A 25-year-old Texas Department of Criminal Justice correctional officer
was charged with evading arrest with a motor vehicle Friday afternoon
when he allegedly fled authorities after failing to stop for a school
bus dropping off school children.
David Ekwejunor, 25, who listed a Dallas address, was arrested by
Anderson County Precinct 2 Constable Doug Lightfoot around 3:30 p.m.
Friday on U.S. 287, north of Palestine.
Ekwejunor, a correctional officer at the TDCJ’s Coffield Unit in
Tennessee Colony, was charged with evading arrest/detention with a motor
vehicle and a handful of other violations, including failing to stop
for a school bus with lights flashing, according to Lightfoot.
Lightfoot was patrolling on U.S. 287 between FM 645 and FM 321 around
3:30 p.m. Friday when he observed a Saturn SUV traveling southbound on
U.S. 287 fail to stop for a school bus which had its red lights flashing
and was letting school children out in the northbound lane of traffic.
“I observed the violation and attempted to stop the driver,” Lightfoot told the Herald-Press.
The constable said he had his overhead lights activated and also
utilized his vehicle’s siren, but the SUV’s driver ignored his attempts
to get him to stop.
Lightfoot then notified the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office of the situation.
“They got three sheriff’s office units and two DPS (Texas Department of
Public Safety) units to meet the vehicle,” Lightfoot said.
DPS Trooper Chad Sparkman placed “spike strips” across U.S. 287 in the
immediate area of Lone Pine Baptist Church, the constable added.
“The driver did not stop at that time and proceeded through the spike
strips,” Lightfoot said. “After he hit the spikes, his tires deflated
almost immediately and he stopped.”
Ekwejunor, who was the vehicle’s lone occupant, was then arrested by
Lightfoot and transported to the Anderson County Jail where he was
booked into the facility.
No contraband was found in the suspect’s vehicle, according to the constable.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Officer Noe Yanez Arrested for Possession of Child Porn
A nine-year veteran of the Long Beach Police Department has been
arrested on suspicion of felony possession of child pornography after
reportedly meeting a teenager while on patrol and soliciting explicit
photographs of the youth through electronic messages, police said.
Noe Yanez, 40, was taken into custody Thursday evening by Long Beach police after an investigation that began earlier this month. The alleged victim had told a school resources officer about the messages and authorities were alerted. Detectives served several search warrants in the investigation of Yanez's home and other establishments for records of the communications.
Noe Yanez, 40, was taken into custody Thursday evening by Long Beach police after an investigation that began earlier this month. The alleged victim had told a school resources officer about the messages and authorities were alerted. Detectives served several search warrants in the investigation of Yanez's home and other establishments for records of the communications.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Former Officer Sonya Worthington Charged with Assault Files Lawsuit
This suit, filed in United States District Court on Tuesday, is the fifth lawsuit filed against the city by police officers in the space of a year.
In the lawsuit, Sonya Jean Worthington, 44, alleges that the city, through its police chief and her supervisors, ignored its own policies and procedures "particularly to the detriment of the plaintiff and to the benefit of white male officers" to create a hostile work environment."
Among other claims set forth in the document, Worthington spoke of discrimination, saying she was required to take a qualifying test allowing her to become an officer multiple times over as the results were "lost."
Additionally, she claimed the police chief once in the squad room pointed out a newly hired female officer and said "'this one is a sharp one' implying that other female officers currently working at the Bartlesville Police Department, including the plaintiff, were not intelligent."
She also said she was the first to be terminated by the police chief for disagreement with department policies and was immediately reinstated when she brought up that male officers written up for similar action received little to no punishment.
Worthington alleged further discrimination concerning her termination, saying that where she had been promoted and then — following the September incident and a probe by Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation — fired, a male officer who on a prior occasion had reportedly choked a 12-year-old was punished internally and not fired.
She stated in the suit she has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and has since received a right to sue letter.
Worthington seeks more than $75,000 in actual damages and $75,000 in punitive damages from the city.
She is one of two officers placed on leave in September due to allegations of official misconduct.
She and Stacey Neafus were charged following the conclusion of an investigation by the OSBI of an incident alleged to have occurred on Sept. 18 at Jane Phillips Medical Center.
According to court documents, Neafus and Worthington that day "willfully and unlawfully committed assault and battery" on the alleged victim, a mental patient at the hospital.
