Officer Tahreem Zeus Rana Arrested for Kidnapping, Murder, and Arson

Officer Tahreem Zeus Rana, 23, was arrested at an airport Thursday morning for kidnapping, murder, tampering with evidence, and arson while attempting to flee to Mexico.

Last Friday, Rana met up with a woman named Valencia Woodard, 26, after responding to an ad she had posted.  Woodard had been in Georgia from New York for less than a week, it is likely she moved to be closer to her eight year old daughter who was living in Georgia with her grandmother.

Detective Stephen Cushing reports that Rana picked her up, brought her to a dead end street not even a mile from his house, and shot her repeatedly with his .40 caliber glock issued by the department.

Rana then allegedly set her body on fire to destroy the evidence.  A city worker found her body, still burning, on the side of a road.

The department has issued a statement saying:

“We are shocked and saddened by these developments. The officer has been relieved from duty, and is in a non-enforcement status. Chief Turner will schedule an emergency hearing immediately today to determine the next course of action. We must allow the justice system to run its course. But these clearly are very disturbing allegations that are not in line with the expectations we have for our officers, and will be immediately dealt with.”

“Officers remember him actually walking to school here as a young boy saying when I grow up I want to be a police officer,” said Cushing according to 11Alive.  Psychopathic tendencies start early folks.

The killer cop waived his first court appearance on Friday will remain held without bond until his preliminary hearing, Sept. 12, in Fulton Superior Court.

Reserve Officer Charles Shamblin Arrested for Arson

A reserve police officer for the town of Gore has been jailed on a complaint of first-degree arson.

Charles Shamblin, 45, of Webbers Falls, is being held in the Muskogee County jail after a warrant was issued for his arrest Tuesday.

According to court documents, Shamblin caused a domestic disturbance by bringing a can of gas into his home and telling his wife and daughter he was going to "burn the house down" on March 31.

Shamblin allegedly had already started one fire while his wife and daughter were inside the Webbers Falls home when he used a cigarette lighter to set a pillowcase and shirt on fire, according to a court affidavit.

Shamblin has been suspended as a reserve officer pending the outcome of these allegations, according to Gore Town Administrator Horace E. Lindley.

He is set to appear in court April 17 for a sounding docket in Muskogee County.

Reserve Officer Jeff Gulley Arrested for Arson

The second Mineral Wells man arrested in connection with a Feb. 3 arson is reportedly a licensed police officer in the State of Texas but does not currently hold a law enforcement position.

Information from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education confirmed that Jeff Gulley, 30, of Mineral Wells, was appointed as a reserve officer for the Mineral Wells police department from October to December 2006 and was appointed as a police officer in Ranger from October 2006 to June 2007.

According to Mineral Wells Police Chief Mike McAllester, the police department turned in the reserve officer paperwork to TCLEOSE and provided him a uniform and equipment but doesn’t “remember him working in uniform here.”

“He never showed up,” McAllester said. “He never worked for us.”

McAllester said Gulley applied to the department since that time but was never interviewed.

About the same time, Gulley reportedly took a position with the Ranger police department.

Ranger police chief Elton McCoy said he was not with the department at that time and did not immediately have access to Gulley’s records.

TCLEOSE records also indicate Gulley worked as a jailer at the Parker County Jail, though the Index was unable to reach the warden Friday.

The Index also confirmed Gulley served in the United State Marine Corps between 2003 and 2007.

Gulley – along with former patrolman John Gore who questioned and arrested Tuesday on three additional counts of arson – is charged with one count of arson relating to the destruction of a two-story storage building on Hood Road and Division Street around 2:30 a.m. Feb. 3 as a result of an intentionally set fire.

During an interview with a Parker County Fire Marshal’s official, Gore allegedly confessed to burning the structure and implicated Gulley, Parker County Public Information Officer Shawn Scott reported.

The same official then interviewed Gulley twice, Scott said.

“During these interviews he exposed his involvement in the Feb. 3 arson,” Scott said. He also allegedly confessed to being involved with two other fires, a grass fire that burned only grass and brush and a structure fire that did not fully ignite.

