Who's been Bad in Ozark....AUGUST 10, 2011 – WEDNESDAY

OZARK POLICE DEPARTMENT
DAILY BULLETIN 

AUGUST 10, 2011 – WEDNESDAY:
@ 5:01 am. Domestic Violence 3rd. Briarhill Ct. Victim (Quincy C. Hatten) stated he and suspect (Hazel L. Carson) were arguing. Victim stated suspect struck him with a table leg in the forehead causing a laceration.

@ 7:00 am. Criminal Mischief 3rd/Criminal Trespass 3rd. Will Logan Rd. Victim (Shirley Freeman) stated an unknown suspect came onto her property and damaged her E-911 sign posts and a clay pot.

@ 10:09 am. Harassing Communications. Harris Rd. Victim (Ashleigh Lester) stated suspect (Jamie Smedley) repeatedly sends threatening text to her cell phone.

@ 1:28 pm. Criminal Mischief 2nd. Dean Church Rd. Victim (Jefferson Z. Johnson) stated an
unknown suspect used an unknown object to scratch his entire vehicle.

@ 5:26 pm. Burglary 3rd/Theft of Property 3rd. Hillcrest Street. Victim (Tamara R. Williams) stated an unknown suspect entered her home and removed an X-Box, games and controllers.

@ 5:50 pm. Domestic Dispute. Brookview Dr. (Roger L. Chaney) and (Lisa B. Chaney) were arguing over personal matters.

@ 6:35 pm. Domestic Dispute. Brookview Dr. (Patricia J. Austin) and (Kimberly Duke) were arguing over
personal matters.

@ 8:29 pm. Menacing. Ozark Motel. Victim (Angelo T. Cooper) stated an unknown suspect drove behind the motel and pointed a rifle with a laser into his window.

@ 8:46 pm. Theft of Property 3rd/Unlawful B & E of Vehicle. Platinum Motors. Victim (Dion T. Robinson) stated an unknown suspect removed the catalytic converter from his vehicle.

ARRESTS:
Hazel Lynn Carson – Domestic Violence 3rd. 161 Briarhill Ct. 33 YOA.

Perry to Ala Republicans: Time to cut government

Associated Press

Perry

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Texas Gov. Rick Perry is telling Alabama Republicans it's time to reduce the size of government and make the country friendlier to job-creating businesses.
Perry spoke at a fundraising dinner for the Alabama GOP on Friday night. The appearance came on the eve of his expected presidential announcement.
The conservative successor to one-time Texas Gov. George W. Bush didn't refer directly to his presidential plans. But he did ask audience members to send him a text message to get their phone numbers in his databank.
Perry called the federal government a "sprawling mess" that needs to be returned to the limited sized envisioned by the nation's founders in the Constitution.

Gambling trial could affect Ala. Legislature's

Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Some Alabama lawmakers say a federal corruption trial will change the way business is done at the Statehouse even though jurors either acquitted defendants or did not reach a verdict on the charges.
Democratic state Rep. Alvin Holmes of Montgomery said he expects other legislators to adopt his philosophy of not being influenced by campaign donations.
Macon County casino owner Milton McGregor, four former and current state senators and four others were on trial for the past 10 weeks on charges there was a conspiracy to influence the vote on legislation to legalize electronic bingo machines at some locations.
Republican House Speaker Mike Hubbard said the trial combined with tougher ethics laws could make lawmakers be more careful in the way they do business.

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Ala. judge orders seized bingo machines returned

Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama's attorney general lacked probable cause to seize electronic bingo machines at Greenetrack in Eutaw, and a warrant used to take the machines contained misleading information, a judge has ruled.
Special Greene County Circuit Judge Houston Brown on Wednesday ordered the state to return to Greenetrack the electronic bingo machines seized by law enforcement officers after an investigation by Attorney General Luther Strange's office.
Strange said he would ask Brown to delay implementation of his order, and said he would immediately appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court.
"We strongly disagree with the court's findings and characterizations of the state's actions," Strange said in a prepared statement.
The machines were seized on May 31 after Brown granted a search warrant when the attorney general's office alleged that the machines were "slot machines."
In his order, Brown accused the attorney general's office of "judge shopping" when it originally had him appointed by the state Administrative Office of Courts to be a special judge and did not go to Greene County's two judges, Circuit Judge Eddie Hardaway and District Judge Lillie Jones-Osborne.
Greenetrack manager Luther Winn did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Greenetrack was once one of the South's more successful greyhound race tracks, drawing in large crowds after the track opened in the 1970s. It was once home to one of the nation's top winning greyhounds, the legendary Joe Dump. But the track hit hard times as casinos opened in Mississippi and surrounding states created lotteries. Eventually the greyhounds stopped running and Greenetrack was left with simulcasts of horse and dog races around the country. Dump is buried on what was once the track's finish line.
The track reopened with electronic bingo machines after voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing bingo in the county. Employment at the track grew to about 400, but just a skeletal staff remains after the most recent effort to close it. Racing simulcasts are the only remaining activity at the track, about 40 miles southwest of Tuscaloosa.
State Sen. Bobby Singleton, who represents Greene County, said he hopes the judge's ruling will allow Greenetrack to put people back to work.
"I think this is a lesson to the governor and the attorney general for them to stop using the resources of the state to shut down legitimate businesses," Singleton said.
Greenetrack was closed last year in a raid by former Gov. Bob Riley's anti-gambling task force. The casino later reopened using machines that track operators said complied with an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that defined bingo. Those were the machines seized in May.
Strange has said he considers electronic bingo games to be slot machines. But Brown said in his order that the amendment to the Alabama Constitution allowing bingo at Greenetrack does allow the games to be played on electronic machines. A witness for the attorney general at a hearing before Brown said the bingo games must be played on paper.

Federal appeals court upholds Langford conviction

Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford on Friday lost an appeal of his conviction on bribery, conspiracy, money laundering and other charges.
The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals turned down Langford's appeal of his conviction on 60 counts concerning his activities when he was president of the Jefferson County Commission. Langford asked that his 2009 conviction be overturned because his attorneys said the evidence was insufficient to sustain some of his convictions.
Langford's attorney, Michael Rasmussen of Birmingham, said he had not had time to study the ruling and did not have any immediate comment.
A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit ruled it could not find any basis to overturn Langford's conviction. Langford was mayor of Birmingham at the time of his conviction.
Langford is serving a 15-year prison sentence at a federal prison in Ashland, Ky. Langford was accused of receiving more than $240,000 in bribes.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney John England in the Northern District of Alabama said Langford's willingness to accept bribes "helped bring Jefferson County to the brink of financial ruin."
"Public officials are not above the law, and corruption among them will not be tolerated," England said.
Jefferson County is Alabama's largest and has suffered severe financial problems linked to a massive sewer project. County officials have been working since 2008 to avoid filing for what would be the nation's largest municipal bankruptcy. The financial problems occurred during a time when several county officials, including Langford, were convicted of taking bribes and other public corruption charges.
In the ruling, the appellate judges said the government proved "beyond a reasonable doubt" that as a county commissioner Langford "accepted bribes and did not disclose them to the public."
Evidence in Langford's trial showed he was taking tens of thousands in checks, fancy suits and jewelry from investment banker Bill Blount while his firm was among those advising the county to enter complicated bond deals for financing the sewer project.
The verdict marked a long fall for Langford, a one-time television news reporter who was once mentioned as a possible gubernatorial candidate in the 1990s.
As mayor, Langford was known for his flashy clothes and idea-a-minute style of governing. He drew both fans and critics with a series of plans for the state's largest city, including a bid to bring the Olympics to Birmingham in 2020.
Langford is also former mayor of the suburban town of Fairfield in western Jefferson County.

Woman sent to prison in Liberty National fraud

Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge has sentenced a Florida woman to 15 months in prison on charges that she defrauded the Alabama-based insurance company she worked for in Florida.
U.S. District Judge C. Lynwood Smith Jr. sentenced 29-year-old Diana Bellomo of Ocala, Fla., on three counts of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud. Prosecutors said she created and submitted 259 fake insurance applications to her employer, Birmingham-based Liberty National Life Insurance Co., between March and July of 2010.
Authorities say Bellomo was managing the company's Lake Worth, Fla., branch. They say she received $83,814 in commissions on policies Liberty National issued on the fraudulent applications. Smith also ordered her to pay restitution.
She's scheduled to report to prison Sept. 29.

