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Black teen pleads guilty to to kidnapping, carjacking - locking black woman, 89, in trunk for two days
 One of two teenage girls charged with forcing an elderly woman, Margaret. E. Smith, into a car's trunk and caging her there for nearly two days has pleaded guilty to three felony crimes. Junia McDonald, 15, of Milford pleaded guilty to first-degree carjacking, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree conspiracy to commit a felony, court records show. Prosecutors dropped a robbery charge and two other conspiracy counts as she entered the guilty pleas. A judge deferred sentencing her until September. McDonald and another young defendant, Jackeline Perez, 17, of Milford, were charged with kidnapping Smith after the now 90-year-old woman gave them a ride from a Milford convenience store around noon on March 18, 2013. Although Smith willingly let them in the car at first, police said, both girls allegedly stole her keys and shoved her into the trunk of her Buick, then commandeered the car for themselves. Two male defendants already have been found guilty of crimes for their roles in Smith's ordeal. Phillip L. Brewer, 18, of Bridgeville pleaded guilty to several counts early on and agreed to testify against his co-defendants. Another man, Rondaiges Harper, 18, of Bridgeville pleaded not guilty but was convicted of kidnapping, carjacking, and two counts of conspiracy by a jury after a trial this summer. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison on July 25, and is appealing the sentence. |
BEAVERCREEK, Ohio - Montgomery County Coroner's Office investigator Jim Fannin said Wednesday that John Crawford, 22, of Fairfield, was fatally shot at a Walmart in the Dayton suburb of Beavercreek. Beavercreek police said Crawford was shot around 8 p.m. after waving a rifle-type weapon around inside the store. Officers shot him after he failed to comply with verbal orders. He later died at a hospital. Authorities said Angela Williams, 37, of Fairborn, collapsed in the store as she ran from the shooting. She died due to a medical condition. - (Black-on-white)
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Huntsville Police have arrested a suspect in the year-old murder of two brothers at a local church. 
A Pleasantville man has been charged with murder in connection with a woman whose remains were found in a suitcase in a wooded area behind the former Shore Mall in Egg Harbor Township. Steven Stallworth, 27, who lives in Noah's Landing, was arrested Tuesday morning, Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain said. 
SALISBURY, Md. - Police say they have made an arrest in connection to fatal Salisbury home invasion, that happened in April. Maryland State Police say 35-year-old Paul Tatem, of Quantico, has been indicted and charged with first and second degree murder, two counts of armed robbery, two counts of robbery, two counts of first and second degree assault, attempted first and second degree murder, first degree burglary, theft between $1,000 and $10,000, two counts of wearing/carrying a dangerous weapon with intent to injure, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, and felon in possession of a firearm. The charges stem from an April 16th incident, where 
HORRY COUNTY, SC - The Horry County Solicitor's Office has announced the retrial date, regarding the death of a Myrtle Beach police officer.
The retrial of Luzenski Allen Cottrell, in the death of Officer 
OCALA, Fla. —A local woman is swindled out of her wallet when an apparent good Samaritan offered her a ride. 
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The man police say strangled a woman and spit on her body after dumping it along Plaster Creek on the city's Southeast Side pleaded guilty to the August, 2013 slaying.. Today's surprise plea by Demarco Marquis Carnegie comes the same day his jury trial for open murder and armed robbery was to begin in Kent County Circuit Court. The 28-year-old Kentwood man faces life in prison when sentenced September 3. Because of the guilty plea, prosecutors will drop an armed robbery charge Carnegie faced for a gas station hold-up. Carnegie admitted to killing 
SPANAWAY, Wash. -- Thanks to the persistence of the victim's family and a young witness, the man suspected of killing a Spanaway babysitter in 1993 was finally arrested Thursday in Florida. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office, 
A sleazy NYPD cop who allegedly offered to fast-track a female recruit’s job application in exchange for her panties, $1,000 and sex has been indicted on bribery charges. Delfin Lantigua, 34, allegedly contacted the NYPD applicant on Facebook in February, telling her he would expedite her hiring process — for a price. The woman, who contacted police, wore a wire when she met Lantigua, a nine-year officer, at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Brooklyn on March 11. During the meeting, Lantigua, who lives in Kensington, demanded sex from the woman, $1,000 and her panties, law enforcement sources said.
