Weatherford (Texas) Democrat – “Beer-drinking college students arrested for 'exploring' FAA tower” – December 30^th, 2014:

Four young men who police say broke into a building in Snyder County, Pennsylvania early Sunday morning to share a few beers set off alarms all the way in Georgia. 

That's because the building happened to be a Federal Aviation Administration air traffic navigation tower. 

The unlawful entry through what the four college students, one of whom is a West Point cadet, said was an unlocked door triggered an intruder alarm that shut down a crucial aviation aid that allows pilots to follow an assigned flight path.

Though authorities believe the four weren’t trying to disrupt air traffic, an alert of the disruption was received at the FAA's regional office in Atlanta, which notified Pennsylvania state police. 

When troopers arrived, they found the four men, all of them younger than 21, walking away from the tower carrying open containers of beer. So along with felony causing a catastrophe, burglary, criminal mischief, criminal trespassing, the foursome also faces underage drinking charges. 

Though FAA spokesman Jim Peters confirmed that “The entrants did not damage the building or equipment and did not pose a safety risk to any aircraft," they also may face federal charges. 

The Daily Journal (Park Hills, Missouri) Online - "Burglars question homeowner when caught in act" - December 28th, 2014:

 

Crystal City Police caught a brazen burglar and his sidekick on Dec. 16 after the would-be robber challenged the homeowner as to who really owned the home.

It took place in the 2400 block of Hwy. 61-67 just after noon when the homeowner entered the home and found an apparent burglary in progress.

According to authorities, when the owner entered the residence they were confronted by a male subject who actually asked the homeowner what he was doing in the house. The homeowner told him he was the owner and the subject said they would see about that.

The homeowner ran out and called police and when officers responded they saw two men fleeing on foot. They captured both men after a short foot chase.

The suspects, a 46-year Cedar Hill man and a 53-year-old Arnold man, were arrested on suspicion of first-degree burglary, a Class B felony, and misdemeanor charges of trespassing. They were released pending application of warrants.

Authorities reported that there were no injuries and nothing appeared to have been taken. The men entered the house through an unlocked rear door.

www.thedenverchannel.com – “Brazen burglars are hitting Stapleton homes while people sleep; police urge residents to lock up” – September 26^th, 2014:

DENVER - Denver police are warning residents in the Stapleton neighborhood to lock their doors and windows after a string of brazen burglaries where crooks looted homes while people slept.

The burglaries occurred from Sunday into Friday. Police said the targeted area roughly stretches from East 21st Avenue to East 29th Avenue and Syracuse Street to Xenia Street.

"She was actually sleeping on the couch when the person came in the house," burglary victim Jeremy Willius said of his wife.

What did the Willius' household loose? "Three phones, two purses, two sets of keys and our Honda Odyssey," Willius told 7NEWS reported Molly Hendrickson.

"I wish I had kept my windows closed," he added.

Police are urging residents to lock up.

All have involved the owners being present within the homes while burglaries were occurring," the Denver Police District 5 Facebook page says. "These incidents also involved several unlocked front and sliding glass doors to the residences."

"That's scary because burglars are supposed to come when you're not home," said Mike Bibbo, another Stapleton resident. "I used to walk my dog and not really think about locking my door."

The Washington Post – “Secret Service reviews White House security after fence-jumper enters mansion” – September 20^th, 2014:

A day after a man scaled the fence and managed to get inside the front door of the White House, another man was arrested for trespassing after pulling his car into a White House access gate at 15^th and E streets and refusing to leave, according to a Secret Service official.

The latest incident comes as the Secret Service has launched a White House security review into how a man was able to get inside the north door of the mansion Friday night. Authorities say Omar J. Gonzalez, 42, of Copperas Cove, Tex., hopped over the north fence line near Pennsylvania Avenue about 7:20 p.m. Friday, setting off a standard security alarm indicating a breach of the perimeter. Officers demanded that he stop, but he did not respond, and they were unable to reach him on foot before he ran more than 70 yards and got inside the unlocked front doors of the presidential mansion. A guard stationed at the door subdued him.

