'' Pasha said. ``[The man] was punching him and was trying to take away his gun, so he handed it to me.''

Pasha held on to the officer's gun, and the officer subdued his attacker.

``He was fighting hard. I think I saved his life, but I don't feel like a hero,'' Pasha said.

Pasha said the officer suffered minor injuries. The attacker was taken to a hospital to be evaluatedfor injuries and was arrested.

Shoplifters ignore 75 cops at store and steal anyways! www.privateofficer.com

Portland Or Aug 26 2010 You couldn't miss the large Portland police presence at the Fred Meyer off Southeast Johnson Creek Boulevard on Wednesday morning.

Mounted patrol officers were out front. canine patrol were teaming around and about 60 other uniformed officers from assistant chiefs and commanders to patrol officers and traffic cops were inside.

It was the annual "Shop With a Cop" back-to-school event, with officers helping about 160 children pick out clothing and school supplies for the approaching school year.

But that didn't stop two men from going aisle to aisle, picking out a few items of their own.

While officers were helping out the kids, store security alerted the police they had their eyes on two young men packing their own backpacks with merchandise.

"Two guys came in and were picking through goods, cutting tags off and loading up their backpacks with blenders, shoes, clothes and tools," said Sgt. Pete Simpson, police spokesman.

A couple of Portland officers assisted security in making an arrest, as a clown making balloons continued to entertain the children gathered for the special shopping event.

The two young men stopped, Shane Alexander, 20, of Hillsboro, and Jason Vantress, 30, of Southeast Portland, were arrested and walked back to the store's security office in handcuffs.

"Initially, they said they were freaked out by all the cops there," Simpson said. "But then, they thought it would be a good time to steal, that police would be distracted."

Now officers and store security are scratching their heads.

"Common sense didn't play into their decision-making today," Simpson said. "As is so often the occasion with crooks, they think they're smarter than the average bear, and they're not."

Officers returned to assisting the children and helping them get ready for school. "We're helping kids and arresting bad guys at the same time," Simpson said.

Source:Oregonlive.com

Security guard killed in armed confrontation www.privateofficer.com

SPOKANE, Wash. Aug 26 2010
Spokane police say a 26-year-old security guard was fatally shot in an alley after getting involved in a confrontation with a group outside an apartment complex.

The guard killed late Tuesday night was identified as George Hayek, who worked for Securitas Security Services USA. Police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer DeRuwe says Hayek was on his rounds in an alley behind the Pepsi Cola building when the confrontation began with a group of people socializing in a common area outside the apartments.

Police say Hayek pointed what appeared to be a handgun at the group and one member of the group fired several rounds, hitting Hayek.

The spokeswoman says the shooter was performing CPR on Hayek when police arrived.

Detectives continue their investigation and no arrests have been made.

Investigators recovered the handgun used in the shooting as well as a BB gun that resembles a semiautomatic handgun.

Bulletproof vest saves deputy after being shot four times www.privateofficer.com

SHAWNEE Okla Aug 25 2010 — Joe Leeds' three children remind him daily how important it is to wear his bulletproof vest.

Pottawatomie County sheriff's deputy Joe Leeds holds the bulletproof vest that kept him from harm. Photo provided

"Every day when I leave the house, one of them says 'I love you, Dad — don't get dead,'" Leeds said. "They're the reason why I do this job and why I make it home every day."

The Pottawatomie County sheriff's deputy was shot four times in the chest Wednesday night during what should have been a routine traffic stop in Bethel Acres west of Shawnee. His bullet-stopping vest not only helped save his life, but prevented him from being seriously injured.

He was treated and released that night from a hospital.

Law enforcement officials Thursday continued to search for a red 1990s model, Chevrolet extended-cab pickup and the three men inside it.

A white man in the back seat rolled down his window and opened fire on Leeds with a small-caliber weapon, he said.

"It felt like getting hit at close range with a paintball gun," Leeds said.

Leeds, 36, said he instinctively reverted to tactical training he received through the Oklahoma County sheriff's office. He moved quickly out of the shooter's point blank range, returned fire and says he likely struck the pickup.

The truck drove off, and Leeds got back in his patrol car and followed it until the pain in his chest was too harsh to overcome. He joined the search for the three men after being released from the hospital, a spokesman for the sheriff's department said.

