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(White) Warren County couple recounts harrowing carjacking ordeal by black 'Demontae'
  Macon, N.C. — A Warren County family was the victim of a carjacking late Wednesday when they stopped along a rural road to help who they thought was a stranded driver. The husband, wife and their two young sons – who did not want to be fully identified – were on their way home around 11:20 p.m. when they stopped along U.S. Highway 158 with the intention to help the man. "He was crying, sobbing, saying, 'My mom, my mom she's hurt. Please come help us. She's dying,'" the wife, Liza, said Thursday. When the husband, Chris, got out to help, the man – later identified by authorities as Demontae Lassiter, 24 – got into the car and took off with Liza and her boys. "All I could think of was 'I've got to get this car stopped, because the further we go, the worse this is going to get,'" Liza said. They went for about a quarter mile, she added, before she was able to kick the ignition switch to get the car to shut off. - (Black-on-white) |
HUNTSVILLE, Texas -- A federal appeals court has rejected a Texas death row inmate's appeal that his execution could result in a bungled lethal injection similar to one two weeks ago in Oklahoma. State records show Robert James Campbell was convicted in the 1991 abduction, rape, and murder of a Houston bank teller. According to court documents and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Campbell was involved in a string of armed carjackings in 1990 and 1991. In one incident, Alexandra Rendon, a 20-year-old Houston bank employee, was snatched from a gas station, robbed, sexually assaulted and fatally shot. - (Black-on-white)
MONTGOMERY, AL - 
Meridian, Miss. Three people have been charged in connection with the capital murder of 
Chicago police today released a sketch of the man thought to have fatally shot a Gold Coast business owner outside a South Side factory complex where he had worked for 30 years. 
PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia police say the man who exposed himself outside a city high school has been arrested. Samuel Hart, 45, of the 1900 block of West Berks Street, has been charged with unlawful contact with minors, corruption of minors, indecent exposure and other crimes. Police say Hart exposed himself and inappropriately touched himself in front of students at Philadelphia High School for Girls on several occasions.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.-- An accused rapist living on Jacksonville's Westside will not go to prison for a crime prosecutors say is proven by DNA. Police in Battle Creek, Mich., contend the DNA obtained last year from William Google for not paying child support links him to a brutal rape there 23 years ago. But because the crime happened so long ago, Michigan's statute of limitations means Google, 47, can never be charged anyway. "I know this girl, but I didn't rape this girl," said Google. "I had sex with her, but I didn't rape her." 
A correctional officer was arrested Monday after authorities say she admitted to sleeping with an inmate. According to the arrest affidavit, Kenyetta Foxe, 28, works for the Tennessee Department of Correction at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. Foxe allegedly admitted to sleeping with the same inmate on two different occasions. The inmate, Michael Daniels, 28, was sentenced to prison in 2008. 
FORT WORTH — A man accused of accosting a jogger at gunpoint last week near the Trinity River west of downtown was arrested Friday night. Griffin Littlejohn, 19, was in the Mansfield Jail on Monday evening with bail set at $75,000. He faces a charge of aggravated kidnapping. A 28-year-old woman was jogging shortly before noon May 4 in the 1400 block of West Fifth Street. She told officers that she was approached by a man, armed with a black handgun, who tried “to physically force her to go with him,” police said. The woman described her attacker as black... Afro hairstyle and a dark complexion. 
GASTONIA, N.C. — A man who has been charged multiple times with indecent exposure was arrested again Tuesday, but on a different charge. Tuesday morning, police in Gaston County charged Dea Williams -- who is a sex offender -- with being on school grounds. Williams has been charged with indecent exposure 11 times with eight convictions over the past three years. He was just released from jail on Thursday and now five days later police have arrested him again. Officers rushed to the daycare at the Greater Mount Zion Church Tuesday after a parent said she saw a man fondling himself near the building.
