Fayette County sheriff’s office drug dog Lobos struck again Thursday, discovering $2.2 million in heroin during a traffic stop on Interstate 10.

Deputies seized 22 kilos of the suspected heroin after finding the drugs hidden in the frame of a trailer pulled by a pickup truck.

Deputies arrested both the driver, Jose Flores, and passenger, Isela De Ita. They were charged with possession of a controlled substance, the sheriff’s office said.

http://liarcatchers.com/drugdogsweeps.html

Both Flores, 31, and De Ita, 26, were in the Fayette County Jail Thursday afternoon.

The traffic stop happened on Interstate 10 west of Flatonia at 7:45 a.m. Thursday. A deputy stopped the vehicle, saw several “criminal indicators” and asked to search the vehicle. Flores consented and Sgt. Randy Thumann brought in Lobos, the sheriff’s office’s Belgian malinois drug dog.

In about the past two months, Lobos’ drug seizures have resulted in nine additional arrests. The dog and his sergeant have found the following:

• June 30 — 105 pounds of marijuana hidden under altered seats of a pickup truck. The street value of those drugs was valued at $55,000.
• June 26 — 20 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in fire extinguishers in a pickup truck.
• May 20 — 11 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a compartment built into the floor of a Dodge truck.
• May 7 — 2.4 pounds of cocaine under the backseat of a vehicle and trunk of the vehicle and 28 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in five torque converters, with a street value of approximately $1.3 million.

Each drug bust happened during traffic stops on Interstate 10, a major corridor for illegal drugs that passes through southern Fayette County. Most of the suspects arrested in these cases have ties to the drug trade in Mexico and are usually en route to Houston, Lt. David Beyer with the sheriff’s office said.

Police are searching for a 16-year-old girl who went missing Tuesday from the Near North Side.

Chardonney Curry, 16, went missing from the 100 block of West Chestnut, Area Central detectives said in a missing person alert.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

She is described as a 5-foot-4, 123-pound black girl with brown eyes, brown hair and a medium complexion, the alert said. She was last wearing a light pink sweater, blue jeans and pink gym shoes. She may also be carrying a black purse.

Curry is known to frequent the area of the 4000 block of West Washington, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at (312) 747-8380.

A Clark County man is in jail after being charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.

Kevin J. Wright, was arrested as the result of an undercover Internet Crimes Against Children investigation. The KSP Electronic Crime Branch began the investigation after discovering the suspect sharing images of child sexual exploitation online.

 http://liarcatchers.com/pedophile_tracking.html

The investigation resulted in the execution of a search warrant at Wright’s residence on July 9. Equipment used to facilitate the crime was seized and taken to KSP’s forensic laboratory for examination. The investigation is ongoing.

Wright is currently charged with 20 counts of possession and 20 counts of distribution of matter portraying a sex performance by a minor. All charges are Class D felonies with each count punishable by one to five years in prison.

Wright was lodged in the Clark County Detention Center.

A Federal judge has ruled that war crimes suspect will be extradited back to Bosnia to stand trial for murder and torture charges.
Azra Basic had been living in Powell County where she worked at a Nursing home and a food factory. Basic was from Croatia and had  been battling extradition in federal court for charges of war crimes against ethnic Serb civilians in Bosnia in 1992.

http://liarcatchers.com/contact.php
Basic’s attorney can appeal within ten days and see if they can stop this.  A previous motion had said that Basic was being held in violation of her rights as a US citizen, but last month a magistrate ruled that treaties are in place to allow Basic to be extradited to Europe.

A Golden Alert was issued for missing 65-year-old Paul Stevens Shufer last seen on June 15 at midnight in the vicinity of South Brooke Street and East Breckinridge.

Shufer is a white male, 5′ 9″ and 170 lbs.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

MetroSafe said he may have memory or mental impairment.

Officials are asking you to call 911 if you have any information on this missing person or have seen him.

Shufer is missing from an assisted living facility in Virginia, according to MetroSafe.

The Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) is searching for missing person Sheng Tan. They say there are concerns for his welfare based on statements made.

Police say the 29-year old was last seen on Tuesday, July 7, 2015 in the area of the 800 block of West Brevard Street wearing a black shirt, grey pants and black/yellow tennis shoes.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

TPD says Tan is driving a 2009 Gray Honda Civic with Florida tag CEKW83.