The two alleged fires were not in the jurisdiction of Parker County and the information was turned over to Mineral Wells investigators, Scott said.

The Feb. 3 fire is the only arson investigation the Parker County Fire Marshal’s office is directly involved in, according to Scott.

According to Mineral Wells police, Gulley was questioned Tuesday morning and released after Gore named a suspect in a prior incident.

Gulley was arrested on a Parker County warrant for arson around 4 p.m. Thursday at his residence and booked into the Mineral Wells jail overnight.

Police provided extra patrol to the area overnight after Gulley’s wife reported people throwing things at the family’s residence after the Index published a report of his arrest Thursday evening.

Investigators questioned Gulley Friday morning, shortly before he was transported to the Parker County jail. According to jail records, bond had not been set as of Friday evening.

“He cooperated,” McAllester said Friday morning. “His account of what happened on Feb. 3 wasn’t changed but there have been additional offenses reported.”

McAllester said they would be investigating his statements about the alleged offenses.

“Information given by both of them will result into further investigation into other fires,” McAllester said. “There is certainly the possibility of additional counts against each of them.”

“Every time we talk to them, there’s more,” McAllester said.

Suspicious fires as far back as 2001 are being investigated, though McAllester said that does not mean investigators necessarily believe the two were involved in fires that far back.

John Gore, who resigned Wednesday after three years with the Mineral Wells Police Department, reportedly posted bonds on all four charges Tuesday and was released from the Palo Pinto County Jail. Bond on the three charges involving the Tuesday fires were reduced to $30,000 for first-degree arson with injury and $20,000 on the second-degree felony arson counts. Bond was set at $30,000 on the Parker County arson charge.

McAllester said before Tuesday he knew of nothing that indicated a possible arsonist on the police force and they are investigating whether anyone else in the department had any indication.

Laura Le Blanc, public information officer with the TCLEOSE, said they were informed of Gulley’s arrest and would seek action regarding his peace officer’s license if he is found guilty.
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Other Information: 
Officer John Gore Charged With Arson

Officer John Gore Charged with Arson

As firefighters battled three fires early Tuesday morning in the area of Wolters Industrial Park, a Mineral Wells police officer was taken into custody and later charged with three counts of arson.

Patrolman John Clifford Gore, who marked his third anniversary with the Mineral Wells Police Department on Monday, was taken into custody around 2 a.m. Tuesday after he was stopped by an on-duty police officer on Ellis White Road.

Gore was not on duty at the time, Mineral Wells Police Chief Mike McAllester said.

McAllester said Gore was stopped because his silver Ford pickup matched the description of a truck reported speeding in the area of Corrections Corporation of America’s prison minutes after the fires were reported.

The officer who stopped Gore observed a gas can in the bed of the pickup and noticed Gore smelled of gasoline and smoke so he was detained and transported to the police station for questioning, according to McAllester.

Around 4:30 a.m., Gore was arrested and charged with three counts of arson, including one charge of arson with injury because a volunteer firefighter reportedly sustained a minor injury while fighting the fire on Lee Road.

An empty former barracks building on Van Story Road belonging to New-Tronics Antenna Corp. was reported on fire around 1:30 a.m. about the same time as a fire at a building in the 400 block of Lee Road belonging to Evair Associates.

A fire at a fireworks stand at Ellis White Road and Farm-to-Market Road 1821 was called in minutes later.

Police officers who responded began looking for vehicles in the area “because of recent arson fires that had plagued that area,”

“We’re still investigating whether this page person may or may not have been involved with other arson fires,” McAllester said.

McAllester said the motive for the intentionally set fires is also under investigation.

The 26-year-old patrol officer has been with the Mineral Wells Police Department three years as of Monday.

“There’s never been any discipline involving this officer at all,” McAllester said. “Up until this point he’s been a model employee.”

“This case we handled as any other case would be,” McAllester said.

Another suspect has been questioned after the police department received information on a subject believed to be involved in a prior incident, according to McAllester.

An additional arrest is possible, McAllester said.

The Texas Rangers, arson investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Parker County Fire Marshal’s Office and the Palo Pinto County Fire Marshal’s Office are assisting in the investigation, according to McAllester.

