Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Crime Alert 08.08.23

Episode Date: August 8, 2023

Burglar recognized by conspicuous shoes. The 'Tahoe Foot Fondler' caught with DNA.  For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. Crime Alert, I'm Nancy Grace. Breaking crime news now. A Florida Crumble Cookies manager watches their security footage back after a break-in. A man carrying a large backpack enters the bakery through a side door, steals all the cash from the safe and register, then leaves, all without triggering the alarm. The manager notices the man wearing bright red Crocs and immediately recognizes him as a former employee, Jacob Ortega, who frequently wore the

very same shoes to work. Ortega, who had recently been fired, used unchanged access codes to get into the bakery, register, and safe. Authorities have not yet released information on how much cash Ortega stole, but some of it was not yet released information on how much cash Ortega stole, but some of it was recovered from an acquaintance's vehicle. Ortega tells police the remaining cash was spent on food and alcohol for himself and friends. Ortega, 18, admits to the robbery and is now charged with burglary and grand theft. Now that's some cookie monster. A woman staying in a vacation condo in Lake Tahoe wakes in the middle of the night to find a man at the foot of her bed rubbing her feet. She screams and tries to confront him.

He gets away. Two days later, the so-called Tahoe foot fondler strikes again, breaking into a second woman's condo. Douglas County sheriffs collect DNA samples from the women's feet and ID their suspect as Mark Gonzalez, previously arrested in the area for stealing women's shoes. Gonzalez, 26, now charged with two counts each, burglary and battery. Well, if the shoe fits. More crime and justice news after this. Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news, Crime Online's John Limley.

For his part in the murder of George Floyd, Tu Tao, the final ex-officer in the Minneapolis Police Department, has been found guilty in state court, receiving a four-year, nine-month sentence. For more, we turn to Sydney Sumner with Crime Online. It was on May 25, 2020, that former officer Derek Chauvin, a white man, knelt on Floyd's neck for nine and a half minutes as the black man begged for his life. Two Tau claimed that he was only acting as a, quote, human traffic cone to keep onlookers away. Floyd's waning sobs of, I can't breathe, were captured on video by a passerby. Tau was found guilty of second-degree manslaughter back in May by Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill. The three-and-a-half-year sentence Tao received for a separate conviction on a federal civil rights offense will be served concurrently with this latest sentence. His state punishment exceeded the four years advised by state guidelines.

In Minnesota, prisoners typically complete two-thirds of their sentences behind bars and one-third on parole. The federal prison system does not offer parole, although good behavior allows offenders to shorten their terms. A suspect has been killed in an early morning shooting at a convenience store in Kansas. A police officer has been injured and hospitalized, this according to authorities in Lenexa, just southwest of Kansas City. Lenexa police say they were looking into a reportedly stolen car before the shooting. When police discovered the car, they claimed the driver hit a patrol car and took off. Lenexa officers pursued the suspects on Interstate 35 until two suspects exited the vehicle and fled to a convenience store in Mission, Kansas.

The shooting began while police from various agencies were attempting to apprehend the suspects. In addition to the officer who was shot and sent to the hospital, a suspect was also shot and killed. Another suspect was apprehended. Both the suspects and the hurt officer have not yet been named by Lenexa Police. An investigation is being conducted by a Johnson County law enforcement unit tasked with looking into officer-involved shootings. Now to New York City, where a gay professional dancer has been fatally stabbed during a fight between two groups at a gas station in Brooklyn. Once again, Crime Online's Sydney Sumner. Police have arrested a 17-year-old high school student on charges of hate-motivated murder

and the death of O'Shea Sibley. The victim was dancing with friends to a Beyonce song at one of the gas pumps when the two groups started arguing, which led to the stabbing. According to authorities, the other group was taunting Sibley and his friends before the fight escalated into violence. The two groups can be seen on security camera footage fighting for several minutes. Then after both groups went in different directions, Sibley and a friend followed one of the teens who had remained behind, recording video on his phone. The teen was seen being followed by Sibley on the footage, who then lunged at him before the two disappeared from view. Just moments later, the victim stumbles back into view

and inspects his side before collapsing on the sidewalk. According to Assistant Police Chief Joe Kenney, the victim suffered a single knife wound to the left ribcage. Sibley studied and performed with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Ailey Extension Program in New York and with the dance company Philadenco in his hometown of Philadelphia. After a night out, a friend drops Amir Ellis at his girlfriend's home in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Minutes later, Ellis' girlfriend calls the friend who dropped Ellis

off and tells him two Hispanic men broke into her home and kidnapped Amir. The friend asks if she called 911. She says the intruders ordered her not to. Ellis's family calls police to get a description of the suspects and 10 days later, three teens arrested in Amir Ellis's kidnapping, but no sign of 20-year-old Ellis. Despite numerous searches, no leads to Ellis's

whereabouts. If you have information on Amir Ellis, please call Hot Springs PD 501-321-6704. For the latest crime and justice news, go to CrimeOnline.com. With this crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace. You're listening to an iHeart Podcast.