Tan is described as being 5’11”, 180 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

TPD is asking anyone with information to call them at (850) 891-4200.

The Twin Falls Police Department is asking for the public’s help finding a woman who has been missing since Sunday.

Pamela Kathleen Etzler, 20, was last seen at a care facility in the 2000 block of Ruby Drive in Twin Falls.

Etzler is about 5’5, with black hair and brown eyes. A police spokesman said the woman has a mental disorder that leaves her with a limited ability to care for herself.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

Police do not believe foul play was involved in Etzler’s disappearance.

Anyone who spots Etzler or knows where she may be is urged to contact Twin Falls Police at 208-735-4357.

Houston County authorities have identified the body found in a shallow grave as that of 29-year old Vanessa Melson, a mother of three who was recently reported missing.

On July 7, 2015 the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, following up on information from a Grapeland Police Department report of a missing person, responded to an area located off of CR 1737 and began an investigation. At 7 a.m., a body was located in a shallow grave in a wooded area at that location.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

TDCJ provided cadaver dogs for an initial canvas of an area of interest. The dogs managed to locate the grave and there was a portion of the body that was protruding from the ground. Due to the nature of this incident Department of Public Safety Texas Rangers were contacted to assist with processing the scene and exhumation of the body.

An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.

An Eagan man has been charged after police say he used two victims’ credit cards to make almost $59,000 in fraudulent transactions.

The investigation began after the two victims reported the fraud to the Eagan Police Department multiple times in June and July. The victims said several different credit cards belonging to them had been used to make money transfers, cash advances and purchases without their permission.

They said the fraud started in November 2014 and that they had to get new credit cards 14 different times since then. They said the fraud continued even after they got the new cards.

http://liarcatchers.com/fraud_investigation.html

Police say their investigation led to 44-year-old Allan Everett Harper of Eagan. An investigator interviewed Harper on Friday, July 3, and Harper admitted to the fraud, according to a criminal complaint.

Police say the fraudulent transactions totaled about $58,943.

Harper has been charged with financial transaction card fraud. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and up to $100,000 in fines.

Harper made his first court appearance Monday. His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 29.

A Fargo man who was caught in an online advertising scam while authorities were investigating his role in a bank fraud case was sentenced Monday to nearly three years in prison.

Chude Umeh, 29, pleaded guilty in March to seven counts, including bank fraud, mail fraud and theft of public money. His case began when the government was looking into allegations he opened bogus bank accounts under fictitious names that included Richard Amoah, Gregory Suh and Fally Diaputa.

During the investigation, postal inspectors intercepted letters from Umeh that were part of a Craig’s List scheme promising people money for installing advertising wrapping for Miller Lite and Rock Star Energy on their cars. The victims were told they would receive a check in the mail and in turn needed to send money to someone else for the materials. The checks from Umeh were fraudulent.

http://liarcatchers.com/fraud_investigation.html

The government said Umeh received money from about 20 victims who responded to Craig’s List.

Prosecutors said Umeh was not a leader in the bank fraud, but he was found to have 874 blank checks in a storage unit. Losses in the scheme could have been at least $400,000 if Umeh had not been caught, the government said.

U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson, who sentenced Umeh to 33 months in prison, said it was a serious crime motivated by greed.

“Crimes of this nature are on the increase in this country,” Erickson said.

Umeh’s lawyer, Patrick Rosenquist, said his client, a native of Nigeria, has a degree in mechanical engineering from North Dakota State University and is pursuing a Master’s degree. However, Rosenquist said, Umeh got caught up in a situation that included a gambling addiction, divorce, cultural issues and problems with his work visa.

“He knows what he did was absolutely in the wrong,” Rosenquist said. “He knows that his intellect, his education would be better served elsewhere.”

Umeh told the judge his actions were out of character and he planned to pay full restitution, which will be determined in the next month.

“I’m extremely sorry for what I did,” Umeh said. “I feel sorry for the victims.”

Lawyers spent most of Monday’s hearing arguing about the amount of intended losses in the bank fraud scheme, which was a factor in the sentencing calculation. Rosenquist argued that it was impossible to speculate about losses from checks that were not written, but Erickson compared it to someone who is caught with counterfeit money.

“It seems that the crime is incomplete, but it’s in progress,” the judge said.