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Suspect in 7 slayings cut down in Oakland;
Running gunbattle with undercover officers from S.F.
Copyright 2002 The Chronicle Publishing Co.
The San Francisco Chronicle...03/01/2002
Jim Herron Zamora
A 24-year-old man wounded by San Francisco police in Oakland is a suspect in the killings of seven people, including a witness shot six days after testifying in a gang homicide case.
"We've been trying to find him for a couple months," San Francisco Police Department spokesman Sherman Ackerson said yesterday. "He's someone we think is very dangerous. We want to question him about seven killings."
Ramon Sapp, 24, was shot more than six times throughout his body on Wednesday and remained in critical condition at Highland Hospital last night.
Police said Sapp has ties to a drug gang in San Francisco's Western Addition and was wanted on a federal firearms warrant and a state parole violation.
He also has been arrested more than 10 times in the past five years for illegal firearms possession or carrying a concealed weapon, including a 1999 case in which police found a loaded automatic rifle under the seat of his car. Sapp is on parole for a weapons offense.
Law enforcement sources said Sapp is a suspect in the January 2001 shooting death of Dustin Thomas, 20, a witness in a gang-related killing. Thomas was killed in San Francisco's Sunnydale housing projects six days after he testified at the preliminary hearing of a man charged with killing Devon Gross, a friend of Thomas'.
Sapp has been the focus of a statewide police manhunt since January when he was charged with federal firearms violations. He was considered "armed and extremely dangerous," according a Jan. 25 San Francisco Police Department bulletin.
"He is believed to be in possession of firearms at all times," the bulletin warned. "Sapp is to be approached with extreme caution."
Based on a tip, a dozen undercover San Francisco police and state narcotics agents began following Sapp a short time before the shootout. As the car left the eastbound lanes of Interstate 580 at 35th Avenue in East Oakland about 5:30 p.m., police said, Sapp spotted the officers.
Sapp jumped out of the car and opened fire with two pistols, police said. He then ran a block before getting into a gunbattle with officers outside a crowded gas station at 35th Avenue and Suter Street, police said.
He then collapsed from his wounds. No officers were hit, although more than 50 shots were fired in the exchange. Sapp is expected to be charged with attempted murder in Alameda County, police said.
Meanwhile, the driver of the car sped off and is still being sought.
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Team helps cops deal with job emotions
Copyright 2002 Toronto Star Newspapers, Ltd.
The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo)...03/02/2002
BARBARA AGGERHOLM
Police see the face of a drowned child; help a woman who is miscarrying her baby; cradle a dying man.
So please don't blame them if it looks like they're not grieving with you.
It's the only way they can do their job, says a member of Waterloo regional police's critical incident stress management team.
"I've heard people call in and say: 'The officer was very unemotional,' " said Const. Deborah Strand, a 12year veteran of the police force.
But "most emergency personnel function on auto-pilot during an incident.
"That's an officer-safety thing. We're human and that's the only way we can get through it," she said.
It's only afterward that police and other emergency workers can let themselves feel, and that's where the critical incidents team, a voluntary group of officers and five mental health practitioners, comes in, she said.
Strand spoke yesterday to students, social workers and other "helping profession" employees at a workshop organized by social work students at University of Waterloo's Renison College.
The conference acknowledged the high stress of their jobs.
Speakers helped the 60 participants identify signs of stress and suggested ways they could take care of themselves and each other.
Strand, 30, joined the 20-member critical incidents team shortly after the drowning of Const. Dave Nicholson, who was a good friend of hers and of her husband, Const. Jim Strand.
"I was trying to help my friends and I didn't know how to," Strand said.
"The agony of the police department dragged on for days," Strand told the group.
In August 1998, Nicholson, a police diver, was attempting to retrieve the body of 12-year-old Mark Gage from the Parkhill Dam in Cambridge when he, too, became trapped. He was the first regional police officer to die on the job.
Members of the critical incidents team make themselves available to debrief officers immediately after events that trigger strong emotions: fatal accidents, unusual deaths or injuries involving children, prolonged rescue or recovery operations or anytime an officer wants to talk.
Team members are trained to "look out for each other," Strand said.
In a confidential setting, officers can talk about an incident, their feelings, their signs of stress, how to deal with the stress and any other resources they might want to use.
Strand described a particularly painful incident in which a child had drowned.
The ambulance attendant, whose vehicle was cut off by a car on the way to the scene, tried everything he could to revive the child. Police had to hold back grief-stricken people while the ambulance attendant worked, and distraught people hit the officers in an attempt to get past.
One officer, who had a child the same age and sex as the child who died, had to go to the autopsy.
Later, officers talked about the tragedy with members of the critical incidents team. One said: "I needed that more than I realized," Strand said.
The ambulance attendant said he knew he could not have saved the child, but his heart couldn't accept that.
"In our field, you are expected to deal with the situation and move on. Sometimes you don't realize how much you're holding in," Strand said.
She has learned that it's all right to be emotional when she's listening to co-workers.
"I've learned if I feel like crying with them, it's OK. Otherwise you're not giving 100 per cent of yourself. You're soaking up their misery and trying to help them get through it."
But, she stressed, team members must take care of themselves, too.
Strand rides her Arabian horse to relieve stress. Diet and exercise are also important, she said.
She also urged people under stress not to withdraw.
Talk about your feelings with people you love, trust and depend on. Keep a normal schedule, do things you enjoy and don't set unrealistic expectations.
"People do care. We often forget people do care. Now is the time to let someone else help you."
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The press normally does not mention
commercial names in articles on events. You might say they avoid the free advertizement. SEVU was mentioned on TV a few times during the duration dive and at least once in the Austin newspaper.
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Firefighter rejects plea in training death
By BILL FARRELL
Observer-Dispatch
UTICA — Alan G. Baird III rejected a plea bargain offer Friday and will go to trial May 13 for his role in the Lairdsville firefighter training exercise Sept. 25 that left trainee Bradley Golden dead and two others severely burned.
The offer from the Oneida County District Attorney’s office called for Baird, 30, to plead guilty to criminally negligent homicide, spend six months in county jail and five years’ probation.
He would also have been required to speak to other fire departments about the “mistakes made” in that training exercise, including his own, to prevent them from happening again, First Assistant DA Michael Coluzza told the court.
After Judge Michael Dwyer reminded Baird that he faces state prison time should he be convicted of second-degree manslaughter and asked if he still wished to turn down the offer, the former Lairdsville firefighter replied, “Yes, sir.”
Prosecutors maintain Baird was in charge at the scene when he lit two fires in a “live burn” drill at a vacant building on Route 5 in Westmoreland.
Golden, 19, was participating in the exercise in which he and two other Lairdsville firefighters were positioned on the second floor of the structure and were supposed to be “rescued.”
