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Ingenuity Deterring Third-Row Seat Thefts

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 21 November 2012 | 00.34

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It can take less than a minute for thieves to pop the hatch of a sport utility vehicle and grab the third-row seats. Now business owners and law enforcement agencies believe they have come up with a solution to help prevent crooks from stealing the seats from SUVs.

Carrollton brothers Matt and Brian Verhalen, owners of The Seat Shop, have been working on way to protect third-row seats from theft. After a year and a half, they now have a patent-pending lock that they say will stop thieves.

"We worked so hard trying to come up with all these different designs and we finally had a design that works to where the seats are 100 percent functional," Matt Verhalen said. "It just disables the handle."

The $125 lock secures the seats in place, while making it easy for consumers to take it on and off.

"It won't let it release from the floor at all," explained Brian Verhalen, the younger brother. "You can still stow and go, so if you need to put up the groceries you can still flip the seat forward and you have the extra room for storage."

Niche Market

The Verhalen's know a lot about third-row seats since they've learned over the years how to build them from scratch. While the main focus of their business today is factory match leather seats, they started their business as a side job in 2006 in Matt's Frisco garage, originally rebuilding and refurbishing third-row seats they found in junk yards.

"As the economy kind of slowed and families were growing and they needed an extra row of seating, instead of buying a vehicle that had a third-row seat, they found they can actually just add a third-row seat to their existing vehicle," said Matt. "And that's kind of where we saw the niche. And we were going, 'Wow there's a big market for this.'"

The war in Iraq brought more opportunity. A bullet-proofing company, which won a government contract to send SUV's overseas and had no need for the third-row seats, sold them to the brothers.

"Eighteen-wheelers started backing up to our shop and we had pallets of third-row seats. So gone were the days of crawling the junkyards in the heat in the summer," Matt said.

But Matt said they're constantly getting calls from residents, and even dealerships, who have had seats stolen.

"We had a dealership calling us, like, 'We got 10 sets of third-row seats stolen off of our lot," he said. "It's the biggest crime-theft ring, whatever is going on, in Dallas that we've seen in the history of the company."

Plano resident Pat Sayers learned about The Seat Shop after the third-row seats were stolen from her GMC Yukon over the summer. She said her son had borrowed the SUV to sleep at a friend's house in Dallas near the intersection of Inwood Road and Royal Lane. When he got home and they were preparing to take him to college, they noticed the back glass of the hatch didn't seem to close right. They both looked inside, and the seats were gone.

"I thought he had taken them out and he thought I had taken them out. They were nowhere to be found," Sayers said.

And likely, they were long gone.

Thieves Target GM Vehicles

Highland Park, University Park and Dallas have seen a spike in these thefts. According to police reports, General Motors vehicles like the Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade and GMC Yukon are typical targets. Not only are consumers victims of third-row seat thefts, but according to police reports, the Sewell Buick GMC of Dallas on Lemmon Avenue was also hit.

Victims like Sayers said even if the seats are found by police, there's no identification, making it difficult to return to the rightful owner. And dealers cannot help if the seats are stolen.

"I called them and I said, 'I need to order a third-row seat.' And they said, 'We don't sell those.' The manufacturers don't sell those. They only sell parts for seats," Sayers said. "That's very frustrating."

Another problem when the back window is popped open, the alarm doesn't sound.

"The glass doesn't have any kind of alarm on it," Sayers said.

NBC 5 Investigates asked General Motors about the problem.

"GM is aware of the situation with an increase in thefts of third-row seats in some large utility vehicles in certain areas of the country," said Mike Meyerand, GM Communications Manager. "We don't have any plans to change designs at this time."

"The bigger the house, the bigger the vehicle"

Highland Park Department Public Safety spokesman, Lance Koppa, told NBC 5 that two suspects were caught in the act of stealing the seats in late August.

"One of the officers drove up on an in progress offense and caught the suspects and probably connected them to about 100 offenses," he said.

Those suspects detailed to police why they targeted the Park Cities and surrounding areas. In an arrest affidavit one suspect said, "The bigger the house, the bigger the vehicle," and goes on to say that they sell the seats to a third party.

"There's a market for it and whether its people that don't have a third-row seat or if it's unfortunately our victims whose third-row seats have been taken and they're just trying to replace their stolen merchandise -- which is in some cases what has happened," said Koppa.

