Saturday, November 27, 2010
Police Activity near Frontier Chemical Company
In area of Frontier Chemical Company on a hunter complaint.
Please use extreme caution
DOD Identifies Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
1st Lt. William J. Donnelly IV, 27, of Picayune, Miss., died Nov. 25 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
President Obama thanks troops for their service
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Written by: Christopher Lagan
President Barack Obama makes phone calls from the Oval Office to members of the U.S. military on Thanksgiving Day. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Chief Boatswain’s Mate Andrew Otero and Food Service Specialist 2nd Class John Backman both received calls from the president during some much deserved time ashore.
Chief Boatswain's Mate Andrew Otero receives a call from President Obama on Thanksgiving Day. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)
“It was an honor being selected from the many well deserving Coasties serving here in the Middle East,” Otero tells the Compass. “The fact that the President would take the time to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to myself, and my family is beyond imaginable. This is one of the very special moments I will take with me and be able to share about this deployment.”
Food Service Specialist 2nd Class John Backman receives a call from President Obama in the radio room of the CGC Maui on Thanksgiving Day. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)
“To have the opportunity to speak with the President of the United States was an honor,” Backman tells us. “This will definitely be one of the most humbling and memorable Thanksgivings of my life.”
Thank you President Obama for making this Thanksgiving a special one for members of our service away from their families and for sharing the thanks of a grateful nation with these two deserving Coast Guardsmen. We also want to thanks Lieutenant Commander Ben Berg, the deputy commander of Coast Guard Patrol Forces Southwest Asia for helping us share our shipmates’ stories with our readers.
And, a special thank you to all of the men and women in uniform serving overseas this holiday season. Your sacrifice in defense of our freedoms is a debt we will never be able to repay.
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Long-Haul Truck Driver Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Aggravated Sex Abuse of a Child
PORTLAND, OR—On Monday, November 22, 2010, U.S. District Court Judge Anna J. Brown sentenced Alexander Lukashov, 36, of Portland, Oregon, to serve 30 years in federal prison for aggravated sexual abuse of a child. Upon his release from prison, the defendant will be on supervised release for the rest of his life. The 30-year prison sentence was the mandatory minimum sentence required by law.
On July 20, 2010, a federal jury found the defendant guilty of aggravated sexual abuse of a child. Testimony at trial showed that in February 2009, the defendant, a long-haul commercial truck driver, took the victim, an 8-year-old girl, with him on a cross-country trip. During that trip, the defendant repeatedly raped and sexually abused the young girl. The victim disclosed the abuse to her mother after the defendant brought her back home. The details of the abuse were outlined at trial and in the government’s sentencing memorandum. The defendant was arrested on federal charges on March 9, 2009, and indicted on federal charges on April 1, 2009. On July 13, 2010, the parties proceeded to trial and on July 20, 2010, the jury returned a guilty verdict on count one, aggravated sex abuse of a child.
During the sentencing hearing the victim asked the prosecutors read a statement to the court in which she explained how the crime adversely affected her “emotional and mental health” and had “ruined [her] life.” In imposing the sentence the court noted that it was imposing a sentence sufficient to ensure that neither the victim nor any other children would again be victimized by the defendant. As a condition of his supervision the defendant is prohibited from having any contact with minor children, must participate in a sex offender treatment program, and register as a sex offender.
After imposing the sentence the court specifically addressed the victim and complimented her on the courage and strength she showed in coming forward and testifying.
“The defendant’s crime was truly an offense that shocks the conscience and demanded a very lengthy prison sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Dwight C. Holton. “I applaud the Portland Police Bureau, CARES Northwest, the Oregon State Crime Lab, and the FBI for all their outstanding work that made this prosecution possible.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Scott M. Kerin and Jane H. Shoemaker.
Source: FBI
Oregon Resident Arrested in Plot to Bomb Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Portland
Vehicle Bomb Left at Scene Was Inert and Posed No Danger to Public
PORTLAND, OR—Mohamed Osman Mohamud, 19, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Somalia and resident of Corvallis, Ore., has been arrested on charges of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction (explosives) in connection with a plot to detonate a vehicle bomb at an annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony earlier this evening in Portland, Ore., the Justice Department announced.
