Benton County Man Found Strangled in Cell

12-8-2012 Arkansas:

Matthew Scheile, 22, was found strangled in his cell at 1 a.m. Saturday morning in the Cummins Unit in Grady, Ar., the Department of Corrections said.

Scheile was serving a 48-month prison term for failure to register as a sex offender in Benton County. Corrections department spokesman Shea Wilson said Scheile, who was from West Fork and lived previously in Rogers, was originally convicted of sexual indecency with a child in 2010 in Cleburne County and sentenced to five years’ probation.

He was sentenced June 13, 2012 and was eligible for parole on March 15, 2013. Wilson said Scheile was Level 3 sex offender, which means police consider him a high risk to offend again.

Scheile’s cellmate, Robert Holland, 44, told prison officers that he strangled Scheile with a bed sheet Friday night and covered Scheile with a sheet to cover the crime, corrections spokesman Shea Wilson said. Holland is serving a life sentence for capital murder for shooting his parents in 1991 in El Dorado. ..Source.. by 5NewsOnline

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Prison inmate at Cummins reportedly strangled by cell mate

12-10-2012:

The Arkansas State Police are continuing their investigation into the death of an inmate at the Cummins Unit of the Arkansas Department of Correction who was allegedly strangled by his cell mate.

Matthew Scheile, 22, was found covered with a sheet in his bunk after his cell mate Robert Holland, 44, stopped a guard making rounds at 1 a.m. Saturday, department spokeswoman Shea Wilson said.

Holland reportedly told the guard he had strangled Scheile with the sheet at about 11 p.m. Friday, then covered up Scheile to conceal the incident.

Wilson said Holland was serving life without parole after being convicted of capital murder in Union County and came to the ADC on Nov. 12, 1991.

Scheile was serving a 48 month sentence from Benton County for failure to register as a sex offender. He was assigned to the ADC on June 22, and would have been eligible to apply for parole on March 15, 2013.

When the state police investigation is completed, it will be turned over to 11th Judicial District-West Prosecuting Attorney S. Kyle Hunter, who is prosecutor for Jefferson and Lincoln counties. ..Source.. by Ray King

Candler death ruled a homicide

11-28-2012 North Carolina:

CANDLER — Buncombe County investigators have determined that a man found dead in a wooded area last week is the victim of a homicide, Lt. Randy Sorrells said Tuesday.

The Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in learning more about the death of Thomas Curtis Reese, 29, who was visiting the Asheville area from Florida.

“Sheriff’s investigators have talked with witnesses who saw Reese and companions in the West Asheville and Candler area prior to his death,” Sorrells said. “The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who had any contact with Thomas Reese or may have seen him in the Asheville area to please call investigators.”

Residents cleaning up their property on Carrion Lane in Candler found the body around 11:45 a.m. Friday near the edge of their property line and called authorities. The Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and later deemed it a “a suspicious death investigation,” but declined to discuss the condition of the body when it was found.

Family members of Reese could not be reached for comment.

An autopsy was performed Monday, but Sorrells declined to release the cause of death. He also declined to talk about other details of the investigation, including whether authorities had a suspect. He said investigators were not aware of any disturbance in the area before the call from residents.

Seeking info

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Walt Thrower at 250-4449 or Crimestoppers at 255-5050.

Reese had a criminal history. He was a registered sex offender in Florida. He was convicted of sexual battery on a girl younger than 16 in June 2001, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

He committed burglary and grand theft in November 1999, according to online records from the Florida Department of Corrections. He was also charged with resisting an officer with violence in September 2000 and attempted burglary in January 2001.

He was incarcerated twice, according to online records. He was in prison from July 2001-January 2003 and again from December 2003-May 2010. ..Source.. by Citizen-Times.com

Inmate killed in prison fight

11-7-2012 Ohio:

A former Massillon man serving a life sentence for raping a young girl was killed Tuesday night during a fight with his cellmate at the Mansfield Correctional Institution.

No charges have been filed in the case, which is being investigated by the Ohio Highway Patrol and the state’s Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

Authorities say Robert Parr, 62, was unresponsive when security guards found him inside his cell at 10:10 p.m. Tuesday. He was rushed to Mansfield MedCentral Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:59 p.m. by the Richland County Coroner’s Office, said Lt. Anne Ralston, Highway Patrol spokeswoman. An autopsy is expected to be performed today, a Coroner’s Office spokesman said.

The suspect’s name is being withheld because he has not been charged, Ralston said. There is no timetable for the completion of the investigation. The Highway Patrol handles all criminal investigations on state-owned property. Ralston said the agency is cooperating with the Richland County Prosecutor’s Office on the case.

“We are gathering all the information and processing evidence,” she said.

The cellmate was the only other person in the cell with Parr. No details of the incident are being released due to the pending investigation, Ralston said.

JoEllen Smith, public information officer for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, declined to comment on the status of the other inmate involved in the altercation.

“We’re not releasing anything. This is both a criminal and an administrative investigation to make sure officers were conducting their appropriate rounds,” Smith said.

Smith said corrections officers are required to complete rounds every 30 minutes on staggered intervals. Mansfield is rated a closed security prison, one step lower than a maximum security facility. The prison houses 2,500 inmates.

Parr, formerly of 514 Tremont Ave. SW, pleaded guilty to two first-degree felony rape charges in March 2007 in Stark County Common Pleas Court, according to court records. Parr received a life sentence but was eligible to apply for parole after serving 10 years. Judge Charles Brown also designated Parr a sexual predator. Parr was charged with sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl between August 2002 and September 2006 at a home in Canton. ..Source.. by Corrections Special Ops

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OH inmate dies after fight with cellmate

MANSFIELD, Ohio (AP) - Authorities say an inmate has died after a fight with his cellmate at a prison in northern Ohio.

The State Highway Patrol said Wednesday that staff at the Mansfield Correctional Institution found 62-year-old Robert Parr in his cell shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday. Patrol spokeswoman Lt. Anne Ralston says Parr was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead about an hour later.

The cause of death has not been released.

Ralston says no details of the fight have been released and no charges have been filed. She says the cellmate was the only other person in the cell with Parr.

Ralston says Parr entered the prison in 2007 after his conviction on rape charges. He was serving a sentence of 10 years to life. ..Source.. by WFMJ.com

Big Bend murder suspect says brother sexually assaulted him

11-7-2012 California:

A Big Bend man who told sheriff's investigators he shot his younger brother twice in the back of the head with a .22- caliber rifle because he had been sexually assaulting and abusing him was formally charged with murder Wednesday.

His alleged co-conspirator was arraigned on identical charges stemming from the fatal shooting early Saturday morning of Sonny Moss Potts, 27.

Noah Ryan Potts, 28, and co-defendant Colin Horn Kennedy, 25, pleaded not guilty through their attorneys to felony counts of murder and conspiracy during their arraignments in Shasta County Superior Court.

A Shasta County sheriff's summary of the case filed with the court said Noah Potts told detectives his younger brother got out of prison about a year ago and has sexually assaulted him on a few occasions since.

Potts said his brother would pin him against a wall and grab his genitals against his will, the sheriff's report said.

He told deputies that on the night of the shooting Sonny Potts gave him a hug, grabbed his genitals and told him that he would be his "b---h" for the night.

The Record Searchlight does not identify sexual assault victims under normal circumstances. The newspaper is reporting Noah Potts' allegations of abuse because they are at the heart of his case and potentially central to any defense.

According to the sheriff's summary, Noah Potts told detectives he and Kennedy had hatched a plan to kill his brother while they were out poaching deer.

"Noah told us when they went out looking for deer (and) Kennedy made comments about 'cleansing the (Native American) reservation' of rapists, child molesters and the like," the sheriff's report said. "Noah told us when they got back to the residence he and Kennedy both knew that they were going to kill Sonny Potts."

