____________________________________________________________________

An attempted robbery of a pharmacy in Florida was thwarted by an elderly customer and his cane, and it was all caught on videotape.

According to the Tampa Police, the suspect entered a Walgreens store Wednesday morning and approached a female cashier.

“The suspect had a brown paper bag over his right hand and pointed it at the clerk demanding money,” the police said in a statement. At that moment, an elderly customer who was standing nearby attacked the robber with a cane and chased him out of the store.

Police have released a video of the crime and are asking the public for help in identifying the perpetrator.

Daniel De Sevilla, a cashier at the Walgreens praised the man for coming to the defense of the cashier. “I’m glad he stepped up for her,” De Sevilla said. “I saw pictures and the guy that was robbing looked pretty big and he got scared away by the cane.

Follow the Falcon File on Twitter @FalconCNN

____________________________________________________________________

The skeletal remains of a woman found Monday in Malibu Canyon are that of Mitrice Richardson, who had been missing for nearly a year, a family friend told CNN.

Rhonda Hampton said the coroner's office called Richardson's mother, Latice Sutton, Thursday morning to report that a positive identification was made for her daughter.

Richardson was 24 when she was last seen leaving a Los Angeles County sheriff's station in Malibu in the early morning hours of September 17, 2009.

She had been arrested the previous evening at an upscale restaurant for allegedly not paying for her meal, and patrons at the restaurant said she exhibited strange behavior.

Her family has said the college honors graduate suffered from mental health issues and should have been kept at the sheriff's station until a relative arrived to pick her up.

Follow the Falcon File on Twitter @FalconCNN

____________________________________________________________________

[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/08/11/grandad8_web.jpg width=292 height=320]

A suspected serial bank robber dubbed the “granddad bandit” was arrested in Louisiana Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

FBI Special Agent Sheila Thorne told CNN Michael Francis Mara, 53, was captured at his home in Baton Rouge. According to Thorne, the FBI went to the residence to execute an arrest warrant when Mara retreated into the house. “After 6 hours he came out and was placed under arrest,” she said.

Mara has been charged with one count of bank robbery and is being held pending an identity, detention and removal hearing, Thorne said.

The “granddad bandit” was wanted for at least 25 bank heists in 13 states since 2008, the FBI said in a statement. He was given the name because he appeared elderly, Thorne told CNN.

In recent weeks, the FBI launched a billboard campaign featuring surveillance pictures of the granddad bandit in the hopes that he would be identified.

Follow the Falcon File on Twitter @FalconCNN

_________________________________________________________________________________

Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer

An 8-year-old girl, in Chicago, who was jumping rope with a playmate was shot to death by unknown gunmen who opened fire from their bicycles, authorities said. The other girl, who is 7, was grazed in the head by a bullet and is listed in fair condition at a local hospital, police said. Published reports identified the injured girl as the victim’s cousin.

The incident happened Tuesday shortly before 8pm in the south side of the city, investigators said. Officer Robert Perez, a spokesman for the Chicago Police, told CNN two African-American men riding on bikes approached the girls who were jumping rope on the porch of a home.

“We don’t know who or what the target was,” Perez told CNN, “that hasn’t been determined.” Police said they did not know if the shooting was gang related. Detectives “are looking at all possible leads and they do not have anyone arrested for the incident and they are still interviewing witnesses,” Perez said.

The girl who was killed was in the 3rd grade at Kohn Elementary School, said Chicago schools spokeswoman Monique Bond.

The shooting comes just two days after the Chicago Police announced that murders were down 1.5% in July after a 4-month increase.

Follow the Falcon File on Twitter @FalconCNN

____________________________________________________________________

Authorities in Southern California are working to determine if skeletal remains found Monday in a remote area of Malibu Canyon are those of a woman missing for nearly a year.

"It's incredibly treacherous terrain," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office spokesman Steve Whitmore told CNN. "There is no road, no trail even if you know exactly where you are going."

Whitmore confirmed park rangers discovered "a human skull and some bones"
during a search Monday for marijuana groves in the area, but he declined to comment on a Los Angeles Times report Tuesday quoting law enforcement sources as saying the remains are that of a woman and that "women's clothing was also found near the scene."

"Let the coroner do its job. ... We should know more in a couple of days," Whitmore told CNN.

At the scene Monday, Whitmore told CNN iReporter Julie Ellerton that "there's no apparent skin or clothing" around the remains and "it looks like it may in fact have been there for quite awhile."

