June 19, 2013
Man Beaten, Robbed by Date
A north Florida man says he needs surgery on his right eye after he was beaten and robbed during his first date with a woman he met at a convenience store. He's hoping the next time he sees her will be in court. A Flagler County Sheriff's report says 34-year-old Shaun Williams met the woman he knew as "Tree" two weeks ago. The woman allegedly picked up Williams with two other men in her vehicle in Daytona Beach to go on a date. Read more...
June 12, 2013
Grandma, 72, Shoots at Home Intruder
A 72-year-old Southern California grandmother who shot at -- and narrowly missed -- a man trying to break into her home said she was shocked at the attention her action was getting but does not regret defending herself and her husband, an 85-year-old World War II veteran who uses a wheelchair. Jan Cooper, of Anaheim, fired one shot from her .357-magnum Smith & Wesson revolver around 12:30 a.m. Sunday as a man attempted to break into her home. Read more...
June 03, 2013
Hospital Patient Crashes Stolen Ambulance
Authorities say a patient at a metro Atlanta hospital stole an ambulance with two paramedics in the back and sped away before crashing into a building. Both paramedics escaped without serious injury when the stolen ambulance crashed into a chiropractor's office several miles from Emory University Hospital. The paramedics were outside the hospital doing paperwork in back of the ambulance when a patient dressed in a gown and rubber gloves jumped in the driver's seat and drove away. Read more...
May 09, 2013
'Barefoot Bandit' Pleads Guilty Again
"Barefoot Bandit" Colton Harris-Moore has pleaded guilty in Mount Vernon to a burglary charge for breaking into the Anacortes Airport where he stole a plane and flew it to Orcas Island. As part of a plea deal with Skagit County Prosecutor Rich Weyrich, the 22-year-old was sentenced Wednesday to three months he's already spent in jail. Read more...
April 16, 2013
Maine 'Hermit' Gets Bail Offer
The man who spent nearly three decades in the woods of Maine before his high-profile arrest earlier this month has attracted a marriage proposal and a stranger's offer to bail him out, prompting authorities to dramatically increase his bail amid fears he could be targeted for exploitation. Christopher Knight, known as the North Pond Hermit to locals, spent 27 years in the woods with virtually no contact with other people. But in the short time since his arrest he's had a lot of people trying to get close to him, officials said. Read more...
April 11, 2013
Hermit Living in Wild for 27 Years Arrested
A man who lived like a hermit for decades in a makeshift camp in the central Maine woods and may be responsible for widespread thefts of food and other staples has been captured, authorities said. Christopher Knight, 47, was arrested last week when he tripped a surveillance sensor set up by a game warden while stealing food from a youth camp in Rome, State Police said in a court affidavit. Authorities found the campsite where they believed Knight, known as the North Pond Hermit in local lore, has lived for 27 years. Read more...
April 09, 2013
Man Stole $75,000 Worth of Soup
A 51-year-old Orlando man was arrested on charges that he stole a tractor trailer containing $75,000 worth of soup, authorities said. Eusebio Diaz Acosta, 51, faces charges of grand theft of cargo worth $50,000 or more and grand theft of a motor vehicle following his arrest on the Florida's Turnpike, according to authorities. Read more...
April 03, 2013
Suspect Surrenders in $1M Gold Heist
A San Francisco Bay area man has turned himself in to authorities after being identified as a suspect in the theft of more than $1 million of gold and other items from a far Northern California county courthouse. David Dean Johnson, 49, of El Cerrito surrendered to a sheriff's detective. He is being held at Siskiyou County Jail in Yreka with bail set at $1 million. Johnson and 51-year-old Scott Wayne Bailey of El Sobrante were recently named as suspects in the 2012 heist at the Siskiyou County Superior Courthouse in Yreka. About $1.3 million in gold, jewelry and artifacts were taken from a display case in the courthouse lobby. Read more...
April 01, 2013
Homeowner Shoots, Kills Intruder
A Philadelphia man shot and killed an intruder who broke into his home while he and his two young children were sleeping, police say. Lee Heng, 63, told officers he felt he had no choice but to fire at two men who he says broke into his home through a second story bathroom window. One suspect died but the second escaped. Surveillance footage shows the second suspect, who police say is a man in his 30s with a medium build, fleeing the scene. Read more...