Officers at the scene considered Gonzalez to be unarmed and likely mentally disturbed, a law enforcement official familiar with the incident said.

www.nj.com – “High on PCP, Jersey City man locked himself in kindergarten bathroom: court docs” – September 17^th, 2014:

The Jersey City man accused of locking himself in a kindergarten bathroom at a Jersey City elementary school while high on PCP made his first court appearance today.

Lamont Clay, 41, of Ocean Avenue, is charged with criminal trespass and being under the influence after he allegedly walked into a trailer housing a kindergarten class Friday morning at Fred W. Martin School 41 on Wilkinson Avenue.

According to a criminal complaint, Clay did “enter through the fence at Public School #41, walk to the kindergarten trailer located in the parking lot, open the unlocked door, walk into classroom trailer and lock himself in student’s bathroom."

Clay was under the influence of PCP as he locked himself in the bathroom, police said.

Clay appeared in Central Judicial Processing court in Jersey City today, where Judge Margaret Marley set his bail at $5,000 with a 10 percent cash option. As a condition of his bail, he must have no contact with School 41.

"I don't know if the teacher had locked the door or maybe the locks don't work properly," Jersey City school board member Marilyn Roman said Friday afternoon. "We need to make sure the trailers are safe for the students."

 

www.nj.com - “Laptops, watches stolen during Jersey City home burglary, police say” – September 7^th, 2014:

A Jersey City couple woke up Saturday to find about $2,800 worth of electronics and jewelry stolen from their home, according to police.

A woman living on Terrance Avenue told police that she went to sleep around 2 a.m. on Friday night, according to police. But when she awoke at 6 a.m. on Saturday, she noticed that the room where her mother sleeps was ransacked and clothes were tossed on the floor, according to police. 

As the woman proceeded downstairs, she found bags strewn across the living room and a screen window in the kitchen wide open, according to police.

The woman then contacted her 57-year-old husband and the two searched the home, according to police. The couple discovered that two laptops and laptop bags were missing, as well as five gold watches, according to police.

The two estimated the laptops, bags and watches at about $2,800, according to police.

Police found no signs of forced entry and believed the front door was unlocked, according to police. 

 

www.cbc.ca - “Boy, 9, steals Saskatoon city bus, hits 2 parked vehicles” – September 6^th, 2014:

No injuries are reported after a nine-year-old boy stole a city bus in Saskatoon and managed to drive it for a couple of blocks Saturday morning.

Police say the bus was stolen from the bus garages on 300 block of 24th Street West, near downtown.

CBC reporter Steve Pasqualotto was driving south along nearby Idywyld Drive toward downtown when he looked over and saw the child at the wheel of the bus.

The boy eventually stopped at the corner of Idylwyld Drive and 25th Street, after getting the bus hung up on the curb.

Police say the boy hit two vehicles — a parked city bus and another parked car — but no one was hurt.

Since the boy is 9-years-old police cannot lay charges.

Officers have confirmed he was taken home and is now with his family.

According to city officials, the stolen bus was being repaired on Saturday when it was stolen.

Jeff Jorgenson, General Manager of Transportation & Utilities Department, said he and other officials have reviewed a video tape that captured the incident. Based on this footage, Jorgenson explained that the bus had been left running by a maintenance person when the boy entered the bus and stole it.

"This is a case, from what I've seen, [where] policy and procedures were very clearly violated," said Jorgenson. "Buses are not to be left in that condition."

Jorgenson said typically buses must be left in a secured state. He explained that none of the steps had been taken to secure the bus, making it easy for the child to drive away with the bus.

"This is a case where safety protocols were violated," Jorgenson said, as he explained that the door was left unlocked, and the boy entered the bus with ease and started driving the bus a short time after entering it because the bus was not secure.