Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/362000
ByPeteYost The Associated Press WASHINGTON The Drug Enforcement Administra- tion paid an Amtrak secre- tary $854,460 over nearly 20 years to obtain confiden- tial information about train passengers, which the DEA could have lawfully ob- tained for free through a law enforcement network, The Associated Press has learned. The employee was not publicly identified except as a "secretary to a train and engine crew" in a report on the incident by Amtrak's in- spector general. The secre- tary was allowed to retire, rather than face adminis- trative discipline, after the discovery that the employee had effectively been acting as an informant who "reg- ularly" sold private pas- senger information since 1995 without Amtrak's ap- proval, according to a one- paragraph summary of the matter. On Monday, the office of Amtrak Inspector General Tom Howard declined to identify the secretary or say why it took so long to un- cover the payments. How- ard's report on the incident concluded, "We suggested policy changes and other measures to address con- trol weaknesses that Am- trak management is consid- ering." DEA spokeswoman Dawn Dearden declined to comment. Passenger name reser- vation information is col- lected by airlines, rail car- riers and others and gener- ally includes a passenger's name, the names of other passengers traveling with them, the dates of the ticket and travel, frequent flier or rider information, credit card numbers, emergency contact information, travel itinerary, baggage informa- tion, passport number, date of birth, gender and seat number. Sen. Chuck Grassley, the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Commit- tee, called the $854,460 an unnecessary expense and asked for further informa- tion about the incident in a letter he released Mon- day to DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart. Grass- ley said the incident "raises some serious questions about the DEA's practices and damages its credibility to cooperate with other law enforcement agencies." Amtrak is officially known as the National Rail- road Passenger Corp. and is not a government agency, although it has received tens of billions of dollars in federal subsidies and is sub- ject to the U.S. Freedom of Information Act. Amtrak's inspector general said the secretary provided the pas- senger information without seeking approval from Am- trak management or police, but Amtrak's own corporate privacy policy expressly al- lows it to sell or share per- sonal information about its customers and passengers with contractors or a cate- gory of others it describes as "certain trustworthy business partners." Under a joint drug en- forcement task force that includes the DEA and Am- trak's own police agency, the task force can obtain Amtrak confidential pas- senger reservation infor- mation at no cost, the in- spector general's report said. Under an agreement, Amtrak police would re- ceive a share of any money seized as a result of such drug task force investi- gations, and Amtrak's in- spector general concluded that DEA's purchase of the passenger information de- prived the Amtrak Police Department of money it would have received from resulting drug arrests. It's not unprecedented for law enforcement to have professional people who are informants employed in transportation and other in- dustries, said a federal law enforcement official who is familiar with the incident involving Amtrak. The of- ficial spoke on condition of anonymity because the per- son was not authorized to speak on the record. The official said that years ago during the inves- tigation of drug lord Pablo Escobar, an informant at a U.S. chemical company pro- vided a major assist to law enforcement by informing authorities that thousands of gallons of acetone were being shipped to Colombia. AMTRAK DE A im pr op er ly p ai d $854460 for passenger lists The following defendants were sentenced in Tehama County Superior Court, according to the Tehama County District Attorney's Office: RecentState/Local Prison Commitments: People vs. William Ed- ward Harris, Petty Theft With Priors. Brief history: Defendant entered a business, grabbed an item from the shelf and proceeded to the restroom. A short time later defendant exited the restroom with the damaged item and con- tacted a cashier where he at- tempted to return the item for new one. Sentenced to 4 years State Prison. People vs. Diane Lori Quigley, Possession of a Controlled Substance; Pos- session of a Controlled Sub- stance; Transportation of a Controlled Substance. Brief history: Defendant was originally granted for- mal probation on all cases. Defendant violated her pro- bation when she tested pos- itive for opiates and at- tempted to falsify a urine test. Sentenced to 3 years 8 months Local Prison. People vs. Robert Merle Cunningham, Possession of Marijuana For Sale. Brief history: A deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by