Instead, the fires ignited on the first floor swept up the stairwell, overcoming Golden, who died of asphyxia due to smoke inhalation. Firefighters Adam Croman and Benjamin Morris suffered severe burns and are recovering from their injuries.
About a dozen of Baird’s friends and family were in court for the 10-minute proceeding. When it ended, Baird declined comment to waiting reporters. He’s free on $10,000 bail.
His father, Alan II, said there comes a time in everyone’s life when “you have to stand up for what you believe is right” and that’s what his son is doing.
“He’s sick about the whole tragedy, but he’s not gonna accept sole responsibility for this,” his father said. Asked who else he thought was responsible, he said that would come out at the trial.
When attorney Robert Moran was asked why his client turned down the plea offer, he said there were “too many unanswered questions,” including what accelerants were used and which fire was responsible for the fatality.
“We want more people to stand up and be accountable for what they’ve done,” Moran said.
Golden’s family was also present in court. His uncle, Doug Ellis, said Baird was given an opportunity to get off easily and didn’t take it. “Now he needs to get tried to the fullest extent,” he said.
“We don’t want folks to lose site of the three victims and the families who will have to suffer,” said Bob Roberts, Golden’s stepfather. “We believe once the facts and evidence come to light, justice will be served.”
Michael Golden, Bradley’s father, pointed out that it wasn’t the Golden family that indicted Baird, but “24 of his peers” on the grand jury. “The DA’s office made an offer and we have to go with what they think,” he said.
District Attorney Michael Arcuri said his office didn’t make the decision who should be charged, but rather the grand jury. “We, too, want the person who is responsible to own up to it,” he said.
“This is not a poker game. Our offer was fair and the right thing to do. We want (Baird), who we believe is responsible, to own up to it and assist us” in getting fire standards of both the National Fire Protection Association and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration “made mandatory” for New York state, he said.
“To put a person in that kind of jeopardy” is wrong, Arcuri added. “He didn’t intend to do it, but he is responsible. This shouldn’t have happened.”
Baird, who faces a maximum prison sentence of 5 to 15 years if convicted on the manslaughter charge, is due back in court March 20.
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Burglar shot, homeowner arrested
Burglary Suspect Dies From Gunshot Wound
Vallejo Shot By Uncle
Posted: 2:11 p.m. CST March 1, 2002
SAN ANTONIO -- A man who was shot while allegedly trying to burglarize a shed behind his uncle's West Side home died Friday, police said.
Gilbert Vallejo III, died from a gunshot wound to the back of the head, police said.
Vallejo's uncle (pictured, left), whose name has not been released, chased the boy and shot him with a .22-caliber handgun in the 1800 block of Athel Street, police said.
The incident prompted a brief lockdown at Gardendale Elementary.
No charges have been filed on connection with the shooting
UPDATE: Man Arrested For Shooting Nephew
Suspect Says Victim Was Trying To Break Into His Home
Posted: 11:01 a.m. CST February 28, 2002
Updated: 12:55 p.m. CST February 28, 2002
SAN ANTONIO -- A man was arrested Thursday morning after he allegedly shot his nephew, who he said was trying to break into his West Side home.
The victim, 19, suffered a gunshot wound to the head. He was transported to a hospital in critical condition, police said.
The suspect surrendered to police without incident. He was taken to police headquarters for further questioning. Police officials said they did not know what charges, if any, the man would face until their investigation was concluded.
"He (suspect) talked to me," a witness told KSAT 12 News. "(He) said 'he (nephew) was trying to break into my house ... I got after him'".
Police said the suspect chased down his nephew, who a witness said had been breaking into homes recently, a few blocks from the man's home and shot him with a .22 caliber handgun in a field behind Gardendale Elementary School in the 1700 block of Athel Street.. The campus was under lockdown for a brief period as a precaution. No one from the campus was injured during the incident.
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Press release from FEMA - FD Grants
Release No.: 02-016
Release Date: March 1, 2002
COMPLETE APPLICATION PACKAGE FOR FIRE GRANT PROGRAM NOW AVAILABLE
WASHINGTON - The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s United States Fire Administration announced today the complete application for the 2002 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program is now available on-line. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program will distribute $360 million in grants to local fire departments this year through a competitive application process.
The interactive application package, which is available on-line from the US Fire Administration (USFA) web site at www.usfa.fema.gov/grants, includes additional information about the application, including program guidance. A frequently asked questions section is also available.
"We are pleased to be able to offer this application on-line and make it easier for fire departments to apply for needed resources," said R. David Paulison, United States Fire Administrator. "This year's application features extensive help screens and supplemental information."
While a paper version of the application is available, fire departments are encouraged to use the on-line form. Fire departments that do not have access to computers should look to their municipalities, libraries and other public facilities to fill out the application.
The purpose of the program is to award one-year grants directly to fire departments of a State to enhance their abilities with respect to fire and fire-related hazards. This program seeks to identify departments that lack the basic tools and resources necessary to protect the health and safety of the public and their firefighting personnel.
Who is eligible?
Fire departments located in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are eligible. A fire department is defined as an agency or organization that has a formally recognized arrangement with a state, local or tribal authority (city, county, parish, fire district, township, town or other governing body) to provide fire suppression, fire prevention and rescue services to a population within a fixed geographical area.
What will be funded?
Fire departments can apply for eligible activities in one of four different programs:
- Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety (eligible activities include: Training, Wellness and Fitness, Firefighting Equipment, and Personal Protective Equipment).
- Fire Prevention (eligible activities include: Public Education, Public Awareness, Code Enforcement, and Arson Prevention).
- Emergency Medical Services (eligible activities include: Training and Equipment).
- Firefighting Vehicles.
When will applications be accepted?
The application period will begin March 1 at 12:01 a.m. EST and remain open until 5:00 p.m. EST on April 1, 2002. Evaluation panels will review applications in April and May. Grants awards begin in May and continue until all funds are awarded.
Additional information and assistance about the applications can be directed to (866) 274-0960 or via email at: USFAGRANTS@FEMA.gov.
To remove yourself from this list, address a message to: MAJORDOMO@SERVER201.FEMA.GOV with only the words "unsubscribe usfa01-list" (without the quotes) in the BODY of your message.
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More press coverage on the SEVU cameras:
http://www.timesguardian.com/news/2-27man-drowns.html
Man drowns in Canyon Lake
Published Feb. 27, 2002
By Adrienne Smith Garza
Times Guardian Staff Writer
On the third day of the search for a man feared drowned in Canyon Lake, divers from the San Marcos Area Recovery Team (SMART) found the body ....
etc. etc.... here is the SEVU part....
On Saturday morning, SMART divers entered the murky water of the search area near Comal Park at approximately 11:10 a.m. and found Bustamante's body in less than 10 minutes using underwater infrared cameras linked to monitors on the surface, Misiaszek said.