Noah Potts said he went into the house several times trying to "get the courage" to shoot his brother, but could not do so.

Kennedy, who was outside the residence, told him it was OK if he did not have the heart to shoot Potts, the sheriff's report said, adding that Kennedy told him to stay in his vehicle and that he would do it.

However, the report said, Potts later got out of the vehicle and went inside the house.

Potts said he found Kennedy sitting with his brother and all of them began to smoke methamphetamine, the report said.

At one point, the report said, Kennedy asked his friend, "Are we going to do it?" without getting a reply from him.

But shortly afterward Noah Potts shot his brother in the back of his head with a rifle that Kennedy had loaded beforehand and he then fired a second shot from only inches away as his brother was lying facedown, the sheriff's report said.

Deputies have said they went to the house about a quarter-mile north of the Pit Stop store in Big Bend in eastern Shasta County after getting reports of a gunshot victim around 4:48 a.m.

When deputies arrived, they found Sonny Potts inside the home, dead of gunshot wounds.

Both Kennedy and Noah Potts were later arrested.

Despite protests Wednesday from Redding defense attorney Elliot Burick that Potts was not arraigned within a required 48-hour time period, retired Superior Court Judge Richard McEachen declined to consider a verbal motion to dismiss the case and continued with the arraignment.

McEachen set a Nov. 21 preliminary hearing for both defendants.

An attorney from the Shasta County Public Defender's Office was appointed to represent Kennedy.

According to electronic court records, Sonny Potts has served time in prison for assault and drug offenses and was sentenced last year to three years in prison for false impersonation.

A petition to revoke his parole was filed in August.

According to electronic court records, authorities arrested Kennedy on a warrant out of Missouri in May. But the records do not specify the nature of the warrant, though he was extradited in June.

Noah Potts' criminal history includes arrests for public intoxication, interfering with emergency personnel, obstructing police officers and petty theft.

Potts is being held in Shasta County jail in lieu of $2.1 million bail, while Kennedy is in custody there in lieu of $2 million bail. ..Source.. by Jim Schultz

Court documents: homicide victims found lying in bed, shot in head

Posted in Related Deaths

11-8-2012 North Carolina:

Clyde and Ida Valentine were found lying in the bed of a back bedroom of her northern Charlotte home last week, dead from gunshot wounds to the head, according to a search warrant obtained by the Observer on Thursday.

Still, police have not said who they believe is responsible for the deaths. Clyde Valentine had tape over his mouth. Police say the case is classified as a death investigation and spokeswoman Officer Jessica Lawrence said investigators were not looking for a suspect.

Authorities said a man called police on Nov. 1 and said he’d found his parents’ bodies in the home on Swift Arrow Lane. The search warrant identified that man as Malcolm Valentine, who came to his the house after his girlfriend said she couldn’t get anyone to come to the door.

Records show the Valentines had divorced in 2004, and Clyde Valentine had remarried three years ago.

Officers at the scene told reporters they believe the deaths were domestic-related. But they would not comment about whether the deaths were related to child sex charges filed against Clyde Valentine earlier this year.

Clyde Valentine was arrested in June on three felony counts of taking indecent liberties with a child. In September, he was charged with one count of statutory rape. He was expected to appear in court Nov. 13 on the charges.

Detectives said during the summer that the charges against Clyde Valentine involved a relative, and not a student at Phillip O. Berry Academy where he once taught electronics. ..Source.. by Cleve R. Wootson Jr.

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Man found dead with wife had protection order against family member

A day after Clyde Valentine and his wife Ida were found in their home neighbors are still wondering what happened.

"It gave me goose bumps just to hear about it," said neighbor Darcy Farman.

The bodies were found Thursday inside the home on Swift Arrow Lane by the couple's son.

Details of trouble inside that home are starting to unravel.

A source confirmed to Eyewitness News that Clyde Valentine had a domestic violence protection order against a family member who was not his wife Ida.

Channel 9 also learned the protection order is probably related to an ongoing criminal case against Clyde Valentine.

Clyde Valentine was facing charges and accused of sex acts against a child.

Eyewitness News discovered the list of accusations against him dated back to 2003. He was fired, just Tuesday from his teaching job with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

A source told Eyewitness News the domestic violence protection order was issued after a family member was accused of assaulting Clyde Valentine. Channel 9 learned the fight may have been linked to the child sex allegations against him.

Police are not calling that family member a suspect in the deaths of Clyde and Ida Valentine.

Police are not saying how the Valentines died and they aren’t naming any suspects.

Neighbors said they want answers for the sake of the family and to make sure they are safe as well. ..Source.. by Tina Terry

Gunman in cop shooting faced sex charges

11-1-2012 California:

Philip Martin Hernandez was supposed to be in Riverside County Monday being arraigned on charges of having sex with a minor. Instead, he set off on a violent rampage across San Diego County that came to a deadly end Wednesday night when he was killed in a shootout with police.

By all indications, the crime spree was the final act of a desperate man whose life had unraveled over the past year. The 40-year-old divorced former firefighter had lured a teenage girl into a sexual relationship, filed for bankruptcy, lost his National City condo to foreclosure, quit his job at Cal Fire, and recently moved into an Escondido apartment with his mother and sister.

During a 17-hour span Monday, police say Hernandez shot a man in Hillcrest and an off-duty San Diego police officer at an ATM in Escondido, set three vehicles on fire in San Diego and Chula Vista, and robbed pedestrians.

“It’s difficult to address at this point what set him off,” said San Diego police Capt. Terry McManus. “We don’t know definitively what was going on in his mind.”

A multiagency task force of officers, arson investigators and forensic technicians quickly assembled and worked around the clock to pinpoint the gunman.

San Diego Police Chief Bill Lansdowne praised their tireless efforts and collaboration that solved the case within 72 hours.

“None of this could have happened by itself. ... It was each person in each agency who all put a piece of this together,” Lansdowne said at a news conference Thursday, while flanked by brass from Escondido and Chula Vista police and the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

An 18-year-old woman, Cindy Altamirano Garcia, was taken into custody during Wednesday night’s shootout between police and Hernandez. She faces one count of carjacking in connection with the crime spree and is expected to be arraigned Monday.

In a jailhouse interview with 10News Thursday, Garcia said her relationship with Hernandez began when she was 16, and that she was the victim in his sex abuse case.

Court records show Hernandez had filed for divorce from his wife in 2010, although they’d been separated since 2001. His ex-wife and their 17-year-old daughter have been living in Greece.

According to Riverside County prosecutors, Hernandez befriended an unnamed teenage girl at a National City park, then manipulated her into a sexual relationship. Hernandez paid her $600 a month.

He made it clear to the girl that he would not give her money or help her “poor” family unless she complied, said John Hall, spokesman for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

She agreed to move to an apartment in Blythe with him in April. A month later, she reported the relationship to Blythe police, saying Hernandez had become overly possessive of her, and she didn’t want to live there any longer, Hall said.

Then, in July, he ended his 10-year career at Cal Fire in Blythe. No details were released about his resignation.

Riverside County prosecutors filed a complaint against him Aug. 14 on four felony counts of sex with a minor. A $10,000 warrant was issued for his arrest.

Jail records show Hernandez was arrested Oct. 19 in Mission Valley by San Diego police on the sex charges. He posted bail and was ordered to appear in Blythe for his arraignment Monday, but he failed to show.

A Riverside County judge issued a $20,000 warrant for his arrest.

Instead of going to court, police said, Hernandez set his pickup on fire about 2 a.m. in Mission Bay. The windshield was riddled with bullet holes.

About 45 minutes later, he shot a man on Upas Street on the edge of Balboa Park in Hillcrest, leaving the victim critically wounded.

