Border Patrol Agent Esteban Manzanares Kidnapped and Assaults Three then Kills Self

An immigrant woman, her daughter and another girl who said they were kidnapped and assaulted by a border patrol agent were in the process of surrendering to the agent when their ordeal began, another Border Patrol agent and a federal law enforcement official said Friday.

Agent Esteban Manzanares, who officials say committed suicide early Thursday morning, is accused of driving the three away from the river after they surrendered and assaulting them. The other agent said Manzanares cut the wrists of the adult woman, assaulted one teenager in the group, and then fled the area with a second teenage girl.

The Honduran embassy in Washington, D.C., said the three are a mother, her underage daughter and another girl not related to them. The FBI has said the three were in the country illegally.

The woman who had escaped the attack and walked further upriver tripped a camera at the border fence shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday, the agent and law enforcement official said.

They said in the camera image a woman can be seen walking toward a gap in the fence. The border agent said there was blood covering her wrists. Within ten minutes of the camera image being taken, agents responded to the woman and began the search, the border agent and federal official said.

The federal law enforcement official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to talk about the case because the FBI was leading the investigation. The border agent spoke on condition of anonymity because the agent was not allowed to speak to the media because of the ongoing investigation.

Customs and Border Protection, the federal agency of which the Border Patrol is part, has said that when they found the woman she told them she had been attacked by a man. The federal official said the woman described the man as wearing green fatigues. Border Patrol agents wear green uniforms. She also described a vehicle that the federal official said authorities believed to be a Border Patrol vehicle.

The official and the agent said a search was quickly launched in the area for the other two victims. One of the teenagers was found near the border in the brush, and hours later the second girl was located in Manzanares’ home in Mission, the federal official and the agent said. Mission is a suburb of McAllen, close to the Texas-Mexico border about 350 miles from Houston.

 When authorities approached the agent’s apartment, they heard gunfire. A short time later, when investigators went into the apartment, they found him dead and rescued the other girl.

A CBP official told The Associated Press that the agent was on duty when he encountered the females and that his shift had ended by the time authorities showed up at his house and he shot himself. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because it is an ongoing investigation by the FBI.

Karol Escalante, a spokeswoman for the Honduran embassy in Washington, D.C., said the three Hondurans are recovering at a hospital in McAllen. She would not elaborate on their injuries.

R. Gil Kerlikowske, Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said in a statement Friday that such acts are not representative of the agents of theBorder Patrol. He added that the agency is working to make sure the victims receive proper care. The CPB is collaborating with the FBI, who is conducting the investigation.

 “I am deeply sorry that this incident occurred and am committed to doing everything in my power to prevent incidents like this from occurring again,” he said.

The Border Patrol agent who participated in the search said Manzanares was assigned to Anzalduas Park. The FBI said it is awaiting an autopsy report on Manzanares, who the Border Patrol said had been with the agency since 2008.

The number of apprehensions by the Border Patrol —a figure commonly used to gauge the ebb and flow of illegal border crossers — rose by 16 percent last year to 420,789 undocumented immigrants detained. More than half of those arrests were made in Texas.

Border Patrol Chief Michael Fisher said last October that much of the increase was due to a rise in the number of people from Central American trying to enter the U.S. in South Texas.

While apprehensions of Mexican nationals remained fairly steady, arrests of immigrants from other countries, including Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, rose 55 percent. Limited economic opportunities and widespread gang and drug cartel violence in Central America have driven tens of thousands north along a dangerous route through Mexico.

Officer Joshua Boren Shoots Entire Family then Kills Himself

More horrible news of a parent taking his or her life and the lives of their children. This time, it happened on Thursday in Spanish Fork, Utah. Reports say that 34-year-old police officer Joshua Boren shot his entire family dead, including his 55-year-old mother-in-law Marie King, his wife, Kelly, and his two children, 7-year-old Joshua (who was called Jaden) and 5-year-old Haley. He then reportedly took his own life. The family was found when officers became concerned after Boren didn't show for his night shift with the Lindon Police Department.

Authorities said that the couple appeared to be having marital difficulties, but despite that, they had all gone on a trip to Disneyland at Christmas.

Pictures show a family looking happy and healthy. The kids are smiling with painted faces; Kelly and her daughter dressed up like princesses at Disneyland. The husband wife are both athletic-looking and attractive. They had everything to live for. What could make someone feel that things are so incredibly hopeless that the entire family needs to be wiped out in such a horrifying manner?

It has been only two days since another family murder-suicide in Utah, that of Kyler Ramsdell-Oliva, whom police believe killed her 13-year-old and 6-year-old daughters before turning the gun on herself after her fiance moved out.

Kelly's Facebook page shows a beautiful young woman and her gorgeous, blonde children. "Kelly, how sadly ironic that you post a loving picture of your children the day you and them were taken from us. You will always be in my heart," a devastated friend posted on her wall. She also was a fan of working out and posting motivational quotes from Tony Robbins. In fact, it appears she had been struggling lately with making a major decision, and quoted Robbins:

Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that dis-empowers them or one that can literally save their lives.

Unfortunately, Kelly's life and that of her children were not saved.


Please call 1-800-273-8255 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in case you are worried about yourself or someone else.

Former Officer Tommy Swint Kills Self

Montgomery County Tree trimmers were working in Jefferson Township when a worker noticed something strange in a trash heap.

Amid the broken furniture and other junk, he saw "a blanket that was formed as a body," he later told Montgomery County sheriff's detectives.

It was Dec. 17, 1991. What he saw was actually a quilt, which had been taped around a woman's body. The woman was nude from the waist down. Under the quilt were two plastic trash bags, one over her legs and one over her head and torso. Those bags were taped together.