Back Window Alarm

Highland Park police are testing another solution, using a separate vibration motion alarm for the back window of the vehicle. They cost less than $20 and are meant to deter would-be thieves with a loud alarm when the window is popped open.

"This alarm we've been trying out for a few weeks and we have not had any falses. We have had good success with it and we are going to distribute those alarm devices though out the town," Koppa said.

The goal is to create an audible deterrent and to alert residents to call 911.

Sayers said she wasn't taking any chances after spending $1,100 to replace her seats. She bought the third-row seat lock as well. It even came with a sticker for the back window to warn would-be thieves that her third-row seats are not for the taking.

NBC 5's Karin Matz contributed to this report.

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Fake Parking Attendant Dupes Dallas Drivers

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A North Texas woman duped by a fake parking attendant ended up paying more than $100 for a parking spot.

G'Nai Blakemore's car got booted at Canton and Browder streets near Dallas City Hall last week. Blakemore was going to a book tour event at the Black Academy of Arts and Letters and parked a few hundred yards from the location.

"I walk up to a guy who's standing there, and there's another girl who just pulled in as well," she said. "She's paying and we say, 'How much is it?' And he says, '$5 cash.'"

Blakemore said the man was holding a money pouch and wore a reflective vest just like other parking attendants. She said she didn't think twice about paying the man.

But a few hours later, she changed her mind after seeing a boot on her car.

"And I get to my car and I see a bright reflective orange thing," Blakemore said.

She called Hawkeye, the company listed on the parking lot sign as being in charge of parking enforcement. She told the man that she paid an attendant the $5 fee and even put the ticket on her dashboard, proving she paid. The ticket said "Parking Company of America," which is the lot owner's name.

"You have to have an attendant, because I paid him," Blakemore said she told the man on the phone. "And he's like, 'Nope, we don't have an attendant. And, you know, this happens all the time, but we don't have an attendant.'"

Blakemore had to pay $100 to get the boot removed, along with a $5 processing fee.

The parking lot does not have an attendant, but has a machine where drivers get their parking receipts.

NBC 5 contacted the Parking Company of America, but the company did not return a message.

NBC 5 also contacted Hawkeye Parking Enforcement. A man who said he was the acting manager on duty said he would have someone else call NBC 5 back, but the company didn't return the call.

NBC 5 did a similar story on drivers getting the boot at the same parking lot back in 2009.

Blakemore said she has learned her lesson and will look for parking elsewhere.

"If there is any opportunity to park somewhere else downtown -- even if I have to pay more to park there -- I won't deal with a company that knows something like this is going on and has nothing in place to help the customer," she said.

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4 Calif. Men Charged in Alleged Terror Plot

NBCSanDiego

The suspects were plotting to kill Americans living overseas and in the U.S.

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Four men from California face charges for their roles in an alleged terrorist plot, according to an FBI statement released Monday.

The suspects, named in the U.S. District Court's criminal complaint as Sohiel Omar Kabir, Ralph Deleon, Miguel Alejandro Santana Vidriales and Arifeen David Gojali, were plotting to kill Americans living overseas and in the U.S. by joining al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan, according to federal authorities.

All four men are from metropolitan southern California, and they told an informant that they planned to engage in "violent jihad," referring to armed combat against Americans abroad, the FBI statement read.

The complaint describes their plans over about a two year period, beginning in 2010, when Kabir introduced Deleon and Santana to extremist essays and lectures by Anwar Al-Awlaqi, a now deceased al-Qaida operative.

According to the Associated Press, Kabir is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Afghanistan and served in the U.S. Air Force from 2000 to 2001.

In 2012, Deleon and Santana recruited Gojali, who took part in much of the planning of an attack targeting U.S. military personnel and bases, according to the complaint.

Much of the information was gathered by an informant working for the FBI, according to the statement.

The three suspects kept in contact, and made plans to travel to Afghanistan to attend terrorist training. In preparation for the training, they practiced at various firearms and paintball facilities around southern California.

Deleon, Santana and Gojali were all apprehended Friday by the Joint Terrorism Task Force. They appeared before a U.S. District Court judge in Riverside Monday. Kabir was taken into custody in Afghanistan. If convicted, the men face up to 15 years in prison.

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Hospital Staffer Swims to Work in Sandy Floodwaters

NBC 4 New York

An ER tech was so determined to get to her job in the emergency room during Sandy that she swam in the floodwaters filling her New Jersey neighborhood to get to work. Lori Bordanaro reports.