March 19, 2013
Letter Returns Stolen Money From 1980s
A burglar expressing guilt about stealing $800 from a western Michigan store three decades ago has repaid the money, plus some interest. The anonymous thief sent a note and $1,200 in $100 bills to the Barry County sheriff's department in Hastings. The writer admitted breaking into the Middle Mart on Michigan north of Middleville about 30 years ago. In a letter packed with emotion and spelling errors, the writer asks for "help in locating a man" to whom the writer owes the money. Read more...
March 18, 2013
Man Charged in Multiple Home Invasions
An Ann Arbor man is accused of committing multiple home invasions after being released on bond in another case last year, court records show. Javare Holmes, 19, was arraigned last week on five charges of first-degree home invasion and a charge each of second-degree home invasion, larceny in a building and receiving and concealing stolen property worth $1,000 to $20,000, court records show. Read more...
March 11, 2013
Man Scraps 8 Stolen School Buses
The owner of a Southwest Side scrap yard where eight stolen yellow schools buses were found has been arrested and charged in a separate case, according to the Cook County state's attorney's office. The business remains the focus of an ongoing probe, a source said. After a search of the business, Chicago Police found Sergio Quintero, 44, owner of Gonzalez Auto Parts and Dismantling in the 3400 block of South Lawndale, hiding in the ceiling of the scrap yard's business office. Read more...
March 08, 2013
Man Charged With Stealing Girl Scout Cookies
A Woodruff man has been charged with taking about $19,000 in Girl Scout cookies from a Spartanburg warehouse. Christopher Maurice Morton, 37, is charged with breach of trust more than $10,000. The owner of Carey Moving and Storage reported more than 450 cases of Girl Scout cookies were taken from its facilities Feb. 26. Brian Carey said cookies began arriving at the warehouse Feb. 15, and employees doing an inventory last week realized that cases of Thin Mints and Shortbreads were missing. Read more...
February 28, 2013
Alabama Dismisses 4 Arrested Freshmen
The University of Alabama has dismissed four freshmen charged with either second-degree robbery or credit card fraud. Defensive back Eddie Williams, 20, and linebackers Tyler Hayes and D.J. Pettway, both 18, were shown the door after being charged with second-degree robbery for their involvement in the separate robberies of two students on the Tuscaloosa campus on Feb. 11. They were subsequently barred from campus while awaiting a ruling from the Student Judicial Board. Redshirt freshman H-back Brent Calloway was also dismissed after being charged with use of a stolen credit card taken from one of the students. Read more...
February 21, 2013
'Barefoot Bandit' Faces New Charges
The prison inmate known as the "Barefoot Bandit" thought he had agreed to a plea deal that covered all of the crimes he committed during his two-year spree in the state of Washington. However, Colton Harris-Moore learned this week that he is facing additional charges in Skagit County for stealing a plane he flew to the Bahamas. Harris-Moore is currently serving a 6-1/2-year sentence after pleading guilty to more than 40 felonies. Read more...
February 20, 2013
Homeowner Shoots, Kills Intruder
A homeowner fatally shot an intruder as he climbed through a window and into his home Monday afternoon, Dallas police say. Police said the homeowner heard a noise inside his residence and shot a man, later identified as 33-year-old Deyfon Pipkins, aka BJ, as he climbed through the window. "The homeowner heard a noise. He came around the corner, saw the individual trying to climb into the window and according to the law, the castle doctrine, he used deadly force," said Sgt. Calvin Johnson, with the Dallas Police Department. Read more...
February 18, 2013
Thieves Snatch $2M in Jewels
Three slick thieves smashed and grabbed $2 million in bling from a Four Seasons display case just feet from the Midtown hotel's front desk yesterday — and made a clean getaway. The crooks snatched three watches, a necklace, earrings, rings, cuff links and pendants from the Jacob & Co. case at around 2 a.m. and fled in a waiting car on East 57th Street, sources said. "It was quick. They hit us, smash and grab, gone," a security worker said. "We certainly didn't expect to get hit there." Read more...
February 16, 2013
Homeowner Kills 15-Year-Old Burglar
A 15-year-old burglary suspect in St. Louis is dead after being shot by the homeowner. Demetrius Murphy was killed around 1:30 a.m. in the back yard of a home near Gravois Park. Police say Murphy and a 17-year-old were trying to burglarize the home. The 33-year-old male homeowner went outside to investigate and reportedly shot Murphy as Murphy approached him. Read more...
