ReportWire

Tag: law enforcement

  • After 8-year legal battle, Dracut doctor pleads guilty in landmark opioid case

    WOBURN — A case that stretched more than eight years reached its conclusion this week, as retired Dracut physician, Dr. Richard Miron, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and other charges tied to the illegal prescribing of opioids that led to a Lowell patient’s death.

    Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office said Miron, 83, became the first doctor in Massachusetts to be convicted on involuntary manslaughter for prescribing opioids — a conviction that stemmed from the 2016 death of 50-year-old Michelle Craib. He also pleaded guilty to defrauding MassHealth and illegally prescribing medication to patients for no legitimate medical purpose.

    Miron was ultimately sentenced in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn on Monday to what amounts to five years of probation, allowing him to avoid prison time.

    Miron’s attorney, Stephen Weymouth, said on Wednesday that he was prepared and confident to go to trial in a case that has faced a series of delays over the years, but after a conversation with his client earlier this month, the main concern became the possibility of serving time behind bars.

    “From the very beginning he said, ‘I didn’t do anything wrong, and I want to go to trial,’” Weymouth said about Miron. “But then he said he did not want to go to jail.”

    Weymouth pointed out that Miron was facing 47 charges, and any one of them could have resulted in a jail sentence. He said that prosecutors had previously sought four to five years in a plea deal, and the involuntary manslaughter charge carried a maximum of 20 years.

    “Going to trial would have been a mistake because all it would have taken was one guilty hook and he would have gotten a pretty lengthy sentence, and I just couldn’t do that. I just couldn’t take any chances,” Weymouth said. “If he had gone to trial and lost, who knows what would have happened.”

    Miron was indicted by a Middlesex County grand jury in December 2018 following an investigation that began in September 2017 by the AG’s Office, then headed by now-Gov. Maura Healey. Aside from involuntary manslaughter, he was charged with 23 counts of illegally prescribing controlled substances and 23 counts of filing false Medicaid claims.

    From September 2015 to February 2016, the AG’s Office said Miron, a solo practitioner of internal medicine, was the largest provider of high-dose, short-acting oxycodone prescriptions among all MassHealth care providers statewide.

    The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office determined Craib’s death was caused by acute intoxication from the combined effects of fentanyl, morphine, codeine, and butalbital — all prescribed by Miron. The AG’s Office said Miron was aware that Craib had previously overdosed on opioids he had prescribed, yet he continued to issue large doses to her on multiple occasions leading up to her death.

    Prosecutors also said Miron illegally prescribed opioids to several other at-risk patients for no legitimate medical purpose. The illegal prescriptions Miron issued led pharmacies to unknowingly submit false bills to MassHealth for medication.

    MassHealth terminated Miron from its program in September 2017, and he stopped practicing medicine in November 2018, following an agreement with the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine.

    In 2023, Miron’s daughter, Linda Miron, penned a 17-page letter to the AG’s Office urging that the case be dropped. She argued that prosecuting her father — who had already relinquished his medical license and lived under pretrial probation since 2018 — was not in the interest of justice.

    “To bring this flawed case to trial does not seem to me to be the best use of the Commonwealth’s resources, and I urge you to drop your prosecution of this case in the interest of justice,” Linda Miron said in the letter. “More broadly, I fear that prosecuting someone who was willing to take on disenfranchised, medically and psychologically complicated patients here in the Commonwealth, when some other physicians refused to take on MassHealth patients, will further discourage other physicians from treating these patients who deserve compassionate care.”

    The case marched on until Monday, when Miron appeared in Middlesex Superior Court before Judge Cathleen Campbell, where it was finally resolved.

    According to the AG’s Office, Miron was sentenced to two and a half years in a house of correction on illegal prescribing, suspended for five years — meaning he will serve the term as probation rather than prison time, unless he violates probation, in which case the sentence could be imposed. He was sentenced to five years of probation on the involuntary manslaughter charge. For Medicaid fraud, Miron was sentenced to six months in a house of correction, suspended for five years.

    As part of his probation, Miron was ordered to pay full restitution to MassHealth and barred from practicing medicine or seeking reinstatement of his license.

    According to Weymouth, Miron was glad to put the case behind him and most of all to avoid prison time. He noted that Miron had already given up his medical career and had no intention of practicing again.

    “I’m glad it’s over,” Weymouth added. “I know he’s glad it’s over.”

    In a press release announcing the case’s conclusion on Tuesday, the AG’s Office said the case reflects their “commitment to addressing the root causes of the opioid crisis and holding companies and individuals accountable for their role in contributing to the nationwide epidemic.”

    Earlier this year, the release states, Campbell helped negotiate a $7.4 billion settlement in principle with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, which is expected to bring up to $105 million to Massachusetts. To date, the office said they have secured more than $1 billion in opioid-related recoveries, with more than $390 million already received. Those funds are being directed to the state’s Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund and distributed to cities and towns to support prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery efforts.

    The AG’s Office added in the release that valuable assistance with the investigation into Miron’s case was provided by the Lowell Police Department, the State Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and MassHealth.

    Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.

    Aaron Curtis

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  • Jurors to hear closing arguments in Ohio trial of officer charged in killing

    COLUMBUS, Ohio — Closing arguments in the murder trial of an Ohio officer charged in the shooting death of a pregnant Black mother killed in a supermarket parking lot after being accused of shoplifting are set for Wednesday.

    Prosecutors have told jurors that 21-year-old Ta’Kiya Young wasn’t a threat to anyone at the time she was shot. Defense attorneys for Blendon Township police officer Connor Grubb have emphasized that Young’s vehicle carried deadly force when she accelerated it near the 31-year-old officer, rendering his use of force within the standard of being “objectively reasonable.”

    Grubb is charged with murder, involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault in connection with Young’s death on Aug. 24, 2023. He faces up to life in prison. Franklin County Common Pleas Judge David Young, no relation to Ta’Kiya, dropped four of 10 counts against him Tuesday that related to the death of Young’s unborn daughter, agreeing with his attorneys that prosecutors failed to present proof that Grubb knew Young was pregnant when he shot her.

    The prosecution and defense both rested Tuesday after a roughly two-week trial. Jurors were shown the bodycam footage of the shooting on the first day of testimony, with testimony following over the trial’s course including from a use-of-force expert, an accident reconstructionist, the officer who responded to the scene with Grubb and a police policy expert.

    They never heard from Grubb, whose side of the story was contained in a written statement read into the record by a special agent for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

    Sean Walton, an attorney representing Young’s family, Nadine Young, Ta’Kiya’s grandmother, and an aunt, Michelle White, said they expected Grubb to take the stand.

    “It is curious that he did not testify. But the video speaks for itself and if he wants the video to speak for him, then so be it,” Walton said.

    Young and White appeared emotionally tired while taking questions from reporters Tuesday. White said that the verdict will allow the family “to finally be able to start the healing process.” At various times, Nadine held back tears while talking about the toll of the trial.

    “I just gotta hold on to God and just know, God, he’s in control,” Nadine said.