The body was about 25 feet from shore and wedged between a steep rock wall and large tree branches, he said. Not far away was the overturned aluminum boat, snagged on submerged structure, just yards from the shoreline, the CCSO reported.
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Bigbizz, don't waste your time on chamaeleons eom.
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I was searching the web for
a boat depth finder and found this link at depthfinder.com
http://www.boatdealers.com/mall/index.cgi?store_id=173&prod_id=5540&cart_id=216207794&cu...
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Just called SEVU on the phone
and spoke with a sales rep "Kim". Our team just special ordered two mini-50 cameras to be made into hand held diver cameras for search and recovery. This is a special order because we are requesting 200 feet of cord on each instead of the standard 50 feet the camera comes with. Kim was polite, interested, and the sale went off without a hitch. Our team operates on a cash (check) basis and we don't have credit cards for purchases. Kim said "no problem" and allowed us to buy on the net-30 principle that SEVU would receive payment in 30 days after shipment. She said since it was a special order and the cameras needed to be made with the additional cord, it would take an additional day.
I expected the order to be filled in a week or two. She told me the cameras would be made by tomorrow and would be shipped by UPS at the latest on Monday.
Excellent service! Excellent turn around, even for a special order!
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Dinky, I read into this letter
that Price is not 100% for 218, and wants the states to decide not the feds.
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Good web site for PD's in the USA
http://www.usacops.com/
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Broker, I think it is time you
asked for your $60K back. Good luck.
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Another news plug for sevu IR cams:
http://www.sanmarcosrecord.com/display/inn_news/news2.txt
"Divers entered the water at approximately 11:10 a.m. and found the body in less than 10 minutes," he said. "The body was about 25 feet from shore and wedged between the steep rock and large tree branches."
The search was concentrated on an area near Comal Park, where Bustamante's friends said they last saw him. Because of the murkiness of the lake water, the SMART team used infrared cameras which "linked to monitors on the surface" so that topside team members could see what the divers saw, Misiaszek said.
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Cops suicide
New trooper kills himself at his home in Midtown;
SUICIDE: Shot fired after Anchorage police respond to 911 call from the man's wife.
Copyright 2002 Anchorage Daily News
Anchorage Daily News...02/25/2002
By Doug O'harraAnchorage Daily News
A man in field training as an Alaska state trooper killed himself late Saturday night after police responded to a 911 call that he was threatening to commit suicide during a domestic argument, according to police. Toby Robbins, 29, shot himself in the head with his .40-caliber service pistol inside the front door of his Midtown residence after seeing two Anchorage officers outside, said troopers and police officials. Robbins, who had just started a career in law enforcement after serving in the U.S. Air Force, was pronounced dead while being transferred to Providence Alaska Medical Center. He is survived by his wife, Priscilla, and three children. After graduating from the trooper academy in Sitka in November, Robbins had been undergoing 15 weeks of supervised training as a recruit based in Palmer, said troopers Capt. David Hudson, staff supervisor for the director. Robbins had worked his regular shift Saturday. About 11:30 p.m., Priscilla Robbins called 911 to report that Robbins had threatened suicide during a family fight, according to Hudson and dispatch records. Two Anchorage police officers responded to their home on Merle Circle east of Lake Otis Parkway. "They heard loud voices inside the house," Hudson said. "The door opened, and they could see the individual had a firearm. The individual slammed the door shut, and a shot was fired almost immediately." The two officers called for backup, bringing at least 12 more officers to the scene, according to Anchorage police spokesman Ron McGee.
Several people driving along Lake Otis later reported seeing more than 20 patrol cars with sirens and lights, and witnesses in the neighborhood said they saw heavily armed officers securing the area between 11:30 p.m. and midnight. State records show that Robbins came to Alaska in the early 1990s, serving at Elmendorf and Eielson Air Force bases. He had recently transferred to the reserves on Elmendorf as he pursued a job with the troopers, Hudson said. "I interviewed him at the academy last fall," Hudson said. "He was extremely proud to be there, really upbeat, and was extremely excited to become a trooper." Like other successful academy graduates, Robbins had passed background checks, screenings and psychological evaluations, Hudson said. He was doing well as a recruit. "We had no reason to think there was any problem," Hudson said Sunday. "Obviously if this hadn't happened, he'd be working his shift today." "This is the first known suicide for the Alaska State Troopers," troopers spokesman Greg Wilkinson added. As of Sunday afternoon, police were unable to locate Robbins' mother, who lives in South Carolina, Hudson said. "The wife is holding up well," he said. "Her children are extremely distraught. . . . I would just hope that people realize that when anyone takes their life, they leave many loved ones behind."
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DNA evidence changes law
New N.J. Law Eliminates Statute of Limitations When DNA is Found
02/25/2002
by Jeffrey Gold, Associated Press
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Leave part of your genetic code behind at a crime scene in New Jersey, and you are never off the hook.
DNA evidence, in recent years used to exonerate the wrongly convicted, can now stop the clock on the statute of limitations for a wide range of crimes.
The new law, perhaps the only one of its kind in the nation, is a dream come true for prosecutors and a nightmare for defense lawyers.
It also could bring an avalanche of new samples to a State Police laboratory already struggling with a backlog.
The state's DNA exemption, which also applies to fingerprints, was signed into law with little notice Jan. 3, in the flurry just before Acting Gov. Donald T. DiFrancesco left office.
Before then, New Jersey prosecutors generally had five years from the day after a crime to charge somebody. There was no deadline for prosecuting murder or rape.
Under the new law, however, the clock does not start until prosecutors match DNA or a fingerprint with a person's name.
About a dozen states have similar DNA laws that apply to sex crimes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The sweeping exception is a "remarkable departure" from the prior limits, said Russell M. Coombs, a professor at Rutgers Law School in Camden.
He said time limits were originally imposed because a trial many years after the crime would be hampered by faded memories, lost evidence and deceased witnesses. They also stem from a legal tradition of granting "repose" to innocent parties.
"That rationale has less force if we damn well know he's guilty," Coombs said, who added that the precision of DNA evidence is a counter to hazy recollections.
However, he noted that DNA merely shows that someone was at the scene, not that they committed a crime.
Union County Prosecutor Thomas V. Manahan said he intends to use DNA evidence to prosecute cases such as aggravated assault and robbery.
"With advances in technology, the law needs to recognize that law enforcement is able to prove matters many, many years after the event has occurred," said Manahan, president of the New Jersey Prosecutor's Association, which endorsed the measure.
"This statute is really to do away with what I believe to be an archaic statute of limitations when dealing with serious crimes," he said.
In addition to assault and robbery, the new law applies to crimes such as official bribery and causing widespread injury or damage.
Defense lawyer William H. Buckman, of Moorestown, said the new law dangerously undercuts longstanding practice.