Shark bodies wash up on Alabama beach

WALA-TV

DAPHNE, Ala. (AP) — Biologists say they aren't sure about the type of the sharks that have washed ashore at Montrose Beach in Baldwin County.
WALA-TV reports that more than 14 sharks washed ashore.
Biologist Chris Denson says the bodies are too badly decomposed to determine the type of shark.
Marcus Drymon, Fisheries Biologist with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, says there was a report of sharks on shore last month, and they turned out be bull sharks.
Researchers say the cause of death remains a mystery, but they say salinity has a major effect on the fish, and anything from a pulse of fresh water or extremely dry weather can change the amount of salt in the water.
___
Information from: WALA-TV, http://www.fox10tv.com/

Ala. National Guard soldier killed in Afghanistan

Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama National Guard soldier was killed when his unit was attacked in Paktika province in Afghanistan.
Alabama Army National Guard officials confirmed that 41-year-old Capt. Waid C. Ramsey of Red Bay died Thursday of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked with small arms fire.
Alabama Army National Guard Commander Maj. Gen. Perry Smith said Ramsey was deployed to Afghanistan with the Guard's 20th Special Forces Group of Birmingham.
Ramsey is the second soldier from the 20th Special Forces Group to die in combat in Afghanistan in the last two years. Ramsey is the eighth Alabama National Guard soldier to die since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks while deployed overseas in the war on terror.
Ramsey's unit is scheduled to return to Alabama later this year.

Former Rep. Schmitz to get resentenced next month

Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A defense lawyer for former Democratic state Rep. Sue Schmitz of Toney is asking that she be sentenced to time served when she is resentenced on Sept. 6 in Birmingham.
U.S. District Judge David Proctor scheduled the hearing after a federal appeals court upheld her three mail fraud convictions but threw out four convictions for theft from a federally funded program.
Schmitz is due to finish her 30-month sentence on March 31, 2012, but defense lawyer Bill Clark filed court papers Thursday asking that she be released on time served.
Schmitz was one of 17 people who were convicted or pleaded guilty during a federal investigation of Alabama's two-year college system.

Remnants of Emily could redevelop; Muifa batters Okinawa; Central U.S. roasts

Tropical Storm Emily degraded into an open tropical wave yesterday afternoon, after Hurricane Hunters could no longer locate a center of circulation at the surface. Through the morning yesterday, the storm appeared to lose most of its strong thunderstorm activity on the north side, and mid-level circulation was broad (tropical cyclones need a tight, coherent circulation to maintain themselves). Soon after the Hurricane Hunters took a pass through the storm, the National Hurricane Center demoted Emily from a tropical storm to a remnant low, while continuing to stress the rainfall threat to Hispaniola and eastern Cuba. Today it appears the center of the remnants are located just north of eastern Cuba in the southern Bahamas, although thunderstorm activity continues across eastern Cuba. Hispaniola probably saw rain and thunderstorms again early this morning, the strongest of which were on the eastern side of the island. New thunderstorm activity is starting to develop in the southeast Bahamas. Given Wednesday's rain gauge analysis from CPC, Hispaniola probably saw at least an additional 5 inches of rain yesterday.

Environmental conditions remain pretty much the same as yesterday, but are expected to become more favorable for Emily's remnants, and redevelopment of the storm is possible. Circulation from the low to mid-levels is still broad and tilting to the east with height due to the lingering moderate westerly wind shear. However, this shear is expected to dissipate some over the next 24 hours, and signs of this are already present to the west of the remnants. The dry air that has been following the storm since its inception has dissipated, as well.


Figure 1. Satellite imagery of the remnants of Tropical Storm Emily as they move northwest away from Cuba and Hispaniola and into the Bahamas.

Forecast for Emily's Remnants
Interestingly, the models have come into better agreement on the forecast for former Emily now that it has lost its surface circulation and degenerated into a tropical wave. The ECMWF, which has come out ahead in this forecasting game so far, is optimistic today that Emily will redevelop. Other global models—GFS, CMC, and FIM—also redevelop the storm. Consensus on timing of redevelopment seems to be when the wave reaches the northern Bahamas in 24 to 48 hours. At 12Z (8am EDT), the high-resolution HWRF model run forecasted a track that was furthest to the west of all the models, scraping eastern Florida as it travels northwest. The most probable track and intensity forecast that I see at this point is north-northwest movement over the next 24 to 36 hours, at which point the system will take a fairly sharp turn to the northeast and out to sea. Without an already established, coherent circulation, it appears unlikely that if Emily is reborn it will intensify into anything more than a moderate tropical storm. However, there is some potential as the system moves out to see that it could gain some strength and develop hurricane-force winds before it transitions into an extra-tropical cyclone.

Typhoon Muifa passes to the south of Okinawa, heads into East China Sea

The center of Typhoon Muifa passed to the south of Okinawa earlier this morning (Eastern time) and it continues to batter the islands with high winds and torrential rain. Local radar estimate rainfall rates as high as 80 mm/hour (approx. 3 inches/hour) in the strongest rain bands. Kadena Air Force Base near the city of Okinawa has been reporting sustained winds of 47 mph with gusts up to 72 mph. Muifa is expected to turn northwest today as it enters the East China Sea as a category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, and then intensify into a category 2 as it passes close to eastern China. This morning, the forecast is that Muifa will probably not make landfall anywhere as a typhoon.


