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Tag: charge

  • Daytona high school staff member arrested for ‘kicking’ student with Down syndrome, police say

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    A Seabreeze High School paraprofessional was arrested on Thursday for allegedly kicking a 17-year-old student with Down syndrome during a behavioral incident, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department.The incident was reported to the Seabreeze High School assistant principal, who notified the on-campus school resource officer. During the investigation, police recovered evidence revealing Dontel Wright, 50, intentionally kicked a student. The student then ran and attempted to hide from Wright behind the bleachers.According to the report, Wright then followed the student and forcibly pulled the student from under the bleachers.The student did not sustain any injuries.The student’s parents have been notified and have expressed their intent to press charges on behalf of their child.As a result of the investigation, police arrested Wright.This remains an active criminal case, and no further details are being released at this time.Volusia County Schools released a statement regarding the incident:”Volusia County Schools is aware of the recent arrest of a Seabreeze High School employee on a charge of child abuse. The employee has been immediately reassigned away from students pending the outcome of this investigation.Local law enforcement is leading the criminal investigation, and our Professional Standards team is conducting a parallel employment investigation. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement throughout this process.The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority. We hold all employees to the strictest standards of professional conduct and do not tolerate any behavior that compromises the trust our families place in us.As this is an active investigation, we cannot share additional details at this time.”

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. —

    A Seabreeze High School paraprofessional was arrested on Thursday for allegedly kicking a 17-year-old student with Down syndrome during a behavioral incident, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department.

    The incident was reported to the Seabreeze High School assistant principal, who notified the on-campus school resource officer.

    During the investigation, police recovered evidence revealing Dontel Wright, 50, intentionally kicked a student. The student then ran and attempted to hide from Wright behind the bleachers.

    According to the report, Wright then followed the student and forcibly pulled the student from under the bleachers.

    The student did not sustain any injuries.

    The student’s parents have been notified and have expressed their intent to press charges on behalf of their child.

    As a result of the investigation, police arrested Wright.

    This remains an active criminal case, and no further details are being released at this time.

    Volusia County Schools released a statement regarding the incident:

    “Volusia County Schools is aware of the recent arrest of a Seabreeze High School employee on a charge of child abuse. The employee has been immediately reassigned away from students pending the outcome of this investigation.

    Local law enforcement is leading the criminal investigation, and our Professional Standards team is conducting a parallel employment investigation. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement throughout this process.

    The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority. We hold all employees to the strictest standards of professional conduct and do not tolerate any behavior that compromises the trust our families place in us.

    As this is an active investigation, we cannot share additional details at this time.”

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  • Former South Korean president sentenced to 5 years in prison

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    A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison Friday on some charges related to his imposition of martial law.The verdict is the first against Yoon in the eight criminal trials over the decree he issued in late 2024 and other allegations.Video above: Former South Korean president arrives at Seoul courtThe most significant charge against him alleges that he led a rebellion in connection with his martial law enforcement and it carries a potential death penalty.The Seoul Central District Court in the case decided Friday sentenced him for other charges like his defiance of authorities’ attempts to detain him.Yoon hasn’t immediately publicly responded to the ruling. But when an independent counsel earlier demanded a 10-year prison term for Yoon over those charges, Yoon’s defense team accused them of being politically driven and lacking legal grounds to demand such “an excessive” sentence.Yoon has been impeached, arrested and dismissed as president after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024 triggered huge public protests calling for his ouster.Yoon maintains he didn’t intend to place the country under military rule for an extended period, saying his decree was only meant to inform the people about the danger of the liberal-controlled parliament which obstructed his agenda. But investigators have viewed Yoon’s decree as an attempt to bolster and prolong his rule, charging him with rebellion, abuse of power and other criminal offenses.

    , Seoul —

    A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison Friday on some charges related to his imposition of martial law.

    The verdict is the first against Yoon in the eight criminal trials over the decree he issued in late 2024 and other allegations.

    Video above: Former South Korean president arrives at Seoul court

    The most significant charge against him alleges that he led a rebellion in connection with his martial law enforcement and it carries a potential death penalty.

    The Seoul Central District Court in the case decided Friday sentenced him for other charges like his defiance of authorities’ attempts to detain him.

    Yoon hasn’t immediately publicly responded to the ruling. But when an independent counsel earlier demanded a 10-year prison term for Yoon over those charges, Yoon’s defense team accused them of being politically driven and lacking legal grounds to demand such “an excessive” sentence.

    Yoon has been impeached, arrested and dismissed as president after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024 triggered huge public protests calling for his ouster.

    Yoon maintains he didn’t intend to place the country under military rule for an extended period, saying his decree was only meant to inform the people about the danger of the liberal-controlled parliament which obstructed his agenda. But investigators have viewed Yoon’s decree as an attempt to bolster and prolong his rule, charging him with rebellion, abuse of power and other criminal offenses.

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  • Florida politicians react to US capture of Venezuelan President Maduro

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    Above: Venezuelans in Florida react to U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.In the overnight hours on January 2 into January 3, 2026, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured in a strike by U.S. forces in the South American country.The capture of the foreign leader comes after months of escalation from President Donald Trump against the nation, including more than a dozen strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats and a blockade on all “sanctioned oil tankers” going into and out of the country.U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, would face charges after an indictment in New York. Maduro was also indicted on “narco-terrorism” charges in 2020.In October, Trump said the U.S. was in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels after several strikes on boats in the Caribbean.Floridian lawmakers reacted to the overnight strikes in Venezuela and the capture of Maduro.U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), co-chair of the Congressional Venezuela Democracy Caucus, released a statement on President Maduro’s capture: “The capture of the brutal, illegitimate ruler of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who oppressed Venezuela’s people is welcome news for my friends and neighbors who fled his violent, lawless, and disastrous rule. However, cutting off the head of a snake is fruitless if it just regrows. Venezuelans deserve the promise of democracy and the rule of law, not a state of endless violence and spiraling disorder. My hope is it offers a passage to true democracy and liberation. This action offers beleaguered Venezuelans a chance to seat their true, democratically elected president, Edmundo González. I’ll demand answers as to why Congress and the American people were bypassed in this effort. The absence of congressional involvement prior to this action risks the continuation of the illegitimate Venezuelan regime.”Bondi shared the below indictment of Maduro and other Venezuelan officials on social media.

    Above: Venezuelans in Florida react to U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

    In the overnight hours on January 2 into January 3, 2026, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured in a strike by U.S. forces in the South American country.

    The capture of the foreign leader comes after months of escalation from President Donald Trump against the nation, including more than a dozen strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats and a blockade on all “sanctioned oil tankers” going into and out of the country.

    U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, would face charges after an indictment in New York. Maduro was also indicted on “narco-terrorism” charges in 2020.

    In October, Trump said the U.S. was in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels after several strikes on boats in the Caribbean.

    Floridian lawmakers reacted to the overnight strikes in Venezuela and the capture of Maduro.

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    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    This content is imported from Twitter.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    This content is imported from Twitter.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), co-chair of the Congressional Venezuela Democracy Caucus, released a statement on President Maduro’s capture: “The capture of the brutal, illegitimate ruler of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who oppressed Venezuela’s people is welcome news for my friends and neighbors who fled his violent, lawless, and disastrous rule. However, cutting off the head of a snake is fruitless if it just regrows. Venezuelans deserve the promise of democracy and the rule of law, not a state of endless violence and spiraling disorder. My hope is it offers a passage to true democracy and liberation. This action offers beleaguered Venezuelans a chance to seat their true, democratically elected president, Edmundo González. I’ll demand answers as to why Congress and the American people were bypassed in this effort. The absence of congressional involvement prior to this action risks the continuation of the illegitimate Venezuelan regime.”

