Veteran Broward County Deputy Sheriff James Ottinger Arrested, Suspended, And Charged After Drunken Wreck, Leaving Scene, And Short Chase – Bonus: Deputy Sheriff Sgt. George Anthony III Signed Arrest Report And Was Latter Suspended In Connection With Prostitution Sting

COCONUT CREEK, FLORIDA — A Broward sheriff’s deputy has been arrested on suspicion of leaving a crash site while driving drunk, according to an arrest report.

After being pulled over, James Ottinger, 31, allegedly told a Coconut Creek police officer he drank four whiskeys, the arrest report said. A bottle of Wild Turkey bourbon whiskey later was found inside the pickup Ottinger was driving, the report said.

Ottinger, an eight-year sheriff’s deputy who was off duty during the incident, was taken into custody early Wednesday on charges of driving under the influence, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage and careless driving, the report said.

Wednesday, he was suspended with pay, the Sheriff’s Office said. On Monday, the Sheriff’s Office placed him on desk duty, the agency said.

Ottinger, freed from jail on $500 bond last week, couldn’t be reached for comment Monday despite a message left at a listed number. It was unclear whether he had hired an attorney.

The events began about 2 a.m. Wednesday, when a Coconut Creek man called authorities to report that his red Toyota Corolla was struck by a gray Nissan Titan at Coconut Creek Parkway and Lyons Road, police said. The crash had left some damage on the Toyota’s rear bumper, police said.

The Toyota’s driver followed the Nissan after the collision, the report said.

An officer tried to pull over the Nissan by activating his cruiser’s lights and sirens, but the Nissan didn’t immediately stop, the report said. The Nissan then stopped in the 4200 block of Wiles Road, roughly 3 miles north of the crash site, police said.

Ottinger acknowledged he was involved in the collision, saying he had rear-ended a taxi, police said. Ottinger said he waited at the crash site a few minutes, thought the driver of the other vehicle didn’t want to file a report and drove away, police said.

“When I asked how much he drank, Ottinger replied that he had four whiskeys,” a police officer wrote in his report on Ottinger’s arrest.

Ottinger, who smelled of alcohol, was lethargic, had difficulty talking and performed poorly on sobriety tests, police said. Ottinger declined to undergo a breath test, police said.

“Initially Ottinger stated that he had consumed Jack Daniel’s,” the report said. “He later stated that he had consumed Wild Turkey.”

Ottinger’s arrest occurred the same day another sheriff’s deputy was taken into custody in an unrelated incident. Deputy Christian Benenati, 40, was suspended after his arrest last week on the charge he solicited a prostitute in Pompano Beach while off duty, the Sheriff’s Office said.

A sheriff’s arrest report stated Benenati solicited a woman who happened to be a female colleague working undercover.

The deputy who signed Benenati’s arrest report, Sgt. George Anthony III, also was suspended in connection with the prostitution sting, the Sheriff’s Office said. The agency, citing an internal affairs investigation, declined to say why Anthony was suspended.

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Former Veteran Arapahoe County Colorado “Sheriff Of The Year” Patrick Sullivan Pleads Guilty In Meth For Sex Case For Slap On The Wrist – Will Serve Time In Jail Named After Him – His Former Gay Lover Snitched On Him

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO – A former Colorado sheriff once named national “Sheriff of the Year” has pleaded guilty to charges of trading meth for sex and was sentenced to 38 days in jail, KUSA-TV reports.

Patrick Sullivan, the 69-year-old former Arapahoe County sheriff, will serve his sentence in the county jail named after him, although he will be separated from the general jail population. He will also be on probation for two years.

“I apologize to the court, to the community, to my family,” Sullivan said in court on Tuesday before being taken into custody. “There is no excuse for my behavior.”

Deputy Attorney General Michael Dougherty called Sullivan “a man who’s brought disgrace upon himself and law enforcement” and “a disgrace to the badge,” the Denver TV station reports.

Sullivan was arrested in November in an undercover sting operation set up by a gay lover of his and another gay man, all of whom had previously smoked meth together, The Denver Post reports.

Sullivan served as sheriff for 18 years and was named “Sheriff of the Year” by the National Sheriffs’ Association in 2001.

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Veteran Virginia Beach Virginia Police Officer Sgt. Mark Vidrine Busted In Chesapeake Prostitution Sting

CHESAPEAKE, VIRGINIA – A Virginia Beach police sergeant has been accused of trying to buy sex. Chesapeake police say he tried to pick up a prostitute in the Greenbrier section of the city.