A man was ordered held Saturday on $250,000 bail after he was accused of sexually assaulting an underage female relative and threatened to kill her if she told anyone. Pollock Rush, 43, of the 7400 block of South Harvard Avenue, assaulted the girl three times when
An East Pennsboro Township man has been charged with rape, after police said he was accused of forcing himself on a young girl. Michael Angelo Dixon Jr., 29, of the 1300 block of Third Street, also is charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse by forcible compulsion, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of 
HOOVER, Alabama - U.S. Marshals and Hoover police captured a 19-year-old Lipscomb man suspected of breaking in to two homes in Hoover's Ross Bridge community while the residents were home. Elijah Robtez Gaines was taken into custody late Wednesday in the 6800 block of Grasselli Road in Fairfield. Gaines is already awaiting trials on unrelated charges of rape and receiving stolen property. Police said they suspect Gaines had at least one accomplice, and possibly more. They have not yet been arrested.
A northern New Jersey man charged with killing a high school cheerleader over an iPhone has pleaded not guilty to murder and other crimes. Andre Fields appeared Wednesday in state Superior Court in Newark. The 31-year-old Irvington resident is charged with killing 17-year-old 
Four people, including three from the Philadephia area, have been charged in connection with a scam that targeted elderly victims throughout the country to steal thousands of dollars in a "Grandparent Scam," Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane announced today. The scammers allegedly stole at least $162,600 and are accused of attempting to steal approximately $37,325 more. One victim alone, a woman from Texas, was allegedly defrauded out of $64,900, according to the attorney general's office. "Today, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania shut down a scam that's as sinister as it is pervasive," Kane said in a press release. Those charged today face two counts of corrupt organizations and one count each of criminal conspiracy, identity theft and theft by deception for their role in the scheme, and include: Spencer Compas, 29, of Philadelphia Witson Lavilette, 38, of Philadelphia; Johanne Wesh, 37, of Abington, Montgomery County Kens Wesh, 38, Brooklyn, New York 
EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, MO - A woman helped save her own life after she was brutally attacked inside her Excelsior Springs home. Court documents reveal that the woman woke up in her bed to an attacker stabbing her in the chest and shoulder. "With all of the cuts and blood, it is amazing that she did make it to the front door," neighbor Tammy Peach said. The attack started about 8 a.m. on March 10. "She has to live with that fear every day and see the scars on her face. Her children have to see that," Peach said. Newly released court documents detail how the woman fought her attacker for control of the weapon described as a hatchet or ax. The fight spilled out into the hallway. She tried to run through her kitchen to her front door. Police say Johnson continued to hit her with the weapon, tried to choke her out and bashed a glass bowl over her head. Once she managed to get near her front door, the 43-year-old woman gripped onto the outside of her house while she screamed for help. Police say 15-year-old Desmond L. Johnson yanked her by her hair to try to get her back inside. 
Philadelphia Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a man wanted in connection with a reported robbery and aggravated assault in Center City. Police say 47-year-old Kenneth Todd is wanted by the Special Victims Unit for his alleged involvement in a residential robbery and aggravated assault that occurred on July 25 on the 1300 block of Pine Street. Police say there is a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of Todd.
ATLANTIC CITY – An investigation by the New Jersey State Police Casino Gaming Bureau resulted in the arrest of five suspects in connection with an armed robbery at Caesars Hotel and Casino. The suspects, identified as Izyiah Plummer, 19, of Atlantic City, Dwayne Morgan, 20, of Pleasantville, Aaron Evans, 23, of Pleasantville, Monique Kelly, 19, of Pleasantville, and Lance Rogers, 20, of Atlantic City, were arrested over the past several days.