    In the body camera footage, the officer said he observed Young arguing with his fellow officer and positioned himself in front of her vehicle to provide backup and to protect other people in the parking lot. He said he drew his gun after he heard Young fail to comply with his partner’s commands. When she drove toward him, he said in the statement, he felt her car hit his legs and shins and begin to lift his body off the ground.

    Grubb and another officer approached Young’s car outside a Kroger in suburban Columbus about a report that she was suspected of stealing alcohol from the store. She partially lowered her window, and the other officer ordered her out. Instead, she rolled her car forward toward Grubb, who fired a single bullet through her windshield into her chest, video footage showed.

    The video showed an officer at the driver’s side window telling Young she was accused of shoplifting and ordering her out of the car. Young protested, and both officers cursed at her and yelled at her to get out. Young could be heard asking them, “Are you going to shoot me?”

    Then she turned the steering wheel to the right, the car rolled slowly forward and Grubb fired his gun, footage showed. Moments later, after the car came to a stop against the building, they broke the driver’s side window. Police said they tried to save her life, but she was mortally wounded. Young and her unborn daughter were subsequently pronounced dead at a hospital.

    A full-time officer with the township since 2019, Grubb was placed paid administrative leave after the shooting.

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  • Shadow Systems Selected as Exclusive Pistol Provider for West Virginia State Police

    WVSP Joins Roster of More Than 300 Law Enforcement Agencies That Carry Shadow Systems


    PLANO, Texas, November 18, 2025 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Shadow Systems, the American handgun manufacturer known for its relentless pursuit of performance-driven design, has proudly announced that it has been awarded an exclusive contract to provide duty pistols to the West Virginia State Police, the largest law enforcement agency in the state and fourth-oldest state police agency in the United States.

    Developed for the specific challenges found only in the line of duty, Shadow Systems’ feature-packed pistols undergo rigorous testing and are designed to reduce recoil, adjust grip angle and work with officers’ existing gear and training, improving accuracy and shootability while maintaining reliability.

    Made up of nearly 600 sworn law enforcement officers who provide necessary police functions to citizens and visitors of West Virginia, the WVSP will purchase 700 XR920 crossover pistols to be used by its troopers and 80 CR920X high-capacity subcompact pistols for use by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

    Troopers will also be able to select from Shadow Systems’ lineup of subcompact, compact, crossover and full-size premium American-made firearms, including compensated and long slide models, to best suit their individual preferences and characteristics for off-duty carry. In total, Shadow Systems offers more than 120 pistol configurations.

    “Our top priority is equipping troopers with dependable, high-performance tools they can trust in every situation,” said Lt. Col. R. A. Maddy of the West Virginia State Police. “After an exhaustive evaluation process, Shadow Systems pistols stood out for their precision, reliability and ability to adapt to the unique demands of law enforcement service.”

    Committed to supporting law enforcement agencies and military units and personnel, Shadow Systems provides its pistols to more than 300 law enforcement agencies across the country. To learn more about Shadow Systems’ law enforcement programs, including its Individual Office Purchase Discount, visit www.shadowsystemsdefense.com.

    “Shadow Systems is honored to be the new duty pistol for the West Virginia State Police, one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the country,” said Steve Dreyer, director of law enforcement sales for Shadow Systems. “As a state-of-the-art firearm designer and manufacturer founded by former law enforcement officers and combat veterans, we know firsthand the importance of real-world capability and reliability in pursuit of safety. This new partnership further demonstrates Shadow Systems’ unwavering commitment to law enforcement, and we look forward to working with WVSP for the foreseeable future as they strive to keep communities safe.”

    All Shadow Systems firearms are designed and manufactured in Plano, Texas, using American labor and materials. The veteran-led team behind Shadow Systems includes former military, law enforcement and competitive shooters – ensuring every pistol is grounded in practical experience and performance under pressure.

    About Shadow Systems
    Shadow Systems Corp. is a privately held firearm manufacturer based in Plano, Texas, specializing in premium pistols designed for everyday carry, duty use and competition. Every product is engineered, machined and assembled in the USA by a team of veterans and former law enforcement officers. From internals to externals, Shadow Systems builds hard-use tools that perform under pressure.

    For more information:
    Website: shadowsystemscorp.com
    LE/Mil. Programs: shadowsystemsdefense.com
    Dealer Support: dealersupport@shadowsystemscorp.com

    Follow Shadow Systems:
    Instagram: @shadowsystemscorp
    Facebook: facebook.com/shadowsystemscorp
    YouTube: Shadow Systems Corp

    Source: Lift PR + Communications

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  • Could Trump destroy the Epstein files?

    WASHINGTON — In political exile at his mansion in Florida, under investigation for possessing highly classified documents, Donald Trump summoned his lawyer in 2022 for a fateful conversation. A folder had been compiled with 38 documents that should have been returned to the federal government. But Trump had other ideas.

    Making a plucking motion, Trump suggested his attorney, Evan Corcoran, remove the most incriminating material. “Why don’t you take them with you to your hotel room, and if there’s anything really bad in there, like, you know, pluck it out,” Corcoran memorialized in a series of notes that surfaced during criminal proceedings.

    Trump’s purported willingness to conceal evidence from law enforcement as a private citizen is now fueling concern on Capitol Hill that his efforts to thwart the release of Justice Department files in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation could lead to similar obstructive efforts — this time wielding the powers of the presidency.

    Since resuming office in January, Trump has opposed releasing files from the federal probe into the conduct of his former friend, a convicted sex offender and alleged sex trafficker who is believed to have abused more than 200 women and girls. But bipartisan fervor has only grown over the case, with House lawmakers across party lines expected to unite behind a bill on Tuesday that would compel the release of the documents.

    Last week, facing intensifying public pressure, the House Oversight Committee released over 20,000 files from Epstein’s estate that referenced Trump more than 1,000 times.

    Those files, which included emails from Epstein himself, showed the notorious financier believed that Trump had intimate knowledge of his criminal conduct. “He knew about the girls,” Epstein wrote, referring to Trump as the “dog that hasn’t barked.”

    Rep. Dave Min (D-Irvine), a member of the oversight committee, noted Trump could order the release of the Justice Department files without any action from Congress.

    “The fact that he has not done so, coupled with his long and well documented history of lying and obstructing justice, raises serious concerns that he is still trying to stop this investigation,” Min said in an interview, “either by trying to persuade Senate Republicans to vote against the release or through other mechanisms.”

    A spokesperson for Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said that altering or destroying portions of the Epstein files “would violate a wide range of federal laws.”

    “The senator is certainly concerned that Donald Trump, who was investigated and indicted for obstruction, will persist in trying to stonewall and otherwise prevent the full release of all the documents and information in the U.S. government’s possession,” the spokesperson said, “even if the law is passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.”

    After the House votes on the bill, titled the Epstein Files Transparency Act, bipartisan support in the Senate would be required to pass the measure. Trump would then have to sign it into law.

    Trump encouraged Republican House members to support it over the weekend after enough GOP lawmakers broke ranks last week to compel a vote, overriding opposition from the speaker of the House. Still, it is unclear whether the president will support the measure as it proceeds to his desk.