Chesapeake police routinely do these undercover prostitution stings every few months, but they never expected to catch a police officer from another department in their operation.

Chesapeake undercover officers set up their escort sting at a hotel on Crossways Road in Greenbrier.

According to police, five men fell for the trap; one of them was a Virginia Beach police sergeant.

Mark Vidrine, 49, who has been a Beach officer since 1995, was arrested on Friday night along with other men.

Detectives say in each case, the men arranged to meet with an undercover officer who they thought was a prostitute.

Conversations started on the Internet and moved to the phone where detectives say it was made clear the men wanted to have sex in exchange for money.

When the men showed up to the hotel rooms, detectives tell us the arrangement was again confirmed before arrests were made.

Vidrine and three others were from Hampton Roads but one man, Luis Solano Herrera, traveled all the way from Raleigh for the encounter.

Right now, the Beach sergeant is on administrative assignment pending the outcome of the investigation.

NewsChannel 3 went to his home on Independence Boulevard for comment but no one answered the door.

All five men have been charged with solicitation of prostitution and were given a summons to report to General District Court on these misdemeanor offenses.

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Maryland TSA Manager Bryant Jermaine Livingston Arrested, Charged With Running Prostitution Ring

SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND – A manager at the Transportation Security Administration has lost his job after being arrested on prostitution-related charges. According to court documents, the agency had received a complaint of “very similar” activities back in 2009.

Bryant Jermaine Livingston, 39, was arrested while on the job as a supervisor of TSA agents at Dulles International Airport. The Manassas, Virginia resident, said by phone he is innocent of the charges, but declined to discuss the details of the case.

According to charging documents, on February 15th, Livingston used cash to rent a room at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring, Md. The hotel manager recognized Livingston as a previous customer who, on earlier occasions had “groups of males and females frequently entering and exiting Livingston’s room,” according to a court document.

Similar activity was happening on February 15, so the manager called Montgomery County Police to report likely prostitution. Responding officers offered to accompany the manager as she went to evict the people from the room.

At the doorway, Livingston denied prostitution was occurring, and invited the manager and police into the room.

Responding officers say they saw, “11 people inside the room [including] three naked females and four males attempting to get dressed. Multiple people were laying on the two beds and other people were sitting in chairs and standing in the room.”

In a hallway interview, Bryant Livingston told the police officers he “runs the airport security at Dulles,” according to the charging document.

A spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration confirmed that Livingston had worked for the agency since Oct. 29, 2002, but he is now “no longer employed by TSA.”

In a subsequent interview, one of the men in the room told Montgomery County police that, “he paid Livingston $100 to enter the hotel room to engage in sexual activities.” Charging documents also say a TSA investigator told police that, “in 2009, a very similar complaint concerning Livingston was on record. The complaint alleged that Livingston was operating a prostitution ring and charging individuals $25. for sexual acts.”

The TSA spokesman had no immediate explanation as to what, if anything, the agency did about the earlier complaint.

Bryant Livingston is facing five prostitution-related charges. His attorney, Jason Cleckner, declined to comment on the case. Livingston has been released on his own recognizance, and faces trial on May 8th.

In Maryland, a person convicted of prostitution can face up to a year in jail.

TSA Statement:
“TSA cooperated fully with law enforcement during their investigation into this matter. The allegations against this individual are unacceptable and in no way reflect the integrity and professionalism of the more than 50,000 security officers who strive every day to ensure the security of the traveling public.”

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Former Amesbury Massachusetts Police Officer Mark Valli Arrested In Undercover Prostitution Sting

PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE – A former Amesbury police officer was one of three men arrested in a prostitution sting over the weekend, police say.

Mark Valli, 51, of Newburyport was arrested Saturday night when Portsmouth police say he arrived at a local hotel expecting to pay a prostitute for sex. Instead, he and two other men were arrested.

Valli was an officer in Amesbury from the early 1990s to 2004. Amesbury police Chief Mark Gagnon wouldn’t say why Valli left the department, the Portsmouth Herald reported.

Also arrested Saturday was 47-year-old John Thibault of Greenland, N.H., and 33-year-old Jacob Stellar of Strafford, N.H.

The three were all charged with misdemeanor offenses relating to the solicitation of a prostitute. They each face fines of up to $1,200.

In 2003, Valli was one of three Amesbury officers who won the state’s prestigious George L. Hanna Award for bravery, for their response to a deadly domestic incident. On March 26, 2002, Valli and officers David Noyes and Matthew Cunningham responded to an apartment at 7 Green St., where Dorothy Giunta-Cotter, who lived there with her daughters, was being held at gunpoint by her husband. Her husband shot and killed her, then later shot and killed himself.