According to a criminal complaint signed in the District of Oregon, Mohamud was arrested by the FBI and Portland Police Bureau at approximately 5:40 p.m. (PST) Nov. 26, 2010 after he attempted to detonate what he believed to be an explosives-laden van that was parked near the tree lighting ceremony in Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square. The arrest was the culmination of a long-term undercover operation, during which Mohamud had been monitored closely for months as his alleged bomb plot developed. The device was in fact inert; and the public was never in danger from the device.
Mohamud is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court in Portland on Monday. He faces a maximum statutory sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted of the charge of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.
Dwight C. Holton, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, said, “This defendant’s chilling determination is a stark reminder that there are people—even here in Oregon—who are determined to kill Americans. The good work of law enforcement protected Oregonians in this case—and we have no reason to believe there is any continuing threat arising from this case.”
“The complaint alleges that Mohamud attempted to detonate what he believed to be a vehicle bomb at a crowded holiday event in downtown Portland, but a coordinated undercover law enforcement action was able to thwart his efforts and ensure no one was harmed,” said David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “While the public was never in danger from the device, this case serves as yet another reminder of the need for continued vigilance both at home and abroad.”
“The threat was very real. Our investigation shows that Mohamud was absolutely committed to carrying out an attack on a very grand scale,” said Arthur Balizan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon. “At the same time, I want to reassure the people of this community that, at every turn, we denied him the ability to actually carry out the attack.”
According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, in August 2009, Mohamud was in e-mail contact with an unindicted associate (UA1) overseas who is believed to be involved in terrorist activities. In December 2009, while UA1 was located in the northwest frontier province of Pakistan, Mohamud and UA1 discussed the possibility of Mohamud traveling to Pakistan to engage in violent jihad. UAI allegedly referred Mohamud to a second unindicted associate (UA2) overseas and provided Mohamud with a name and email address to facilitate the process.
In the months that followed, Mohamud allegedly made several unsuccessful attempts to contact UA2. Ultimately, an FBI undercover operative contacted Mohamud via e-mail in June 2010 under the guise of being an associate of UA1. Mohamud and the FBI undercover operative then agreed to meet in Portland in July 2010. At this meeting, Mohamud allegedly told the FBI undercover operative that he had written articles that were published in Jihad Recollections, an online magazine that advocated violent jihad. Mohamud also indicated that he wanted to become “operational.” Asked what he meant by “operational,” Mohamud stated that he wanted to put an “explosion” together, but needed help.
At a second meeting in August 2010, Mohamud allegedly told undercover FBI operatives he had been thinking of committing violent jihad since the age of 15. According to the affidavit, Mohamud then told the undercover FBI operatives that he had identified a potential target for a bomb: the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square on Nov. 26, 2010.
According to the affidavit, the undercover FBI operatives cautioned Mohamud several times about the seriousness of this plan, noting there would be many people at the event, including many children, and emphasized that Mohamud could abandon his attack plans at any time with no shame. “You know there’s gonna be a lot of children there?” an undercover FBI operative asked Mohamud. According to the affidavit, Mohamud responded that he was looking for a “huge mass that will...be attacked in their own element with their families celebrating the holidays.” Further discussing the attack, Mohamud allegedly stated, “...it’s in Oregon; and Oregon like you know, nobody ever thinks about it.”
The affidavit alleges that in subsequent months, Mohamud continued to express his interest in carrying out the attack and worked on logistics. He allegedly identified a location to place the bomb and mailed bomb components to the undercover FBI operatives, who he believed were assembling the device. He also mailed them passport photos, as part of a plan to help him sneak out of the country after the attack. In addition, Mohamud provided the undercover FBI operatives with a thumb drive that contained detailed directions to the bomb location and operational instructions for the attack.