    On Monday, Trump said he would sign the bill if it ultimately passes. “Let the Senate look at it,” he told reporters.

    The bill prohibits the attorney general, Pam Bondi, from withholding, delaying or redacting the publication of “any record, document, communication, or investigative material on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.”

    But caveats in the bill could provide Trump and Bondi with loopholes to keep records related to the president concealed.

    “Because DOJ possesses and controls these files, it is far from certain that a vote to disclose ‘the Epstein files’ will include documents pertaining to Donald Trump,” said Barbara McQuade, who served as the United States attorney for the eastern district of Michigan from 2010 until 2017, when Trump requested a slew of resignations from U.S. attorneys.

    Already, this past spring, FBI Director Kash Patel directed a Freedom of Information Act team to work with hundreds of agents to comb through the entire trove of files from the investigation, and directed them to redact references to Trump, citing his status as a private citizen with privacy protections when the probe first launched in 2006, Bloomberg reported at the time.

    “It would be improper for Trump to order the documents destroyed, but Bondi could redact or remove some in the name of grand jury secrecy or privacy laws,” McQuade added. “As long as there’s a pending criminal investigation, I think she can either block disclosure of the entire file or block disclosure of individuals who are not being charged, including Trump.”

    Destroying the documents would be a taller task, and “would need a loyal secretary or equivalent,” said Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones, a professor emeritus and FBI historian at the University of Edinburgh.

    Jeffreys-Jones recalled J. Edgar Hoover’s assistant, Helen Gandy, spending weeks at his home destroying the famed FBI director’s personal file on the dirty secrets of America’s rich and powerful.

    It would also be illegal, scholars say, pointing to the Federal Records Act that prohibits anyone — including presidents — from destroying government documents.

    After President Nixon attempted to assert executive authority over a collection of incriminating tapes that would ultimately end his presidency, Congress passed the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act, asserting that government documents and presidential records are federal property. Courts have repeatedly upheld the law.

    While presidents are immune from prosecution over their official conduct, ordering the destruction of documents from a criminal investigation would not fall under presidential duties, legal scholars said, exposing Trump to charges of obstructing justice if he were to do so.

    “Multiple federal laws bar anyone, including the president or those around him, from destroying or altering material contained in the Epstein files, including various federal record-keeping laws and criminal statutes. But that doesn’t mean that Trump or his cronies won’t consider trying,” said Norm Eisen, who served as chief ethics lawyer for President Obama and counsel for the House Judiciary Committee during Trump’s first impeachment trial.

    The Democracy Defenders Fund, a nonprofit organization co-founded by Eisen, has sued the Trump administration for all records in the Epstein investigation related to Trump, warning that “court supervision is needed” to ensure Trump doesn’t attempt to subvert a lawful directive to release them.

    “Perhaps the greatest danger is not altering documents but wrongly withholding them or producing and redacting them,” Eisen added. “Those are both issues that we can get at in our litigation, and where court supervision can be valuable.”

    Jeffreys-Jones also said that Trump may attempt to order redactions based on claims of national security. But “this might be unconvincing for two reasons,” he said.

    “Trump was not yet president at the time,” he said, and “it would raise ancillary questions if redactions did not operate in the case of President Clinton.”

    Last week, Trump directed the Justice Department to investigate Epstein’s ties to Democratic figures, including Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn’s co-founder and a major Democratic donor.

    He made no request for the department to similarly investigate Republicans.

    Times staff writer Ana Ceballos contributed to this report.

    Michael Wilner

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  • Indiana homeowner charged in fatal shooting of house cleaner who showed up at the wrong door

    LEBANON, Ind. — An Indiana homeowner accused of killing a house cleaner who mistakenly arrived at his front door was charged with voluntary manslaughter on Monday in a case that could test the limits of stand-your-ground laws.

    Curt Andersen, 62, could face anywhere from 10 to 30 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if he’s convicted. He was being held in the Boone County Jail pending an initial court hearing.

    Officers found Maria Florinda Rios Perez De Velasquez, 32, dead on the front porch of a home in Whitestown, an Indianapolis suburb, on Nov. 5. Authorities said the Guatemalan immigrant was part of a cleaning crew that went to the wrong house just before 7 a.m.

    Andersen shot her through the front door with no warning about a minute after hearing someone trying to unlock the door, according to a probable cause statement.

    Rios’ husband told media outlets that he was with her on the porch. He didn’t realize she had been shot until she fell back into his arms, bleeding. On a fundraising page, her brother described Rios as a mother of four children.

    Indiana is one of 31 states with a stand-your-ground law that permits homeowners to use deadly force to stop someone they believe is trying to unlawfully enter their dwelling. But police said that there’s no evidence Rios entered the home before she was shot.

    Andersen’s attorney, Guy Relford, posted a statement on X saying he was disappointed that prosecutors charged his client. He said Andersen had every reason to believe his actions were justified and the stand-your-ground law clearly protects him.

    “Mr. Andersen’s actions must be evaluated based on the circumstances as he perceived them,” Relford said in the statement.

    Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood told reporters at a news conference that the decision to charge Andersen wasn’t difficult. Stand-your-ground protections don’t apply because Andersen lacked enough information to know if his actions were reasonable, Eastwood said.

    The prosecutor said he planned to prove that Andersen couldn’t have reasonably believed he needed to use deadly force, given what he knew at the time.

    According to the probable cause statement, Andersen told investigators that he and his wife were asleep in an upstairs bedroom when he heard a “commotion at the door” that grew more intense. He thought someone was using keys or tools on the front door.

    Frightened, he went to the top of the stairwell and saw through the home’s windows that two people were outside the front door. He said to himself, “What am I going to do? It’s not going away and I have to do something now.”

    He said he loaded his handgun, went back to the windows and saw the people “thrusting” at the door and getting more aggressive, according to the statement.

    He fired one shot toward the door. He said the door never opened and he didn’t announce himself or say anything before he pulled the trigger.

    When told he had killed Rios, he put his head down on the table and said he didn’t mean for anything to happen to anybody.

    Andersen’s wife, Yoshie Andersen, told investigators that her husband told her that he told a neighbor if anyone tried to break into his house he would shoot them. The probable cause statement does not say when this conversation happened.

    She added that her husband fired the shot from the top of the stairs and neither of them went downstairs. He fired the shot and then told her to call 911, she said.

    Investigators found a bullet hole in the door, but no evidence of any forceful contact with the door itself, the latch or the door frame, according to the probable cause statement.

    Rios’ husband, Mauricio Velasquez, told investigators that she tried to open the door with keys from their cleaning company, but they unknowingly were at the wrong address. He said they’d been trying to open the door for 30 seconds to a minute before she was shot.

    He said they never heard any voices from inside or saw any movement. The couple didn’t knock, bang on the door or use force of any kind to enter the home and they never got inside, he said.

    The shooting echoes a similar episode in Missouri in 2023 when an 86-year-old man shot Ralph Yarl after the 16-year-old Black teenager came to his door by mistake. Missouri has a similar stand-your-ground law, but prosecutors charged the shooter, Andrew Lester, with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. He ultimately pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and didn’t go to trial.