Neafus reportedly pushed the alleged victim's upper torso over a metal chair arm with "with the weight of the defendant pressing" the man "who was handcuffed behind his back at the time of the defendant's actions, with force and violence.
Worthington allegedly struck the same alleged victim and placed him in a headlock, pulled and twisted his head while he was handcuffed, "with force and violence," said the information sheet.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Officer Frederick Sayles Arrested for Marijuana
A California police officer and his retired co-worker were arrested
last week in Tysons Corner for allegedly bringing more than 27 pounds of
marijuana from California to Virginia, police said.
The men, along with a third accomplice, were charged with conspiracy to import and distribute more than five pounds of marijuana. The estimated street value of the marijuana is $635,000, police said.
Police have charged Selma police officer Frederick Michael Sayles, 34, who lives in Selma; former Selma police officer Gabriel Hernandez Sepeda II, 38, of Fresno; and David Ray Flowers, 38, of Fresno.
The investigation was run by Alexandria police and prosecutors along with the DEA, authorities said. All three men are being held in the Alexandria Detention Center without bond.
Read more: The Post’s crime coverage
The men, along with a third accomplice, were charged with conspiracy to import and distribute more than five pounds of marijuana. The estimated street value of the marijuana is $635,000, police said.
Police have charged Selma police officer Frederick Michael Sayles, 34, who lives in Selma; former Selma police officer Gabriel Hernandez Sepeda II, 38, of Fresno; and David Ray Flowers, 38, of Fresno.
The investigation was run by Alexandria police and prosecutors along with the DEA, authorities said. All three men are being held in the Alexandria Detention Center without bond.
Read more: The Post’s crime coverage
Monday, April 16, 2012
Officer Christopher Mattila Arrested for Hit and Run
An Alton police officer was arrested early Monday morning on
suspicion that he was involved in two hit-and-run accidents just outside
of the city, Madison County Sheriff's Department officials said Monday.
Officer Christopher Mattila, 39, of the 3500 block of Hoover Drive in Alton, was charged with one count each of driving under the influence and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and two counts of leaving the scene of an accident with property damage. He was released late Monday morning from the Madison County Jail after posting $300 bail.
Madison County Sheriff's Department Capt. Mike Dixon said calls began coming in around 8:30 p.m. Sunday about an accident involving a Hummer and a dark colored sport utility vehicle at Godfrey Road and Tolle Lane where the driver of the dark SUV had fled the scene.
While at that scene, calls started coming in about another hit-and-run accident at North Humbert Road and Richland Woods Drive where the driver of a dark colored SUV had fled the scene after hitting a Pontiac Grand Am. No one was hurt in either accident, Dixon said.
Authorities later found a green Ford Explorer with extensive front-end damage abandoned on Seminary Road, about a mile from the second accident. The SUV was registered to Mattila.
Mattila was taken into custody at his home just before 1 a.m. Monday morning. Deputies had been at the home since 10 p.m., Dixon said, but Mattila didn't respond to knocks at the door.
Officer Christopher Mattila, 39, of the 3500 block of Hoover Drive in Alton, was charged with one count each of driving under the influence and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and two counts of leaving the scene of an accident with property damage. He was released late Monday morning from the Madison County Jail after posting $300 bail.
Madison County Sheriff's Department Capt. Mike Dixon said calls began coming in around 8:30 p.m. Sunday about an accident involving a Hummer and a dark colored sport utility vehicle at Godfrey Road and Tolle Lane where the driver of the dark SUV had fled the scene.
While at that scene, calls started coming in about another hit-and-run accident at North Humbert Road and Richland Woods Drive where the driver of a dark colored SUV had fled the scene after hitting a Pontiac Grand Am. No one was hurt in either accident, Dixon said.
Authorities later found a green Ford Explorer with extensive front-end damage abandoned on Seminary Road, about a mile from the second accident. The SUV was registered to Mattila.
Mattila was taken into custody at his home just before 1 a.m. Monday morning. Deputies had been at the home since 10 p.m., Dixon said, but Mattila didn't respond to knocks at the door.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Rookie Officer Alexandru Baiasu Arrested for Assaulting Fiancee
A rookie NYPD cop was arrested in Queens Saturday for assaulting his fiancée, officials said.
Off-duty Officer Alexandru Baiasu, 27, was arrested about 10:50 p.m. at his Rego Park home after attacking his 31-year-old fiancée during an argument, cops said.
