GPS Tracking

Ohio Appeals Court Calls for Evidence Obtained by Unwarranted GPS Tracking Device to be Suppressed

Two men, who were convicted of breaking into a Baltimore home and shooting the owner’s dog in 2010 may potentially have their cases dismissed in light of a Ohio Supreme Court ruling. As a result of the decision, a local judge in Ohio must now decide whether to allow crucial evidence obtained from an unwarranted GPS tracking device in the cases to be heard. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that the unwarranted use of GPS trackers violated an person’s reasonable expectation of privacy as granted by the Fourth Amendment.

Fairfield County Prosecutor Gregg Marx had asked the Ohio Supreme Court to review the 2-to-1 decision by the Court of Appeals that evidence obtained from a GPS tracking device should be suppressed. Franklin County detectives installed the tracking device on the suspect’s car without first obtaining a warrant or court order.

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Third Brother Accused in One of the Biggest Bank Heists in Tulsa History

A federal grand jury in Tulsa, Okla, has charged an additional defendant, Dejuan L. Hill, 23, of taking part in the November 5 armed robbery of an Arvest Bank, during which nearly $87,000 was taken - one of the largest bank robberies in recent Oklahoma history

His brother, Vernon James Hill, 26, was found guilty in Tulsa federal court earlier this year for taking part in the bank heist. The same jury failed to reach a verdict in the case of another brother, 24-year-old Stanley Eugene Hill.

Dejuan Hill reportedly was in the gallery in the Page Belcher Federal Building during his brothers’ trial. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel-lyn McCormick said Wednesday that further analysis of the evidence, including cell phone records, led the prosecution to believe that Dejuan Hill was actually the second man in the bank along with Vernon Hill and that Stanley Hill acted as the getaway driver. McCormick said a warrant has been issued for Dejuan Hill’s arrest.

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A Growing Epidemic

Prescription drug abuse is becoming an increasing threat for the state of Maine. Waterville Police Chief Joseph Massey said he first noticed the beginnings of the epidemic about a decade ago. Even those arrested by his department for illicit drug offenses were found carrying prescription drugs with them.

“It seemed every time we’d arrest someone, they had prescription drugs on them,” Massey said.

Waterville’s first pharmacy robbery for the specific purpose of acquiring prescription drugs was in 2010. Since then, the city has had two more robberies. ”It’s all they want – ‘Give me the drugs,’” he said.

The robberies seemed to be escalating around the state. Since last August, there have been 12 pharmacy robberies, according to published reports. Over that time period, two Augusta pharmacies have each been hit twice by robbers demanding prescription drugs. The most recent robbery occurred this past Tuesday night at the CVS Pharmacy.

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GPS Tracking Device Used to Track Down Weapons Smugglers

An 18-year-old man could potentially face up to 20 years in prison for attempting to smuggle firearms and ammunition from North Carolina to Mexico. Law enforcement officials were able to stop Javier Molina on Interstate 10 in Jackson County, Mississippi, after determining his location with a GPS tracker that they fitted onto the black pickup truck that he was driving.

According to court records, police found 22 weapons, 902 rounds of ammunition, 16 magazines, five shotgun barrels, six gun stocks, four 12-gauge barrels and two scopes stashed in the truck.

Court documents show that a Homeland Security Investigations agent had been tracking the 1994 Ford Ranger since Molina’s uncle, Jose Luis Santos-Garcia, had been pulled over in the same pickup truck a couple of months prior to the incident in Jackson County. Santos-Garcia has been charged with attempting to smuggle two pistols, three bullet-proof vests and two stolen four-wheelers to Mexico.

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DOJ Claims that Warranted Cell Phone Tracking Would Hinder Its Efforts

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court ruled that law enforcement officials would be required to obtain an official court-issued warrant before attaching a GPS tracking device on a suspect’s vehicle. This decision came in response to a case involving a Washington, D.C. night club owner who was initially convicted of drug dealing. The initial ruling, however, was later overturned in an appellate court after it determined that the prolonged unwarranted use of the GPS tracking device that law enforcement officials placed on the suspect’s Jeep even though the evidence obtained from the GPS tracker clearly indicated he was involved in illegal narcotics distribution.

