US updates

A California man — a convicted felon out on probation — is facing multiple murder charges after he allegedly went on a shooting rampage that took the lives of his current and former girlfriends in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, according to authorities. Officers say Louis Peter Hernandez, 41, entered a home Nov. 25 in Fontana, and allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend along with one other person inside the home. Hernandez then allegedly traveled to Riverside County and shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, according to a release from the San Bernadino County District Attorney.  Authorities added there's also an ongoing investigation into a fourth gunshot victim who was allegedly involved in an altercation with Hernandez. That victim is recovering in the hospital.  CALIFORNIA-BASED ALTERNATIVE HEALER CHARGED OVER DEATH OF WOMAN AT UK 'SLAPPING THERAPY' WORKSHOP According to the release, Hernandez is a known gang member with a violent criminal history, and was ...

Five former correctional officers in West Virginia were indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday in connection with the 2022 death of an incarcerated man who was beaten while handcuffed and restrained in an interview room and later a jail cell. All five officers, as well as a former lieutenant, are also charged with trying to cover up their actions, the U.S. Justice Department said. The indictments in West Virginia's southern U.S. District Court come weeks after two different West Virginia corrections officers pleaded guilty to a felony conspiracy charge stemming from the fatal beating of the same inmate, 37-year-old Quantez Burks. WV SETTLEMENT REACHED IN LAWSUIT OVER 'INHUMANE' JAIL CONDITIONS Burks was a pretrial detainee at the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver who died less than a day after he was booked into the jail on a wanton endangerment charge in March 2022. The case has drawn scrutiny to conditions and deaths at the Southern Regional Jail. Earlier this mon...

New York’s prison system unfairly punished more than 2,000 prisoners after tests of suspected contraband substances falsely tested positive for drugs, according to a report released Thursday. In hundreds of cases, the prisoners had committed no offense, but the flawed results were used to put them in solitary confinement, halt family visits, or cancel parole hearings. The report by Inspector General Lucy Lang found that state prison staff failed to confirm the test results with an outside lab. The manufacturer of the contraband screening drug tests, Sirchie Finger Print Laboratories, says in its instructions that the results from the drug tests should be treated as preliminary and unconfirmed. The report also found that New York state prison staff failed to abide by protocols meant to prevent misidentifying contraband or cross-contaminating samples. The Sirchie NARK II contraband screening tests are used to detect synthetic cannabinoids and other types of drugs by putting substances...

A Minnesota man serving life in prison for a deadly 2004 flower shop robbery has gone before a judge reexamining his conviction and delivered a simple message: "I’m innocent 100 percent." Marvin Haynes, 35, has spent nearly two decades behind bars for the shooting death of 55-year-old Randy Sherer, who was killed inside his family business in Minneapolis when Haynes was a teenager. Working with the Great North Innocence Project, the inmate successfully lobbied to plead his case before a Hennepin County district judge. Judge William Koch held two days of hearings on the conviction and said Tuesday he would continue the case until Dec. 20, when the final witness is scheduled to testify. MINNESOTA FAMILIES OF MEN KILLED BY POLICE FILE LAWSUIT TO ACCESS INVESTIGATION FILES In initial police interviews with Haynes, detectives falsely asserted that they'd found fingerprints, DNA and surveillance footage linking him to the crime. He testified Tuesday that those claims were...

A charity that has been giving away Christmas gifts in the Grand Rapids area for more than 100 years said it will turn to gift cards after a fire damaged a building where more than 5,000 packages were stored. It's possible the gifts for needy families were not affected by smoke at the DeltaPlex in Walker. But Santa Claus Girls of Kent County said there's not enough time to check each one before the Dec. 9 distribution to 2,500 families. MICHIGAN STATE POLICE OFFICIALS PLACE ENTIRE FLINT COMMAND POST ON LEAVE "It was a question of what can we do within the time constraints to help the kids? So we said gift cards," Rick Barteling, the group's logistics coordinator, told WOOD-TV. The fire happened last Friday. It was knocked down but still caused smoke damage. "It was absolutely unbelievable to think of all of the thousands of children’s gifts that were sitting in this smoky box," Barteling said. Santa Claus Girls will examine toys, books and clothe...

