CARSON CITY -- Five of the record six law enforcement officers killed in Nevada in the past year were honored Thursday at a ceremony that attracted more than 400 people, including 200 uniformed police officers.
The names of Special Deputy U.S. Marshal Stanley W. Cooper and Las Vegas police officers James Manor, Milburn Beitel, Trevor Nettleton and Daniel Leach were inscribed on the Nevada Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
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The memorial, which features a sculpture of a dying police officer, is on the mall between the Capitol and Legislative Building.
Each year police from around the state gather for a ceremony that includes a 21-gun salute and speeches from state officials to remember law enforcement officers killed or who died while on duty.
The number of officers who died in the past year was the most of any 12 months dating to the Nevada Territory in 1861.
The sixth fallen officer, Nye County Deputy Sheriff Ian Deutch, will be honored next year. But he also was remembered in Thursday's ceremony.
Deutch, 27, was killed April 26 at a Pahrump casino after responding to a domestic disturbance call. His death came two days after returning to work after a tour in Afghanistan with his Nevada National Guard unit.
Deutch was the 114th Nevada law enforcement officer known to have died while on duty.
Retired Henderson Police Chief Mike Mayberry, the master of ceremonies, said there was not time this year to put Deutch's name on the memorial, but he joined the crowd in a moment of silence for the deputy.
" 'Officer Down' is the most terrible phase we can hear in our community," Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto said in the keynote speech.
Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line day after day to keep Nevada's communities safe, she said.
Gov. Jim Gibbons also praised the officers and their sacrifices.
"Every day when I walk by this memorial, I hope with all my heart that I see no more names," he said. "It stands in silence, but speaks loudly for the men and women who have served. We are grateful to each and every one of you."
Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie talked about the four Las Vegas officers who died.
Source
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Lacrosse killing suspect seemed to have it all
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Four years ago, George Huguely's prep school lacrosse coaches looked at him and found an easygoing prankster with a lighthearted attitude and the skills to earn him a spot on one of the country's top college programs.
On Wednesday, police said they had looked in the University of Virginia senior's apartment and found a crimson-stained Cavaliers lacrosse jersey and a letter to the woman Huguely is accused of beating to death, a senior on UVA's women's team.
The arrest of Huguely and the death this week of Yeardley Love, both 22, have struck the highly ranked teams as they prepare for the NCAA tournament and shaken some on the picturesque campus where students are studying for finals.
A memorial for Love was set for Wednesday night, and her funeral was set for Saturday in Maryland. Huguely remained jailed on a charge of first-degree murder. The teams will compete in the tournament, and the university's athletic director said Love's family supported that decision.
"Very frankly, this kind of killing is so rare that there are few protocols in higher education to deal with it," University President John Casteen said.
Love's roommate and the roommate's boyfriend found her battered body early Monday. Police have said Huguely and Love were once involved in a relationship, but that it had ended. According to a search warrant affidavit, Huguely kicked in her bedroom door and told them her head hit a wall several times as he shook her.
His attorney, Francis Lawrence, called Love's death an accident.
In court documents filed Wednesday, Charlottesville police said they took the stained jersey, the letter to Love and other items from Huguely's apartment hours after Love's body was discovered, according to the Charlottesville Daily Progress. The court records were later sealed.
The 6-foot-2, 209-pound Huguely was charged just days before he and Love were to graduate and play in the NCAA tournament for the Cavaliers, with both teams considered contenders for the national title. Such an opportunity seemed like a done deal for Huguely as far back as 2006, when he was the star player at the $28,826-a-year, all-boys Landon School in Bethesda, Md., which churns out players for top college programs like Virginia and Duke.
Peter Preston and his family were neighbors of the Huguelys for more than a decade, and their children grew up playing together. He said the allegations against Huguely, whom he knew as "Georgie," were baffling since he always seemed like "just a wonderful, charming, polite young man."
Preston said his son, Michael, who is one year older than George, had grown up playing lacrosse with him, but Michael and Huguely saw less of each as they grew older and went to different high schools.