Baiasu, who was newly assigned to the Police Academy, was charged with assault and harassment, officials said.
Off-duty Officer Alexandru Baiasu, 27, was arrested about 10:50 p.m. at his Rego Park home after attacking his 31-year-old fiancée during an argument, cops said.
Baiasu, who was newly assigned to the Police Academy, was charged with assault and harassment, officials said.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Probation Officer Todd Tronzo Charged with Trafficking
A probation officer has
been charged with selling opium and hydrocodone pills to an undercover
Durham police officer last month, and having illegal drugs in his
possession when he was arrested early Thursday.
Todd Nicholas Tronzo, 35, of 3210 Hayling Drive, Raleigh, is charged with six counts of trafficking opium or heroin, two counts of possessing drug paraphernalia, two counts of maintaining a vehicle for the sale of a controlled substance, and two counts of possession with intent to sell or deliver hydrocodone, which is on the state’s list of controlled substances. He is charged also with one count each of selling and delivering the hydrocodone.
Tronzo is accused of selling 4 to 13 grams of opium – a range set in state law – and 15 hydrocodone pills to a Durham police detective March 21, according to arrest warrants. He kept the drugs in a pretzel snack bag in his 2005 Mercury Mountaineer, police said.
Todd Nicholas Tronzo, 35, of 3210 Hayling Drive, Raleigh, is charged with six counts of trafficking opium or heroin, two counts of possessing drug paraphernalia, two counts of maintaining a vehicle for the sale of a controlled substance, and two counts of possession with intent to sell or deliver hydrocodone, which is on the state’s list of controlled substances. He is charged also with one count each of selling and delivering the hydrocodone.
Tronzo is accused of selling 4 to 13 grams of opium – a range set in state law – and 15 hydrocodone pills to a Durham police detective March 21, according to arrest warrants. He kept the drugs in a pretzel snack bag in his 2005 Mercury Mountaineer, police said.
When arrested, police wrote, Tronzo had the same quantity of opium
– 4 to 13 grams – and more hydrocodone pills in a medicine bottle
bearing the name of Bonnie Tronzo, a woman with whom he owns his Raleigh
home.
Tronzo has worked as a probation officer in North Carolina for five years, according to Pamela Walker, spokeswoman for the State Department of Public Safety. He is now on unapproved leave, she said.
Tronzo is being held in the Durham County jail, his bail set at $1 million. He is scheduled to appear in court April 26.
Tronzo has worked as a probation officer in North Carolina for five years, according to Pamela Walker, spokeswoman for the State Department of Public Safety. He is now on unapproved leave, she said.
Tronzo is being held in the Durham County jail, his bail set at $1 million. He is scheduled to appear in court April 26.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Officer Robert McChester Arrested for Enticing Minor
Robert McChester Jr., 27, has been arrested
on charges of using a facility and means of interstate and foreign
commerce - a telephone and a computer connected to the Internet - to
coerce and entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, United States
Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.
The complaint alleges that between May 1, 2011, and April 1, 2012, McChester began communicating with a child he knew to be 15 years old. Shortly thereafter, the victim allegedly made an outcry to medical professionals regarding the inappropriate relationship she had been engaged in with a Corpus Christi Police Department (CCPD) officer.
McChester was discovered to be an active duty patrol officer with the CCPD and that he had been communicating with the victim via the Internet for approximately one year beginning in May of 2011 and continuing up to the date of the victim's outcry, according to the complaint. The victim further alleged they had met on several occasions and engaged inappropriate activities.
Online communications between McChester and the victim were recovered and determined to contain content of an inappropriate sexual nature.
McChester was arrested shortly following the filing of the federal complaint Tuesday afternoon and is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge B. Janice Ellington Wednesday.
The investigation was conducted by the Corpus Christi Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations.
The complaint alleges that between May 1, 2011, and April 1, 2012, McChester began communicating with a child he knew to be 15 years old. Shortly thereafter, the victim allegedly made an outcry to medical professionals regarding the inappropriate relationship she had been engaged in with a Corpus Christi Police Department (CCPD) officer.
McChester was discovered to be an active duty patrol officer with the CCPD and that he had been communicating with the victim via the Internet for approximately one year beginning in May of 2011 and continuing up to the date of the victim's outcry, according to the complaint. The victim further alleged they had met on several occasions and engaged inappropriate activities.