A search is underway along the Mississippi River for four crew members who have been missing from a Bangladeshi bulk carrier vessel for more than 15 hours, according to The United States Coast Guard (USCG). The USCG says it is searching the river near Belle Chasse in Louisiana for the four missing crew members, all of whom are men. A USCG helicopter and small boat are leading the search at the time of this reporting, the agency told Fox News Digital.  Fox 8 New Orleans was first to report the story and captured video footage of the search helicopter in operation earlier today.  ALL 41 TRAPPED INDIAN TUNNEL WORKERS DRAMATICALLY PULLED TO SAFETY The missing men are crew members of the Meghna Adventure, a bulk carrier with a Bangladesh flag. The USCG was notified of four people in the water Monday at around 11 p.m. and that four crew members had not arrived at the vessel for muster, a standard safety drill.  The men are described as being of Bangladeshi nation...

Austin, Texas auto thefts rose in October, continuing a rising trend in the crime category since the city’s police department was defunded by the mayor and city council in August 2020. The Austin Police Department has compiled a report each month since Jan. 1, 2020 after becoming a National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) reporting agency on Jan. 1, 2019, allowing one year to collect a year’s worth of data. During the month of October 2023, the report showed there were 575 auto thefts, up from 403 during the same period in 2022, which represents a 43% increase. SOROS-BACKED ‘ANTI-POLICE’ DA SPARKS OUTRAGE AFTER SHOWING UP TO FALLEN OFFICER FUNERAL: ‘SLAP IN THE FACE’ Compared to 2020 – the same year the Austin City Council defunded the department – the number of auto thefts increased 58%, with 363 vehicle thefts occurring that year. The data also shows a 32% year-over-year increase of auto thefts when comparing data from October 2022 to October 2023, with 5,633 taking p...

A 12-year-old Michigan boy went for a joyride in a stolen forklift and dodged police and deputies before eventually being arrested Saturday evening, according to the Ann Arbor Police Department. Around 6:45 p.m. Saturday, Ann Arbor Police were dispatched to Forsythe Middle School on reports of a juvenile trying to steal a construction vehicle, according to a post on their Facebook page.  Officers said just a few minutes after receiving the call, the vehicle in question was seen driving without lights.  A pursuit ensued and officers began chasing the boy , going roughly 15 to 20 miles per hour. GOLFERS TOPPLE PORTA-POTTY TO DUMP SUSPECTED CAR THIEF AFTER WILD POLICE CHASE CAUGHT ON VIDEO During the pursuit, police said the 12-year-old boy went through the Georgetown Boulevard neighborhood and hit around ten parked vehicles.  Around 7:18 p.m., Washtenaw County deputies picked up the chase after Ann Arbor police terminated the pursuit when the driver went across the M...

Roommates who sued a Maryland county Monday claim police officers illegally entered their apartment without a warrant, detained them at gunpoint without justification and unnecessarily shot their pet dog, which was left paralyzed and ultimately euthanized. The dog, a boxer mix named Hennessey, did not attack the three officers who entered the apartment before two of them shot the animal with their firearms and the third fired a stun gun at it, according to the federal lawsuit. The lawsuit seeks at least $16 million in damages over the June, 2, 2021, encounter, which started with Prince George's County police officers responding to a report of a dog bite at an apartment complex where the four plaintiffs lived. What happened next was captured on police body camera video and video from a plaintiff's cellphone. MARYLAND MAN KILLED AFTER FIRING AT OFFICERS, WOMAN FATALLY SHOT Two officers went to the plaintiffs' apartment to look for the dogs reportedly involved in the biti...

