By Walter Pacheco
December 29, 2009

A thief with a sweet tooth made off with more than $40,000 worth of stolen cheesecake and a refrigerated truck on Dec. 26, police said.

Orlando police said the truck's owner had parked the semitrailer truck at 8440 Tradeport Drive about 3 p.m. The victim said he turned off the ignition, left the refrigerated trailer running and walked away from the vehicle.

When he returned, the truck was missing. The owner told police he had all the keys in his possession.

The truck is valued at $50,000 and the refrigerated trailer is valued at $120,000, police records show.

Police did not have leads on the whereabouts of the sugary goods.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-cheesecake-orlando-20091228,0,4563536.story

The holidays are a great time for fathers and sons to spend real quality time together. Exchange presents, enjoy family dinners, watch some sports, get into a fight in the parking lot of a Taco Bell and get arrested.

Okay, so that last one isn’t the most common holiday tradition….but a father and son from the Town of Boston apparently decided to make it their own.

Erie County sheriff’s deputies were called out to the Taco Bell in Springville for a report of a fight. They say when they got there, they found a guy bleeding. He told them dad & son did a tag team on him….one held him down, the other hit him. He also said some of his clothes came off during the fight, and he thought the guys took it when they took off in a car just before deputies arrived.

A short time later, deputies found the car…and inside they found a 44-year-old man and his 21-year-old son…along with a t-shirt and hoodie belonging to the victim. Ah ha, they said,....a clue! The son was charged with assault and both of them were charged with unlawful imprisonment.

Oh by the way….deputies say dad had hydrocodone and pot on him….so as an added bonus, he also faces drug charges.

New Year’s Eve at their house should be fun.

http://www.skunkpost.com/news.sp?newsId=1161

By ROCCO LaDUCA
Dec 29, 2009

UTICA —A 19-year-old Utica man was robbed of his pants and sneakers in freezing temperatures Monday night, and city police still are trying to determine why.

The victim – Jasmin Rizvic, of Howard Avenue – is also saying that he was shot during a reported confrontation with two or three individuals at about 9:50 p.m. Monday in the area of Elizabeth and Mohawk streets, city Deputy Police Chief Mark Williams said.

While police believe there’s more to the story than Rizvic is telling, Rizvic hasn’t been too willing to cooperate with police, Williams said.

“But we’re not accepting that,” Williams said. “The victim gave us several different stories and said he doesn’t want to press charges, but it doesn’t mean we’re not going to still pursue it. We’re moving forward, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew the people that were involved.”

Rizvic said he was walking to the store when he was confronted by the alleged suspects, Williams said. After they took his pants and sneakers, they fled in an unknown direction and Rizvic returned to his home on the 1600 block of Howard Avenue.

It is unclear whether Rizvic walked or was given a ride back to his home, which was less than 2 miles away, Williams said.

Police responded to the area of Mohawk and Elizabeth for a report of shots fired, but officers could not find any evidence of gunfire, Williams said.

After police located Rizvic at his home, he was taken to a local hospital, Williams said. Rizvic had multiple wounds to his head, as well as a reported gunshot wound to his left arm, Williams said.

But when Rizvic was examined at the hospital, the doctor could not conclude whether or not Rizvic actually had been shot, Williams said.

“That’s a little unusual,” Williams quipped. “I’ve never heard that one before.”

http://www.uticaod.com/news/x370504240/Pantless-Utica-man-says-he-was-shot

Dec 30, 8:23 AM (ET)

OLDSMAR, Fla. (AP) - Authorities say a Florida man who called 911 claiming he'd been beaten and shot at was hoping the tale would get him a ride to a bar.

Instead, 37-year-old Gregory J. Oras is facing charges of misusing the 911 system and battery of a law enforcement officer.

An arrest report says Oras called 911 three times before his arrest early Tuesday in Oldsmar, northwest of Tampa. He told the dispatcher he had a broken nose and bleeding ears, and claimed people were shooting at him.

Authorities say he was actually looking for a ride to another bar.

The report also says Oras kicked a Pinellas County sheriff's deputy in the knees and a Taser was used to subdue him.

Online records show he is being held at the Pinellas County Jail but don't indicate whether he has an attorney.


OLDSMAR, Fla. (AP) - Authorities say a Florida man who called 911 claiming he'd been beaten and shot at was hoping the tale would get him a ride to a bar.

Instead, 37-year-old Gregory J. Oras is facing charges of misusing the 911 system and battery of a law enforcement officer.

An arrest report says Oras called 911 three times before his arrest early Tuesday in Oldsmar, northwest of Tampa. He told the dispatcher he had a broken nose and bleeding ears, and claimed people were shooting at him.

Authorities say he was actually looking for a ride to another bar.

The report also says Oras kicked a Pinellas County sheriff's deputy in the knees and a Taser was used to subdue him.

Online records show he is being held at the Pinellas County Jail but don't indicate whether he has an attorney.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091230/D9CTL8JG2.html

December 31, 2009

BY KIM JANSSEN Staff Reporter

Bungling gunmen who tied up staff at a North Side scrap-metal plant were too puny to escape with their loot Wednesday morning.