    Bondi shared the below indictment of Maduro and other Venezuelan officials on social media.

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  • 11-year-old rescued during Flagler County traffic stop says he was kidnapped

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    A traffic stop in Flagler County on Dec 31. led to the rescue of a missing 11-year-old boy and the arrest of registered sex offender Darnell Hairston. Once separated from Hairston, the 11-year-old victim immediately told a deputy he had been kidnapped, was in danger, and feared for his life.Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies secured the visibly traumatized child before Hairston attempted to flee on foot and was arrested. The child, who had been missing for three days, was taken to a local hospital.FCSO said the victim told them how Hairston had lured him to a wooded campsite in Flagler Estates, where he was choked unconscious.The child stated that when he woke up, he was threatened with a knife and a firearm, tied up with shoelaces and an extension cord, and had duct tape placed over his mouth.Also found in the truck with Hairston and the 11-year-old was a fifteen-year-old boy, who faces charges for allegedly fleeing from deputies in the truck before ramming into a cruiser and crashing. According to an arrest report, the fifteen-year-old and the eleven-year-old were in a group chat on Snapchat where the 11-year-old was talking about Hairston being a sexual predator because of what he did to an unnamed victim. Sheriff Rick Staly said this may have been related to a sexual assault under investigation in saint Johns County, allegedly involving Hairston. “The fifteen-year-old was aware of this information and told Hairston, and it appears that they concocted a plan to lure the 11-year-old to this rural area in Flagler county and then kidnap him and hold him,” Staly said. “Now what they were going to do after that we don’t know…”According to the arrest report, at one point, Hairston told him, “he could cut his throat right now, or he could be respectful and shoot him in the head, front or back.” “Told us that he thought they were going to kill him,” Staly said of the 11-year-old.According to information from the Sheriff’s Office, the victim was held at the campsite for multiple days and forced to hide on the floorboard of Hairston’s truck, covered by a blanket, during travel.Search warrants executed on Hairston’s vehicle, his Hastings residence, and the campsite—with assistance from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office—recovered evidence consistent with the child’s statements, including duct tape, video surveillance equipment, and weapons.Detectives determined that Hairston was aware the child was missing and endangered, but could not provide a motive for keeping the child from his parents.Sheriff Rick Staly commented, “Clearly, thanks to ‘see something, say something’ and our deputies recognizing the victim was very afraid, we rescued a missing child who was in fear Hairston had planned to kill him.”The investigation remains active and ongoing. The second juvenile who allegedly stole Hairston’s vehicle and fled the traffic stop was arrested on charges including grand theft of a motor vehicle. He is in the custody of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and is being investigated as a possible co-conspirator in the kidnapping, which may lead to additional charges.Hairston was initially held on a $125,000 bond for resisting arrest and attempting to disarm a law enforcement officer. However, a subsequent investigation by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Major Case Unit resulted in additional charges being served via a warrant on Friday, Jan. 2. These charges include kidnapping of a child under 13, aggravated child abuse, battery by strangulation, and robbery with a deadly weapon. Hairston is currently being held without bond at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility.

    FLAGLER BEACH, Fla. —

    A traffic stop in Flagler County on Dec 31. led to the rescue of a missing 11-year-old boy and the arrest of registered sex offender Darnell Hairston.

    Once separated from Hairston, the 11-year-old victim immediately told a deputy he had been kidnapped, was in danger, and feared for his life.

    Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies secured the visibly traumatized child before Hairston attempted to flee on foot and was arrested.

    The child, who had been missing for three days, was taken to a local hospital.

    FCSO said the victim told them how Hairston had lured him to a wooded campsite in Flagler Estates, where he was choked unconscious.

    The child stated that when he woke up, he was threatened with a knife and a firearm, tied up with shoelaces and an extension cord, and had duct tape placed over his mouth.

    Also found in the truck with Hairston and the 11-year-old was a fifteen-year-old boy, who faces charges for allegedly fleeing from deputies in the truck before ramming into a cruiser and crashing.

    According to an arrest report, the fifteen-year-old and the eleven-year-old were in a group chat on Snapchat where the 11-year-old was talking about Hairston being a sexual predator because of what he did to an unnamed victim.

    Sheriff Rick Staly said this may have been related to a sexual assault under investigation in saint Johns County, allegedly involving Hairston.

    “The fifteen-year-old was aware of this information and told Hairston, and it appears that they concocted a plan to lure the 11-year-old to this rural area in Flagler county and then kidnap him and hold him,” Staly said. “Now what they were going to do after that we don’t know…”

    According to the arrest report, at one point, Hairston told him, “he could cut his throat right now, or he could be respectful and shoot him in the head, front or back.”

    “Told us that he thought they were going to kill him,” Staly said of the 11-year-old.

    According to information from the Sheriff’s Office, the victim was held at the campsite for multiple days and forced to hide on the floorboard of Hairston’s truck, covered by a blanket, during travel.

    Search warrants executed on Hairston’s vehicle, his Hastings residence, and the campsite—with assistance from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office—recovered evidence consistent with the child’s statements, including duct tape, video surveillance equipment, and weapons.

    Detectives determined that Hairston was aware the child was missing and endangered, but could not provide a motive for keeping the child from his parents.

    Sheriff Rick Staly commented, “Clearly, thanks to ‘see something, say something’ and our deputies recognizing the victim was very afraid, we rescued a missing child who was in fear Hairston had planned to kill him.”

    The investigation remains active and ongoing. The second juvenile who allegedly stole Hairston’s vehicle and fled the traffic stop was arrested on charges including grand theft of a motor vehicle. He is in the custody of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and is being investigated as a possible co-conspirator in the kidnapping, which may lead to additional charges.

    Hairston was initially held on a $125,000 bond for resisting arrest and attempting to disarm a law enforcement officer. However, a subsequent investigation by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Major Case Unit resulted in additional charges being served via a warrant on Friday, Jan. 2. These charges include kidnapping of a child under 13, aggravated child abuse, battery by strangulation, and robbery with a deadly weapon. Hairston is currently being held without bond at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility.

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  • DeLand home under gunfire on New Year’s; bullet misses sleeping family by inches

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    A family of four was sleeping in their DeLand home when it was struck by several gunshots, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office. “We’re just very lucky to be alive and it could have had a different ending,” the wife and mother said.One bullet penetrated the wall and entered their bedroom.”My seven-year-old was in the bed with us in the middle. My four-year-old luckily, he normally sleeps in our bed and just by the Grace of God he wasn’t in there that night. He fell asleep in his own room,” the mother explained.The mother discovered the bullet.”The bullet was right by my pillow. I remember it being very hot and that’s when I grabbed my son and went into the other bedroom ’cause we didn’t know what else was coming in.”Deputies found five bullet holes on the exterior of the house.Surveillance footage captured several individuals on 6th Avenue, one street over. A witness informed deputies that he saw four people in a backyard, with a couple of them taking turns firing into the ground to celebrate the New Year. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood reported that 30 rounds were fired into the ground.”You know you got a couple of 20-year-olds, obviously they’re drinking. One of them had just purchased a firearm and let’s go out half drunk and fire into the ground. What could possibly go wrong?” Chitwood said.According to VSO, deputies found shell casings at a nearby residence in Daytona Park Estates, and a witness who saw four people firing a gun.When the suspects returned to the nearby residence, deputies say they found a gun inside their vehicle. Axel Gomez, 21, was arrested on the charge of shooting into an occupied dwelling. Amy Gomez, 25, and Ken Newbold, 25, are facing charges of recklessly discharging a firearm in a residential area.

