| Nightly Crime Report
PETAL
- Officers responded to 11 complaints, three traffic accidents without injuries, four suspicious persons, two shoplifters, one welfare check, one noise complaint, one alarm, one stranded motorist, one reckless driver, two disturbances and assisted Petal Fire Department with a medical call.
- Gusto Gonzalez, 22, 3800 block Eagle Drive, Hattiesburg; jailed Monday on expired vehicle tag, no insurance and no seat belt charges
- William P. Boudreaux, 38, 100 block Ford Drive, Petal; jailed Monday on resisting arrest charge
LAMAR COUNTY
- William B. Finley, 24, no address given; jailed Saturday on charges of careless driving and DUI.
- Karen Bunch, 36, no address given; jailed Saturday on charges of careless driving and possession of paraphernalia.
DUI Stops Don't Stick In Fort Oglethorpe
It appears drunk drivers have been getting a slap on the wrist in Fort Oglethorpe. Our investigative team researched more than 300 records and found a KEY loophole in the law. We found that almost 4 out of every 10 accused drunk drivers received reductions. We're talking about reductions that DO NOT go on your driving record. Police officers made legitimate stops, but those changed in Fort Oglethorpe city court. "Second offense, drinking and disorderly, two offenses, three obstructions." Solicitor Pat Clements spells out the charges against a man in Fort Oglethorpe city court. The man gets 10 days in jail for his second DUI, two years probation and hefty fines for all his violations. But records show that's not an ACCURATE picture of what happens to DUI charges in this court. Our investigative team examined every DUI stop from 2005 through June of this year.
Judge tosses evidence in DUI case
A local judge forbid prosecutors from using evidence in a drunken driving case because the police officer endangered the public by waiting for an apparently drunk man to get into his car and drive away before confronting him. "'Friends don't let friends drive drunk,' but apparently police officers let people drive drunk," said Nick Carter, the man's attorney. Circuit Court Judge Terrill R. Tharp signed paperwork Thursday that ordered evidence to be suppressed in the case against Donald Uebler because Police Detective Chad Trebby "ignored his duty as a public safety official" by not arresting the man as soon as he had reason to suspect that Uebler was drunk. A ruling to suppress evidence often forces prosecutors to dismiss a case because they no longer have enough evidence to proceed.
Elizabeth Man Charged In Latest Pittsbugh-Area Online Sex Sting
Agents from the Attorney General's Child Predator Unit arrested an Allegheny County man accused of traveling to McKeesport to engage in sexual activity with someone who had been posing as a 15-year-old boy. Police said Douglas Robertson, 50, of Elizabeth, was using Craigslist.com to solicit oral sex from younger males. According to the criminal complaint on Friday, Robertson's postings were sexually graphic in nature, described the defendant's physical characteristics and posted telephone numbers. .
EEDA debates JFK feasibility
The Ely Economic Development Authority discussed options and rough estimates at its regular monthly meeting last Tuesday that could affect the future use of the JFK building. EEDA President Heidi Omerza presented approximate numbers of square footage, rental income and lease rates per square foot for tenants who occupy space in the building currently owned by the Ely School District. However, she said the departure of the U.S. Forest Service from the building on Nov. 1 has created a problem in determining expense numbers. The entire second floor of the building is vacant and no electricity or heat is supplied to it. Once current bills arrive for utilities and heat, she will be able to provide more accurate expenses. The loss of the USFS also means a $90,000 loss of rental income per year.
Big Ten Breakdown
The university is offering up to $500 for information about a string of vehicle break-ins.
Thieves have taken hand power tools and construction materials from 22 different University vehicles since July, Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Diane Brown said.
A University van has also been reported stolen, Brown said. Missing since Oct. 15, it has not been recovered.
Police think most of the thefts occurred on the same night, according to Brown. Nine break-ins were reported on one night in August.
Brown said thieves got into most of the vehicles by breaking windows or through doors that have been left unlocked. She said most of the vehicles broken into were parked on South Campus. As a result, University Plant Operations plans to change the location of vehicles parked overnight and revise its key policies.
Popular former priest had hidden dark side
He was known as Father Mike, a popular priest at St. Hilary in Pico Rivera and at St. Paul of the Cross in La Mirada. But Michael Stephen Baker hid a dark side. The ex-priest once admitted to having relationships with boys. Children in parishes he served accused him of molesting them as far back as 1974. Since last year, the defrocked clergyman has been in a Los Angeles County jail as a second molestation case against him winds its way through the courts. Prosecutors allege that the 59-year-old Long Beach man molested two boys from 1994 to 1998 while assigned to churches in Pico Rivera and Los Angeles. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and will return to Los Angeles Superior Court on Nov. 30 for a hearing. Baker is being held at Men's Central Jail in lieu of $800,000 bail.
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