Source
On Wednesday, police said they had looked in the University of Virginia senior's apartment and found a crimson-stained Cavaliers lacrosse jersey and a letter to the woman Huguely is accused of beating to death, a senior on UVA's women's team.
The arrest of Huguely and the death this week of Yeardley Love, both 22, have struck the highly ranked teams as they prepare for the NCAA tournament and shaken some on the picturesque campus where students are studying for finals.
A memorial for Love was set for Wednesday night, and her funeral was set for Saturday in Maryland. Huguely remained jailed on a charge of first-degree murder. The teams will compete in the tournament, and the university's athletic director said Love's family supported that decision.
"Very frankly, this kind of killing is so rare that there are few protocols in higher education to deal with it," University President John Casteen said.
Love's roommate and the roommate's boyfriend found her battered body early Monday. Police have said Huguely and Love were once involved in a relationship, but that it had ended. According to a search warrant affidavit, Huguely kicked in her bedroom door and told them her head hit a wall several times as he shook her.
His attorney, Francis Lawrence, called Love's death an accident.
In court documents filed Wednesday, Charlottesville police said they took the stained jersey, the letter to Love and other items from Huguely's apartment hours after Love's body was discovered, according to the Charlottesville Daily Progress. The court records were later sealed.
The 6-foot-2, 209-pound Huguely was charged just days before he and Love were to graduate and play in the NCAA tournament for the Cavaliers, with both teams considered contenders for the national title. Such an opportunity seemed like a done deal for Huguely as far back as 2006, when he was the star player at the $28,826-a-year, all-boys Landon School in Bethesda, Md., which churns out players for top college programs like Virginia and Duke.
Peter Preston and his family were neighbors of the Huguelys for more than a decade, and their children grew up playing together. He said the allegations against Huguely, whom he knew as "Georgie," were baffling since he always seemed like "just a wonderful, charming, polite young man."
Preston said his son, Michael, who is one year older than George, had grown up playing lacrosse with him, but Michael and Huguely saw less of each as they grew older and went to different high schools.
Source
Monday, June 28, 2010
Governor to honor late Southampton deputy
RICHMOND—Gov. Bob McDonnell and leaders of Virginia’s law enforcement community will pay tribute this evening to a Southampton County sheriff’s deputy who died in a car accident last year and two other lawmen who were killed in the line of duty in Virginia in 2009. The late Christopher Ray, who died on Aug. 29 while responding to a disturbance call, will be remembered at the annual Virginia Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial Service, scheduled for 6 p.m. today on the South Portico of the State Capitol in Richmond.
The other officers to be memorialized are Cpl. Christopher Kent Paschal of the Smyth County Sheriff's Office and Investigator Chadwick Alan Carr of the Greene County Sheriff's Office. Paschal died following a traffic crash on Jan. 2, 2009, while attempting to render aid to a vehicle that had crashed during an ice storm on Interstate 81. Carr was killed in a traffic accident on June 4, when his vehicle collided with a tractor-trailer and caught fire.
McDonnell and Virginia Secretary of Public Safety Marla Graff Decker will recognize the fallen officers and their families as part of the ceremony.
“These were three exemplary young men who gave of themselves to their families, their friends, their colleagues in law enforcement, their communities and our Commonwealth,” McDonnell said. “We honor each of these individuals for their character and achievements, and we extend our appreciation to the families of these heroes for their strength and perseverance.”
Source
The other officers to be memorialized are Cpl. Christopher Kent Paschal of the Smyth County Sheriff's Office and Investigator Chadwick Alan Carr of the Greene County Sheriff's Office. Paschal died following a traffic crash on Jan. 2, 2009, while attempting to render aid to a vehicle that had crashed during an ice storm on Interstate 81. Carr was killed in a traffic accident on June 4, when his vehicle collided with a tractor-trailer and caught fire.
McDonnell and Virginia Secretary of Public Safety Marla Graff Decker will recognize the fallen officers and their families as part of the ceremony.