The woman had no identification, but wore several pieces of jewelry. Her panties, pants, jacket and shoes were inside the bag over her legs.

Coroner's investigators identified Tina Marie Ivery through her fingerprints. Ivery, 33, a known drug user and prostitute, was strangled. A family member last reported seeing her three days earlier.

There were no suspects. For 16 years, there were no good leads. Then Tommy Swint entered the case.

A review of the Ivery case file reveals that Swint was not the only suspect authorities looked at, but he became the best one. He committed suicide Feb. 3, the same day he was indicted in Ivery's murder.

Swint always wanted to be a police officer. Sworn in as a Trotwood officer on July 16, 2007, he resigned six weeks later after Richmond, Ind., police informed Trotwood officials that Swint was a suspect in the disappearance of Marilyn "Niqui" McCown.

The two had worked together at the Dayton's Montgomery Education and Pre-Release Center, a state prison. McCown was last seen at a Richmond Laundromat in July 2001. Her SUV was found four months later at a Harrison Township apartment complex.

The Dayton Daily News reported Swint's resignation in October 2007. A month later, a confidential informant told Dayton police they should look at Swint as a suspect in Ivery's death.

Detectives soon learned that Swint was born in 1966 and raised in Alabama. He joined the Marine Corps in 1986 and was stationed in Japan and Panama. Swint would later admit to having sex with prostitutes in both countries.

In December 1989, he went absent without leave and fled to Dayton, where he had relatives. Swint was arrested and returned to Camp Lejeune, N.C., in June 1990.

In a letter requesting a discharge after his return, Swint wrote that his father never told him that he loved him, that he had experienced significant racism growing up in the South, and that he was the only of his siblings to graduate high school.

"I became a very big celebrity in high school because I was very good in sports," Swint wrote. "My high school loved me and so did my whole town and city."

He also wrote that while he was thankful for the discipline the corps gave him, "I really wanted to be a military police but ended up as a grunt."

The Marines discharged Swint "under other than honorable conditions," according to records. Swint moved back to Dayton.

For the rest of his life, Swint would pursue jobs in security and law enforcement. He applied to the sheriff's office in 2007, but was turned down. He told interviewers he had tried to join the Ohio State Highway Patrol in 1995.

He also told Trotwood interviewers he had applied with Beavercreek, Wright State University, Butler Township and Sinclair Community College police departments. He also admitted to Trotwood that he had pleaded guilty to passing bad checks in 1992.

Several former co-workers of Swint wrote glowing recommendation letters for him. But Trotwood also knew about a 2006 incident in which he received a written reprimand for threatening a female captain at the pre-release center.

"If I have anything to say to you, I will say it in the parking lot," Swint reportedly said. "You don't know who you are missing with. I'm Officer Swint."

But there's no record of Swint telling Trotwood about his AWOL incident or Niqui McCown.

Dayton cold case detectives investigating Swint interviewed his friends and relatives. They shared stories about prostitutes and Swint's visit to a gay club, even though Swint said he hated prostitutes and gays.

Interviewed by police in May 2008, a former girlfriend said Swint had dated Ivery. She also said the blanket Ivery was wrapped in looked familiar to one Swint carried in his car.

Her nephew, who lived with her when Swint was there, told police in April 2009 he remembered seeing a blood trail from the basement window through the grass to the trunk of Swint's car.

The nephew also mentioned a blanket missing from his bed in the basement. Shown a picture of the quilt Ivery was wrapped in, the nephew said it was very similar to the missing blanket.

The Miami Valley Regional Crime Laboratory had been analyzing DNA evidence long before Swint came to investigators' attention. Records show the lab was running tests by November 2005.

There were four semen stains on the back of Ivery's jacket, and one on the front, but they came from different men. There was also a blood stain on the quilt.

The lab did not have a DNA sample for Swint. But Richmond police had an oral swab from him. In April 2008, they agreed to share the sample with the lab.

In May, the lab matched Swint's DNA to the semen on back of the jacket. Swint also could not be excluded as the source of the blood stain on the quilt. On October 21, 2008, detectives visited Swint at the Harrison Township home he shared with his wife. They showed him a picture of Ivery and the blanket. He denied knowing her or ever seeing the blanket.

Then a lab worker found a partial fingerprint onthe adhesive side of the tape that had been wrapped around Ivery's body. The original investigators missed that in 1992.

By this time, Swint had moved to Alabama. Dayton detectives, working with local law enforcement, got a search warrant to obtain Swint's fingerprints.

After Swint gave his fingerprints, he was again shown a picture of Ivery. Again he denied knowing her, but said he thought she was pretty. The officers asked him if he had killed her and he said no.

Then the officers told him his DNA matched evidence at the scene.

"I have nothing to say about that," Swint said.

After some more discussion about the DNA, Swint ended the interview.

"With all due respect, we need to bring this interview to close," Swint said. "I am sure I will see you again. My attorney would not want me to get into this."

On Nov. 25, the crime lab matched the latent print to Swint's left middle finger. By mid-December, a three-prosecutor panel was reviewing the evidence.

On Feb. 1 and 2, prosecutors presented evidence to the grand jury, which indicted Swint just before noon on Feb. 3. An hour later, Swint shot himself in the head as officers approached his Phenix City, Ala., house.

Tommy Swint took the answers to investigators' questions with him.

Records show the detectives were looking at Swint in other cases. Swint's DNA was tested, but did not match, evidence taken from another prostitute homicide, according to an e-mail Montgomery County Assistant Prosecutor Tracey Tangeman sent to other prosecutors.

They should keep looking, said Art Jipson, a sociologist and director of criminal justice studies at the University of Dayton. Jipson recommended doing "geographical profiling," looking at all unsolved homicides in the areas where Swint lived and worked.

