truesee's Blog

Thursday, 19 May 2011 10:58 | Written by Lisa Tipton | | |

Both Brownwood and Early Police Departments were able to secure several drug related arrests recently by being alert and investigating suspicious circumstances, along with a little luck when one suspect dialed a wrong number – that of a police officer.

Brownwood Police netted a drug arrest on Wednesday, according to BPD officials, after a suspect dialed a Brownwood narcotics officer’s cell phone by mistake, offering him a chance to purchase drugs.   Officials state that the male caller left a message stating that he had prescription drugs which he was willing to sell.  In an undercover effort, the officer made arrangements to meet with the caller.

The suspect, identified as 51-year-old James Dunn, was accompanied by his wife, 64-year-old Bertha Dunn when they met the officer at the former Food Plaza building on Belle Plain.  The solicitors wanted to trade the prescription drugs for marijuana, police said.

Assisted by Brown County Sheriff’s investigators and Brownwood patrol officers, the BPD narcotics officer arrested the couple and charged them with two counts of Delivery of a Dangerous Drug.

 LINK TO PHOTOS:

http://www.brownwoodnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5269:wrong-number-suspicious-circumstances-lead-to-drug-arrests&catid=35:news&Itemid=58

 

 

A 15-year-old Harvey girl who is Jefferson Parish prosecutors' key witness in a second-degree murder case spent a night in jail after she refused to testify against the accused killer Wednesday, a silence apparently based in her fear of the defendant or his family.

Jessica Cheatteam was held in contempt of court Wednesday after she flatly refused to say in open court and in front of a jury that Michael Williams shot Terry Redmond on April 26, 2009, in Harvey's Scotsdale neighborhood, a claim she shared with Sheriff's Office detectives who were investigating the slaying two years ago.

Cheatteam, who was 13 years old when Redmond was shot several times, was sitting at the witness stand only feet  from Williams, 18, while members of his family sat in the audience yards behind him.

Her refusal to testify led Judge June Darensburg of the 24th Judicial District Court to send the jury out of the courtroom and arrange for a public defender, Graham Bosworth, to provide legal advice to the teenager. But after conferring privately with Bosworth, Cheatteam again refused to testify.

"Are you refusing to testify and answer our questions?" asked Assistant District Attorney Sunny Funk, who is prosecuting Williams with David Hufft.

"That's correct," Cheatteam said.

Darensburg then found Cheatteam in contempt of court and sentenced her to six months in jail, the maximum for contempt. Cheatteam seemed unfazed as she was escorted out of court to the Rivarde Juvenile Detention Center in Harvey.

Cheatteam was back in Darensburg's court Thursday, shortly after the judge declared a mistrial because of allegations that jurors improperly discussed the case among themselves, including the effect of Cheatteam's refusal to testify.

Dressed in a navy blue jail outfit, her handcuffs chained to her waist and her ankles shackled together, Cheatteam sat alone while attorneys discussed her immediate fate with Darensburg at the bench. It was then that she saw members of Williams' family in the hallway outside court, apparently looking at her through the windows flanking the courtroom's doors.

"What they looking at?" she yelled, sending a jolt through the courtroom.

Darensburg ordered her bailiff to clear the hallway. Moments later, the judge vacated her contempt order and released Cheatteam from custody. However, Cheatteam was sent to a juvenile facility in another jurisdiction for reasons that were not discussed openly in court because of her age.

"Good luck to you, Miss Cheatteam," Darensburg told the girl.

Hufft said in opening statements Wednesday that Cheatteam has been uncooperative. While the prosecutors have another witness who saw events that preceded the shooting, Cheatteam is the only witness alleged to have seen the shooting itself.

Detectives learned she witnessed the crime while interviewing people who called 911 to report gunfire, Detective Jeffrey Rodrigue testified. He described her as "very" young but "very calm" and "very cooperative" when he and Sgt. Kevin Decker questioned her at the Sheriff's Office investigations bureau in Harvey until almost midnight.

Authorities allege Williams was thrown to the ground by Redmond, 42. Redmond then ran through an open field off Angus Drive, and crossed a concrete-lined drainage canal while Williams chased after him armed with a .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol.

A deputy dispatched to investigate reports of gunfire, Eric Blandford, testified he found Redmond's body on the grassy shoulder of Florence Street where it dead-ends at the canal near Esther Street. Witnesses claim Williams ran back toward an awaiting white sedan on Angus and fled. He was arrested days later at a friend's home in Marrero by SWAT officers.

Williams denies being the shooter, and his public defender Joe Perez repeatedly called into question a Sheriff's Office policy in which detectives "interrogate" witnesses and suspects in what they call "pre-interviews," before recording the formal statements that juries later hear. Perez questioned several witnesses about the interviews, including Rodrigue about his contact with Cheatteam. Following about an hour of pre-interview, Cheatteam gave a 14-minute taped statement, according to testimony.