    In New York, which does not have a stand-your-ground law, a man was convicted in 2024 of second-degree murder for fatally shooting a woman inside a car who mistakenly came down the driveway of his rural upstate home.

    Jody Madeira, an Indiana University law professor who specializes in gun rights, said last week that the Rios case was “horrible” and “exceptionally unusual.”

    In general, the public can legally access private property — including a front porch — for a legitimate purpose until they are told to leave, Madeira said. For example, a homeowner can’t legally shoot a pizza delivery person or an Amazon driver just for stepping onto their property, she said.

    Madeira said Monday that the allegations in the probable cause statement show that Curt Andersen was acting out of fear but that’s not enough to invoke the stand-your-ground law. There was no unlawful entry and trying to insert a key into a lock or rattling a doorknob isn’t a reasonable justification for firing a shot, she said.

    “The reasonable person says, ‘hey, I have my phone here, I have other options, I can shout a warning. It’s 7 a.m., is someone really breaking into my house? He jumped up from bed and immediately went into I’m combatting a break-in.”

    ___

    Richmond reported from Madison, Wisconsin.

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  • LA County sheriff investigating new sex battery claim against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

    The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says it’s investigating a new sexual battery allegation against hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is serving a four-year prison sentence on prostitution-related convictions

    LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Monday it’s investigating a new sexual battery allegation against hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is serving a four-year prison sentence on prostitution-related convictions.

    A male music producer and publicist said he was asked to come to a photo shoot in 2020 at a Los Angeles warehouse, where Combs exposed himself while masturbating and told the accuser to assist, according to NBC News, citing a police report. Combs then tossed a dirty shirt at the man, the producer said.

    The accuser, whose name is redacted in the police report, said he did not tell anyone for several years because he felt embarrassed. He came forward to police in Largo, Florida, this September, shortly after Combs was convicted on other charges.

    Combs’ lawyer did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment on the latest allegations.

    The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said it received an official copy of the report from the Florida department on Friday, and will be investigating the allegations.

    The report also details an incident from March 2021 in which the accuser claims two men covered his head before Combs came into the room and called him a snitch, according to NBC.

    Combs was convicted in July of flying his girlfriends and male sex workers around the country to engage in drug-fueled sexual encounters in multiple places over many years. However, he was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life.

    He is set to be released in May 2028, though he can earn reductions in his time behind bars through his participation in substance abuse treatment and other prison programs.

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  • A Drug Kingpin Who Faked His Own Death and Fled Justice Runs Out of Luck

    Wilmer Chavarria was living the good life after faking his own death.

    For four years, the Ecuadorean drug boss allied with Mexico’s Jalisco cartel moved among Dubai, Morocco and Spain, allegedly overseeing his drug empire and hit jobs back home—all while staying at the most exclusive hotels, Ecuador’s government said. To avoid detection, he underwent seven surgeries to alter his appearance and changed his name to Danilo Fernández.

    Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

    Ryan Dubé

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  • Arrest log

    The following arrests were made recently by local police departments. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Massachusetts’ privacy law prevents police from releasing information involving domestic and sexual violence arrests with the goal to protect the alleged victims.

    BEDFORD

    • Paul Gioiosa, 48, Bedford; warrants.

    BILLERICA

    • Jesse Rawson, 29, 12 Belva Road, Billerica; possession of Class B drug.

    • Flith Derival, 35, 158 Concord Road, Billerica; unlicensed operation of motor vehicle.

    • Abudala Luhembo, 36, 2 Hampshire Road, Reading; assault and battery, possession of Class B drug.

    • Megan Whittier, 53, 10 Roosevelt Road, Billerica; no inspection/sticker, operation of motor vehicle with suspended/revoked license.

    LOWELL

    • Priscilla Silva De Carvalho, 34, 11 Summit Ave., Third Floor, Lawrence; warrant (failure to appear for unlicensed operation of motor vehicle).

    • Melissa Rodriguez, 33, 48 Dublin St., Lowell; operating motor vehicle after license suspension.

    • Chivonne Williams, 44, 27 Jackson St., Apt. 312, Lowell; warrant (failure to appear for possession of Class C drug), possession of Class B drug.

    • Philip Haley, 66, 481 Bridge St., Lowell; possession of Class B drug.

    • Patricia Boisvert, 27, 18 Auburn St., Lowell; warrant (failure to appear for receiving stolen motor vehicle).

    • Dennis Foster, 46, homeless; warrant (shoplifting by asportation), possession of Class B drug.

    • Mounthy Vongxay, 35, homeless; warrants (failure to appear for assault and battery, breaking and entering building at nighttime, and larceny under $1,200).

    • Danny Santos, 36, 111 Fort Hill Ave., Lowell; warrants (failure to appear for two counts trespassing, and unlicensed operation of motor vehicle).

    • Rafael Deleon, 58, 58 Oak St., Lowell; warrant (malicious damage to motor vehicle).

    • Matthew Simard, 34, 701 Methuen St., Dracut; possession of Class B drug with intent to distribute, manufacturing/dispensing Class B drug.

    NASHUA, N.H.

    • Matthew Paul Story Jr., 20, 171 Hartt Ave., Manchester, N.H.; criminal trespass.

    • Christiana Braccio, 23, 16 Country Club Drive, Apt. 1, Manchester, N.H.; two counts of theft by unauthorized taking ($0-$1,000).

    • Thomas Abreu, 33, 69B Chandler St., Nashua; simple assault.

    • Calvin Degreenia, 39, 10 Courtland St., Nashua; warrant.

    • Gidean Andrade, 23, 871 Middlesex St., Apt. 7, Lowell; operation of motor vehicle without valid license.

    • Bernard Leard, 83, 12 Tumblebrook Lane, Nashua; failure to procure dog license.

    • Nicole Long, 35, 14 Cross St., Apt. 2, Nashua; operation of motor vehicle without valid license, driving motor vehicle without giving proof, driving motor vehicle after license revocation/suspension.

    • Marques Stanford, 37, no fixed address; operation of motor vehicle without valid license, driving motor vehicle after license revocation/suspension.

    • Sarah Felch, 43, no fixed address; warrant.

    • Eliezer Rosario-Medina, 26, no fixed address; criminal trespass.

    • David Perez, 37, no fixed address; nonappearance in court.

    • Daniel Frost, 30, 3 Dolan St., Apt. 2, Nashua; criminal mischief.

    • Jennifer Elaine Bowen, 52, 199 Manchester St., Manchester, N.H.; nonappearances in court.

    • Nicholas Deveau, 28, 11 Wildwood Road, Tewksbury; disorderly conduct.

    WESTFORD

    • Ismael Paulino Mendoza, 23, Groton Road, Chelmsford; operation of motor vehicle with suspended license, marked lanes violation.

    WILMINGTON

    • Morgan Lynch, 31, 4 Lockwood Road, Wilmington; unlicensed operation of motor vehicle.