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President Obama’s Friend Arrested In Honolulu Hawaii Undercover Prostitution Sting

HONOLULU, HAWAII – A friend of President Barack Obama was arrested Monday for allegedly soliciting sex from an undercover officer posing as a prostitute, according to CNN affiliate Hawaii News Now.

Robert Richard Titcomb, 49, was arrested with three other men Monday night and released later that evening after posting $500 bail. He is scheduled to appear at the Honolulu District Court May 2.

The Honolulu Department of Public Safety confirmed Titcomb’s arrest to CNN Wednesday. The Honolulu Police Department confirmed an arrest with matching information but would not disclose the name of the individual.

According to Hawaii News Now, Titcomb and the president have been close friends since high school. The two are frequently seen golfing and dining together when the Obama family visits Hawaii.

Most recently the Obama family spent time with the Titcombs on a trip to Hawaii in late December 2010 and early January 2011. White House pool reports at the time noted Titcomb by name on multiple dates during the trip. According to CNN records, President Obama golfed with Titcomb on December 23, December 26, December 28 and January 2. The first family was joined by the Titcomb family on Christmas Day and spent most of December 30 at the Titcomb residence eating, playing volleyball and enjoying time on the beach. The first couple also had dinner with the Titcomb on December 29.

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Disgraced Former Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Police Officer Talib Kevin Ghafoor Arrested In Prostitution Sting

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – A former city police officer was arrested during a Wednesday night prostitution sting in Moon.

Talib Kevin Ghafoor, 55, was charged with promoting prostitution, conspiracy and other crimes after the bust, which happened about 6:30 p.m. at the Courtyard Marriot.

Moon police Chief Leo McCarthy said undercover detectives set up a meeting with a woman known as Sally after they saw her ad on an adult website. The detectives met Sally, later identified as Sabina Earlene Sailer, 43, of Venice, Fla., made an agreement for sex and arrested her.

“She was cooperative and said, ‘my fiance is outside. By the way, he’s a retired Pittsburgh police officer,’ ” Chief McCarthy said. Detectives asked if he was armed, and Ms. Sailer said she didn’t know. She said she was driven to the hotel by Mr. Ghafoor, who was unarmed and arrested without incident in the hotel parking lot.

Mr. Ghafoor resigned from the city’s force in 2008 under investigation for perjury after he contradicted himself on the stand during a homicide trial. He had conversations with one of the defendants in jail, helped prepare the defense of the case and testified that he was “aligned with both defendants.”

Chief McCarthy said such prostitution stings are routine, as the township has 15 hotels and the crime is prevalent. The Moon officers didn’t know Mr. Ghafoor as a former officer, but he was recognized during processing at the Allegheny County Jail.

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Polk County Florida Sheriff’s Department Chaplain Samuel Conley Arrested In Prostitution Sting

KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA – The Kissimmee police department conducted an all day operation encompassing several checks and sting operations.

On October 28, 2010 the Kissimmee police department conducted sex offender checks, pawn shop inspections and prostitution stings. This operation was an all day event that included all areas of the Criminal Investigation Division.

The registered sex offenders that reside within the City limits were contacted as a part of the Department’s quarterly sex offender checks. All offenders were reminded that this coming weekend is Halloween and that they are to adhere to their court appointed restrictions. Detectives also ensured that the offenders did not have any items in front of their homes that would entice children to come and trick or treat.

During the inspection of pawn shops, 18 pawn broker inspection sheets were completed with very few violations noted at the pawn shops.

The Criminal Investigation Division also conducted an internet prostitution sting and a street prostitution reverse. During the operation the following were arrested for Assignation of Prostitution and Entering a Dwelling for Prostitution.

Name DOB City

Shambahran Harimian 4/23/41 Orlando

Samuel Conley 7/20/56 Haines City

Ramon Ayala 10/17/70 Orlando

Dae Hun Byun 5/6/60 Kissimmee

Allison Rice 8/5/74 Tavares was arrested for Prostitution

The following were arrested during the street prostitution reverse and were charged with Assignation to Commit Prostitution.

Name DOB City

John Doe # 2326 Kissimmee

Jose Aviles-Castro 3/29/74 Orlando

Radain Bonilaa 4/13/64 Kissimmee

Gemarine Totaram 5/7/46 St. Cloud

Yobani Aguilar 9/20/80 Kissimmee

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