Then at 9 a.m., Hernandez robbed a man at gunpoint in a Mission Valley parking lot. He was wearing a jacket labeled “police.”

About 12:15 p.m., he held up off-duty San Diego police Officer Les Stewart, who was using an ATM in Escondido. After the thief took the officer’s wallet and saw his police identification, he shot Stewart in the back of the head.

The round grazed the officer’s head. Stewart, 57, has been released from the hospital and is in good condition. He is a 27-year veteran of the San Diego force.

About an hour after the shooting, Hernandez and a female accomplice, both wearing vests labeled “police,” are suspected of then carjacking a man at the College Grove Center in Oak Park, a neighborhood in east San Diego. The getaway car used earlier in the day — a Ford Crown Victoria — was found burned there.

The Suzuki Aerio hatchback he carjacked was found burned up in Chula Vista later Monday night.

Investigators quickly linked all the crimes together, and by Tuesday had zeroed in on Hernandez as their prime suspect.

On Tuesday afternoon, police raided his mother’s Escondido apartment on Broadway near El Norte Parkway, where he had been living, but the officers didn’t stay long, neighbors said.

Investigators conducted surveillance on numerous possible locations where Hernandez may be hiding and learned he may be driving a white van. The description was given to patrol officers everywhere to be on the lookout.

The van had been posted for sale on Craigslist on Oct. 27. The Spring Valley owner was asking $2,700 for the cargo vehicle with no rear seats and a three-section roof rack.

About 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, a patrol officer spotted the van on National Avenue, Capt. McManus said.

The officer began to follow the van south to Cesar E. Chavez Parkway, then they turned left onto Harbor Drive. Several other officers also began to follow, and the van driver pulled over on his own, McManus said.

“Immediately when that van stopped, he exited with what is believed to be a high-powered rifle, directed the rifle at officers and began firing upon them,” McManus said.

As the three officers fired back, Garcia got out of the van. She was ordered to walk backward toward the officers, and she was taken into custody.

Meanwhile, Hernandez started walking forward slowly, out of the officers’ line of sight. He collapsed about 20 feet in front of the van.

Officers yelled at him, but got no response. A police dog was brought in but also failed to get a response from the driver, and finally tactical officers approached him and found that he was dead, McManus said.

Both Hernandez and Garcia were wearing police-type vests.

“No officers were injured — that’s great news for us,” McManus said.

Police recovered a small arsenal in the van, including handguns, rifles and ammunition.

Investigators remained at the scene Thursday morning, directly across the street from the Harbor Drive trolley station, collecting evidence and measuring the trajectory of the bullets, which had riddled the van.

A patrol car was also hit by gunfire. One bullet struck the car’s windshield in the top center, and both tires on the driver’s side were flattened.

“In the end, it came to three police officers who were assaulted and attacked by the suspect who had larger weapons than they did,” Chief Lansdowne said. “They didn’t run from danger. They stood tall, and they ran to danger because their purpose was to bring these people to justice.” ..Source.. by Debbi Baker, Kristina Davis, Pauline Repard

Kidnapping suspect dies after chase

11-6-2012 Michigan:

A suspect in a kidnapping and sexual assault died after crashing during a police chase Tuesday, according to Michigan State Police at the Mt. Pleasant Post.

The dead man is identified as Robert Lee Mongar of Cadillac.

According to a statement from troopers, Mongar reportedly physically and sexually assaulted a female acquaintance in Wexford County, then tied her up, put her in her vehicle and drove south.

She managed to escape and run into a gas station near Stanwood when Mongar stopped for fuel. The victim was still restrained, but store employees helped her.

Mongar sped off, but a state trooper spotted the vehicle, which did not stop. Instead, he fled into deeply forested Newaygo County.

The chase led down a dirt road, and troopers said Mongar drove the car off the road where the road curved, and hit a large stand of mature trees. There was no indication the driver tried to brake or make the turn, troopers said.

Mongar was pronounced dead at the scene. There was no immediate word on the condition of the victim. ..Source.. by Morning Sun

Neighbors, family shocked at shooting death of 92-year-old Flint man

10-30-2012 Michigan:

FLINT, MI -- Police continue to investigate the shooting death Oct. 30 of a man believed to be the oldest homicide victim in recent memory.

Iris Gardner, 92, heard a knock on his door around 2:15 p.m. Tuesday at his home on Race Street near Myrtle Avenue, police said. When he opened the door, someone shot him once in the torso and fled the scene, police said. Police have no suspect information.

Flint Police Capt. T.P. Johnson said he can't remember an older homicide victim in his 27 years with the department.

"Obviously he was no threat to anyone," he said. "This was a random act of violence that did not have any rhyme or reason to it."

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said Gardner was one of the older homicide victims he's heard of during his time as prosecutor.

"It's terrible, just terrible," Leyton said. "It's very difficult to imagine how a 92-year- old was a threat to anyone."

Gardner's niece, Joann Cooper, 55, of Flint, said her family is shocked that her uncle would die that way.

"I never figured he would get gunned down in his own house," she said. "One part is anger, and the other part is grieving. It's like two emotions wrapped into one."

Detective Robert Dunham said police have very little information to go on and that the crime is disturbing.

"The worst thing about the whole thing is the people that did it aren't talking," he said. "They are out running the streets. If they are willing to kill a 92-year-old, who wouldn't they kill?"

Cooper said her uncle grew up during the Great Depression in a small town in Georgia. He would talk about being so poor that he had to walk to school in his bare feet during the winter, she said.

He came to Flint in the 1950s or 1960s and worked as a supervisor at a junkyard for 30 years, Cooper said. In his older age, he still remained active, continuing to drive, walk around in the neighborhood and do yard work, family said.

"If you would have saw him, you would have thought he was still 78," Cooper said.

He was a World War II veteran and a big fan of the Detroit Tigers who was excited about the team's recent playoff run.

Gardner did have a brush with the law. He was on the state sex offender registry for a 1993 conviction of misdemeanor criminal sexual conduct, fourth degree, according to records. He served 90 days in the Genesee County Jail. Cooper said his family maintains that he was innocent, and his accuser later recanted her story.

Neighbor Elois Thames, 26, said Gardner was a friendly man. She was upset that he would die in a violent manner.

"It's just senseless, he didn't bother anybody," she said.

Cooper said Gardner did not have any children and was the last surviving member of his siblings. Funeral arrangements are being handled at Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home.

In the meantime, his family will continue to grieve his death.

"It's like somebody ripped out your heart and took it," Cooper said. ..Source.. by David Harris

Alameda County inmate suspected of killing cell mate in Folsom State Prison

10-19-2012 California:

FOLSOM, Calif. — A convicted sex offender from Contra Costa County was found dead in his prison cell in Folsom this week and his cell mate, a convicted murderer from Alameda County, was suspected Friday of killing him, according to prison officials.

Correctional officers found the 51-year-old inmate from Contra Costa County unresponsive in his cell at California State Prison, Sacramento, just after 9 p.m. Wednesday when prisoners were being counted.

The inmate, whose name is being withheld pending notification of his next of kin, was pronounced dead about 20 minutes later.

The prison's investigative services unit was investigating the death as a homicide, officials said Friday.

Prison officials also said that the man had been in prison since Dec. 10, 2001, and was serving a 25-year-to-life sentence from Contra Costa County for assault with the intent to commit a specific sex act.

They said the 46-year-old suspect has been in state prison since Nov. 9, 1986, and was serving a 17-year-to-life sentence from Alameda County for second-degree murder.

The suspect was being housed in the prison's administrative segregation unit that week pending the completion of the investigation.

Prison officials said California State Prison, Sacramento, houses about 2,600 inmates and employs more than 1,700 staff members.