It is common for serial killers to be drawn to careers in law enforcement or the military because they like the idea of using force and having authority over others. However, Jipson said, it's equally common for them to fail in those professions, either because they can't get through the screening processes or because they do not submit well to authority themselves.

"Everything you're telling me raises the hackles on the back of my neck," Jipson said. "This guy really fits the profile."

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Information from: Dayton Daily News, http://www.daytondailynews.com

Officer Jeffrey Grahn Kills Wife, Shoots 2 Others, Then Kills Self

The Clackamas County sheriff's sergeant who shot and killed himself and his wife Friday night had filed for divorce last August, but neighbors said the couple were still living together and appeared to be on good terms.

Jeffrey A. Grahn killed his wife, shot and killed another woman, then wounded a third woman before shooting himself at a crowded Gresham restaurant Friday night, police said.

Grahn of Boring killed his wife, Charlotte Grahn, 47, and her friend Kathleen Hoffmeister, 53, of Gresham. The two women were socializing at the M&M Restaurant and Lounge with their friend Victoria Schulmerich, 53, of Gresham, whom Grahn also shot. Schulmerich was in critical condition Saturday night at OHSU Hospital.

Grahn, 46, opened fire about 9:30 p.m., police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene, as was Hoffmeister. Charlotte Grahn was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, where she died Saturday afternoon.

The Grahns had four children, ages 13 to 23.

Police released few details about the shooting Saturday, saying only that it involved a domestic dispute between the Grahns. Officers from the Gresham Police Department, the agency investigating the incident, gave no motive for the shootings and did not say whether Grahn used his service weapon. They also didn't say how many shots Grahn fired.

Grahn, a 15-year veteran of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, joined the department in February 1995 and was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2003. He served as the head of security of Clackamas County Courthouse but had been reassigned as a swing shift supervisor away from the courthouse a year ago, according to Jim Strovink, a spokesman for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. He had no criminal record.

In 2007, Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts issued a commendation to Grahn and to another deputy for their work while the courthouse was being renovated. Both deputies suggested security upgrades to go with the remodel.

"Sgt. Grahn also supervises transportation to and from the courthouse, and he's worked miracles with a limited staff," Roberts said in a news release at the time. "He has enhanced communication between the sheriff's office and judicial and legal staffers. He expanded the use of plans, mission sheets and briefings to improve security. Once the courthouse was completed, it wasn't just an upgrade of a building -- it was an upgrade of an entire system."

The shooting was the second in downtown Gresham in the past two weeks.

Police and Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis held a news conference Saturday to assure the public that the city is still safe.

A replica of a chef stands at the door of the closed M&M Restaurant and Lounge on Saturday morning. The M&M was the scene of a shooting Friday night.Two men who had been smoking outside the restaurant Friday night said they heard a shot and saw a blonde woman drop to the pavement. Then a man ran back into the lounge and they heard two more shots. The men said they often visit the M&M, at 137 N. Main Ave., and described it as a low-key club. A jazz band was playing there Friday night.

Business owner Cissy Heitzman, who wasn't present when the shooting occurred, said the restaurant has been at that location for about 25 years. The area, just north of Powell Boulevard, has a variety of small businesses, including several eateries, a toy store, a furniture outlet and a skate/snowboard shop.

On Saturday afternoon, neighbors of the Grahns quietly discussed the tragedy.

Dean Phelps and Steve Bates, who live on either side of the Grahns, said the couple often had neighborhood barbecues.

"They weren't people who stayed to themselves," Phelps said. "They were good people. And they did a lot of things together as a family."

Phelps said he knew the Grahns had filed for divorce and that they had seen a marriage counselor. He said he didn't talk to the couple about that aspect of their life.

Just a week ago, he said, Grahn, his wife and their youngest son came over to Phelps' home after Colts quarterback Peyton Manning threw a pivotal fourth-quarter interception in the Super Bowl. "They both knew I was a big Colts fan," he said, and they brought over a box of tissues to console him after the Colts' loss.

Grahn was the type of person who would stop whatever he was doing to help a neighbor, Phelps said. One time, Grahn helped Phelps with a plumbing problem at his house.

Phelps said Grahn was once in the building industry and that he'd built the three-vehicle shop next to his four-bedroom, three-bath house at Southeast Sylvian Way near the center of Boring. The house is at the end of a cul-de-sac.

Charlotte Grahn often stopped by the Phelps home.

"We'd have a knock on the back door," he said, "and it'd be Charlotte seeing what we were up to."

The couple had planned a trip together to Las Vegas for their daughter's 21st birthday, Phelps said, which they'd done for their eldest son when he turned 21.

Phelps said he viewed the trip as an indication the couple would reconcile.

"We hoped they'd get through this," he said.

Former Officer Julio "Trey" Reyes Had Previous History of Emotional Problems

Julio “Trey” Reyes, the Katy ISD police officer who took former girlfriend and fellow police officer Rachel Hillsman hostage last August before taking his own life during an armed stand-off, had a previous history of emotional problems, according to records recently released by Katy ISD.

Records obtained by InstantNewsKaty through the Texas Public Information Act showed Reyes was placed on administrative in 2007 after threatening to kill himself.

In that incident, Reyes reportedly threatened to take his own life because of relationship problems with his ex-wife and Hillsman.

According to an April 30, 2007 report filed by KISD Police Cpl. Ryan Martinelli, Reyes was taken to a Sugar Land hospital after going on a “drinking binge” and telling others he was going to commit suicide.

According to information given to Martinelli by Reyes’ brother Randy at Sugar Land Memorial Hermann Hospital, Reyes learned that his ex-wife “had met someone else and was taking their son around him.” That, coupled with relationship problems between Reyes and Hillsman, apparently triggered the heavy drinking and suicide threats.

