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.

Sergeant Alberto Randazzo Arrested for Child Porn

A New York City police sergeant was arraigned on Tuesday on numerous child pornography charges, after internal affairs investigators found several explicit images and videos on his laptop computer. 

In several recordings found on the computer, the sergeant, Alberto Randazzo, is heard providing “verbal instructions during a cyber video chat session” to an unidentified woman lying in bed with an infant, who appears to be 1 to 2 years old, and directing the woman to “perform certain sex acts on the infant,” the police said.

Also uncovered were two videos involving a man engaged in sex acts with a girl, about 8 to 10 years old, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Queens district attorney’s office.

Prosecutors charged Sergeant Randazzo, 36, with 11 counts of use of a child in a sexual performance, 23 counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child and 23 counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child, the complaint states. He has been suspended from the force.

Sergeant Randazzo’s lawyer, Anthony DiFiore, did not return a phone call on Tuesday evening.      

Officer Ryan Mendoza Charged with DUI

Ryan Mendoza, Memphis police officer who has been charged with DUI, will go before a judge Wednesday.

Police say Mendoza crashed his truck on Interstate 40 at the Appling exit in East Memphis. Investigators say the truck rolled over after hitting two traffic signs.

According to police, Mendoza refused the sobriety test and was charged. The officer is on paid leave pending the outcome of an investigation.

He has been on the police force since 2007. Mendoza was most recently assigned to the Old Allen Station.

Captain Shawn King Demoted After Accusations of Inappropriate Sexual Behavior

A Tulsa police captain has been demoted to the rank of officer after accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior in 2008.

In a personnel order from Tulsa police chief Chuck Jordan dated Oct. 18, Cpt. Shawn King was demoted and transferred to the training division of the Tulsa Police Department until further notice.

The document states that King engaged in "inappropriate sexual behavior" while on duty and in uniform in 2008 and sent photographs of sexual activity to another employee.

A pre-termination hearing was held before the decision was made, according to the order.
King has 10 days to file an appeal.

Officer James Barnhart Accused of Helping Sex Offender

A Molalla police officer is accused of helping a sex offender avoid mandatory registration.

Officer James Barnhart, a 19-year veteran of the force, will face three misdemeanor charges.

The alleged misconduct happened several years ago but the investigation began only a few months ago, according to Molalla police Chief Rod Lucich. 

The police department asked the Clackamas County Sheriff's office to assist in the investigation.

Barnhart is now on administrative leave and is due in court Oct. 23.

Officer Marvin Blades Jr Arrested for Stealing Money During Traffic Stops

A Tulsa police officer has been arrested on a second-degree robbery complaint after a months-long robbery investigation by the Tulsa Police Special Investigation Division and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics. Authorities arrested Officer Marvin Blades Junior, 37, early Saturday morning for stealing cash during a traffic stop.

According to officials, investigators from the two agencies conducted an undercover operation after allegations that Blades had been targeting Hispanics during traffic stops and stealing their money. Police say on Friday night Blades pulled over an undercover OBN agent in the 2800 block of North Lewis Avenue. Investigators say Blades ordered the driver (undercover officer) to the back of the his car and instructed the driver to leave his wallet on the seat.

Authorities believe that's when the officer stole six-hundred dollars in cash before allowing the driver to leave. According to police, when the undercover cop returned to his seat he noticed that money was missing from his wallet. Once in custody, officers found six-hundred dollars cash in Blade's right pants pocket. According to officials, Blades told them that the money belonged to his wife, but investigators matched the money to serial numbers on the bills used in their investigation. Tulsa police chief Chuck Jordan credited other officers for alerting his office to Blades.

"They did the right thing. They did exactly what our community expects of them," said Jordan. Local Hispanic leaders, like Guillermo Rojas, publisher of the bilingual newspaper La Semana, said Hispanics make easy targets.

"They are afraid because everybody thinks if they are stopped - to any Hispanic, if they don't have a legal status in the country, they'll be put in jail," said Rojas. But Jordan says no one should be afraid to come forward and encourages those who have been victimized to call the robbery unit at 918-596-9137.

Police say Officer Marvin Blades was working TPD's Gilcrease division at the time of robbery. Blades is the son of former Tulsa police officer, Marvin Blades, Sr., who was suspended several times in the mid-1990s after he was accused of not following department rules and regulations.

According to 2News archives, Blades' suspensions caused local black leaders to accuse TPD of racial discrimination. Blades was booked and released on a $25,000 bond. He has a court date set for Sept 4.

Cpl. Gene Watkins Arrested for Domestic Assault and Battery

A Tulsa police officer was arrested Friday for charges of domestic assault and battery and threatening a violent act.

TPD Cpl. Gene Watkins was arrested around 4:30 p.m. and was released on a $1,500 bond within 30 minutes.

Court documents show the offense happened Aug. 21.

A not guilty plea was entered on behalf of Watkins and he has been ordered to have no contact with the victim.

Watkins is scheduled back in court Sept. 11.

Former Trooper Gregory Vrooman Convicted for Sex Crimes Against Child

A state trooper who was convicted in April of a dozen sex crimes against
 a girl younger than 14 has been given a five-year prison sentence.

District Attorney Geoffrey Rushlau, whose office prosecuted the case, said Gregory Vrooman, 46, of Nobleboro will serve 21 months in prison, with 39 months suspended.

After being sentenced last week in a courtroom in Bath, Vrooman was released on $25,000 unsecured bail, Rushlau said.

Rushlau said Vrooman's attorney, Steven Peterson of Rockport, has indicated that he plans to appeal his client's sentence to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Peterson could not be reached for comment Monday.

Vrooman's case took a strange turn in April, when he was attacked and injured in a Wiscasset courtroom just moments before the jury in his trial was expected to render its verdict.

Witnesses said William Harrison, 39, jumped Vrooman, who was seated next to his attorney, and landed two punches before he was subdued by court officers. Vrooman was removed from the courtroom on a stretcher.

Harrison, who lives in Charlestown, Mass., was charged with aggravated assault.

"We were on the verge of getting a verdict," Rushlau told The Portland Press Herald at the time. "This was bizarre and unprecedented."

One day later, the jury convicted Vrooman of four counts of unlawful sexual contact with a minor, four counts of unlawful sexual touching and four counts of assault.

Rushlau said it could take several months before the supreme court hears Vrooman's appeal.

Vrooman, a 24-year veteran of the Maine State Police, was arrested in November 2010.