truesee's Blog

Published September 03, 2009 10:50 pm - 

Suspects didn't think anything fleet of police cars when they pulled in for a bite to eat

Deputies: Please pass pilferers
Cops catch burglars at coffee break time

By Dan Nienaber 
Free Press Staff Writer 

MANKATO —

Two deputies who went to Happy Chef for a coffee break during a busy night of investigating burglaries got the added treat of having their suspects served up on a silver platter.

The Blue Earth County sheriff’s deputies likely needed some down time after responding to three residential burglaries that took place in a span of 90 minutes Wednesday night. All of the incidents took place within five miles of each other, but the residents lived in three different townships.

Investigators suspected the same individuals were responsible for all of the burglaries. Each of the residences were broken into in the same manner and similar items had been stolen.

When a final tally was compiled, items worth about $10,000 had been taken. The stolen goods included laptop computers, other electronics and jewelry.

At about 10:14 p.m. county dispatchers learned the crooks the deputies were looking for might have moved on to other counties. Le Sueur County authorities reported they were looking for a black Chevy pickup that had been involved in a burglary there.

They were asking law enforcement officers in the area to stop the vehicle, which contained three men and a woman, and hold the occupants for questioning.

The two Blue Earth County deputies, and several other deputies and police officers from the area, were taking their coffee break when the Le Sueur County report came through. As one of the deputies was jotting the information down, another officer noticed a truck matching the description pulling into the Happy Chef parking lot, Capt. Rich Murry of the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.

The crew of cops — Murry estimates a half dozen at minimum — then went outside and determined, via license plate number, that the pickup was the one they were looking for.

Although items that had been stolen that night from homes in both Blue Earth County and Le Sueur County were still in the pickup, the three men and one woman inside apparently weren’t concerned about pulling up to a restaurant with a row of squad cars outside.

“It’s fair to say there was a good showing of law enforcement when they pulled into the parking lot,” Murry said.

Further investigation revealed the group were suspects in a theft at Minneopa State Park last week and a burglary in St. Clair Tuesday.

The four people arrested were all Mankato residents. They were: Randal Charles Burger Jr., 20; Zachary Donald Hanel, 20; Scott Allan Abbe, 19; and Mariah Skye Harrabi, 18, the report said.

It was a good thing the deputies took a break when they did, Murry added. Not just because their suspects fell into their laps, but because the bust also led to a busy night of follow-up work after the break.

“It’s an easy beginning to the case, but there’s a whole lot of work that goes into taking the reports,” Murry said. “It’s great that it ended the way it did, but they were busy afterwards.

“Actually, it shows those coffee breaks can be pretty productive, too.”

Married pastor faked kidnapping to visit girlfriend

TAMPA, FL -- A Hillsborough County pastor faked his kidnapping so he could cheat on his wife without getting caught, Hillsborough Sheriff's deputies said.

According to deputies Wikler Moran-Mora, pastor of the International Missionary Society of the Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement, texted his wife Tuesday night that he had been kidnapped, but she should not to panic or worry. After several similar texts claiming he was negotiating his release, Moran-Mora's wife did panic and call sheriff's deputies.

Hillsborough deputies launched a full scale search for the missing pastor, with more than a dozen deputies taking part.

Sheriff's spokesman JD Callaway told ABC Action News.com, they traced Moran-Mora's location through his cell phone and found him with another woman. Callaway says the pastor confessed he concocted the kidnap story to keep the tryst from his wife.

 LINK TO PHOTO:

Texas DNA exonerees find prosperity after prison

AP – Shown Tuesday, August 25, 2009 is Thomas McGowan, a DNA exoneree released last year after nearly 23 years …

JEFF CARLTON, Associated Press Writer – 10:58 am 

DALLAS – Thomas McGowan's journey from prison to prosperity is about to culminate in $1.8 million, and he knows just how to spend it: on a house with three bedrooms, stainless steel kitchen appliances and a washer and dryer.

"I'll let my girlfriend pick out the rest," said McGowan, who was exonerated last year based on DNA evidence after spending nearly 23 years in prison for rape and robbery.

He and other exonerees in Texas, which leads the nation in freeing the wrongly convicted, soon will become instant millionaires under a new state law that took effect this week.

Exonerees will get $80,000 for each year they spent behind bars. The compensation also includes lifetime annuity payments that for most of the wrongly convicted are worth between $40,000 and $50,000 a year — making it by far the nation's most generous package.

"I'm nervous and excited," said McGowan, 50. "It's something I never had, this amount of money. I didn't have any money — period."

His payday for his imprisonment — a time he described as "a nightmare," "hell" and "slavery" — should come by mid-November after the state's 45-day processing period.