    DELAND, Fla. —

    A family of four was sleeping in their DeLand home when it was struck by several gunshots, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.

    “We’re just very lucky to be alive and it could have had a different ending,” the wife and mother said.

    One bullet penetrated the wall and entered their bedroom.

    “My seven-year-old was in the bed with us in the middle. My four-year-old luckily, he normally sleeps in our bed and just by the Grace of God he wasn’t in there that night. He fell asleep in his own room,” the mother explained.

    The mother discovered the bullet.

    “The bullet was right by my pillow. I remember it being very hot and that’s when I grabbed my son and went into the other bedroom ’cause we didn’t know what else was coming in.”

    Deputies found five bullet holes on the exterior of the house.

    Surveillance footage captured several individuals on 6th Avenue, one street over. A witness informed deputies that he saw four people in a backyard, with a couple of them taking turns firing into the ground to celebrate the New Year. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood reported that 30 rounds were fired into the ground.

    “You know you got a couple of 20-year-olds, obviously they’re drinking. One of them had just purchased a firearm and let’s go out half drunk and fire into the ground. What could possibly go wrong?” Chitwood said.

    According to VSO, deputies found shell casings at a nearby residence in Daytona Park Estates, and a witness who saw four people firing a gun.

    When the suspects returned to the nearby residence, deputies say they found a gun inside their vehicle.

    Axel Gomez, 21, was arrested on the charge of shooting into an occupied dwelling.

    Amy Gomez, 25, and Ken Newbold, 25, are facing charges of recklessly discharging a firearm in a residential area.

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  • Man arrested after 2 killed in Lake County crash Friday night

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    Florida Highway Patrol arrested a Lake County man on charges of DUI manslaughter after two people were killed in a crash Friday night.Seenarine Hardeo, 50, of Groveland, is facing two counts of DUI manslaughter, a second-degree felony, after a crash that happened around 7 p.m. on State Road 33 in Lake County.Troopers said a 2009 Mini Cooper driven by Hardeo northbound on SR-33 traveled into the southbound lane and collided with a semi-truck north of Swamp Drive. The impact caused the semi-truck to veer into the northbound lanes and into the path of a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. The front of the semi-truck collided with the front left of the Chevy pickup, causing both vehicles to run off the roadway and the semi-truck to overturn.The semi-truck’s driver was transported to South Lake Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.FHP said the Chevy’s driver, a 22-year-old Frostproof man, and his passenger, an 18-year-old Tallahassee woman, were pronounced dead at the scene.Lake County court records show that Hardeo pleaded no contest to charges of felony DUI and driving with a suspended license in 2007. Documents in that case link several other DUI incidents that occurred in New York in the early 2000s that led to Hardeo’s license being revoked. Hardeo was not injured in the crash. He was booked into the Lake County Jail Friday night, where he is being held without bond.

    LAKE COUNTY, Fla. —

    Florida Highway Patrol arrested a Lake County man on charges of DUI manslaughter after two people were killed in a crash Friday night.

    Seenarine Hardeo, 50, of Groveland, is facing two counts of DUI manslaughter, a second-degree felony, after a crash that happened around 7 p.m. on State Road 33 in Lake County.

    Troopers said a 2009 Mini Cooper driven by Hardeo northbound on SR-33 traveled into the southbound lane and collided with a semi-truck north of Swamp Drive. The impact caused the semi-truck to veer into the northbound lanes and into the path of a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. The front of the semi-truck collided with the front left of the Chevy pickup, causing both vehicles to run off the roadway and the semi-truck to overturn.

    The semi-truck’s driver was transported to South Lake Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

    FHP said the Chevy’s driver, a 22-year-old Frostproof man, and his passenger, an 18-year-old Tallahassee woman, were pronounced dead at the scene.

    Lake County court records show that Hardeo pleaded no contest to charges of felony DUI and driving with a suspended license in 2007. Documents in that case link several other DUI incidents that occurred in New York in the early 2000s that led to Hardeo’s license being revoked.

    Hardeo was not injured in the crash. He was booked into the Lake County Jail Friday night, where he is being held without bond.

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  • Suspected drunk driver charged with murder in death of high school tennis star

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    An allegedly intoxicated driver who hit and killed high school tennis star Braun Levi in Manhattan Beach was charged with murder Tuesday, authorities said.

    Jenia Resha Belt, 33, of Los Angeles also faces charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving with a suspended license, said Pamela Johnson, a spokesperson for the L.A. County district attorney’s office.

    Around 12:46 a.m. on May 4, Belt struck Braun, who was walking near Sepulveda Boulevard and 2nd Street, authorities said.

    Belt, who was arrested at the scene, had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit and was driving on a suspended license from a prior DUI arrest, according to court records. Four passengers inside the car fled the area after the collision.

    Belt was released in June and then apprehended again months later.

    Braun’s parents, who lost their home in the Palisades fire and relocated to the South Bay, filed a $200-million wrongful death lawsuit against Belt in November.

    Their son was a standout at Loyola High School and had been slated to play tennis at the University of Virginia. The Levis started the Live Like Braun Foundation in his memory.

    Belt is in custody on $2 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday, Johnson said.

    Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman and Jennifer Levi, Braun’s mother, plan to discuss the charges at a news conference Monday.

    Times staff writer Clara Harter contributed to this report.

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    Terry Castleman

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  • Prosecutor dismisses charges against Trump and others in Georgia election interference case

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    The prosecutor who recently took over the Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump and others said in a court filing Wednesday that he has decided not to pursue the case further.Pete Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, took over the case last month from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who was removed over an “appearance of impropriety” created by a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she chose to lead the case.After Skandalakis’ filing, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee issued a one-paragraph order dismissing the case in its entirety.It was unlikely that legal action against Trump could have moved forward while he is president. But 14 other defendants still faced charges, including former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.After the Georgia Supreme Court in September declined to hear Willis’ appeal of her disqualification, it fell to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council to find a new prosecutor. Skandalakis said last month that he reached out to several prosecutors, but they all declined to take on the case. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee set a Nov. 14 deadline for the appointment of a new prosecutor, so Skandalakis chose to appoint himself rather than allowing the case to be dismissed.

    ATLANTA —

    The prosecutor who recently took over the Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump and others said in a court filing Wednesday that he has decided not to pursue the case further.

    Pete Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, took over the case last month from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who was removed over an “appearance of impropriety” created by a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she chose to lead the case.

    After Skandalakis’ filing, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee issued a one-paragraph order dismissing the case in its entirety.

    It was unlikely that legal action against Trump could have moved forward while he is president. But 14 other defendants still faced charges, including former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

    After the Georgia Supreme Court in September declined to hear Willis’ appeal of her disqualification, it fell to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council to find a new prosecutor. Skandalakis said last month that he reached out to several prosecutors, but they all declined to take on the case. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee set a Nov. 14 deadline for the appointment of a new prosecutor, so Skandalakis chose to appoint himself rather than allowing the case to be dismissed.