February 13, 2013
Four Alabama Players Arrested for Robbery
Four University of Alabama football players were arrested and charged with second-degree robbery following a pair of incidents. Linebacker Tyler Hayes and defensive lineman D.J. Pettway were charged with second-degree robbery while defensive back Eddie Williams and running back Brent Calloway were charged with second-degree robbery and fraudulent use of a credit card. Williams and Hayes admitted to attacking a student, punching him in the head and face and kicking him in the back and rib area while he was unconscious. They stole the victim's backpack, which had an Apple laptop in it. Read more...
January 30, 2013
3 Arrested in Home Invasion of Elderly Couple
Police announced that they arrested three men in connection with a robbery spree that included the tying up of an Almaden Valley couple in a home invasion. Miguel Marez, 19, James Palmerson, 18, and 18-year-old Ezra Santana, all San Jose residents, were arrested over the past week after being linked to four robberies between Jan. 19 and Jan. 21, culminating with the home-invasion robbery of a couple in their 70s that grabbed headlines and added more fuel to residents' ire over spiking crime rates in the city. Read more...
January 29, 2013
Two Arrested in $65K Chicken Wing Heist
It was going to be one heck of a Superbowl party. A pair of workers at a frozen food distribution center outside of Atlanta, Ga., made off with $65,000 worth of frozen chicken wings earlier this month, according to cops in Gwinnet County. Dewayne Patterson and Renaldo Jackson, who both worked at the Nordic Distribution Center, allegedly backed a rental truck up to the back of the loading area at the center and loaded 10 pallets of Tyson frozen chicken wings onto the truck. The pair then made off with the poultry, but were seen by management. Read more...
January 21, 2013
Men Arrested in 32 Business Burglaries
Three Davenport residents were arrested in connection with 32 commercial burglaries in Davenport, Eldridge and rural Scott County, according to Davenport police. Brandon Alexander Barnett, 19; Shane Dean Smeltzer, 18; and Joshua Lane Hayes, 19, all of Davenport, face multiple felony charges. Read more...
January 18, 2013
Cops Search for Carjacker Who Tossed Girl
Texas authorities are searching for a suspect after a brazen carjacking in a crowded Walmart parking lot. Police say a mother and daughter were loading their shopping bags into their truck when two suspects drove up, pinning the family in. One of the men reportedly was armed with a gun and demanded the keys, while the other suspect remained in the car. Read more...
Weapons Stolen From Gun Owner Named on Website
Two handguns and two pistol permits were reportedly stolen from the New York home of a man whose name and address appear on the website of a local newspaper as a gun owner. It's not yet known if the theft at the New City, N.Y., home is connected to the Journal News' controversial decision to publish a map listing the names and addresses of those who legally possess gun permits. Read more...
January 02, 2013
Canine Sniffs Out Pizza Robber Suspects
A police canine with a strong sense of smell is getting credit for nabbing four suspects in a pizza-delivery robbery in Cahokia last week. Police charged four adults and a juvenile with aggravated robbery. Bond was set at $50,000. Cahokia Police Chief James Jones says a pizza delivery man met two female suspects Dec. 27 at a Cahokia home. They were discussing the transaction when two men approached from the side of the house. The men allegedly told the delivery man they had a gun but did not display it. The suspects took the pizza and an undisclosed amount of cash. Read more...
December 27, 2012
Man Accused of Hijacking UPS Truck
An East St. Louis man is jailed on $1 million bond after being accused of hijacking a UPS truck and later shooting a 15-year-old girl. St. Clair County prosecutors charged 20-year-old Anthony Moore with attempted murder, aggravated vehicular hijacking, armed robbery and aggravated kidnapping. Illinois State Police allege that a masked man with a gun forced a UPS driver making deliveries to drive to two locations where some of the parcels were unloaded. The UPS driver later fled. Read more...
December 24, 2012
Suspected Car Thief Killed in Shootout
A suspected car thief was killed after exchanging gunfire with deputies in unincorporated Whittier, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said. Whittier police officers were attempting to stop a stolen car near Norwalk and Washington boulevards in west Whittier when suspects fired on police and then fled, authorities said. Sheriff's deputies joined in the search for the suspects. The search ended in a stand-off with the two suspects barricaded in a garage. Read more...