    • Magno Moreira, 38, 345 Sutton St., North Andover; operation of motor vehicle with suspended license, speeding.

    Staff Report

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  • Surveillance video shows Titans cornerback driving car minutes before alleged shooting

    Surveillance video shows Tennessee Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed driving a Lamborghini Urus at a suburban Dallas dealership and nearby gas station minutes before two men allege that shots were fired at them from that vehicle last December.

    Sneed, 28, was indicted Tuesday by a Dallas County grand jury on a misdemeanor charge of failing to report felony aggravated assault to law enforcement. The indictment does not include details of the alleged incident on Dec. 6.

    In the video, Sneed can be seen getting out of the Lamborghini, then using crutches to walk past the men and up stairs into the dealership at 3:22 p.m. on that date. Sneed walks out about a minute later in the video, which was shared Thursday with The Associated Press by attorney Levi McCathern, who represents the two men in a civil lawsuit against Sneed over the shooting.

    The Titans cornerback, who was on injured reserve, also can be seen in separate surveillance video at a gas station at the same time as the two men. In the video, Sneed walks in from a gas pump, goes to a register and then walks back to the same car when Christian Nshimiyimana and Avi Ahmed were inside.

    Minutes later, Nshimiyimana and Ahmed say in their lawsuit that they were shot at while sitting in a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon at the dealership. The surveillance video shows a vehicle driving past with four loud pops heard and an arm out the passenger side window at 3:42 p.m. That vehicle then speeds off.

    A probable cause affidavit from the Carrollton Police Department dated Dec. 11 said Ahmed asked employees about two men he had seen earlier and that Sneed was identified as one of those men. The dealership also provided Sneed’s phone number.

    Detectives also confirmed Sneed’s identity from surveillance video from several locations.

    “It was apparent that Sneed was the only person they had seen getting out of and into the driver seat of the Lamborghini. He also was the last person seen getting into the driver seat at the RaceTrac (gas station) approximately eight minutes before the shooting,” according to the affidavit.

    The police affidavit also noted: “Combined with the rapid acceleration away from the scene proved that Sneed knew what he was doing when assisted the shooter in fleeing the scene.”

    Nshimiyimana and Ahmed allege that Sneed and another man, Tekonzae Williams, were inside the Lamborghini when the shots were fired. Williams was indicted Tuesday on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Court records did not list an attorney for Williams.

    McCathern, of McCathern Law, said Thursday his clients were pleased that Sneed and his associate were indicted.

    “Hopefully, this will be the beginning of getting justice for my clients,” McCathern said. “As the video clearly shows, they are very lucky to be alive after Mr. Sneed’s actions.”

    Sneed’s attorney, Michael J. Todd, did not return a message left by the AP on Thursday. Sneed’s agent had no comment Wednesday.

    No people were hit by bullets, though the lawsuit says bullets did hit the Mercedes-Benz as well as a building at the car lot. The lawsuit against Sneed and Williams seeks at least $1 million in damages.

    The Titans said in a statement they were aware of the “legal matter” with Sneed and are in contact with NFL security per league protocol. The statement says the team had no further comment.

    Sneed was placed on injured reserve last month with a quadriceps injury, and he was in the Titans’ locker room Thursday. Players on injured reserve do not talk to reporters.

    This is the second straight season the Titans have put him on injured reserve. He played only five games in 2024 after Tennessee traded with Kansas City for him, giving Sneed a contract that made him the NFL’s fifth-highest-paid cornerback at the time.

    Sneed was drafted from Louisiana Tech in the fourth round in 2020 by Kansas City. He won back-to-back Super Bowls with the Chiefs in 2022 and 2023.

    ___

    Associated Press writer Jamie Stengle in Dallas contributed to this report.

    ___

    AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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  • Texas state trooper who had run-in with South Carolina’s Nyck Harbor was sent home from game

    COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — A Texas trooper who had an altercation with South Carolina’s Nyck Harbor after his touchdown on Saturday was sent home from the game, according to the state Department of Public Safety.

    Harbor scored on an 80-yard reception in the second quarter and ran into the tunnel limping following the score. As he and three other players were walking back to the field, the trooper walked in between Harbor and another player and bumped into them as they passed each other.

    The trooper and Harbor turned around and the trooper pointed at Harbor with both hands and said something to him. Harbor was quickly pushed away by his teammate and they continued to the field.

    The public safety department issued a statement saying the trooper was sent home.

    “Our Office of Inspector General (OIG) is also aware of the incident and will be further looking into the matter. No additional information will be released at this time,” the statement reads.

    The video was widely shared on social media with many commenting on it, including Lakers star LeBron James.

    ___

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  • 4 law enforcement officers shot in rural Kansas responding to domestic violence call

    CARBONDALE, Kan. — Four law enforcement officers were shot Saturday morning while responding to a domestic violence call at a home in a rural area south of Topeka, and a 22-year-old male suspect died of gunshot wounds at the scene.

    The suspect’s 77-year-old grandfather also was wounded in the gunfire but he and the law enforcement officers are all expected to recover, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said.

    The shooting occurred around 10:30 a.m. Three Osage County sheriff’s deputies and one Kansas Highway Patrol trooper were shot, the KBI’s director and the patrol’s superintendent said.

    Two deputies underwent surgery at a Topeka hospital and were in good condition, the KBI said, and the third deputy was discharged. The trooper was transferred from the same hospital to the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas.

    “After being on scene less than 10 minutes, gunfire erupted,” patrol Superintendent Erik Smith said during a news conference at the Carbondale City Library.

    Carbondale is a town of about 1,300 people about 16 miles (26 kilometers) south of Topeka, the state capital, off Interstate 75.

    The shooting stunned neighbors John and Heather Roberts, who live about a mile north of where it occurred on the same two-lane road. They never sensed any problem in any of the family members, such as drugs, alcohol abuse or violence, and they said the suspect’s grandmother gave Christian books to area children she knew.

    They said it is not uncommon to see law enforcement vehicles on the road outside their home because they live at the line between Osage County, home to Carbondale, and Shawnee County, home to Topeka, and vehicles turn around there or the counties exchange prisoners.

    John Roberts said he was putting siding on his barn when two law enforcement vehicles flew down the road in the morning.

    “Both of them were running, I would say, well over 100 miles an hour as they went by,” he said. “Then the city of Topeka officers started going by. That’s when I started to really get concerned.”

    He said the suspect visited the shop he has at his home to return tools and was “a good kid.” Roberts added that many families in the area own guns because hunting is a common hobby, and that was the case with this family.

    “I love the family. They’re great people,” Heather Roberts said, adding that she and her husband were praying for the wounded officers too.

    She said every time the suspect visited their home, he would give her a hug and he was “very respectful.”

    “I don’t know what snapped in him today, but his grandparents loved him very much,” she said.

    ___

    Dura reported from Bismarck, North Dakota.

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  • FBI charges New Jersey man for alleged property damage in federal prosecutor office

    NEWARK, N.J. — A man has been arrested after federal officials alleged that he destroyed property while trying to confront New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor, Alina Habba.