Myers Middle School teacher Lekeshia Jones was fired Wednesday on the grounds that her insubordination and cellphone irresponsibility resulted in students circulating nude photos of her. The Savannah-Chatham school board voted 8 to 1 to terminate Jones after district officials described the drama that ensued after Jones twice left her cellphone unattended in her classroom.
HOULTON, Maine -- U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a man Sunday along the Maine-Canadian border who allegedly committed crimes against humanity and violated the war crimes act. Agents from the Houlton Station responded to a citizen's report Sunday of a suspicious person walking near the international border in the Houlton area. While there, the Border Patrol said an agent found a man matching the citizen's denoscription. During questioning, the agent learned the man, 42-year-old 
TUCSON, Ariz. – A seventh suspect in the 2010 killing of a U.S. Border Patrol agent has been charged in the slaying that is at the center of a scandal over a botched U.S. gun-smuggling probe known as Operation Fast and Furious. Federal prosecutors say 30-year-old
The state has suspended the medical license of a northwestern Pennsylvania gynecologist who is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to fondling a patient and a woman who worked for him. The Bradford Era reports that 51-year-old Dr. 
KENTWOOD, Mich. — As he sat in court, charged with stabbing a 9-year-old boy to death at a playground, 12-year-old Jamarion Lawhorn looked more like an 8-year-old. He is tiny, but he wore shackles on his hands and feet, as his mom put her hand on his shoulder. On Tuesday, Lawhorn became the youngest person ever charged with murder in Kent County history, and among the youngest ever in Michigan. He’s charged with open murder for the death of 9-year-old 
The man shot to death in a home invasion in the Street area of northern Harford County early Monday was robbed of money during a struggle with three men, the Harford County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday. 
MINNEAPOLIS — The chilling kidnapping and robbery of a young woman in Minneapolis was captured on high-definition surveillance cameras. It happened early last Tuesday morning in south Minneapolis. In the video, you can see a woman walking with two of the suspects down Lyndale Avenue. Look closely, and you can see she is in a headlock. The taller suspect is carrying her purse, and a closeup shows he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handgun. At the moment we first see the 
KANSAS CITY, MO - A group of strangers stepped in when they saw a child left in a hot car while the child's mother shopped and now the mother has been charged with second-degree child endangerment, a misdemeanor. One woman who didn't want to be identified said she and others spotted the little girl in the car and, when they couldn't tell if the child was sleeping or unconscious, she and others sprang into action. A report from the Kansas City, MO, Police Department said officers were called to the Game Stop, located just southeast of Interstate 29 and Missouri Route 152, about 7 p.m. Monday. When they got to the area, police were called to the nearby Chipotle where they were told people were fighting. Tiquana S. Pasco, 29, was found yelling near the front door that someone had her daughter, but police say she was belligerent and didn't follow orders from them. When the witnesses walked back into Chipotle, they said Pasco followed them and pushed and hit Welch who got between her and the woman holding her little girl, demanding that they return her. Pasco also punched 
PALM BEACH GARDENS — 
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A police officer and his wife were arrested Wednesday on sex charges, and the officer has been placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of the case. Officer Reginald K. Harris, 42, of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department here was arrested on nine sex charges — three counts of first-degree sex offense, three counts of indecent liberties with a minor and three counts of crimes against nature — police said. Dia Harris, 40, of Charlotte faces 12 charges: three counts of felony child abuse, three counts of indecent liberties with a minor, three counts of crime against nature and three counts of first-degree sex offense. He and his wife were booked into Mecklenburg County Jail.
The San Leandro Police Department is seeking the public’s help in apprehending a man suspected of sexually assaulting a young girl at an apartment complex pool over the weekend. The victim was with her family at the Lakeside Village Apartment Complex pool on the 3000 block of Waterfall Way about 4:30 p.m. Saturday when she went to use a recreation center bathroom, police said. The man didn’t live at the complex, police said, and may have been visiting a resident or could have followed someone through a locked door. He attacked the girl in the bathroom, but fled before police arrived.