defen- dant. Deputies conducted a search of the vehicle and the attached trailer and located several marijuana plants, hash and processed mari- juana. Sentenced to 16 months Local Prison. People vs. Kimberly Nix, Attempt: Possession of a Controlled Substance. Brief history: Defendant was originally granted for- mal probation. Defendant violated the terms of her probation when she failed to submit a urine sample for testing and failed to com- plete a drug and alcohol treatment program as re- quired. Sentenced to 8 months Local Prison. Recent County Jail Commitments: People vs. Nathaneal James Clevinger, First De- gree Residential Burglary, Petty Theft; Possession of a Controlled Substance. Brief history: Victim was asleep in her residence when she awoke to the sound of de- fendant beating on her door attempting to get inside. The victim then heard noises in- sidehergarage.Asthevictim entered her garage she came in contact with the defen- dant who was attempting to obtain her car keys. The vic- tim ran back inside the res- idence and contacted police and the defendant fled the scene. A deputy contacted defendant and conducted a consent search of his vehicle. The deputy located syringes, a digital scale and metham- phetamine hidden inside de- fendant's shirt. Sentenced to 330 days county jail. People vs. Antonio Em- manuel Diaz, Resisting Ex- ecutive Officer, Resist, Ob- struct, Delay of Peace Offi- cer or EMT. Brief history: Officers contacted defendant and a group of individuals who were gathered behind a closed business with alco- hol in their possession. The defendant was uncoopera- tive and gave a false name to the officer. As the officer attempted to detain defen- dant he began to resist and punched one of the officers in the face and kicked an- other. Officers eventually gained control of defendant and took him into custody. Sentenced to 270 days county jail. People vs. Alejandro Alva- rez, Possession For Sale of a Controlled Substance, Main- taining Place For Selling or Using Controlled Substance. Brief history: An officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by defendant. A K-9 alerted on the vehicle and a search was conducted. Inside the vehicle an officer located methamphetamine. A search warrant for defen- dant'sresidencewasobtained andofficerslocatedadditional methamphetamine. Sentenced to 180 days county jail. People vs. Braniel Laurice Chase, Bring Contraband into the Jail. Brief history: Defendant was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped for a traf- fic violation. Defendant was found in possession of meth- amphetamineandtakeninto custody. While at the jail offi- cerslocated additionalmeth- amphetamine hidden on de- fendant's person. Sentenced to 180 days county jail. People vs. Jesse Daniel Es- trella, Criminal Threats. Brief history: Defendant became angry with the vic- tim and threatened to kill her. Sentenced to 120 days county jail. People vs. Shannon James Williams, Possession of Fire- arm by a Felon-Priors; Pos- session of a Controlled Sub- stance. Brief history: An officer observed defendant driv- ing at a high rate of speed on the freeway. The officer proceeded to conduct a traf- fic stop on defendant's vehi- cle. The officer ordered the defendant out of the vehicle at which point he observed a loaded .45 caliber pistol near the handle of the driver's side door. Officers searched the vehicle and located ad- ditional ammunition and methamphetamine. Sentenced to 120 days county jail. People vs. Matthew Ross Boone,AttemptedPossession of a Controlled Substance. Brief history: Defendant was originally granted for- mal probation. Defendant vi- olated the terms of his pro- bation when he was found in possession of a hypodermic syringe and caught driving on a suspended license. Sentenced to 60 days county jail. Recent Proposition 36 Commitments: Note: All cases wherein a defendant is sentenced per the terms of Proposition 36 are not at the request of the Tehama County Dis- trict Attorney's Office. Per the requirements of Propo- sition 36, a defendant who possesses drugs cannot be sentenced to confinement time in jail or prison. In- stead, the court must place defendant on probation and require drug treatment alone. Per the requirements of Proposition 36, only upon a third drug related proba- tion violation may the court impose confinement time. In the event the defendant violates a non-drug related term of probation the court may then elect to sentence defendant to jail or prison. The Tehama County Dis- trict Attorney's Office con- tends that each criminal case is unique and that in certain, specific, cases a defendant should be sen- tenced to a combination of drug treatment and jail time. We further contend that in other specific cases where a defendant has an extensive criminal record and/or a history of non- compliance with either pre- vious grants of probation or previous grants of drug treatment, a state prison sentence