    Keith Michael Lisa, 51, has been arrested, FBI spokesperson Emily Molinari confirmed Saturday.

    Molinari did not say when or where Lisa was arrested, what charges he might face, whether he was in jail, or when he might go before a judge. It’s unclear whether Lisa is represented by a lawyer. The federal public defender in Newark didn’t immediately respond to an electronic message Saturday asking whether it was representing Lisa.

    The FBI on Friday had offered a reward of up to $25,000 for information about Lisa, saying he was wanted on charges of destroying government property and possession of a dangerous weapon inside a U.S. court facility. That bulletin said Lisa tried to enter a federal office building in downtown Newark on Wednesday with a bat and was turned away. Lisa returned without the bat, the bulletin said, and was admitted. He then went to the U.S. Attorney’s office, where Habba works, and destroyed property, the bulletin said.

    Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a post on X on Saturday that the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations had worked together to arrest Lisa.

    “No one will get away with threatening or intimidating our great U.S. attorneys or the destruction of their offices,” Bondi wrote.

    Habba was previously President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, representing him in various cases and acting as his spokesperson on legal matters. She served as a White House adviser briefly before Trump named her as interim U.S. attorney in March.

    “We got him,” Habba wrote on X on Saturday. “This Justice Department under Attorney General Pam Bondi and our federal partners will not tolerate any acts of intimidation or violence toward law enforcement. So grateful to the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations for their tireless work to capture him. Now justice will handle him.”

    Bondi had vowed that federal officials would find and prosecute the person, writing earlier that “Any violence or threats of violence against any federal officer will not be tolerated. Period.”

    Trump formally nominated Habba as New Jersey’s permanent U.S. attorney on July 1, but the state’s two Democratic U.S. senators, Cory Booker and Andy Kim opposed it, stalling the confirmation process.

    A few weeks later, as Habba’s 120-day interim appointment was expiring, New Jersey federal judges moved to replace her with her second-in-command. Bondi then fired that prosecutor and renamed Habba as acting U.S. attorney.

    Last month, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in a case challenging her appointment. It hasn’t ruled.

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  • Fugitive convicted in US sex crimes case arrested in France after years on the run

    PHOENIX — An Arizona man who fled the United States years ago while on probation for sex crime convictions was arrested earlier this month in France, where he was charged with sexually assaulting a child, authorities said.

    Michael Robert Wiseman, 51, was living in Kilstett in northeastern France when he arrested Nov. 1. Investigators discovered Wiseman had traveled to Vietnam and Poland before settling in France.

    Scottsdale police Sgt. Dustin Patrick told Phoenix television station 12News that Wiseman was captured after he tried applying for a pilot’s license in Spain using his real name. Patrick said investigators discovered that Wiseman had adopted two children in Vietnam and had obtained a legitimate Polish passport under an alias.

    “His potential employer Googled his name and found that he was on Scottsdale’s most wanted list and called Spain authorities,” Patrick said.

    It was the second time Wiseman fled the U.S. while his 2008 Arizona case hung over his head.

    While his charges were still pending, Wiseman cut off his ankle monitoring device and left the country in late 2008. The fugitive was arrested in 2009 in Spain, brought back to Arizona and pleaded guilty in metro Phoenix to three counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a child and one escape charge.

    The charges stemmed from child sexual abuse material found on his computer.

    In an interview with a probation employee, Wiseman said he left the country the first time after growing tired of the hardship from his wife leaving him after his 2008 arrest and his financial difficulties, according to court records.

    Wiseman, who spent over two years in jail after his return from Spain, was sentenced in 2012 to lifetime probation and a one-year deferred jail sentence. The additional incarceration was later deleted by a judge in at least one of his two Arizona cases.

    Then authorities say he skipped out of the United States for the second time after his 2012 sentencing.

    The lawyer who last represented Wisemen in his criminal case no longer works as a public defender, and efforts to located him through a bar directory and internet search weren’t successful.

    Scottsdale police say Wiseman will be extradited to the United States after his French case is completed. Arizona prosecutors say there is no timeline for when the extradition will occur.

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  • Staff member shot at Oakland college in the city’s second school shooting in 2 days

    SAN FRANCISCO — A senior member of the athletics staff at a community college in Oakland was shot on campus Thursday, the second time in two days the city has had a shooting at a local school.

    The Oakland Police Department said it is investigating the shooting that occurred just before noon at Laney College, where officers arrived to find a man with gunshot wounds. The victim was taken to a hospital and his condition is unknown.

    Mark Johnson, spokesperson for the Peralta Community College District, said in an email that a senior member of Laney’s athletics staff was shot on campus in its field house.

    “The individual was immediately transported to a local hospital, and we are keeping them—and their loved ones—in our hearts during this incredibly difficult time,” Johnson said. “Out of respect for their privacy, we are not releasing their name at this moment.”

    Authorities didn’t immediately provide more details about the shooting.

    John Beam, the school’s athletics director and longtime football coach, and the Laney Eagles were featured in the 2020 season of the Netflix documentary series “Last Chance U.” The docuseries focused on athletes at junior colleges looking to turn their lives around.

    Thursday’s incident came a day after a student was shot at Oakland’s Skyline High School. The student is in stable condition. Police say they arrested two juveniles and recovered two firearms.

    Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said she was “heartbroken” by “the second shooting on an Oakland campus in one week.”

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  • Former customs officer sentenced to 15 years for helping drug traffickers

    A former Customs and Border Protection officer has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to working with Mexican traffickers to bring drugs into the U.S. Diego Bonillo pleaded guilty in July to multiple charges, including conspir…

    LOS ANGELES — A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to working with Mexican traffickers to bring drugs into the U.S., officials said Thursday.

    Diego Bonillo, 30, pleaded guilty in July to multiple charges, including conspiracy to import controlled substances such as cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin.

    As part of his plea deal, he admitted to using his position to allow drug-filled cars into the U.S. from Mexico without inspection. He allowed at least 75 kilograms of fentanyl, 11.7 kilograms of methamphetamine, and more than 1 kilogram of heroin into the country, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego said in a news release Thursday.

    Prosecutors said in sentencing documents that Bonillo was using a secret phone to alert the drug trafficking group which lanes he would be overseeing at the Tecate and Otay Mesa border crossings so he could ensure their entry without inspection.

    Agents determined that Bonillo was part of the scheme no later than October 2023 and continued until April 2024, allowing at least 15 vehicles to enter uninspected, prosecutors said.

    Bonillo used his payments to travel internationally, purchase luxury gifts, attempt to purchase property in Mexico, and spend time at the Hong Kong Gentlemen’s Club in Tijuana, Mexico, prosecutors said.

    He was sentenced Nov. 7 to 15 years in federal prison.

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  • NYPD officers kill man in a shootout after he threatened people and a hospital

    NEW YORK — A man with a gun was killed Thursday in a shootout with police in New York City after he pointed his weapon at a man in an apartment building elevator and a deli worker and threatened to shoot up a hospital, police said.

    New York Police Department officers took the man to a hospital in a police vehicle and he was pronounced dead, Chief of Patrol Philip Rivera told reporters. Police officers were taken to a hospital for evaluation.