A plucky 
A South Corning man is facing charges after police say he exposed himself and masturbated in Denison Park. City police say Ruben L. Bailey Jr., 33, of 25 Tuxill Ave., is charged with two counts of public lewdness, a misdemeanor. On July 13, according to police, a citizen alerted officers that they had observed a man masturbating near the pedestrian tunnel by the pool in Denison Park. Officers investigated but no suspect was located. At approximately 10 a.m. Saturday, a 911 caller reported a man exposing himself and masturbating in the same location. Witness reports from both incidents led to the arrest of Bailey on Wednesday morning. 
FT LAUDERDALE – Forensic evidence has reportedly linked a man to the rape of a woman in Hollywood eight years ago. DNA has reportedly linked 27-year old Anthony Samuel to the gang rape of a woman in 2006. Samuel appeared in bond court Wednesday on a charge of sexual battery. Bond was set at $7,500.00. Samuel’s wife attended the proceeding. 
Orangeburg, SC -- Orangeburg County deputies have arrested a man they say killed his former employer last Saturday. Terrance Gerome Davis, 37, was arrested on Monday in the death of 65- year-old 
UPPER DARBY — The township man sought by police in connection with his girlfriend’s death last week is behind bars in Florida after turning up at a Jacksonville police station in the dead woman’s car. Deschae Lowry, 38, of the 7000 block of Emerson Avenue, is being held on charges of driving under the influence in Jacksonville, Fla. According to Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood, Lowry drove up to the police station in Florida covered in blood Sunday morning. Lowry’s on-again, off-again girlfriend, 
TAMPA, FL - The jury has recommended life in prison with no possibility of parole for Richard McTear. The verdict was handed down nearly two hours after deliberations began in the penalty phase of the murder trial. Plenty of drama filled a Tampa courtroom on Tuesday during the penalty phase of McTear's murder trial as defense attorneys argued to save their client's life and keep him off death row. Before court even started,
READING, Pa. – Officials in Berks County say an employee at a school in Reading has been accused of physically assaulting a student and his co-worker accused of trying to cover up the incident. On Apr. 24, 2014, the
DEERFIELD BEACH — The Broward Sheriff’s Office said they’ve arrested a suspected thief who took two young children with him during his crime. BSO said AJ Bryant faces a total of six charges including two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a child. Investigators said Bryant and his two teenage nephews, ages 16 and 15, stole appliances from two vacant homes in Deerfield Beach on Monday morning. But BSO said the trio didn’t know a witness was watching the crime unfold.
HENRICO COUNTY, Va. - A Chesterfield woman is facing charges after posting nude pictures of another female online. Crystal Cherry is facing six misdemeanor charges for dissemination of an image. Henrico Police say that they took a report on July 17 from the adult female victim who advised that a female acquaintance (Cherry) had posted inappropriate pictures of her on social media. This case is particularly interesting because of the recently enacted Revenge Porn law, which went into effect on the first of July - only two days before Crystal Cherry posted the incriminating photos. Criminal charges would not have been filed had Cherry posted before the new law took effect.
An architect arrested for plotting to shoot up a high-end Soho design firm says his married ex-lover made up the whole story so he wouldn’t tell her husband about their tryst. 
RALEIGH, WAKE COUNTY - A man has pleaded guilty to murdering a sheriff's deputy who also served as a deputy U.S. marshal. Lamont Deshawn Byrd (pictured left), 21, pleaded guilty Monday in Raleigh to one count of first-degree murder of an officer of the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Thomas G. Walker. Byrd killed 
The 17-year-old suspect in a fatal shooting in Stuttgart pleaded not guilty Monday. Arthur L. Hicks Jr. of Stuttgart was led into the Arkansas County Circuit Court courtroom in Stuttgart shortly after 1 p.m. Monday shackled at the feet and in handcuffs. He walked in with two other inmates with Hicks the only prisoner wearing the blue Arkansas County Juvenile Detention Center issued clothing. Hicks will be tried as an adult. Hicks is charged with capital murder. The original charge of first-degree battery was no longer relevant after shooting victim
KANSAS CITY, MO - Authorities are investigating after thieves toting a shotgun robbed a group of park patrons. "I cannot believe that something like this would happen here," 
A mother said police initially refused to investigate a man who she says is sending creepy texts to her son. 