December 10, 2012
Boys, 7 and 11, Attempt Armed Robbery
Two boys, ages 7 and 11, are accused of trying to rob a woman with a loaded gun, police said. The 11-year-old boy had a .22 caliber loaded handgun when officers found him Saturday at the parking lot of a church, police said. Detectives were investigating how the boys obtained a gun. "Officers told the 11-year-old to keep his hands out of his pockets but he ignored the officers and tried putting his hand back in his pocket," Portland police said in a statement. "Officers grabbed his arms and recovered a cocked and loaded .22 caliber handgun in his pocket." Read more...
December 03, 2012
Inmate Released, Robs Bank Within Hour
Authorities are accusing a man of robbing an Oregon bank less than an hour after he was released from jail due to budget cuts. Eugene police arrested 33-year-old Christopher Franklin Weaver shortly after a Thursday robbery at a Pacific Continental Bank branch. He was returned to jail. Weaver was among about 30 inmates released from the Lane County Jail at 11 a.m. The bank was robbed at 11:55 a.m. Read more...
November 16, 2012
5 Arrested in Cross-Country Retail Theft Spree
Five people suspected in a cross-country theft and identity fraud spree were arrested in Utah after police say they stole credit cards from shoppers and merchandise from several big businesses. With Black Friday just a week away, officers are using the incidents as a reminder to shoppers to keep their guards up. The group rented a car in Miami on Nov. 3 and committed retail theft in Texas and Colorado before coming to Utah, said Cottonwood Heights Police Sgt. Gary Young. Read more...
November 09, 2012
Woman Faces Church Embezzlement Charges
A woman suspected of stealing thousands of dollars from a church pre-school was arrested Thursday and is facing felony theft charges. Melissa Miles, 39, was arrested on her way to a Jack-in-the-Box restaurant off of Wolfensburger Road in Castle Rock around 11:30 a.m. A citizen reported her whereabouts to police. She'd avoided arrest for a week, since her warrant was issued Nov. 1. Read more...
November 06, 2012
5 Teens Charged in Halloween Muggings
Five teens boys, including a 13-year-old, have each been charged with five counts of first-degree robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery in connection with a series of armed muggings in Tacoma on Halloween night. Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist says three of the teens have been charged as adults: Zyion Houston-Sconiers, 17; Treson Roberts, 16; and Amancio Tolbert, 16. The other two, the 13-year-old and a 15-year-old, are being prosecuted as juveniles, he said. Read more...
November 02, 2012
3 Day Crime Spree Ends in Police Shootout
A young San Diego woman was behind bars for allegedly taking part in a spree of armed holdups along with an ex-firefighter who was shot dead two days later in a Halloween-night gunbattle with police in Barrio Logan. Cindy Altamirano Garcia, who turned 18 three weeks ago, was arrested at the scene of the shootout that killed her alleged accomplice, 40-year-old Philip Martin Hernandez, according to San Diego police. Read more...
October 31, 2012
Man Accused of Owing $600,000 Child Support
A man accused of failing for 21 years to pay court-ordered child support has been arrested in El Dorado County. Martin Seebach, 58, was arrested and is charged in a criminal complaint with two felony charges of grand theft against his now adult children. He also is charged with four misdemeanor counts of disobeying a court order, for failing to pay the court-ordered monthly amounts toward his child support arrears, according to an El Dorado County District Attorney's Office news release. Read more...
October 24, 2012
Cinema Bandit Slithered Under Seats
A Philadelphia man who may have stolen as much as $70,000 per week by slithering on floors to lift credit cards from unsuspecting moviegoers has been convicted of fraud and identity theft crimes. Anthony Johnson, 49, and several accomplices used the stolen cards for thousands of dollars in cash advances from Connecticut's casinos and retail purchases worth tens of thousands more throughout the state and elsewhere, FBI officials announced. Read more...
October 12, 2012
Siblings Charged With Armed Robbery
At least three people are facing life sentences in Jackson, and two of them aren't even old enough to drink alcohol legally. 17-year-old Breanna Crawford and 20-year-old Kesean Wilson are half brother and sister, and now they're both charged with armed robbery at Jackson City County Credit Union after being arraigned in 12th District Court. They're two of the suspects in the string of recent bank robberies in Jackson, and at least one man is still on the loose. Read more...
