Crime

NBC News reports: A California doctor and a drug dealer known as the “ketamine queen” have been charged in a connection with the accidental overdose death of actor Matthew Perry, according to a superseding indictment unsealed Thursday. Perry, 54, was found face down in the heated end of a pool at his Pacific Palisades home on Oct. 28, 2023. The …

Charlotte’s NBC affiliate reports: A local religious leader is facing charges for not reporting crimes against children. The Stanly County Sheriff’s Office says an investigation began on May 30 for a string of sexual assault allegations involving minors that spanned over several years. Kenny Parker, the pastor of Straitway Baptist Church in Albemarle, was charged for three counts of failing …

The Daily Mail reports: An Ohio restaurateur who drew headlines after announcing a boycott of the Olympics over its controversial Last Supper recreation is now facing a string of serious criminal charges. Bobby George, 43, turned himself in this week on charges of attempted murder, kidnapping, strangulation, assault and rape in relation to the alleged abuse of a woman between …

Axios reports: New preliminary data from major U.S. cities shows a sharp drop in violent crime in the first half of the year — more than 25% in some communities — as the COVID-era crime wave recedes. he drop in violent crime puts a serious dent in one of the most frequently used lines of attack by former President Trump …

CBS News reports: The leader of a Kenyan starvation sect went on trial on Monday for manslaughter over the deaths of more than 400 of his followers in one of the world’s worst cult-related tragedies. Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and dozens of other suspects pleaded not guilty in January to multiple counts of manslaughter, one of several cases against …

The Roys Report reports: A pastor who led a “generation of youth” in Virginia has been charged with 19 counts of sexual abuse, including 10 counts of forcible sodomy and eight counts of indecent liberties with a child while in a custodial role. David Lawrence Schneider, of Farnham, Virginia was also charged on Aug. 9 with aggravated sexual battery, according …

From the Justice Department: Today, Kenneth Pinkney, 47, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. was sentenced to 37 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, by U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman, after having previously pled guilty for his assault on a federal employee, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(a) and (b) which included a hate …

Atlanta’s Fox affiliate reports: Georgia House Rep. Devan Seabaugh was taken into custody Thursday night, Georgia State Patrol said, by DUI Task Force troopers after he struck a cyclist in the bike lane on Memorial Drive in Atlanta. State Rep. Seabaugh, a Republican who represents parts of Cobb County, was taken to Atlanta City Jail and turned over to booking …

The Detroit News reports: The office of U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin said she was targeted in a “swatting” hoax Thursday evening in which police were sent to her Holly Township home in response to a false crime report. Michigan State Police responded to Slotkin’s home after a “false threat” that was emailed to a local elected official, though Slotkin was …

Courthouse News reports: A Colorado judge on Thursday denied a motion for judgment of acquittal filed by Tina Peters, the former Mesa County clerk and recorder facing criminal charges related to a 2021 voting machine data leak. Following seven days of witness testimony from state and Mesa County elections administrators, as well as an employee of Dominion Voting Systems, and …

From the Justice Department: Yesterday, U.S. District Judge David S. Leibowitz sentenced Michael Shapiro, 73, to 24 months in prison during a hearing in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for leaving three voicemail messages threatening to kill a member of Congress and the Congressperson’s children. According to court records, on Dec. 19, 2023, Shapiro called and left five voicemail messages at a …

The Associated Press reports: A high-profile former North Dakota lawmaker who was one of the most powerful members of the Legislature pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to a charge that he traveled to Europe with the intent to pay for sex with a minor. Ray Holmberg, 80, of Grand Forks, was indicted in October 2023 for travel with intent …

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports: A man who was studying to become a Catholic priest at a Mount Washington seminary has admitted possessing multiple images and videos of children being sexually abused. Broderick Witt, a former seminarian at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and School of Theology, pleaded guilty Thursday to eight counts of possessing child sexually abusive material. The images and …

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: Montgomery County Court Judge Thomas Branca told the Rev. Mark Hatcher that two versions of the North Philadelphia pastor had been presented in his courtroom Thursday. One was an active, beloved community leader who helped countless people through his ministry at Holy Ghost Headquarters Revivalist Center. The other was a serial predator who used that authority …

CBS News reports: A Twin Cities day care worker is accused of taking nude photographs of some of the young children in his care. Wednesday, prosecutors charged 39-year-old Eric Allen with having pornography on his computer and phone. Allen worked at Mount Carmel Child Care Center in northeast Minneapolis. The day care center is part of Mount Carmel Lutheran Church. …

ABC News reports: A Nevada man awaiting trial for charges stemming from his alleged participation in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol was taken into custody this week for a series of threatening statements prosecutors say he made targeting public officials, including Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Attorney General Merrick Garland. One post that concerned prosecutors …

Jackson’s ABC affiliate reports: A Meridian Police Department officer has been arrested on a charge of statutory rape involving a 12-year-old girl in Kemper County. Lt. Kevin Michael Boyd surrendered at the Kemper County Sheriff’s Department Tuesday in connection to the charge, which was based on a complaint filed with Child Protective Service May 16. According to the Meridian Police …

From the Justice Department: Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, a complaint was unsealed charging Asif Merchant, also known as “Asif Raza Merchant,” 46, with murder-for-hire as part of a scheme to assassinate a politician or U.S. government officials on U.S. soil. Law enforcement foiled the charged plot before any attack could be carried out. Merchant is in federal …

Miami’s ABC News affiliate reports: A local political candidate slapped one teenager and choked another in public at a restaurant Sunday in Miami-Dade Count and it was all caught on camera, according to police. George Bardmesser is a Russian-American attorney who is campaigning for Sunny Isles Beach commissioner. Police officers responded and handcuffed Bardness, 59, who wore a shirt promoting …

The Arizona Republic reports: Charges have been dropped against one of the defendants in Arizona’s so-called “fake electors” case in exchange for cooperation in the case, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office announced on Monday. Jenna Ellis signed the agreement on Monday morning. “This agreement represents a significant step forward in our case,” Attorney General Mayess said in an emailed statement. …