They said it primarily houses maximum-security inmates serving long sentences and those who have proved to be management problems at other institutions. ..Source.. by KTVU.com

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Contra Costa County inmate killed in prison identified

10-23-2012:

A convicted sex offender from Contra Costa County who was killed in an apparent homicide in his state prison cell in Folsom last week has been identified as 51-year-old Raymond Johnston.

Lt. Tony Quinn, of California State Prison-Sacramento in Folsom, said correctional officers found Johnston unresponsive in his cell just after 9 p.m. Wednesday as prisoners were being counted.

Quinn said medical staff responded immediately and tried to resuscitate Johnston but he was pronounced dead about 20 minutes later.

Quinn said the prison's investigative services unit is investigating Johnston's death as a homicide because there were "obvious signs of trauma" on him, although he declined to elaborate or disclose a cause of death.

He said Johnston's cellmate, a 46-year-old convicted murderer from Alameda County, is suspected of killing Johnson but he declined to release the cellmate's name because of concern that the cellmate could be targeted in prison.

Quinn said the suspect has been in state prison since Nov. 9, 1986, and is serving a sentence of 17 years to life for a second-degree murder conviction in Alameda County.

The suspect is being housed in the prison's administrative segregation unit pending the completion of the investigation.

Quinn said Johnston had been in prison since Dec. 10, 2001, and was serving 25 years to life after being convicted in Contra Costa County of assault with the intent to commit a sex act.

Prison officials said California State Prison-Sacramento houses about 2,600 inmates and employs more than 1,700 staff members.

Quinn said it primarily houses maximum-security inmates serving long sentences and those who have proved to be management problems at other institutions.

He said about 85 percent of the inmates are serving life sentences, and that many have engaged in acts of violence while serving time at other prisons.

Quinn said, "We have some pretty nasty fights here" but that homicides are uncommon, although there were two murders last year. ..Source.. by Bay City News Service

Death Of Convicted Sex Offender Under Investigation In Otero County

10-14-2012 Colorado:

The body of a registered sex offender was found inside a home outside La Junta Friday night, prompting officials to begin an investigation into the circumstances around his death.

Byron Griffy, 76, was a funeral home director in Fowler, Colo. prior to his 2011 arrest for sexually assaulting a child. Court records indicate Griffy pleaded guilty to the charge, and was sentenced in May of this year. He was put on strict sex offender probation.

The Otero County Sheriff's Office is investigating Griffy's death as suspicious, but will not say if they believe his death is related to his sex assault conviction. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation assisted in processing the scene.

The Sheriff’s Office says an autopsy is scheduled for early next week by the El Paso County Coroner's Office. ..Source.. by KKTV.com

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Cause of death released, family of Byron Griffy want him remembered for his lifelong kindness

New details today in the death of a Fowler man.

We've learned that Byron Griffy died from a gunshot wound to his head.

We spoke to those at the Otero County Sheriff Office who are investigating along with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Family members found Byron Griffy dead in a home on his farm one day before his 76th birthday.

"The circumstances surrounding the gunshot wound are still pending," said Otero County Sheriff Chris Johnson.

Griffy did plead guilty to attempted sexual assault on a child several months ago, but his family says too much focus has been placed on that.

"My sisters and I would like you to know that our father was a caring, compassionate, love man who spent his life taking care of others in their time of need," said Amy Griffy, Byron Griffy's youngest daughter.

Many in Fowler told us they always admired Griffy and do not believe he was guilty.

"God knows it," said JH McCuistion, a close friend of Griffy. "He knows the truth of this whole thing, and I feel the same way God does."

Close friends believe he only pled guilty for a lesser charge, so he would be able to see his family more often.

"There will never be anybody to change my mind that Byron Griffy was one of our greatest men to help in our community of Fowler," said McCuistion.

Griffy was described around town as a funeral director who was so giving, those who couldn't afford a funeral had one for free.

He was also President on the school board for many years and always sent a lot of flowers to people in town.

"I had a little surgery a time or two," said McCuistion. "You know, I didn't even tell him I was going to have it, but he found out and he brought me a plant."

Sheriff Johnson says nothing at this time connects Griffy's death to his recent plea.

"We're still investigating," said Sheriff Johnson. "It's still early in the investigation. We're talking to a lot of people." ..Source.. by Lacey Steele

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Man Pleads Not Guilty In Murder Of Convicted Sex Offender

5-3-2014:

A Canon City man has pleaded not guilty in death of a convicted sex offender.

Anthony Wright, 43, will go to trial in September for the 2012 death of former funeral home director Byron Griffy. An autopsy showed Griffy died from a gunshot wound to the head.

Griffy, 76, was a funeral home director in Fowler, Colo. prior to his 2011 arrest for sexually assaulting a child. Court records indicate Griffy pleaded guilty to the charge, and was sentenced in May the following year. He was put on strict sex offender probation.

He was found shot to death five months later.

Wright has maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder on Thursday. He is out on a $250,000 bail. Wright will go to trial in September.

Wright and Griffy knew each other through the funeral home business. ..Source.. by KKTV.com

Montana State Prison has 2 suspects in murder of inmate

10-8-2012 Montana:

An inmate at the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge was found murdered Sunday evening, authorities reported Monday.

Investigators have two suspects in connection with the death of Danny Lee Hartford. Hartford, 53, was found dead in a cell of a housing unit in the high-security portion of the prison at about 8:10 p.m.

Investigators didn’t release how Hartford was killed, because the investigation continued, according to Linda Moodry of the Montana Department of Corrections.

Hartford was last seen alive during a head count Sunday at about 6 p.m., Moodry said. The two suspects in Hartford’s death are fellow inmates in the prison.

Moodry didn’t release the identities or the status of the suspects.

Moodry described the block of the prison where Hartford was killed as housing offenders at various levels. It’s between the maximum-security and low-security blocks, she said. It houses some general population prisoners and those transferring to the lower-level security block of the prison, she said.

The unit where Hartford was killed is monitored by prison staff and security cameras. However, Moodry said the prison doesn’t have cameras in all the cells at the prison.

“They (the prisoners) are monitored and watched, but unfortunately things like this can happen,” Moodry said.

The last homicide reported at the prison was in September 2011. Shaun Morrison, 30, is accused of beating, choking and cutting another inmate with a weapon fashioned from razor blades. Morrison has pleaded not guilty to deliberate homicide and is scheduled for trial in November.

Hartford was serving 30 years probation from 1997 on two counts of sexual assault out of Lewis and Clark County. He violated the terms of his probation and was ordered to prison in 2010.

The investigation is being handled by the Montana Department of Corrections, the Powell County sheriff’s office and the county attorney’s office. ..Source.. by JOHN GRANT EMEIGH

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Montana prison officials investigate homicide

Officials at the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge are investigating the death of an inmate as a homicide.

An investigation into the death of Danny Lee Hartford, 53, is ongoing, according to a news release from the Department of Corrections.

Hartford's body was found about 8:10 p.m. in a cell of a housing unit in the high-security portion of the prison. Two inmates are suspects in the death.

Hartford was sentenced to 30 years probation in 1997 on two counts of sexual assault out of Lewis and Clark County. He violated conditions of his probation and a judge ordered him to prison in 2010.

Prison officials did not say how Hartford died. The investigation is being handled by the Montana Department of Corrections, Powell County sheriff’s office and the county attorney’s offices.

The last homicide reported at the prison was in September 2011. Shaun Morrison, 30, is accused of beating, choking and cutting another inmate with a weapon fashioned from razor blades. Morrison has pleaded not guilty to deliberate homicide and is scheduled for trial in November. ..Source.. by BillingsGazette

4 arrested, fifth suspect sought in beating, strangulation of man

10-1-2012 Washington:

TACOMA, Wash. -- Four people have been arrested and a fifth suspect is beijung sought in the death of a man found bound, brutally beaten and strangled outside a Graham home last week.