The Mineral Wells Fire Department and volunteers from Mineral Wells, Millsap and Cool-Garner responded to the structure fires.

There was minor damage to the fireworks stand on Ellis White Road.

Mineral Wells Volunteer Fire Chief Steve Perdue said the former barracks building on Van Story Road was fully involved when firefighters arrived. It burned to the ground.

Tina Chipps, plant manager at New-Tronics, said the building was empty and had been stripped.

It was the company’s second building burned in a suspected arson since a former barracks building used for storage was destroyed in mid-December in a string of four intentionally set fires across the city.

The fire at the brick building in the 400 block of Lee Road owned by Evair Associates was contained to the office portion, according to Perdue.

Monte Parker, a 19-year veteran of the MWVFD, sustained a minor back injury and was transported by ambulance to Palo Pinto General Hospital. He was later released, according to his wife, Connie Parker.

The building was used for storage. The main business office in the 200 block was not hurt.

Neil Evans said he lost most of the items he hoped to use as exhibits in a flight museum for the area.

For the last 12 years, the building has housed aviation artifacts, including old parts, fixtures and hundreds of large pictures, according to the family.

“You can’t get this stuff,” Neil Evans said.

“We’ve been collecting that stuff for years,” Sharlet Evans, office manager at the family-owned business, described as “the AutoZone for F-16s.”

About 1,000 brand new keyboards and computer mice to be donated to schools in Mineral Wells and Weatherford were also destroyed, according to Neil Evans.

In all, the Evans estimated their loss at between $500,000 and $1 million. They said the building was insured, though the contents were not.

Sharlet Evans said they found out about the fire when Jerry VanNatta with the Mineral Wells Volunteer Fire Department called the office first thing Tuesday morning.

They were making arrangements to have somebody patrol the business during the nighttime hours when they were informed of the arrest.

“I’m shocked, I’ve known John Gore since he was a little boy,” Sharlet Evans said.

A Myspace page purportedly belonging to Gore and last updated on Monday displayed a quote from the fictional Gotham City district attorney Harvey Dent in the movie “Dark Knight” saying “You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”

The page sports a black background with a picture of orange flames and several pictures of the character The Joker from the same movie.

A 2001 graduate of Mineral Wells High School, Gore was in the Palo Pinto County jail on $95,000 bond as of Tuesday morning.

Officer William Robert Queen Resigns After Arrest for Arson

The Bullhead City police officer who was arrested in July by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police has turned in his resignation, officials confirmed.

William Robert Queen, 36, turned in his resignation to Police Chief Rodney Head on Aug. 4.

Queen was placed on administrative leave by Head on July 20, prior to his arrest by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said Bullhead City Police Department spokeswoman Emily Montague.

Queen was arrested July 21 by Las Vegas Metropolitan police on suspicion of arson for insurance fraud, said spokeswoman Barbara Morgan.

“On July 17, firefighters responded to a vehicle fire in a vacant lot in the 13000 block of South Western,” Morgan said.

Crews responded to a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe on fire. Morgan said there was nothing missing on the vehicle.

“The auto theft unit conducted an investigation and determined the vehicle fire was for the purposes of insurance fraud,” Morgan said. Police allege Queen hired 26-year-old Gary Miller to burn the vehicle. Miller was arrested Aug. 10 on suspicion of arson for insurance fraud, Morgan said.

The case has been turned over to the state attorney general's office, she said.

Queen joined the Bullhead City Police Department on Jan. 10, 2000.

Reserve Deputy Ronnie Araiza Arrested for Arson

A Bexar County Fire Marshal's Office investigation has led to an arson charge against a man authorities believe destroyed a vehicle that he used as a Bexar County reserve deputy constable with the goal of committing insurance fraud, an arrest affidavit states.

Ronnie Lucero Araiza, 30, was arrested and released on bond over the weekend on a charge of arson of a motor vehicle, according to the affidavit.

The arrest stems from a nearly two-year-old incident in which Araiza's Chevy Blazer was spotted on fire at and Potranco Road. In the affidavit, authorities claim Araiza worked with another man on Aug. 25, 2007, to set his Blazer on fire after Araiza purchased a new vehicle.