The family of missing Mitrice Richardson have been waiting to hear whether the remains are those of their loved one.

Richardson, who would be 25 now, is a former beauty pageant contestant who was last seen leaving a Los Angeles County sheriff's station in Malibu during the early morning hours of September 17, 2009. She had been arrested the previous evening at an upscale restaurant for allegedly not paying for her meal, and patrons at the restaurant said she exhibited strange behavior.

Her family has said the college honors graduate suffered from mental health issues and should have been kept at the sheriff's station until a relative arrived to pick her up.

Rhonda Hampton, a friend of the Richardson family, said Tuesday that a local reporter told her that authorities "are not going to make any statements about the results that they have thus far until the lead forensic anthropologist makes a final determination."

Pam Perryman was also at the scene Monday, believing that the remains found could belong to her husband, Timothy, who went missing six years ago while on a hike in the area, according to Ellerton.

"I've been praying that we would find him because it's our anniversary this Saturday," Perryman said. "I just have a feeling ... in a way I hope it is him, in a way I hope it's not."

Hampton said the family of Richardson has had a difficult time getting in contact with the police for developments.

"If the information that has been leaked to the Los Angeles Times is correct, it's inexcusable that the family would have to find this out this way," she said.

Latice Sutton, the mother of Richardson, filed a lawsuit in June against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, accusing deputies of negligence in her daughter's disappearance.

Whitmore told CNN in September that the decision to release Richardson was made because "she was not intoxicated, she didn't exhibit any mental issues, so when we were done running her fingerprints and criminal history, then we are obligated by law to release her from custody."

Most recently, police have spent about six weeks checking out what they called a credible sighting of Richardson in Las Vegas. A high school friend of Richardson said he saw her at a hotel casino, authorities said. Detectives have talked to several witnesses since then who believe they have seen her in the area, they added.

Richardson's family has expressed doubts about the veracity of the Las Vegas sighting.

In a recent statement, Sutton said she "hopes this is not a diversionary tactic to redirect attention and efforts away from where Mitrice was last known to be last seen - leaving the Los Angeles Sheriff's department, Malibu/Lost Hills station, without her cell phone, money, transportation, or asthma medication, which is where their massive search efforts and public plea should be concentrated."

Follow the Falcon File on Twitter @FalconCNN

____________________________________________________________________

Authorities investigating the disappearance of Kyron Horman conducted new searches over the weekend for the missing 7-year-old Portland, Oregon boy.

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said the searches were prompted by information related to the case, but would not disclose specifics of the operation except to say the areas canvassed were near Skyline Elementary School, where Kyron's stepmother, Terri Horman, said she last saw him on June 4.

[cnn-photo-caption image=http://www.cnn.com/video/crime/2010/06/10/missing.boy.parents.statement.katu.640×480.jpg caption="Horman’s stepmother reported the 7-year-old missing on June 4 after he did not return from school, authorities said." width=300 height=169]

A spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office refused to comment on several published reports that said the searches were initiated following a tip from DeDe Spicher, a friend of Terri Horman.

Spicher, who has been in close contact with Horman, was subpoenaed to meet with a grand jury investigating Kyron’s disappearance.

Spicher stayed with Horman after Kyron's biological father, Kaine Horman, filed for divorce last month. In divorce filings, Kaine Horman has said he believes that Terri Horman "is involved in the disappearance of my son Kyron."

The Oregonian reported that detectives have asked Spicher about her whereabouts June 4, the day Kyron was last seen. According to the newspaper, Spicher was doing gardening work for a Portland homeowner when she "abruptly left about 11:30 a.m." The homeowner tried reaching Spicher on her cell phone, the newspaper reported, but got no answer. Spicher returned to the house about 90 minutes later, the newspaper reported, citing detectives.

No persons of interest or suspects have been named in connection with the case.

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said Monday it will hold a press conference Wednesday to address certain case details, authorities said.

Follow the Falcon File on Twitter @FalconCNN

____________________________________________________________________

An exotic dancer has been charged in connection with the death of a client, authorities in Ohio said.

According to the Monroe, Ohio police department, Kristina Hensley, who is an exotic dancer for a company called Naughty Bodies, was hired to perform a private show August 7 at the home of Jae Cho.

Investigators said “something” happened in the home that caused Hensley to quickly leave.

Cho followed her out into the street and stood in front of her Ford Explorer while she attempted to drive away, police said.

