N.Y. search resumes for missing Jersey City prostitute

Oak beach, N.Y. — Police have resumed the search for a New Jersey prostitute who disappeared last year after visiting a home on Long Island.
Suffolk County Commissioner Richard Dormer said last week that investigators don't believe Shannan Gilbert is one of the victims of a suspected serial killer. But police say there's still a possibility that Gilbert may be dead, and that her body could be in the same area.
The search today is expected to cover an area from the Robert Moses Causeway near Captree west to Tobay Beach.
Dormer says detectives now think one person is probably responsible for all 10 of the deaths dating back to 1996.


A Suffolk County police spokeswoman told Newsday that the department's detective division received new information indicating the "possibility" that Gilbert may be dead. The tip also indicated that her remains may be dumped along the highway, according to the newspaper.


Gilbert disappeared in the area on May 1, 2010, after apparently meeting a client she had booked through Craigslist. A witness reported seeing her running frantically from a home in the area near where the bodies were found.


The decision comes as Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer revealed that detectives now think that one person may be responsible for the 10 deaths. He previously said as many as three killers may be responsible.


Dormer declined to detail reasons for the change in theory, but notes all victims appear linked to the sex trade.

Dad Accused of Tossing Tot in Stream to Return to NJ for Trial

The father accused of killing a toddler whose body was found strapped in her car seat and partially submerged in a stream last week has decided not to fight extradition from California to New Jersey.
27-year-old Arthur E. Morgan III was arrested Tuesday in San Diego after an eight-day national manhunt. Morgan has been charged with murder in the November 21 death of 2-year-old Tierra Morgan-Glover.
Tierra’s mother, Imani Benton, called police that night when Morgan failed to return their daughter to her following a visit. The New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services had been involved with the couple four times since they first received a report of alleged violence between them in October 2010. At the time, Benton obtained a temporary restraining order against Morgan, but it was later dropped due to lack of evidence, a DYFS statement said.
Most recently, a caseworker visited Benton on November 10 and determined that Tierra was safe, but the case remained open for a child welfare assessment, according to the statement. Since Tierra’s death, the Department of Children and Families has opened a review of the division’s history with the family.
Tierra’s body was found on November 22 in a stream beneath an overpass in Shark River Park. A prosecutor told CNN that the location suggested that she may have been thrown from the overpass in her car seat. According to a prosecution press release, her cause of death was determined to be “homicidal violence, including submersion in water.”
Before Tierra’s body was discovered, charges of endangering the welfare of a child and interference with custody were filed against Morgan. He was charged with murder on November 23 and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
A friend told police that they had dropped Morgan off alone at a train station on the night of November 21 with the understanding that he planned to take a train to Newark and travel to California from there, an FBI affidavit stated. Cell phone records indicated that he made or received calls to numbers with out-of-state area codes that day. Morgan was ultimately caught on November 29 at a home in San Diego.


Arthur Morgan III was arrested at an apartment complex in San Diego on Tuesday, ending a nationwide manhunt a week after authorities said he killed Tierra Morgan-Glover, whose body was found partly submerged in a park in Wall Township, N.J.


An expressionless Morgan walked into a hearing Thursday in San Diego and immediately signed papers waiving his right to contest extradition. If he had fought his return, it would have delayed his return by as much as 120 days.


The judge ordered him to be returned by Dec. 21 to New Jersey, where his bail was set at $10 million. Deputy District Attorney Sylvia Tenorio said Morgan will likely return before then but she said the exact date will not be made public for security reasons.


He is charged with murder, interstate flight to avoid prosecution and child custody offenses.


Child welfare authorities in New Jersey said they investigated the turbulent relationship between Morgan and his girlfriend, Imani Benton, four times in the past 13 months but could not determine that abuse or neglect was occurring.


Benton's family accuses the state's child welfare agency and the court system of not doing enough to help her. The agency said it is conducting a review of its handling of the case.


The toddler's body was found Nov. 22 in Shark River Park, about 20 miles north of her home in Lakehurst, N.J. Her cause of death was listed as "homicidal violence, including submersion in water.


After fleeing New Jersey, Morgan was the subject of a coast-to-coast manhunt and had been featured on the website of "America's Most Wanted" after the child's body was found.


The U.S. Marshals Service office in San Diego got a tip from New Jersey authorities on Tuesday that Morgan might be at a home there. Marshals conducted surveillance for most of the day. Morgan was then spotted on the home's back porch and arrested without incident.


Benton's mother, Michelle Simmons, said her family is eager to see Morgan brought to justice.


"We want to know why he did what he did to that baby," she said.

Two Women Shot at Long Island City Home

2 women were reported shot at a Queens home Monday morning and police are investigating whether the incident was domestic.


One woman is in her 20s and the other in her 60s. They were both shot at about 9 a.m. on the first floor of a Long Island City home and were taken to Elmhurst Hospital.




Sources tell NBC New York that one of the women may have had an order of protection against an ex.

Church Uses Baby Monitor To Nab Suspected Thieves

Three members of the Carmichael Bible Church were able to lead Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies to arrest two men charged with stealing copper wiring from the church property after an all-night stakeout that ended early this morning.


