With teamwork and investigative tenacity, the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station Burglary Team and the Robbery Suppression Team arrested two males for three armed robberies and a carjacking they committed in late 2016. With the assistance of the Law Enforcement Aerial Platform System (LEAPS), the men were located and arrested. On April 17th, 2018, the suspects both pleaded “No Contest” to the charges.
In early November of 2016, Patrick Mire and DeJuan Grant, committed three armed robberies on the west side of Lancaster. In early December 2016, the suspects then committed an armed carjacking of a janitor at a local elementary school. The following morning, the men broke into a home in Lancaster. An alert neighbor believed there was a burglary in progress and dialed 9-1-1. The suspects fled the scene, but not before the neighbor was able to get a description of the vehicle. Using that description, the LEAPS plane was able to locate the vehicle and Lancaster Station deputies detained it.
The vehicle turned out to be the vehicle taken in the carjacking the night before. The vehicle was occupied by suspects Grant and Mire, who were arrested. The Burglary and the Robbery Suppression Teams served search warrants on each of the suspect’s residences and recovered evidence related to the three armed robberies, property stolen from the victim of the carjacking, ammunition and a sawed off shotgun matching the description of the weapon used in the incidents.
The suspects were both charged with three robberies, carjacking, and a residential burglary by members of a criminal street gang. On April 17th, 2018, Mire pled no contest to carjacking with a firearm by a member of a criminal street gang and will face a sentence of 25 years to life. Grant pled no contest to three robberies, carjacking by a member of a criminal street gang and is facing a sentence of 33 years.
Both defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on May 1st, 2018.
It is through the help of the Lancaster citizens, and the thoroughness and investigative work of the members of the Burglary and Robbery Suppression Teams, that these two individuals have been arrested and convicted. We encourage our community members to always call 9-1-1 if they see something suspicious. Help us keep our cities as safe as possible! Remember, if you see something, say something!”
TBundy says
It will be tea on the lawn eventually
Robert William Service
Charles Lindbergh says
Let us hope not. The tragedy now with LEAPS is the complete waste of $10 million taxpayer dollars being siphoned to a political supporter of Mayor R. Rex. Parris. The loss of life would be horrific.
With at least two near misses in the air already, we should all be hopeful that this misguided and corrupt failure will soon be mothballed.
Bill Shakespeare says
LEAPS is just a piece of $hi+
When you take a look at it.
David Davis says
There are too many drug dealers and criminals in Palmdale and Lancaster. There is not enough prison space to house all of them and the state is on the verge of bankruptcy.
Katie says
… oh and, by the way, one more thing: the photo accompanying this article, it’s been doctored. What’s missing is, the pop-up which automatically comes up, for anything finding its way into LEAPS’ crosshairs (e.g., your Rolodex info, your education, Choicepoint data, clarity data, your FICO, wants & warrants, tax filing status, your social networking score; etc-etc-etc)
Lunkee says
Denote, in the photo, cross hairs bumped to 2 o’clock off the bogie, just enough for the pop-up to disappear. Denote how fast this article begins falling off the main page.
Katie says
… LEAPS is a surveillance and eavesdropping platform, with a live feed straight into local fusion centers, optimized for listening in, compiling dossiers upon us, keeping tabs on our comings and goings –
John says
Propaganda
Alexis says
@Major Tom…Ground control to Major Tom, thank you. Those pesky Walmart shoplifters.
Dopealope Valley says
Shi!!!t. These fools we’re bringing me my dope. I’ll just make ONE other call to set up another delivery from another dude.
Alexis says
What does the (Sept. 04, 2012) date on the bottom right hand corner mean?
Major Tom says
Alexis, it is the last time LEAPS caught someone. It was a Walmart shoplifter. The Walmart family was pleased.
Rick says
Now that’s funny!!!!!
VXSGuy says
I’ve been living in AV for 6 years and this is the 1x LEAPS has tried to prove value at $10M plus annually. MVP of the year award.
Turd Ferguson says
It is not $10,800,000.00 annually.It is not $10,800,000.00 annually.that is for ten years.that is for ten years.It is $90,000.00 a month.it is $90,000.00 a month.Either way it is a waste of tax payer dollars.Either way it is a waste of tax payers dollars.We pay for the Sheriff’s helicopter.We pay for the Sheriff’s helicopter.LEAPS is redundant.LEAPS is redundant.LEAPS is limited.LEAPS is limited.LEAPS is a political payback to Rex’s friend.LEAPS is a political payback to Rex’s friend.It is a waste.It is a waste.Use the money on Sheriff’s.Use the money in Sheriff’s.Not on Rex’s paybacks.Not on Rex’s paybacks.No to LEAPS.No to LEAPS.Yes to Sheriff’s.yes to Sheriff’s.More boots on the ground.More boots on the ground.
Alby says
That makes sense. That makes sense.
Turd Ferguson says
Thank you.Thank you.
Pure insanity says
Does anyone out there know where to find the stats for the Eye in the Sky? I have looked everywhere on the net and zilch! Funny, if you look at the photo it gives you the altitude they were flying at (if I’m reading it right). I remember when they started this fiasco, Rex stated that it would maintain altitude at 5,000 ft. camera resolution is crap!
East Lancaster says
Pure insanity, LEAPS, like so many other smoke and mirrors garbage that comes from Lancaster, is designed for only one thing—to line the pockets of Rex and the good old boys. Look at all the land deals, Traction Seal, Ecolution, the BLVD, an so on. There’s always one of the good old boys getting a cut of tax dollars. Rex, Marv, and their ilk are a disgrace to prudent fiscal leadership. Look at our bond ratings. We are at JUNK STATUS.
Meanwhile, East Lancaster is ignored and slips farther behind.
Choppin Broccoli says
Fake stats. Fake stats.
Tim Scott says
You can always look at the Spiral Technology website, where they pop a monthly “newsletter” that features the number of times LEAPS is “called on” but doesn’t specify whether it actually contributed anything to any of those calls. Monitoring their website it is pretty clear that they gave up on selling the LEAPS to any other city/law enforcement organization pretty much immediately after swindling Lancaster.