Online communications between McChester and the victim were recovered and determined to contain content of an inappropriate sexual nature.
McChester was arrested shortly following the filing of the federal complaint Tuesday afternoon and is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge B. Janice Ellington Wednesday.
The investigation was conducted by the Corpus Christi Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations.
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Officer Ryan Robinson Arrested for theft
A Shreveport police officer was arrested for misdemeanor theft and malfeasance in office Friday for allegedly stealing property during the execution of a search warrant.
Ryan Robinson, 28, is accused of stealing a ceremonial American flag during a search warrant executed by the joint Caddo-Shreveport Narcotics Task Force at a Vivian, Louisiana home back in August of 2010.
Caddo Parish Sheriff, Steve Prator said the flag was not an object of the search, nor was it listed as seized property on the warrant.
It was recently recovered by the Shreveport Police Department and turned over to sheriff's investigators.
Robinson has been placed on administrative leave by Shreveport Police Chief, Willie Shaw.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Officer Robert Bakert Arrested for Using Meth
A Carrollton, Mo., police officer has been charged with possession of a controlled substance.
Marshall police said they received a tip that Robert W. Bakert, 34, of Marshall, had been suspected of using methamphetamine while working for the Carollton Police Department.
"(It was) inconceivable at first," said Carrollton Police Chief Donny King, on how he reacted to news of Bakert's arrest. "You have a hard time imagining anybody that picks this for a career getting involved in that, and then there's the shock."
According to court documents, an officer pulled Bakert over for a traffic violation early Tuesday and searched his vehicle. The officer said Bakert was wearing his police uniform and had his service firearm on a belt in the passenger's side floorboard.
The documents said a K-9 officer was brought to sniff Bakert's vehicle and led officers to a glass smoking pipe that was under a floor mat. Police also said they found a plastic bag with white residue, two near-empty containers of "Pump-It" stimulant in the car.
In the trunk, police said they found an evidence bag containing three spoons covered in a white powdery residue. The evidence bag had been cut open.
Investigators later said the stimulant containers tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine and the spoons tested positive for cocaine.
According to court documents, Bakert said he had not used methamphetamine since December 2010, but said he would not provide a urine sample for drug testing. He initially said the spoons had been intended for use in a display at the Carrollton Police Department, but later said he had planned to dispose of them, but they must have fallen out of a bag and into his trunk.
If convicted, the charges carry a maximum penalty of seven years in prison or up to $5,000 in fines.Bakert graduated from the police academy six months ago and has been working for Carrollton ever since. A hearing is scheduled next Monday to determine whether Bakert should be fired.
"He was a friendly guy and did good work," King said. "(There was) no indication anything like this was going on."
Marshall police said they received a tip that Robert W. Bakert, 34, of Marshall, had been suspected of using methamphetamine while working for the Carollton Police Department.
"(It was) inconceivable at first," said Carrollton Police Chief Donny King, on how he reacted to news of Bakert's arrest. "You have a hard time imagining anybody that picks this for a career getting involved in that, and then there's the shock."
According to court documents, an officer pulled Bakert over for a traffic violation early Tuesday and searched his vehicle. The officer said Bakert was wearing his police uniform and had his service firearm on a belt in the passenger's side floorboard.
The documents said a K-9 officer was brought to sniff Bakert's vehicle and led officers to a glass smoking pipe that was under a floor mat. Police also said they found a plastic bag with white residue, two near-empty containers of "Pump-It" stimulant in the car.
In the trunk, police said they found an evidence bag containing three spoons covered in a white powdery residue. The evidence bag had been cut open.
Investigators later said the stimulant containers tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine and the spoons tested positive for cocaine.
According to court documents, Bakert said he had not used methamphetamine since December 2010, but said he would not provide a urine sample for drug testing. He initially said the spoons had been intended for use in a display at the Carrollton Police Department, but later said he had planned to dispose of them, but they must have fallen out of a bag and into his trunk.
If convicted, the charges carry a maximum penalty of seven years in prison or up to $5,000 in fines.Bakert graduated from the police academy six months ago and has been working for Carrollton ever since. A hearing is scheduled next Monday to determine whether Bakert should be fired.
"He was a friendly guy and did good work," King said. "(There was) no indication anything like this was going on."
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Officer David Pizzolato Arrested for Illegally Recording Girlfriend
David Pizzolato Jr., 41, was employed with the Sheriff’s Office for the past 16 years and was a Sergeant serving in the traffic division. He has also worked in uniform patrol.
