Christopher Bell, 18, also was taken into custody for resisting law enforcement and possession of a handgun without a license

Two people were arrested after Evansville police stopped a pickup truck early this morning when they spotted a passenger hanging out the bed of the vehicle.
Charged with possession of marijuana is Tara Gwen Graham, 27, the driver. The passenger, Christopher Bell, 18, also was taken into custody for resisting law enforcement and possession of a handgun without a license.When police stopped the truck at 2:40 a.m. at Morton and Walnut streets, Bell jumped out and ran, but was apprehended a few blocks away.According to the arrest affidavit, Graham admitted she had “a smoke sack” and gave police a clear baggie containing a leafy substance that tested positive for a gram of marijuana.

Jovan T. Butler, 29, and Kamara C. Johnson, 31, both employed by Executive Patrol, were arrested Sunday morning after a man accused Butler of pointing

Jovan T. Butler, 29, and Kamara C. Johnson, 31, both employed by Executive Patrol, were arrested Sunday morning after a man accused Butler of pointing a gun at him while the guard was on duty at an apartment complex on Allison Court in southwest Atlanta, the police report said.
The man who made the allegations, Martey Robinson, 21, had been taken into custody for trespassing at the apartment complex where the guards were working, the report said.Butler and Johnson denied having a weapon in the guards’ vehicle, but an officer found a loaded .45-caliber gun between the driver and passenger seats, the report said.A background check revealed Johnson’s warrants in the city of Atlanta.
Johnson was arrested for her outstanding warrants on charges of aggravated assault and burglary. Butler was arrested on charges of carrying a concealed weapon, pointing a pistol at another and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to jail logs.The report states that Butler had a felony drug conviction from 1999, but Butler said in a phone interview Wednesday that he doesn’t have a felony drug conviction, but rather a 2002 felony conviction related to a domestic violence incident and an earlier misdemeanor conviction for marijuana possession.
Butler contended that he did not know there was a gun in vehicle and denied pointing it at Robinson.When reached by phone, the owner of the company, Willie Manson, said both guards had been with him for less than six weeks.
He said he did not run a criminal background check on Johnson and did not know she had warrants for her arrest. Manson said he knew about Butler’s criminal convictions when he hired him.

Tony Leroy Cleveland was arrested on complaints of shooting with intent to kill, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery with a firearm,

Tony Leroy Cleveland, 38, of Tulsa, was arrested on complaints of shooting with intent to kill, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery with a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon, wearing a mask in commission of a felony and possessing a firearm, all after a felony conviction, jail records show. According to an arrest report, Cleveland was wearing a Batman mask and a red bandanna and carrying a gun when he entered the Food Pyramid on 51st Street near Memorial Drive about 11:30 p.m. The robber gathered the store employees and customers to the front of the store and demanded money. “It was a strange situation,” said Stutzman, 44. “It didn’t seem real. I thought it was a prank at first.” When another customer tried to duck behind a counter, Cleveland fired at him, missing his head by inches, the report states.
His gun jammed, and Stutzman tackled Cleveland, police said. Store surveillance video shows Stutzman single-handedly fighting to keep a hold on him, to the point the robber's shirt is pulled off. “It took me a few seconds to register that we might have an opportunity here,” Stutzman said. “From there, it just happened. It started in the store and ended outside. Everything else was a tumble, a blur.”
The struggle continued outside the store until police arrived, even after Stutzman was hit in the head and face with the gun.
Stutzman said he didn’t do anything extraordinary: “You know, it just happened. There’s no real big thing about it.”
On the contrary, said Tulsa police Sgt. Dave Walker, who said without Stutzman’s help, Cleveland would not have been arrested.
Although it appeared at first that Stutzman had a broken jaw, it was only badly bruised. He had several other scrapes on his head and legs that he sustained in the fight. Stutzman had already taken Friday off and was supposed to go to a family reuinion. “I was supposed to fly out this morning,” he said, laughing. “I guess it shows no good deed goes unpunished.” Detectives will look at previous robberies of Food Pyramids for similarities and possible additional charges against Cleveland, Walker said. Cleveland was booked into the Tulsa Jail about 4 a.m. Friday with bond set at $310,000.
Court documents show he served 10 years for Oklahoma County convictions of robbery with firearms and also has a Hughes County conviction for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Katrel Lynch and Khary Watson are set to make their first appearance in San Diego Superior Court Friday