MILWAUKEE — Two people have been officially charged in connection with a series of armed robberies and a shooting incident involving Marquette University students. Police say four Marquette University students were robbed at gunpoint in separate incidents — and
CHARLOTTE, NC - One man is dead and another in jail after Charlotte Mecklenburg Police say they robbed a man in northwest Charlotte on Monday evening. According to officers, the man who was robbed said he pulled out his personal gun after he was pistol whipped by the suspect and shot him. The robbery victim told police that he was standing outside his home when two men came up to him armed with a firearm, forced him into his home and demanded money. 
A 20-year-old senior at Port Barre High School has been arrested and charged with terrorizing after a “hit list” was found at the school. Tevin Charles Felix Thibodeaux, 162 Scarlet St., was arrested at his home on the outskirts of Opelousas on Friday. He had a magistrate’s hearing Monday and has since been released on a $5,000 bond. The note read: “I am Q. And I have a list of people that will die today.” The list contained the names of seven boys at the school.
The local fire director whose lengthy record of accidents, license suspensions and traffic violations was uncovered last week after he hit three children crossing a street with his SUV said in his first public comment that he hopes the "kids are doing well." Robert Rawls refused to comment further to Telemundo on his lengthy driving record or on the accident. 
LOS ANGELES — A convicted smuggler who rammed his boat into a Coast Guard vessel off the Southern California coast, killing a crewman, has been sentenced to life in federal prison. 
A suspect in a rape along the Northwest Branch Trail last week is in the country illegally after being deported following a conviction for a previous attack on a woman. 
A former Lancaster General Hospital doctor must report to prison on Friday, one day after his 49th birthday, to serve 15 days for moving the body of his dead lover to a North York parking lot. John M. Yelcick, of 635 Willow Green in Manheim Township, outside Lititz, pleaded guilty April 2 to the misdemeanors of abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence The body of 43-year-old 
UNIVERSAL CITY, LOS ANGELES -- A suspected gunman was fatally shot by police at Universal CityWalk and
Detective 
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Another Missouri death row inmate is facing execution in June, potentially the eighth straight month that a convicted killer will be put to death at the state prison in Bonne Terre. The Missouri Supreme Court on Friday set an execution date of June 18 for John E. Winfield, convicted of 
COLUMBIA - The University of Missouri Police Department arrested an MU student Saturday for first-degree rape. Officers from the University Police Department said they responded to Campus View Drive at 11:58 p.m. Friday in reference to a reported rape. Officers said a female victim reported she was raped by David Sowell, who was an acquaintance of hers. Authorities said 20-year-old Sowell was transported to the University Police Department for questioning, and he was arrested for first-degree rape around 4:30 a.m. Saturday. Sowell's bond was set at $100,00 Sowell was a member of the Missouri football team from spring 2013 until he was dismissed for a team rules violation.