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  • Investigators make arrest in 1987 killing of 34-year-old mother

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    Authorities this past week announced the arrest of a 76-year-old man in the 1987 killing of Margit Schuller, a 34-year-old mother found shot outside a laundromat near her home at the Palmetto Apartments.Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner on Wednesday said Cortez Sabino Lake, a former Navy corpsman stationed at Parris Island, who lived in the same apartment complex at the time, was arrested Tuesday and charged with murder. Lake is being held pending a bond hearing.Schuller was last seen between 8:15 and 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 1, 1987, folding clothes inside the complex laundromat. Her 12-year-old daughter later found her under a tree outside. Investigators determined Schuller had been shot inside the laundromat and crawled outside. A second blood trail leaving the scene indicated the assailant was injured.Cold case investigator Bob Bromage said DNA taken from that trail in 1987 was first profiled in 2005 and uploaded to CODIS, but produced no hits. In 2019, forensic genealogy and a composite analysis by Parabon Nanolabs helped narrow the focus. Investigators recently obtained Lake’s DNA – first through noncooperative means and then via a court-ordered sample – which matched in the “septillions,” Bromage said. Detectives also recovered the murder weapon in 1989 at a construction site on U.S. 21 and matched it to a casing found in the laundromat. Bromage said investigators believe sexual assault was the motive based on evidence at the scene.Lake, who lived at Battery Creek Apartments in 1987 and later worked more than three decades at Beaufort Memorial Hospital, was not named as a suspect at the time, Bromage said. The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who knew Lake in the late 1980s – particularly residents of Battery Creek or Palmetto Apartments – to come forward with information. Tips can be provided to investigators or through Crime Stoppers.Schuller worked as a cardiac care nurse. Her husband, Jozsef, a Navy corpsman, was deployed for training in San Diego when the killing occurred. They were both originally from Hungary and immigrated to the U.S. in 1982.

    BEAUFORT, S.C. —

    Authorities this past week announced the arrest of a 76-year-old man in the 1987 killing of Margit Schuller, a 34-year-old mother found shot outside a laundromat near her home at the Palmetto Apartments.

    Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner on Wednesday said Cortez Sabino Lake, a former Navy corpsman stationed at Parris Island, who lived in the same apartment complex at the time, was arrested Tuesday and charged with murder. Lake is being held pending a bond hearing.

    Schuller was last seen between 8:15 and 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 1, 1987, folding clothes inside the complex laundromat. Her 12-year-old daughter later found her under a tree outside. Investigators determined Schuller had been shot inside the laundromat and crawled outside. A second blood trail leaving the scene indicated the assailant was injured.

    Cold case investigator Bob Bromage said DNA taken from that trail in 1987 was first profiled in 2005 and uploaded to CODIS, but produced no hits. In 2019, forensic genealogy and a composite analysis by Parabon Nanolabs helped narrow the focus. Investigators recently obtained Lake’s DNA – first through noncooperative means and then via a court-ordered sample – which matched in the “septillions,” Bromage said.

    Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office

    Detectives also recovered the murder weapon in 1989 at a construction site on U.S. 21 and matched it to a casing found in the laundromat. Bromage said investigators believe sexual assault was the motive based on evidence at the scene.

    Lake, who lived at Battery Creek Apartments in 1987 and later worked more than three decades at Beaufort Memorial Hospital, was not named as a suspect at the time, Bromage said. The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who knew Lake in the late 1980s – particularly residents of Battery Creek or Palmetto Apartments – to come forward with information. Tips can be provided to investigators or through Crime Stoppers.

    Schuller worked as a cardiac care nurse. Her husband, Jozsef, a Navy corpsman, was deployed for training in San Diego when the killing occurred. They were both originally from Hungary and immigrated to the U.S. in 1982.

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  • Commentary: Justice has no expiration date. That’s why 2020 election fraud still matters

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    In the days and weeks after the 2020 election, partisans across the country used lies and deceit to try to defraud the American people and steal the White House.

    Although Joe Biden was the clear and unequivocal winner, racking up big margins in the popular vote and electoral college, 84 fake electors signed statements certifying that Donald Trump had carried their seven battleground states.

    He did not.

    The electoral votes at issue constituted nearly a third of the number needed to win the presidency and would have been more than enough to reverse Biden’s victory, granting Trump a second term against the wishes of most voters.

    To some, the attempted election theft is old (and eagerly buried) news.

    The events that culminated in the violent assault on the Capitol and attempt to block Biden from taking office occurred half a decade ago, the shovel wielders might say, making them as relevant as those faded social-distancing stickers you still see in some stores. Besides, Trump was given a second turn in the White House by a plurality of voters in 2024.

    But it’s only old news if you believe that justice and integrity carry an expiration date, wrongdoing is fine with the passage of enough time and the foundational values of our country and its democracy — starting with fair and honest elections — matter only to the extent they help your political side prevail.

    It bears repeating: “What we’re talking about here is an attempt to overturn the outcome of a presidential election,” said Sean Morales-Doyle, who heads the Voting Rights and Elections Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, a law and policy think tank at New York University. “If people can engage in that kind of conduct without consequence or accountability, then we have to worry about it happening again.”

    Which is why punishment and deterrence are so important.

    Last week, the Nevada Supreme Court unanimously reinstated the criminal case against six Republicans who signed certificates falsely claiming Trump had won the state’s electoral votes. Those charged include Nevada’s GOP chairman, Michael McDonald, and the state’s representative on the Republican National Committee, Jim DeGraffenreid.

    The ruling focused on a procedural matter: whether the charges should have been brought in Douglas County, where the fake certificates were signed in the state capital — Carson City — or in Clark County, where they were submitted at a courthouse in Las Vegas. A lower court ruled the charges should have been brought in Douglas County and dismissed the case. The high court reversed the decision, allowing the prosecution on forgery charges to proceed.

    As well it should. Let a jury decide.

    Of course, the Nevada Six and other phony electors are but small fry. The ringleader and attempted-larcenist-in-chief — Donald “Find Me 11,780 Votes” Trump — escaped liability by winning the 2024 election.

    This month, he pardoned scores of fake electors and others involved in the attempted election heist — including his bumbling ex-attorney, Rudolph W. Giuliani — for any potential federal crimes. The move was purely symbolic; Trump’s pardoning power does not extend to cases brought in state courts.

    But it was further evidence of his abundant contempt for the rule of law. (Just hours after taking office, Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 defendants — including some who brutalized cops with pepper spray and wooden and metal poles — who were involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.)

    Efforts around the country to prosecute even those low-level schemers, cheaters and 2020 election miscreants have produced mixed results.

    In Michigan, a judge threw out the criminal case against 15 phony electors, ruling the government failed to present sufficient evidence that they intended to commit fraud.

    In New Mexico and Pennsylvania, fake electors avoided prosecution because their certification came with a caveat. It said the documentation was submitted in the event they were recognized as legitimate electors. The issue was moot once Trump lost his fight to overturn the election, though some in Trump’s orbit hoped the phony certifications would help pressure Pence.

    Derek Muller, a Notre Dame law professor, looks askance at many of the cases that prosecutors have brought, suggesting the ballot box — rather than a courtroom — may be the better venue to litigate the matter.

    “There’s a fine line between what’s distasteful conduct and what’s criminal conduct,” Muller said. “I don’t have easy answers about which kinds of things should or shouldn’t be prosecuted in a particular moment, except to say if it’s something novel” — like these 2020 cases — “having a pretty iron-clad legal theory is pretty essential if you’re going to be prosecuting people for engaging in this sort of political protest activity.”

    Other cases grind on.

    Three fake electors are scheduled for a preliminary hearing on forgery charges next month in Wisconsin. Fourteen defendants — including Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows — face charges in Georgia. In Arizona, the state attorney general must decide this week whether to move forward with a case against 11 people after a judge tossed out an indictment because of how the case was presented to grand jurors.