“Randy said he was called…to go to (ex-wife) Sandra’s residence because Julio was over there and threatening suicide. Randy said when he arrived that Julio was drunk and acting very erratic,” Martinelli’s report said. “Randy said that he has never seen Julio act like this and that he was not thinking rational at all.”

Randy Reyes and friend Mike Rozaro told Martinelli they called both the Fort Bend Sheriff’s Office and EMS because they feared Julio Reyes “would harm himself.”

“Randy said that when Fort Bend SO arrived, they tried talking Julio into going to the hospital on his own, at which point Julio advised them he was not going. Randy said that Julio would bow up and act like he was going to fight, but that he would then settle down,” Martinelli reported. “Randy said that Julio finally agreed to go to the hospital. Randy said that Mike took Julio’s duty weapon and he took the rest of Julio’s weapons, that way he would not have access to them.”

Martinelli also learned Reyes had written suicide notes to his ex-wife and son Jacob, telling them he loved them and “was sorry for what had happened.”

Martinelli also reported that he briefly interviewed Julio Reyes in the hospital’s emergency room. During that interview, Reyes told Martinelli that “there had been a little misunderstanding” and that he had been drinking heavily, but did not intend to take his own life.

“Julio advised us that that he had sent text messages about suicide the night before to his friend, Mike Rozaro, and his brother, Randy Reyes. Julio stated that he did it because he had been drinking heavily and having family problems,” Martinelli reported. “Julio advised that at no point did he intend to commit suicide.”

As he was returning to the KISD police headquarters, Martinelli said he received a phone call from Hillsman asking what was taking place. During the conversation, Hillsman expressed concern that Reyes might harm her.

“I advised her that I could not discuss (the incident) with her and she began to tell me that Julio had been cheating on her with another woman and (ex-wife) Sandra. Rachel said when she found out, that she split up with him,” Martinelli noted. “Rachel advised that she spoke with Sandra and found out that Julio had been seeing both of them. Rachel advised that she did not feel safe around Julio and that she was worried about what he might do to her. Rachel advised that she was leaving her house to go stay with her parents.”

Following the incident, Katy ISD Police Chief Mark Hopkins placed Reyes on paid leave.

“Pending the superintendent’s approval, you are being placed on administrative leave, with pay, effective on April 30, 2007 and until further notice. While on administrative leave, you shall make yourself available to the Chief of Police or his designee during the regular work day through normal means of communication,” Hopkins wrote in a letter to Reyes dated April 20, 2007. “Effective immediately, you shall not enter or remain on any Katy ISD property without expressed consent from the Chief of Police or his designee.”

The letter was copied to then-Katy ISD Superintendent Leonard Merrell.

In a follow-up letter, Hopkins removed Reyes from paid leave and informed the officer he would be allowed back to duty only after providing proof he had undergone psychological counseling.

“Effective at the end of the regular working day on May 15, 2007, you will be removed from administrative leave with pay. You may use appropriate personal leave until such time that you provide proof of your participation in psychological counseling to me or Captain Robert Jinks,” Hopkins wrote. “Furthermore, you shall sign a release for your treating doctor to report your attendance, cooperation and completion of treatment to me, Chief Mark L. Hopkins, or Captain Robert Jinks. Upon receipt of proof that you are participating in psychological counseling and a copy of the sign treatment release, you may return to regular police officer duty.”

The documents outlining Reyes’ 2007 suicide attempt were obtained through a public information request filed with the school district last August. The district initially sought to withhold the documents, claiming the information should not be disclosed to the public.

Through its law firm, Thompson & Horton of Houston, the school district asked for an attorney general’s ruling on the request. In a letter to the AG, attorney Christopher Gilbert asked whether the district could withhold the records.

“The district believes that the documents responsive to this request, or information contained within those documents, would be privileged from disclosure under sections 552.101 to 552.147 of the (Texas Public Information Act), including, but not limited to, the following exceptions: 552.101 Confidential Information and 552.102 Personnel Information,” Gilbert said in the letter. “On behalf of the district, we request a determination by your office that the exceptions stated above apply to the information requested by (InstantNewsKaty).”

The Attorney General’s Office subsequently ruled the school district would have to release documents related the 2007 incident.

Less than two years after this reported suicide attempt, Reyes took Hillsman hostage on Aug. 19, 2009 as she was leaving her mother’s Waller County home to report for duty. The abduction followed yet another break-up between the two.

The following day, law enforcement officers found Reyes holding Hillsman hostage in a vacant home on the north side of Brookshire. He ultimately took his life with a gunshot to the head after releasing Hillsman, ending a six-hour siege armed siege.

Officer Brian Ditmore Shoots Brother-in-law Then Turns Gun on Himself

An off-duty policeman shot his brother-in-law Thanksgiving Day and then turned the gun on himself, authorities say.

Members of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol's tactical team late Thursday found Mangum police officer Brian Ditmore dead inside his home in the 900 block of W Tyler, said Jessica Brown, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman.
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Brown said it appears Ditmore, 37, shot himself in the chest after wounding his brother-in-law, Mangum Fire Chief Fred Willis, 41. The investigation is ongoing, she said.

About 2:30 p.m. someone in the home reported a domestic dispute between Ditmore and his wife. Police responded, along with Willis who lives nearby, Brown said.

"When police arrived Mr. Willis was stumbling out of the house, injured from a gunshot wound to the stomach," Brown said.

"A few minutes later there was a single gunshot from inside the house."

Brown said officers tried for several hours to communicate with Ditmore. They later sent an OHP robot into home and determined it was safe to enter, she said.

Willis was listed in fair condition Friday after getting surgery at Jackson County Memorial Hospital in Altus.