October 03, 2012
'Flip Flop Bandit' Sentenced to Prison
A judge has ordered a 43-year-old woman to spend four years and three months in federal prison for a southern Illinois bank robbery that earned her the moniker of the "Flip Flop Bandit" for the bright green footwear she wore during the holdup. Carla Walker of Lebanon was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis. She pleaded guilty in May to one count of bank robbery. Walker admitted she robbed the First Federal Savings Bank of Lebanon on March 26 after pointing a pellet gun at the bank tellers and insisting other guns were trained on the bank. Read more...
October 02, 2012
Thieves Sought in $2 Million Jewelry Heist
California investigators searched Monday for thieves who made off with an estimated $2 million in precious gems and gold from a Central Valley museum during a brazen daytime robbery. But they didn't get away with the biggest prize of all -- the nearly 14-pound Fricot Nugget, a giant crystalline gold mass unearthed in the Gold Rush era. During their attempt to grab the rock, the robbers triggered an alarm that alerted authorities who swarmed the museum but were unable to nab the thieves. Read more...
September 24, 2012
Youth League Thief Flees to Mideast
A former official of a Massachusetts youth football league who is accused of stealing $80,000 from the program has reportedly fled to the Middle East country of United Arab Emirates, which does not have an extradition agreement with the United States. James Potenza, the former treasurer of the Pentucket Youth Football League, failed to show up for a conference last week ahead of his trial, which is scheduled to begin Oct. 10. Read more...
September 15, 2012
'Bucket List Bandit' Nabbed in Traffic Stop
A suspect in a series of bank robberies that earned the perpetrator the nickname "Bucket List Bandit" is under arrest after a routine traffic stop by Roland, Okla., police, the FBI announced. Michael Eugene Brewster, 54, of Pensacola, Fla., was arrested, police said. Brewster is wanted in at least 10 bank robberies from Flagstaff, Ariz., to Erie, Pa., where a teller picked out his photo from a lineup after a Monday heist, the FBI said. The suspect earned the nickname "Bucket List Bandit" after he allegedly passed a Roy, Utah, bankteller a note on July 6 saying he had only four months to live, the FBI said. Read more...
September 08, 2012
Mom, 52, Chases Intruder Out of House
A Connecticut woman confronted an intruder, chased him out her her home and held him down until police arrived. Pauline Bragg, 52, was in her Willimantic home on Sunday night when she noticed a man inside. "I looked and there's this guy, this big shadow standing there with a flashlight," Bragg said. The suspect, identified by police as Ramon Rivera, ran out of the house with Bragg right behind him. Read more...
September 06, 2012
Kidnappers Attach Device to Woman in Robbery Attempt
Two men wearing ski masks kidnapped a bank employee in Huntington Park, held her overnight, attached a supposed bomb to her and then had her rob an East Los Angeles bank, according to the LA County Sheriff's Department. The female victim, who was being questioned by detectives, is an employee of the bank, authorities confirmed. She was abducted from her home in Huntington Park on Tuesday, LASD Capt. Mike Parker said. Read more...
July 19, 2012
Customer Shoots Suspects During Internet Cafe Robbery
Authorities in central Florida say two men were trying to rob an Internet cafe when a 71-year-old patron began shooting his own gun, wounding the suspects. Surveillance video shows two masked men entering the Palms Internet Cafe around 10 p.m. Friday. The Ocala Star-Banner reports one pointed a gun at customers while the other swung a baseball bat. Read more...
July 11, 2012
Woman Swallows Diamond Ring, Pawns it Later
A Utah woman is accused of theft after police say she swallowed a $4,000 diamond ring at a department store before pawning it off after it passed through her system. Police say 38-year-old Angela Winters Hardman of Sandy stopped at a Macy's outside Salt Lake City in May and asked to try on the jewelry. An employee says Hardman then made a switch and handed back a similar, though obviously bogus, ring -- but denied stealing the real thing. Read more...
June 25, 2012
14-Year-Old Boy Shoots Armed Intruder
A 14-year-old boy shot and nearly killed an intruder who broke into his Phoenix home and pulled a gun on him while he was watching his three younger siblings, police said. The teen and his siblings, ages 8, 10 and 12, were at home alone when a woman rang the doorbell, Phoenix police Officer James Holmes said. Read more...