According to the affidavit, on November 4, 2010, Mohamud and the undercover FBI operatives traveled to a remote location in Lincoln County, Ore., where they detonated a bomb concealed in a backpack as a trial run for the upcoming attack. Afterwards, on the drive back to Corvallis, undercover FBI operatives questioned Mohamud as to whether he was capable of looking at the bodies of those who would be killed in the upcoming attack in Portland. According to the affidavit, Mohamud responded, “I want whoever is attending that event to leave, to leave either dead or injured.”
Upon returning to Corvallis that same day, the affidavit alleges that Mohamud recorded a video of himself with the undercover FBI operatives in which he read a written statement that offered a rationale for his bomb attack. On Nov. 18, 2010, undercover FBI operatives picked up Mohamud to travel to Portland in order to finalize the details of the attack.
Earlier this evening, Mohamud was arrested after he attempted to remotely detonate what he believed to be explosives in a van that was parked near the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland, the affidavit alleges.
This case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Oregon State Police, the Corvallis Police Department, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and the Portland Police Bureau. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ethan D. Knight and Jeffrey Sweet from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon. Trial Attorneys Jolie F. Zimmerman and David Cora, from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, are assisting.
The charges and allegations contained in the criminal complaint are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
CBP Officers in Champlain, N.Y. Arrest Man Wanted for Child Molestation
Champlain, N.Y. - On Thanksgiving Day, CBP officers at the Champlain, N.Y. port of entry received notification from Canada Border Services Agency that Kenneth Schneider, a 32-year-old United States citizen from Foley, Mo. was being deported from Canada and returned to the United States. Schneider entered Canada in July of 2008 as a visitor and has remained there without legal status until he was arrested by Canadian authorities on an immigration violation. Record checks by Canadian authorities revealed the possibility of an active warrant in the United States.
Upon his return to the United States, CBP officers performed record checks, to include fingerprint queries, which confirmed that Schneider was the subject of two nationwide no bond felony warrants. The warrants were for charge including sexual misconduct and child molestation issued in August, 2008 by the Lincoln County, Mo. sheriff's department and statutory rape issued in January, 2009 by the Warren County, Mo. sheriff's department.
CBP officers verified the validity of the warrants and confirmed extradition to Missouri. Schneider was arrested and turned over to the custody of New York State Troopers pending extradition to Missouri.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
Discovery of 2nd major San Diego-area cross-border drug tunnel leads to 8 arrests, seizure of more than 20 tons of marijuana
SAN DIEGO - Eight suspects are in custody on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border and more than 20 tons of marijuana have been seized following the San Diego Tunnel Task Force's discovery Thursday of a cross-border passageway even more sophisticated than a similar tunnel uncovered in the area less than three weeks ago.Unlike previous area tunnels, the nearly half-mile long passageway had two U.S. entrances located in warehouses about 800 feet apart in the Otay Mesa industrial complex in southern San Diego. The tunnel, which reached an estimated depth of 90 feet, emerged in Tijuana, Mexico, inside a stucco residence outfitted with a garage large enough to accommodate deliveries by tractor trailer trucks. Inside, the tunnel's walls were fortified with wood and cinderblock supports and the passageway was equipped with advanced rail, electrical and ventilation systems.
The tunnel discovery is the result of an ongoing investigation by the multi-agency San Diego Tunnel Task Force, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Formed seven years ago, the task force uses a variety of techniques to detect cross-border tunnels, from state-of-the-art electronic surveillance to old fashioned detective work.
The tunnel was located Thursday morning after task force agents conducting surveillance in the Otay Mesa area observed suspicious activity involving a tractor trailer truck parked at a warehouse in the 10000 block of Marconi Drive where one of the tunnel's entrances was later found. After the truck left the site, agents kept it under surveillance, alerting CBP Border Patrol as it approached the traffic checkpoint in Temecula. There, Border Patrol agents stopped the vehicle and a search of the truck's trailer revealed more than 27,600 pounds of marijuana. The vehicle's driver was taken into custody and will be prosecuted on federal drug smuggling charges.