The pair of weak-armed robbers tried to steal an ATM from Sims Metal Management in the 1500 block of West Cortland but gave up because it was too heavy.

After using duct tape to tie up staff in a bathroom, they made off in a dark-colored Jeep Cherokee, Chicago Police said. Staff called police at 6:45 a.m. after they managed to free themselves.

A free-standing ATM weighs about 250 pounds, according to ATM manufacturer Cabe and Cato.

Mark Guy, 48, who makes $20 to $30 a day selling the scrap he collects in a shopping cart to Sims Metal, said the ATM is used to pay scrappers.

"You need a truck to make real money doing this," he said. That, or "you could take the whole ATM."

Or try anyway.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/1966873,CST-NWS-ATM31.article

Fri Jan 1, 2010

A Sicilian man stole sweets and a packet of chewing gum so he could get arrested and spend New Year's Eve in a jail cell rather than be with his wife and relatives.

The 35-year old Sicilian first showed up at a police station on Thursday asking to be arrested because he preferred spending the night in prison rather than with his family, but was rebuffed because he had not committed a crime, the Agi news agency said.

The man immediately went to a tobacco shop next door, where he threatened the owner with a box cutter as he grabbed a few sweets and a packet of gum. He then waited until police arrived to arrest him for robbery, the news agency said.

28th December 2009

An escaped prisoner has celebrated his first Christmas on the run by taunting police with photos of himself on Facebook.

On Christmas Day, Craig 'Lazie' Lynch, 28, even posted a photo of himself adorned in tinsel, making a rude gesture and holding a turkey.

Lynch has been on the run from Suffolk's Hollesley Bay Prison since September but rather than hide from police he has regularly updated them on his movements via the social networking service.

YES YES i f***in made it to Xmas i beat their f***n system and i love it. I love you all my family my friends my lovers and all my supporters and fans i love the whole lot of you x x your the best merry xmas merry xmas merry xmas ho ho ho.'

But Lynch also revealed that at one point he heard sirens in the early hours outside his house and assumed he was about to be arrested.

He wrote an update, saying: 'Oh No sirens!! Its happening.'

However, it emerged the noise came from an ambulance helping an elderly woman across the street from his hideout.

In an update on Sunday he said: 'It is freezin out there. I wonder if i can take the right p*** and stay out til the summertime ha ha.'

Lynch was nearing the end of a seven year sentence for aggravated burglary when he escaped from the open prison on September 23.

Last week it was revealed that he had bragged about relaxing on a sunbed, eating 12lb steaks and making plans to attend a New Year's Eve party in Lowestoft, Suffolk.

He boasted about staying one step ahead of police who were monitoring his Facebook page for any clues to his whereabouts.

Lynch revealed that he was planning to go to the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent to take his 'little princess' to meet Santa.

Later he updates his site to say that he was walking through the centre with a 4ft tall Winnie The Pooh.

His life on the run has attracted a 1,247 following on Facebook.

Fans have been adding messages of support from his site, but others have posted messages describing him as an idiot and have set up an opposition page called Craig 'Lazie' Lynch is a LOSER!

One follower wrote: 'How stupid can people be egging this idiot on? How can people think that this guy is a hero when we've got lads risking their lives every day in Afgan, they are the real heroes.'

Lynch is said to have connections to the Edgware area of Middlesex and North-East London. He has claimed he is travelling around to avoid police.

Last week Suffolk Police said his details had been logged on the Police National Computer and that routine checks were regularly performed at his known addresses.

A police spokeswoman said officers were also working with officials from Facebook to try and catch Lynch.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1238920/Escaped-criminal-taunts-police-Facebook-enjoys-Christmas-run.html

Dec . 31, 2009

RENTON, Wash. – A Tacoma man called 911 to report the truck he had just stolen had run out of gas. But not only was he arrested, he learned not all vehicles run on the same type of fuel.

The Washington State Patrol says at about 12:30 p.m. Monday, a City Transfer employee headed south on State Route 167 spotted the silver 1985 Chevy truck that was stolen from their yard earlier that day. Someone was seen in the truck as it sat, disabled, on the shoulder in Renton.

Minutes later, and before troopers arrived, the suspect called 911 to report the vehicle had run out of gas. When troopers got there, they say the suspect tried to disguise himself as a City Transfer worker by wearing a fluorescent green reflector vest he found in the truck.

A City transfer worker identified the suspect as the person who stole the truck. The suspect was arrested and booked into the King County Jail.

As it turns out, the truck did not run out of gas. The suspect apparently didn't realize that the truck took diesel. He filled it up with unleaded instead and it became disabled.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34625277/ns/local_news-seattle_wa/

December 30 2009
By: Mike Nowatzki

A Fargo apartment dweller who set beer cans in front of his door to alert him to intruders ended up tussling with an alleged burglar early Tuesday, police said.

A neighbor in the apartment called police at 1:24 a.m. to the 2500 block of 15th Street South to report two elderly, naked men attacking each other.

