Striking Steelworkers Being Watched by Private Investigator

They say you're not paranoid if they're really out to get you. Some Steelworkers proved it Wednesday.

As the crowd was dispersing after a rally with Jack Layton at the Steelworkers' Hall on Brady Street, strikers spied a security guard filming as they were leaving.

The man was seated in his vehicle, parked along the side of the entrance to Kelly Lake Building Supplies, located behind the new Steel Hall.

He admitted to being a private investigator hired by a firm by the name of SCM in Toronto to "observe" the activities of Steelworkers in the parking lot of their union hall.

Clearly nervous at being questioned by several Steelworkers, the man replied, "Nice," when a Sudbury Star reporter identified herself and asked him who he was.

When asked what he was hired to do, he replied: "Just security, ma'am. Observation," he said, pointing to his sunglasses.

When asked who hired him, the man said: "I don't know. I told you what I know, ma'am. I don't want to tell you anything else."

Read more here

Grandfather Turns Detective

A retired GM worker turned amateur detective breathed a sigh of relief Tuesday when he heard Durham Police had charged Greg Carter for posing as a psychologist.

The charges came more than a year after the 69-year-old man lost his 10-year-old granddaughter — and his life savings — in a custody battle where “Dr. Greg Carter” testified.

“They took on the wrong guy,” the burly man said gruffly, sitting in his home north of Bowmanville Tuesday. “I’ve never lost a fight.”

Read more here.

Private Investigator Helps Nail GOP Hypocrite

It's not often that we get to say, "I told you so," so we mustn't let those moments pass.

With that in mind, it's a special pleasure to report that a private investigation led to the recent resignation of David Barber, the head of Alabama Governor Bob Riley's Anti-Gambling Task Force.

Milton McGregor, owner of VictoryLand near Montgomery, said he hired a private investigator, who caught Barber playing a slot machine at a Mississippi casino. Barber won a $2,00 jackpot in late December at the Golden Moon casino in Philadelphia, Mississippi. When confronted about his activities, Barber resigned from the governor's task force.

Reports the Mobile Press-Register:

"I knew he was going there. I knew what took place in Mississippi," McGregor told the Press-Register. "I wasn't out to destroy David Barber. He destroyed himself."

McGregor and other Alabama casino owners are waging a high-stakes battle with the Riley administration over the legality of electronic bingo machines, which have been seized in raids led by Barber's task force.

Read more here

Hunter who mistakenly shot private investigator pleads guilty

A Taberg man accused of shooting a private investigator with a shotgun after mistaking him for a turkey pleaded guilty Thursday to charges in connection with the case.

William Wehnke, 51, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor third-degree assault, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and unlawful manner of taking, a violation that alleges Wehnke was using the wrong type of ammunition for turkey hunting, according to Oneida County court documents.

Wehnke faces three years of probation and 100 hours of community service when he is sentenced Tuesday, March 9, in Oneida County Court.

Wehnke accidentally shot New Jersey private investigator Matthew Brady, 26, who was dressed in camouflage and lying on the ground when he was struck. The shotgun blast hit Brady in the side of his body, his back and his legs.

Brady had been sent to Taberg to investigate Wehnke's workers' compensation claims, police said at the time.

Read more here.

Board Hires Investigator

The same night Superintendent Judith DeMuth spoke of La Porte Community Schools’ “nightmare” $1.6 million budget cut coming from the state, the School Board unanimously voted to spend $250 an hour on a private investigator — with no limit on how much money will be spent.

The hiring of Larry Evans, an attorney with the Valparaiso firm of Hoeppner, Wagner & Evans, was approved Tuesday. He is supposed to find out whether any administrators or staff knew about former high school volleyball coach Robert Ashcraft’s alleged sexual relationship with a player.

There is no time or cost limit for the investigation, DeMuth said.

“This is ridiculous. There is already an investigation started by the (Indiana) State Police,” said La Porte resident Randy Mumms, who spoke at the meeting. “This is a waste of people’s money.”

DeMuth said the school district was “just made aware” that the State Police were going to investigate the same issue, and that they made the decision to hire Evans before they found out. Administrators can legally contract for services before those contracts are brought before the board publicly for approval, said School Board attorney William Kaminski.

School Board President Mitch Feikes said the board could have voted against hiring Evans, but didn’t because the investigator will look at a different aspect of what may have happened than State Police will.

Read more here

Records: Sanders, Foley involved in probes of board members, employees

Records obtained yesterday by The Blade from the state auditor's office show that at least one of the investigations ordered by Toledo Public Schools of three former school board members began with a tip from former TPS Superintendent Eugene Sanders.

And the documents reveal that the district made repeated use of a private investigator to check on suspicions about its employees.

In addition, a check paid to the investigative firm for the investigation of two private citizens who were often critical of the school district was signed in 2006 by the current superintendent, John Foley.

Read more here

Lawyer Wants PI Bala’s Safety Guaranteed

The lawyer for private investigator P. Balasubramaniam said today the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) willingness to meet with his client is a positive development but insisted that the private investigator’s safety must be guaranteed.

“It certainly appears to be a positive statement but we will have to wait for the MACC to contact us directly with acceptance of the conditions set for the interview,” said Americk Sidhu in an email to The Malaysian Insider.