"No one is going to be able to go back 10, 20, 30 years and determine where they were, their alibi, and exonerate themselves," said Buckman, a board member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. "People can't reasonably defend themselves. Witnesses have moved or died. Evidence has been lost. Memories have faded."
"To expand it to so many lesser crimes, to have a criminal law without a statute of limitations, is not necessarily a wise thing, particularly when the law seems overbroad," Buckman said, noting that DNA at a crime scene could be left by many people with no connection to a crime.
State Police do not have an estimate on how many more samples will be tested because of the law, spokesman John Hagerty said.
The number could be significant. In 2000, New Jersey recorded 288 murders and 1,352 rapes, along with 17,086 aggravated assaults and 13,550 robberies.
The State Police DNA lab got 523 samples from local police last year more than twice the 221 submitted in 2000, said Thomas A. Brettell, the lab's chief forensic scientist.
Some 480 samples await screening to determine if they have any biological material that could contain DNA, while 247 that have been screened await analysis of their DNA, Brettell said in early February.
The process takes over a year. "We would like to do this in a 30-day period, but we don't have the personnel to do it," he said. About 10 more people would have to be added to the dozen in the DNA unit for that to happen, Brettell estimated.
In addition, the lab sends DNA samples from felons to a private lab to produce a genetic profile. Last year, some 2,900 offenders were added to the state database of offenders, which now has 7,400 profiles, he said.
Those profiles are shared with the national database, which has more than a half-million offenders on file, he said.
DNA samples taken at crime scenes are processed and then compared to these databases in an effort to find a suspect.
Semen and hair can provide DNA decades after collection if it is stored properly, and State Police have urged county prosecutors to check cold cases to determine if any might be solved through DNA analysis.
The State Police are seeking money to hire more scientists, and a sponsor of the new law, state Sen. Diane B. Allen, R-Burlington, said she would support that effort.
"It makes no sense to pass laws to make our criminal justice system more responsive without giving those involved the tools to do it right," said Allen, whose fellow sponsors were then-Sen. Louis F. Kosco, R-Paramus, and Assemblyman James W. Holzapfel, R-Ocean, who was Ocean County prosecutor from 1987-92.
A different view is held by state Sen. Bernard F. Kenny Jr., D-Hudson, one of four senators who voted against the measure in May. It passed the Assembly 76-0 in December.
"My concern was that we may be effectively abolishing the statute of limitations in criminal law. I just didn't think that enough thought went into the consequences of eliminating the statute," Kenny said recently.
"It is in the public interest to identify and apprehend people who are guilty of crimes. But the statute of limitations is in place because there are other interests that the public has, and one of them is to encourage law enforcement to be timely in their investigations; another is to have finality to investigations," Kenny said.
Another method of eliminating statutes of limitations is the "John Doe" indictment. Prosecutors in New York and Texas have used DNA profiles to obtain indictments against unidentified rapists before statutes of limitations expire.
A Delaware law enacted last year enables prosecutors to indict unknown criminal suspects, including sexual offenders and other violent criminals based solely on their DNA profiles.
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2 officers and suspect shot, standoff
2 Officers, Suspect Shot In Homewood - 3 Hour Standoff Ends In Gunfire 2002-02-25 00:00:00
PITTSBURGH -- Two Pittsburgh Police officers and a gunman were shot Wednesday evening after a three-hour standoff in Homewood.
Zone 6 Cmdr. Dom Costa was shot once in the shoulder and was in serious condition as of Thursday morning at UPMC Presbyterian.
The other officer, Tom Huerbin, a seven-year veteran of the force, was shot three times in the chest when he rushed the gunman. He wore a bulletproof vest and suffered chest bruises, but none of the shots penetrated his vest, police said. He was released from the hospital Wednesday night.
The suspect was identified as Cecil Brookins, 46.
WTAE-TV reported that police were attempting to serve a warrant at a residence in the 7200 block of Hermitage Street, near the intersection with North Homewood Avenue.
At about 4:30 p.m., Brookins went to the roof of the building with a gun, WTAE's Shannon Perrine reported. Negotiators were apparently able to convince him to put down the weapon at least once.
However, at about 7:30 p.m., the man opened fire. Deputy Chief Charles Moffatt said that Brookins had placed his gun on a chimney on the roof and entered the house, police said.
Once inside, Brookins said he wasn't going to allow police to search him. Brookins pulled a .38 caliber handgun from behind his back and shot Costa once in the shoulder, police said.
Huerbin then rushed the suspect but was unable to draw his gun and was shot three times in the chest. He was protected by the bulletproof vest he was wearing, police said.
A third officer shot the suspect five times.
"We ask our police officers to do remarkable things," Mayor Tom Murphy said at a news conference Wednesday night.
"When the one officer was shot, this officer rushed at the man, into the face of a gun going off, and took three shots in the chest to try to stop the situation. He didn't shoot him, he went at him without a gun in his hand," Murphy said.
Police said they found two other guns in the house and more than 1,000 bags of heroin.
The suspect faces charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, weapons violations and drug offenses.
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Four Horry Police Officers Suspended
02/23/2002
Associated Press
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) - Four Horry County police officers have been suspended after an internal investigation revealed the officers may have violated a suspect's civil rights during an interrogation, authorities said.
Horry County prosecutor Greg Hembree said the officers were accused of continuing their questioning of Jeremy Williams, 19, of Longs after Williams asked to see a lawyer,
Williams has been charged with killing John Paul Downer Jr., 42, at Downer's home.
"It is against the Constitution not to stop an interrogation if a person has asked for a lawyer," said Williams' attorney, Ed Chrisco.
Chrisco said he requested audio, video and written records of the interrogation Thursday.
The officers were suspended for up to two weeks, according to the police department.
The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News requested the names of the officers and the reasons for their suspensions under the state Freedom of Information Act. But the police department said they will not comment on the investigation because it is ongoing.
State law allows a public body up to 15 days to respond to FOI requests.
"We have up to 15 days to respond and we will comply with the law," police spokesman Lisa Hammersley-Bourcier said.
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PD- Man struck, killed by patrol car
King 5 News
MILL CREEK – The State Patrol is investigating a car-pedestrian fatality involving one of its own troopers.
The trooper was driving a patrol car home from work in Bellevue around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday when he struck a 22-year-old man crossing Highway 527 near 164th St. in Mill Creek. He has been identified as Brock Loshbaugh.
Loshbaugh apparently tried to cross the highway in front of the patrol car. He died soon after in the hospital.
The trooper, Jason Crandall, was not injured, but the State Patrol says he was shaken up.
"Well obviously he's shook up like anybody would be, being involved in that type of collision,” said Lieut. Mark Thomas of the Washington State Patrol. “It's a tragedy when anyone dies on the highways and the trooper is obviously shook up about it."