“These were three exemplary young men who gave of themselves to their families, their friends, their colleagues in law enforcement, their communities and our Commonwealth,” McDonnell said. “We honor each of these individuals for their character and achievements, and we extend our appreciation to the families of these heroes for their strength and perseverance.”
Source
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
He left in a hurry...More bodies may be found...Death an accident?
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. government officials say the man accused of leaving a car bomb in Times Square -- who was arrested on a flight ready to take off for Dubai last night -- had made his reservation on the way to the airport and paid for his ticket in cash. The flight, bound for Dubai, returned to the gate at John F. Kennedy International Airport, and law enforcement officials arrested the suspect, Faisal Shahzad (FY'-sul shah-ZAHD').
WASHINGTON (AP) — Law enforcement officials say the man accused in the car bombing attempt in New York became a U.S. citizen in April 2009. They say he passed all the criminal and national security background checks required for citizenship. And according to court records, the man defaulted on a $200,000 mortgage on his Connecticut home, and the property is in foreclosure.
NEW YORK (AP) — Mayor Michael Bloomberg says New York City "will not tolerate any bias" following the arrest of a U.S. citizen from Pakistan in the Times Square car bombing attempt. Bloomberg says that applies to potential backlash against Muslim New Yorkers. The mayor said there are "a few bad apples" among any groups.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities are afraid more bodies will be found as floodwaters recede in Nashville. The Cumberland River left parts of the city's historic downtown area submerged. It was brought on by torrential weekend rains that left at least 29 people dead in three states.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A lawyer for a University of Virginia men's lacrosse player charged with murder says the death was an accident. Yeardley Love was found dead in her apartment yesterday morning. Hours later, George Huguely was arrested and charged with murder. Police say the two had been in a relationship but investigators plan to interview fellow players and friends about the nature of the relationship.
Source
WASHINGTON (AP) — Law enforcement officials say the man accused in the car bombing attempt in New York became a U.S. citizen in April 2009. They say he passed all the criminal and national security background checks required for citizenship. And according to court records, the man defaulted on a $200,000 mortgage on his Connecticut home, and the property is in foreclosure.
NEW YORK (AP) — Mayor Michael Bloomberg says New York City "will not tolerate any bias" following the arrest of a U.S. citizen from Pakistan in the Times Square car bombing attempt. Bloomberg says that applies to potential backlash against Muslim New Yorkers. The mayor said there are "a few bad apples" among any groups.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities are afraid more bodies will be found as floodwaters recede in Nashville. The Cumberland River left parts of the city's historic downtown area submerged. It was brought on by torrential weekend rains that left at least 29 people dead in three states.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A lawyer for a University of Virginia men's lacrosse player charged with murder says the death was an accident. Yeardley Love was found dead in her apartment yesterday morning. Hours later, George Huguely was arrested and charged with murder. Police say the two had been in a relationship but investigators plan to interview fellow players and friends about the nature of the relationship.
Source
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Law dean always in nick of time
BRADENTON, Fla. -- For such an expert in the written law, Frank Walwer had a lot to learn about the unwritten rules of courtship.
"He was never on time," his wife, Mary Ann Walwer, said. "I, on the other hand, was always on time. That pattern would never change over the years."
Not only was Frank Walwer, as a young Columbia University law school dean, tardy on their first blind date, he would later show up late for his and Mary Ann's wedding.
"Now if you asked Frank, he would never admit he was late for anything. He always said that he made it in the 'nick of time,' " Mary Ann Walwer said.
More than 50 years later, she still isn't buying it.
But she never held it against him, because Frank Kurt Walwer -- whether as a husband, father or leader in his field -- did just about everything else right.
Walwer, former dean of the University of Tulsa School of Law, died Jan. 1 after a traffic accident near his home in Bradenton, Fla. He was 79. A memorial service will be scheduled for April, family members said.
Walwer was the dean of TU's law school from 1980 to 1991.
He left TU in 1994 to help start the new Texas Wesleyan University School of Law in Fort Worth, where he was the dean.