At the time of the fire, Araiza was working as a reserve deputy constable for Precinct 2 and told officials he was near Loop 1604 and Potranco Road when the fire occurred. Using cell phone records to show calls made between Araiza and another man around the time of the fire, investigators found a call was made to Araiza from a phone that was within a half-mile of the fire scene about three minutes before the fire was reported to 911, the affidavit said.

Cell phone records showed Araiza was around Loop 1604 and Potranco Road and also Loop 1604 and U.S. 281 around the time of the fire.

Records were not available to show if the man who made the call to Araiza has been arrested.

Calls to the Precinct 2 Constable's office on Sunday were not answered and it was not clear in the affidavit if Araiza was still working as a reserve deputy at the time of his arrest Friday.

Former Officer James Formato, Officer Dino Vitalo & Others Arrested for Armed Robberies

A reputed mob boss, a police officer and five other men were charged Thursday in a sweeping racketeering indictment that alleges eight years of armed robberies, burglaries, jewel thefts and arson based in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Michael "The Large Guy" Sarno, 51, of Westchester allegedly masterminded much of the group's illegal activity, including a February 2003 pipe-bomb explosion that wrecked the storefront offices of a company distributing video poker machines.

Prosecutors say the bombing was a message from organized crime to stop intruding on its $13-million-a-year video poker gambling business.

Sarno, 51, went to prison in the early 1990s as a member of an organized crime family based in the western suburbs headed by Ernest Rocco Infelice.

Federal agents searched Sarno's home last July and also raided the headquarters and various hangouts of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. An alliance has developed between the violence-prone club and the Chicago mob, prosecutors say.

Sarno's attorney, Terence P. Gillespie, did not return a message for comment. But he said in a previous interview with The Associated Press that Sarno was not a mob member and was "a legitimate businessman."

Two men arrested the day of the July 2008 searches and later indicted, Mark Polchan, 41, an acknowledged member of the Outlaws, and Samuel Volpendesto, 85, were also charged in the fresh indictment. They are accused of setting off the bomb that demolished C&S Coin Operated Amusements of Berwyn, a video poker device distributor.

At the time, a video poker distributing company controlled by members and associates of the Chicago mob had a grip on the market for the devices, experts say.

Video poker devices are legal in Illinois if they are not used for gambling, but bartenders often pay winners under the table in many places and experts say the mob frequently takes a healthy cut of what the machines take in.

Gov. Pat Quinn is deciding whether to sign a bill to make video poker gambling legal to finance public works — something good government forces deplore. They say the machines are addictive and some breadwinners have gambled away their paychecks.

Also charged in the indictment:

—James Formato, 42, a former Berwyn police officer accused of serving as a courier for stolen money, taking part in an attempted robbery and other crimes.

—Mark Hay, 52, described as taking part in the robbery of jewelry stores.

—Anthony Volpendesto, 46, son of Samuel Volpendesto, who also is alleged to have taken part in robbing jewelry stores.

—Dino Vitalo, 40, a Cicero police officer since 1991, accused of searching law enforcement data bases and using the information to tip off criminals and searching for electronic surveillance equipment around a jewelry store operated by Polchan. Cicero officials on Thursday placed Vitalo on administrative leave.

Prosecutors are asking the court to force the defendants if convicted to forfeit $1.8 million — a possible measure of the amount taken in the robberies.
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http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6844795

UPDATE: Officer Anthony Razo Arrested for Torching his BMW then Filing Insurance Claim

A Los Angeles police officer who said he was shot in an off-duty incident early this year lied to investigators about the attack and, weeks earlier, intentionally set fire to his own luxury sports car in a scheme to collect an insurance payment, according to charges filed by prosecutors late Wednesday.

Anthony Razo, who served 14 years with the Los Angeles Police Department before abruptly resigning Friday, was charged with five felony counts of insurance fraud and arson for allegedly torching his own BMW 745 on Jan. 4 and then filing an insurance claim.

He also faces a misdemeanor charge of filing a false police report concerning a gunshot wound he said he suffered outside his City Terrace home Jan. 31. Razo said that two Latinos with shaved heads, whom he did not know, attacked him as he was leaving for an early morning golf game. During a struggle, Razo said, one of the men grabbed his department-issued handgun and shot him once in the shoulder.