In opening statements, Perez told the jury Cheatteam has given "multiple renditions" of what she saw. As such, Perez alleged, prosecutors threatened "what would happen to her if she did not cooperate."

Darensburg declared a mistrial Thursday after hearing a report from one juror that another juror had made derogatory comments about Perez's case, alleging it was "smoke and mirrors," Perez said. Judges routinely instruct juries not to discuss the case among themselves, because such discussions should be reserved for deliberations after all evidence is presented.

Darensburg opened a hearing in which several jurors were individually questioned, after which Perez asked for a mistrial. Darensburg granted the request.

Williams' new trial is now set to begin July 25. Cheatteam has been subpoenaed to be there, court records show.

Suspect ‘pocket dials’ 911 during alleged drug deal in South Hall

 Jeff Gill

Gainesville Time

May 20, 2011 12:34 a.m.

Daniel Moore                                                                             Talk about a smart phone. This one called police as its owner, now a drug suspect in jail, was involved in an alleged illegal transaction. Hall County 911 got a call about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, but when the operator answered, no one was on the other end of the line. "The dispatcher stated that ... she could overhear several individuals talking about a drug transaction involving prescription narcotics," sheriff's spokesman Col. Jeff Strickland said Thursday. A deputy was sent to the source of the call, a Waffle House restaurant on Lanier Islands Parkway in South Hall. "Once he arrived, he still didn't know who had the phone," Strickland said. When he started talking to restaurant employees, the dispatcher said she could hear the deputy's voice in the 911 call. "The phone was in an employee's pocket," Strickland said. "As the deputy was talking to the employee, the dispatcher could hear the conversation between the deputy and the employee." Authorities then radioed the deputy to let him know he was talking to the suspect. When questioned about his phone, the employee discovered it had somehow "pocket-dialed" 911, Strickland said. After being told the entire conversation regarding the drug transaction had been recorded at 911 Dispatch, the suspect cooperated with the deputy and Strickland said he was found to be in possession of hydrocodone and alprazolam tablets. Police charged Daniel Moore, 18, with possession of the drugs. He is being held in the Hall County Jail. Strickland didn't have other details about the phone, including what kind it was. "This is a first for me for an arrest like that," he said. "For us to record a drug transaction as it transpires, that's a first." District Attorney Lee Darragh said a copy of the 911 recording could not be released since it is part of an open investigation

State police seized an estimated $6 million worth of cocaine on Wednesday when a New York man attempted to pick up the package from a local commercial delivery service.

Police said Edwin Olivo, 37, of the Bronx, tried to pick up the package — which contained 102 kilos, or about 225 pounds, of cocaine — around noon. State police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said the package had been moved by a forklift to the delivery service's loading dock.

Olivo was loading the package into his car when he was arrested, according to Vance.

"This is cocaine in its purest form," Vance said.

PHOTOS: State Police Cocaine Bust

http://mobilepictures.courant.com/gallery.php?counter=0&slug=hc-pictures-state-police-cocaine-bust-20110518

He would not identify the delivery service, and would not disclose where the package was from. But Vance said it had been shipped to the delivery service from another country. He also would not say why the package was shipped to Connecticut.

Lambert could not be reached for comment Wednesday, and his attorney did not return phone calls.

 

LINK TO VIDEO:

 http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_west_valley/sun_city/valley-funeral-home-owner-disturbed-by-abc15-investigation

 

Arizona law states that if a crematory is unable to cremate human remains after taking them into custody, they should maintain or store any of the remains in a secure holding facility at 38 degrees.

Thomas said not only were the bodies not refrigerated but the containers of remains were actually stacked, allowing the remains to be exposed if the containers fell open.

Maggots were also seen on the boxes and the surrounding floor.

"If you are unable to refrigerate them you leave them with the funeral homes or seek assistance from another source," Thomas said. "Lambert kept accepting the bodies from different funeral homes despite the fact that he couldn't take care of them."

Lambert told board members Tuesday night that he was trying to do the best he could. As the sole cremationist, Lambert only had help transporting the bodies to and from the crematory, Thomas said. Lambert also serves as the funeral home director.

Thomas said that Lambert was averaging about 15 cremations a day before the bodies started to pile up.

Last month a repairmen working to replace the windshield of Lambert's van, which is used to transport remains, noticed a strong smell coming from the vehicle and called police.

Thomas said that officials were not able take action at the time because no crime had been committed. The Arizona State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers is responsible for the jurisdiction and regulation concerning crematories.

After an anonymous tip to a local television station, Thomas was shown pictures and video depicting bodies outside in vans, instead of in a refrigerator system. The pictures also showed maggots on the crematory floor.