Leeds has been an Oklahoma certified police officer for eight years. He has worked for Pottawatomie County Sheriff Mike Booth for about 18 months and is the department's K-9 handler. Before that, he was employed at the Seminole County Sheriff's Department.

One of his former partners was Seminole County sheriff's Deputy Marvin Williams, who was shot and killed in July 2009 while serving an arrest warrant. Deputy Chase Whitebird also was shot and killed that day.

Neither was wearing a bulletproof vest.

"They were good officers," Leeds said. "I've always been diligent about wearing my vest, but after what happened to them, I don't think twice about it."

Leeds said he's tempted to hang his vest, T-shirt and the dented metal plates once inside his vest next to his front door.

It would be a reminder of his brush with death and the importance of being physically and mentally ready for the job, he said.

Anyone with information about the shooting can call the Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Department at 273-1727.

Source: www.newsok.com

Subsitute teacher charged with Internet sex crimes www.privateofficer.com

ALBANY, N.Y.Aug 25 2010 -- A 28-year-old subsitute teacher has been arrested for allegedly going online, and trying to set up a sexual encounter with what he thought were two 14-year-old girls.

Nicholas Cramer was arrested because of the incident, which was an investigation led by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, as well as State Police and the Attorney General's Office.

Cramer held substitute teaching appointments in many local districts, including Menands and Schalmont. Internet records also show that in July and August of this summer, Cramer was a day camp director at the Country Club of Troy for children ages 4-11.

Over the phone, a spokeswoman from troy's country club said he wasn't their director, and that he came from an outside source. That's because the camp was set-up and run by a Texas organization called "Kids Entertainment."

All mention of cramer has been removed from their website as of Monday. Cramer is being held in the county jail on a $25,000 bond and will next appear in court on Thursday.

SD student brings guns, explosives on first day of school www.privateofficer.com

SISSETON, SD Aug 25 2010- A Roberts County teen is behind bars and authorities say they may have prevented a dangerous situation from developing during Sisseton's first day of school.

18-year-old Joseph Thomas Hansen of Claire City was arrested early Tuesday morning after authorities got a tip that he was making threats against the school and town.

After Hansen was arrested authorities found several weapons and other materials for making explosives at his home. Sisseton residents are glad he was taken into custody.

"Well I'm glad that our law officers are on the thing and got on it so it was taken care of right away," Sisseton resident Byron Pederson said.

But, the South Dakota Attorney General says that arrest wouldn't have happened if it weren't for a tip from the public. The initial tip about the threats came in Monday morning, on the first day of school. That sparked an investigation that involved the Sisseton Police, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms investigators.

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley is praising the public for that tip that helped authorities prevent a possibly serious situation.

"Law enforcement feels that we've been very proactive to stop a potentially very dangerous situation," Jackley said.

Jackley says a Sisseton School Resource Officer took the tip about the threats that set off the investigation and led to the arrest, and the discovery of weapons and explosives at Hansen's home.

"Without that information there would have not been an investigation, there would have not have been an arrest, and we would have not have confiscated the dangerous components as well as the weapons and ammunition," Jackley said.

And Jackley says parents, students, and the public can take something away from this situation; that even threats shouldn't be ignored but turned over to investigators.

"This incident highlights the importance that when a student, when parents, when school officials see some potential suspicous activity, or gain some information of a public safety nature, that they go to the next step. That they go to the school resource officer. That they provide that to local law enforcement so that can be followed up to make sure we protect our school children in the communities," Jackley said.

Hansen was a student at Sisseton High School. He now faces ten counts of having the materials for making a destructive device.

Source keloland.com

Sears security agent assaulted by shoplifters www.privateofficer.com

WHEATFIELD NY Aug 25 2010 —A Sears loss prevention agent was punched and kicked, and suffered a cut on her finger, after a shoplifter drove off while still wearing the handcuffs that the agent had put on her over the weekend.

The security officer said that at 3:11 p. m. Friday, a woman in her mid-20s was putting draperies in a stroller, underneath her infant and left the store with another child and another woman.

The store agent said she followed the two women into the parking lot and saw them throwing the stolen merchandise into the trunk.

She told Niagara County sheriff’s deputies she was was able to handcuff one of the women before they tried to leave. The female security guard fought with the other two women for two minutes, trying to take the merchandise back, and was punched in the face and head before the two women left at a high rate of speed, taking the handcuffs with them.

The security agent said her clothing was ripped, she cut her finger and had swelling and redness on her face and head, but did not need medical treatment.
Police are seeking the three women who face charges of robbery and assault.