KINSTON - An employee of the Lenoir County Boys and Girls Club who is also a minister of a New Bern church has been arrested for sex crimes with a child. Telas Ray Staten, 39, of 606 Mitchell St., Kinston, was taken into custody Monday night by the Kinston Department of Public Safety and charged with three felony counts of statutory sexual offense, indecent liberties with a child and crimes against nature. The KDPS arrest report revealed the 
An alleged serial rapist, who reportedly mocked one victim by saying he gave her the sexually transmitted disease HIV, is off the streets of Philadelphia. Ian Gabriel, 23, has been linked to four alleged assaults over the past three years, police say. He was arrested on July 9 after police say he raped a juvenile at an Oxford Circle barber shop, where he was employed part-time, two days before. Following his arrest, Special Victims Unit detectives ran Gabriel's DNA through a database where it was a match for two rapes in 2012, officials said. The first happened on Feb. 15, 2012 in the Kensington section of the city. Then, about six months later in nearby Frankford, police say Gabriel struck again. In that case, detectives say the man beat the female victim in the head and face. The injuries were so severe, detectives at the time said she was almost unrecognizable. He then ended the alleged assault by taunting her saying "Ha-ha, I just gave you HIV," according to police. 
FREMONT, Calif. — A suspect believed to be the masked man who broke into a Fremont home Sunday, bound a mother and daughter and robbed them at gunpoint while sexually assaulting the mother was arrested shortly after the crime, Fremont police said. Jamala Morris, 34, was arrested at about 10:45 a.m. Sunday. Police said that evidence linking him to the crimes was found inside his Fremont home and that he admitted his involvement to investigators. He is believed to have been the masked man armed with a short-barreled shotgun who hid inside a woman's bedroom in the 41200 block of Paseo Padre Parkway early Sunday morning. When that woman came home with her mother, she went into her bedroom and Morris allegedly assaulted her and used duct tape to bind her hands behind her back and cover her mouth, police said. Her mother heard her struggling and came into the room, and Morris allegedly threatened the mother with the shotgun and bound her as well, police said. The suspect took the mother to a different room, sexually assaulted her and demanded money, police said.
A woman visiting Galveston over the weekend said she was kidnapped by a man she met at the popular Poop Deck bar. The victim told police the suspect agreed to give her ride to her hotel Sunday night after they left the bar. She said she began to fear for her safety after he allegedly made sexual advances toward her and refused to let her out of the car. "She continued to ask him to stop the car, let her out of the vehicle, said Sgt. Joshua Schirard with the Galveston Police Department. " He refused to do so and he continued to head out west." As he drove more than 20 miles away from the hotel toward the West End, the woman managed to jump out of the car and run to a house on Intrepid Lane.The woman identified Eric Veazie-Gilmore, 32, as the man who kidnapped her.
A Level 3 sex offender with numerous aliases and an enormous rap sheet is accused of brutally raping
Transit police arrested a Level 2 sex offender Monday after the man allegedly tried to enter Ruggles station without paying a fare. Transit Police said Willie Butler, 53, of Boston tried to evade paying a fare by following, or “piggybacking,” behind a paying patron at about 5:45 p.m. Monday. As officers issued Butler a citation, they discovered his sex offender status. The officers also discovered that he had a warrant for his arrest issued by Stoughton District Court for failing to register as a sex offender. Butler was arrested and taken into custody.
PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. - A Putnam County man accused of exposing himself to women is now behind bars. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said it arrested 26-year-old Deveon Brown for violation of probation after he exposed himself to multiple females over a period of several days. Brown was previously arrested for similar incidents in 2007, 2010 and 2011.
