Tag: Cops and Courts

Cops and Courts

County prosecutor in Ind. accidentally fires gun in Texas Roadhouse; says ‘carrying a gun in my pocket is probably not the smartest move’

The latest crime news across the world of 48,000 restaurants*.

Crime scene tapeMadison County prosecutor Rodney Cummings says a 9-millimeter gun he was carrying in his pocket in a Texas Roadhouse accidentally fired into the floor as he was leaving late Saturday night, blowing a hole in his pants in the process.

No one was injured during the 11 p.m. incident in Anderson, Ind., which is about 43 miles northeast of Indianapolis, according to news accounts.

Another customer, Aaron Taffner, said he heard the gun go off while he was eating, and ran to the parking lot to get his own gun, according to WISH-TV. As he walked back in, Taffner said he saw Cummings leaving. “He had a big hole in the side of his shorts,” Taffner said.

Rodney Cummings
Cummings

Cummings said he started to walk out of the restaurant with the gun in the front pocket of his shorts. He usually keeps the safety on, he told WISH, but the safety might have come off.

Police arrived on the scene, questioned Cummings, and then let him leave without citing him. “It was an accident,” Cummings told the TV station. “That’s not a crime or a violation. It’s an accident.”

Cummings sounded more contrite in a story today by The Indianapolis Star.

“It was a new gun. I’ve only had it for a couple weeks,” he told the newspaper, adding that he’d carried a firearm for 36 years as a prosecutor and a police officer. “I always try to be as safe as I can,” Cummings said. “Carrying a gun in my pocket is probably not the smartest move.”

* Yum has 43,000 KFCs, Pizza Huts and Taco Bells in nearly 140 countries; Papa John’s has 4,900 outlets in 37 countries, and Texas Roadhouse has 485 restaurants across the U.S. and in five other nations. With that many locations, crimes inevitably occur — with potentially serious legal consequences for the companies.

Cops and Courts

Man tries to smuggle pet turtle disguised as a KFC sandwich through a Chinese airport (seriously)

The latest crime news across the world of 48,000 restaurants*.

Crime scene tapeA former employee has been arrested for robbing a Des Moines KFC assistant manager preparing a bank deposit Saturday morning. Shaun Michael Haltiner, 22, of Des Moines was booked into the Polk County Jail about 2 p.m. on a first-degree robbery charge, according to the Des Moines Register.

The unidentified manager was sitting in his car outside the KFC at about 10:45 a.m., organizing a $900 cash bank deposit, he told police. A masked man, later identified as Haltiner, opened his car door and put a black handgun in his face, according to a police report cited by the newspaper.

Haltiner mug shot
Haltiner
The manager handed over the cash, and the robber fled, only to be arrested later that day by police.

In South China, meanwhile, a man has been caught trying to smuggle his pet turtle through security at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport by disguising it as a KFC burger.

The man, identified only by his Li surname, was headed for a China Southern Airlines flight to Beijing when X-ray scanner staff spotted “odd protrusions” from a fast food wrapper, according to a Guangzhou Daily newspaper report cited by the Telegraph.

“There’s no turtle in there, just a hamburger,” Li reportedly told security staff after initially refusing a bag search. “There’s nothing special to see inside.”

Li eventually admitted he didn’t want to be separated from his pet, so he hid the turtle in a sesame seed bun and packaged it in KFC paper. The turtle was eventually freed and Li was told it wasn’t allowed on the plane.

(Note: the photo illustration above is neither the fake sandwich nor the real turtle.)

* Yum has 43,000 KFCs, Pizza Huts and Taco Bells in nearly 140 countries; Papa John’s has 4,900 outlets in 37 countries, and Texas Roadhouse has 485 restaurants across the U.S. and in five other nations. With that many locations, crimes inevitably occur — with potentially serious legal consequences for the companies.

Cops and Courts

Two charged in assault of Ore. Pizza Hut worker; a tantrum over too much Taco Bell lettuce; and a bogus $100 at a KFC

The latest crime news across the world of 48,000 restaurants*.

Crime scene tapeIn Eugene, Ore., a man and woman punched and kicked a 39-year-old Pizza Hut employee who booted them out of the restaurant Thursday night, and were later taken into custody at a Taco Bell.