PROVO — The teenager accused in the death of a Utah County sheriff’s sergeant pleaded not guilty in court Monday morning. It appears plea negotiations could be in the works for 17-year-old Meagan Grunwald, who was charged as an adult with aggravated murder in the death of Sgt. Cory Wride. The last time Grunwald appeared in court, a judge determined there was enough evidence to send the case to trial. But Grunwald's attorney told the media he was open to a plea deal. Prosecutors believe Grunwald drove her boyfriend, 27-year-old
NORTH COVENTRY TWP., Pa. - - Authorites have announced an arrest in the shooting of an 8-year-old boy who was riding his bike in Chester County, and police say the suspect's interview on Action News helped them make that arrest. The shooting happened around 5:00 p.m. Friday in the unit block of West Main Street. Police say 55-year-old Wayne Snowden fired a random shot that struck 8-year-old 
NEW YORK — Police have released the name of the man they believe has attacked at least three people with a hammer in New York City subway stations. The suspect is Anthony Coward, 28, police said. He is described as a 28-year-old black man with black hair and brown eyes, standing 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighing about 160 pounds. On Wednesday, Coward allegedly attacked 32-year-old 
Shelby police said Saturday night they have issued an arrest warrant for the boyfriend of a 17-year-old girl who was shot and killed early Saturday morning. Aaron Byers is in custody. Byers has been charged with murder, possession of a firearm by felon and attempted armed robbery. Police spent much of Saturday investigating 
The man accused of murdering
Prosecutors said a South Side security guard impregnated a teenage girl with whom he had a romantic relationship for at least six months. Johnni M. Jordan was 24 and 
NEW YORK -- A TSA Supervisor was arrested at Kennedy Airport accused of setting up a meeting in the Dominican Republic to engage in sexual activity with minors. Vernon Lythcott was arraigned Friday afternoon in federal court. A judge set bail at $250,000. He works as a TSA screening supervisor. He's being charged with elicit sexual conduct with a minor in a foreign country and faces up to 30 years in prison. Prosecutors allege Lythcott engaged in sex acts with
Elin Nordegren on Saturday graduated atop her class after a nine-year college career — and then educated her audience with some rare, albeit veiled — comments about her ex, the world’s greatest golfer. Through his many infidelities, Nordegren had remained on the fence about divorcing Tiger Woods — until she famously chased him out of the house with a golf club in 2010 after learning of his 15th mistress. University officials lauded her for her determination as a single mother rearing Woods’ two children, Sam and Charlie
up from 97,762 the previous year. Detractors warn that legalizing the "undocumented" (illegal) population will only increase illegal border crossings, much as the last major immigration effort did in 1986. 
A Madison man who broke into his neighbors' apartment and killed a mother and daughter before police fatally shot him had been convicted of disorderly conduct in the past, court records show. The Dane County coroner identified the suspect as Londrell Emone Johnson and the victims as 57-year-old 
A Flint man who killed an elderly woman when he was 14 was spared life in prison Friday, May 9, becoming the first person sentenced in Genesee County under a new law that gives judges more leeway in juvenile murder cases. Genesee Circuit Judge Archie Hayman sentenced Mark Anthony Jones Jr. Friday, M ay 9, to (only) 40-60 years in prison after he was convicted of first-degree felony murder for the Nov. 16, 2010, fatal shooting and robbery of 
More than a month after a man was shot to death during an armed robbery at a southwest Atlanta apartment complex, police have identified two suspects they believe were involved in his death. And on Wednesday they announced they were searching for the men. Investigators have obtained warrants, charging Demetrius Fortson, 19, and Jeremy Southern, 24, with murder, according to Atlanta police. And they are asking for the public’s help in finding them. The shooting happened around 1:30 p.m. March 26 at the Windsor Square Townhomes at 3804 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. Investigators said 
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Knox County Grand Jury returned a True Bill Tuesday on three men, charging them with Felony Murder and Attempted Especially Aggravated Robbery. 
LANCASTER – A 26-year-old woman accused of driving her boyfriend to and from a robbery that turned into a homicide at a Lancaster computer store in 2012 has pleaded no contest. Jinea Ingram pleaded no contest Tuesday to one count of voluntary manslaughter, and she admitted the allegation of use of a firearm. As part of the negotiated settlement, the prosecutor will ask the judge to dismiss the remaining counts against Ingram in connection with the case – one count of murder and two counts of second degree robbery. Ingram now faces a total of 21 years in state prison; and she is expected to be sentenced after the trial of her co-defendant and one-time boyfriend, Timothy Jerode Johnson. The two were arrested in March of 2012 in connection with the death of Lancaster business owner 
OMAHA, Neb. — Anthony Vaughn went back-and-forth with prosecutors the morning his trial in a series of serial rapes was set to begin. In the end, the trial never happened. Vaughn instead struck a deal, changing his not guilty pleas to no contest pleas. Judge Mark Ashford found the 42-year-old guilty -- setting him up for nearly 140 years in prison. "He will be behind bars for the rest of his life," Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said of the deal. The bargain also meant Vaughn's victims wouldn't have to testify in court. Now, a new court filing shows Vaughn has had a change of heart. The convicted rapist wants the judge to throw out his no contest pleas. He made that intention clear in a letter dated May 2. 