ER Technician Swims to Work During Sandy

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An emergency room technician was so determined to make her shift the day after Sandy hit that she swam part of the way there through the floodwaters.

"Can't isn't in my vocabulary, so I knew I was going to make it," said Marsha Hedgepeth of Toms River, N.J.

Hedgepeth knew she had to make her 3 p.m. shift at Community Medical Center the day after Sandy.

But when she looked outside, her neighborhood was dark and flooded. The Barnegat Bay had poured 10-foot waves on to her street overnight, and the streetlights were out. 

The longtime surfer waited until sunrise and set off with a plan. 

"I dove into water, and I couldn't see the steps I was walking down because they were covered in water," she said. "So I said the easiest way to get there is just swim until I reach the ground."

Dressed in jeans and sneakers, Hedgepeth bundled up in a scarf, hat and mittens, and swam about 200 yards, navigating through the debris and carrying her scrubs in a grocery bag.

When she finally made it to the highway, she hitched a ride with some utility workers and arrived to work six hours before her shift.

Hospital administrators say it's a testament to Hedgepeth's hard work and resilience.

"To suffer such a tragedy and have to endure the extreme weather we had experienced on the Jersey Shore that day -- we can't say enough of how proud we are of her and that she is safe," said Teri Kubiel, administrative director at Community Medical Center. 

Hedgepeth said she knew she was needed, although next time she would rethink her travel plans.

"It wasn't the safest thing I've ever done in my life," she said. " In hindsight, would I do it again? No. Would I always make it to the hospital to do my shift? Absolutely."

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Main Street Bridge Over SH 114 Finally Opens

Kendra Lyn, NBC 5 News

Main Street Bridge in Grapevine opened to traffic Tuesday, and the timing couldn't be better for Main Street businesses hard hit by the construction project.

Main Street Bridge in Grapevine Opens...

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Main Street Bridge in Grapevine Opens

After nearly three years of construction, all eight lanes of the Main Street bridge spanning State Highway 114 are opening.

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Getting into historic downtown Grapevine just got a lot easier.

After nearly three years of dodging orange barrels along the DFW Connector Project, all eight lanes of the Main Street bridge spanning State Highway 114 finally opened a half an hour ahead of schedule at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.

All 8 lanes are now in use, including two northbound lanes, two southbound lanes, two left turn lanes, and two U-turn lanes.

"It's pretty huge, because we've been seeing this road closed for quite a while and now, to have that full access, it's going to allow people to be able to get to downtown Grapevine," said Perry Leonard of the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce.

Local businesses, many of them hit hard by the massive DFW Connector project, are cheering the fully opened bridge.

"We need it, and we've needed it for a long time," said Merry Hodgkiss, the owner of Merry's Christmas and Clowns on Main Street Grapevine. "It's really been a slam on business."

Crews worked nonstop over the last two months finish the bridge in time for Thanksgiving and the holiday shopping season.

"The heart and soul of Grapevine is Main Street and to have that bridge open and to have the full capacity into the historic district and into historic Main Street is just so important to us," City Manager Bruno Rumbelow said.

The entire $1.02 billion DFW Connector project is a year ahead of schedule and is now on target to be finished by mid-summer of 2013.

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Arlington PD Investigates Murder-Suicide

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Police are investigating an apparent murder-suicide in Arlington.

At about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, the Arlington Police Department performed a welfare check on an 18-year-old woman at the request of her family, who said she hadn't arrived to pick up her young daughter.

When officers arrived at the girl's apartment on the 2700-block of Medicine Pass, they found blood outside at the door.

Once inside the apartment, officers found the bodies of a man and woman, dead from an apparent murder-suicide.  The pair were believed to be an estranged couple with the man in his early 20s.

Officers received a shots fired call in the area at about 10 p.m., but did not find anything. Authorities are now looking into whether the call is related to the deaths.

The medical examiner is conducting a forensic investigation and the names of the victims will be released after the families have been notified.

Although it is early in the investigation, Arlington police said there is no evidence that there is a suspect at large and that no one else is believed to have been in the residence at the time of the shootings.

NBC 5's Christina Miralla and Frank Heinz contributed to this report.

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Hewlett-Packard Claims Huge "Fraud" at Autonomy

Hewlett-Packard on Tuesday claimed that there were substantial instances of financial fraud in connection with its acquisition of the software company Autonomy in 2011 for $11.1 billion. Scott McGrew reports.

