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Sky Harbor guardsman discovered to be a felon
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Sky Harbor guardsman discovered to be a felonTom ZoellnerThe Arizona RepublicOct. 19, 2001 An armed National Guard soldier assigned to patrol Sky Harbor International Airport was unmasked as a felon and arrested on weapons charges Thursday evening.Second Lt. Lyndon Ramlogan, 34, violated his probation by carrying a military-issue 9mm handgun while guarding the metal detectors in the airport, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said. Ramlogan was jailed on suspicion of illegal possession of a firearm.Ramlogan has also falsely identified himself at various times as a Marine Corps investigator, a California city police officer and an FBI agent, according to a sheriff's memorandum.Public records show Ramlogan pleaded guilty in June 2001 in Maricopa County Superior Court to three counts of fraudulently trying to sell concealed-weapons permits. A judge allowed him to plead to forgery and sentenced him to 18 months of probation.But he somehow became part of a special unit of 250 uniformed soldiers dispatched to the state's airports by Gov. Jane Hull on Oct. 8 to boost public confidence in aviation safety.The question of how a felon was able to secure a front-line security position at the airport is especially pertinent in light of recent disclosures about shoddy background checking inside one of Sky Harbor's private guard contractors.Argenbright Security Inc. was ordered to leave the airport by Oct. 26 after federal prosecutors in Philadelphia said the company was not improving its standards, even after being fined $1.6 million for falsifying the background checks of up to 1,300 employees, including 14 felons.The Arizona National Guard began an inquiry into Ramlogan's background after sheriff's detectives passed along their six-page memorandum at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Maj. Eileen Bienz said."He will not be performing duties at the airport pending the outcome of the inquiry," Bienz said. She was unable to provide immediate details about how he joined the National Guard or his length of service, and was unavailable for comment after Ramlogan was arrested at 5:50 p.m.National Guard officers are usually cleared for prior criminal histories, officials said. It was not known late Thursday whether this was done for Ramlogan. Attempts by The Arizona Republic to contact him were not successful.Ramlogan and other National Guard soldiers were assigned by Hull to enhance safety and help the private security companies at 10 Arizona airports in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. They received two days worth of training from the Federal Aviation Administration.Arpaio said Ramlogan's posting at the airport highlights more potential loopholes in aviation security that go beyond the troubles with Argenbright."What is wrong with the system?" he said. "He has a history of impersonating officers that goes back 10 years. The problem is, we don't have good intelligence coordination between agencies. I am angry the system broke down." Ramlogan nearly became a law enforcement officer this year, records show. He was dismissed from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Academy on Jan. 6, one week before graduation, after his history came to light, officials said.Sheriff's detectives began to conduct further investigations of Ramlogan after he gave a brief interview to Fox 10 News that aired Oct. 16. Dressed in camouflage fatigues at the airport, Ramlogan told the interviewer that he was there to "represent the state and the president."One of his former classmates at the police academy was watching the news broadcast and recognized Ramlogan as the same person who had been kicked out a week before graduation, according to a sheriff's report.In the past two days, sheriff's investigator Jesse Locksa reported that he had uncovered the following incidents in Ramlogan's past. Apparently, none of them led to criminal convictions: During a traffic stop on Dec. 23, 1989, he falsely identified himself as an off-duty San Jacinto, Calif., police officer. In a Sept. 1994 traffic stop in San Jacinto, he showed a badge identifying himself as a military policeman. The Marine Corps Criminal Investigation Division later told police they were investigating him for fraudulently identifying himself as a military police officer. Police in Hemet, Calif., arrested him in 1997 and accused him of trying to fraudulently reproduce a set of Marine Corps credentials at a photocopy center. The status of the case is unknown. Ramlogan attended about 18 restricted courses in fire investigation and anti-terrorism techniques at the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office Regional Training Center. He gained access by falsely identifying himself as a peace officer. He told a carwash manager in Hemet in 1997 that he was an FBI agent and had guarded the U.S. vice president's airplane.Hull is awaiting the findings of the National Guard investigation before taking any action, spokeswoman Francine Noyes said. "We are waiting for the results of what the Guard is able to find out," she said.Sky Harbor officials declined to comment.Reach the reporter at tom.zoellner@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-2474 http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/breaking/1019faker19.html
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