Police will try to determine how fast Crandall was going and if the accident could have been avoided.
Investigators say tropper Jason Crandall, a 2-year veteran of the Washington State Patrol, was on his way home from the Bellevue station.
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Mentally Ill Killer's Sentence Commuted
Man To Spend Life In Prison
Posted: 8:43 p.m. EST February 25, 2002
Updated: 9:04 p.m. EST February 25, 2002
ATLANTA -- The Georgia parole board has commuted the death sentence of a mentally ill man who thinks actress Sigourney Weaver is God.
Alexander Williams had been facing lethal injection for the 1986 murder of a 16-year-old girl. Instead, he'll spend life in prison without parole.
The board acted after hearing from three psychiatrists who examined Williams last week. Williams has been forcibly medicated in prison for years.
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Here is some excellent IR camera technology
for public safety divers. Here is what is going on in the public safety diving world regarding SEVU. This is a nation wide network and here is a message I received after the Canyon Lake Recovery. My reply is below.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Greg Mactye [SMTP:Gmactye@xxxxx.xx.xx.xx]
> Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 6:51 AM
> To: PublicSafetyDivingAssociationMembers@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: RE: [PublicSafetyDivingAssociationMembers] Local Diving
> Rescue/Recovery
>
> Dan - sounds like a great job - good work! Could you please tell us
> more about how that underwater IR camera worked out? Was it in a
> housing? etc etc.
>
> GM
>
Thanks Greg,
Here are photos of the UW cameras we use. They are see in the dark technology (seaview) and I will have them in use and on display at the annual public safety divers comp and seminar on March 10th at SWTSU. You will not believe how cheap the cameras are and how well they work. In the second photo, the deep cameras are the green and yellow torpedo shaped pieces pointing towards the center of the photo. I will have actual recovery video at the seminar including this most recent operation. Go to WWW.SEVU.COM for more details and more cameras.
http://www.corridor.net/smartdivers/images/uwcam.jpg - Hand held diver camera cost less than $150. We added the stainless hand grip and the mount was provided by seaview. Seaview provides a monitor with the sale of their torpedo style cameras and we have added a TV-VCR combo for evidence recording.
http://www.corridor.net/smartdivers/images/trkboat1.jpg - Look just above
the yellow fins. This is the camera we drop down on a rope to seach deep areas. You can tow it or drop it straight down. The fins prevent the camera from spinning.
Dan Misiaszek
SMART - San Marcos Area Recovery Team
www.corridor.net/smartdivers
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Here is what is going on in the
public safety diving world regarding SEVU. This is a nation wide network and here is a message I received after the Canyon Lake Recovery. My reply is below.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Greg Mactye [SMTP:Gmactye@xxx.xxx.xx.xx]
> Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 6:51 AM
> To: PublicSafetyDivingAssociationMembers@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: RE: [PublicSafetyDivingAssociationMembers] Local Diving
> Rescue/Recovery
>
> Dan - sounds like a great job - good work! Could you please tell us
> more about how that underwater IR camera worked out? Was it in a
> housing? etc etc.
>
> GM
>
Thanks Greg,
Here are photos of the UW cameras we use. They are see in the dark
technology (seaview) and I will have them in use and on display at the annual public
safety divers comp and seminar on March 10th at SWTSU. You will not believe
how cheap the cameras are and how well they work. In the second photo, the
deep cameras are the green and yellow torpedo shaped pieces pointing towards
the center of the photo. I will have actual recovery video at the seminar
including this most recent operation. Go to WWW.SEVU.COM for more details and more cameras.
http://www.corridor.net/smartdivers/images/uwcam.jpg - Hand held diver
camera cost less than $150. We added the stainless hand grip and the mount was provided by seaview. Seaview provides a monitor with the sale of their torpedo style cameras and we have added a TV-VCR combo for evidence recording.
http://www.corridor.net/smartdivers/images/trkboat1.jpg - Look just above
the yellow fins. This is the camera we drop down on a rope to seach deep areas. You can tow it or drop it straight down. The fins prevent the camera from spinning.
Dan Misiaszek
SMART - San Marcos Area Recovery Team
www.corridor.net/smartdivers
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I am sure it will
inspire some pork barrel legislation, from the swines!
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NOTICE OF FIREFIGHTER FATALITY
This is a message from the FEMA's US Fire Administration.
The U.S. Fire Administration has received notice of the following firefighter fatality:
Name: Robert Samuel “Bobby” Nichols, Jr.
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 39
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: 1
Date of Incident: 2/13/2002
Time of Incident: 1830 hrs
Date of Death: 2/13/2002
Fire Department: Loretto Volunteer Fire Department
Fire Department Address: 7648 County Road 437, Cullman, Alabama 35057
Fire Department Phone: 256-737-9780
Fire Department Chief: Tony Barnett
Cause of Death: While working traffic control and other support duties at the scene of a water-main break, Firefighter Nichols collapsed and died from an apparent heart attack.
Tribute is being paid to Firefighter Nichols at:
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/ffmem/
Additional information on firefighter fatalities may be found on the USFA web site at:
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/nfdc/ff_casualties.htm
To date, 9 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2002.
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If I am reading this right
and the chart is up to date, there hasn't been any insider sales since last December. Good sign.
http://biz.yahoo.com/t/s/sevu.html
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Pig Farmer Arrested In Deaths Of 50 Women
Police Have Been Searching Pig Farm For Weeks
Posted: 9:45 a.m. EST February 25, 2002
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- A Canadian pig farmer is scheduled to appear in court Monday to face murder charges.
Robert Pickton was arrested Friday in the deaths of two of 50 women who have disappeared in the Vancouver area since 1983.
The 53-year-old Pickton and his brother own a pig farm in suburban Vancouver, which police have been searching for two weeks.
Police filed the charges after a search of the farm 20 miles east of Vancouver. They haven't said what evidence they uncovered.
But relatives of the missing women hope they'll soon get some answers.
Through a lawyer, Pickton and his brother have denied any involvement in the disappearances. Dave Pickton told a Vancouver newspaper his brother often befriended prostitutes out of kindness.
In 1997, Robert Pickton was accused of stabbing a drug-addicted prostitute in his home. The charges were later dropped
Most of the 50 women who disappeared between 1983 and late last year worked as prostitutes
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Photo FD funeral:
A cortege of fire trucks from across the state of Texas wound through San Marcos on Friday on their way to the city's cemetery. The funeral procession was for San Marcos Fire Engineer Chase Elmendorf, who was killed in a traffic accident Feb. 20. (Photo by Jerry Jordan)
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SEVU in the field:
Divers recover body
The Herald-Zeitung
http://web.herald-zeitung.com/story.lasso?-datasource=nbherald&-table=newsb&-keyfield=ID&...
