The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office believes the problem of children sharing sexually explicit pictures of themselves or others is getting worse. They want to educate parents on what the consequences are and how to keep track of what their children are doing.

The first in a series of three classes was Tuesday evening in Castle Rock. Deputies hope to keep the problem from growing.

Sexting is a term used when minors share sexually explicit images on their phones. The main message in the class: know what your kids are doing.
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“Sexting is a big issue. It’s going on in our middle schools, it’s going on in our high schools and we want to get the word out,” said Douglas County Sheriff Deputy Ann Walton who taught the class.

“I think it’s important to not just have an open dialogue with your kids but kind of get in their business, get in their phones,” said parent Julie Schramm. “Know who they’re talking to and know what they’re saying.”

Not only did parents learn the risks of sexting but the consequences, including child predators and the charges their own children could face.

“If anyone has pictures of someone under the age of 18 and that person is nude or partially nude they can be charged with child pornography which is a felony,” said Walton. “With that they can also be put on the sexual offender list.”

“It is scary, it’s definitely scary,” said parent David Hickey.
He and his wife, Christine, said they knew about the issue but not how to stop it in the growing world of technology.

“The more that they know that we’re aware, hopefully the more protected they feel and know that we’ll continue to monitor it,” said Christine Hickey.

Deputies are also conducting similar classes in high schools and middle schools but they are seeing cases with kids even younger and are considering classes in an elementary schools.

PARKER, Colo. (CBS4) – Three Douglas County high school students could be expelled for allegedly bringing weapons onto school property on Monday.

The students are from two different high schools in Parker.

A district spokesman said several guns were found in a student’s car at Chaparral High School. And authorities searched two students’ cars at Legend High School and discovered knives in each.

Law enforcement officials say it appears the two incidents are related to “circumstances outside the school,” but they won’t specify those circumstances — whether that means a fight or some other type of altercation that carried over to school.

The vehicles were discovered after the school resource officer at Legend High School got a tip and called the school resource officer at Chaparral. The vehicles were searched and the weapons were found.

Douglas County authorities determined that there was no threat to students and the weapons never left the vehicles.

“We don’t have any information to believe there was any type of plot to harm a school or students in a school,” Ron Hanavan with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said. “But we want to take this matter seriously and we need to get to bottom of it as quickly as possible.”

Letters were sent home to parents at both schools that explained very briefly what happened and that “appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken.”

The investigation is continuing.

The Douglas County Student Rights and Responsibilities says students who bring firearms or certain knives to school without authorization can be expelled, but all are on a case-by-case basis.

School officials say any action is pending the outcome of the investigation.

Alexandria Police said 38-year-old Sharon Love was found dead by her landlord on Thursday in her apartment, located on the 1000 block of Eckert Street. Her death appeared suspicious.

Following Love’s death, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office asked the public’s help in finding Love’s car, a silver 2004 Pontiac Grand Am. Police said the last person seen driving it was 51-yaer-old David Everett, of Osakis.

Everett was an acquaintance of Love’s, and he was last seen leaving her apartment in her car around 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

The public responded to police, and a tip led authorities to Love’s car, which was located in a storage unit in Osakis.

Inside the car, police found Everett, dead. The cause of his death has not been determined.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a house fire at about 12:45 a.m. on the 4000 block of County Road 11 in Carlos Township, which is near Alexandria. When fire crews arrived, there were flames visible from inside the residence.

The homeowner was the only person home at the time of the fire, authorities said. He got out safely, but the house suffered extensive damage.

Authorities are still investigating what may have caused the fire.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a fire at RIP Plastics in Garfield, Minn at about 4:10 a.m. Wednesday. When authorities arrived, there was an active fire at the business. Several departments responded to the scene, and crews battled the blaze until the early afternoon.

Authorities said the business sustained extensive damage, but there were no reports of anyone injured or any deaths as a result of the fire. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said the cause of the fire is under investigation at this time.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office is also investigating the fire.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said they arrested Zachary Zelenak for sexual exploitation of a child.

Police began investigating Zelenak in November.

“At this time it is alleged that Zelenak was downloading and possessing child pornography,” Sgt. Ron Hanavan said in a statement.

Police obtained a search warrant and numerous computers were recovered. Zelenak was arrested on Wednesday.

Zelenak is being held on a $50,000 bond.

Authorities found the children, both younger than 5 years old, at The Traditions apartments off of East County Line Road just before 9 a.m.

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People in the area flagged down Douglas County deputies. They saw the children running around unsupervised in the chilly weather.