At about 4:30 a.m., deputies arrested Curtis Darnell, 36, and Howard Sanders, 26, after the church volunteers called police to the church at 7100 Fair Oaks Boulevard across from Carmichael Park, Dep. Jason Ramos said.


Darnell and Sanders were each charged with felony counts of vandalism, grand theft, and criminal conspiracy, Ramos said.


"It was the right thing to do," said Michael Talpas, one of the three volunteers and a church member for about six years. "It wouldn't repair the damage but we needed to stop them."


That damage included about four to five dozen screws and panels being removed and the Freon being drained, said Teaching Pastor Curt Pearson.


On Wednesday morning, Pearson said he first noticed damage to the air conditioning and heating units at around 7 a.m. and initially suspected homeless individuals who camp in the area. Church officials contacted their insurance company and Sheriff's deputies to file a report, which was delayed as law enforcement agencies are having to do more with less of a budget these days.


"They're overwhelmed and I understand that," Pearson said.


Pastor Matt Potratz again contacted Sheriff's deputies who suggested church officials work with them to nab the thieves. That's when Talpas, Pastor Jeff Livingston and longtime church member Gary Jensen offered to stay overnight in the church office to monitor the area.


"We decided to do a sting operation," Talpas said.


The three placed a wireless baby monitor to the roof of the church and took 45 minute shifts watching a television monitor in the office while the others slept.


"I've got two daughters- Cora, 3, and Talia, nine months, who is in the nursery program, where we're asking for space heaters because it will be cold as will the sanctuary," Talpas said. "That was my primary concern."


Police surrounded the alleged thieves, who told officers they were going through recycling bins for bottles and cans, Talpas said. They had left tools earlier and pornographic magazines, Pearson said. The video was given to the Sheriff's deputies for evidence.


"They were very brazen," Pearson said. "They didn't know we were on to them. There was no fear someone was going to get caught."


Carmichael Bible Church has about 120 members and has been in the area since about 1930, in different locations and having split from another church, Pearson said.


Damages are between $55,000 and $65,000, Pearson said. The church's insurance should cover most of the damage but there will be some financial loss for the deductible and costs to better enclose the AC/heat units, which Talpas said may include a steel cage.


On Wednesday night, a regularly scheduled worship music practice was held.


"Where is the copper going?" Pearson asks in disbelief.


At a recent Carmichael Chamber of Commerce luncheon, attendees mentioned vandalism of street lights as another way thieves take copper and go to recycling centers where they get paid.


"Something is driving the price of metal up," Pearson said.


Ramos gave credit to the men at the Carmichael Bible Church stakeout.


"Their place was being victimized and they came up with a plan of action," he said. "Kudos to them for taking the initiative and calling law enforcement right away instead of confronting the suspects."


The church's losses might have been greater if not for the three men on the stakeout, he said.


"They're very sacrificial," Pearson said. "Jeff's wife is due (to have a baby) any day now and they're all married so for them to stay is great and helps other churches and businesses that might have been vandalized."


"Everyone is grateful to the three guys and people are commenting as much on Facebook," he said. "We're also grateful to the Sheriff for a quick response."


On the third night, members of the Carmichael Bible Church in Carmichael, Calif., set up a baby monitor, hooked it up to a VCR and took turns watching the video, CW31-TV reported.


About six hours into the stakeout early Friday, the alleged thieves returned while Pastor Jeff Livingstone was watching. He saw the suspects return, then called the police.


According to CW31, the church is now without heat because thieves grabbed the copper from the heating and cooling system.


The damage will likely add up to more than $50,000.

Police Investigating Two Burglaries Near Georgetown

WASHINGTON - Police are investigating two burglaries at the off campus homes of two Georgetown University students.


The two incidents were just about a half hour apart, and both were near the intersection of 36th and O Streets NW.


The first happened just before 10 p.m. Friday night on the 1400 block of 36th Street NW. A student reported an unknown man emerged from a closet while she was sitting in her living room. The suspect said he was looking for a party and then ran out the back door.


The second incident happened about 30 minutes later on the 3600 block of O Street NW. A student arrived home to find an unknown person in her bedroom. The student screamed and the suspect fled the house.


D.C. police were called to the scene of both burglaries, canvassed the area, but didn't find anybody.


There were no injuries reported in either case, and the burglaries are being treated as separate incidents.


The suspect in the first incident is described as a black male, approximately in his early twenties, 6'0", medium build, wearing a black North Face hooded jacket with black sunglasses.


A Georgetown University public safety officer would not answer questions about the incidents during a Sunday morning phone call.


The first incident happened around 10 p.m. in the 1400 block of 36th St. NW. A Georgetown student said a man jumped out of her closet when she was sitting in the living room of her home,. The man said he was looking for a party then ran out the back door of the home. About a half hour later, a second alleged victim said she came home and found a man in her bedroom, and he fled from the home in the 3600 block of O St. NW,.


The alleged suspect in the first incident is described as a 6 feet tall black male, who may be in his early twenties,. The man allegedly had a medium build and was wearing a black North Face hooded jacket with black sunglasses. The alleged suspect in the second incident reportedly had a similar height, build and jacket description as the first alleged suspect, according to WTOP. The second alleged suspect was also wearing white gloves and his face was covered with a mask,.


Anybody with any information about these burglaries are asked to call the Georgetown Department of Public Safety at (202) 687-4343.