LONG NECK, Del. – Two suspects — one who is still wanted — reportedly broke into the Delaware home of an acquaintance and assaulted the woman before slapping her child across the face, police say. The home invasion happened on Friday, July 11th around 10 p.m., when Erica Jones, 23, and Niesha N. Bland, 20, broke into the residence brandishing a large pipe. The two women are then accused of tackling the 32-year-old female resident of the home and assaulting her. Before leaving the house, the suspects allegedly slapped the victim’s two-year-old son across the face and then used the pipe to smash the front windshield of a 56-year-old male’s car.
SHREVEPORT, LA - Thanks to a tip to Crime Stoppers one of three men wanted for allegedly attacking and robbing a man in a hotel parking lot is now behind bars. Isaiah Childs, 17 of the 6500 block of Clift Avenue in Shreveport, was arrested by Shreveport police on Monday. He's charged with one count of second degree robbery.
NEWTON 
After Odom’s appearance, Sharman Odom’s mother tried to knock the microphones out of the hands of a Channel 9 reporter and assaulted two photographers, the station reported. The Channel 9 reporter and photographer were not injured, but another photographer received a cut on his face, WSOC-TV reported. Newton police said Odom’s mother will face three assault charges, according to Channel 9. 
NEWARK, N.J. – A double-murder suspect from Washington state and two teenagers have been charged in the fatal shooting of a college student in West Orange. Essex County prosecutors announced Monday that 29-year-old Ali Muhammad Brown, of Seattle, and two West Orange men — 19-year-old Jeremy Villagran and 18-year-old Eric Williams — were charged in the death of 19-year-old 
TYLER -- Smith County prosecutors announced Monday that they were close to resolving a four defendant capital murder case. Michael Browning, Lawrence Murphy, Jr., Darian Pilkinton and Broderick Smith are all accused of killing 26-year-old 
PARSONS, KS - The bodies of a mother and her three children were found slain inside their Parsons home Tuesday, and a suspect has been captured after a manhunt for him. David Cornell Bennett Jr., 22, of Cherryvale, KS, was taken into custody 
Stafford police arrested one person in the fatal shooting of a Fort Bend County businessman at a poker game and are continuing to search for others. On Thursday, they announced the capture of Eric Norris, 25, as the prime suspect in the July 17 slaying of 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - One person has been arrested and another is on the loose after a bank robbery in south Nashville and a carjacking at a gas station. Authorities are looking for 26-year-old convicted felon, Kershawn Globe. Officials said at 11:20 a.m. Saturday morning he walked into the Fifth Third Bank on 47 East Thompson Lane. He was reportedly wearing a mask and carrying a gun when he told a teller to put money in a pillowcase. He then fled the scene. Officers used K-9 units to track him to an address on Elissa Drive, but Globe took off on foot. After searching the home, officials found the stolen money and a nine millimeter pistol. At 12:05 p.m., Globe went to the Shell Gas Station on 1631 Elm Hill Pike where he reportedly carjacked 
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The man accused in the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old in Kalamazoo last week has been formally charged, and another man also faces charges in connection to the incident. DaQuan Pritchett, 18, was arraigned Monday afternoon on open murder and weapons charges in the homicide of 
DALLAS – Dallas Police are looking for a suspect in connection with a July 9, 2014 murder. A capital murder warrant has been issued for Romon Mitchell Jr. Mitchell is suspected to be involved with 
HARTFORD, Conn. — A man cleared of murder and rape charges after being locked up for two decades made an emotional appeal for millions of dollars in compensation on Tuesday, telling the state claims commissioner about the fear he endured in prison. 
For the second time in nine months, a federal judge in New Jersey has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the state's ban on gay conversion therapy. The ruling filed Thursday by U.S. District Judge Freda Wolfson rejected the claims of a New Jersey couple who said their constitutional rights were being violated because the law prevents them from seeking treatment for their 
