Two Fla. deputies killed during arrest

Two Fla. deputies killed during arrest

SHALIMAR, Fla., April 25 (UPI) -- Two Okaloosa County sheriff's deputies were shot and killed Saturday while trying to arrest a man who was killed in a subsequent shootout, police said.

Deputy Burt Lopez and Deputy Warren York were attempting to arrest Joshua Cartwright, 28, of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., in connection with a domestic abuse case early Saturday, when the suspect opened fire on the deputies just before 1 p.m. EDT, the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
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Two Fla. deputies killed during arrest

Deputy hit by truck before UCF game is critically hurt

Deputy hit by truck before UCF game is critically hurt
Jeanette Rivera-Lyles Sentinel Staff Writer
September 7, 2008
An off-duty Orange County deputy sheriff was in critical condition Saturday night at Orlando Regional Medical Center after being hit by a truck before a football game at the University of Central Florida, authorities said.
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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-b3court07_408sep07,0,4984386.story

Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Deputy Richard Bennett hero

August 24, 2008
Clearwater sisters injured when water scooter explodes
CLEARWATER - Two teenage sisters were injured Sunday when their personal watercraft suddenly exploded in the Intracoastal Waterway north of the Memorial Causeway.

Tiffany M. Davis, 16, was piloting the 1999 Polaris water craft, and her sister Heather N. Davis, 19, was riding as a passenger when the explosion occured at 12:30 p.m.

The sisters, both of Clearwater, had been stopped by Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Deputy Richard Bennett near the Seminole Boat Ramp because they were not wearing life jackets.

Bennett ticketed the young women and directed them back to the boat ramp because neither had boater identification cards with them. The deputy started to leave, but returned when he saw one teenager was having trouble restarting the engine.

As Bennett grabbed the handle bar to steady the craft, it exploded, sending the young women into the water. Bennett pulled them aboard his patrol boat and took them to the nearby boat ramp, where they were met by paramedics.

The sisters were taken by ambulance to Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, where they were treated for injuries called not life-threatening.

Bennett was not injured. The deputy’s “quick actions likely prevented a tragedy,” said Sgt. Dwayne Somers, sheriff's office Marine Enforcement Unit supervisor, in a statement.

The vesse burned and later sank. An investigation is ongoing.

- Rita Farlow, Times staff writer
http://blogs.tampabay.com/breakingnews/2008/08/clearwater-sist.html

County sheriff's deputy leaving for work shot to death in Cypress Park

County sheriff's deputy leaving for work shot to death in Cypress Park
Juan Abel Escalante, a 27-year-old father of three who worked at the Men's Central Jail, is killed in a drive-by shooting in an area that has been troubled by gang feuds.
By J.P. Renaud and Andrew Blankstein, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
4:54 PM PDT, August 2, 2008
A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy leaving his Cypress Park home for work at the Men's Central Jail was killed in a drive-by shooting early this morning, Los Angeles police said.

Juan Abel Escalante, 27, a father of three, died near his car shortly after the 5:40 a.m. shooting at Aragon Avenue between Maceo Street and Thorpe Avenue, police said.

Escalante, who police officials said had served in the Army Reserve and had been stationed in Germany in 2003, was described by Baca as "a local success story" and a deputy who was "dedicated and hard-charging in the best sense of the word."
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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-deputy3-2008aug03,0,7868863.story

Demoted deputy police chief kills self

Demoted deputy police chief kills self
HAMILTON, N.J., July 3 (UPI) -- A police officer has been assigned to guard the mayor of a New Jersey town after the suicide of the recently demoted deputy police chief.

Officials said no known threats have been made against Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo, The Times of Trenton reported. The Bencivengo administration proposed the demotion of George Zimmer Jr. from deputy chief to captain as part of an effort to cut spending throughout the government.

Zimmer was found dead Tuesday morning. Investigators say he shot himself in his home.

Bencivengo said he is only being guarded during working hours.

Zimmer was a decorated police officer. His father retired as police chief in 1990 after 43 years with the Hamilton department.

The deputy chief was also known for coaching children's sports in the Hamilton. He is survived by his wife and two teenage children.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/07/03
/Demoted_deputy_police_chief_kills_self/UPI-62851215109108/

16-year-old boy, mother shot in Volusia County FL

16-year-old boy, mother shot in Volusia County
Jun 25, 2008 10:28 -0400


Updated: 10:28 a.m.
Sheriff's deputies are searching for the person who shot a 16-year-old Deltona boy in the chest and his mother in the leg this morning.
16-year-old boy, mother shot in Deltona Photos

PTSD on trial:Iraq war vet sent to prison

Iraq war vet sent to prison
BY DAN HORN DHORN@ENQUIRER.COM

Randy Koon’s friends say the U.S. Marine reservist suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder when he fired a gunshot at his girlfriend’s car last year.

They say his tour of duty in Iraq left him depressed and unable to cope with daily life and relationships.

“When he came back from Iraq, he was not the same Randy,” Staff Sgt. Charles Siegel told a judge Monday.

The judge said he sympathized with Koon’s struggles, but he still sentenced the Marine to six years in prison on charges of felonious assault.

“It’s clear that at the time of the offense you were suffering from mental illness,” said Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Ralph “Ted” Winkler. “But at the same time, you shot at the person you loved the most. Thank God you didn’t hit her.”

Koon, who was a top-rated sheriff’s deputy before the shooting incident last August, pleaded guilty to the assault charge earlier this year.

Prosecutors say he fought with his girlfriend, Jessica Barber, in his Colerain Township home and shot at her while she attempted to drive away. The shot shattered the driver’s side window. Koon then fled to Chicago, where he was caught a few days later.

A pre-sentence mental health evaluation and letters from fellow Marines indicate Koon suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, Winkler said. Part of Koon’s job in Iraq was to assist in detecting roadside bombs.

Assistant Prosecutor Gwen Bender said Koon’s service to his country and community were admirable, but his conduct last August “brought dishonor to both.”
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http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080616/NEWS0107/306160053/1077/COL02

Sounds like the Judge and Prosecutor need to talk to some NAMI people, like the other judges who are using their brains and not putting these veterans in jail instead of treatment.