Deputies were able to determine where they lived and arrested their grandmother, Yolanda Borders, 42, for investigation of child abuse.

(credit: CBS)

“We want to make sure that you’re looking out for your children and doing the best that you can to protect them,” Ron Hanavan with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said. “We also want to applaud the individuals who did raise the attention to the deputies that were in the area. They did the right thing.”

The two small children and a 16-year-old were all taken into protective custody.

Law enforcement officers from Littleton police, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office are forming a committee to try to figure out if the rash of burglaries in three different neighborhoods are connected.

Police confirm there have been about a half dozen break-ins in Jefferson County, Douglas County and the Trail Mark subdivision of Littleton.

People who live in those neighborhoods are taking extra precautions.

“We’re home a lot. I work from home, so you’re wondering how these people got in,” said resident Richard Matkins.
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Investigators said the thieves are following a pattern. The burglaries occurred between 9 a.m. and noon, thieves targeted homes located close to the subdivision entrance, entered the homes through a garage side door and stole large electronics like computers and TVS.

“Certainly when the victims come home and they find their home ransacked and drawers taken out, it does cause them alarm,” said Littleton Police Sgt. Kim Ferber.

Littleton police have increased efforts to step up patrols in the neighborhood where several burglaries have occurred.

“If anybody’s brazen enough to in the middle of the day when there are probably dozens of people in this neighborhood, I know people work from home, and they’ll pull up into the driveway, yeah, it’s troubling for sure,” said Matkins.

The U.S. Marshals Service is working closely with the state to upgrade the system that tracks sex offenders.

“Right now we have 1,975 sex offenders in Denver,” Sgt. Larry Valencia with Denver police said.

Keeping tabs on those sex offenders is no easy task.

“They move a lot,” Valencia said. “A bunch of them are transient.”

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Valencia says some of them fall through the cracks. It’s a problem complicated when police and sheriff departments across the state have different systems to track offenders.

“It’s hard to track offenders when they move across jurisdictions,” Chris Lobanov-Rostovsky with the Colorado Department of Public Safety said.

That’s why the Department of Public Safety is looking to overhaul the current sex offender registry.

“The system right now can be improved and upgraded,” Lobanov-Rostovsky said. “So when an offender moves both within the state and across the country, so if an offender moves from one jurisdiction to another, that info tracks with them.

“Right now, based on limitations from technology, a lot of that has to be done by mail, by phone call, fax.”

It’s duplication that happens from fingerprints to pictures, and other critical information.

CBS4 got an exclusive look at the electronic systems the U.S. Marshals Service is exploring with the state.

“STAR,” developed by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, is now used by Denver police. Files are electronic. There are ongoing notes on each offender. When he or she moves, so does the file, even alerting the new jurisdiction to accept the file.

Offender Watch, a private company, has a website the maps offenders and even sends e-mail alerts by the minute to anyone who wants to know what sex offender is moving into their neighborhood. It’s critical information for the public and a valuable tool for law enforcement.

“If a new sex crime occurs, we want to know who are these potential suspects,” Lobanov-Rostovsky said.

“Time is of the essence,” Valencia said. “Even that one guy falling through the cracks might be the one guy you’re looking for in the next abduction.”

The cost to upgrade the state’s sex offender registry is at least $500,000. The state has applied for grants and should have an answer by September.

Link: Offender Watch

Debra Willis (credit: Douglas County Sheriff's Office)

Willis, 47, was last seen at her home in the Highlands Ranch area on May 21. Willis is believed to be on foot. It is possible Willis may be suicidal. She also has a heart condition.

Anyone with information about Willis or her whereabouts is asked to contact the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Detective Michelle Herring at (303) 660-7504 or Douglas County Dispatch at (303) 660-7500.

Willis is 5’4″ tall, about 180 pounds with blonde hair and blue eyes.

The on-going crime spree has been targeted to two neighborhoods in Douglas County, Highlands Ranch and Parker. Both areas have reported a spike in daytime burglaries since 2009. Fourteen homes have been hit since March of this year.

(credit: CBS)

Deputies said in some cases, the thieves are pulling their own car into the victims’ garage so they can load up on stolen merchandise, without being seen. Once they get inside, those thieves grab electronics, jewelry and cash.

“They’re able to park their car in the garage or close to the garage and then they’ll use that door that goes from the garage into the house to gain entry,” said Douglas County Sheriff Sgt. Ron Hanavan.

The thieves are in and out within minutes, often unseen.