Dean Barker was found dead outside a vacant home in the 22200 block of 124th Ave. E. on the night of Sept. 8. Investigators said 51-year-old Barker's hands were bound behind his back, his mouth taped shut and a red bandanna tied around his neck. An autopsy revealed he had been beaten and strangled.

Four people -- Angela King, 24; William Barry, 33; Justin Mahaffey, 23; and a 17-year-old suspect whom KOMO has chosen not to identify-- are being held on $2 million bail. They have not been charged.

Police are also seeking 30-year-old Jeffrey W. Powell, II, who has been charged with first-degree murder, first-degree robbery and kidnapping in the first degree. A warrant has been issued for his arrested

When questioned by investigators, several of the suspects said they abducted and beat Barker because they believe he had molested a toddler, according to the statement of probable case. One suspect claimed Barker had also sexually assaulted a woman.

However, Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said the suspects' claim of vigilante justice for the victim's alleged sex crimes may not be true as investigators have not found any evidence to support either claim.

"Why wait until weeks after the alleged sexual assault? Why take the victim's watch? Why steal the victim's money?" said Lindquist.

After the beating, the suspects took Barker's wallet and split the cash, they told investigators. They also tied a red bandanna around his neck to "mark him, as Mahaffey belongs to a blood gang, the statement said.

The 17-year-old suspect said she participated in the beating, but did not accompany the others to the home where the victim was abandoned. King said she went to the Graham home, but stayed in the car while Mahaffey and Powell walked Barker out of the car. She said Barker was still alive when she and Mahaffey left the scene.

The four suspects are due in court on Tuesday. ..Source.. by KOMO Staff

Police confirm identify of SWAT officer who shot Alexander

9-20-2012 Ohio:

The Lorain County SWAT team member who shot and killed Billy Alexander early Sept. 15 has been identified as Wayne Ramsey, a LaGrange police officer, according to Lorain police Lt. Mark Carpentiere. Lorain police are investigating the incident triggered by a 911 call.

Ramsey was placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting, said LaGrange Mayor Kim Strauss. Such leave is common for officers who have been involved in a shooting, according to Dennis Cavanaugh, Chief Deputy of the Lorain County Sheriff Department.

“This is Ramsey’s first time being involved in a shooting,” Cavanaugh said. “He will take as long as he sees fit to recover.”

Police are not releasing any other details. “The investigation is still ongoing,” Carpentiere said.

Alexander, 41, of Lorain was shot at least twice — in the chest and torso — with a .223-caliber rifle, said Dr. Stephen Evans, the Lorain County coroner.

Alexander was a registered sex offender, according to the Lorain County Sheriff’s website. He pleaded guilty to the rape of a 4-year-old girl in 1991 and served 15 years in Lorain Correctional Institution in Grafton. He was released in 2008. He was also convicted of escape in 1992.

Early Saturday morning, the Lorain County SWAT team went to a house at 704 DeWitt St. in Sheffield Township. They were responding to a 911 call from a woman who was crying hysterically that Alexander had molested a 5-year-old child and was threatening to kill himself and them.

She said he was “throwing a gun around,” according to the 911 recording. Later she shouted, “He just shot off the gun!”

A child can be heard saying, “Daddy, please don’t shoot us!” and the woman can be heard comforting the child by saying, “It’s OK baby.”

When officers arrived at about 1:45 a.m., Alexander fired one shot at them and then went into the house with the woman and two children. Police ordered the woman and children to leave while they pursued Alexander into the back yard. Alexander was pronounced dead at 3:30 a.m. Evans said. ..Source.. by Morning Journal Staff

Citrus County Deputy, Gregory Entrekin, shoots sex offender in his home

Something isn't right here, see last story?

9-27-2012 Florida:

An investigation is under way after an off-duty Citrus County deputy allegedly shot a sex offender who broke into his home.

Investigators say 28-year-old Derrick Vaccianna broke into the home of Deputy Gregory Entrekin, 24, at around 11 p.m. Wednesday, when he was confronted by Entrekin and his girlfriend.

Vaccianna was shot during the confrontation and taken to the hospital, where he later died.

Vaccianna was a registered sex offender on probation at the time of his death.

Since Entrekin was off-duty at the time, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was called in, and both the FDLE and the Citrus County Sheriff's Office are investigating.

As is customary in cases such as these, Deputy Entrekin has been placed on paid administrative leave pending further notice. ..Source.. by Melissa Ramsey

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Off-duty Citrus County deputy shoots, kills intruder

9-27-2012:

An off-duty Citrus County Sheriff's deputy shot and killed a 28-year-old man who broke into his girlfriend's home late Tuesday, officials said.

Citrus County Sheriff's officials did not immediately identify the deputy other than to say he was familiar with the intruder, Derrick Vaccianna, 28, who broke into the house on Eden Drive about 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

Vaccianna, who lived in the town of Hernando, was a registered sex offender and on probation at the time of his death.

According to the Sheriff's office, the deputy was inside the residence with his girlfriend when Vaccianna broke in.

Soon after, the deputy and Vaccianna became embroiled in an argument, which quickly escalated to a physical fight, officials said.

Then the deputy got his gun.

He shot the intruder once in the chest, according to Sheriff's Office reports.

Vaccianna was taken to Citrus Memorial Health System, where he was pronounced dead.

It was not immediately clear whether the victim was armed at the time of the shooting.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and State Attorney's Office are investigating the incident. No further information was available early Thursday morning. ..Source.. by Marissa Lang, Times Staff Writer

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Off-Duty Sheriff's Deputy Shoots Man in Alleged Break-in

10-2-2012 Florida:

We love stories of self-defense because they prove just how important guns are, but every once in a while you get a story that's a real puzzler.

Florida Citrus County Sheriff's Deputy Gregory Entrekin, who was actually deputized last month, was spending some off-duty time with his girlfriend, Amanda Vance, when 28-year-old Derrick Vaccianna broke into Vance’s home. Now, before we get too far with this, we should point out that this wasn’t just some random robbery. Neighbors claim that Vaccianna and Vance had been in a relationship as recently as two weeks ago, and Entrekin personally knew Vaccianna. We're using the term "break in" because people involved in the case are calling it a break in, but it's not entirely clear if that's an accurate description.

First off, Vaccianna had a key to Vance's home, and it appears that Vance had invited Vaccianna into her home in order to talk. Chuck Hobbs, the attorney for Vaccianna’s family, stated, “I have strong confirmation that [Vance] had been trying to reach out to Derrick all that day, saying she wanted him to come over to the house because she was trying to reconcile their relationship.”

So, did Vaccianna "break in" or did he simply walk in? We suppose that depends on who's telling the story.

To complicate matters, Vaccianna is a registered sex offender who was convicted of lewd and lascivious conduct involving a 12-year-old girl. But these are all complicated details -- let's get to the facts.

According to reports, Vaccianna entered Vance’s home at about 10:45 p.m last Tuesday. Vaccianna and Entrekin became embroiled in an argument, which escalated into physical violence. The deputy got his gun and shot at Vaccianna, striking him once in the chest. Vaccianna was taken to the hospital but was later pronounced dead. Entrekin has since been placed on paid administrative leave.

We’ve come across some fuzzy, morally ambiguous self-defense shootings before, but this one might take cake. With so many complicated factors at play, how can we determine whether Entrekin was justified in pulling the trigger?

Did Vaccianna have a right to be in the home or was it a real break-in? Did the physical confrontation warrant violence? Were jealousy and relationship issues factors in this shooting?

We’d hate to be in Entrekin’s shoes right now. By the looks of things, Vaccianna’s family might be able to make a persuasive argument that Vaccianna had just as much right to be in Vance’s home as Entrekin did, and at that point it all boils down to the question of whether or not the physical confrontation warranted pulling the trigger.