June 05, 2012
Laptop Snaps Thief's Photo, Leading to His Arrest
Open an app. See a flash. Get arrested. Police in Michigan say a stolen laptop took a picture of the thief and sent it to a security website, leading to his arrest. The computer's owner, Logan Chadde, installed Orbicule security software before a weekend break-in at his home in Ann Arbor. The program captured the thief using Facebook and talking with another person about how he was going to sell the stolen laptop. Read more...
May 22, 2012
Man Who Dressed as Dead Mom Sentenced
A man who dressed up as his mother in a bizarre real estate fraud that involved doctoring her death certificate and cashing her Social Security checks for six years after she died was sentenced to more than 13 years behind bars. Thomas Parkin was convicted May 3 on charges including grand larceny and mortgage fraud. He was sentenced Monday to 13 2/3 to 41 years in prison. Prosecutors said the scheme lasted six years and involved Parkin wearing a blond wig, dress and oversized sunglasses. Read more...
Man Arrested in Theft of Hank Jr. Guitar
Authorities say an Alabama man has been charged in the theft of a $15,000 guitar that belonged to Hank Williams Jr. Adam Dale Broach, of Notasulga, was arrested by the Pike County's Sheriff's Office. Broach is charged with first-degree theft of property. An arrest report says the custom-made 1968 Les Paul guitar disappeared from Williams' cabin in the area in July 2010 and then was recovered later that month when it was given to Wayne Mills of the Wayne Mills Band as a gift during a concert in Sheffield. Read more...
May 21, 2012
3 Charged In Marvin Winans Carjacking
A Michigan prosecutor has charged three young men in the assault and carjacking of popular Detroit pastor and gospel singing icon Marvin Winans. The office of Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy says 20-year-old Detroit residents Phillip Givens and Christopher Moorehead and 18-year-old Brian K. Young of Macomb County's Clinton Township are charged with carjacking, unarmed robbery and conspiracy. The charges carry up to life in prison. Read more...
May 10, 2012
Man Shoots Intruder With Gun Carried in Korean War
Police say an 84-year-old western Pennsylvania man wounded a home invasion suspect with the gun he carried in the Korean War. Elizabeth Township police say 25-year-old Raymond Hiles was captured not long after trying to break into Fred Ricciutti's home. Ricciutti said he heard Hiles break a window and then confronted him, firing a single shot that grazed Hiles' neck. Read more...
May 07, 2012
14-Year-Old Suspected in Nearly 100 Burglaries
Police expect the burglary rate to go down in north Nashville because of the arrest of just one person – a 14-year-old boy. Officers said the teenager has been responsible for as many as 100 break-ins across north Nashville over the last two years. "We work too hard for what we have, and then for someone to take it or destroy it from you, I mean, that's not right," said neighbor Geri Kennedy. Read more...
May 04, 2012
'Barefoot Bandit' Out of Solitary Confinement
The youthful thief known as the "Barefoot Bandit," who led police on a two-year crime spree in stolen boats, cars and planes, has been moved out of solitary confinement and into the general inmate population at another prison in Washington state, corrections officials confirmed. Colton Harris-Moore, 21, had spent three weeks in "intensive management," most of which was at the Walla Walla State Penitentiary alongside inmates facing the death penalty. It was for his own protection as a high-profile convict, said Washington Department of Corrections spokesman Chad Lewis. Read more...
April 18, 2012
Tom Petty's Stolen Guitars Recovered
Police in Southern California have recovered five guitars stolen from rocker Tom Petty and arrested a security guard from the star's rehearsal studio in connection with the theft, police said. The prized instruments were reported stolen last Thursday from a soundstage at Culver Studios in Culver City where Petty and his band, The Heartbreakers, were rehearsing for an upcoming tour. Security guard Daryl Washington was detained after police received a tip that one of the guitars had been sold to a pawn shop in Hollywood for $250, according to officers cited by AFP. Read more...