A Suffolk County, New York correctional officer has been arrested after he allegedly forced an inmate to perform a sexual act while threatening repercussions if the inmate were to disobey him, according to the district attorney’s office. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney’s office said 35-year-old Jason Middleton of Central Islip, New York, was arrested on Friday and charged with third-degree criminal sexual act and official misconduct. "This defendant is alleged to have violated his oath and preyed upon an individual whom he was sworn to protect," Tierney said. "Hard-working corrections officers play an essential role in our criminal justice system and are entrusted with the care and safety of incarcerated individuals. My office will not tolerate any abuse of that trust. I thank the Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this investigation." NEW YORK PROSECUTOR DROPS CHARGES AGAINST GOP COUNCILWOMAN WHO BROUGHT GUN TO PROTEST IN SUPPORT OF ISRA...

An Autryville, North Carolina homeless encampment turned into a crime scene on Sunday after a quadruple shooting that left four people dead, in what law enforcement officials say appeared to be a murder-suicide. The Sampson County Sheriff’s Office said it received reports of shots being fired at about 9:20 a.m. on Sunday, just outside Autryville, North Carolina. A local CBS station reportedly spoke with a woman who said she heard an argument coming from the camp as she was returning to her home after walking her dogs on Sunday morning. ARMED WOMAN STEPS IN TO DEFEND MAN SHOT IN THE FACE FROM AGGRESSOR "I heard arguing, didn’t think nothing of it, just went back in the house," she told the station. "I started to cook breakfast, then I heard 10 to 15 shots back-to-back." When deputies arrived at the scene, they discovered four dead individuals near two tents in a homeless encampment near Tanner Lane. The sheriff’s office said all four individuals – two men and...

A Bronx couple and their five-year-old son were found stabbed to death inside their apartment early Sunday morning, according to law enforcement officials.  Just after 6:30 a.m., police responded to an apartment building at 674 East 136th Street in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx for a 911 call. Upon arrival, officers discovered a 38-year-old man with stab wounds to the chest, lying in the hallway of the first floor of the apartment building. As they began their investigation, officers broke into a nearby apartment unit after seeing a child lying on the ground and also located a 33-year-old woman with fatal stab wounds. 3 PEOPLE STABBED TO DEATH IN NYC HOME AS LANDLORD CONFESSES TO DOING 'SOMETHING BAD': POLICE Both the woman and child were pronounced dead at the scene by first responders.  Authorities said an autopsy was being conducted to determine the cause of death and an investigation is ongoing. 3 CHILDREN AMONG 5 INJURED IN STABBING OUTSIDE IRISH SCHOOL ...

"El Mago," the convicted drug trafficker who has ties to a cartel kingpin, was shot dead in Los Angeles County on Thanksgiving morning, according to authorities.  On Thursday, Eduardo Escobedo, 39, whose nickname "El Mago" translates to "the magician," was one of two men killed in Willowbrook, according to local sources.  Officials stated that both men died at the scene after Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call of shots fired in the area.  A third man, who was not identified, was taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, deputies said.  SON OF MEXICAN DRUG CARTEL KINGPIN 'EL CHAPO' EXTRADITED TO UNITED STATES Authorities confirm the other victim was also a convicted drug dealer, Guillermo De Los Angeles Jr., 47. "El Mago" was raised in East Los Angeles and went on to become the primary local marijuana distributor to "El Chapo's" eldest son , Ivan Archivaldo Guzman...

The "squatter bishop" at the center of controversy over whether he unfairly took over a historic Arkansas church shared a defiant message with congregants during a Sunday service, saying he "did nothing wrong" when setting up his new ministry. "No matter what the enemy throw at me, I’m on my way back… in life we have to understand that we are going to go through some trials and tribulations. The lord does not tell us how we’re going to go through those trials and tribulations," Temple of Life Ministries Bishop Earnest Smith said during a sermon Sunday. "We all have gone through things in life, we have been accused of some stuff… we have been accused of some things in life, the difference of yours and mine is that I was put on national television." The bishop added that he is "not scared" as controversy surrounds his story, arguing that he "did nothing wrong" to cheers from the congregation. The sermon comes as an Arkansas c...