Former Officer Glenn Coyne Shoots Self

A former Grand Junction police officer accused of sexually assaulting a woman was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Jefferson County, authorities said.

The body of Glenn Coyne, 35, was found Tuesday afternoon at the Days Inn Hotel, 15059 W. Colfax Ave., according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

Coyne, who had recently posted bond in Mesa County after being arrested Oct. 1 on suspicion of first-degree sexual assault and first-degree burglary, was the lone occupant of the room, the Sheriff's Office said.

Coyne, who had been a Grand Junction officer for two years, was fired after his arrest.

He was accused of assaulting a woman who called him for follow-up help after Coyne and other officers went to her Grand Junction home on an unspecified family matter.

District Attorney Pete Hautzinger told The Associated Press that the investigation into allegations against Coyne remains active, and an affidavit remains sealed. He said there are no other suspects in the case.

Coyne is survived by his wife and two children.
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Previous Post: http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/2009/10/officer-glenn-coyne-arrested-for-sexual.html
Other Information:
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/10/07/100809_1a_Coyne_death.html

Sgt. Mark Gajeski Shoots Wife then Himself

Police in a Detroit suburb say an off-duty officer fatally shot his wife in the parking lot of a library and then shot himself.

Sgt. Mark Gajeski (Guy-ES'-ski) of the Canton Township Public Safety Department says they both were Detroit officers who live in Canton.

Police said the woman, 33-year-old Patricia Williams, was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital Tuesday. Gajeski says the man, 36-year-old Edward Williams II, died later after being taken off life support.

Gajeski says police had responded to a disturbance at the couple's home over the weekend. He says the woman was going to the Canton police station, which is near the library, when she was shot.

The Detroit Police Department had no immediate comment.

Officer Robert Sizemore Threatens Suicide After Reported Sexual Assault

A Chattahoochee Florida Police Officer was arrested after a reported sexual assault and later threatening suicide on Saturday.

Robert Sizemore, 50, was arrested late Saturday afternoon after Decatur County Sheriff's deployed their Strategic Response Team to the Jameson Inn on Tallahassee Highway.

Sheriff's Major Wendell Cofer stated that Robert Sizemore was in a hotel room and had threatened suicide. Being a Chattahoochee Policeman, his weapon's training created a tenuous situation for Sheriff's Deputies and the Sheriff's SRT were called in.

Major Cofer stated they were able to make contact with Sizemore by telephone and talk him out peaceably.

The situation began in the early hours Saturday morning when a sexual assault was reported. A family member reported to her mother that she had been assaulted by Robert Sizemore. Sizemore was reported to have checked into the Jameson Inn at approximately 3 am Saturday morning.

The Chattahoochee Police Chief also responded to the scene after a request by Sheriff's Deputies in case he was needed to talk with his officer.

The specific charges against Sizemore were being developed as of early Saturday evening.
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More Information: http://www.panhandleparade.com/index.php/mbb/article/chattahoochee_police_officer_arrested_in_georgia/mbb7717807/

Former Officer Philip Dileo Suspected in Double Murder-Suicide

BOULDER

Police say a 61-year-old former police officer is suspected of pulling the trigger in a double murder-suicide that rocked a quiet neighborhood in Boulder this week.

Boulder County Coroner Thomas Faure says 63-year-old Elizabeth Schwarzenbach-Dileo, 61-year-old Philip F. Dileo and 23-year-old Philip C. Dileo were found dead in their home.

A housekeeper, who was scheduled to clean the home, found the scene around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday in the 2400 block of Bluff Street and flagged down police.

Boulder Police say Elizabeth Schwarzenbach-Dileo came to them in 2005 and asked about buying a gun because her husband had made threats against her. They say there were indications the former officer had made threats against his son as well.

Police found two guns at the scene, one of which - a .22 semi-automatic handgun - was equipped with a silencer. It was found in the kitchen, near Elizabeth Schwarzenbach-Dileo's body.

The second gun, a .357 Magnum revolver, was found upstairs near Philip F. Dileo's body, according to authorities.

Police say they found a note spelling out the former officer's requests for funeral arrangements in a spare bedroom.

According to police, Dileo was a Boulder Police officer from October 1972 to June 1973, then again from October 1975 to November 1975, but he was let go after police say he violated department policy multiple times.

Autopsies were planned for Wednesday and Thursday on the bodies.

Neighbors say the family had lived in the home for a long time, some even remembered the son as a little boy playing outside. They say he moved back to the quiet neighborhood as a young adult.

"She was really sweet and really private," Marianne Martin, a neighbor, said of the woman who lived in the home. "She loved to do her gardening and walk her dogs."

A couple two houses down says they were doing yard work Monday at 10:30 a.m. when they heard three distinct bangs, what they believe were gunshots. If that's the case, the housekeeper found the bodies about 25 hours later.

Police continue to investigate.
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Other Information: http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=116514&provider=top

Judge James Heath Kills Self After Drunk Driving Arrest

HAMILTON TWP.

A Warren County Common Pleas Court judge who was arrested this weekend for the second time in seven months was found dead in his home the next day, according to police.

James Heath, 47, was found in the master bedroom of his Nunner Road home just after 2 p.m. Sunday, May 24, by his estranged wife, according to Hamilton Twp. Police Lt. Jeff Braley.

“She had been trying to reach him by phone and could not and went to check on him at the house,” Braley said.

Braley said although nothing has been confirmed, Heath’s death is being investigated as a suicide. An autopsy is scheduled to be performed Tuesday, May 26, he said.

Heath was arrested at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, May 23, at mile marker 11 on Ohio 48, according to Sgt. Karla Taulbee, spokeswoman for the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Transported to a patrol post, Heath refused a breathalyzer test, Taulbee said. He was charged with operating a vehicle while impaired and a marked lanes violation and released to someone who was able to drive, she said.