April 16, 2012
Robbers Assault Pregnant Store Clerk
A pregnant South Florida convenience store clerk became an assault and robbery victim after armed gunmen stormed into the business demanding money. Store clerk Murshiva Khondaker had an uneasy feeling at her Quike Foodmart along Northeast Second Avenue in Miami on Sunday, after two men walked into the store. One of the men threw Khondaker, who is 4-months pregnant, to the ground and beat her as her 6-year-old daughter watched and tried to stop the attack. When asked what she said to the men, Khondaker's daughter said, "The black man to stop hitting my mom." Read more...
April 09, 2012
Grease-Covered Burglar Arrested in Underwear
A greasy burglar was caught with his pants down when police found him stuck in a restaurant kitchen stove vent. Robert Kuhn, 26, allegedly attempted to shimmy down a kitchen stove vent of Lido's Restaurant in Springfield, where he was a former dishwasher. The owner lives above the restaurant and called police when he saw the vent roof moved around 10 p.m. Officers first rescued Kuhn, dressed in only boxers, an undershirt and covered in grease. Half his body was in the shaft and half was out. Police then arrested him. Read more...
April 04, 2012
Enhanced Video of Zimmerman Show Injuries
Enhanced video of George Zimmerman being led into a Florida police station appears to show possible injuries to the back of his head, lending credence to his claim he was in a struggle with Trayvon Martin when he shot the teen. ABC News initially released video of Zimmerman that did not clearly show marks on his scalp, but had the video enhanced digitally and released a new clip on Monday. That clip appears to show a gash. Zimmerman's father claims his son was being beaten by the 17-year-old teen when he shot Martin in self-defense. Read more...
March 29, 2012
75-Year-Old Kills Break-In Suspect
Police say a 75-year-old Detroit man fatally shot an armed 18-year-old man who was trying to break into his home on the city's west side with two other people. Detroit police said in a statement that the older man was inside his home when he heard the three people trying to break in through a side door. Police say the homeowner fired a shot, fatally wounding the young man, and the two others fled. They were described by police only as unknown males. Read more...
March 22, 2012
7 Arrested in Multi-State Jewelry-Theft Ring
Federal prosecutors say seven people have been charged in connection with operating a jewelry-theft ring based in Virginia. Prosecutors say the suspects based in Richmond stole more than $4.6 million in jewelry from traveling sales representatives in Virginia and at least six other states, including New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Maryland, Tennessee and California. Read more...
March 17, 2012
19 Arrested in 9 States in ID Theft Ring
Nineteen people were arrested in Nevada and eight other states in a Las Vegas-based identity theft and trafficking ring that a federal prosecutor characterized as a sophisticated racketeering organization involving 50 people nationwide. The scheme revolved around the buying and selling of pilfered debit and credit card information on an Internet site called "Carder.su," U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden said Friday in Las Vegas. Read more...
March 13, 2012
Police Take on Rising Wave of Detergent Theft
Law enforcement officials across the US have been left baffled by a crime wave targeting an unlikely item -- Tide laundry detergent. Theft of Tide detergent has become so rampant that some cities are setting up special task forces to stop it and retailers like CVS are taking special security precautions to lock down the liquid. One Tide thief in West St. Paul, Minn., stole $25,000 of the product over 15 months before he was arrested last year. Read more...
March 12, 2012
Teens Charged With Robbing Girl Scouts
Two teens are under arrest for allegedly stealing money from a group of Girl Scouts outside a Texas Wal-Mart last weekend. Last weekend, the Girl Scouts selling cookies in front of Wal-Mart told an unbelievable story: suspects driving up in a car and robbing them of their cookie money. "A guy jumped out and just started asking us what kind of cookies do we have, like he wanted to buy some," Girl Scout Aravia Cotton said. "Then out of nowhere he just took the whole box of money that we had." Read more...
March 10, 2012
About $275K Recovered From Armored Car Heist
Authorities have recovered about $275,000 left behind by an armored car guard accused of killing his partner in Pittsburgh and absconding with $2.3 million 10 days ago. Police found about $250,000 stashed under a car at the Dravosburg home Kenneth Konias shared with his parents. That was a day after $24,000 was found at the grave of a family member. Read more...
March 03, 2012
'Sweetheart Swindler' Sentenced to 10 Years
A Florida man convicted of conning two women of out of hundreds of thousands of dollars has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Paul Francois, 57, appeared in court on Thursday and made a tearful apology to one of his victims before the judge gave him his sentence. "I'm sorry, Rose Marie, I'll give you your money back. I want you to have a life and be better," he wept. "I promise I'll pay you back." Read more...