Thomas went to investigate and found that Lambert had cremated all of the bodies, leaving nothing out of the ordinary.

When presented with the photographic evidence against him, Lambert did not deny any of the allegations and just stated that he was doing the best that he could, Thomas said.

In a unanimous decision on Tuesday, the board approved a consent agreement that would revoke Lambert's crematory license and his cremationist license, which allows him to perform cremations. Lambert would also be required to pay a $3,000 civil fine plus administrative costs.

Thomas said Lambert will have 30 days to respond to the agreement or he will go before a formal hearing, in which more action could be taken against him.

Thomas said that this is the second issue of negligence to happen in the last seven months involving crematories.

"We had an issue in October with cremations in Bisbee," he said. "The cremations were only being partly cremated."

Calls into the Bisbee police department alerted officials that there were readily identified skulls and bones being thrown into open pits in Bisbee cemetery. Because of the solid remains police classified this incident as a crime scene.

Thomas said that the partially cremated remains were being thrown into the cemetery, instead of being properly taken care of.

"In situations like this, the loved ones are entrusting the funeral homes," Thomas said. "The trust just wasn't carried out."

State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers chief Rudy Thomas told the Arizona Republic: 'We were completely appalled. I was surprised and embarrassed for the industry because this is not the norm.'

Witnesses told local news programme ABC15 they had seen maggots swarming the crematory floor, while black smoke could clearly be seen rising from the Crematory during the broadcast.

Undercover reporters caught Lambert leaving bodies in his van overnight and, in one case, taking another van full of corpses home with him at the end of the work day.

Lambert told reporters he was 'doing the best' he could because he didn't have room in his refrigerator.

At a funeral directors board meeting on Tuesday, Lambert said he was averaging 15 cremations a day.

He said bodies began piling up because he did not have any help. 

The board slapped Lambert with 19 violations, revoked his crematory license and license to perform cremations.

He was also ordered him to pay a $3,000 fine.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1388822/Crematory-owner-busted-stacking-corpses-vans-cars.html#ixzz1Mq2qhCGA

Kindergartner caught with 18 bags of heroin at school, cops say he handed it out to classmates

Lukas I. Alpert
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Thursday, May 19th 2011, 9:26 AM

Some kids play doctor - this kid played Dr. Feelgood.

Police were called to a Pittsburgh kindergarten class after a 7-year-old boy turned up with 18 bags of heroin and began handing them out to classmates.

"The kids are calling it 'the magic ticket' because it is a white pack with a stamp of a bunny coming out of a hat," police spokeswoman Diane Richard told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The boy told police that he found the bags at home and did not know what they were.

Police were alerted after the boy cut his finger on a razor blade, prompting the principal to look inside his schoolbag and spot the drugs.

Cops brought in a drug-sniffing dog, which found even more in the boy's locker.

Dallas ISD middle school student tied to classroom chair and beaten, mother says

The Dallas school district has launched an investigation after allegations that a 12-year-old middle school boy was taped to a classroom chair Monday and beaten up by other students.

The alleged incident occurred at Storey Middle School in east Oak Cliff, where four students stormed into the boy’s science classroom and targeted him, said the boy’s mother, Keneshia Richardson.

She said the students, all boys, attached her son’s wrists to a chair with duct tape and a telephone cord, wrapped clear tape around his face and mouth, and knocked him to the ground. At one point, his shirt was ripped off, she said. The substitute teacher in the classroom did not stop the attack, she said.

Richardson suspected the four students targeted her son because he’s in remedial classes.

Dallas ISD spokesman Jon Dahlander said that the district was aware of the incident but that some of the details of the mother’s account were different than what he had been told.

“This is not quite the way that the incident has been described,” said Dahlander, who declined to elaborate. “In any event, it is under investigation and disciplinary action is pending” for the accused students and the substitute teacher.

Dahlander said the substitute, whose name wasn’t released, has been placed on the district’s “do not call list” as a substitute not to be used again.

Richardson, who filed a report with Dallas ISD police Wednesday afternoon, said her son was sitting in his third-period class when the four students barged in. She said he had trouble breathing after they placed clear Scotch tape around his nose, mouth and face.

“It was uncalled for,” Richardson said. “They don’t realize how serious it could be. He couldn’t breathe.”

The alleged attack finally stopped after a girl in the classroom scared the boys away, grabbed the student off the floor and released him from the chair. The boy ran down the hallway to a school resource officer, who provided him another shirt to wear.

“If the little girl had not come over and taken the tape off, my son would have died,” Richardson said. “I’m scared at this point to send my children back to school.”

Man wins World Beard & Moustache Championship, shapes facial hair into moose, flag of Norway

Lindsay Goldwert
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Thursday, May 19th 2011, 4:00 AM