Exonerees also receive an array of social services, including job training, tuition credits and access to medical and dental treatment. Though 27 other states have some form of compensation law for the wrongly convicted, none comes close to offering the social services and money Texas provides.

The annuity payments are especially popular among exonerees, who acknowledge their lack of experience inmanaging personal finances. A social worker who meets with the exonerees is setting them up with financial advisers and has led discussions alerting them to swindlers.

The annuities are "a way to guarantee these guys ... payments for life as long as they follow the law," said Kevin Glasheen, a Lubbock attorney representing a dozen exonerees.

Two who served about 26 years in prison for rape will receive lump sums of about $2 million apiece. Another, Steven Phillips, who spent about 24 years in prison for sexual assault and burglary, will get about $1.9 million.

The biggest compensation package will likely go to James Woodard, who spent more than 27 years in prison for a 1980 murder that DNA testing later showed he did not commit. He eventually could receive nearly $2.2 million but first needs a writ from the state's Court of Criminal Appeals or a pardon from the governor.

McGowan and the others are among 38 DNA exonerees in Texas, according to the Innocence Project, a New York legal center that specializes in overturning wrongful convictions. Dallas County alone has 21 cases in which a judge overturned guilty verdicts based on DNA evidence, though prosecutors plan to retry one of those.

Charles Chatman, who was wrongly convicted of rape, said the money will allow him some peace of mind after more than 26 years in prison.

"It will bring me some independence," he said. "Other people have had a lot of control over my life."

Chatman and other exonerees already have begun rebuilding their lives. Several plan to start businesses, saying they don't mind working but want to be their own bosses. Others, such as McGowan, don't intend to work and hope to make their money last a lifetime.

Some exonerees have gotten married and another is about to. Phillips is taking college courses. Chatman became a first-time father at 49.

"That's something I never thought I'd be able to do," he said. "No amount of money can replace the time we've lost."

The drumbeat of DNA exonerations caused lawmakers this year to increase the compensation for the wrongly convicted, which had been $50,000 for each year of prison. Glasheen, the attorney, advised his clients to drop their federal civil rights lawsuits and then led the lobbying efforts for the bill.

Besides the lump sum and the monthly annuity payments, the bill includes 120 hours of paid tuition at a public college. It also gives exonerees an additional $25,000 for each year they spent on parole or as registered sex offenders.

No other state has such a provision, according to the Innocence Project.

Exonerees who collected lump sum payments under the old compensation law are ineligible for the new lump sums but will receive the annuities. Whether the money will be subject to taxes remains unsettled, Glasheen said.

The monthly payments are expected to be a lifeline for exonerees such as Wiley Fountain, 53, who received nearly $390,000 in compensation — minus federal taxes — but squandered it by, as he said, "living large." He ended up homeless, spending his nights in a tattered sleeping bag behind a liquor store.

But after getting help from fellow exonerees and social workers, Fountain now lives in an apartment and soon will have a steady income.

Fountain's story is a cautionary tale for the other exonerees, who meet monthly and lately have been discussing the baggage that comes with the money.

Chatman said he's been approached by "family, friends and strangers, too."

"It takes two or three seconds before they ask me how much money, or when do I get the money," he said. "Everyone has the perfect business venture for you."

Though appropriately wary, the exonerees say they are excited about having money in the bank.

"You're locked up so long and then you get out with nothing," McGowan said. "With this, you might be able to live a normal life, knowing you don't have to worry about being out on the streets."

Police seek Lloyd Virgil Barclay, who allegedly robbed KNBT in Bethlehem -- UPDATE

by Express-Times staff

Wednesday September 02, 2009, 1:59 PM

Photo Courtesy of Bethlehem Police DepartmentPolice have issued an arrest warrant for Lloyd Virgil Barclay, who allegedly robbed the KNBT at 920 W. Broad St. in Bethlehem this morning.

Bethlehem police have issued an arrest warrant for a Philadelphia man who allegedly robbed the KNBT at 920 W. Broad St. this morning and left his wallet behind on the counter,

Lloyd Virgil Barclay, 51, will be charged with robbery and related charges. Authorities allege he entered the bank about 9:20 this morning, said he had a gun and fled with an undetermined amount of cash, according to a news release from Lt. Joseph Kimock.

He is black, 5 feet 8 inches or 5 feet 9 inches tall with a gold tooth in the front of his mouth. He was carrying a purple backpack and wearing a Baltimore Ravens baseball hat.

                                  UPDATE

Lloyd Virgil Barclay, 51, will be charged with robbery and related charges. Authorities allege he entered the bank about 9:20 this morning, said he had a gun and fled with an undetermined amount of cash, according to a news release from Lt. Joseph Kimock.