March 02, 2012
Armored Car Guard Takes $2 Million
A Pennsylvania armored car company has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the capture of a 22-year-old guard who shot his partner and stole an estimated $2 million. Garda has posted the reward for the capture of Kenneth J. Konias Jr., of Dravosburg. Police said Konias shot his armored car partner, Michael Haines, 31, in the back of the head to carry out is robbery plan. Read more...
Hostage-Taker Shot, Officers Injured
Police shot through a Buena Park bank's glass doors Thursday afternoon, ending an hours-long hostage standoff. The suspect, described as a man in his 40s, appeared at the door around 3 p.m., apparently coming outside to retrieve something he had demanded, said police, who would not describe the demand. The suspect was seen holding a gun to the bank manager, police said. That's when SWAT officers stormed the building, shooting out the door and receiving fire from the suspect. Read more...
March 01, 2012
'Creepy' Embalmer Sold Gold Teeth From Corpses
A Colorado embalmer saw a golden opportunity in dead people's teeth, police say. Adrian David Kline, 43, of Brighton, is accused of stealing gold teeth from bodies and cremated remains he handled at funeral homes and selling them to local pawn shops, the Longmont Times-Call reported. A Boulder County Grand jury indicted Kline on eight counts of providing false information to a pawnbroker and two counts of providing false information to a secondhand dealer. Read more...
February 21, 2012
Former Glock CEO to Stand Trial
Allegations of racketeering, gun theft and embezzlement from one of the nation's largest firearms distributors will all be aired in court, when the former general counsel for Glock Inc. stands trial in Cobb County, Georgia. Paul Jannuzzo, 55, could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the theft and racketeering charges for which he was indicted in 2009. Read more...
February 13, 2012
Fugitive Wanted in 1993 British Heist Arrested
Missouri authorities have arrested a man wanted in the United Kingdom over a 1993 heist from an armored vehicle that netted the equivalent of $1.6 million, and were holding him on a weapons charge. Edward John Maher, wanted for stealing "a large amount of cash" while working as a security guard, admitted to the FBI that he came to the United States in 1998 to work, the FBI said in an affidavit. British authorities were seeking approval to have Maher extradited, according to a posting on Friday on the website of the Suffolk Constabulary. Read more...
February 11, 2012
Thieves Pull Off Stunning Gem Heist
A Chicago jewelry store owner says a heist that resulted in her store being robbed of $500,000 in precious gems was "definitely straight out of Ocean's Eleven." Thieves broke into Steve Quick Jewelers in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago by cutting through a common wall in the sushi restaurant next door straight into the back corner of the jeweler's office, right behind the safe -- the only part of the store not covered by an elaborate security system of cameras and motion detectors. Read more...
January 28, 2012
'Barefoot Bandit' Gets 7 Federal Years
The criminal known as the 'Barefoot Bandit' has been sentenced to 6-1/2 years in federal prison for a two-year crime spree that included stealing planes, boats and guns. Colton Harris-Moore will serve the federal sentence concurrently with the seven-year sentence he received in Washington state court. Read more...
January 25, 2012
'Barefoot Bandit' Emails Ridicule Law Enforcement
New federal court documents say the "Barefoot Bandit" ridiculed police and prosecutors in emails he sent from prison, undercutting his claims that he's sorry for his two-year crime spree. In emails that 20-year-old Colton Harris-Moore wrote recently, he referred to Island County Sheriff Mark Brown as the "king swine," called prosecutors who handled his case fools, and referred to news reporters as vermin. He bragged about his two-year crime spree, saying that his flying accomplishments were "amazing" and unmatched by anyone except the Wright brothers. Read more...
January 23, 2012
Man Charged in Botched Waffle House Robbery
Authorities in South Carolina have charged a man with robbery in a botched holdup at a Waffle House that left another suspect dead. Spartanburg County Sheriff's Lt. Tony Ivey says 29-year-old Kenneth Jowan Craig was arrested and charged with armed robbery and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Investigators say Craig and 19-year-old Dante Lamont Williams tried to rob the restaurant. A customer with a concealed weapons permit drew his gun and told the men to wait for sheriff's deputies to arrive. Ivey says Williams pointed his gun at the customer, who shot and killed him. Read more...