We’re not saying that physical threat isn’t a sufficient reason to use a gun to defend yourself -- we’re just saying that in this case it really isn’t clear that it was the best course of action. After all, what if Vaccianna had shot Entrekin instead of the other way around? Would he also be able to claim self-defense?

This case might hinge on Vance, whose testimony could condemn or support Entrekin.

What do our readers think? When you invite somebody into your home, how (if at all) does that change your rights self-defense? Or even better yet – if you are invited to somebody else’s home and you get into a fight with another guest, who gets to claim self-defense -- whoever is left standing? ..Source.. by dabneybailey

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Citrus County Deputy involved in fatal shooting made news before

9-28-2012:

Inverness, FL - A Citrus County sheriff's deputy who authorities said fatally shot a man inside his girlfriend's house, has made headlines before.

10 News did a story on Gregory Entrekin back in 2008, when he saw his newborn daughter for the first time over a computer screen. The then-Marine reservist was serving in Iraq at the time. According to court documents, Entrekin and his wife divorced in 2010.

Officials with the Citrus County Sheriff's Office said Entrekin, now 24 years old, was with his current girlfriend when he shot a man inside her house along Eden Drive Wednesday.

Authorities said 28-year-old Derrick Vaccianna broke into the home and confronted the off-duty deputy and his girlfriend, Amanda Vance. According to detectives, a fight broke out and Deputy Entrekin shot Vaccianna once in the chest. He later died at an area hospital.

Vaccianna was a sex offender on probation. In 2005, when he was 19, Vaccianna was convicted of Lewd and Lascivious Conduct involving a 12-year-old girl.

Neighbors, however, said Vaccianna and Vance were a couple, and saw them together as recently as last week. They add, from what they could tell, Vaccianna did live at the house at some point.

"I've never had any issues with him. Upstanding guy. Always waving 'hi'. We have our little conversations here and there. But that was very shocking," said a neighbor, who didn't want to be identified.

Deputy Greg Entrekin is new to the Sheriff's Office. He joined the agency in August after serving overseas with the Marines. He has now been placed on paid administrative leave. ..Source.. by Althea Paul

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Deputy cleared in off-duty shooting

1-17-2013:

Report paints picture of love triangle gone wrong

An off-duty deputy involved in the shooting of a Hernando man early last fall has been cleared of any wrongdoing, according to a report from the State Attorney’s Office.

Trainee deputy Greg Entrekin shot and killed Derrick Vaccianna, 28, the night of Sept. 26 after a struggle in the bedroom of an Inverness woman.

According to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, Entrekin and his girlfriend at the time, Amanda Vance, were confronted by Vaccianna after he entered the residence on Eden Drive in Inverness through a bedroom window. Entrekin shot Vaccianna when he reportedly charged at him. Vaccianna died at the scene. The case was handed to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to conduct an independent investigation.

“This was a tragic event in which there were no winners,” said Sheriff Jeff Dawsy. “We knew right away it was best to have an independent review of the case and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducted a very comprehensive and detailed investigation. We are very confident in their findings.”

That investigation and just-released report points to a love-triangle rife with alleged threats and declarations of love.

Vaccianna’s family was stunned by news of the state attorney’s decision.

“That’s just wrong. Wow, I can’t believe this. How is it that they couldn’t find anything wrong with what he (Entrekin) did?” Derrick Vaccianna’s sister Verron Vaccianna said.

Ms. Vaccianna said the family is now pondering possible legal options.

Entrekin, who had been with the sheriff’s office barely a month before the incident, was initially placed on administrative leave, and then returned to the sheriff’s office in an administrative capacity. Recently, Entrekin was permitted to begin his field training officer program, which is required before he goes on the road as a patrol deputy, according to CCSO.

“I’m sure Deputy Entrekin is anxious to officially begin his career as a law enforcement officer,” Dawsy said. “We are looking forward to the contributions he will make here as a member of this team.”

According to the report released by the State Attorney’s Office, before the fateful September day, Vance was dating Entrekin, but was carrying on a relationship with Vaccianna.

The report state Entrekin knew Vance and Vaccianna had previously been romantically involved, but did not know the entire story.

Vance reportedly altered the entry for Vaccianna in her phone to read “Janice” and would delete text messages to and from Vaccianna from her phone immediately so Entrekin would not see them.

Vaccianna, conversely, also knew Vance was seeing Entrekin and on Sept. 24 called Entrekin and, according to Entrekin, threatened him if he continued to see Vance.

The report stated the phone call was followed by a series of text messages to Entrekin from Vaccianna that said, among other things, that Entrekin would “catch a bullet” if he continued to see Vance. “If I catch you you’re a dead man,” one text reported said.

FDLE was reportedly able to piece together a sequence through text records and by tracking Vaccianna’s movement on the night of the shooting. Vaccianna was on sex-offender probation and had a GPS ankle bracelet on.

Vaccianna reportedly exchanged a series of texts with Vance the day of the shooting, with Vance saying she loved Vaccianna, but she later said it was a ruse to pacify him because he was mad that she was with Entrekin.

The report stated Vaccianna eventually entered Vance’s residence through a bedroom window and confronted the couple, who were in bed.
Vaccianna reportedly grabbed Vance and started screaming at Vance and Entrekin, who had the gun by the bed and grabbed it. Vaccianna called 911 to report that Entrekin was holding a gun to his head.

Vaccianna reportedly “lunged” at Entrekin after more shouting, and Entrekin pulled the trigger. ..Source.. by

Tyler County deputy fatally shoots man

9-25-2012 Texas:

One man is dead after deputies say he lead them on a high-speed chase and pointed a gun at police and sheriff's deputies.

The incident happened around 10:30 p.m.

A news release issued by the Sheriff's Office says a deputy was sent to a home on U.S. 69 just north of Warren after dispatchers received a call from a person reporting a sexual assault.

While interviewing the victim, the suspect in the sexual assault, identified by deputies as Dennis Ray Murray Jr., of Woodville, drove into the driveway. The victim told the deputy Murray would be armed.

The deputy told Murray to show his hands. The deputy said Murray then sped out of the driveway and a high-speed chase began. The chase went into Woodville. More deputies, a Woodville Police Officer and a Department of Public Safety Trooper joined in on the chase.

Muyrray's vehicle was slowed down with road spikes, but he continued to drive to his home in the 500 block of Lyndale in Woodville.

Deputies ordered Murray out of his vehicle. Deputies say this is when he pointed a long-barreled weapon at them.

Two deputies fired at Murray.

Officers approached Murray who had fallen back in his vehicle. A Woodville Police Officer tried to pull the rifle from Murray, but Murry then "became conscious" and grabbed the officer. Deputies say he also fired a shot at the officer.

Murray then grabbed for a second rifle and a struggle began.

A third Tyler County Sheriff's Office Deputy fired two shots at Murray disabling him.

Murray was taken to the Tyler County Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 11:30 p.m.

All three deputies who fired their weapons have been placed on administrative leave with pay.

The incident is under investigation by the Texas Rangers. ..Source.. by KIII TV.com

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Woodville man dies after shootout with deputies

WOODVILLE, TX (KTRE) -

A man accused of sexually assaulting someone died after becoming involved in a shooting with several law enforcement officers Tuesday night. No officers were hurt.

The shooting started following a high-speed chase from the Warren area and ended in the residence of the suspect, Dennis Ray Murray Jr., 40, of Woodville, according to a press release from the Tyler County Sheriff's Office.

Murray stopped at his residence on the 500 block of Lyndale Street after deputies used road spikes to flatten his tires. Once Murray stopped at his residence, deputies ordered him out of his vehicle.

