Ex-cop
at Grand Blanc security firm gets probation for using fake FBI credentials to
get hotel discounts
By
Gary Ridley
FLINT,
MI -- A former Pontiac police officer who operates a Grand Blanc-based security
firm was sentenced to probation for using fake Federal Bureau of Investigation
credentials to secure discounted government rates at hotels.
Flint
U.S. District Magistrate Judge Michael J. Hluchaniuk sentenced John Hamilton
Wood IV in a Monday, May 5, judgment to one year probation after he pleaded
guilty to possession of imitation federal identification following an
investigation by the FBI.
He
was also ordered to perform 120 hours of community service and pay a $2,500
fine.
The
federal government offers an $83 lodging per diem for employees that is honored
by many hotels. The per diem rate is used by government travelers to obtain
hotel rooms at a standard discount, according to the American Hotel and Lodging
Association. The discounted rate allows federal employees to save upward of $50
per night at some Flint-area hotels.
FBI
officials say they began the investigation after they received complaints about
Wood. Wood is not associated in any way with the FBI, according to court
records.
Court
records show that Wood turned over the fraudulent identification to federal
agents in April 2013 at a security company on South Saginaw Road in Grand
Blanc.
police
officer charged with stealing from relative
PORTLAND,
Maine — A retired Portland police patrol sergeant is facing felony theft
charges accusing him of taking $158,000 from a family member.
The
county prosecutor's office said Friday that 62-year-old Bruce Chase of Naples
was indicted by a Cumberland County grand jury.
The
Portland Press Herald reports (http://bit.ly/QsfmfJ ) that police say he's
accused of taking $158,000 from a family member between 2009 and this year
while he had the power of attorney to manage her money.
Chase
could not be reached for comment. There was no phone listing in his name.
The
city of Portland said he retired in good standing as a sergeant in 2000, after
becoming a public safety officer with the department from 1980-1982 and a
police officer in 1982.
He
is scheduled to appear in court in June.
Head
of agency that investigates police misconduct himself under scrutiny
The
head of the Oregon State Police Office of Professional standards has been
placed on administrative leave as the Linn County District Attorney’s Office is
reviewing a criminal investigation against him.
Capt.
Jeff Lanz, 39, was placed on paid leave April 29, when the investigation
started.
The
matters under investigation occurred in Linn County, said Lt. Gregg Hastings,
an OSP spokesman.
Hastings
and Deputy District Attorney George Eder, who is mulling the matter for
possible criminal charges, declined to discuss the nature of the investigation.
Lanz,
39, is the former station commander at Oregon State University and a graduate
of Lebanon High School.
He
joined the state police in 1999, and most recently was assigned to the agency
headquarters in Salem.
The
Office of Professional Standards in in charge of internal investigations for
the law enforcement agency. It also oversees risk management, human resources
and training for OSP.
An
OSP major from outside the Salem area was assigned to conduct the investigation.
Former
Amity cop convicted of shoplifting
By
Carl Hessler Jr., The Mercury
Posted:
05/05/14, 11:29 AM EDT | Updated: 5 days ago
1
Comment
NORRISTOWN
— A former Berks County police officer finds himself on the other side of the
law now that he is a convicted shoplifter.
Former
Amity Township Police Officer Glenn James Oesterling, 36, has been sentenced in
Montgomery County Court to two years’ probation after he pleaded guilty to a
misdemeanor charge of retail theft in connection with a June 2013 incident that
occurred at the Upland Square Giant store in West Pottsgrove. Judge William R.
Carpenter, who accepted a plea agreement in the case, also ordered Oesterling
to complete 36 hours of community service.
Specifically,
Oesterling admitted that he stole items valued at $296.35 from the store on June
18. Authorities said Oesterling passed the store checkout area without paying
for merchandise he placed into blue, reusable shopping bags in the shopping
cart he was pushing.
Oesterling
did not offer an explanation for his conduct.
“There
was no reason, no explanation offered for what he did so I still don’t know why
he did what he did,” said Assistant District Attorney Heather Hines. “It’s
unfortunate when anybody commits a crime like this but it’s especially
unfortunate when someone is in law enforcement. Now that he has been found to
be dishonest, that’s probably the worst thing that you can have being a police
officer. It’s just an unfortunate situation.”
The
conviction likely will prevent Oesterling from ever holding a job as a police
officer.