Figure 2. Radar imagery from the Japan Meteorological Agency around 1am JST. Scale is in millimeters. Highest rainfall rates appear to be approximately 3 inches/hour.

South-Central U.S. continues to bake

The extreme heat continues again today after 269 high maximum and 250 high minimum temperature records were set yesterday, 19 and 29 of which were all-time records, respectively. 206 of yesterday's records were 110°F or higher. Yesterday, Reuters was reporting that Texas was one power plant shutdown away from rolling blackouts. The forecast today doesn't look any better. Heat index values up to 125° are forecast in eastern Texas and the Lower Mississippi Valley.

Particularly toasty heat index values from yesterday:

• Mobile, Alabama: 120°
• Arkadelphia, Arkansas: 121°
• Bay St. Louis, Mississippi: 121°
• Memphis, Tennessee: 122°


Figure 3. Heat index forecast from the ECMWF for today. Scale is in degrees Fahrenheit. You can plot model forecasts using Wundermap by choosing the "Model Data" layer.

OZARK POLICE DEPARTMENT DAILY CRIME BULLETIN

@ 12:45 am. Attempted Suicide. Patterson Dr. Complainant (Sonda Medley) stated she confronted her
boyfriend/suspect (Johnny L. Russell) about personal matters. Complainant stated she left the suspect
alone in the bedroom. Suspect came out of the room, obtained a steak knife and began cutting himself.
 
@ 8:04 am. Criminal Mischief 3rd. Mixon School Rd. Victim (Elaine Huss) stated an unknown suspect(s)
cut all four tires on her vehicle. 

@ 8:17 am. Criminal Mischief 3rd. Mixon School Rd. Victim (Virginia A. Kyser) stated an unknown
suspect(s) cut the victim’s rear driver’s side tire. 

@ 10:30 am. Criminal Mischief 3rd. Briarhill Ct. Victim (Melanie Wheeler) stated suspect (Michael
Cooper) threw an unknown object at her vehicle causing minor damage
. 
@ 12:05 pm. Harassing Communications. Andrews Ave. Victim (Jennifer F. Waugh) stated suspect (Sean
Stifler) called her stating he worked for a law firm that had a claim against her from a cash advance
company from the year 2008. Victim stated she has never taken out this type of a loan. 

@ 2:24 pm. Harassment. Hull St. Victim (Hosea Crittendon) stated suspects (Kevin Shipman) and
(Rodney Stuckey) have threatened him over money he owes them. 

@ 8:17 pm. Fraudulent Use of Credit/Debit Card. Discount Tobacco. Victim (Seth M. Shook) stated
suspect (Tammy P. Barnette) used his credit/debit card without permission.
 
@ 8:36 pm. Theft of Property 1st.  AACFCU (online). Victim (Seth M. Shook) stated suspect (Linda Hurt
Moody) had been removing money from his bank account via the internet.
 
@ 8:57 pm. Robbery 1st. Andrews Avenue. Victim (Tamalyn S. Thompkins) stated an unknown suspect
pulled out a handgun, demanded her purse and fled the scene.

@ 9:01 pm. Harassment. Andrews Ave. Victim (Ingrid M. Mechur) stated suspect confronted her at her
residence over a rent payment. 

@ 9:08 pm. Burglary 3rd/Theft of Property 1st. Eufaula St. Victim (Seth M. Shook) stated suspect (Tammy
P. Barnette) was asked to take some of his belongings for safe keeping. When victim was giving his
belongings several items were missing. Victim is unsure if suspect (Barnette) or an unknown suspect took
the items. 

@ 9:55 pm. Domestic Dispute. Candlewick Blvd. (Timothy J. Loyless, Sr.) and (Timothy J. Loyless, Jr.) 
were arguing over personal matters.

ARRESTS:
Antonia Venetez Stuckey – Failure to Appear. 186 Stanford Pl. 24 YOA

Books A Million employee arrested for theft

On August, 2011 the Dothan Police Department made a felony arrest following a brief theft investigation. Investigators learned an employee of Books A Million was stealing merchandise from his employer. The case was turned over to police by security members of the business and has now been closed following the arrest.

·        Odis Wayne Steward, black male, 51 years of age, of Liberty Court was arrested and charged with Second Degree Theft of Property with a $5,000 bond.