Crime

The Mississippi Sun-Herald reports: A computer software developer and “Media Ministry” member at a Mississippi Coast church faces federal charges for distributing and possessing child pornography, court papers say. Cameron “Cam” Cotrill, 66, of Vancleave, is jailed without bond pending trial in January. Federal authorities allege he had accessed 9,900 sexually explicit images of children engaged in sex acts on …

Law & Crime reports: A Pennsylvania mother of eight known as “Bullhorn Lady” since she was identified as a window-smasher and boastful obstructionist at the tip of the pro-Trump mob’s spear on Jan. 6, falsely believing her preferred candidate won the 2020 election, has been sentenced to serve over four years in prison for numerous crimes. Rachel Marie Powell, now …

The Hill reports: Anti-LGBTQ hate crimes rose sharply in 2022, jumping more than 19 percent over 2021, according to the FBI’s annual crime report released Monday. Hate crimes targeting LGBTQ people were up significantly compared with 2021, with 622 reported single-bias, anti-LGBTQ hate crimes. Hate crimes motivated by an anti-transgender bias rose more than 35 percent year over year, reaching …

Omaha’s NBC affiliate reports: An employee with a company that assists authorities in transporting dead bodies was arrested — and fired — after he allegedly tampered with one such scene last week. Ryan Smith, 41, was arrested Friday and is facing charges of burglary, criminal trespassing, and tampering with physical evidence. Smith had contacted the property manager saying the Sarpy …

Chicago’s ABC affiliate reports: The 6-year-old suburban boy stabbed to death in an apparent hate crime over the weekend will be laid to rest Monday, in Muslim tradition. Joseph Czuba stabbed Wadea Al-Fayoume and his mother in unincorporated Plainfield Saturday morning because they are Muslim, the Will County Sheriff’s Office said on Sunday. Late Sunday, the Chicago FBI Field Office, …

Gainesville’s CBS affiliate reports: Federal prosecutors say former state Rep. Joe Harding betrayed the “public’s trust” and should be sent to prison. Harding’s employers and one of his brothers paint a picture of a hard-working family man who regrets fraudulently applying for business loans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor is poised to decide Harding’s punishment …

Ars Technica reports: This month, more than three dozen victims allegedly terrorized by stalkers using Apple AirTags have joined a class-action lawsuit filed in a California court last December against Apple. They alleged in an amended complaint that, partly due to Apple’s negligence, AirTags have become “one of the most dangerous and frightening technologies employed by stalkers” because they can …

The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat reports: A priest who was placed on leave by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown in 2017 due to a claim of abusing a minor being made against him was arrested on child pornography charges earlier this week. The Rev. Anthony Petracca Jr., 67, from Allegheny Township, Blair County, faces 31 felony counts of possession of child …

Manchester’s ABC affiliate reports: The former pastor of a Nashua church is on his way to prison after pleading guilty Thursday to the manufacture and possession of child sex abuse images. Stephen Bates, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of the manufacture of child sex abuse images and 10 counts of possession of such images. Bates was pastor at the …

CNN reports: Federal prosecutors have announced additional charges against New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife, alleging they conspired to have a public official act as a foreign agent. A superseding indictment was filed Thursday. Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, were indicted last month on corruption-related offenses, and are accused of accepting “hundreds of thousands of …

The Beaverton Valley Times reports: A Beaverton pastor was jailed last week after being accused of inappropriately touching two young girls who were members of his congregation. A Washington County grand jury indicted Christopher Michael Pruitt, 39, of Beaverton on six counts of first-degree sexual abuse and two counts of third-degree sexual abuse Wednesday, Oct. 11. Pruitt allegedly touched two …

Utah’s Cache Valley Daily reports: A 46-year-old Lewiston man has been arrested for downloading child pornography over the internet for years, according to law enforcement. Kent Daniel Prestwich was booked Tuesday, Oct. 10, into the Cache County Jail after state agents served a warrant to his home. According to arrest documents, Prestwich allegedly told investigators he had been viewing child …

Indiana’s Lebanon Reporter reports: A Lebanon man is scheduled for trial in December after his arrest on a charge of possession of child pornography. The tip included an email address and user name, “MartianMassacre Productions,” for an internet user who stored an image of a pre-pubescent girl engaged in intercourse with an adult male, according to a probable cause affidavit …

From the Justice Department: A Washington man was sentenced today in federal court for committing a hate crime in connection with an arson at a nightclub and event space in Seattle, Washington. Kalvinn Garcia, 26, of Sedro Woolley, was sentenced to 48 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his bias-motivated arson at Queer/Bar, a nightclub …

The Indianapolis Star reports: A former English teacher and volleyball coach at Fishers Christian Academy was arrested on Friday and is accused of sexual misconduct with a student, according to court records. Stephen Ayon, 34, is facing three counts of sexual misconduct with a minor, three counts of child seduction and one count of dissemination of matter harmful to minors. …

The Pensacola News-Journal reports: The former Calvary Baptist Church youth director arrested for hiding a camera in the church bathroom to record people and possessing child pornography was sentenced to 50 years in state prison Friday after taking a plea agreement. David Nims, 40, was charged with 25 counts of child pornography possession and 16 counts of video voyeurism, and …

Atlanta First News reports: A Milton private school teacher was arrested after a 12-year-old girl was inappropriately touched at a Walmart in August, according to the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office. Kyle George, 43, was arrested and charged with sexual battery against a child under 16, the sheriff’s office said. According to booking reports, George was booked on Sept. 25 and was …

Miami’s NBC affiliate reports: A Florida man and his three adult sons were sentenced Friday for selling a toxic industrial bleach as a fake COVID-19 cure through their online church. A federal judge in Miami sentenced Jonathan Grenon, 37, and Jordan Grenon, 29, to 12 years and seven months in prison, while Mark Grenon, 66, and Joseph Grenon, 36, each …

The Washington Post reports: A man who joined a nightly performance of the national anthem inside the D.C. jail that has been promoted by former president Donald Trump and his allies was sentenced to seven years in prison for assaulting police and obstructing Congress on Jan. 6. Shane Jenkins, 46, acknowledged in D.C. federal court that he had an “extensive” …

West Palm Beach’s CBS affiliate reports: Michael Dolce, an attorney from West Palm Beach who fought for child sexual abuse victims, pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to possession of child pornography. Prosecutors say when he was arrested in March, he had nearly 1,997 images and five videos of child sexual abuse materials on his laptop. He faces a possible …