Crime

The Raleigh News & Observer reports: The FBI is asking for the public’s help to find a suspect in a shooting of an electrical substation in Randolph County in mid-January, a month after a shooting in Moore County left tens of thousands without power for days. “In the early morning hours of January 17,” the FBI said, “unknown suspect(s) fired …

The Idaho Statesman reports: Ammon Bundy has been convicted of trespassing — again. But this time, Bundy, a far-right leader who unsuccessfully ran for governor, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor trespassing at St. Luke’s Meridian Medical Center as part of a plea agreement instead of going to trial. He’s previously gone to trial twice for trespassing charges in 2021 and 2022. …

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: A Roman Catholic priest and former confidant of the royal family of Monaco was sentenced Monday to more than three years in prison for accessing a trove of thousands of pornographic images of children. The Rev. William McCandless first came to to the attention of U.S. authorities after a stash of illicit photos and videos was …

The Associated Press reports: A gunman killed seven people at two agricultural businesses in Northern California, plunging the state into mourning again in the wake of its third mass killing in eight days. Officers arrested a suspect in Monday’s shootings, 67-year-old Chunli Zhao, after they found him in his car in the parking lot of a sheriff’s substation, San Mateo …

Youngstown’s CBS affiliate reports: A local pastor received his sentence Monday after being picked up in an undercover sex sting last year. Aaron Newell, 49, of Youngstown, reached a plea deal with prosecutors. According to court records, he will serve no jail time but will be on probation for two years. He was also ordered to perform community service and …

NBC News reports: The suspect in the Monterey Park shooting who fled the scene and remains at large has been preliminarily described as an Asian male, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference Sunday morning. “Our very preliminary description has been described as a male Asian,” Luna said. “We’ve gotten different descriptions of one suspect, so …

Fox News reports: The principal of a Christian school in Tennessee, who was arrested last year on accusations of sexual activity with a minor, has been indicted on 11 additional charges. Liberty Christian School principal Jason Kennedy, 47, was already facing charges in connection with his alleged sexual activity with an underage girl. He was charged in August with two …

Tri City News reports: A former youth pastor, therapist and counselor who worked for churches in Coquitlam and Vancouver walked out of a court prisoner’s box today to be handcuffed and led to jail. On Friday (Jan. 20), BC Supreme Court Justice Paul W. Riley imposed a sentence of 12 years and 11 months against Raymond Gaglardi; however, it was …

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports: Forty-six men who included a high school football coach, a youth pastor and a director of operations at a hospital were recently arrested during a multi-agency operation targeting the demand for commercial sex in North Texas, a federal agency announced on Friday. The names of the suspects were not released by federal authorities. The joint …

Milwaukee’s CBS affiliate reports: A former Catholic school teacher was sentenced Thursday, Jan. 19 for sexually assaulting children. Kevin Buelow will spend six years and six months behind bars. Buelow was accused of touching at least three girls inappropriately while he was teaching at Holy Apostles Elementary School in New Berlin. He was found guilty of fourth-degree sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault …

The Guardian reports: A financial fraudster who lured students at an elite New York liberal arts college into a cult-like world of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse was sentenced on Friday to 60 years in federal prison. Larry Ray, born Lawrence Grecco, was found guilty in April of sex trafficking and racketeering, among other related charges, stemming from the psychological …

Bloomberg News reports: The former head of the union representing New York City police sergeants admitted he claimed hundreds of thousands of dollars in phony expenses. Edward D. Mullins, 61, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of wire fraud in Manhattan federal court. He said he submitted hundreds of fake expense reports to a Sergeants Benevolent Association fund to cover …

Click Orlando reports: A pair of Orlando businesses that cater to the LGBTQ community were targeted by a vandal who shattered several windows before running away. According to police, a man was caught on surveillance video outside District Dive and Southern Craft in the 2400 block of South St. around 3:41 a.m. on Wednesday. Both businesses are located in the …

The Centre Daily Times reports: A State College man convicted of raping a child and pressuring a witness to recant the allegations was sentenced Tuesday to at least 20 years in state prison. Jackson C. Baker, 55, was sentenced to a maximum of 40 years in prison. A relative of the child painted Baker through a written statement as a …

Richmond’s NBC affiliate reports: During a brief press conference on Thursday morning, Chesterfield’s Commonwealth’s Attorney Stacey Davenport said a case involving a Virginia pastor and a child sex crimes sting might move forward after charges were dismissed. John Blanchard was the lead pastor at Rock Church in Virginia Beach. In October 2021, he was one of 17 people arrested in …

Mississippi crime blog the Dark Horse Press reports: A former Rankin County youth pastor pleaded guilty to child exploitation Tuesday morning. Tyler Swaggard, 22, was arrested by Flowood Police Department on two felony counts of child exploitation in December of 2021. Authorities said he solicited explicit photos from youth group members. The arrest came after several complaints from the teens. …

CBS News reports: Another power substation in North Carolina has been damaged because of apparent gunfire, energy officials said Tuesday. The damage occurred at a power substation in Thomasville, about an hour away from Moore County, where just weeks ago two other substations were attacked by gunfire. Energy United said that company officials learned of an “equipment issue” at the …

USA Today reports: The founder of the Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato was arrested early Wednesday in Miami in connection with a vast money laundering operation, accused of transmitting more than $700 million in illicit funds in the past four years. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Anatoly Legkodymov, 40, a Russian national, oversaw a major “high-tech financial hub that catered to …

ABC News reports: A Utah plastic surgeon issued COVID-19 vaccination cards to large numbers of patients who never received their shots, dumping the vaccines down the drain while telling the CDC the recipients had been properly inoculated, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday. Dr. Michael Kirk Moore, who operates the Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah, is charged along …

Chattanooga’s NBC affiliate reports: A former volunteer youth pastor at the Abba’s House church in Hixson and former PTA president at Wolftever Creek Elementary School in Hamilton County now faces child molestation charges and aggravated sexual battery charges. Hamilton County deputies arrested 34-year-old Dustin Spillers this week. Spillers was extradited to Troup County, Georgia, where he faces those charges. Spillers …