CHARLESTON, SC - A 30-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for raping an 
Carlos Anderson was acquitted of charges he sexually abused
PHILADELPHIA — Mark Hampton, 50, is free on $25,000 bail, after police charged him with sexually assaulting a teacher at Strawberry Mansion High School back in December of last year, where he worked as a building engineer. Police allege Hampton grabbed and groped the teacher, before she broke free.
Area law enforcement continue to piece together an assault that happened on Wednesday in a busy south Fargo construction zone. Police say they believe the suspect, Obsa Ali Omer, has been posting "adult" ads on Craigslist in order to rob the people who respond to them. The 41-year-old man, who was cut in the assault, was apparently responding to the "adult" ad Omer posted on Craigslist. On Wednesday, the two were driving down 25th Street south in Fargo when Omer pulled a knife and badly cut the victim. Omer ran from police, but they found him at a nearby apartment complex about two hours later.
BALTIMORE –A horrifying scene inside an East Baltimore nail salon ends with an innocent worker being shot in the head and killed. That woman’s husband is now grappling with grief. 
A Philadelphia shopping complex, allegedly being terrorized by the protected preaching of Black Israelites, has resorted to the unusual hiring of DJs to drown out their bigoted cries. Nearly every Friday, around the same time the local Black Israelites gather, the Shops at Liberty Place have a competing mix ready to play over their boastful criticisms of whites, gays and women.
Within a day the Facebook post helped police identify the suspect as 31-year-old Andrew Bolden. This week a man claiming to be Bolden joined the conversation.
A man has been found guilty of all charges after throwing gasoline on one man and on a tent containing a woman, then setting both afire. A Cobb County jury took just 20 minutes late Thursday to convict Melvin George Hood, 54, of aggravated battery and aggravated assault charges. Hood was among homeless people who lived in a camp off Noonday Church Road in Kennesaw when, about 5:30 a.m. last August 21, he got mad at his best friend, 
A 19-year-old Newark man has been accused of beating a man with a tire iron in the course of committing a robbery in Jersey City, according to a criminal complaint. Melvin Q. Rouse, who appeared in Central Judicial Processing in Jersey City yesterday, acted in concert with juveniles in committing the robbery and is suspected of committing another robbery, according to sources. Rouse allegedly struck a
DAPHNE, Alabama — Two men have been identified as persons of interest in a Feb. 25 robbery at the home of a disabled military veteran, but there is not enough evidence to charge the men in the crime, an investigator said Tuesday. Among the reasons investigators believe Joseph "JoJo" Johnson, 35, and Melvin Safford, 30, are connected to the robbery are calls from "sources in the community pretty much just indicating that they were responsible," Daphne police Cpl. Jason Vannoy said. "We are still in the process of gathering evidence," Vannoy said. "We are not ready to file charges at this point but that could very well change in the future." 
YAZOO CITY, Miss. —Authorities have released surveillance photos of a person of interest in the shooting death of a Yazoo County scrap yard owner. 
DAYTON — An 18-year-old Dayton teenager has been sentenced to 25 years-to-life for the October 2013 murder of 
The victim of a "trolley rage" attack in a Marks & Spencer store has died, leaving the suspect in the incident facing a potential murder charge. 