    The man was in an elevator in a residential building in Manhattan’s Upper East Side around 7 p.m. when spoke to another man and then pulled out a firearm and pointed it at him, police said.

    Police said the man then went to a nearby deli, pointed a gun at a worker behind the counter and told him to call 911, saying he was going to a hospital to shoot it up.

    Shortly after, the man briefly entered Mount Sinai Medical Center before leaving and placing a firearm on the ground, police said. He then went back inside, where he told a a police officer working a paid security job that he had a gun, police said.

    When the officer tried to escort him out, they struggled, the man retrieved his gun and the officer called for backup, police said.

    The man then walked down the street and encountered police officers in vehicles. Rivera said the man immediately fired his gun at the officers when they got out of their vehicles. The officers returned fire and hit him, he said.

    “Every day, our officers put on their uniforms and they encounter dangerous situations across this city. But it’s another kind of danger when someone goes into a deli and hospital with a gun and opens fire directly at the NYPD,” Rivera said.

    Rivera didn’t provide details about the man.

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  • As China cracks down on stories about men in love, female fans mourn the idealized romances

    For Cindy Zhong, like many young Chinese women, a relaxing night used to mean curling up with a steamy story about two men in love. Then her favorite authors, and their tales, started disappearing.

    Fans of the popular Danmei same-sex romance genre, written and read mainly by straight women, say the Chinese government is carrying out the largest crackdown yet on it, effectively neutering the enjoyment.

    In the vast world of fantasy, Danmei is relatively straightforward: Two men stand in for idealized relationships, from chaste to erotic. Some scholars believe the stories appeal to Chinese women as a way to sidestep the country’s conservative gender values and imagine relationships on a more equal footing.

    “Women turn to Danmei for pure love, especially as they face pressure from families, peers and society to get married and have kids,” said Aiqing Wang, a senior lecturer at the University of Liverpool who studies Chinese popular culture and internet literature.

    The once-niche Chinese literary subculture has seen a boom in recent years, with novels adapted into blockbuster television series and translated into Western languages.

    Danmei — also known as “Boys Love” in English — has also caught the eye of Chinese authorities. At least dozens of writers have been interrogated, arrested and charged with producing and selling obscene materials in China in the past year, according to media reports and witness accounts online.

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    Some writers have stopped publishing or taken work offline. Websites have shut down or removed many stories, leaving the tamest behind.

    “Chinese female readers can no longer find a safe, uncensored space to place our desires,” said Zhong, an educator in her 30s.

    Writers have said they enjoy directing lives that aren’t their own.

    “When I was writing, I felt so powerful that I could create a world,” said Zou Xuan, a teacher who used to write Danmei for fun and has been reading them for a decade.

    From erotica to flowery romance

    China’s government has been tightening its grip on the LGBTQ+ community, shutting down rights groups and social media accounts, despite removing homosexuality from its list of mental illness in 2001. Same-sex relationships are not criminalized.

    Even though China’s censorship apparatus has long disapproved of same-sex love stories, the most popular Danmei stories have become bestselling books and been adapted into cartoons, video games and TV series. Adaptations often get around censorship by changing the characters to a heterosexual couple or presenting the relationship between male leads as an intense “friendship.”

    The stories, usually published online by amateurs, are some of the most widely read fiction in China. Ranging from the flowery to the heavily erotic, they can include scenes of men fighting with a sword and a flute in ethereal ancient costumes or sex scenes in nature after rainfall.

    Danmei is “a utopian existence,” said Chen Xingyu, a 32-year-old freelance teacher living in the southwestern city of Kunming. “I would be less happy without it.”

    Some of the most popular stories, such as Heaven Official’s Blessing and Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, have been translated into English, building a global fan base and cracking The New York Times paperback bestseller list.

    The stories’ language “is very flowery and poetic, which I really enjoy,” said Kayla McHenry, who works in a law firm in Pennsylvania and reads stories in translation.

    But the author of those, Yuan Yimei, better known under her pen name Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, was sentenced in 2020 to three years in prison for “illegal business operation” after selling her self-published Danmei books. She was released on parole in 2021.

    Silencing writers

    It is hard to know how many writers have been caught up in China’s crackdown.

    Danmei writers, mostly young females, claimed in social media posts that were later censored that they were detained and questioned by police in the northwestern city of Lanzhou, and expressed humiliation and fear that a criminal record could ruin their future.

    An official at the Lanzhou Public Security Bureau declined to comment, saying the cases are under investigation. Gansu provincial police didn’t respond to an AP request seeking comment.

    The Associated Press was unable to independently confirm the reports.

    Even in Taiwan, beyond the reach of China’s censors, there are effects of the crackdown on the mainland.

    Haitang, a major platform for the stories and headquartered in Taiwan, closed temporarily in June, warning writers not to continue writing “if the content does not comply with the laws and regulations of where the writers are located.”

    The website recently returned with drastically fewer stories and writers. Readers noticed that stories saved in their accounts were taken down. It was unclear if the authors or the website had done it.

    Another popular Danmei site, Sosad.fun, based outside China with at least 400,000 registered readers, shut down in April.

    Neither website responded to emails seeking comment.

    Despite the crackdowns, Danmei stories are still available in China, but fans say they’re tamer and lack erotic appeal. And with most of the best writers gone, they say that what remains just isn’t that good.

    Some now publish overseas

    Some fans said they have given up reading Danmei stories, but others chase the racy details that brought them to the genre.

    “Stories I read in high school were much more explicit than those I read nowadays,” said Chen in Kunming. “I have to spend more time and try harder to find them. I need this content to fill my life.”

    Chen said some authors are publishing their work abroad, leaving it to readers to get them into China and pass around paper books or digital files informally.

    Other readers said they were turning to online comics translated from Japanese or Korean.

    Despite the narrowing space for the same-sex stories in China, experts said women and their desires have changed in ways that won’t disappear.

    “The awakening of female consciousness, the desire of reading and not being ashamed of what they want to read is irreversible,” said Xi Tian, an associate professor of East Asian Studies at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania.

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  • Trial continues for officer charged with shooting pregnant Black woman

    COLUMBUS, Ohio — The murder trial of an Ohio police officer continues Thursday in the 2023 shooting death of a pregnant Black mother he and another officer confronted about an accusation of shoplifting.

    Connor Grubb is charged with murder, involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault in the death of Ta’Kiya Young, 21, and the unborn girl due three months later. It wasn’t clear whether Grubb would take the stand after the officer’s written statement was read into the record on Wednesday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court.

    Grubb and the fellow officer from the Blendon Township force had approached Young’s car on Aug. 24, 2023, about a report she was suspected of stealing alcohol from a grocery store in suburban Columbus. She partially lowered her window and the other officer ordered her out. Instead, she rolled her car forward toward Grubb, who fired a single bullet through her windshield into her chest, video footage showed.

    A special prosecutor told the jury during opening statements last week that Grubb lacked justification for shooting Young, arguing she did not pose a threat to him or anyone at the time of the encounter. The defense countered that Young’s acceleration of her vehicle in Grubb’s direction was grounds for the 31-year-old officer’s actions.