A California mother was arrested for the alleged murder of her nine-year-old daughter who was found dead in their Orange County home on Friday. Khadiyjah Aliyyah Ali Pendergraph, 32, was arrested at a shopping center in the city of Aliso Viejo in connection with her child's death and booked at the Orange County Jail. Westminster Police responded just after noon on Friday to the 14100 block of Goldenwest St. in Westminster to conduct a welfare check following a call from a concerned family member, according to Fox 11. CALIFORNIA MOTHER FACING MULTIPLE CHARGES IN DEATH OF 7-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER Officers forced their way inside the home and discovered the girl's body with signs of trauma, police said. Pendergraph, who was not home when officers found the body, was then tracked down and arrested at the shopping center in Aliso Viejo. INMATE FATALLY STABBED AT CALIFORNIA MAXIMUM-SECURITY PRISON "While police officers are exposed to tragedies on a daily basis, this murder ...

These mugshots were taken for arrests made throughout the U.S. the week of Nov. 19-25, 2023. source https://www.foxnews.com/us/mugshots-week-nov-19-25-2023

Far too many schools in New Mexico are underperforming, and the state's top education official says the focus of his agency's next budget proposal will be on holding districts and schools responsible for student achievement. The budget blueprint is due next Thursday, but Public Education Secretary Arsenio Romero and other officials have declined to release any details before the deadline, the Albuquerque Journal reported Friday. The proposed spending plan will follow the overdue release last month of results from spring standardized testing. The results show just 38% of tested students were proficient in reading, marking a slight uptick from the previous year. However, statewide math proficiency stands stagnant at 24%. NEW MEXICO STUDENTS ARE STRUGGLING ACADEMICALLY, STATE ASSESSMENT REVEALS NEW MEXICO'S NEW EDUCATION STANDARDS TEACH ETHNIC, SOCIAL IDENTITY LESSONS TO KINDERGARTNERS Romero sent a letter last week to the state’s school districts calling for accountabil...

Self-incriminating remarks weren't the only thing a suspected killer couldn't hold inside during a 2015 interrogation. Loril Harp seemingly implicated himself in a 1993 Missouri homicide while talking to himself and an unknown person during a phone call after detectives left the interrogation room. He also ripped several loud, "blrrrrrtt"-sounding farts in videos obtained by Fox News Digital via public records request.  In one video, Harp lifts his butt off the chair, breaks wind, yells to himself, "I didn't kill him . I didn't kill Steve, man," and pushes out another one. MURDER SUSPECT BUSTED IN POLICE STATION AFTER INCRIMINATING HIMSELF WHEN DETECTIVES LEFT ROOM: COPS Harp was referring to Steven Weltig, a 40-year-old store owner in Arnold, Missouri, who was killed in 1993.  The incriminating comments – and hard-to-ignore farts – during the 2015 interrogation "dead time," which is when detectives leave the room, were vital to clo...

New bodycam video reveals the moment a police officer shot and killed a man who tried to rob an armored car employee in Tennessee and then charged at the officer with two knives, authorities said. According to the Murfreesboro Police Department , around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, officers were called after Steven James Murphy, 44, tried to rob a worker refilling cash in an ATM. The worker then pulled a gun on Murphy , who then ran inside a nearby deli, Murfreesboro Police spokesperson Larry Flowers said at a news conference. In the video, Officer Adam Claiborne is seen opening the door of the deli and saying "hey" at Murphy, who is behind the counter. Murphy then turns and charges at the officer with knives in both hands above his head. WEDDING CRASHER WHO POSED AS GUEST TO STEAL THOUSANDS IN CASH IS FREED, AGAIN Claiborne then is seen yelling at Murphy to drop the knives before he opens fire, firing several shots.  Flowers said Murphy succumbed to his injuries and died at t...