anonymous tip 12 years later led to the arrests this week of Katrel Lynch, 32, in Albuquerque, NM and Khary Watson, 31, in El Cajon. Police also anticipate the arrest of an unidentified 36-year-old woman. On Oct. 1, 1994, Lopez and a friend were walking home from a trip to the market when they were confronted by two men, one armed with a gun, who demanded their purses, detectives said.
Lopez ran and one of the robbers caught up with her a short distance away. After a brief struggle, she was shot in the back and died, detectives said. On November 2, 2006, a tipster called San Diego police and provided detailed information on the robbery and the potential identity of the robbers, police said.
The investigation was reopened by cold case investigators, and with the help of the FBI, the tipster's information was corroborated and the evidence was looked over again. The suspects were also interviewed, detectives said.
Lynch, who was arrested Sunday, and Watson, who was arrested Thursday, are set to make their first appearance in San Diego Superior Court Friday

Abdi Hakim Omar arrested and charged him with possession of a loaded regulated firearm, possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace

Ottawa police said they seized a loaded pistol and arrested an alleged gang member as a result of a foot patrol early Friday morning.
Officers from the guns and gangs unit's direct action response team were conducting a foot patrol at a community housing development on Russell Road at about 12:15 a.m. when they seized a loaded semi-automatic pistol.
Police arrested Abdi Hakim Omar, 23, and charged him with possession of a loaded regulated firearm, possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace, possession of a firearm obtained by crime, careless storage of a firearm, use of a firearm to commit an indictable offence, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a firearm knowing no authority and being an unlicensed person possessing an unregistered firearm.

South African women are actively arming themselves against domestic violence, rape and murder.

South African women are actively arming themselves against domestic violence, rape and murder. More women are purchasing guns and other items to defend themselves against the violence in the country. However, with the stricter weapon control measures, women need to be well-equipped to handle weapons and also understand the laws governing self-defence. In South Africa a woman is raped every 10 minutes, one is beaten up every four minutes and on average seven women are murdered every day. The latest crime statistics reveal that there has been an 8% decrease in rape. But the average figure still stands at more than 1 300 women being raped a day.
Head of media relations for the South African Police Service, Director Phuti Setati says all persons who are declared fit to possess a firearm can be issued with licences irrespective of whether the applicant is male or female. “…women are not discriminated against. We have reports where females also defended themselves using different things.”Although there are no official statistics available regarding female ownership of firearms, a gun shop owner in Bloemfontein, Peter Fredrickson says they have many female clientele, with the most common purchase being a 765 small pistol.Nico Skoonwinkel from a shooting range in Welkom says women are also very involved in shooting as a sport. “10% of the people that come to shoot at the shooting range are women, the women that are into shooting say they enjoy shooting very much and are very competitive…” Since the law changed, it has become more difficult to get a firearm's licence, with some people having to wait almost four years for it to be approved. In the meantime women wishing to own a firearm are forced to use pepper spray.

Martinez-Cura was jailed on suspicion of felony misconduct involving a weapon and on two outstanding warrants

Fernando Martinez-Cura, 37, was arrested by Maricopa County sheriff’s deputies after admitting ownership of the weapon. Deputies also determined that Martinez-Cura, the boyfriend of the boy’s grandmother, was living in the country illegally.
On Wednesday, the boy brought a loaded 9 mm handgun to school because, he said, someone was picking on him. The boy was seen showing other students how to load the gun. The investigation determined that the boy most likely acquired the gun at his grandmother’s house, where her boyfriend left it. Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Wednesday he suspected Martinez-Cura was an illegal immigrant, and that an arrest would be made because it is against the law for illegal immigrants to carry weapons.
Martinez-Cura was jailed on suspicion of felony misconduct involving a weapon and on two outstanding warrants, according to sheriff’s deputies. The 12-year-old boy may face felony charges of possession of a firearm and misdemeanor charges of endangerment, according to Arpaio. The boy’s family of six may also face deportation because the father, mother and a 10-year-old sibling were also found to be in the country illegally.

Aaron P. Flood, 18, of Calais, Jeffery S. Croman, Chad E. Robinson, and Joshua H. Robinson, have been charged with theft of firearms

Aaron P. Flood, 18, of Calais, Jeffery S. Croman, 20, of Baileyville, Chad E. Robinson, 23, and Joshua H. Robinson, 20, both of Charlotte have been charged with burglary and theft of firearms. Flood also was charged with aggravated criminal mischief. Four people were arrested over the weekend in connection with a break-in last month in which the front door at the Four Corners Rod and Gun Shop on Route 1 in Columbia was smashed and 12 handguns were stolen.Bail for the four men was set at $10,000 each, a press release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Department said.
The case also is being referred to the federal prosecutor’s office for possible firearms charges.Washington County Sheriff Donnie Smith said Monday that the four men remain in the Washington County Jail. During the early morning hours of July 28, the alarm at the gun shop on what is known locally as the Four Corners went off, and Sgt. Travis Willey of the Washington County Sheriff’s Department was at the gun shop within six minutes. Twelve handguns were missing from a display case that had been broken open.