Published February 24, 2002
CANYON LAKE — At the end of Joseph P. Bustamante’s life, all that stood between him and survival was about 20 feet of three-foot waves and a rocky shoreline.
But he didn’t make it to land, and his friends Susan Gerardo and Daniel and Fernando Reyna saw him drown.
Saturday morning, they helped divers of the San Marcos Area Recovery Team find Bustamante’s body wedged between an underwater ledge and tree trunk in about 35 feet of water — just offshore from where his friends were saved Thursday.
Comal County Judge Danny Scheel pronounced Bustamante dead at Comal Park’s west boat ramp at about noon Saturday.
Scheel also ordered an autopsy.
The four, all in their 20s, were boating Thursday afternoon when a cold front blew through and lashed the lake with choppy waves whipped up by 45 mph winds.
The boat capsized in the middle of the lake, and the four clung to it, intending to ride with it as the wind blew the boat to shore.
The boat’s anchor was then caught on the craggy, tree-tangled bottom and stopped the boat just short of the shoreline.
Bustamante didn’t manage the swim to shore.
“It’s so sad that he didn’t make it and the three of them made it, so very close to the bank,” said a friend of the victim’s mother who didn’t give her name.
Friday, Bulverde Area Volunteer Fire Department divers along with parks and wildlife rangers and sheriff’s deputies searched the shoreline for Bustamante, 25, without luck.
Late Friday afternoon, the Reyna brothers and Gerardo returned to the lake and told searchers what had happened.
T.J. Jeffcoat, leader of the Bulverde water rescue team, said Friday the witnesses had focused the search for Bustamante.
“We’ve narrowed it down to an area where we think we’ll find him,” Jeffcoat said.
Saturday morning, the survivors briefed the SMART diving team, which arrived with three infrared cameras they intended to use in a wider search for Bustamante.
“He went down between there and there,” Daniel Reyna told SMART team commander, Dan Misiaszek, while pointing at the capsized boat and the shore just a few feet away.
“We’re sorry for your loss, and we hope to make a recovery today. If we don’t find him today, we’ll be here tomorrow,” Misiaszek told the young man.
The diver explained to the survivors how the search would work, and what they would see.
Misiaszek said the divers would conduct a shoreline arch search, which is a pattern where they begin work at a fixed point on shore and sweep outward from it.
He told the Reynas and Gerardo that if they found Bustamante, they would then record the scene with an underwater video camera and bring him up.
“The underwater video is for the sheriff’s office and not for public release,” Misiaszek warned. “You don’t want to see it.”
As Misiaszek and two other divers suited up, SMART team member Kathy Misiaszek and the witnesses went out in another boat to survey the scene and pinpoint where Bustamante had last been seen.
As the divers worked, Sheriff’s Patrol Capt. Ed Whitson and public affairs Cpl. Tim Kolbe monitored the situation from shore. Minutes after the search began, the news came over the sheriff’s radio net: “We have a recovery.”
Kolbe said the divers had gotten on the water at 10:48 a.m. The recovery came at 11:23 a.m.
Dan Misiaszek said divers were forced to abandon the arch search pattern because of the underwater terrain.
“There were too many trees under there. We started the arch, but had to go to a depth search. We found him in about 35 feet of water, wedged between the cliff and an underwater tree where he had settled.”
Bustamante was 40 feet from the capsized boat and about 20 feet from shore.
Misiaszek said the information provided by the witnesses proved invaluable to the divers.
“We had very good witness information. It took us longer to suit up and get our equipment ready than it did to find him.”
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Video story link:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/kens/newsondemand/index.cfm?action=submit&videos=1524
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FD- Charged Firefighter goes to court
UTICA, NY, Feb. 19 - Lairdsville Assistant Fire Chief Alan Baird returned to court Tuesday morning. With him -- a full contingent of volunteer firefighters.
Baird was charged two weeks ago with manslaughter in a deadly fire training accident, which occurred last year. He arrived in Oneida County Court for a pretrial hearing.
Despite the severity of the charges in this case, Baird is still receiving a lot of support from a brotherhood of other rural, volunteer firefighters.
"Two men in, two men out" -- the safety creed of firefighting, and Tuesday when Alan Baird came to court, his brother firefighters followed suit....asking themselves: could it happen to me?
"Kinda makes you second-guess, do you really want to be in this or not," Jeff Jenkins, a Lairdsville firefighter asked.
"I think we've all done mistakes in our fire career, little mistakes that could have been tragic," Edward Holder, Jr., fire commissioner of Adams Center said.
"Why am I doing this," Bill Vineall, former fire chief of Sherrill asked. "I have a family at home. Why should I be doing this?"
Inside the courtroom, they packed the seats. From Adams Center, to Paris Hill -- showing support for Baird.
"You will be able to come back and tell me whether you want to accept the offer that has been made or whether you want to turn it down and go to trial," Judge Michael Dwyer told Baird.
The district attorney's office warned them to remember why they were there.
"We're still trying to be very congnicent here of all sides, and still remember that we have a dead victim here," Michael Arcuri said.
Bradley Golden's family made the same request.
"Lost in all this, is the true victim, a 19-year-old son Bradley," Doug Ellis, a Golden family spokesperson.
"I agree with the DA, I think something needs to come of this, but I don't think a guy in prison is gonna answer the question," one firefighter said.
If that's what happens, they wonder -- will potential volunteers also ask: could it happen to me?
"I'm afraid it's really going to hurt volunteerism all together...especially if the man goes to prison," Vineall said.
The family of Bradley Golden in turn emphasizes their belief that Baird is not a scapegoat. They say the true facts of what happened in the fire that took Golden's life will come out in court
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Dive team to search for missing man
By ANITA MILLER - News Editor
Divers with the San Marcos Area Recovery Team (SMART) are planning to search Canyon Lake tomorrow for a boater missing since Thursday afternoon.
The Comal County Sheriff's Department received a cell phone call Thursday afternoon from one of four boaters that their 14-foot craft was sinking.
Three of the boaters, two men and one woman, made it to shore, but the fourth, a 25-year-old man, is still missing.
All four were from the San Antonio area, said Capt. Ed Whitson of the Comal County Sheriff's Department.
Whitson said someone from the boat called authorities at around 3 p.m., or about the same time the cold front hit with winds gusting up to 40 mph. "They were taking on water" at that time, he said. "Evidently they tried to get back across the lake to where their truck was," getting into trouble when the boat hit open water.
He said the three survivors reported seeing their friend go under the water.
Whitson said the boat was sighted just offshore this morning and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Texas Parks & Wildlife are continuing a visual search of the lake and its banks. "We have boats out on the lake now," he said. "It was pretty rough out there yesterday -- nobody could get a good fix on them."
The area off Comal Park is one of the deepest parts of the lake, Whitson said, and above the original Guadalupe River channel. He estimated the water to be 90 to 95 deep in that area.