Travis Krauziewicz, 24, punched the unidentified employee after the worker told Krauziewicz and Maria Samantha Rivera, 26, to to leave, according to KVAL. Rivera then allegedly kicked the worker while he was on the ground and pulled a knife, police said. A bystander stepped in and took the knife from Rivera, according to police.

Krauziewicz and Rivera
Krauziewicz and Rivera.

Medics treated the worker for his injuries, the station said.

Police arrested the two on charges of disorderly conduct and criminal trespass. Rivera was also booked on a charge of attempted assault and unlawful use of a weapon. Krauziewicz is also facing an additional charge of fourth-degree assault.

Mucho Taco Bell lechuga

In Pennsylvania’s East Lampeter Township, police have cited a 30-year-old woman after she became angry over receiving “too much lettuce” in her order at a Taco Bell, according to Penn Live.

Officers were called to the restaurant just before 7 p.m. on July 29, after receiving a complaint about a customer flipping a tray of food onto an employee, police said. Summer Rose Graynill was cited for disorderly conduct, police said.

A fake $100 at KFC

About 175 miles east of there, in Altoona, a man has been charged with theft by deception for using a bogus $100 bill to buy a drink at a KFC, the Altoona Mirror reported this morning.

The man, Jason E. Almeida,  found the bill in his brother’s bedroom in May and used it even though it had the words “For Motion Picture Use Only” clearly printed on the front and back, according to police. Almeida’s brother had bought the bill online for use in making homemade rap videos, the newspaper said.

Almeida was arraigned Wednesday by Magisterial District Judge Todd Kelly and released on an unsecured $10,000 bond.

* Yum has 43,000 KFCs, Pizza Huts and Taco Bells in nearly 140 countries; Papa John’s has 4,900 outlets in 37 countries, and Texas Roadhouse has 485 restaurants across the U.S. and in five other nations. With that many locations, crimes inevitably occur — with potentially serious legal consequences for the companies.

Latest Headlines

Papa John’s loses court ruling on Panera exec poaching, and stock hits record high; Humana nails Q2 revenue and earnings; and Taco Bell’s three-step entry to new foreign markets

A news summary focused on 10 big employers; updated 8:42 p.m.

PAPA JOHN’S: A federal judge sided with restaurant chain Panera Bread and issued a temporary restraining order barring a former IT executive from working at Papa John’s. U.S. District Judge John A. Ross said Panera would likely win its lawsuit, filed last month, accusing former vice president Michael Nettles of violating his noncompete agreement and misappropriating trade secrets by taking a job as the chief information officer at the Louisville pizza chain (Law 360).

Also today, Papa John’s shares closed at $77.38, up 4.6%, or $3.37, after the chain reported second-quarter results beating Wall Street forecasts after markets closed yesterday afternoon. Earlier today, the stock hit a new record intraday high of $78.09 before easing back. The company has also filed its quarterly 10-Q report with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

HUMANA: Racing to save its $37 billion merger with Humana, Hartford-based Aetna has urged a judge to hear its case in the fall — and before considering a second merger of two other insurance companies that Justice Department antitrust enforcers are trying to stop (Reuters).

Earlier today, Humana reported second-quarter results that beat forecasts on both the top and bottom lines. Revenue was $14 billion vs. $13.7 billion a year ago, and adjusted earnings per share were $2.30 vs. $1.77. Analysts were expecting $13.6 billion in revenue and $2.21 EPS. The Louisville-based health insurer also reaffirmed its full-year 2016 financial guidance increase on July 21 to earn $9.25 a share vs. the previous $8.85 EPS. Humana’s stock closed at $173.48, up $3.91, or 2.3%.

Bruce Broussard
Broussard

“Our second quarter and year-to-date results show the improvement in the effectiveness of our clinical programs and increasing clinical engagement by our members,” CEO Bruce Broussard said in the earnings release. “The improved health outcomes from these programs is not only lowering healthcare costs, but allowing more affordable options for our Medicare members.”

The insurer said it wouldn’t hold a customary conference call with analysts to discuss the report because of the pending merger with Aetna, and doesn’t expect to hold any in the quarters ahead, either (press release and MarketWatch).