    Justice in the case of the 2020 election has been far from sure and swift. But that’s no reason to relent.

    The penalty for hijacking a plane is a minimum of 20 years in federal prison. That seems excessive for the fake electors.

    But dozens of bad actors tried to hijack an election. They shouldn’t be let off scot-free.

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    Mark Z. Barabak

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  • Marion County teen who faked his kidnapping sentenced to house arrest

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    The Marion County teenager who faked his own kidnapping earlier this year — which led to an Amber Alert being issued — was sentenced to house arrest for the staged kidnapping.The state attorney’s office said the teen, who WESH 2 is not naming because he was not charged as an adult, will spend at least one year under house arrest with an ankle monitor. He is also required to complete 100 hours of community service, a firearms safety course and a counseling program, and he must pay back the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for resources wasted.The teen was sentenced after pleading no contest to his charges stemming from the staged kidnapping. He disappeared in late September after texting his mom that he had been attacked by several men.The teen went so far as to shoot himself in the leg before turning himself in.

    MARION COUNTY, Fla. —

    The Marion County teenager who faked his own kidnapping earlier this year — which led to an Amber Alert being issued — was sentenced to house arrest for the staged kidnapping.

    The state attorney’s office said the teen, who WESH 2 is not naming because he was not charged as an adult, will spend at least one year under house arrest with an ankle monitor.

    He is also required to complete 100 hours of community service, a firearms safety course and a counseling program, and he must pay back the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for resources wasted.

    The teen was sentenced after pleading no contest to his charges stemming from the staged kidnapping. He disappeared in late September after texting his mom that he had been attacked by several men.

    The teen went so far as to shoot himself in the leg before turning himself in.

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  • Prosecutors drop murder charge against woman accused in deadly Orange County road-rage shooting

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    Video above: Previous coverageA murder charge has been dropped against a woman who was accused of killing a man during a road rage shooting in Orange County. Tina Allgeo appeared in court on Thursday morning for a hearing about a motion to dismiss the charges against her. Allgeo was facing charges of second-degree murder and aggravated battery.Allgeo pleaded no contest to aggravated battery, and the murder charge against her was dropped.BackgroundThe victim, Mihail Tsvetkov, and Allgeo encountered each other in front of an Olive Garden restaurant. She got out of her car and confronted him about driving too close to her.Allgeo says he then bumped her car. The report says she exited her car a second time, holding her phone to call the police. Police said Tsvetkov drove away.In a written statement, Allgeo told police she accidentally struck his car while trying to get his tag number.The report says Tsvetkov then got out of his car, approached Allgeo, opened the car door, and a struggle ensued.According to the report, she said she shot him once because she feared for her life as he punched her multiple times.Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has criticized the case, saying it’s “stand your ground.”Witnesses at the scene described the confrontation as brief and unprovoked. About the victim The victim was identified as Mihail Tsvetkov. The victim’s sister said he was planning to relocate in 12 days to be with his family before he was killed.

    ORLANDO, Fla. —

    Video above: Previous coverage

    A murder charge has been dropped against a woman who was accused of killing a man during a road rage shooting in Orange County.

    Tina Allgeo appeared in court on Thursday morning for a hearing about a motion to dismiss the charges against her.

    Allgeo was facing charges of second-degree murder and aggravated battery.

    Allgeo pleaded no contest to aggravated battery, and the murder charge against her was dropped.

    Background

    The victim, Mihail Tsvetkov, and Allgeo encountered each other in front of an Olive Garden restaurant. She got out of her car and confronted him about driving too close to her.

    Allgeo says he then bumped her car. The report says she exited her car a second time, holding her phone to call the police. Police said Tsvetkov drove away.

    In a written statement, Allgeo told police she accidentally struck his car while trying to get his tag number.

    The report says Tsvetkov then got out of his car, approached Allgeo, opened the car door, and a struggle ensued.

    According to the report, she said she shot him once because she feared for her life as he punched her multiple times.

    Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has criticized the case, saying it’s “stand your ground.”

    Witnesses at the scene described the confrontation as brief and unprovoked.

    About the victim

    The victim was identified as Mihail Tsvetkov.

    The victim’s sister said he was planning to relocate in 12 days to be with his family before he was killed.

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  • PD: Manteca day care owner was intoxicated when 5-month-old infant stopped breathing, later dying

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    The owner of a day care in Manteca has been arrested in connection with a 5-month-old infant’s death while he was under her care, officials said Monday.Roxanne Helus, owner of the Cherished Years Daycare that is run at her home along the 2300 block of Merlin Lane, faces a charge of felony child endangerment, the Manteca Police Department said. The agency plans to file additional charges, which would include causing death to a child under 8 years old.Police said at 1:25 p.m. on Oct. 22, officers went to the day care for a report of an infant not breathing. There, they found an adult at the scene providing CPR to the infant, later identified as Christian Olvera.Officers took over CPR until the Manteca Fire Department and medics arrived to also perform CPR, police said. Christian was taken to a nearby hospital and was later transferred to Oakland Children’s Hospital, where he died on Oct. 24.Police said there were no signs of trauma, and Christian’s cause of death will be determined by the results of an autopsy.”We hear about this happening all the time, and you never think it’s going to happen to you,” said Christian’s aunt, Erica Valdivia.When officers first got to the day care, police said they learned that Helus was intoxicated when Christian stopped breathing. There were three other adults and three day care children at the time. The children were checked and found to be unharmed.Helus was booked in the San Joaquin County Jail, but police said she has since bailed out.”It’s just been an unbearable pain and loss for our family,” Valdivia said.It is not known how long Helus’ day care has been in business, and police were also not immediately aware of her prior history. California Community Care Licensing, which has jurisdiction over licensed day cares, is assisting police with the investigation.Anyone with information related to the case is asked to call police at 209-456-8101 and reference case No. 25-04723.See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at kcra.com/upload.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    MANTECA, Calif. —

    The owner of a day care in Manteca has been arrested in connection with a 5-month-old infant’s death while he was under her care, officials said Monday.

    Roxanne Helus, owner of the Cherished Years Daycare that is run at her home along the 2300 block of Merlin Lane, faces a charge of felony child endangerment, the Manteca Police Department said. The agency plans to file additional charges, which would include causing death to a child under 8 years old.

    Police said at 1:25 p.m. on Oct. 22, officers went to the day care for a report of an infant not breathing. There, they found an adult at the scene providing CPR to the infant, later identified as Christian Olvera.

    Emily New Born Photography

    Officers took over CPR until the Manteca Fire Department and medics arrived to also perform CPR, police said. Christian was taken to a nearby hospital and was later transferred to Oakland Children’s Hospital, where he died on Oct. 24.

    Police said there were no signs of trauma, and Christian’s cause of death will be determined by the results of an autopsy.

    “We hear about this happening all the time, and you never think it’s going to happen to you,” said Christian’s aunt, Erica Valdivia.

    Baby Christian

    When officers first got to the day care, police said they learned that Helus was intoxicated when Christian stopped breathing. There were three other adults and three day care children at the time. The children were checked and found to be unharmed.

    Helus was booked in the San Joaquin County Jail, but police said she has since bailed out.

    “It’s just been an unbearable pain and loss for our family,” Valdivia said.

    It is not known how long Helus’ day care has been in business, and police were also not immediately aware of her prior history. California Community Care Licensing, which has jurisdiction over licensed day cares, is assisting police with the investigation.

    Anyone with information related to the case is asked to call police at 209-456-8101 and reference case No. 25-04723.