should properly be imposed. People vs. Valerie Ann Early, Transportation of a Controlled Substance. Brief history: A deputy contacted defendant and conducted a consent search of her vehicle. Inside defen- dant's purse the deputy lo- cated methamphetamine. Defendant sentenced to Prop. 36 probation. People vs. Mitchell Allan Prince, Possession of a Con- trolled Substance. Brief history: A deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by defen- dant. The deputy conducted a consent search of the ve- hicle and located metham- phetamine and hydroco- done. Defendant sentenced to Prop. 36 probation. Upcoming Court Dates -Trials, Preliminary Hearings (PX) & Pre Trial Conferences (PTC): People vs. Poly Duenas Sanchez, Lucio Nenecia Madera, Gabino Madera, Murder with Special Alle- gation-Personal and Inten- tional Discharge of a Fire- arm, GBI, Conspiracy to Commit a Crime with Spe- cial Allegation-Personal and Intentional Discharge of a Firearm, GBI. Brief history: Victim had met up with the three defen- dants regarding money that was allegedly owed to the victim. During this confron- tation the victim was chased down and shot twice with a shotgun. The victim died as a result of his injuries. EOP/Setting: Aug. 12 at 8 a.m. in Department 3. (San- chez) Setting: Aug. 19 at 8 a.m. in Department 3. (L. Madera/G. Madera) People vs. Roger Sandy Bounnhaseng, Alan Duane Doulphus Jr., Chase Alan Doulphus: Murder, special allegation felony murder, personal and intentional, use of a firearm, assault with a firearm, false imprisonment by violence, transportation of marijuana. Brief history: The defen- dants went to a residence that contained a marijuana grow. The defendants con- fronted the victim and two other men who were at the residence and ordered them to the ground at gunpoint. The defendants proceeded to tie up the victim and the two men with zip ties and duct tape. The victim was able to free himself and at- tempt to flee the residence but was shot several times by the armed defendants. The victim eventually suc- cumbed to his injuries. De- fendant's vehicle was lo- cated a short time later and a vehicle pursuit followed. Defendant's were eventu- ally apprehended and taken into custody. Inside the ve- hicle officers located a large amount of marijuana. PTC: Aug. 18 at 1:15 p.m. in Department 3. People vs. Christopher Hougland, Murder with Spe- cial Allegation Use of Deadly Weapon. Brief history: Officers re- sponded to a residence re- garding a disturbance. Upon arrival officers located the victim who appeared to have several stab wounds and was bleeding profusely. The vic- tim eventually succumbed to his injuries and was pro- nounced dead at the scene. The defendant was arrested and taken into custody. Sentencing: Aug. 20 at 11 a.m. in Department 2. People vs. Jessie Lee Ro- bison, Murder with Special Allegations Use of Deadly Weapon, Prior Felony, Prior Strike, Prior Serious Felony. Brief history: Defendant and victim had been fighting when the defendant pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim. The victim later died as a result of his injuries. Entry of Plea/Setting: Aug. 26 at 8 a.m. in Depart- ment 3. People vs. Quentin Ray Bealer, Murder. Brief history: Defendant was arrested and charged with the murder of a 14 year old victim who had been re- ported missing when she never returned home from school. Officers located the victim's body two days later. Change of Venue Hearing: Aug. 27 at 9 a.m. in Depart- ment 1. People vs. Brandon Eric- son Branscombe, Murder, Assault on a Child Causing Death. Brief history: The 8 month old victim died as a result of injuries sustained while in the custody and care of de- fendant. PTC: Aug. 29 at 11 a.m. in Department 2. TBJ: Sept. 17 at 1:30 p.m. (Department to be deter- mined) People vs. Tyler Allen Bur- rone, Vehicular Manslaugh- ter Brief history: Defen- dant was driving his ve- hicle down the highway and failed to notice that the victim's vehicle had stopped in front of him and was attempting to make a left turn. Defendant rear ended the victim's vehicle and forced it into the path of an oncoming semi truck. The five year old victim in- side the vehicle received fa- tal injuries as a result of the crash and the child's mother was seriously injured. Arraignment on Infor- mation: Sept. 15 at 3:30 p.m. in Department 1. COURT ROUNDUP ROBCARR—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS A northbound Amtrak Acela passes through Middle River, Md., in 2010. Select"Subscribe"tabinlowerrightcorner Complete information for automatic weekly delivery to your email inbox That's it! This FREE service made possible by the advertisers in TV Select Magazine Kindly patronize and thank them. Click on their ads online to access their websites! N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY FREE online subscription to TV Select Magazine Digital edition emailed to you, every Saturday! 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