The tunnel was located Thursday morning after task force agents conducting surveillance in the Otay Mesa area observed suspicious activity involving a tractor trailer truck parked at a warehouse in the 10000 block of Marconi Drive where one of the tunnel's entrances was later found. After the truck left the site, agents kept it under surveillance, alerting CBP Border Patrol as it approached the traffic checkpoint in Temecula. There, Border Patrol agents stopped the vehicle and a search of the truck's trailer revealed more than 27,600 pounds of marijuana. The vehicle's driver was taken into custody and will be prosecuted on federal drug smuggling charges. The tunnel was located Thursday morning after task force agents conducting surveillance in the Otay Mesa area observed suspicious activity involving a tractor trailer truck parked at a warehouse in the 10000 block of Marconi Drive where one of the tunnel's entrances was later found. After the truck left the site, agents kept it under surveillance, alerting CBP Border Patrol as it approached the traffic checkpoint in Temecula. There, Border Patrol agents stopped the vehicle and a search of the truck's trailer revealed more than 27,600 pounds of marijuana. The vehicle's driver was taken into custody and will be prosecuted on federal drug smuggling charges.
“This discovery again shows the cartels' growing desperation in the face of beefed up border security and the costly extremes these organizations are trying in an effort to avoid detection,” said Miguel Unzueta, special agent in charge for ICE Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego. “Once again, we've thwarted their scheme and I predict you'll see more such successes in the future as the Task Force ramps up its outreach to businesses in the Otay Mesa area. While we have a vast array of high-tech equipment at our disposal, public tips play a huge part in our ongoing enforcement efforts.”
As the case began unfolding here, task force agents contacted the Mexican military with several leads and a search Thursday afternoon at a ranch in northern Mexico yielded another four tons of marijuana. Finally, after entering the tunnel itself, investigators recovered more than 6,000 additional pounds of pot inside.
“The discovery of this tunnel is the result of law enforcement's tenacity and willingness to work together to combat the latest method of drug smuggling by drug trafficking organizations,” said Ralph Partridge, special agent in charge for the DEA in San Diego. “The magnitude of this discovery can only be compared to the measure of disruption its discovery will have on drug traffickers.”
So far, eight suspects have been taken into custody in connection with the ongoing investigation. In addition to the truck driver intercepted at the Temecula checkpoint, task force agents arrested two men in El Cajon, Calif., who were observed at the Otay Mesa warehouse Thursday morning. The five remaining arrests were made by authorities in Mexico.
“Our border security mission continues to evolve as new vulnerabilities and threats persist,” said Paul Beeson, chief patrol agent for the San Diego Border Patrol sector. “I am confident that our collaborative law enforcement efforts on both sides of the border, specifically the efforts of Mexican military, will allow us to adapt and defeat these threats. Yesterday's discovery is a true indicator that intelligence and operational collaboration within the law enforcement community is essential for effective border security.”
Authorities emphasize that their investigation into this latest tunnel is ongoing. In the last four years, federal authorities have detected more than 75 cross-border smuggling tunnels, most of them in California and Arizona.
(CONTINUATION) Lake Effect Snow Warning issued November 27 at 5:35AM EST expiring November 27 at 4:00PM EST
(Western New York)Affected Jurisdictions: Erie, Wyoming Counties T by NWS Buffalo...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON... A LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON. * LOCATIONS: SOUTHERN ERIE AND WYOMING COUNTIES. * TIMING: LAKE EFFECT SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY. * ACCUMULATIONS: ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS TODAY 3 TO 6 INCHES OVER SOUTHERN ERIE COUNTY...AND 2 TO 3 INCHES OVER WYOMING COUNTY. * WINDS: WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH. * VISIBILITIES: VISIBILITIES WILL BE REDUCED TO NEAR ZERO AT TIMES. * IMPACTS: VERY DIFFICULT TRAVEL CONDITIONS.IN LAKE EFFECT SNOW THE WEATHER CAN VARY FROM LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW IN NARROW BANDS TO CLEAR SKIES JUST A FEW MILES AWAY. IF YOU WILL BE TRAVELING ACROSS THE REGION BE PREPARED FOR RAPID CHANGES IN ROAD AND VISIBILITY CONDITIONS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION FOR THE LATEST UPDATES. ADDITIONAL DETAILS CAN ALSO BE FOUND AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BUFFALO
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