Before TU, he was an associate dean at Columbia University School of Law in New York.
Martin Frey, a professor emeritus at the TU law school who was an associate dean under Walwer, was a close friend.
He remembers Walwer as a quiet and humble leader who preferred to deflect attention from himself.
"Frank hid his own birthday," Frey said.
"He didn't want anybody to celebrate it. I may have been the only one who knew it. Frank had his own style as a person and as a leader. He played things close to his vest."
When Walwer moved to Tulsa in 1980, it was his first time to live outside his native New York.
He and his wife, a native of West Virginia, quickly fell in love with the city, she said.
"When we got off the plane on Dec. 17, it was in the high 60s. That was all it took," she laughed.
Mary Ann Walwer said they probably wouldn't have left, but the opportunity to help start a new law school at Texas Wesleyan was too tempting a challenge for her husband.
Frey, who had several Thanksgiving dinners with the Walwers, said his former colleague was a devoted family man.
"I remember that Frank always called his mother 'Mommy,' " he said. "It was sweet and very touching. He was very close to her. He used to go and play cards with her once a week."
According to Bradenton-area news reports, Walwer, who was traveling alone in his car, inexplicably swerved into the path of an oncoming tanker truck, and the two collided head-on.
The truck driver survived with minor injuries. Walwer died later at a hospital.
Survivors include his wife of 49 years, Mary Ann Walwer of Bradenton; one son, Gregory Walwer of Guilford, Conn.; and three grandchildren.
Source
"He was never on time," his wife, Mary Ann Walwer, said. "I, on the other hand, was always on time. That pattern would never change over the years."
Not only was Frank Walwer, as a young Columbia University law school dean, tardy on their first blind date, he would later show up late for his and Mary Ann's wedding.
"Now if you asked Frank, he would never admit he was late for anything. He always said that he made it in the 'nick of time,' " Mary Ann Walwer said.
More than 50 years later, she still isn't buying it.
But she never held it against him, because Frank Kurt Walwer -- whether as a husband, father or leader in his field -- did just about everything else right.
Walwer, former dean of the University of Tulsa School of Law, died Jan. 1 after a traffic accident near his home in Bradenton, Fla. He was 79. A memorial service will be scheduled for April, family members said.
Walwer was the dean of TU's law school from 1980 to 1991.
He left TU in 1994 to help start the new Texas Wesleyan University School of Law in Fort Worth, where he was the dean.
Before TU, he was an associate dean at Columbia University School of Law in New York.
Martin Frey, a professor emeritus at the TU law school who was an associate dean under Walwer, was a close friend.
He remembers Walwer as a quiet and humble leader who preferred to deflect attention from himself.
"Frank hid his own birthday," Frey said.
"He didn't want anybody to celebrate it. I may have been the only one who knew it. Frank had his own style as a person and as a leader. He played things close to his vest."
When Walwer moved to Tulsa in 1980, it was his first time to live outside his native New York.
He and his wife, a native of West Virginia, quickly fell in love with the city, she said.
"When we got off the plane on Dec. 17, it was in the high 60s. That was all it took," she laughed.
Mary Ann Walwer said they probably wouldn't have left, but the opportunity to help start a new law school at Texas Wesleyan was too tempting a challenge for her husband.
Frey, who had several Thanksgiving dinners with the Walwers, said his former colleague was a devoted family man.
"I remember that Frank always called his mother 'Mommy,' " he said. "It was sweet and very touching. He was very close to her. He used to go and play cards with her once a week."
According to Bradenton-area news reports, Walwer, who was traveling alone in his car, inexplicably swerved into the path of an oncoming tanker truck, and the two collided head-on.
The truck driver survived with minor injuries. Walwer died later at a hospital.
Survivors include his wife of 49 years, Mary Ann Walwer of Bradenton; one son, Gregory Walwer of Guilford, Conn.; and three grandchildren.
Source
Monday, March 15, 2010
New state law bans texting
MONMOUTH — Starting Jan. 1 it will be against the law to text on a cell phone while driving in Illinois.