The husband of a southern Michigan woman missing for more than two years was charged Wednesday in connection with her disappearance. MI MAN CHARGED AFTER TODDLER FATALLY SHOOTS SELF WITH UNSECURED GUN Dale Warner, 55, was arraigned in Lenawee County District Court on open murder and tampering with evidence charges, according to court records. Warner was arrested Tuesday and ordered held on bond. A probable cause conference is Nov. 29. Dee Warner, 52, was last seen in April 2021 at her Franklin Township home, about 70 miles southwest of Detroit . Authorities have yet to find her body. "We believe that a fair and objective review of the evidence — or more precisely the lack of evidence in this case — will show that Mr. Warner did not kill his wife," his attorney, Mary Chartier, told The Associated Press in an email. source https://www.foxnews.com/us/michigan-man-charged-murder-wifes-2021-disappearance

A former college track and field coach accused of setting up sham social media and email accounts in an attempt to trick women into sending him nude or semi-nude photos of themselves pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston, prosecutors said Tuesday. Steve Waithe, 30, of Chicago , pleaded guilty to 12 counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and one count of computer fraud, prosecutors said. Waithe also pleaded guilty to cyberstalking one victim through text messages and direct messages sent via social media, as well as by hacking into her Snapchat account, prosecutors said. PENNSYLVANIA HS TEACHER AND BASEBALL COACH CHARGED WITH SEX CRIMES INVOLVING STUDENTS AND PLAYERS: POLICE DISTURBING TESTIMONY HEARD FROM ALLEGED TEEN VICTIMS OF FORMER MICHIGAN HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL COACH A lawyer for Waithe did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Sentencing is scheduled for March 6, 2024. Waithe was originally arrested in April. Actin...

A man who was fatally shot by a California Highway Patrol officer in a struggle on a freeway that was captured on video was a 34-year-old from Los Angeles, officials said Tuesday. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office said Jesse Dominguez's cause of death on Sunday afternoon has not been officially determined. Dominguez had been walking in westbound lanes of Interstate 105 in south LA County, according to the CHP. An officer tried to convince the man to get off the freeway but he refused and that led to a fight, authorities said. Dominguez was carrying a taser that he used on the officer, CHP said. CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICER FATALLY SHOOTS PEDESTRIAN, SPARKING INVESTIGATION CALIFORNIA WOMAN'S MURDER COMMITTED BY HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICER HAUNTS FAMILY 36 YEARS LATER: 'A DEVIOUS SOUL' "Following the pedestrian’s use of the weapon against the officer, and in fear for his safety, the officer fired his service weapon," the statement said....

A Montana man who had been living with a teenager who disappeared from her home in Arizona four years ago pleaded not guilty Monday to child sexual abuse charges lodged against him based on images that authorities said they found on his cellphone. Since his Oct. 23 arrest, Edmund Davis, 36, has been held on $1 million bail on two felony counts of the sexual abuse of children. His public defender, Casey Moore, said he would file a motion for a bail reduction hearing after speaking with Davis' father and the prosecutor, Assistant Attorney General Dan Guzynski. No further hearings were immediately scheduled. MAN DETAINED, QUESTIONED IN ALICIA NAVARRO DISAPPEARANCE MOM OF MISSING ARIZONA GIRL FOUND SAFE IN MONTANA SAYS FAMILY HAS BEEN 'HARASSED' Authorities have not said whether Davis is considered a suspect in the disappearance of Alicia Navarro in September 2019. Navarro left a note behind when she vanished from her home days before her 15th birthday, sparking a massive...