The controversial case made its way to the Supreme Court, where all 9 Justices unanimously agreed that the suspect’s Constitutional right to privacy, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, were violated. Privacy advocates praised the decision as a huge win for individual rights. However, law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI, found the ruling to be a significant obstacle for investigative and surveillance purposes.

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“Gift Wrapping” Your Car

All of us have done this before: we make a quick pit stop at the gas station or a road-side convenience store, or to drop something off while leaving our car engines running. We tell ourselves, “It’ll just take a few seconds, so no need to go through the hassle of turn the car off…” And so we quickly bolt out of our cars with the keys in the ignition, engine running and doors unlocked to quickly take care of whatever it is that we need to, thinking that our cars are safe and that no one will take our cars.

But then we come back only to find that our cars gone. In what seemed to be just a matter of seconds, someone has stolen our cars. And although the truth of the matter is that a terrible crime has been committed, the reality is, we “gift-wrapped” our cars when we chose to leave it unattended with the engine running and the doors unlocked.

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It’s the Stuff of Movies

Marianna Maddalena is the producer of the wildly popular horror movie, “Scream  2.” The movie, based partly on the real-life case of the Gainesville Ripper, is most recognized for its villain, who wears a signature white mask with a distinctly elongated mouth. The “Scream” movies have been credited with revitalizing the horror genre on the big screen during the 1990′s, which saw the vast majority going straight to video.

And now it looks as if Maddalena has become a victim of stalking, according to a recent report from TMZ. The film producer says that she was stalked for six roughly months by a man that she hired to work on her house.

According to sources who informed TMZ, Maddalena, who is Wes Craven’s producing partner, hired a contractor named Derrick Toole in the Fall of 2010 to perform some construction work on her home in Los Angeles. However, Maddalena claims that the contractor did a whole lot more than that.

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Suspected Cigarette Thief Chooses to Represent Himself

Keith Lamont Hill, 55, who was a suspect in a string of regional cigarette thefts, was convicted in a jury trial on Tuesday in Rustburg, Virginia. What makes this case apart from a normal burglary/theft case is the fact that Hill chose to represent himself rather than having a lawyer represent him.

Hill has also been charged for cigarette theft in 3 other counties – Botetourt, Franklin and Campbell counties and the cities of Salem and Lynchburg – and in each case he has chosen to represent himself. And as of Tuesday’s ruling, in he now stands convicted in all but Lynchburg.

Hill’s case is drawing even more attention due to the fact that in 2010 law enforcement officials attached an unwarranted GPS tracking device on his personal vehicle in order to monitor his movements. The ruling against Hill is significant in this case, because of a landmark Supreme Court case, involving the prolonged use of unwarranted GPS tracking technology to monitor  a suspected drug dealer in the Washington, D.C. area. The Justices agreed that utilizing such a device without an official court issued warrant, violates an individual’s Constitutional rights, which protects against unreasonable search and seizures.

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Proposed Bill Call for Offenders to be Tracked

A Senate committee in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, approved new legislation on Tuesday that would give judges the discretion to mandate GPS tracking devices for certain defendants while they are out on bail. Craig Webre, Sheriff of Lafourche Parish (Louisiana), requested the filing of the bill and asked the Senate Committee on Judiciary to advance the proposal.

Webre also informed the committee that he owns a portion of the company that sells the GPS tracking devices that he is proposing to use for the bill.

In 2002, the Louisiana Board of Ethics issued an opinion stating that Webre would be allowed to sell ignition interlock devices, which are often used to prohibit drunk-drivers from starting their cars, on the condition that he not do business in Lafourche Parish. Webre said he’s following the same guidelines with the GPS tracking systems.

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A Violent Altercation

Minnesota Vikings running back Caleb King (24) was arrested and jailed in Anoka County (Minnesota) on Friday evening. He was accused of third degree assault for beating a man in an early morning fight at a house party, where both men were invited to attend. According to the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office, King has not yet been formally charged, as a decision is pending from the Anoka County Attorney’s Office early next week.

The victim, a 22-year old man from Coon Rapids, Minn, has been hospitalized in serious condition with skull and facial fractures. The cuts on his face required 50 stitches to close. Sheriff’s Commander, Paul Sommer said that the victim, “may have a very serious brain injury.”

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