State Farm agent Jon Ferguson said the law will be a good opportunity for parents to talk with their teens about safe and undistracted driving. Being at a stop sign or stop light does not waive the texting restriction.
"Teen drivers are especially impacted due to inexperience in managing distraction while also concentrating on safe driving," Ferguson said.
Warren County Sheriff Martin Edwards said that teens are more likely to text than adults.
"Everybody uses cell phones, but younger people are more engaged in texting," Edwards said.
Be that as it may, the sheriff also emphasized that the new law is directed at all age groups, not just teenagers.
"Anyone whose attention is divided puts others at risk," he said.
Edwards said the probable impetus behind the law was that a pedestrian may have been killed by a driver who was texting.
"It's so commonplace that people drive while talking on the cell phone, and while that's somewhat risky, it's not at the level of texting. It's not unlike trying to read while going down the road," he said.
According to www.edgarsnyder.com, a Pennsylvania injury law firm Web site, in 2007, driver distractions, such as using a cell phone or text messaging, contributed to almost 1,000 crashes involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers.
For those who think experienced drivers aren't affected by text messaging, think again. A truck driver texting while driving is 23.2 times more likely to get into an accident than a trucker paying full attention to the road, according to a study done by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI).
Edwards said even looking down for two seconds is a substantial amount of time.
"It will have an impact on your reaction to oncoming events," he said. "The problem (is) they're looking down. If it's the cause of an accident, that will be another citation, notwithstanding failing to reduce speed (or) running stop a sign."
Studies have found that texting while driving causes a 400 percent increase in time spent with eyes off the road. The study by VTTI also states that for every six seconds of drive time, a driver sending or receiving a text message spends 4.6 of those seconds with their eyes off the road. This makes texting the most distracting of all cell phone related tasks.
Edwards cautioned that the texting ban will be difficult to enforce.
"We might be able to pick it up if they're going slow in town, but on highways, we're not going to detect that unless we're actually following the car," he said. "I would just hope that by virtue of the fact that the law is on the books it would create a sense of caution about it. Nobody should have been doing it anyway — drive or communicate, not both. It does put people at risk."
Edwards and Ferguson both encourage parents to sit down with their teen driver and discuss undistracted driving.
"(Parents can) incorporate it into their overall cautionary advisements to any young driver," he said.
Source
State Farm agent Jon Ferguson said the law will be a good opportunity for parents to talk with their teens about safe and undistracted driving. Being at a stop sign or stop light does not waive the texting restriction.
"Teen drivers are especially impacted due to inexperience in managing distraction while also concentrating on safe driving," Ferguson said.
Warren County Sheriff Martin Edwards said that teens are more likely to text than adults.
"Everybody uses cell phones, but younger people are more engaged in texting," Edwards said.
Be that as it may, the sheriff also emphasized that the new law is directed at all age groups, not just teenagers.
"Anyone whose attention is divided puts others at risk," he said.
Edwards said the probable impetus behind the law was that a pedestrian may have been killed by a driver who was texting.
"It's so commonplace that people drive while talking on the cell phone, and while that's somewhat risky, it's not at the level of texting. It's not unlike trying to read while going down the road," he said.
According to www.edgarsnyder.com, a Pennsylvania injury law firm Web site, in 2007, driver distractions, such as using a cell phone or text messaging, contributed to almost 1,000 crashes involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers.
For those who think experienced drivers aren't affected by text messaging, think again. A truck driver texting while driving is 23.2 times more likely to get into an accident than a trucker paying full attention to the road, according to a study done by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI).
Edwards said even looking down for two seconds is a substantial amount of time.
"It will have an impact on your reaction to oncoming events," he said. "The problem (is) they're looking down. If it's the cause of an accident, that will be another citation, notwithstanding failing to reduce speed (or) running stop a sign."