A short time later, Hensley stopped at a gas station and discovered that Cho was under her vehicle, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Hensley, who lives in Higginsport, Ohio, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident.

She was arraigned on Monday and is currently being held on $50,000 bail, police said.

Authorities added that the case is still under investigation.

Follow the Falcon File on Twitter @FalconCNN

____________________________________________________________________

A teenage girl “averted a tragedy” by calling 911 from inside an out-of-control car to say her mother was driving drunk, New York State Police said.

Jamie S. Hicks, 48, of Islip, New York, was charged with felony driving under the influence and was released on bail, authorities said. She is due back in court on August 17.

[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/07/28/jamiehicks_web.jpg caption="Photo Courtesy New York State Police" width=292 height=320]

According to investigators, Hicks was behind the wheel of a 1995 Buick LeSabre Sunday evening with her 13-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son as passengers.

The car was on Interstate 84 near the Connecticut border when the daughter called 911 to say her mother was “weaving in and out of traffic,” authorities said.

“Her initial call was that she was fearful the mother was driving erratically and speaking incoherently,” Capt. Robert Nuzzo of the New York State Police told CNN.

In a subsequent call to 911, “all the operator hears is an argument in the vehicle,” Nuzzo added. The car was stopped on the side of the road when troopers arrived to investigate, Nuzzo said.

The daughter told the officers that her mother was intoxicated, police said. Hicks failed field sobriety tests and was taken back to the station for processing, according to police, who said her blood alcohol level was .18%, more than twice the legal limit.

The audio recording and transcript of the girl’s 911 call will not be released, said Adam Stiebeling, Deputy Commissioner of the Putnam County Office of Emergency Services.

Nuzzo praised the teen for her quick thinking. “She was a terrified young girl who made a conscientious decision to get her mother arrested,” he said, “but it averted a tragedy.”

Follow the Falcon File on Twitter @FalconCNN

____________________________________________________________________

[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/07/28/skateboard1_web.jpg]

The FBI released Wednesday video of an armed bank robber dubbed the “skateboard bandit.”

Clad in black, wearing a paisley bandanna and carrying a skateboard, the suspect is wanted in connection with two hold-ups in the San Diego area.

According to the FBI, he is responsible for robbing a Wells Fargo Bank on July 23 and the Comerica Bank on July 12.

[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/07/28/skateboard3_web.jpg width=292 height=320]

In the Comerica Bank heist, the skateboard bandit “approached a teller and made a verbal demand for money,” the FBI said. “The robber pulled up his shirt and displayed the handle of semi-automatic pistol. The robber demanded that the teller place the money into a black backpack the robber was carrying.”

[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/07/28/skateboard4_web.jpg]

The skateboard bandit is described as a white man, believed to be in his late 20s or early 30s. He is between 5’9”-5’11”, and weighs about 160 lbs.

The skateboard he travels with is dark colored with two flips at one end, the FBI said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI.

Follow the Falcon File on Twitter @FalconCNN

____________________________________________________________________

Police investigating the disappearance of a former professional basketball player said “there is a high level of concern” in the search to find him.

Lorenzen Wright, 34, who played 13 seasons in the NBA, has not been seen or heard from since last week when he visited his ex-wife and their children in Collierville, Tennessee, investigators said.

[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/07/27/wright_web.jpg caption="Lorenzen Wright, 34, who played 13 seasons in the NBA, has not been seen or heard from since last week" width=292 height=320]

Collierville Police spokesman Mark Heuberger told CNN Wright’s mother reported him missing on July 22. “We’re taking it very, very seriously,” Heuberger said, “and there is a high level of concern.”

“His mom made the report because she felt it was unusual that he did not contact his children for an extended period of time, that’s what made her prompt to contact the police,” he added.

Heuberger cautioned that there is no indication he was the victim of a crime. “A red flag has not come up yet,” he said, “at least of today that suggests any harm has come to him.”

“Our detectives have talked to a lot of people, former coaches, players, sports agents, and continue to follow leads given by the public,” Heuberger said, “and we’re working very close to the family and you know at this time, there has not been any information or evidence that would suggest any harm.”

The 6’11” Wright was a forward/center for several teams during his professional basketball career. He played with the Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings. He was with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2008-2009, his last year in the NBA.

Wright, who has six children, completed his degree at the University of Memphis in 2003, according to the official NBA web site.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the police at 901-853-3207.

Follow the Falcon File on Twitter @FalconCNN