Instead, Murray pointed a long-barreled gun at them, prompting two deputies to shoot at him. It appears at least one of the bullets hit Murray, knocking him unconscious. A Woodville Police officer assisting in the case then approached Murray to disarm him and Murray then woke up and fired a shot at the officer and missed him.

The officer then removed the gun from Murray and Murray grabbed a second rifle out of the vehicle. The officer struggled with Murray and a third deputy then fired two shots at Murray.

Officers on the scene and an EMS crew worked to revive Murray but were not successful. He was pronounced dead at 11:30 p.m. at a Woodville hospital.

The case began at 10:10 p.m. when a deputy was dispatched to a caller at a residence on US 69, just north of Warren, who said she was sexually assaulted. The deputy arrived at 10:25 p.m. and while interviewing the victim, Murray drove into the driveway. The victim said Murray was the one who assaulted her and told the deputy he had two rifles and had threatened to kill her.

The deputy ordered Murray to show his hands, but instead Murray sped out of the driveway, which began the pursuit into Woodville.

Deputies, Woodville PD and state troopers assisted in the chase.

Per standard procedure, the three deputies who fired their guns have been placed on paid leave until an investigation is complete.

Sheriff David Hennigan said he has asked the Texas Rangers to handle the investigation.

Murray had numerous previous convictions on his record. In addition to numerous possession charges, he convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child in August 1994 and sentenced to an eight-year prison term with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Murray was tried and sentenced in Angelina County's 159th District Court. ..Source.. by KTRE.com

Sheriffs office releases name of homicide victim

9-24-2012 New York:

KILL BUCK — The Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office late Sunday morning released the name of the deceased in a Friday night shooting at a Route 417 residence in the Hamlet of Kill Buck.

Henry Francis Ackley, 58, of 6263 Route 417, was killed around midnight Friday at the hands of a still-unidentified gunman. Cattaraugus County Sheriff Timothy Whitcomb told the Times Herald his department was following up on leads around the Olean area on Sunday.

It was unclear if a motive or any other circumstances surrounding the alleged shooting had been determined.

“We’ll be looking into persons of interest in (Olean) here Sunday — around the city I should say,” Sheriff Whitcomb said outside the New York State Troopers Barracks in Olean around 11 a.m. Sunday. “But we are releasing the identity of the victim.”

The sheriff formally announced the wrongful death was indeed a homicide involving a firearm. He was unable to provide further details, however, as they could potentially compromise the investigation.

“We’re just confirming there was a homicide at that address sometime before midnight on Friday night,” Sheriff Whitcomb said. “We’re aggressively pursuing leads.

“Any of the other details of what exactly we’re working on, we’re keeping those close to the collar right now. Just for the continuity of the investigation, we’re being careful about what we release.”

When asked if he could say how close law-enforcement agencies were to making an arrest, Sheriff Whitcomb wouldn’t venture a guess.

“I hope we’re close,” he said. “I’m optimistic.”

Mr. Ackley’s neighbor told a Times Herald editor Saturday afternoon the deceased was a helpful neighbor who often kept to himself.

“He would do anything for you,” said the neighbor, who spoke on a condition of anonymity. “If I needed help with anything, he’d help.”

Authorities said the homicide is not believed to be connected to Mr. Ackley’s 1986 conviction for a sex offense.

According to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, Mr. Ackley was convicted of first-degree sodomy, a class B felony, in 1986. He was released from Orleans Correctional Facility in 1991 on parole. He is not listed on the state Sex Offender Registry, which is reserved for Level 2 and 3 offenders — those considered a higher risk to the community.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office at (716) 938-9191. ..Source.. by Kelsey Boudin Olean Times Herald

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Homicide victim was a registered sex offender

The man shot and killed late Friday in this Cattaraugus County hamlet has been identified as 58-year-old Henry F. Ackley, sheriff's officials reported.

The shooting death occurred shortly before midnight at a home on Route 417.

Sheriff's officials have released no other information on the killing but The Buffalo News confirmed through state prison records that Ackley served about six years at the Orleans Correctional Facility for a 1985 first-degree sodomy conviction in Cattaraugus County.

Because of that conviction, Ackley was a state-registered sex offender who had to alert police agencies about his home address and if he planned to move. Whether his killing was related to his criminal history was a topic the Sheriff's Office would not discuss.

Ackley's last obligations to the state prison system over his conviction expired in December 1994, records show. ..Source..

Smith County man serving life for sexual assault found dead in cell

9-5-2012 Texas:

SMITH COUNTY, TX (KLTV)- An East Texan was killed in prison while serving a sentence for sexual assault.

According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, on August 7, Elasko Thomas was found bleeding from the neck at his cell door at the Robertson Unit near Abilene.

He was taken to the medical unit, and then transferred to a hospital, but died en route.

Thomas was serving a life sentence for sexually assaulting a woman in Smith County back in 2010. ..Source.. by KLTV Web Staff

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Three of 10 homicides in Texas prisons this year were in Abilene units, officials say

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has reported 10 prison homicides this year, with three of those deaths being reported in Abilene's two units, according to a recent Associated Press article.

The article published Monday says this year's numbers are indicating a swell of violent rate of death in prisons. The 10 deaths this year are up from three homicides in 2011, five in 2010 and one in 2009, the AP reported.

The latest slaying in Texas prisons occurred in the Robertson Unit last month — the first such death listed as a homicide within the unit in the past seven years, said Jason Clark, TDCJ spokesman.

"It's definitely jumped out at us," Bruce Toney, the agency's inspector general, told the AP about the increase. "It definitely has not been an average year."

On Aug. 7, during checks at the Robertson Unit, inmate Elasko Thomas was found standing at the door of his cell, holding his neck and bleeding profusely. He was transported to Hendrick Medical Center, where he died about an hour later.

Clark said Thomas had an altercation with his cellmate Michael Deloach.

Deloach has refused to cooperate with the investigation, Clark said.

There have been two homicides this year at the Middleton Unit, Clark said, both the result of June assaults.

The Middleton Unit is a transfer facility — inmates are sent from this prison to other prisons in the state for the duration of their confinement. The Robertson Unit is a maximum-security facility.

On June 3, a fight with another Middleton inmate resulted in the death of a 47-year-old Dallas man. Mark Anthony Rauls was injured after Cody Lane Vernon allegedly struck Rauls' head on a concrete floor. Rauls died two days later after being taken off life support at Hendrick.

Twenty days later, on June 26, Middleton Unit inmate Billy Dickerson fought in a dorm dayroom with an inmate identified as Maurice Miller.

Clark said Dickerson was observed lying on the floor while he was bleeding from the back of his head. Dickerson was escorted to the unit's infirmary and then was transported by ambulance to Hendrick. He was later released from Hendrick and transferred to the Montford Unit's Regional Medical Center in Lubbock, according to agency records.

Five days after Dickerson was assaulted, officers found him unresponsive while they were performing security checks, Clark said. Additional staff responded, Clark said, but even after life-saving procedures were initiated, Dickerson was pronounced dead.

No weapons were reported to have been used during the June 26 assault.

Clark said each homicide is being investigated by the Office of Inspector General.

According to The Associated Press, the 10 homicides don't appear to be connected and have been scattered throughout the 111-prison state system. The reason for the surge — the highest number in 15 years, is uncertain, Toney said.

He described the majority of the deaths as the result of "hands and feet kicking" and not a question of inmates armed with contraband weapons. More than half of the fatal attacks were committed in cells and involved altercations between cellmates, making it difficult to prevent, he said.

"It's a situation where they have some kind of disagreement and it results in a death," Toney told the AP. "Inside a prison cell, everything is metal so that leaves the potential for injuries if someone gets knocked down."

According to the AP, in the 1980s, a much smaller Texas corrections department dealt with a wave of violence.