Studies have found that texting while driving causes a 400 percent increase in time spent with eyes off the road. The study by VTTI also states that for every six seconds of drive time, a driver sending or receiving a text message spends 4.6 of those seconds with their eyes off the road. This makes texting the most distracting of all cell phone related tasks.
Edwards cautioned that the texting ban will be difficult to enforce.
"We might be able to pick it up if they're going slow in town, but on highways, we're not going to detect that unless we're actually following the car," he said. "I would just hope that by virtue of the fact that the law is on the books it would create a sense of caution about it. Nobody should have been doing it anyway — drive or communicate, not both. It does put people at risk."
Edwards and Ferguson both encourage parents to sit down with their teen driver and discuss undistracted driving.
"(Parents can) incorporate it into their overall cautionary advisements to any young driver," he said.
Source
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Assembly passes ban on texting while driving
Madison — Texting while driving would be banned under a bill passed overwhelmingly Tuesday by the Assembly.
The measure, adopted 89-6, also would prohibit motorists from typing on their computers and phones when they are behind the wheel.
The limits are the latest attempt by legislators to address the growing concern of inattentive driving by users of electronic devices.
Some legislators said the measure didn't go far enough - they wanted an outright ban on cell phone use while driving. But legislative leaders said there isn't support for stricter controls.
The Senate approved a texting ban in October, but it differs from the version passed by the Assembly.
One key difference is that the Assembly bill would allow motorists to text when their car is stopped. The Assembly measure also has stronger penalties.
The two chambers would have to work out the differences before sending it to Gov. Jim Doyle, who supports a ban. The bill would take effect seven months after it was signed by the governor.
Both chambers are controlled by Doyle's fellow Democrats.
Nineteen states and Washington, D.C., ban all drivers from texting behind the wheel, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
"We're sending a message that texting is not a safe driving practice," said Rep. Mike Huebsch (R-West Salem).
"This is more serious than driving drunk because your eyes are off the road for just too long," said Rep. Peter Barca (D-Kenosha), a bill author. "Make no mistake about it: People are killed - killed - by people texting messages."
Some lawmakers expressed concerns the penalties were too stiff, especially because they would often be imposed on teenagers who couldn't afford to pay them.
"When laws become too onerous, police will not enforce them," said Rep. Marlin Schneider (D-Wisconsin Rapids), who ultimately voted for the bill.
Lawmakers decided to eliminate a mandatory minimum penalty of $100 for the first offense, but left the maximum at $400. Subsequent offenses would cost $200 to $800.
Source
The measure, adopted 89-6, also would prohibit motorists from typing on their computers and phones when they are behind the wheel.
The limits are the latest attempt by legislators to address the growing concern of inattentive driving by users of electronic devices.
Some legislators said the measure didn't go far enough - they wanted an outright ban on cell phone use while driving. But legislative leaders said there isn't support for stricter controls.
The Senate approved a texting ban in October, but it differs from the version passed by the Assembly.
One key difference is that the Assembly bill would allow motorists to text when their car is stopped. The Assembly measure also has stronger penalties.
The two chambers would have to work out the differences before sending it to Gov. Jim Doyle, who supports a ban. The bill would take effect seven months after it was signed by the governor.
Both chambers are controlled by Doyle's fellow Democrats.
Nineteen states and Washington, D.C., ban all drivers from texting behind the wheel, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
"We're sending a message that texting is not a safe driving practice," said Rep. Mike Huebsch (R-West Salem).
"This is more serious than driving drunk because your eyes are off the road for just too long," said Rep. Peter Barca (D-Kenosha), a bill author. "Make no mistake about it: People are killed - killed - by people texting messages."
Some lawmakers expressed concerns the penalties were too stiff, especially because they would often be imposed on teenagers who couldn't afford to pay them.
"When laws become too onerous, police will not enforce them," said Rep. Marlin Schneider (D-Wisconsin Rapids), who ultimately voted for the bill.
Lawmakers decided to eliminate a mandatory minimum penalty of $100 for the first offense, but left the maximum at $400. Subsequent offenses would cost $200 to $800.
Source
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