    See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at kcra.com/upload.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • Opinion | Britain’s Do-It-Yourself Version of Chinese Sabotage

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    A ‘spying’ case that may have been a mistake all along sows more distrust than Beijing ever could.

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    Joseph C. Sternberg

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  • Sheriff’s office employee facing charges for unauthorized access of database

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    A Lake County Sheriff’s Office employee is facing charges for accessing law enforcement databases to look into people unrelated to her work.According to a report from the sheriff’s office, 30-year-old Hannah Colon worked for the sheriff’s office in dispatch and as a clerk in the criminal investigations division.”On October first, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office received allegations that Ms. Hannah Colon was accessing various law enforcement databases that are restricted,” Deputy Stephanie Early with the sheriff’s office said.After the sheriff’s office started looking into Colon’s use of law enforcement databases, a probable cause affidavit says they questioned Colon about running two different names through the Driver and Vehicle Information Databases on three different dates. The names belonged to her husband and her husband’s ex-wife, the report says.The affidavit says in April 2023, she looked at the ex-wife’s record on things like vehicles, addresses, transaction details and driver history.According to the affidavit, she told deputies it was to access the woman’s address to apply for an order of protection against her, which she did in June 2023.The deputy pointed out she could have gotten the information from her husband.The sheriff’s office says the use is concerning.”We are only supposed to use our databases for authorized use only,” Deputy Early said. “So the fact that there are employees, that this could happen, is very concerning for us, and we make sure that this does not happen again.”Something Colon isn’t facing charges for, but the probable cause affidavit says “compounded” investigators’ suspicions, was observations from coworkers. The document says Colon had recently asked a homicide detective questions about an upcoming homicide trial while wearing new glasses that have the capability to record. It says that coworkers knew Colon was Facebook friends with the defendant in that trial, Darion McGee, who the report says is a suspect in two Lake County homicides.One appears to be the killing of Mustafa Connelly. Connelly was found shot and set on fire in a vacant lot in the Leesburg area in December 2021. McGee pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges in May 2023. According to court records, that trial was set to start Tuesday.The sheriff’s office couldn’t say if they believed Colon shared any information with anyone involved in the case. When asked if Colon’s questions regarding the trial were being investigated any further, Early said, “The investigation is still ongoing. She is on unpaid leave at the moment.”Colon was released on bond. WESH 2 attempted to contact Colon but did not hear back Tuesday night.

    LAKE COUNTY, Fla. —

    A Lake County Sheriff’s Office employee is facing charges for accessing law enforcement databases to look into people unrelated to her work.

    According to a report from the sheriff’s office, 30-year-old Hannah Colon worked for the sheriff’s office in dispatch and as a clerk in the criminal investigations division.

    “On October first, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office received allegations that Ms. Hannah Colon was accessing various law enforcement databases that are restricted,” Deputy Stephanie Early with the sheriff’s office said.

    After the sheriff’s office started looking into Colon’s use of law enforcement databases, a probable cause affidavit says they questioned Colon about running two different names through the Driver and Vehicle Information Databases on three different dates. The names belonged to her husband and her husband’s ex-wife, the report says.

    The affidavit says in April 2023, she looked at the ex-wife’s record on things like vehicles, addresses, transaction details and driver history.

    According to the affidavit, she told deputies it was to access the woman’s address to apply for an order of protection against her, which she did in June 2023.

    The deputy pointed out she could have gotten the information from her husband.

    The sheriff’s office says the use is concerning.

    “We are only supposed to use our databases for authorized use only,” Deputy Early said. “So the fact that there are employees, that this could happen, is very concerning for us, and we make sure that this does not happen again.”

    Something Colon isn’t facing charges for, but the probable cause affidavit says “compounded” investigators’ suspicions, was observations from coworkers. The document says Colon had recently asked a homicide detective questions about an upcoming homicide trial while wearing new glasses that have the capability to record. It says that coworkers knew Colon was Facebook friends with the defendant in that trial, Darion McGee, who the report says is a suspect in two Lake County homicides.

    One appears to be the killing of Mustafa Connelly. Connelly was found shot and set on fire in a vacant lot in the Leesburg area in December 2021. McGee pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges in May 2023. According to court records, that trial was set to start Tuesday.

    The sheriff’s office couldn’t say if they believed Colon shared any information with anyone involved in the case. When asked if Colon’s questions regarding the trial were being investigated any further, Early said, “The investigation is still ongoing. She is on unpaid leave at the moment.”

    Colon was released on bond. WESH 2 attempted to contact Colon but did not hear back Tuesday night.

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  • ‘Real Housewives’ star, husband charged in Maryland with fraudulently reporting burglary, theft

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    A “Real Housewives” star and her husband were arrested in Maryland on allegations they lied about a burglary, according to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.Wendy and Edward Osefo were arrested on Thursday, the sheriff said in a statement.Wendy Osefo, 40, was indicted on seven counts of insurance fraud, eight counts of conspiracy insurance fraud, and one count of false statement to a police officer, according to court documents obtained by sister station WBAL-TV 11 News. She has been one of the main cast members of “The Real Housewives of Potomac” since joining the show in 2020.Edward Osefo, 41, was indicted on nine counts of insurance fraud, eight counts of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and one count of false statement to a police officer, the court documents show.Burglary, theft report in 2024 leads to investigationThe sheriff’s office said deputies were called on April 7, 2024, to the couple’s house in Finksburg for a reported burglary and theft.Authorities said the homeowners told deputies that they returned from vacation in Jamaica to find their home broken into and numerous items had been stolen.According to the court document, the couple told a deputy that “they found their bedroom and both closets to be ransacked, and several designer handbags and jewelry had been stolen.”The couple reported approximately 80 items of jewelry, luxury goods, clothing and shoes were stolen, worth a total of more than $200,000, the sheriff’s office said.The court document says the Osefos’ alarm system was activated while the couple was on vacation and that it detected no motion inside the house while they were away.What investigators say happened sinceThe court document says the Osefos filed three insurance claims for the alleged losses suffered while they were away.The sheriff’s office said detectives found that more than $20,000 of the items that were reported stolen were actually returned to the store where they were purchased for a full refund.The court document states: “Edward Osefo gave recorded statements to two of the insurance companies regarding a list of stolen items he provided. He was asked whether any of the items on the list had been returned, which he denied. He was asked if he had other insurance, but failed to disclose to Homesite and Jewelers that he was also making a claim with Travelers Insurance.”After the burglary was reported, investigators said Wendy Osefo’s Instagram account showed photos of her wearing a diamond anniversary band on her left finger before the burglary.”This ring was reported stolen in the burglary. Then, after the reported burglary, on April 27, 2024, Wendy Osefo is wearing the same ring on her left finger,” the court document states.Court document: Investigators obtain email between coupleThe court documents detail an email the deputies obtained in which Edward Osefo is accused of sending a list of reportedly stolen items to Wendy Osefo.”The email asked if there were ‘additional high-value items we can add to this inventory listing (i.e., Chanel shoes, etc.)? I’m trying to get the total to exceed $423,000, which is our policy maximum,’” the court document states.At the time of their arrests, deputies executed a search and seizure warrant in the house and found at least 15 items that appear to be the same ones claimed stolen during the alleged burglary, according to the court document.The sheriff’s office said evidence was presented to a grand jury on Thursday that led to the couple’s arrests. They were both taken to Carroll County Central Booking, from which they posted bail, which was set at $50,000 each, and were released on Friday.The sheriff’s office has planned a 3 p.m. update that will be streamed on their Facebook page.