Police also found that two soda machines at the nearby Columbia Supermarket and Gasoline Station and an oil storage display rack that was locked had been broken into.

"Through cooperation from local business owners’ footage, a suspect vehicle was identified via video surveillance," the press release said.

A photograph of the vehicle was forwarded to all local law enforcement agencies.

Calais police Officer Dave Claroni recognized the vehicle in the picture as one he had seen in his patrol area.

On Thursday, July 31, Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy Tom Chambers impounded Flood’s vehicle.

Two days later, the Sheriff’s Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, armed with a search warrant, searched the vehicle.

On Saturday, officers from the Sheriff’s Department, ATF, Maine State Police, Calais and Baileyville Police departments, and U.S. Border Patrol arrested the four men in the Calais area.

Two of the 12 guns were recovered.

Smith said police continue to investigate the whereabouts of the remaining guns.

"They have changed hands a couple of times," he said.

The sheriff said it was important that the handguns be recovered and said that for now the guns may be turned in to police with no questions asked.

"However," he said, "as the investigation continues, those found with the handguns will be charged."

It appears the theft was drug-related. "The initial investigation has shown us that they sold the handguns to get drugs," Smith said.

Smith credited the efforts of Washington County Sheriff’s Sgt. Travis Willey, the lead investigator, as well as the officers who assisted with the investigation.

Greg Byrd was taken into custody on Thursday around 3 p.m. at his residence, and booked into the Yuma County jail on charges

Greg Byrd was taken into custody on Thursday around 3 p.m. at his residence, and booked into the Yuma County jail on charges of tampering with physical evidence, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, possession of dangerous drugs and misconduct with weapons.Byrd, who had been a criminal prosecutor with the county attorney's office since 2004, was being held at the jail pending his initial appearance in Yuma County Justice Court on Friday afternoon.
Before joining the county attorney's office, Byrd worked with the Yuma County Legal Defender's Office.Byrd, who has multiple sclerosis, was on medical leave from the county attorney's office at the time of his arrest.Capt. Eben Bratcher of the Yuma County Sheriff's Office said his office received information last week about Byrd's alleged drug use and launched an investigation, which culminated in Thursday's arrest."We worked closely with the Yuma County Attorney's Office and appreciate their support and cooperation," Bratcher said.Yuma County Attorney Jon Smith said he could not comment on the circumstances of the case, but added he terminated Byrd after his arrest."Based upon evidence provided to my office it appeared that Mr. Byrd was allegedly engaging in conduct that, although was outside the scope of his duties within this office, they were nonetheless inconsistent with the ongoing duties of a prosecutor," Smith said. "I could not allow that type of conduct, alleged or otherwise, to compromise the integrity of this office and the justice system."Smith went on to say that to avoid any appearance of impropriety or a conflict of interest, the Yavapai County Attorney's Office will be prosecuting the case."He was a prosecutor for my office so I obviously can't prosecute him," Smith said.Bratcher added that Byrd. just as any other inmate would, will be placed in an intake unit and isolated from other inmates for at least the first 48 hours.
"If it turns out to be a longer-term custody issue then we will look at the matter," Bratcher stated.

Daniel Scott Gatley was arrested as the result of undercover operation to purchase a machine gun.

Daniel Scott Gatley, 31, 115 Dogwood Terrace, Big Stone Gap, was arrested July 21 as the result of undercover operation to purchase a machine gun.Scott County Sheriff John Puckett said his officers and members of the drug task force conducted the operation in an attempt to buy a fully-automatic machine gun.According to Puckett, a police informant was able to purchase the gun from Gatley, who was arrested by county deputies and agents from the drug task force.Following his arrest, the suspect was searched and a concealed handgun was found on his person.Gatley was charged with possession of a machine gun, possession of a concealed weapon, removal of serial numbers from a gun and failure to register a machine gun with the Virginia State Police.He is being held without bond in the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail in Duffield. He will make a court appearance on Aug. 21 at 9:30 a.m. in the Scott County General District Court.