Misiaszek said the SMART team plans to use its underwater infrared camera. He said the boat is "upside down in 30 feet of water hung on a tree." The search will begin at the boat and expand from there.
He said the team may be at their task most of the day. "It will depend on how large the search area is. The smaller the area, the more success we will have."
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The search was a success and
SEVU gets the credit. Using the hand help mini 50's monitored by the topside team, we found the body in 10 minutes after entering the water. Here is some of the press coverage.
http://www.clickonsa.com/ant/news/stories/news-124839220020222-130226.html
http://www.sanmarcosrecord.com/display/inn_news/news2.txt
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PD- Ex-NJ Officer Charged With Murder
FEBRUARY 22, 09:13 ET
By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY
Associated Press Writer
TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) — Neighbors on a tree-lined street of one-story homes ran for cover as a former police officer walked from house to house, killing his granddaughter and three other people, authorities said.
John W. Mabie, 70, was arrested at his home and charged with four counts of murder.
Michele Burciar, 33, was working at a grocery store when the shots rang out Thursday. ``All the customers were coming in saying people were getting killed,'' she said.
Authorities said Mabie was at his mother-in-law's home down the street from his house on Thursday when he shot his 22-year-old granddaughter, Natalie Gingerelli. He then left the house, walked to a nearby house and fatally shot Sue Keiran, 42, Ocean County Prosecutor Thomas F. Kelaher said.
Mabie went to another home and shot 27-year-old Thomas Luyster, who died later at a hospital, Kelaher said. The body of Luyster's fiancee, Suzanne Lavecchia, was found on the lawn in front of the house.
Authorities did not give a motive for the shootings, nor did they indicate what connection Mabie may have had with the three neighbors.
But Kelaher said neighbors ``have indicated there have been some behavior problems in the past'' with Mabie, who he said kept to himself and rarely left his house.
Mabie joined the police force in Newark, N.J., in 1958, police said. He retired in 1976. A department spokesman would not comment on whether Mabie had any problems while on the force or if he received any honors.
James Kimble, a friend of Gingerelli's since high school, said he was ``stunned by the news.'' He said he was unaware of any disputes that may have led to the shootings.
``She was from a very tight-knit, large family. It was a traditional, extended family,'' he said. ``They saw a lot of each other.''
Family members said Keiran, a UPS employee and the single mother of a 6-year-old son, had become very involved in her church in recent years.
``I loved her,'' said her brother, David Keiran. ``It's just a shame.''
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PD-WARNING! Product safety issue
FEBRUARY 22, 11:16 ET
'Gas Ax' Involved in Officer's Death
PHOENIX (AP) — Pressure in a ``gas ax'' used by police to break down walls and subdue suspects may have caused one of the devices to malfunction and kill an officer during a training exercise, authorities said.
Scottsdale police Sgt. Tom Hontz was killed and 11 other officers slightly injured Wednesday when the device exploded during the exercise at two vacant homes in suburban Gilbert, police said.
Authorities issued a nationwide warning to law enforcement agencies about the device and asked the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to determine the cause.
``The reason the thing exploded is there was too much pressure inside of it,'' said Sgt. Jim Lahti, a Gilbert police spokesman. ``We are investigating why.''
The gas ax is used to make a hole in a wall of a room where a suspect is barricaded and emits a debilitating gas that gives police a chance to enter safely. A long metal handle is used to drive a pointed pipe through a wall. A tear gas or similar chemical cartridge is then triggered.
Hontz, 45, died a few hours after the explosion. Other officers involved in the training were treated and released, including one with shrapnel injuries from flying metal.
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FD- We lost one of our own Wednesday
Firefighter's death under investigation
By ANITA MILLER - News Editor
San Marcos, Texas
The driver of the van that hit San Marcos Fire Engineer Chase Elmendorf early Wednesday morning did not see Elmendorf's motorcycle, the DPS Trooper heading up the investigation said.
Elmendorf, 30, was fatally injured in the crash and died of his injuries later in the morning at South Austin Community Hospital.
According to Trooper Trampas Gooding, Elmendorf was headed southbound on the inside lane of Hwy. 123 at Wonder World on his Kawasaki motorcycle when he was hit head-on by the full-size Chevrolet van, which was driven by a 59-year-old Geronimo resident.
The northbound van, which was waiting to make a left turn onto Wonder World Drive, was behind a car that was also making a left turn. A second van was south bound on Hwy. 123 turning right onto Wonder World.
Gooding said the other van and the car turned onto Wonder World at the same time, causing the driver of the Chevrolet van to slow while turning left -- which put him in the southbound lane and the path of Elmendorf's motorcycle. The van's driver was watching the turning vehicles and "never saw the motorcycle," Gooding said.
The accident occurred at approximately 7:11 a.m., very near sunrise, when skies were just beginning to lighten, Gooding said.
The driver of the van was not injured and has not yet been charged with any offense.
Gooding said that although he has no reason to doubt the driver's statements, he would like to locate any other possible witnesses to the accident. "If anyone saw this happen, tell them to call me at the DPS Highway Patrol office in San Marcos," said Gooding. That number is 353-7000.
Elmendorf joined the San Marcos Fire Department Aug. 12, 1996 and was promoted from firefighter to engineer on Oct. 1, 2001. He worked out of the Broadway Street fire station and was on the way home from a 24-hour shift. In September, he was honored by the city as Co-Employee of the Month and in December, as Employee of the Year for 2001.
Funeral services will be Friday at 2 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, 330 W. Hutchison. Burial will follow in the San Marcos City Cemetery with full firefighters' honors, said city spokes person Melissa Millecam.
"The San Marcos Fire Department and the San Marcos Firefighters Association are working with the family to prepare a firefighter's honor funeral, with honor guard, bagpipes, and a formal procession of firefighters from across the state," she said.
Several streets near the Baptist church will be closed on Friday to allow for the funeral cortege, which will pass by Central Fire Station on its way to the cemetery.
Elmendorf's body was escorted to San Marcos from Austin Wednesday night by fire and police officials. Millecam said an honor guard will remain posted at Thomason Funeral Home until services are completed. Following the graveside service, there will be a reception at the Hunter Road Fire Station.
Streets to be closed Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. include Lindsey, Burleson, Mary, North, Academy and Hutchison.
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PD-Ex-Georgia Sheriff Indicted in Rival's Murder
Fri Feb 22,10:59 AM ET
ATLANTA (Reuters) - A grand jury indicted a former Georgia sheriff on Friday on charges of murdering the man who beat him in a bitterly contested sheriff's election.
A 19-count indictment was returned against former DeKalb County Sheriff Sidney Dorsey, who has been jailed without bond since November on a charge of murdering Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown, said Susan Cobleigh, a spokeswoman in the DeKalb County District Attorney's office.