    A “Real Housewives” star and her husband were arrested in Maryland on allegations they lied about a burglary, according to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.

    Wendy and Edward Osefo were arrested on Thursday, the sheriff said in a statement.

    Wendy Osefo, 40, was indicted on seven counts of insurance fraud, eight counts of conspiracy insurance fraud, and one count of false statement to a police officer, according to court documents obtained by sister station WBAL-TV 11 News. She has been one of the main cast members of “The Real Housewives of Potomac” since joining the show in 2020.

    Edward Osefo, 41, was indicted on nine counts of insurance fraud, eight counts of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and one count of false statement to a police officer, the court documents show.

    Burglary, theft report in 2024 leads to investigation

    The sheriff’s office said deputies were called on April 7, 2024, to the couple’s house in Finksburg for a reported burglary and theft.

    Authorities said the homeowners told deputies that they returned from vacation in Jamaica to find their home broken into and numerous items had been stolen.

    According to the court document, the couple told a deputy that “they found their bedroom and both closets to be ransacked, and several designer handbags and jewelry had been stolen.”

    The couple reported approximately 80 items of jewelry, luxury goods, clothing and shoes were stolen, worth a total of more than $200,000, the sheriff’s office said.

    The court document says the Osefos’ alarm system was activated while the couple was on vacation and that it detected no motion inside the house while they were away.

    What investigators say happened since

    The court document says the Osefos filed three insurance claims for the alleged losses suffered while they were away.

    The sheriff’s office said detectives found that more than $20,000 of the items that were reported stolen were actually returned to the store where they were purchased for a full refund.

    The court document states: “Edward Osefo gave recorded statements to two of the insurance companies regarding a list of stolen items he provided. He was asked whether any of the items on the list had been returned, which he denied. He was asked if he had other insurance, but failed to disclose to Homesite and Jewelers that he was also making a claim with Travelers Insurance.”

    After the burglary was reported, investigators said Wendy Osefo’s Instagram account showed photos of her wearing a diamond anniversary band on her left finger before the burglary.

    “This ring was reported stolen in the burglary. Then, after the reported burglary, on April 27, 2024, Wendy Osefo is wearing the same ring on her left finger,” the court document states.

    Court document: Investigators obtain email between couple

    The court documents detail an email the deputies obtained in which Edward Osefo is accused of sending a list of reportedly stolen items to Wendy Osefo.

    “The email asked if there were ‘additional high-value items we can add to this inventory listing (i.e., Chanel shoes, etc.)? I’m trying to get the total to exceed $423,000, which is our policy maximum,’” the court document states.

    At the time of their arrests, deputies executed a search and seizure warrant in the house and found at least 15 items that appear to be the same ones claimed stolen during the alleged burglary, according to the court document.

    The sheriff’s office said evidence was presented to a grand jury on Thursday that led to the couple’s arrests. They were both taken to Carroll County Central Booking, from which they posted bail, which was set at $50,000 each, and were released on Friday.

    The sheriff’s office has planned a 3 p.m. update that will be streamed on their Facebook page.

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  • Des Moines police arrest 13-year-old suspect after chase and crash with stolen Amazon delivery van

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    Des Moines police have taken a 13-year-old into custody after the teen allegedly stole a delivery van.Police say an investigation began Wednesday afternoon when an Amazon delivery driver reported their van had been stolen from the 600 block of Walker Street. The van was later spotted by officers near Southeast 14th Street and Park Avenue.The stolen van fled from a traffic stop and crashed into a pick-up truck on Southeast 14th Street. Two occupants in the van ran from the crash but were taken into custody, according to police.The driver, a 13-year-old, was referred to juvenile court for charges of first-degree theft, second-degree theft and eluding.The passenger was not charged.

    DES MOINES, Iowa —

    Des Moines police have taken a 13-year-old into custody after the teen allegedly stole a delivery van.

    Police say an investigation began Wednesday afternoon when an Amazon delivery driver reported their van had been stolen from the 600 block of Walker Street. The van was later spotted by officers near Southeast 14th Street and Park Avenue.

    The stolen van fled from a traffic stop and crashed into a pick-up truck on Southeast 14th Street. Two occupants in the van ran from the crash but were taken into custody, according to police.

    The driver, a 13-year-old, was referred to juvenile court for charges of first-degree theft, second-degree theft and eluding.

    The passenger was not charged.

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  • Federal agents held him in a hospital for 37 days, at times shackled to his bed, without charging him

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    For more than a month, federal immigration officials surveilled Bayron Rovidio Marin in a hospital bed at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he lay recuperating from serious injuries to his leg after an encounter with agents at a Carson car wash they raided. He was never charged and his lawyers say he was shackled to his bed for several days and couldn’t speak privately with doctors or legal counsel.

    Over the weekend, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order requiring immigration officials to remove the guards watching over Bayron Rovidio Marin, take off the handcuffs and leave him unrestrained.

    “He is presently detained under restrictions that limit his access to counsel, medical providers, and family,” U.S. District Judge Cynthia Valenzuela wrote in her Oct. 4 order. “He has been questioned by government officials while in pain and under the influence of medication. He cannot place phone calls and remains handcuffed to a hospital bed despite a broken leg that prevents him from walking. He has received no more than a vague explanation for his detention, and Respondents’ proffered excuses for delaying a formal notice are unsupported by facts.”

    Despite Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s insistence on holding the man, Valenzuela said the government failed to provide any proof that he had “violated any law or regulation” or show that he was a “flight risk.”

    To date, ICE has not placed Rovidio Marin in removal proceedings, charged him with violating immigration law, set bond, issued a Notice to Appear or otherwise processed him, according to the order. The government told the court that they would determine the immigration status of Rovidio Marin once he was released from the hospital. His attorneys argued being indefinitely held without any charges is a clear constitutional violation.

    The Department of Homeland Security and the medical center did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Under federal law, officers initiating warrantless arrests must provide the person in custody a reason why they were arrested or detained and within 48 hours determine if the person will remain in custody, released on bond or given a notice to appear in court and an arrest warrant issued. Those rules are only waived in extraordinary circumstances. The judge noted that the September 11 attacks previously qualified as an “extraordinary circumstance” in delaying notices to appear to noncitizen detainees, but said that Rovidio Marin has been held “substantially longer.”

    Kyle Cheney, with Politico, first posted about the case on social media.

    It’s unclear exactly how he was injured, but his lawyers say that Rovidio Marin had been at the car wash on Aug. 27, when immigration agents doing a “roving patrol” stormed in and raided it.

    In an emailed press statement, Cynthia Santiago, Attorney for CLEAN Carwash Worker Center and Nicolas Thompson-Lleras, Attorney for CHIRLA said he suffered severe injuries and was arrested by Border Patrol agents who transferred him into ICE custody.

    “For 37 days, our client was forced to endure medical treatment and recovery with ICE agents in his room, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” the statement read. “ICE agents listened to every conversation between him and his doctors,” they stated. “They interrogated him while he was in pain and under the influence of medication. They did not permit him to see his family and removed his access to phone calls.”

    According to the judge’s order, Rovidio Marin has been under the supervision of ICE, which contracted with Spectrum Detention Services to provide guards at the hospital where he was taken.

    Once admitted he was placed under what is known as a “blackout” procedure for patients in law-enforcement custody, making it harder for anyone to find him. He was registered under the pseudonym “Har Maine UNK Thirteen.”

    Two to four uniformed guards —either Spectrum employees or ICE agents— “have been continuously stationed in Petitioner’s hospital room, monitoring him at all times, including while he sleeps, eats, uses the restroom, or receives medical care,” according to a declaration referenced in the order.