    In Grubb’s written statement, read to the jury by a special agent for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the officer said he observed Young arguing with his fellow officer and positioned himself in front of her vehicle to provide backup and to protect other people in the parking lot.

    He said he drew his gun after he heard Young fail to comply with his partner’s commands. When she drove toward him, he said in the statement, he felt her car hit his legs and shins and begin to lift his body off the ground.

    Some members of Young’s family left the courtroom on Monday, the first day of testimony, as jurors were shown the bodycam footage of the shooting.

    The video showed an officer at the driver’s side window telling Young she was accused of shoplifting and ordering her out of the car. Young protested and both officers cursed at her and yelled at her to get out. Young could be heard asking them, “Are you going to shoot me?”

    Then she turned the steering wheel to the right, the car rolled slowly forward and Grubb fired his gun, footage showed. Moments later, after the car came to a stop against the building, they broke the driver’s side window. Police said they tried to save her life, but she was mortally wounded. Young and her unborn daughter were subsequently pronounced dead at a hospital.

    A full-time officer with the township since 2019, Grubb was placed paid administrative after the shooting

    Mark Collins, one of the officer’s attorneys, had told reporters after Young’s arraignment that the video shows the shooting was justified, saying the officer was facing a threat of serious physical injury or death from being hit by the car.

    Sean Walton, the family’s attorney, has said Grubb escalated the encounter by unnecessarily drawing his gun when he first confronted Young.

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  • Former officer pleads guilty to mistreating prisoner paralyzed in Connecticut police van

    A former Connecticut police officer accused of mistreating prisoner Richard “Randy” Cox after he was paralyzed in the back of a police van pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor Wednesday and received no jail time, while three other officers chose to take their cases to trial.

    Betsy Segui, a former New Haven sergeant who supervised the city police station lockup, pleaded guilty to second-degree reckless endangerment in exchange for a 60-day suspended jail term. Another former officer, Ronald Pressley, took the same plea deal and received an identical sentence last week.

    Cox, 39, who did not attend the New Haven Superior Court hearing, was left paralyzed from the chest down on June 19, 2022, when the police van he was riding in without a seat belt braked hard, sending him head-first into a metal partition while his hands were cuffed behind his back. He had been arrested on charges of threatening a woman with a gun, which were later dismissed.

    “I can’t move. I’m going to die like this. Please, please, please help me,” Cox said in the van minutes after the crash, according to police video. He later was found to have broken his neck.

    Once at the police station, officers mocked Cox and accused him of being drunk and faking his injuries, according to surveillance and body-worn camera footage. Officers dragged Cox out of the van and around the police station before placing him in a holding cell before his eventual transfer to a hospital.

    When Cox told the officers that he thought he had cracked his neck, Segui responded, “You ain’t crack nothing. You just drank too much,” according to an internal affairs investigation report.

    Segui did not speak about Cox’s treatment during the court hearing. She only answered standard questions from the judge about her guilty plea.

    Her lawyer, Gregory Cerritelli, said Segui wanted to put the criminal case behind her.

    “She’s no longer working in law enforcement and has no desire to, so I think from her perspective this just gives her closure and lets her move on with her life and focus on her new career,” he said in an interview after the hearing. He declined to say what Segui’s new career is.

    Three other officers involved in Cox’s transport, Oscar Diaz, Jocelyn Lavandier and Luis Rivera, rejected plea deals proposed by prosecutors and chose to take their cases to trial. All three are charged with cruelty to persons and reckless endangerment.

    Prosecutors said Cox was informed about Segui’s plea deal beforehand and gave his consent. In 2023, the city of New Haven agreed to settle a lawsuit by Cox for $45 million.

    Louis Rubano, a lawyer for Cox, said Cox and his family had hoped the criminal cases would end as quickly as possible with plea bargains by all five officers.

    “I think bringing a conclusion to this tragic situation is what the family wants, and the fact now that there’s going to be potentially a trial for the other remaining officers forces Randy and his family to have to kind of re-live the events of that tragic day,” Rubano said.

    Rubano said Cox has bought a home and is living there with his mother, who is caring for him with the help of medical professionals.

    The case drew outrage from civil rights advocates including the NAACP, along with comparisons to the Freddie Gray case in Baltimore. Cox is Black, while all five officers who were arrested are Black or Hispanic. Gray, who also was Black, died in 2015 after he suffered a spinal injury while handcuffed and shackled in a Baltimore police van.

    The case also led to reforms at the New Haven police department as well as a statewide seat belt requirement for prisoners.

    New Haven police fired Segui, Diaz, Lavandier and Rivera for violating police conduct policies, while Pressley retired. Diaz appealed his firing and got his job back. Diaz, who was driving the van when Cox got injured, said he had to brake hard to avoid an accident with another vehicle.

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  • Chinese ‘cryptoqueen’ who scammed thousands jailed in UK over Bitcoin stash worth $6.6 billion

    LONDON (AP) — A Chinese woman who was found with 5 billion pounds ($6.6 billion) in Bitcoin after defrauding more than 128,000 people in China in a Ponzi scheme was sentenced by a U.K. court on Tuesday to over 11 years in prison.

    Police said the investigation into Zhimin Qian, 47, led to officers recovering devices holding 61,000 Bitcoin in the largest cryptocurrency seizure in the U.K.

    Qian, dubbed “cryptoqueen” by British media, was arrested in April 2024 after spending years evading the authorities and living an “extravagant” lifestyle in Europe, staying in luxury hotels across the continent and buying fine jewelry and watches, prosecutors said.

    Police said she ran a pyramid scheme that lured more than 128,000 people to invest in her business between 2014 and 2017, including many who invested their life savings and pensions. Authorities said she stored the illegally obtained funds in Bitcoin assets.

    When she attracted the attention of Chinese authorities, Qian fled to the U.K. under a fake identity. Once in London, police said she rented a “lavish” house for over 17,000 pounds ($23,000) per month, and tried but failed to buy multimillion pound properties in a bid to convert the Bitcoin.

    Investigators found notes Qian had written documenting her aspirations — including her “intention to become the monarch of Liberland, a self-proclaimed country consisting of a strip of land between Croatia and Serbia.”

    They said other notes showed Qian detailing her hopes of “meeting a duke and royalty.”

    Judge Sally-Ann Hales said Qian was the architect of the crimes from start to finish.

    “Your motive was one of pure greed. You left China without a thought for the people whose investments you had stolen and enjoyed for a period of time a lavish lifestyle. You lied and schemed, all the while seeking to benefit yourself,” Hales said.

    The businesswoman, who had pleaded guilty to money laundering offenses and transferring and possessing criminal property, was sentenced Tuesday to 11 years and eight months at Southwark Crown Court.

    She was sentenced alongside her accomplice Seng Hok Ling, 47, a Malaysian national who was accused of helping Qian transfer and launder the cryptocurrency. Ling was jailed at the same court for four years and 11 months after he pleaded guilty to one count of transferring criminal property.

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