Finally today, Humana filed its second-quarter report with the Securities and Exchange Commission — the full 10-Q (SEC document). Humana has 12,500 employees in Louisville and about 50,000 nationwide; more about the company.

TACO BELL follows a three-step process to decide whether to enter a foreign market for the first time, according to Pizza Marketplace:

  1. Move a team to the city under consideration to learn what everyday life is like in the target city, including how people get to work and what they do for fun.
  2. Get to know the locals through focus groups to see how outsiders can become part of the community.
  3. Cook and prepare food to understand what flavors work — and don’t work. In Tokyo, for example, prospective customers wouldn’t order nachos and cheese because they didn’t they want to get messy. Solution? Nachos became seasoned chips with dipping sauces.

Wag n' Wash logoIn other news, franchiser Wag n’ Wash of Denver expects its first Kentucky pet food and grooming store to open soon in Louisville with an in-house bakery menu that includes pumpkin ravioli, sushi, pies and cakes using human-grade ingredients (Courier-Journal). This will be Wag n’ Wash’s 15th store since opening in 1999.

The former publisher of The Voice-Tribune — Tracy Beale, formerly Tracy Blue — is launching online magazine TAB’s View next month with a staff of six, including herself. She left the Voice-Tribune last winter amid her high-profile divorce from the weekly’s then-owner, Blue Equity CEO Jonathan Blue. Blue Equity recently sold the Voice-Tribune and other publications to the owner of LEO (Insider Louisville).

Cops and Courts

An Ohio thief allegedly showed this note to a Papa John’s employee: ‘Sorry, I’m robbing you’

The latest crime news across the world of 48,000 restaurants*.

Crime scene tapeIn Berea, Ohio, a 45-year-old man is facing aggravated robbery charges this week after he allegedly robbed a Papa John’s by walking into the restaurant and giving an employee a note that said, “Sorry, I’m robbing you.”

The worker asked the man — Sean P. Roth — if he was joking, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Roth said he had a gun in his pocket, although he never actually showed it. The employee gave Roth between $65 and $75 from the cash drawer, and then Roth fled. Police arrested him later.

In Houston, the owner of a Papa John’s restaurant says he’s been robbed at gunpoint for a second time in less than five months; the latest incident, at about 11 p.m. Sunday, was caught on surveillance video.

It shows a man, his face covered, running into the store, then slipping on a freshly mopped floor. He then enters the office and turns his gun on an employee counting money. The man then orders the employee to help gather up the cash. A story about the incident by Click 2 Houston doesn’t say how much he may have taken.

* Yum has 43,000 KFCs, Pizza Huts and Taco Bells in nearly 140 countries; Papa John’s has 4,900 in 37 countries, and Texas Roadhouse has 485 restaurants across the U.S. and five other countries. With that many locations, crimes inevitably will occur — with potentially serious legal consequences for the companies.

Cops and Courts

Okla. man charged with murder in stabbing death of 17-year-old Pizza Hut co-worker

The latest crime news across the world of 48,000 restaurants*.

Crime scene tapeIn Bristow, Okla., a 21-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder after being accused of stabbing a teenage Pizza Hut co-worker before dumping him under a bridge, leaving him to die.

The man, Dakota Joe Spainhower, was charged in the July 18 death of 17-year-old Devin Bliss Lundberg, court records show, according to the Tulsa World newspaper. Authorities said Spainhower apparently had asked Lundberg for a ride home from the Pizza Hut about 10 p.m. When they got to his home, Spainhower told police, Lundberg attempted to stab him and demanded money.

Dakota Joe Spainhower
Spainhower

A probable cause affidavit cited by the World says Spainhower told investigators the two struggled and that Spainhower grabbed the knife away. Its blade broke in the struggle, and Spainhower retaliated by stabbing Lundberg in the chest and neck with the broken blade about five times.

The restaurant’s owner told KWTV there’d been no indication of problems between the two of them; the station didn’t identify the owner.

* Yum has 43,000 KFCs, Pizza Huts and Taco Bells in nearly 140 countries; Papa John’s has 4,900 in 37 countries, and Texas Roadhouse has 485 restaurants in five countries. With that many locations, crimes inevitably will occur — with potentially serious legal consequences for the companies.