PUYALLUP, Wash — Puyallup Police said Nathan Allen was arrested by Tacoma Police at a homeless shelter in Tacoma. “A citizen saw media coverage about Allen and alerted TPD to his location,” said Capt Scott Engle with Puyallup Police. Puyallup Police had issued two arrest warrants for Nathan Allen and were actively searching for him after the complaints surfaced from the teens. Police said the first incident happened Jan. 10 at a youth program at the YMCA. One of the victims, 
Baton Rouge police on Wednesday arrested a 34-year-old man accused in the aggravated rape of a 
LOSANTIVILLE, Ohio -- A Losantiville man is charged with raping a 
Sitting in the witness chair of a Jefferson Parish courtroom Thursday, the 
Six men were arrested Thursday for the alleged rape of
OXFORD, MS – On Thursday, Oxford Police Department investigators arrested Terence A. Slack, 51, on one charge of attempted sexual battery of a juvenile. Slack’s bond was set at $15,000.
SOMERVILLE, NJ — One person has been arrested and police are seeking two other suspects in connection with a sexual assault in February at a borough homeless shelter. Eric Smith, 22, of Somerville, has been charged with first-degree sexual assault. He is in the Somerset County Jail. The victim, a 22-year-old woman, told authorities she believed that she had been drugged prior to the assault. After having a drink with two of the men near midnight Feb. 23, the woman said she became dizzy and did not remember anything until she woke up at about 4:30 a.m. in freezing temperatures outside the shelter, which authorities have not named. She told police that she believed she had been raped, the affidavit said.
The three Oregon basketball players that faced allegations of sexual assault have been kicked off the basketball team, school officials announced at a news conference Friday. Damyean Dotson, Dominic Artis and Brandon Austin "will not be playing basketball at Oregon again," University president Michael Gottfredson said emphatically.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - Drivers got quite the surprise Thursday in northwest Harris County as a naked man stood in the middle of the street. It happened on Veterans Memorial at Antonie. Witnesses said the man started dancing and then slowly removed all of his clothes. Several bystanders stopped to capture the man on their cellphones. A group of people were eventually able to tackle the man and put him in a car.
TALLAHASSEE -- A man convicted of killing his estranged wife and her 5-year-old son is scheduled to die June 18 at Florida State Prison in Starke. Gov. Rick Scott signed a death warrant Friday for 63-year-old John R. Henry. Court records show that Henry went to 
CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Four people have been charged in connection with the death of a Clinton Township party store owner. Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith on Friday charged Clinton Rayshawn Grayson, 24, Darius Diaz Gaskin, 24, and Kenneth Hill, 26, with identical counts of felony murder, armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and felony firearm. A fourth suspect is in custody and will be charged with the same. 
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Watch the video closely as a Bennett High School teacher tries to break up a fight between female students. It happened last week inside the school as teacher 
The next time liberals get indignant when we say they care more about criminals than the victims of crime, remember their hysterical weeping over Clayton Lockett. I refer, of course, to the vile rapist-murderer, whose execution last week is getting more press than Chris Christie’s bridge scandal. 
HUEYTOWN, Alabama - The slaying of a retired Birmingham firefighter and two-tour Vietnam veteran gunned down during a break-in at his Hueytown home earlier this month was tragic and senseless, said those charged with solving the crime. "This case is not just an outrage for Mr. McKee's neighbors, or just for the citizens of Hueytown or even those in the Birmingham metro area,'' said Hueytown Police Chief Chuck Hagler. "It's the kind of offense that should evoke a reaction from all decent, hardworking people everywhere." Authorities on Friday announced capital murder charges against two men in the April 23 slaying of 66-year-old 
PITTSBURGH —The Allegheny County district attorney has notified the court that prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for an East Liberty man if he's found guilty of killing his female neighbors in East Liberty. Allen Wade, 43, is awaiting trial on homicide charges. Pittsburgh police say he is suspected of shooting 
Debe Castro
A western Pennsylvania boy who was just 14 when he fatally shot a woman who told him to ``get a job'' when he tried bum a cigarette from her boyfriend must spend 14 to 28 years in state prison. Marcus Velasquez, who is now 15, was sentenced Friday by a county judge. The Beaver Falls youth pleaded no contest to third-degree murder last month for the shooting that killed 22-year-old
When 