Heath was arrested last October in Clinton County on the same charge. He pleaded guilty in December to the lesser charge of reckless operation of a motor vehicle.

As a result of the plea, Heath was found not guilty of the original charge of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Warren County Judge Donald Oda II said Sunday he had known Heath for 14 years and was “completely shocked” when he heard of his death.

“We all thought the world of Judge Heath,” Oda said. “He was a good man. The Warren County judges ... our bench is certainly less today than it was yesterday.”

Warren County Commissioner C. Michael Kilburn said his heart goes out to Heath’s family. “We just never know what burdens people are carrying with them,” he said. “It’s just a terrible, terrible situation.”

Earlier this year, Kilburn criticized Heath for his behavior, showed a video of him pleading with a state trooper not to arrest him and called on him to resign. Following Kilburn’s comments, Heath admitted he made a mistake, apologized for his actions and said he was taking steps to ensure they did not happen again.

Heath, a Miami University graduate, first took the bench of the Warren County Court in December of 1994, according to the court’s Web site. He is survived by his wife and three children.
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http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090524/NEWS0107/90524007/Warren+judge+is+dead

Fugitive Officer Thierry Gourjault Accused of Killing Wife & Children Committs Suicide

A fugitive French police officer accused of killing his wife and two young children in their sleep has committed suicide after being tracked down by police.

Thierry Gourjault, 46, fired two bullets into his own stomach as he was surrounded by officers who found him in a wood in southwestern France.

Police with dog handlers and a helicopter launched a manhunt after Gourjault's wife, their four-year-old son and his 10-year-old daughter from a first marriage were found dead on Tuesday.

Gourjault is thought to have shot his family with his service weapon at their home in the mountain village of Cabanac in the French Pyrenees on Monday night.

He left a note behind saying he planned to take his own life.

As detectives searched the family home for clues, officers began a search to find Gourjault.

He was located in woods around 12 miles from the village, using the tracking signal from his mobile phone.

When officers approached him, Gourjault fired several bullets in their direction, before turning his weapon on himself, police said.

He died as police were attempting to airlift him to hospital.

French media reported that Gourjault had been married to his wife Béatrice, a French Telecom worker, since 2004.
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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,516177,00.html

Retired Officer Cecil Ramsay Shoots Other Officer then Himself

A retired New York City police officer shot an off-duty officer he suspected was having an affair with his police officer wife, then killed himself in the driveway of his suburban home, authorities said Saturday. Cecil Ramsay confronted his wife and a friend, both off-duty New York Police Department officers, when the pair arrived at the family's home Saturday morning, Suffolk County police said.

He accused Officer Edwin Chittick "of seeing his wife," Dady Belfort, said Suffolk County police Detective Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick.

"It's our understanding that that is not the case. They're just acquaintances," Fitzpatrick said.

Chittick told Ramsay "in effect, 'I'm not here to have an argument with you,' and walks out," getting into Belfort's sport utility vehicle with her, Fitzpatrick said. Ramsay fired at least three times at the departing SUV, hitting Chittick in the hand.

He then put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger in front of several construction workers doing work on his home, Fitzpatrick said. Other family members had also been at the home with him at the time of his wife's arrival, police said.

Chestean Howard said he called 911 after hearing several gunshots in the neighborhood, then looked out his window.

"He wasn't moving," Howard told Newsday Saturday. "I thought, 'That's it. He's dead.'"

Belfort, who was not injured, drove a short distance to a hospital emergency room, where Chittick was treated for wounds that were not life-threatening.

The SUV - its front passenger-side window shattered and driver and passenger seats smeared with blood - was on the grounds of the hospital for several hours Saturday.

Outside the home about 40 miles east of New York City, a body covered by a yellow tarp lay in the driveway for hours Saturday morning under a steady rain before it was removed on a gurney.

Ramsay, 51, had been ill with heart problems and was awaiting a heart transplant, Fitzpatrick said.

A 2007 article about Belfort in the Congressional Record said she has been an officer since 1989 and was promoted to detective in 2005. She was pursuing a master's degree in criminal justice at the time and has three children with Ramsay, according to the profile.

New York City police wouldn't comment on the shootings or give information about the officers, referring all questions to Long Island authorities.

Former Officer Nelson Tuatagaloa Kisses Suicidal Woman Ordered to Stand Trial

As West Jordan police officer Nelson Tuatagaloa was kissing a reportedly suicidal woman while on duty last year, he allegedly told investigators he thought to himself: "What are you doing?"

But, according to Tuatagaloa's statement, he continued kissing the woman, and went on to touch her breasts and genital area before dropping her at a hospital for a mental evaluation.

Based on testimony Friday from Salt Lake County district attorney investigator Travis Peterson and the alleged victim, 3rd District Judge Sheila McCleve ordered Tuatagaloa to stand trial on two counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse.

If convicted, Tuatagaloa, 34, -- who no longer is working for the police department -- could face

Nelson Tuatagaloa up to 15 years in prison on each count. A scheduling hearing was set for Feb. 27.

The alleged victim testified that while she never said no or pushed Tuatagaloa away the night of Sept. 30, she did not want or welcome his advances. The woman said she felt she had to do everything Tuatagaloa wanted because he was a police officer and, based on what she had seen on television shows, he could say or do anything, even kill her.

She testified she had called her estranged husband that night and threatened to kill herself even though she had no intention of committing suicide. She left her house with a handgun but called police after she learned they were looking for her.

Tuatagaloa and another officer arrested her. On the way to a hospital in Tuatagaloa's cruiser, the woman said he held her hand and told her, "You've made a new friend tonight."