He is black, 5 feet 8 inches or 5 feet 9 inches tall with a gold tooth in the front of his mouth. He was carrying a purple backpack and wearing a Baltimore Ravens baseball hat.

Police say Barclay handed a note demanding $800 to one teller and she complied. He then said $800 wasn't enough and handed the note to a second teller, who hesitated to respond, police said. Barclay then left the bank and left a wallet containing identification cards behind, police said.

No one was injured, but there were customers inside the bank when it was robbed, police said.

Man allegedly calls 911 twice to say he's hungry
September 3, 2009

4:00 pm

AP – This undated photo made available Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009 by the Palm Beach County, Fla. Sheriff's office …

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – Authorities said a man was arrested after calling 911 twice for a ride and saying he was hungry. Police reports  said Benjamin Dewer, 26, was charged early Wednesday with making false calls to 911. The report said Dewer was apparently drunk when police found him sitting on a sidewalk. He asked police for a ride to a park and told them he was hungry.

When police refused, Dewer walked away and called 911 a second time for a ride.

Dewer was being held behind bars at the Palm Beach County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

san francisco chronicle

Stranger accused of slapping crying child at store

(09-02) 18:19 PDT Stone Mountain, Ga. (AP) --

Police say a 61-year-old man annoyed with a crying 2-year-old girl at a suburban Atlanta Walmart slapped the child several times after warning the toddler's mother to keep her quiet.

A police report says after the stranger hit the girl at least four times, he said: "See, I told you I would shut her up."

Roger Stephens of Stone Mountain is charged with felony cruelty to children. It was unclear if he had an attorney and a telephone call to his home Wednesday was unanswered.

Authorities say the girl and her mother were shopping Monday when the toddler began crying. The police report says Stephens approached the mother and said, "If you don't shut that baby up, I will shut her up for you."

Authorities say Stephens then grabbed the 2-year-old and slapped her. The child began screaming and Stephens was arrested. Police say an examination showed the girl's face was slightly red.

A call to the girl's mother, identified in the police report as Sonya Mathews of Grayson, was answered by a woman who identified herself as Sabrina Mathis, the victim's aunt.

Mathis said Wednesday that the girl is doing fine.

"As of today, she has really forgotten about it," Mathis said. "She's been playing."

Mathis said the girl's mother was shaken up over the incident.

"She's as well as to be expected," Mathis said. "Right now she's just trying to calm down."

Police: Drunk 12-year-old steals car in north Lincoln

BY HILARY KINDSCHUH / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Wednesday, September 2, 2009 2:20 pm

Police say an intoxicated 12-year-old boy stole a car Tuesday night and had three hit and run crashes before a citizen caught him.

A 1988 Honda Accord was taken from a Kwik Shop at First Street and Cornhusker Highway around 8:40 p.m., said Chief Tom Casady. The driver had left the keys inside the unlocked car.

Soon after the car was stolen, police received several calls about an erratic driver in the Gaslight Village mobile home park, Casady said. The driver hit a fence and stop sign in Gaslight Village before hitting a parked car on the 100 block of West Saunders Avenue.

A 41-year-old man who lives on the block chased down the 12-year-old driver as he got out of the car and ran, Casady said. The man tackled the boy and held him until police arrived.

The boy was referred to the Lancaster County Attorney on suspicion of auto theft, fleeing the scene of an accident and drunken driving, Casady said. He had a blood alcohol content of 0.14.

This is not the first time the boy has stolen a car that was involved in a hit and run.

Police believe he stole his parents' car in June and hit a parked car, said Officer Katie Flood. An officer met with the boy and his father several days after the incident, and the boy was referred to the county attorney on suspicion of negligent driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

Because police met with the boy several days after the first incident, they could not determine whether he had been drinking at the time, Flood said.

Ex-inmate suffers serious injuries trying to get back into Brevard jail

BY KAUSTUV BASU • FLORIDA TODAY • September 1, 2009

The concertina wire that surrounds the Brevard County Detention Center in Sharpes is designed to prevent inmates from escaping.

But Monday night, someone tried to break into the jail compound by climbing the fences and suffered severe injuries.

The sequence of events began about 8 p.m. at the Camp Road facility when, according to the sheriff's office, 24-year-old Sylvester Jiles of Cocoa showed up at the front gate and asked to be taken into custody.

"He told the people at the jail that he was fearful for his life," said Maj. Greg Purden of the sheriff's office.

Jiles had been released from jail Friday after accepting a plea deal on a manslaughter charge. He pleaded guilty to fatally shooting Dustin Prouse, 19, in February 2007.