Dorsey's lawyer, Brian Steel, was not immediately available to comment on his client's indictment. Dorsey has repeatedly denied involvement in Brown's killing.
Brown was shot 11 times in front of his suburban Atlanta home on Dec. 15, 2000, three days before he was to have been sworn in as sheriff. Brown, who defeated Dorsey to become sheriff, had pledged to fire dozens of workers and audit the sheriff's department.
The DeKalb County grand jury had been looking into allegations of corruption in the sheriff's department under Dorsey and the killing of his successor. DeKalb County includes part of Atlanta.
The counts returned against Dorsey included one murder count, nine theft counts, two bribery counts, one count of allowing a prisoner to escape, one count of illegal use of an inmate, three racketeering counts and two counts of violating the oath of office.
From the earliest stages of the investigation, authorities had focused on a possible political connection in Brown's killing.
Dorsey and two other men who have been indicted in the killing were arrested in November, based on information provided by Dorsey's former deputy Patrick Cuffy and Paul Skyers, who worked at Dorsey's private security company. Cuffy and Skyers, who said Dorsey ordered Brown's murder, were granted immunity in the case.
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FD-Charcoal Grill Fire Kills Five Kids
Thu Feb 21,10:27 AM ET
By RAUL MORA, Associated Press Writer
PICO RIVERA, Calif. - Odorless carbon monoxide fumes from a charcoal grill killed five siblings and critically injured a sixth as they slept in what investigators believe was a murder-suicide attempt by their father.
Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Rick Varela said he believed that Adair Garcia, 30, lit the grill and placed it in the house Wednesday to kill his children and try to kill himself. He was in stable condition at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in Whittier, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Authorities initially believed the grill may have been used to warm the house, about 10 miles southeast of Los Angeles. But an examination of the scene showed working heaters, leading investigators to suspect Garcia.
The children's distraught mother, whose name was not released, had to be restrained by deputies when she arrived at the scene. She had been living at another location for about a week because of a recent domestic discord, authorities said.
"We're investigating this as a homicide," sheriff's Lt. Don Bear said.
Found dead at the scene were Brenda, 10, Jonathan, 6, and Anthony, 2, the coroner's office said. Cecelia, 4, and a 6-year-old girl whose name was not immediately released died later at a hospital.
The surviving sister, a 9-year-old girl, was not expected to live, sheriff's Deputy David Cervantes said.
Garcia was not immediately arrested because his medical condition did not allow investigators to question him or remove him, Varela said.
Paramedics were called to the neatly kept two-bedroom home in a middle-class neighborhood early Wednesday, when the children's grandmother, who had come over to baby-sit, saw smoke coming out of the house.
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PD-Former SAPD Sgt. Pleads Guilty
Fragozo Was Alleged Drug Sting Ringleader
Posted: 1:05 p.m. CST February 20, 2002
Updated: 2:26 p.m. CST February 20, 2002
SAN ANTONIO -- The alleged ringleader of an FBI drug sting pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court.
Conrad Fragozo (pictured, left), a former San Antonio Police Department Sgt., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute 5 kilograms of cocaine.
The former cop's uncle, Edward Fragozo, also pleaded guilty to the same charges.
Both men agreed to the plea bargain in hopes a federal judge will be lenient when he sentences them.
Conrad Fragozo hopes to be sentenced to no more than 20 years in prison while Edward Fragozo hopes for no more than a three-year sentence.
A judge will sentence the men at a later date.
Federal prosecutors said Conrad Fragozo recruited people, mostly San Antonio Police Department officers, to protect what they thought were cocaine shipments.
The sting netted 12 arrests. Eight defendants have pleaded guilty.
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PD- Plea bargin in cop corruption case
Another Plea Bargain Made In Corrupt Cop Case
A former San Antonio police officer pleaded guilty Thursday for his role in an FBI drug sting operation.
In return for his plea bargain, Patrick Bowman (pictured, left) will face no more than 10 years in prison. If his case had gone to trial, he could have gotten 20 years to life in prison. Bowron's attorney, Rusty Guyer, compared his client's legal options to an attempted jump by motorcycle stuntman Evil Knievel.
"If we tried to jump the Grand Canyon or go to trial, and the jury came back and said, 'I'm sorry, you know, he says he did it. We're not gonna let this guy go,'" Guyer said. "So, it'd be a long fall, a long fall."
Prosecutors said that Bowman was the other ringleader in the operation, alleging he helped recruit other police officers to protect and transport what they thought was cocaine. The shipments turned out to be phony drugs.
Prosecutors said Bowron took $15,000 during the sting.
Bowron is the ninth defendant to plead guilty in the case.
Three other lawmen are awaiting trial.
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Tomorrow our dive team will put
SEVU cameras to the test again by using the 150's for an underwater search in a murky Central Texas Lake. The team has been called by the Comal County Sheriff's Department specifically for the search with underwater cameras. We hope to find the missing boat and boater with the SEVU cameras before putting divers into the water. This is an area loaded with underwater trees and fishing lines.
Here is the story in the press:
http://web.herald-zeitung.com/story.lasso?-datasource=nbherald&-table=newsb&-keyfield=ID&....
The Herald-Zeitung
New Braunfels, Texas
Published February 22, 2002
CANYON LAKE — A 24-year-old San Antonio man was missing and feared drowned in a boating accident on Canyon Lake Thursday afternoon.
Comal County Sheriff’s Patrol Sgt. Jimmy Limmer said deputies, firefighters and rangers were dispatched to the lake at 3:13 p.m. after a woman telephoned the county’s 9-1-1 dispatch to report that the boat she was in was sinking.
“The only information we got before her cell phone got wet and went out was that she could see the dam,” Limmer said. “That takes in most of the lake.”
Canyon Lake Fire/EMS Chief Shawn Wherry said the lake had three-foot waves and whitecaps and were being whipped by a 45-mph wind at the time of the accident.
Searchers scanned the lake from Overlook Park and the top of the dam, but could see no one in the water and no capsized boat, Wherry and Limmer said.
The New Braunfels Fire Department sent a boat and crew and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also participated in the search.
At 6:16 p.m., Limmer said, two men in their 20s who had been on the boat walked in to the gate house at Comal Park.
They told officials that a woman was stranded along the cliffs and loose rock area some distance from Comal Park.
New Braunfels firefighter Darren Brinkkoeter found her, Wherry said.
All three victims were suffering from hypothermia. The woman, whom Wherry said had a body temperature of 95 degrees, was taken to McKenna Memorial Hospital for treatment and was later released.
Limmer said hope was waning as nightfall approached that the fourth victim would be found alive.
“We have one male who is missing and is feared drowned,” the sergeant said.
Rescue and recovery efforts were suspended at dark and would resume this morning, Limmer said.
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