“You don’t expect it here at all. We feel pretty safe in this neighborhood,” said concerned neighbor Coleen Sophia.

Sophia lives in a neighborhood targeted by the burglars. She vows to be on alert.

“Be more aware and really watch out for the ones I know are working out of the home because I’m home all day,” said Sophia.

Investigators believe the suspects could be a team working together. One stays in the car while the other knocks on the front door to see if anyone is home. If no one answers, that’s when they take action.

The incident happened Friday at Rocky Heights Middle School in Highlands Ranch. Four students reported being sick at school.

After an investigation the sheriff’s office said prescription drugs may be involved.

The four children were released to their parents.

The student who brought the prescription drugs to school has not been identified, nor has the drug.

Police say the incident is an opportunity for all parents to take a look inside their medicine cabinets.

“Even if you’re a good parent and keeping stuff locked up and keeping it under control, you wonder how they get access to it from friends,” parent Mike Mullens said.

The incident happened the same weekend prescription take back events were held across the state, urging people to properly dispose of their old or un-used prescription pills.

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The Drug Enforcement Administration says prescriptions are the drug of choice for children 12 to 17 years old, and the most abused class of drugs right now in the United States.

“Nobody seems to realize that our youth are going into our home medicine cabinets and getting all this stuff. Seventy-eight percent of kids are admitting right now, 12 to 17, I go to my parents cabinets, my neighbors cabinets and have these pill parties,” Special Agent David Schiller with the DEA said.

The district attorney will decide if any charges will be filed.

Arlan Kluth, with the Littleton Police Department, began the March 25, Douglas County Sheriff's Office St. Baldrick's fundraiser with a modified mohawk. Kluth ranked among the top contributors, raising $1,625 for cancer research. Rhonda Moore

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office celebrated its fifth St. Baldrick’s fundraiser with a move to the Douglas County Events Center, providing more breathing room for more than 100 shavees who shaved their head for cancer research. Sheriff’s office deputies and command staff were joined by local police agencies, firefighters and sports luminaries to raise more than $20,000 for childhood cancer research.

The local event is organized each year by Niles Ackerson, whose daughter Isabella died of cancer on Dec. 27, 2006, at the age of 8 months old. All money raised by the nationwide St. Baldrick’s fundraisers goes toward research for childhood cancer.

To date, the sheriff’s office outreach has raised more than $300,000 to contribute to the cause. That amount is a “drop in the bucket” when it comes to cancer research, Ackerson said. St. Baldrick’s so far in 2011 has raised more than $17 million, he said.

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE

Quick work by a chopper pilot and firefighters on the ground kept any structures from being lost. Investigators are confident they’ll soon determine what started the fire.

Investigators have been busy searching for clues.

“If you look at some of the scaring here, the back side of the tree, there’s going to be more of a burned area on this side of the tree as opposed to the back side of the tree,” Franktown Dep. Chief Dave Woodrick said.

Woodrick says everything points to dry grasses and pine needles as the point of origin. Investigators have ruled out two things. The fire was not caused by an electrical spark because there are no power lines. The fire also wasn’t caused by lightning.

“It’s going to be related to some kind of human activity,” Woodrick said.

The blaze quickly grew to 1,600 acres.

“We do have some witnesses in the area that saw people in the area, but it was hard to determine with the smoke if people were in the area as a result of starting the fire or actually helping to report the fire and identify the fire.”

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As the clean-up from the fire continues, the investigation into the cause is being conducted jointly by Franktown, South Metro Fire and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

“Even if it is determined to be accidental, charges still could be filed.”

No matches, fireworks, or accelerants were found at the scene. So the focus is on conducting interviews with the goal of pinning down who’s responsible.

The flames did damage one structure before firefighters put it out.

The annual Shop With a Cop event took place on Saturday at Kmart.

Over 20 disadvantaged kids got their holiday shopping taken care of with a little help from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police and the Roseburg, Myrtle Creek, Sutherlin and Winston police departments.

The children were paired up with a law enforcement official, or in some cases, even two. Then, the kids got to roam the store and pick out presents for their loved ones, with a little help from their personal shoppers.

Some kids came with detailed lists, while others just wandered around, trying to find something just right for their friends and family.

One of the young shoppers said this was her first year taking part in the program, and she loved every minute of it. “I think it’s really cool, because it’s, like, awesome,” said Chelcey Cousineau.

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE/VIDEO HERE

Four teenagers are facing murder charges today after an 18-year-old party-goer was beaten to death in an unprovoked attack.