Prosecutors and sheriff's officials declined to comment on the details of their investigation, leaving open the possibility that Razo shot himself or that he knows who shot him.

Razo, 49, refused to answer questions when he was reached at his home late last week by The Times. His attorney, Glen Jonas, refused to discuss details of the case, but acknowledged missteps by Razo.

"Mr. Razo is addressing personal problems while cooperating with the investigators to minimize any additional impact recent events will have on the department and the community," Jonas said. "While we understand some in the community may define him by recent events, we hope the numerous citizens, crime victims and fellow officers he helped . . . will remember him differently."

Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators had already begun to suspect that Razo had burned his own car before the shooting occurred, law enforcement officials with knowledge of the investigation said. Those suspicions led homicide investigators to doubt Razo's version of the attack, the sources said.

In the hours immediately after the shooting, however, the Sheriff's Department nonetheless launched a massive manhunt for the alleged attackers. Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton and Sheriff Lee Baca rallied before a phalanx of TV cameras, vowing that the assailants would be captured. Within days, officers at the Hollenbeck Division station, where Razo was assigned, had raised more than $6,000 to help the wounded officer. Specialized LAPD officers guarded Razo's home around the clock.

Despite an intense investigation, sheriff's investigators found no leads supporting Razo's claims, drawing further suspicion on the officer, who had fallen deeply into debt before the car-burning incident, officials said.

In comments made shortly before the charges were filed, Sheriff's Lt. Duane Harris, who is leading the investigation, indicated that Razo had not confessed, saying he "has not told us anything that contradicts that initial report."

After weeks of rumors and hushed conversations about Razo in police stations, news of the charges brought expressions of anger and disappointment.

Paul M. Weber, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents the department's rank-and-file officers, said the union was "deeply disturbed."

"We are naturally saddened and find it unsettling to learn that the incident . . . may not be the tragedy it was initially portrayed to be," Weber said.

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UPDATED Information: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Chief-Former-Officer-Accused-of-Faking-Shooting-is-Disgrace.html
Other Information: http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_12050507

Former Officer Steven Gomez Accused of Arson

PORTLAND

A former Portland police officer convicted of shooting his wife more than a decade ago is in trouble with the law again. This time he was charged with arson.

Former officer in court Investigators arrested 43-year-old Steven Brian Gomez Tuesday, accused of setting an apartment on fire. Detectives said Gomez started a fire at an apartment complex on the 2100 block of North Kilpatrick on November 7, 2008.

In court Wednesday morning, Gomez pleaded not guilty to three counts of arson and three counts of attempted assault. Bail was set at $810,000 and and his next court date was set for April 15.

Three people were inside the apartment at the time of the fire and one person suffered minor burns. Detectives believe that Gomez knew the victims and have been investigating him since.

Last week, a Multnomah County grand jury indicted him on arson and attempted assault charges.

Back in 1997, Gomez confessed to shooting his wife while he was on the Portland police force. At the time, he apologized and said he was playing with the shotgun and didn't know it was loaded.

His wife survived, but Gomez spent 90 days in jail and resigned from the force.

Gomez was being held at the Justice Center in downtown Portland.

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Video: http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_030409_news_gomez_arson_arrest.102fb22.html

Officer Melissa Kronebusch Accused of Arson Plans to Marry Firefighter

A Saukville police officer charged with setting fire to a vacant home in March is scheduled to be married this month to one of the firefighters who responded and extinguished the blaze, according to statements made in court Tuesday.

Melissa L. Kronebusch, 26, a three-year veteran of the Saukville Police Department, is charged with one count of arson and one count of second-degree reckless endangerment, both felonies for which she could be sentenced to 50 years in prison if convicted.

According to a criminal complaint, Kronebusch was spotted on a surveillance video in the backyard of the house at 625 E. Green Bay Road, next door to the Saukville Police Department, around 12:30 a.m. on March 20.

About 20 minutes later, the video shows a glow visible in the southwest basement window of the house, which was owned by the village.

