Crime

Colorado Springs’ ABC affiliate reports: The 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office says a jury has found a Highlands Ranch minister guilty of sexually assaulting his own daughter. According to the D.A.’s office, Richard Merskin, 42, was convicted of sexual assault on a child under the age of 15 by a person in a position of trust. Prosecutors said the assaults …

NBC News reports: An Illinois man was found guilty Friday in the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy and the wounding of his mother, an attack that prosecutors said was motivated by anti-Muslim hate and a response to the Israel-Hamas War. Joseph Czuba was convicted of first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery and hate crimes in the Oct. …

Little Rock’s NBC affiliate reports: Andrew Apple, who later became a youth staff member at a Northwest Arkansas church, is accused of sexually abusing at least two underage victims over several years, according to court documents. The first victim, whose identity was redacted, reported that the abuse started when they were around 13 years old while volunteering with Apple at …

Law & Crime reports: A Florida man is accused of impersonating an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer and going to an Orlando apartment complex in search of “Mexicans” in the country illegally. Officers responded to a call about a suspicious person around 6 p.m. Monday at the Sabal Palm apartment complex. When they arrived they found the suspect, later identified …

Philadelphia’s NBC affiliate reports: Law enforcement officials have arrested a 64-year-old pastor at a church in Trenton, NJ, on charges that claim he sexually molested a teen. According to police, Charles B. Brinson, pastor of the Brinson Memorial Church on Brinson Avenue in Trenton, NJ, has been arrested and charged with aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a …

The Guardian reports: The self-styled “misogynist influencer” Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan, have left Romania on a private jet and are flying to the US after their travel ban was lifted, officials and local media have said. The pair, who were arrested in Romania in 2022 and face trial on charges of rape, sex with a minor, people trafficking …

Raleigh’s NBC affiliate reports: An Asheboro man who help popularize the “Thank You Jesus” signs found in so many front yards faces a charge of sexual exploitation of a minor. Lucas Timothy Hunt, 25, was arrested Tuesday. Police claim he received a video that showed two underage girls engaged in a sex act. A tip from the National Center for …

The Christian Post reports: Less than a year after his wife Mica Miller’s suicide, Pastor John-Paul Miller of Solid Rock at Market Common in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, has been accused of raping a 15-year-old girl more than 25 years ago and sexually assaulting her again in 2023. The allegations against John-Paul Miller by the woman identified as Jane Doe …

The Canton Repository reports: A Stark and Wayne County pastor is accused of kidnapping and sexually abusing a minor during a camping trip last year in Ashland County. The Rev. Jesse Santos, 59, pastor of the Canton Seventh-day Adventist Church in Plain Township, was initially arrested by Stark County sheriff’s deputies on Feb. 15 and held at the jail in …

The Indianapolis Star reports: “I’m gunning you down.” “You’re on my hit list.” “We will gut you.” These threats aimed at billionaire and President Donald Trump’s advisor Elon Musk on the social media platform he owns were revealed in charging documents against the Southern Indiana man police say posted them to X. David Allen June Cherry, 28, landed behind bars …

Law & Crime reports: A 23-year-old “online content creator” in New Hampshire is facing a felony charge of criminal mischief for allegedly contaminating food products at a grocery store “with her urine” and filming it for social media. Kelli Tedford, 23, is accused of making “disturbing videos” of her pee antics on Feb. 10 and posting them to an undisclosed …

Sonora, California’s KVML radio reports: Tuolumne County District Attorney Cassandra Jenecke reports that a criminal complaint has now been filed against a Jamestown man accused of attacking another man at an apartment complex on January 28. The incident has drawn heavy local interest, especially from allies of the LGBTQ community. The victim was allegedly lured to the apartment and attacked …

The Associated Press reports: An assistant coach for the Denver Broncos is facing a felony assault charge after being accused of punching a police officer in the face at Denver International Airport. Outside linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault on a police officer and booked into the Denver jail on Sunday, according to jail records. A …

Church Leaders reports: Pastor Gabriel Hardy, 42, who is with Army of the Lord — Ministry of Defense church in Vancouver, Washington, has been arrested for allegedly whipping a 6-year-old child with a belt hard enough to leave bruises and welts on the child’s body. A report from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) states that Hardy claimed to be …

Kansas City’s ABC affiliate reports: Police arrested former Clay County Republican Election Director Patty Lamb in Gallatin County, Montana, on Wednesday, five months after she failed to appear in a Clay County court on two felony financial crime charges. A probable cause statement filed on July 17, 2024, accuses the longtime county election co-director of more than $15,000 in financial …

The Yakima Herald-Republic reports: A Yakima businessman and former pastor was sentenced Feb. 18 to 30 years in prison for making, possessing and sharing child sexual abuse images. David Roger Franklin, 68, pleaded guilty in October in U.S. District Court to three counts of producing child sexual abuse images and one count each of transporting and possessing child sexual abuse images. …

Miami’s NBC affiliate reports: Authorities at a news conference Friday said a man who allegedly confessed to two separate murders in Miami and Miami Beach may have been “targeting the elderly, gay community.” Zsolt Zsolyomi, 25, a Hungarian national, is charged with second-degree murder in both cases, according to jail records. “Both victims were elderly, disabled males,” Miami police said …

Seattle’s NBC affiliate reports: A popular bar for many in the LGBTQ+ community became the target of hate on Tuesday night, according to police and witnesses. “It’s just not okay. You know, it terrorizes people,” said Ade Connere, a bartender at Pony. Connere was working when the crime occurred. “They were basically driving around just sort of harassing people that …

The Associated Press reports: Condemned South Carolina inmate Brad Sigmon has chosen to die next month by a firing squad. He would be the first U.S. inmate shot to death in an execution in 15 years. Sigmon is scheduled to die March 7. On Friday, he became the first South Carolina inmate to choose the state’s new firing squad over …

The New York Post reports: Flocks of twisted young women packed a Manhattan court Friday for a chance to see alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione — with some donning the same maroon color he wore when he was arraigned on murder charges in the disturbing case. Dozens of depraved devotees braved the freezing temperatures in line to get access …