Police responding to a report of a disorderly person at a Chandler, Arizona , shopping mall shot an armed woman who was then treated at a hospital and sent to jail, Chandler police said Saturday. Renata Eldred, 50, was creating an unspecified disturbance in a parking lot when officers arrived shortly after 6 p.m. Friday in west Chandler on the southeast edge of Phoenix, police said in a statement. Police noticed she had a firearm near her and ordered her not to touch the weapon, authorities said. ARIZONA STREET PREACHER, FATHER FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE AFTER BEING SHOT IN THE HEAD ARIZONA MAN ARRESTED AFTER POLICE CONNECT HIM TO SHOOTING SPREE THAT LEFT 4 DEAD, 1 INJURED But "the suspect grabbed the weapon and made a threatening move with it toward the officer," the statement said. "The officer fired two shots at the suspect, which struck her in the upper chest." No officers were hurt. Eldred was taken into custody and provided medical aid on scene. After being...

An Atlanta mom is alleging that her 7-year-old autistic son was slapped by his teacher inside a classroom. The alleged assault took place at Cleveland Avenue Elementary School on Nov. 8. Police and officials with Atlanta Public Schools are investigating the incident. "I don't know what could've caused this lady to react in a way that she felt so threatened by my three-foot-tall child," Reginique Stinson told FOX 5 Atlanta. Her son, Gabriel, was allegedly struck by the teacher inside his classroom so hard that another teacher heard it and reported it, Stinson was told after the incident. ATLANTA OFFICER FIRES GUN INSIDE HOSPITAL WHILE CHASING VEHICLE THEFT SUSPECT "I just can't imagine how my son could've felt in that moment. He’s never experienced something like that. I don’t hit my child," Stinson said. "I feel like she definitely took advantage of the fact that he's non-verbal in hitting him because she knew he can't really speak...

A New York City man who once walked dogs and fell into possession of a piece of art by abstract artist Chuck Close had high hopes the art would sell for eight figures, but when put to auction, it fell a bit short, according to reports. The New York Post reported that 68-year-old Mark Herman is a former dog walker who was living on Social Security. Herman told the New York Times he had a vision – while he was high on mushrooms – that the Chuck Close painting he had in his possession would be worth $10 million. On Tuesday, Heritage Auctions in Dallas put the piece up for bid, and the far-out visions and high hopes Herman had while on ‘shrooms quickly diminished. RARE $26M PRE-RENAISSANCE PAINTING FOUND IN WOMAN'S HOUSE IS ACQUIRED BY THE LOUVRE "I’m really disappointed," he told the newspaper. "But then, I think if I had a lot of money, it would put a lot of pressure on me. And that’s the last thing I need," he added. The paper reported that Herman was giv...

After being closed by an arson fire since November 11, the 10 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles may be reopening sooner than originally expected, according to officials. During a press conference Sunday morning, California Governor Gavin Newsom , Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Vice President Kamala Harris announced the 10 Freeway will reopen in time for Monday morning's commute, with some lanes possibly opening as soon as Sunday night. This announcement comes after Newsom hinted that it may take months before the portion of the 10 Freeway effected by the arson fire would reopen.   Shortly after his first announcement, which was met with plenty of push back from residents in LA, Governor Newsom gave another update days later saying it may take weeks instead of months, then Newsom gave a third update saying the roads may reopen as early as Tuesday. REPAIRS TO ARSON-DAMAGED LOS ANGELES INTERSTATE WILL TAKE AT LEAST 3 WEEKS, NEWSOM SAYS Newsom has since praised the workers and co...

The "land of the brave and home of the free" applies to the majority of the United States except for the Empire State, which has been named the "least free state," according to a new study. The report, conducted by the Cato Institute, showed that New York ranked last place among the 50 states for 2022 policies that impacted economic, social, and personal freedoms.   New York ranked 50th for economic freedom and scored at or near the bottom for debt and state and local taxation, government consumption, land use and labor policy. For comparison, Florida ranked second, topped by New Hampshire for most free state in America. MAYOR ADAMS URGES RICH NEW YORKERS TO STEP UP AS CITY BUCKLES UNDER FINANCIAL COSTS OF MIGRANT CRISIS Florida ranks high on the report year after year as the state does not impose an income tax on its residents.  According to the report, wealthy residents in New York City pay among the highest combined state and local income taxes in the cou...