HP Claims Fraud At Autonomy

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Hewlett-Packard claimed Tuesday that there were substantial instances of financial fraud in connection with its acquisition of the software company Autonomy in 2011, and took a one-time $8.8 billion accounting charge.

In its routine quarterly report, the Silicon Valley tech giant based in Palo Alto alleged that there was serious fraud and misrepresentation on the part of Autonomy, a British company. Analysts had always thought the purchase was a mistake, and that backlash from the purchase led to the ouster of former CEO Leo Apotheker. Now, HP is claiming this wasn't just a mistake but a disaster.

Speaking on CNBC Tuesday morning, CEO Meg Whitman said she "regrets" voting for the purchase, and is "seeking redress." She added that the case of "serious accounting improprieties" and the "willful effort to deceive" is now in the hands of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In the same breath, she said she wanted to "take Autonomy and grow it."

According to Forbes, HP also reported October quarter profits slightly ahead of Street estimates, but cautioned that January quarter profits will be below consensus estimates.

Specifically, HP today disclosed $8.8 billion in non-cash charges "linked to serious accounting improprieties, disclosure failures and outright misrepresentations at Autonomy … that occurred prior to HP's acquisition of Autonomy and the associated impact of those improprieties, failures and misrepresentations on the expected future financial performance of the Autonomy business over the long-term." In effect, the company is writing down close to 90 percent of the value of the transaction, according to Eric Savitz of Forbes.

The deal was originally reached under Apotheker, and closed under current CEO Meg Whitman.

MarketWatch wrote that shares of HP plunged after the company disclosed these "serious accounting improprieties."
 

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Arlington Officers to Undergo Dog Behavior Training

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Arlington police say officers will undergo training to learn how to better understand dog behavior, including how to identify dangerous animals.

In a news release Tuesday, the department said they instituted mandatory training that began over the summer and will soon include additional hands-on courses.

The goal is to teach officers non-lethal options for handling dogs, the department said, based on an understanding of how dogs bark, approach people and other clues.

"In the end, improved officer confidence with appropriate animal-handling reactions will go a long way toward increasing the public confidence in our response to situations that involve dogs," said Sgt. Christopher Cook, with the Arlignton Police Department.

In October, the Fort Worth Police Department implemented similar training for their officers after a police officer shot and killed a family's dog that was not acting aggressive.

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Amber Alert: Missing Girl May be in North Texas

Ben Russell, NBC 5 News

The Texas Department of Safety has issued an Amber Alert across Texas and three states for missing 11-year-old girl, Savannah Hurley, from the Houston area.

Amber Alert for Missing 11-Year-Old...

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The Texas Department of Safety has issued an Amber Alert across Texas and three states for a missing 11-year-old girl from the Houston area.

Investigators say 11-year-old Savannah Hurley was abducted by her mother, Shelly Jean Hurley.

The Trinity County Sheriff's Office said Shelly Jean Hurley took the girl from a Child Protective Services worker. Authorities said Hurley, a known drug user, had a violent confrontation with the CPS worker.

An Amber Alert in the Woodlands area was canceled earlier Monday, but the Trinity County Sheriff's Office said it had requested the alert be reissued for North Texas because the mother and daughter may be on their way to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. 

An Amber Alert for the DFW area had not been issued as of 10 p.m. Monday.

DPS later issued a statewide Amber Alert for Savannah Hurley at about 10:25 p.m., but the alert did not mention North Texas.

The Amber Alert was extended to Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas Tuesday morning.

Authorities initially said the girl may be traveling with her mother in a 2006 Ford F-150 with Texas license plate number 58NZM4.

Melissa Russell, East Texas Amber Alert Plan coordinator, received information from the Trinity County Sheriff's Office stating that Shelly Jean Hurley switched vehicles at her mother's home in Garland. The Ford was reportedly found in Garland just before midnight at the home of Shelly Jean Hurley's mother. 

DPS is now searching for a maroon 1996 Subaru Legacy station wagon with Alabama license plate number 48738AZ.

Shelly Jean Hurley also has a daughter living in North Texas. The search for the pair is now focused on the Garland/Dallas area.

Savannah Hurley is 11 years old. She is white, is about 4 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 120 pounds.

If you have any information, please contact the Trinity County Sheriff's Office at 936-642-1424.

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