“We have stated previously that Bala is prepared to assist the MACC in any way possible provided his safety is not compromised,” he added.

Yesterday, the new MACC chief Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamed declared the agency was prepared to meet Balasubramaniam anywhere — even abroad — over his allegations linked to the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder.

The missing private investigator has made a series of claims that involved Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his family.

Read more here

Detective owes city $22,000

DOWNTOWN — A former Burbank police detective has been ordered to pay the city $22,500 to cover a portion of the legal fees it incurred in defending itself against his privacy and defamation lawsuit.

Attorneys for Christopher Lee Dunn filed the lawsuit in July, claiming City Atty. Dennis Barlow illegally released his personnel records to the media the same day the former detective filed a wrongful termination and racial discrimination lawsuit.

But Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Irving Shimer struck down the complaint on the grounds that it constituted a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation, or SLAPP. The city then submitted paperwork showing legal costs of roughly $47,000, Barlow said, but on Friday was awarded the $22,500.

Read more here.

Cleveland school board member apologizes for surveillance of district employees

Cleveland school board Vice Chairwoman Louise Dempsey apologized Friday to the community, saying she's sorry that the district hired private investigators to keep tabs on employees.

"What happened was unconscionable. The board does not condone this practice at all," Dempsey said. "We will never condone this behavior."

She said she was stunned to learn from a recent state audit that former Chief Operating Officer Daniel Burns had approved paying private investigators tens of thousands of dollars to keep several employees, including high-ranking administrators, under surveillance. Records indicate that the investigators were determining what the district employees did during the work day.

Dempsey's remarks came during a board retreat at the Quail Hollow Resort in Concord Township. The board is meeting there through today to discuss a new school transformation plan and other issues.

Read more here

Family Searches for Answers in Model's Death

MIAMI, Fl. (WXYZ) - The mother of a Playboy model with connections to Dearborn is demanding answers in the 26-year-old's death.

Paula Sladewski's body was found burning in a Miami area dumpster Sunday. She was so badly burned that investigators needed three days and dental records to identify her. She had been missing since leaving a popular nightclub at 7:00 a.m. Sunday.

Sladewski was in Miami for a weekend of celebrating and partying with her boyfriend, Kevin Klym. The couple, who lived together in both Michigan and California, arrived in the city on New Year's Eve. Klym has been named a person of interest in her death.

Read more here.

N.C. Woman Hopes Baby Tooth Solves Cold Case

NEW YORK (CBS) ―A grim anniversary approaches with the New Year. An aspiring actor disappeared from a Manhattan party and was never seen again.

It happened 17 years ago but his family has never given up trying to find him.

Now it turns out a baby tooth his mother kept years ago could help in her search for the truth.

A mother climbs a narrow New York City staircase; private investigators in tow. They are trying to solve a 17-year-old mystery. Her son vanished here.

Read more here.

Loose laws for Alabama private investigators

People who hire private investigators are sometimes at their most vulnerable. They're often in a situation where they might wish they weren't, and they want answers to sensitive questions.

One man in the business wants state lawmakers to pass a bill that would eliminate con artists in his trade who prey on clients' weaknesses.

Bill Posey is CEO of Posey Investigations. He said television and movies sometimes give his industry a bad name, but he hopes new legislation will clean up that image in a state that doesn't regulate who has the right to secretly get you information.

Auto accidents, extramarital affairs, missing persons and dogs, and custody battles are at the center of many PI investigations. Since 1996, Posey's career has revolved around secrecy.

But the private investigator isn't keeping quiet about a bill making its way to the state legislature. It would regulate and license the practice of private investigation, create a board to oversee such practices, and would make it a crime for a private investigator to work without a license.

"In Alabama, it is harder to get a fishing license or a hunting license," Posey said.

Read more here

Criminal found through World of Warcraft

It seems that law enforcement agencies are getting more creative with ways of leveraging dug up information about wanted criminals.

Using the knowledge of a previously seemingly inconsequential detail such as a game that the suspect is addicted to, Matt Robertson, a sheriff's deputy from Howard County has been able to zero in on the location of a man that has run off to Canada to avoid getting arrested and charged for dealing with controlled substances and marijuana.

Kokomo Perspective reports that the game in question was World of Warcraft, and Robertson sent a subpoena to Blizzard Entertainment, asking for their help to track him down. “They don’t have to respond to us, and I was under the assumption that they wouldn’t,” said Roberson.

Read more here.

Tiger Woods' wife hires private investigator to determine his fortune

Elin Nordegren is reported to have hired a private investigator to probe the extent of Tiger Woods' wealth.

Woods' fortune is believed to be spread across the globe in tax havens making its accurate estimation challenging.

A source close to Nordegren said:

"Elin knows hiring a PI is a smart move. Her lawyers want to make sure she gets every penny she's entitled to. Elin is devastated, but now she's decided to end their marriage she has the future of their children to think about."

Elin, 30, is reported to have indicated to her friends that she intends to go for half of Tiger's wealth, estimated to be around $600 million.

According to News of the World (NOTW), when Elin's friends quizzed her on what Woods had given her for Christmas, Elin's spunky response was, "Three hundred million dollars, thank you very much!"

Read more here