"Bomb in my belly" comment gets man arrested www.privateofficer.com

INDIANAPOLIS IN Aug 25 2010 -- A man was arrested Monday after he told a security worker at Indianapolis International Airport that he had a "bomb in my belly" at a security checkpoint, police said.

Indianapolis police were called to the airport at about 1:30 p.m. Authorities said that Jeff Rarey, 53, made the remark to a transportation security officer as he was going through a metal detector.

Security officials shut down two lanes of security screenings after the threat and pulled Rarey and his belongings to the side.


Rarey told investigators that he asked a security officer why he had to undergo additional screening before making the statement.

He told police that that he made a stupid mistake and was sorry for making the statement.

Security officials screened Rarey again, after which he was arrested on a charge of false reporting.

Metrolink security guard accidentially shoots self www.privateofficer.com

St Louis MO Aug 25 2010

By:Brett Davis
PRIVATE OFFICER NEWS
http://www.privateofficer.com/  Police say that a Metrolink security guard was grazed by a bullet from his own weapon.

Poice and EMS responded at around 12:30 a.m. at the Shrewsbury Metrolink station on Lansdowne after getting a 911 call for help.

The security officer, who has not yet been identified was taken to a near-by hospital but there's no word on his injuries yet.

No one else was injured in the incident and police say that they are investigating the cause of the discharge of the guards gun.

Security officer shoots bingo burglar www.privateofficer.com

HOUSTON TX Aug 24 2010 A man was shot at a bingo hall in northeast Harris County.

It happened last night on FM 1960 near Aldine Westfield. Deputies say the man walked up to the door and smashed the door with a hammer. A security guard fearing the safety of the customers and his own life shot at him.

"There was one shot, but it was so close because as the hammer was coming up and he hit the door it was like bam, bam," said an eyewitness.

Deputies say the man was only grazed and treated at the scene. They say he also smashed the door of a liquor store in the same shopping center.
Source:KTRK

Employee of car dealership charged with stealing cars www.privateofficer.com

SALT LAKE CITY Utah Aug 24 2010 — An employee at a Salt Lake car dealership was stealing cars off the lot, selling them to his friends and family, then erasing any trace of their existence from the dealership's computer system, police say.

Tony Thomas Taylor, 25, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail late last week for investigation of 18 counts of stolen property and 18 counts of theft by deception.

Taylor, who worked at MCS Auto, 76 W. 2100 South, stole more than $100,000 worth of vehicles and was paid about $12,000 total for the 18 cars he sold, according to the Utah Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division. He also stole the titles and paperwork of each vehicle, and then erased any record of them in the dealership's system, a Salt Lake County Jail report states.

"It makes you just have a sick feeling. We're not that big of a place. It's a big hit for us," dealership owner Mark Marine told the Deseret News. "What a nightmare. You feel stupid. You think you have a tight knit group …"

According to investigators, Taylor worked as a lot boy, not a salesman, and would take cars in for repair — even ones that didn't need it, said MVED spokesman Charlie Roberts.

Over the past six months, investigators believe, Taylor stole at least 18 vehicles and titles and sold them to friends and family.

Marine said Taylor had worked for him for about five years.

Hard Rock casino security nab men for identity fraud www.privateofficer.com

BILOXI MS Aug 24 2010 — Security at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino called police after two men tried to obtain cash by using false identification and a fraudulent credit card, police investigator Steve Schlicht said.

The men had gone to separate teller windows at the casino and used the same credit card number in attempts to get $1,000 and $500, Schlicht said.

The cage manager was suspicious and called the credit-card company, Schlicht said, and found the account number did not exist.

Security called for police around 2:20 a.m. Saturday.

Police arrested Todd Alan Granstrom, 49, and Sherman Ray Wilson, 61, on charges of credit-card fraud. Police said both are from California.

The Harrison County jail docket shows both men refused to give an address when they were booked in.

Justice Court Judge Albert Fountain set bond for each at $50,000.

Wilson was released on bail Sunday.

Granstrom is held with no bond on a counterfeiting charge from a different agency.

Records show both men also face a misdemeanor charge of providing false information; Granstrom also faces a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana.

Schlicht said police want to hear from anyone with information about the men or the allegations.

Contact the police department at 392-0641 or its criminal investigations division at 435-6112

Source:www.sunherald.com