    “It’s fundamental that you can’t be detained indefinitely without charges,” said Jean Reisz, co-director of the USC Gould School of Law Immigration Clinic, who is representing Rovidio Marin in the habeas case. “Freedom from restraint is the cornerstone of our society and so to arrest someone and withhold their liberty for an extended period of time without any charges, it’s antithetical to our constitutional system and our immigration laws. Our immigration laws do provide for the rights of immigrants as well.”

    The temporary restraining order expires Oct. 18.

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    Brittny Mejia, Rachel Uranga

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  • Maui vacations, luxury watches: Wine buyer at major California grocery chain accused of taking bribes

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    A wine buyer for a major California grocery chain allegedly accepted lavish vacations, luxury watches, prepaid gift cards and other bribes in exchange for carrying certain wines, according to charges filed by prosecutors.

    The charges of commercial bribery and conspiracy to defraud the United States were filed last week in a federal court in Oakland against Newport Beach resident Patrick Briones, who had worked as an assistant sales manager for wines at Albertsons until the spring of 2024.

    Court documents describe a kickback scheme operating for years that influenced the selection of wines available in the grocery chain’s stores. Briones allegedly demanded a series of payments and gifts from vendors, concealed by falsified invoices, “in exchange for his agreement to carry, increase purchases of, or prominently display certain wines,” according to court filings.

    The complaint does not name Albertsons as Briones’ employer, but instead identifies a large national grocery store chain with 300 stores in Southern California.

    Albertsons confirmed its former employee’s involvement, saying in a statement that the company is “committed to operating with the highest level of ethics and integrity” and that it conducts regular training to ensure employees “fully comply with all laws and regulations.”

    “We have been made aware of allegations against a former employee who abused his position for personal gain, and we are cooperating with the relevant authorities on the matter,” the company said. “The behavior in question was wholly inconsistent with our policies, and we do not, and will not, tolerate it.”

    Suppliers proffered various expensive goods, including a designer bag worth $2,290, three luxury watches each worth thousands, and numerous prepaid American Express gift cards totaling tens of thousands of dollars, the complaint said.

    One vendor arranged for annual trips to a resort in Maui, complete with massages, room charges, and thousands of dollars in gift cards redeemable at the resort, the complaint said.

    Briones accepted regular trips to Las Vegas with room accommodations, golf reservations, dinners and casino chips for gambling, the complaint said.

    And he allegedly vacationed with employees of a major distributor and suppliers at exclusive golf and other resorts in Florida, Oregon, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, among other destinations, according to court documents.

    Briones worked at Safeway for a decade, according to his LinkedIn profile, before moving to Albertsons when the two companies merged in 2015. He could not be reached for comment.

    Executives at wine supplier Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits who allegedly provided kickbacks to Briones pleaded guilty earlier this year to commercial bribery in a scheme worth $360,000.

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    Suhauna Hussain

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  • Legal experts say Trump’s indictment of Comey is a test of justice

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    WASHINGTON — On a Phoenix tarmac in 2016, former President Clinton and U.S. Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch had a serendipitous meeting on a private jet. The exchange caused a political firestorm. At a time when the Justice Department was investigating Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president, the appearance of impropriety prompted a national scandal.

    “Lynch made law enforcement decisions for political purposes,” Donald Trump, her Republican rival that year, would later write of the meeting on Twitter. “Totally illegal!”

    It was the beginning of a pattern from Trump claiming political interference by Democrats and career public servants in Justice Department matters, regardless of the evidence.

    Now, Trump’s years-long claim that it was his opponents who politicized the justice system has become the basis for the most aggressive spree of political prosecutions in modern American history.

    “What Trump is doing now with the U.S. attorneys is really in complete opposition to how the people who created those offices imagined what those officials would do — the Founders simply did not envision the office in this way,” said Peter Kastor, chair of the history department at Washington University in St. Louis.

    “From the inception of the Justice Department,” he added, “one of the most remarkable things is how it was never used in this way.”

    On Thursday, at Trump’s express direction, federal charges were filed against James Comey, the former FBI director, alleging he gave false testimony before Congress and attempted to obstruct a congressional proceeding five years ago.

    The indictment was secured from a federal grand jury after Trump fired a U.S. attorney with doubts about the strength of the case — replacing him with a loyalist, and telling Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi openly on social media to pursue charges against him and others.

    “JAMES COMEY IS A DIRTY COP,” Trump wrote on social media after the charges were filed. “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

    Comey, who was fired by Trump in 2017, denies the charges.

    “My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way,” Comey said in a statement posted online. “We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either.

    “My heart is broken for the Department of Justice. But I have great confidence in the federal judicial system,” Comey continued. “And I’m innocent. So let’s have a trial and keep the faith.”

    Behind the charges against Comey, legal experts see a weak case wielded as a cudgel in a political persecution of Trump’s perceived enemy. Comey is accused of lying about authorizing a leak to the media about an FBI investigation through an anonymous source.

    It is only the latest example. Over the summer, Trump’s director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Bill Pulte, used his position to accuse three of the president’s political foes of mortgage fraud, referring the cases to the Justice Department for potential charges — actions actively encouraged by Trump online.

    “It’s not a list,” Trump said Thursday, asked whether more prosecutions are coming. “I think there will be others. They’re corrupt. These were corrupt radical left Democrats. Comey essentially was Dem — he’s worse than a Democrat.”

    The president’s overt use of the Justice Department as a partisan tool threatens a new era of political persecutions that could well backfire on his own allies. The Supreme Court has made clear that presidents enjoy broad immunity for their actions while in office. But their aides do not. Bondi, Pulte and others, just like Comey, are obligated to provide occasional testimony to House and Senate committees under oath.

    “The Comey indictment is notable for its personalized politicization being so open,” said Andrew Rudalevige, a professor of government at Bowdoin College. “The same actions carried out clandestinely would seem scandalous, because they are — and the fact they were so blatantly advertised does not make them less corrupt.”

    But the Comey case can also be seen as a test of the viability of a prosecution based purely on politics. Already, lawyers for Trump’s other legal targets have said they plan on using his overt threats against them to get cases against their clients thrown out in court.

    This week, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, defended Trump’s vocal advocacy for criminal charges against political foes as a matter of “accountability.”

    “We are not going to tolerate gaslighting from anyone in the media, from anyone on the other side who is trying to say that it’s the president who is weaponizing the DOJ,” Leavitt said.

    “You look at people like [California Sen.] Adam Schiff, and like James Comey, and like [New York Atty. Gen.] Letitia James, who the president is rightfully frustrated with,” she continued. “He wants accountability for these corrupt fraudsters who abused their power, who abused their oath of office to target the former president.”

    But Trump’s accusations against Democrats have routinely failed the tests of inspectors general, journalistic inquiry and public scrutiny.

    When Trump was investigated over potential coordination between his campaign and the Russian government in the 2016 race, he claimed a liberal, “deep state” cabal was behind an inquiry based on, as the special prosecutor’s report concluded, “numerous links between the Russian government and the Trump campaign.”

    And when charged with federal crimes over his handling of highly classified material, and his effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, he dismissed the charges as a witch hunt choreographed by President Biden and his attorney general, a claim that had no basis in fact.

    The special counsel investigations against Trump, Kastor said, were “prosecutions, not persecutions.”

    “His claims that the investigations surrounding him are specious — the investigations were appropriate,” Kastor added. “These investigations are not.”

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    Michael Wilner

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