As they approached the hospital, the woman saw two friends by the entrance and told Tuatagaloa she didn't want to see them. He responded by pulling over on a darkened side of the building.

Tuatagaloa -- who had accused the woman of being intoxicated by alcohol -- asked to smell her breath, then started kissing her, she testified. The alleged victim said when she put on her seat belt, indicating she was ready to go, he took it off and started kissing her again. He put his hand inside her clothing and touched her breasts, she said.

According to police dispatch times, Tuatagaloa and the woman were parked for about 40 minutes.

The woman said that when she told her friends what had happened, they insisted she tell hospital personnel who notified police.

Ex-Cop Christopher Cole Committs Suicide in Jail Wasn't Placed on Suicide Watch

An ongoing feud between Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano and Sheriff Warren Evans continues to intensify and has caught in its cross fire the family of a jail inmate who committed suicide.

Christopher Cole, an ex-Detroit cop with a controversial past, wasn't placed on a suicide watch at the Wayne County Jail when he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after a crash that left another man in a coma, despite claims by others that he warned that he would kill himself.

Evans' staff says the county's mental health staff assesses the needs of inmates during the intake process and should have detected suicidal tendencies. Ficano's staff counters that sheriff's deputies should have kept a closer eye on Cole.

Evans and Ficano are in the midst of a months-long battle over proposed budget cuts, a fight that has landed in Wayne County Circuit Court.

Last Monday, Cole, 46, of Macomb Township entered the Wayne County Jail after his bond was raised from tether release to $500,000 at the request of police officers. He was arrested Jan. 9 after police say he crashed into a car driven by Gary Holcomb, 22, of Detroit about 1:30 a.m. at the westbound I-94 service drive and Yorkshire.

Cole's lawyer, Mike Rataj, said Cole's former colleagues told sheriff's staff that Cole needed to be on suicide watch and that Cole said he would kill himself rather than go to prison.

Two nights later, he hanged himself with a torn bedsheet in his jail cell and was found dead Thursday morning and left several suicide notes, Rataj said.

"I don't think there's any question that the sheriff had information from the police that Chris Cole was suicidal," Rataj said.

Cole's was the second suicide in as many days at the jail.

Cole's 49-year-old brother, Michael Cole, said his brother had a long history of threatening suicide when he got into trouble. Christopher Cole had three drunken driving convictions and struggled with drugs, his brother said.

In 2001, he was acquitted of federal drug racketeering and civil rights abuses while four other cops were convicted of looting drug houses and gamblers. But, despite being cleared of the charges, Cole's friends and family said, he never got over the case.

He retired from the police department in 2005.

After the Jan. 9 accident, Cole "was absolutely devastated and the thought that he had hurt someone was the last straw," Michael Cole said. "I knew his intention was to get out on bail and hurt himself. I didn't want him to get out."

After his bond was raised, Christopher Cole called his 22-year-old daughter, Phaelyn Cole, and spoke cryptically, she said.

"He started telling me, no matter how everything turns out that he wanted us to know that he loves us no matter what," said Phaelyn Cole, who lives in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Grosse Pointe Park attorney Kevin Geer, who represents Holcomb's family, said Friday that Holcomb is in a coma at Detroit's St. John Hospital. He was in critical condition at the hospital Sunday, a hospital spokesperson said.

John Roach, a spokesman for Sheriff Warren Evans, agreed that Cole should have been on a suicide watch, but was instead placed in general population.

"Somebody needs to ask the county executive for answers," he said of Ficano. "For somebody who had such clear indicators, we cannot understand why they would not have seen those risk factors and assigned Mr. Cole to special accommodations at the jail."

Ficano spokeswoman Vanessa Denha-Garmo replied: "Appropriate mental and physical screenings were conducted as they always are when inmates enter the jail. The sheriff's deputies are in charge of placing inmates inside the jail. It is unfortunate that politics are playing a part of such a tragic case."

Officer Paul Sparks Committs Suicide After Woman Files Sexual Assault Complaint

Just hours before Officer Paul Sparks committed suicide, a woman filed a sexual assault complaint against him. The Dalton Police Chief says his investigation shows Sparks had 'improper sexual conduct' with the woman, but he's still trying to figure out if that conduct was criminal.

Step inside the Oyster Pub and Grill and you'll meet a number of Officer Paul Sparks' friends.

"He would just come in here and check on everything in the bar and keep us all laughing and cut up, everybody loved him," Kellie Frye, a friend, says.

"If we had a girl that was too drunk he would put her in a car and always get her home safely," Sabrina Henderson, a friend, says.

We've learned that while on duty Sparks responded to break up a fight inside of the bar just hours before he took his own life inside of the Dalton Police Department.

Employees tell us that one of the women involved in the fight had to leave the Oyster Pub and go next door to the Guest Inn to get her id out of her room. According to the police report the Guest Inn is where the alleged sexual assault took place.

The police report states that at four a.m. officers responded to a sexual assault call at the Guest Inn - that's two hours before Sparks committed suicide.

"Well I think we're still in shock at the loss of officer sparks and its difficult to work through these things however I think we owe it to the citizens and the public to make sure we get all the facts," Dalton Police Chief Jason Parker says.

Facts which could shed light as to why Sparks took his own life. Parker says both his office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are now looking into the sexual assault allegation.

"I don't believe it for one minute in the world," Frye says. "He's just not that kind of person at all."

"Naw I don't believe it, I can't believe it," Henderson says.

But while the investigation continues, the people who knew Sparks the best want to remember the officer who helped them get home and always kept them smiling.

"He was a friend," Henderson says.

"He was a friend, a police officer, he was just a very well loved man," Frye says.

The Dalton Police Chief says that his investigation shows that none of his other officers were involved in this incident.

