Crime

From the Justice Department: An Indiana man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges related to his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election. Gregory …

The Akron Beacon-Journal reports: State Rep. Bob Young announced his resignation from the Ohio House on Friday as he faces allegations of domestic violence and violating a restraining order. In a letter to House Speaker Jason Stephens, the Republican from Green said the charges against him have become a distraction. Young, who first took office in January 2021, said he …

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: A self-styled dating coach and influencer from South Jersey blamed his pursuit of social media fame for the role he played in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol as he was sentenced to four years in federal prison Friday. Patrick Stedman, 35, of Haddonfield, apologized for his actions that day, his livestream videos of …

Columbia’s CBS affiliate reports: Authorities say a former Sumter County church deacon has been arrested after allegedly sharing an obscene photograph with a church youth group member. The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said 77-year-old Maxell Navar Bohn II of Sumter was charged with disseminating obscene material to a person under 18. The charge stems from an incident that the victim’s …

Pueblo’s NBC affiliate reports: An arrest was made of Jonathan Shaheen, a former Colorado Springs church pastor and music teacher, on the charge of sexual exploitation of a child by the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD), Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit on Thursday. The CSPD ICAC unit was contacted on Wednesday by the Colorado Springs FBI office with information …

The Guardian reports: A retired Catholic priest from New Orleans who years ago secretly admitted to church leaders that he sexually molested or harassed numerous children is now facing criminal charges. State prosecutors in New Orleans obtained an indictment charging Lawrence Hecker, 91, on Thursday with aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated crime against nature and theft. The crime allegedly occurred …

CNN reports: One of the fake electors put forward by Republicans in Michigan said in December 2020 that the plan to use a slate of fake electors to help Donald Trump win their state came together following conversations with “some very incredible constitutional attorneys” from the Trump campaign. In a December 2020 radio interview reviewed by CNN’s KFile, Meshawn Maddock, …

The Rome News-Tribune reports: The former youth minister of a Floyd County church faces up to 40 years in prison after entering a guilty plea to child molestation charges on Tuesday. When Austin Wray Perkins was arrested on March 9, 2022, as part of a sting targeting child pornography, a release from the Floyd County Police Department stated that he …

The Wausau Pilot & Review reports: A pastor at a former downtown Wausau church convicted of repeatedly assaulting a young girl beginning when she was 10 years old will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. Delfino R. O’Day-Figueroa was convicted by a jury in July following a three-day trial. Jurors deliberated for about …

Washington DC’s NBC affiliate reports: A former Maryland official was arrested last week and accused of sexual solicitation of a minor in Anne Arundel County, authorities said. The suspect, 65-year-old Luis Esteban Borunda, served as Maryland Deputy Secretary of State for eight years under Gov. Larry Hogan’s administration. Investigators said Borunda began chatting online with a special agent with the …

Huntsville’s NBC affiliate reports: House District 10 Representative David Cole (R-Huntsville) has resigned and signed a plea agreement following his arrest for voting fraud. According to Gov. Kay Ivey’s office, the District 10 seat will remain vacant until a future special election can be scheduled. That date is unknown at this time. Cole was charged with fraud-voting at multiple or …

The New York Post reports: A one-time aide to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was arrested this month for allegedly paying for a photo of a 6-year-old girl being sexually abused. Kevin Tomafsky, 41, was nabbed Aug. 15 after a grand jury indicted him in July on multiple child sexual abuse charges. Tomafsky had been under investigation since October …

The Syracuse Post-Standard reports: A priest in the Syracuse Catholic Diocese has been charged with forcibly touching a minor over several years, deputies said. Rev. Nathan Brooks, 36, of LaFayette, is accused of touching the minor between 2019 and 2021 in the town of Homer and in the city of Cortland. Brooks is an administrator at the Church of the …

Gainesville’s ABC affiliate reports: With a sentencing hearing scheduled Sept. 11, federal prosecutors said in a court filing Thursday that former state Rep. Joe Harding, R-Ocala, should be sent to prison for fraudulently applying for business loans during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Joseph Harding is a businessman and former member of the Florida House of Representatives,” the filing said. “As he …

Posted to the Family Research Council’s website: Pro-lifers are fighting to stay out of jail after being convicted of federal crimes by a Washington, D.C. jury. Five pro-life activists with the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU) organization were convicted Tuesday of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and were immediately jailed. Lauren Handy, John Hinshaw, Heather Idoni, …

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports: More than three years after filing for bankruptcy protection amid mounting claims of child sex abuse by local clergy, the Archdiocese of New Orleans is preparing to sell off seven properties — including the shuttered Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, the St. Jude Community Center and the Catholic Bookstore Uptown — as a way to …

From the Justice Department: A Texas man pleaded guilty today in the Northern District of Georgia to posting a message online threatening several Georgia public officials following the 2020 election. According to court documents, around Jan. 5, 2021, Chad Christopher Stark, 55, of Leander, posted a message to Craigslist entitled, “Georgia Patriots it’s time to kill [Official A] the Chinese …

From the 1: On August 31, 2023, Cory J. Herthel (age: 40) of Green Bay, Wisconsin, pled guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251(a). Herthel will receive a federal prison sentence of at least 15 years when he is sentenced on December 4, 2023. He will also be required …

NPR reports: Theodore McCarrick was once a cardinal – one of the highest-ranking positions in the Roman Catholic Church. He was also the archbishop of Washington, D.C. And he’s the only current or former U.S. cardinal to ever face sex abuse charges. But now a judge in Massachusetts has dismissed a criminal case against McCarrick stemming from the alleged molestation …

Mobile’s NBC affiliate reports: Allan Kyle Jones, 48, was booked into he Baldwin County Corrections Center on Tuesday on 4 charges of possession of Child Pornography. Jones is listed as the Pastor of Lifeway Community Church in Loxley on the churches website, having come to the church in 2015. Jail records indicate that Jones posted $60,000 in bond, $15,000 on …