According to reports, Pizzolato allegedly entered his ex-girlfriend’s home and hid a digital recording device on the headboard above her bed in early January of 2012.
He then allegedly entered the home on at least eight different occasions to listen to and test the device.
The victim contacted the Sheriff’s Office on February 17th to file a complaint, but did not want to press charges or for the accused to lose his job. The same day the accused informed his supervisor of the device.
The accused said he placed it there to monitor his ex-girlfriend’s treatment of their small child. He later admitted he had a key to the home and entered it on multiple occasions without the victim’s knowledge.
The Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation immediately after receiving the complaint and placed Pizzolato on administrative leave. Once the investigation was complete, he was terminated from the Sheriff’s Office prior to be booked into the prison.
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Officer Megan Laffoon Arrested for DUI
A Kansas City Missouri Police Officer was arrested early Wednesday morning for driving under the influence.
According authorities, KCPD Officer Megan Laffoon, 29, was pulled over in Clay County by a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper around 3:20 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Sheriff’s deputies say Laffoon was swerving out of her lane traveling up the curb that separates northbound from southbound traffic.
Missouri Highway Patrol troopers allege that Laffoon failed a series of field sobriety tests and assaulted a trooper and resisted arrest. She now faces four counts, including DUI, lane violation, assault of a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest.
According to the probable cause statement, Laffoon scratched the arresting officer on the neck with her fingernails and head-butted another officer as they tried to place her under arrest.
The MHP said Laffoon was so belligerent, they called Kansas City, Mo. police for assistance in arresting one of their own.
When she was taken to the Clay County Detention Center, it took seven officers to place Laffoon in a restraint chair, according to the probable cause statement.
The statement reads:
“Laffoon began to fight all the attempts I made to gain control of her. During the struggle, Laffoon scratched the right side of my neck with her fingernails.”
Laffoon has been suspended without pay and will remain on suspension until the case is resolved.
According authorities, KCPD Officer Megan Laffoon, 29, was pulled over in Clay County by a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper around 3:20 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Sheriff’s deputies say Laffoon was swerving out of her lane traveling up the curb that separates northbound from southbound traffic.
Missouri Highway Patrol troopers allege that Laffoon failed a series of field sobriety tests and assaulted a trooper and resisted arrest. She now faces four counts, including DUI, lane violation, assault of a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest.
According to the probable cause statement, Laffoon scratched the arresting officer on the neck with her fingernails and head-butted another officer as they tried to place her under arrest.
The MHP said Laffoon was so belligerent, they called Kansas City, Mo. police for assistance in arresting one of their own.
When she was taken to the Clay County Detention Center, it took seven officers to place Laffoon in a restraint chair, according to the probable cause statement.
The statement reads:
“Laffoon began to fight all the attempts I made to gain control of her. During the struggle, Laffoon scratched the right side of my neck with her fingernails.”
Laffoon has been suspended without pay and will remain on suspension until the case is resolved.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Officer Robert Fourt Arrested for Domestic Violence
A Tuscaloosa police officer is arrested. The victim told responding
officers that the suspect was highly intoxicated and destroying items
inside the residence.
It happened Tuesday night at 6:00pm in the 4600 block of Woodland Hills Drive.
Since the incident involved a Tuscaloosa police officer, Tuscaloosa County Homicide was contacted to investigate.
Robert Ashley Fourt, 54, of Tuscaloosa, was arrested for Domestic Violence Criminal Mischief. He was taken into custody without incident.
Police say that a small fire that had been set by the suspect was found in the garage. It was put out by the Tuscaloosa Fire Department.
Fourt has been with the Tuscaloosa Police Department since 2003 and is currently a Sergeant for its patrol division. He has been placed on administrative leave.
It happened Tuesday night at 6:00pm in the 4600 block of Woodland Hills Drive.
Since the incident involved a Tuscaloosa police officer, Tuscaloosa County Homicide was contacted to investigate.
Robert Ashley Fourt, 54, of Tuscaloosa, was arrested for Domestic Violence Criminal Mischief. He was taken into custody without incident.
Police say that a small fire that had been set by the suspect was found in the garage. It was put out by the Tuscaloosa Fire Department.
Fourt has been with the Tuscaloosa Police Department since 2003 and is currently a Sergeant for its patrol division. He has been placed on administrative leave.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)