By JAMES WHITE
Last updated at 6:57 PM on 8th November 2010

Four teenagers are facing murder charges today after an 18-year-old party-goer was beaten to death in an unprovoked attack.

Bobby Tillman died in an attack in which he was beaten and stamped on at a house in Atlanta, Georgia.

In an act of shocking brutality, one of his alleged attackers was said to have told friends he would hit the next person who walked past, before others joined in.

Accused: Emanuel Boykins, left, and Quantez Mallory, both 18 are alleged to have beaten Bobby Tillman to death in Atlanta, Georgia

Horace Coleman, 19; Emanuel Boykins, 18; Quantez Mallory, 18; and Tracen Franklin, 19; face a single murder count each.

Lt. Bruce Ferguson, of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, said one of the attackers allegedly told friends he would hit the next person he saw.

Murder charge: Horace Coleman

They were arrested after emergency services were called to the party in the early hours of Sunday morning to reports of a fight.

Sheriff Phil Miller said the assault on Tillman was unprovoked.

The victim was a ‘little guy, 18 years old, 5ft 6in, weighed 125 pounds,’ Miller said.

‘And they beat him up and stomped him and killed him,’ he added.

Police who were called to the party by the host’s mother held 57 witnesses for questioning.

There were so many people at the party that a Sheriff’s Office bus was used to take them away from the scene.

Ed Stephens, who lives near where the party took place, watched the brutal attack from his bedroom window.

‘I just thought he was hurt. I never thought that his life was ending,’ he said.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1327752/Bobby-Tillman-beaten-death-unprovoked-attack-4-teenagers.html?ito=feeds-newsxml#ixzz14uEWI4Cf

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Station: WMBX/WNEW

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Raised: Bastrop / Austin TX 

PRESTON LOWE’S BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

KNLE/Austin, TX – Air Personality
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The agency was running fine, modernized with Brown’s push for technology.

“I hate being the Maytag repairman,” said Brown, who left Roseburg in 2008 to join the Oregon State Police.

“They were sort of under siege all the time,” Brown said of the statewide force. “I thought it’d be a wonderful opportunity.”

In two weeks, Brown will step up as superintendent, the 11th in OSP’s history.

He takes over from Tim McLain, retiring after 31 years wearing a State Police badge.

Brown faces a round of budget cuts that will again cripple the agency’s drive to restore round-the-clock patrols on Oregon’s major highways.

“We’re in a catastrophic environment,” said Brown, whose promotion from deputy superintendent was announced Monday by Gov. Ted Kulongoski. Brown’s appointment must be confirmed by the Oregon State.

As deputy superintendent, Brown has had day-to-day charge of the State Police, with a $350 million biennial budget and 1,200 employees.

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He's already tasting that retirement cake!

From the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page:

On Thursday 070110 Dep. James Mallore and K-9 Rudy were officially retired from service within the D.C.S.O. K-9 Unit after a “STELLAR” 5 year career together.

Rudy, whom was given to Dep. Mallore, began his career with the D.C.S.O. K-9 Unit in March 2002 and leaves behind a legacy of having been one of the very “BEST” dogs to have served the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

Dep. Mallore has opted for re-assignment within the Jail Division and we wish him much Success in his new position.

“THANKS” Dep. Mallore and Rudy for your service, not only to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office but to the Community we serve.

ENJOY YOUR RETIREMENT RUDY, YOU’VE EARNED IT!!!!!

Milo is the county’s first explosives-sniffing dog, one of only eight in Georgia, according to his handler, Sgt. Billy Lashley of the Douglas County K-9 Unit.

“We got him through a $57,000 Homeland Security grant,” Lashley said. “The grant paid $12,000 for the dog and bought a vehicle to transport him, a kennel and other equipment.”

He said Milo came to the county from a kennel in Sunset Hills, Florida, trained to detect 15 different explosives, but needing additional search training.

“He can detect dynamite, TNT, black powder, smokeless powder, plastic explosives, water gels and several more,” he said.

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE

In light of this fact, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit is holding a “Pennies for Police Service Dogs” drive with local elementary schools March 15-26.

“For these two weeks, each of the 14 participating elementary schools will have a penny drive,” said Lt. Michael Barnhill, leader of the county K-9 unit. “Money raised will go to the ‘Chase Away K-9 Cancer’ drive to fund research.”

Barnhill said each participating school office will have a plastic bucket, donated by Home Depot on Thornton Road, to collect pennies brought to school by students and teachers.

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE/PIC HERE