Family of Tasered Victim Furious that Officer is Promoted

The family of a mentally disturbed man who died after being Tasered is furious that the NYPD cop who zapped him has been promoted.

"They should tell us about this," said Olga Negron, whose son, Iman Morales, fell 10 feet to his death after being Tasered Sept. 24. Morales was on a ledge and cops werre setting up an airbag when he fell.

Emergency Services Unit Lt. Michael Pigott, who ordered Police Officer Nicholas Marchesona to fire the electroshock gun at Morales, committed suicide days later.

Marchesona was promoted to detective five weeks later, NYPD officials confirmed. His promotion was scheduled before Morales' death, an NYPD spokesman said Monday.

Morales' family members called for the Brooklyn district attorney to bring criminal charges against Marchesona, and said the NYPD should fire the officer, not reward him.

Morales' brother, Jesse, said the move compounds the family's grief.

NYPD and city officials called Morales' death a tragedy, which only deepened when Pigott killed himself at ESU headquarters Oct.2.

Pigott left behind a suicide note saying he shot himself to spare his three children from seeing him in handcuffs or behind bars, police sources said.

Pigott's note also asked Marchesona not be punished for following a superior's order.

Morales' death was ruled a homicide by the city medical examiner's office.

A spokesman for the Brooklyn district attorney said the office accepted the NYPD's assessment that the incident was a tragic accident with no criminality.

Morales was struck with a Taser as he balanced on an awning ledge and, naked and raving, flailed at cops with a fluorescent light bulb.

Lt Francis Cole Kills Wife then Himself

N.Y.

An NYPD lieutenant gunned down his wife and blew himself away Monday in an explosion of rage at their Long Island home, cops said.

Lt. Francis Cole, 48, who worked out of Brooklyn's 68th Precinct, stabbed his wife, Elana, 46, in the chest with a kitchen knife before shooting her in the head at their home in Centereach, police said.

He then shot himself in the head.

Cole's 18-year-old daughter tried to intervene before her parents' fight turned deadly, but was struck in the face, said Detective Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick of the Suffolk County Police.

The daughter called 911 at 12:35 p.m. to report her father had shot her mother, Fitzpatrick said.

"The Coles had been going through a divorce and apparently this is related," Fitzpatrick said.

He said there had been no prior calls to the couple's Savoy Court home.

Cole and his wife were found in the upstairs bedroom of their two-story house. He was still alive when cops found him and rushed him to Stony Brook University Medical Center, where he died.

Neighbors said they were stunned.

"There was no sign, never an argument, nothing," said Mike Arrigo. "They were an ideal family."

Besides the couple's teenage daughter, Elana Coles's 81-year-old mother was in the house at the time, Fitzpatrick said.

The couple is also survived by three sons, all in their 20s.

In 2005, Francis Cole was named in a racial discrimination suit filed by a black female officer in the 68th Precinct. The officer accused Cole of running an "old-boys club" within the NYPD that prevented her from being promoted.

Trooper Brian Smith was Questioned before Going on Shooting Spree

SOUTHLAKE

Just hours before he went on a shooting spree that left two people dead last month, a former Utah state trooper was questioned by Southlake police and learned he’d soon be arrested on burglary and robbery charges, according to police documents released Thursday.

Brian Gamble Smith, 37, shot himself early Dec. 23 in Garland during a standoff with police that followed three shootings on Interstate 635 in Dallas and a shooting and pharmacy robbery in Garland. He died the next day.

The documents released Thursday detail Southlake police officers’ investigation into a Dec. 17 mugging and a Dec. 22 vehicle burglary. Detectives connected Smith to crimes after a witness to the vehicle burglary wrote down his license plate number.

Southlake Detective Richard Anderson interviewed Gamble about the burglary about 12:45 p.m. Dec. 22, about two hours after it was reported, according to the documents.

Gamble was cooperative and "very calm" at first, denying any involvement, Anderson wrote in his arrest warrant affidavit. After about half an hour of questioning, Smith grew "irritated" and said he wanted to end the interview, Anderson wrote. Anderson agreed but told Smith he was going to obtain a warrant for Smith’s arrest later that day.

Anderson then walked Smith to the police department lobby and asked him to wait so Anderson could give him a business card. When Anderson returned, he told Smith he had surveillance video showing Smith committing the burglary, according to the affidavit. Anderson also said the video showed a woman in the car and asked if she was Smith’s wife. Smith said the woman wasn’t his wife but declined to identify her and asked to stop the interview.

Anderson then walked Smith to the parking lot, the affidavit states.

About 5:30 that night, a man identified himself as Brian Smith and said he needed to refill a prescription, then produced a handgun and stole OxyContin from behind the counter of a Kroger pharmacy in Garland. By 6 p.m., four shootings had been reported in the area and two men were dead.

Smith left the Utah state troopers after an investigation that found he was abusing prescription drugs and alcohol. The investigation was prompted by a January 2008 incident in which he threatened to commit suicide.

Retired Trooper William Cotto Kills His Wife, then Himself

MARBLETOWN, N.Y.

A retired New York state trooper is suspected of killing his estranged wife and then turning a gun on himself.

Troopers went to a home in the Ulster County community of Marbletown after getting a report of a man with a gun early Wednesday morning. Family members told police that 53-year-old William Cotto entered the home with a shotgun and killed his wife, 49-year-old Isol Cotto.

Authorities found Cotto in the parking lot of a nearby gas station, dead from an apparent self-inflicted gun shot.

Cotto retired as a trooper assigned to the Thruway detail. He had been arrested Tuesday on unlawful imprisonment, menacing and harassment charges. Police believed they had secured all his weapons after the arrest and an order of protection was issued for his wife.

More Information: http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090101/NEWS/901010315/-1/NEWS