In 1985, 27 inmates were killed and hundreds of others hurt in attacks at a time when Texas prisons housed only about one-fourth of the more than 150,000 convicts now incarcerated, the AP reported. ..Source.. by Denise Blaz

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ELASKO THOMAS, 38, Tyler, died Aug. 7. Brooks-Sterling & Garrett Funeral Directors, Tyler. ..Source..

Arnoult charged in Trumann deaths

Posted in Related Deaths

9-14-2012 Arkansas:

John Anthony Arnoult, 28, of 1610 Arrowhead Pond Road, Jonesboro, was arrested Sept. 9 after investigation by the Trumann Police Department and Arkansas State Police into the deaths of Constance "Connie" Cole, 56, and John Poff, 57, both of Trumann.

Cole and Poff's bodies were found on Sept. 2 in Poff's home in the trailer park on Viva Drive by a maintenance worker who performed a welfare check after neighbors reported hearing gunshots at 6:15 a.m. that morning and seeing a red truck drive away.

According to Arkansas State Police, Cole and Poff suffered from blunt force trauma wounds and gunshot wounds from a 40 caliber handgun. Police were led to Arnoult after interviewing witnesses and Arnoult's family members, who told police they owned a red Nisson pickup truck and a 40 caliber handgun that was missing.

Poff is listed in the National Sex Offender Registry as a level 2 sex offender.

The matter is still under investigation, though police are not pursuing other suspects at this time.

Arnoult is being charged with two counts of capital murder. He is being held without bond. Court date is Oct. 29. ..Source.. by Poinsett County Democrat Tribune

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Decade-Old Sex Case Possible Motive for Murders

9-11-2012:

TRUMANN, AR (abc24.com) - Could the possible motive in the deaths of a terminally ill man and his caretaker be a sex crime dating back more than a decade?

On Sunday, Arkansas State Police arrested John Arnoult, 28, of Jonesboro and charged him in the September 2nd murders of John Poff and Connie Cole.

Poff and Cole were found murdered in Poff's mobile home in Trumann.

"My sister and I both knew whoever done this couldn't have known my mother," said Laci Cole, Connie Cole's daughter. "Nobody would have ever wanted to hurt her."

According to online records, Poff was a Level 2 sex-offender, convicted of sexual abuse more than a decade ago. Prosecutor Scott Ellington says Poff's victim was one of Arnoult's relatives.

"She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Cole says of her mom.

Cole says her mother was helping Poff.

"He had a terminal illness, 2 months to live," Cole said. "That was my mom, she didn't care what you had done in the past; if you needed help, she was going to help you."

Arnoult remains in jail. He is due back in court in late-October. ..Source.. by Eli Ross

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Formal charges filed in deaths of Constance Cole, John Poff in NE Ark

10-26-2012:

Prosecutors have filed formal murder charges against an Arkansas man accused of killing two people who were found dead in a mobile home in Trumann.

In court documents filed in Poinsett County Friday, prosecutors charged 28-year-old John Anthony Arnoult with two counts of capital murder and one count of aggravated residential burglary in the deaths of 56-year-old Constance Cole and 57-year-old John Poff.

Authorities arrested Arnoult several days after a maintenance worker found Cole and Poff dead in Poff's mobile home in September.

Prosecutor Scott Ellington says Arnoult has a court appearance scheduled for Monday in Harrisburg.

Arnoult's attorneys didn't respond to phone messages left Friday. ..Source.. by TodaysTHV.com

Tempe suspect killed by deputy was wanted sex offender

Witness testimony is NOT relevant to the police, only what police say? Why bother investigating crimes if police assumptions are the only thing that counts; thankfully courts see this differently.

9-14-2012 Arizona:

A man shot to death Thursday in Tempe by a Maricopa County sheriff's deputy was a convicted sex offender who had a warrant out for his arrest, according to court records.

Joel Edward Smith III, 19, had violated his probation on a reduced charge of failure to register as a sex offender. Superior Court Judge Warren Granville signed a warrant for Smith's arrest on Aug. 7.

Smith was shot and killed Thursday morning by a deputy who was helping Tempe police search for burglary suspects.

The shooting took place on a canal bank that separates Tempe from Guadalupe, a town patrolled by the Sheriff's Office.

Although two Guadalupe residents who witnessed the shooting said Smith appeared to be unarmed and attempting to surrender, a sheriff's official said that the shooting was justified and that Smith threatened the deputy with a knife.

"The facts are that not only did the deputy sheriff have to encounter this individual, but so did two other Tempe officers who witnessed this from a very close distance," said Dave Trombi, a sheriff's deputy chief.

"People's assumptions on what he could have or would have done are irrelevant given that he did pull a knife, he did threaten the Tempe officers and the deputy sheriff, and the deputy sheriff did feel threatened," Trombi said.

The shooting remains under investigation by the Sheriff's Office.

Although the incident started in Tempe, city police deferred because the Sheriff's Office has jurisdiction throughout the county.

The court records show that Smith was indicted in June 2009 on a charge of sexual conduct with a minor, among the most serious of sex crimes, and the victim was a girl younger than 15. The molestation took place in April 2008, when Smith was 15. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge and was placed on lifetime probation, which he violated at least once before, court records show.

He last reported to a probation officer May 4 and failed to report three times, the report said. ..Source.. by Jim Walsh, and JJ Hensley

Milton biker found dead

9-14-2012 Alabama:

A 54-year-old Milton man was found dead in Robertsdale, Ala., and two men have been charged with murder in connection with the death.

The victim, Samuel Henry Dixson was found dead around noon on Wednesday off County Road 68 near the Styx River according to a press release by the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office.

Two men, Adam Lowery "Sandman" Mayton, 30, of Newbern, Ala., and Fred "Shooter" Weiss of Northport, Ala. were arrested Wednesday and charged with the murder of Dixson. They both are currently being held at Tuscaloosa County Jail awaiting extradition back to Baldwin County, Ala.

According to Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Scott Haines, Dixson was reported missing in Baldwin County earlier this week.

Haines said Dixson, a former sex offender, lived in Milton and told relatives he was going to Alabama earlier this week. He was reported missing by his wife on Monday.

According to the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office release, on Monday morning around 2 a.m., the Rosinton Volunteer fire Department responded to a trailer fire on Northcutt Lane. The fire was extinguished but the trailer was destroyed.

The sheriff’s office found that the trailer was actually the clubhouse for an Alabama chapter of the Devil’s Disciples motorcycle gang, which Dixson was a member of.

After Dixon’s wife filed the missing persons report, his truck was found in Escambia County, Fla. Shortly after, his body was found near the Styx River.

According to the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, two men walked into the Robertsdale Police Department Tuesday and stated that they were there to turn themselves into authorities on a homicide.

Before making any further statements they asked for legal council before questioning, which the Baldwin County Court provided them with. After speaking with council, both men stated they would not provide statements.

One of the men was transported to Thomas Hospital for injuries related to blunt force trauma. Both subjects were allowed to leave after refusing to file a statement.

The release did not indicate who the two men were that attempted to turn themselves in.

Late Wednesday evening, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office issued murder warrants for Mayton and Weiss.

It is believed at this time the motive is related to an internal squabble within the gang and that Weiss and Mayton intentionally and maliciously murdered Dixson, the BCSO release stated.

According to the Florida Sex Offender website, Dixson had a known address on Pine Blossom Road in Milton. He also registered that he was going to Robertsdale, Ala., back on Sept. 5 according to the website

Dixson was charged in 2004 with lewd and lascivious behavior on a child under 16 years of age in Orange, Fla.

A public information officer for the Robertsdale Police Department was not available for comment as of press time.

The trailer fire is still under investigation by the Alabama State Fire Marshals. ..Source.. by Mathew Pellegrino