As it turned out, the men weren’t naked – one was in his underwear and the other fully clothed – but they were fighting between an efficiency apartment unit and the hallway, Sgt. Bill Ahlfeldt said.

An investigation found the suspect had entered the tenant’s apartment while he was sleeping, he said.

“The renter of the apartment had set up a stepstool with empty beer cans on it and set that in front of the door so that if anybody were to open the door it would knock all the beer cans off and that would wake him up, which it did, so I guess it worked,” Ahlfeldt said.

“He called it his burglar alarm. He said that he doesn’t really lock his doors, so he just does that instead,” he said.

The fight began when the tenant turned the light on and found the suspect in a closet next to the front door, Ahlfeldt said.

Both men sustained cuts and bruises, but neither received medical treatment, he said.

Daniel Gable, 61, who lives a floor below in the same building, was arrested on suspicion of burglary and taken to the Cass County Jail.

Police would not identify the victim.

Ahlfeldt said alcohol was a factor in the incident, and it’s possible Gable believed he was entering his own apartment. It didn’t appear he was trying to steal anything, he said.

A message left for Gable at the jail wasn’t returned.

http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/264234/

Thursday, December 31
By Patrick Munsey

The virtual world of online gaming seems like the perfect place to hide. There is plenty of anonymity, and it’s almost impossible for someone to trace activity back to its source, right? Wrong.

Two weeks ago, Howard County Sheriff’s Department deputy Matt Roberson tracked down a wanted fugitive through one of the most popular games on the Internet — World of Warcraft. And he got his man.

“You hear stories about you can’t get someone through the Internet,” said Roberson. “Guess what? You can. I just did. Here you are, playing World of Warcraft, and you never know who you’re playing with.”

In this case, online gamers were playing alongside Alfred Hightower, a man wanted on charges of dealing in a schedule III controlled substance and dealing in a schedule IV controlled substance, and two charges of dealing in marijuana. A warrant was issued for his arrest in 2007.

The sheriff’s department enlisted the aid of the U.S. Marshals this summer to track down a number of fugitives as part of Operation: Falcon, and Hightower was among those targeted. Unfortunately, authorities were unable to locate him. Roberson soon found out why. The suspect had skipped the country.

“I received information from a childhood friend, who tells me the guy is in Canada,” said Roberson. “I held onto the information in the back of my head. I spoke to the marshals and asked if we could confirm the guy’s location, would they help us get him? They indicated that they would.”

With the help of sheriff’s major Steve Rogers, Roberson began gathering information on Hightower through a number of sources. That is how they discovered that their suspect was a World of Warcraft fan.

“We received information that this guy was a regular player of an online game, which was referred to as ‘some warlock and witches’ game,” said Roberson. “None of that information was sound enough to pursue on its own, but putting everything we had together gave me enough evidence to send a subpoena to Blizzard Entertainment. I knew exactly what he was playing — World of Warcraft. I used to play it. It’s one of the largest online games in the world.”

Indeed, World of Warcraft is among the most popular online pastimes today, boasting more than 14 million players in dozens of countries — including Canada. But this is the Internet, and Blizzard is in California. Roberson’s subpoena was nothing more than a politely worded request, considering the limits of his law enforcement jurisdiction and the ambiguity of the online world.

“They don’t have to respond to us, and I was under the assumption that they wouldn’t,” said Roberson. “It had been three or four months since I had sent the subpoena. I just put it in the back of my mind and went on to do other things. Then I finally got a response from them. They sent me a package of information. They were very cooperative. It was nice that they were that willing to provide information.”

Blizzard did more than cooperate. It gave Roberson everything he needed to track down Hightower, including his IP address, his account information and history, his billing address, and even his online screen name and preferred server. From there it was a simple matter to zero in on the suspect’s location.

“I did a search off the IP address to locate him,” said Roberson. “I got a longitude and latitude. Then I went to Google Earth. It works wonders. It uses longitude and latitude. Boom! I had an address. I was not able to go streetside at the location, but I had him.”

Roberson and Rogers contacted the U.S. Marshals, who immediately notified the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Border Services Agency. According to Rogers, Canadian authorities located Hightower in Ottawa, Ontario, and arranged to have him deported. The marshals picked up the suspect in Minneapolis, and Howard County has until Jan. 5 to bring him back here to face charges.

“Roberson did some great work on this deal,” said sheriff Marty Talbert. “This is the first time in my seven years as sheriff that a fugitive was located in Canada. Rogers and Roberson did an outstanding job coordinating this.”

Talbert explained that this online manhunt isn’t the first time his department has ventured onto the Internet to track down a suspect. Earlier this year, sheriff’s deputies used a phone number look-up Web site to find a man in North Carolina who was wanted on charges in Howard County. In that case, authorities found their suspect through an online classified ad on Craig’s List.

“Suspects cannot be allowed to escape facing criminal charges by simply moving and relocating,” said Talbert.

http://kokomoperspective.com/news/local_news/article_15a0a546-f574-11de-ab22-001cc4c03286.html