On Monday, jail officials told Jiles they could not take him in. They told him to file a police report about the threats he was receiving.

Instead, Jiles climbed the 12-foot wire fence at the west corner of the jail grounds, then ran to a second fence topped with razor-sharp concertina wire. While attempting to do so, he fell and severely injured himself.

"Anything that touches those wires is ripped to pieces. He suffered severe, life-threatening injuries," Purden said.

Jiles was taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, where his condition is unknown at this time.

CINDY STAUFFER

Intelligencer Journal
Lancaster New Era

September 2, 2009

Staff Writer

A bank robber offered an unusual explanation Monday for why he held up an Ephrata bank in 2007.

He did it to get away from his abusive wife, he told a judge during his sentencing in Lancaster County Court.

In fact, Anthony Miller, 39, wanted so badly to escape his wife — even if it meant going to jail — that he repeatedly asked tellers during the robbery, "Did you call the police yet?"

"She was very abusive to me," Miller told Judge Louis Farina. "I was scared. She threatened to commit suicide if I ever left her."

Miller's defense attorney, Robert Beyer, said that when the woman, now Miller's ex-wife, came to pick up his car after he was taken into custody, she met with the arresting officer.

After 20 minutes with her, the officer said, "I was ready for jail, too," Beyer dryly noted.

Farina sentenced Miller to 3 to 6 years in prison, a little longer than Miller had wanted. Beyer asked the judge to give Miller, who has already spent 31 months in prison, a sentence of time served.

The judge, however, said Miller committed a serious crime and used a BB gun that looked like a real gun during the robbery, even though it wasn't loaded and he never threatened anyone with it.

Farina said, "I accept he may not have wanted to hurt anyone. He made a very bad decision under a period of stress."

Turning to Miller, the judge said, "We have to make sure you don't do that again."

Miller pleaded guilty in June to the robbery of the Ephrata National Bank on Martin Avenue in February 2007.

The day of the bank robbery, Miller purchased a BB gun at Wal-Mart, took it out of the box and went to the bank, Beyer said.

Miller stayed at the bank for four minutes, as tellers collected money. A witness said, "He wanted someone to call the police."

An employee did trigger an alarm and police, who were nearby, arrested Miller as he left the bank.

When he walked out of the door, Miller hesitated for a moment, Beyer said, thinking that he might want police to kill him and "have this be over with," but then changed his mind.

Miller, who has no criminal record, decided to rob the bank after a series of problems — marital, financial and emotional, Beyer said.

Miller met his wife through a Christian dating Web site. She moved to the county from Washington state and the couple was married in 2004.

The pair soon had problems and Miller wanted to end the marriage, but his wife threatened to overdose on pills, he said.

During this time, Miller also struggled with depression. A welder, he had a job that did not offer health insurance and he said could not afford the medications he needed for his condition.

Feeling desperate, he saw the bank robbery as a way to get away from his wife.

Farina listened and then noted a very curious thing: When Miller was arrested, he asked police if he could call his wife.

Beyer said, "He didn't say what he was going to say."

"Goodbye? It's your fault?" Farina asked, his eyebrows raised. "So it's her fault?"

Beyer responded that Miller doesn't blame anyone but himself.

"His wife's actions drove him to it?" Farina asked. "He saw this as his way out?"

"Absolutely," Beyer said.

Miller weighed in, saying, "I certainly wasn't thinking straight. That's not the way I normally act. I believe I had a nervous breakdown that day."

Farina told Miller that he traumatized people in the bank with the gun.

The judge said he wanted to give Miller more than just the time he had already served in prison so he could get evaluated and counseled.

"You need enough time and supervision so we can identify what are your problems," he said.

LINK TO CONTEST:

http://eyeonthe100k.com/

LINK TO PHOTOS AND AUDIO:

http://www.cantonrep.com/homepage/x1886195990/Canton-judge-orders-silence-in-the-court-with-duct-tape

69-year-old Missouri woman fires gun on airport runway

KMOV-TV

09:04 AM CDT on Tuesday, September 1, 2009

FULTON, Mo. (AP) -- Police say a 69-year-old woman forced a plane to abort its landing Saturday night when she went onto the runway and fired a gun.

kmov

Judy Davis

Judy Davis of Fulton was being detained when police arrived and found a loaded .22 caliber handgun in her pants pocket. Mexico, Mo., radio station KXEO reports that she was arrested on a charge of unlawful use of a weapon and released after posting $4,500 bond.

Police say Davis walked into the terminal and said she was planning to shoot down a plane. She told investigators she was upset because the plane had repeatedly flown to close to her house.

Officials say federal authorities have been contacted and will be helping with the investigation.