“Any
police department is going to do a background check so I would think a
conviction of any sort, most especially of a crime of deceit, would probably
preclude him from having a police job anywhere else,” Hines said.
Oesterling,
a 12-year veteran corporal of the police force who was fired by Amity Township
supervisors last year, pleaded guilty to the most serious charge lodged against
him by West Pottsgrove police.
A
separate summary charge of retail theft, stemming from a theft of merchandise
valued at $38.04 from the same store on June 12, was dismissed against
Oesterling as part of the plea agreement. A summary charge is similar to a
traffic citation. Another lesser charge of receiving stolen property also was
dismissed against Oesterling as part of the plea agreement.
Oesterling
had been scheduled to stand trial on the charges on Monday.
“Mr.
Oesterling is deeply remorseful as well as troubled by the result of this
case,” said defense lawyer Adam Sager. “Throughout this proceeding he was
willing to acknowledge his potential bad judgment. My client will now prepare
for a life outside the department as a result of the poor judgment he used in
the one incident in Montgomery County.”
However,
Sager said Oesterling “is troubled” that prosecutors turned down two separate
requests for acceptance to the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program,
even though the charges involved non-violent allegations and even though
others, including an elected official accused of false swearing under oath,
have been admitted to the ARD program in the past.
The
ARD program is reserved for first-time, non-violent offenders and allows
offenders to clear their records after successfully completing a period of
probation.
According
to a criminal complaint, a loss prevention officer with Giant observed a man
leave the store on June 12 without paying for six items worth $38.04 in
reusable bags.
The
loss prevention officer used store surveillance footage to confirm what the
items were and that the man bypassed all points of sale, according to the
criminal complaint. In the footage, the suspect was observed pushing a shopping
cart with a child’s car attachment on the front and three small children riding
on the cart in different positions, according to court papers.
Following
that alleged incident, the loss prevention officer printed photos of the man
and “placed them in the office for review by other loss prevention officers,”
according to the criminal complaint filed by West Pottsgrove Police Officer
Joseph Ray Buchert.
Almost
a week later, on June 18, another loss prevention officer observed a man,
matching the description of the person captured in the June 12 photos, enter
the store. The man was pushing a cart with the same three children in the same
type of cart with blue reusable grocery bags, according to court papers.
The
loss prevention officer followed the man, later identified as Oesterling,
around the store as he placed items into the reusable bags.
After
moving toward the service desk, “the defendant then bypassed all points of sale
and then exited the store,” the loss prevention officer told police.
The
loss prevention officer stopped Oesterling in the store vestibule, where “the
defendant then identified himself as a ‘cop,’” according to the complaint.
West
Pottsgrove Police responded and the loss prevention officer alleged there were
53 store items totaling $296.35 in Oesterling’s possession.
Oesterling
was charged by West Pottsgrove police in July and initially was suspended from
the Amity police force without pay. However, late last year, the township
supervisors unanimously voted to fire Oesterling.
Follow
Carl Hessler Jr. on Twitter @MontcoCourtNews
The
following is an earlier version of this story.
NORRISTOWN
— A former Berks County police officer finds himself on the other side of the
law now that he is a convicted shoplifter.
Former
Amity Township Police Officer Glenn James Oesterling, 36, has been sentenced in
Montgomery County Court to two years’ probation after he pleaded guilty to a
misdemeanor charge of retail theft in connection with a June 2013 incident that
occurred at the Upland Square Giant store in West Pottsgrove. Judge William R.
Carpenter, who accepted a plea agreement in the case, also ordered Oesterling
to complete 36 hours of community service.
Specifically,
Oesterling admitted that he stole items valued at $296.35 from the store on
June 18. Oesterling, a 12-year veteran corporal of the police force who was
fired by Amity Township supervisors last year, pleaded guilty to the most serious
charge lodged against him by West Pottsgrove police.
A
separate summary charge of retail theft, stemming from a theft of merchandise
valued at $38.04 from the same store on June 12, was dismissed against
Oesterling as part of the plea agreement. A summary charge is similar to a
traffic citation. Another lesser charge of receiving stolen property also was
dismissed against Oesterling as part of the plea agreement.
The
case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Heather Hines.
Oesterling,
who was represented by defense lawyer Adam Sager, had been scheduled to stand
trial on the charges on Monday.
Check
back here for more details on this developing story.