The video then shows Kronebusch leaving the adjacent parking lot in her squad car, driving through smoke that was already coming from the house, and then returning a few minutes later, at which time she reported the house on fire, the complaint says.

Saukville firefighters responded and extinguished the fire, which started in the basement. The fire caused $5,000 damage to the house, the complaint says.

One of the four firefighters named in the complaint as having responded to the blaze was in court Tuesday and was identified by Kronebusch's lawyer, Michael Guerin, as her fiancé.

The couple's wedding is planned for Oct. 10, he said.

Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Joseph D. McCormack set bail for Kronebusch at $5,000. Kronebusch posted bail Tuesday and was released from the Ozaukee County Jail.

District Attorney Sandy Williams had asked for $50,000 bail, while Guerin requested that Kronebusch be released on her own recognizance.

Kronebusch appeared in court via teleconference, clad in a jail-issued orange jumpsuit, and occasionally dabbed tears from her eyes.

McCormack ordered that conditions of Kronebusch's bail include having no contact with members of the Saukville police or fire departments, except for her fiancé, and that she not leave the state except to visit her parents' home in Altura, Minn., just across the state line near La Crosse.

That means those from the police and fire departments involved in the wedding will not be able to attend, Guerin told McCormack.

Guerin said in an interview that Kronebusch will plead not guilty to the charges.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Saukville Police Chief Bill Meloy said Kronebusch was placed on paid administrative leave on June 26 and will remain there until an internal investigation is completed.

"This was a complete surprise to us," Meloy said in an interview, adding that Kronebusch has been a reliable member of his department during her tenure.

The Saukville Police Department employs eight patrol officers, two clerical workers and three officers, including the chief.

Officer Melissa Kronebusch Charged with Arson

SAUKVILLE, Wis.

A Saukville police officer has been charged with arson after she allegedly set fire to a vacant home in March.

Prosecutors say surveillance tape captured 26-year-old Melissa L. Kronebusch entering a home after midnight. They say she exited about 20 minutes later, with a glow visible through the basement window.

According to a criminal complaint filed Monday, the video shows her leaving the adjacent parking lot in her squad car, and then returning a few minutes later to report the fire.

Saukville firefighters responded and extinguished the flames. The complaint says the fire caused $5,000 in damages.

Police Chief Bill Meloy says Kronebusch was placed on paid administrative leave June 26.

Online court records didn't list an attorney for Kronebusch.

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Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, http://www.jsonline.com

Former Officer Charged with Arson

A former Olanta police officer was arrested after deputies said he set fire to his mother’s car because he didn’t want to repair it, Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone said.

Robert Brendon Smith, 28, of 428 Chester Road is charged with third-degree arson and filing a false report, Boone said.

Deputies said Smith and his neighbor, 40-year-old James David Morris of 439 Chester Road, set fire July 8 to a 2001 Dodge Dakota on Johnnie Lee Road in Coward, Boone said.

Investigators said the next day, Smith called central dispatch and reported the car stolen. When deputies arrived, Smith filed an incident report and signed an affidavit stating that he didn’t have anything to do with the vehicle disappearance, Boone said.

Arson investigators later found the truck and discovered that it had intentionally been set on fire by someone using an accelerant, the sheriff said.

The car was registered to Smith’s mother, but was routinely used by Smith and his wife.

Deputies think the suspects destroyed the vehicle because it needed some repairs to its transmission, Boone said.

Olanta Police Chief Mark Strickland said Smith resigned from the department Wednesday.

Smith was employed at the department for about 10 months, Strickland said.

Smith was released from the jail in Effingham on Thursday after posting a $5,000 person recognizance bond.

Morris, who also is charged with third-degree arson, remains custody awaiting a bond hearing.

The Olanta Police Department now has two officers, excluding the chief.

Horry County Officer Arrested for Arson

A Horry County police officer was arrested by SLED agents Wednesday afternoon for arson.

SLED says 32-year-old Kyle Gary Bell of Nichols, SC is charged with one count of arson in connection with a fire in Longs, SC in April.

According to the warrant, on April 23, Bell set fire to land belonging to the International Paper Company.

The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by SLED at the request of the South Carolina Forestry Commission.