Page 18 - Florida Sentinel 6-27-17

National
TSA Officer Arrested For Stealing Woman’s Money During Pat Down
St. Louis Cop Shoots Black Off-Duty Officer; Claims Friendly Fire
ORLANDO, FL —- A pat down became a shakedown when a Transportation Secu- rity Administration officer stole money from a passenger at Orlando International Air- port, police said.
Kathleen Duddleston
was pulled aside for addi- tional screening after she went through security last Thursday, a police report.
While lead TSA officer Michelle Metz searched Duddleston, another offi- cer took money from one of her bags, Duddleston told police.
Duddleston’s view of her belongings was obscured by another officer during the screening. When she said she couldn’t see her bags, officer Alexander Johnson, 22,
TSA officer Alexander John- son was arrested.
moved only slightly, accord- ing to an arrest report. After the pat down,
Duddleston noticed money missing from her bag.
She also noticed a bulge in Johnson’s shirt pocket.
When she asked him if the money was hers, he re- sponded that the money had come from a bank.
Duddleston told Metz that Johnson had stolen her money, and that it was in his shirt pocket.
Metz retrieved the money and notified a supervisor.
The incident was captured on video, which shows John- son reaching into Duddle- ston’s bag, taking the money and pocketing it, an arrest re- port said according to Wesh.
Duddleston got her money back while Johnson was taken into custody.
He was arrested on suspi- cion of grand theft in the third degree.
ST. LOUIS, MO —— A Black off-duty St. Louis police officer with 11-years on the force was shot by a white on- duty police officer from the same department who appar- ently mistook him for a flee- ing suspect, according to a statement from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Depart- ment.
Last Wednesday evening, St. Louis police received a re- port that a stolen vehicle had been spotted. Officers laid down spike strips and turned on their lights, but the occu- pants of the vehicle allegedly opened fire on police. Officers followed the car until it crashed.
According to the police statement, the armed sus- pects then fled on foot. Mean- while, an off-duty officer who
lived near where the crash oc- curred came outside with his department issued firearm after hearing the commotion.
Two officers "challenged the off-duty officer and or- dered him to the ground," the department said. The officer complied and once they rec- ognized him the on-duty offi- cers told him "to stand up and walk toward them."
At about the same time, an- other officer who had just ar- rived on the scene saw what was happening and "fearing for his safety and apparently not recognizing the off-duty officer, discharged a shot, striking the off-duty officer in the arm."
Seven officers have been placed on administrative leave while the shooting is in- vestigated.
Hebrew Israelite, 47, And Mom Of Girl, 14, Arrested For Her Marriage And Being Sexually Active
FORT BEND, TX —- Au- thorities have accused a 47- year-old man of sexually assaulting his teenaged wife, who is a member of a group that believes they are direct descendants of biblical Is- raelites, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office. The unidentified 14-year-old girl's mother, another mem- ber of the group, also was ar- rested on charges of endangering a child.
According to the sheriff's office, the 14-year-old female told a doctor that she was married and sexually active. She said she had been "mar- ried" since she was 13. Police were notified of the situation on June 5 by Child Protective Services.
Sheriff Troy Nehls said during a Thursday press con- ference that he found the girl's ordeal to be a "very dis- turbing case."
The sheriff's office identi- fied Steven Carty, 47, as the "husband" and charged him with aggravated sexual as- sault of a child. The girl's
Steven Carty, 47, and Cherry Payton, 39, were arrested for en- dangering Payton’s 14-year-old daughter. Carty is allegedly mar- ried to the teen.
mother, Cherry Jamila Payton, 39, was charged with endangering a child, a state felony.
When CPS officials inter- viewed both the teen and her mother, they described them- selves as Hebrew Israelites, African-Americans who be- lieve they are descendants of ancient Israelites.
The mother apparently
supported her daughter's marriage to Carty because of their beliefs, according to Fort Bend Sheriff's Office spokeswomen Caitilin Es- pinosa.
Espinosa said the young girl did not have a traditional marriage ceremony, but the teen believed she was mar- ried because of her cultural beliefs.
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