Crime

Charlotte’s CBS affiliate reports: A pastor in Union County was arrested this week after he was accused of committing child sex crimes, the sheriff’s office said. The pastor, 79-year-old Waymon Jordan Sr., was arrested on March 5. He is listed online as the founder and senior pastor at Greater Blessed Hope Baptist Church in Waxhaw. Over the course of several weeks, …

The Denver Gazette reports: Stephen Hutto, 45, was booked into the El Paso County jail and facing a felony charge for sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust. He is currently the pastor at Highland Baptist Church in Boone, east of Pueblo, and previously worked as a youth pastor at Fountain Independent Baptist Church in …

The Tennessean reports: A former Southern Baptist pastor and seminary professor won’t serve jail time after lying to federal investigators in the first and potentially only felony conviction to emerge from an abuse-related investigation into the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. The Department of Justice began investigating the Southern Baptist Convention in late 2022 following a third-party report on clergy sexual …

Michigan Live reports: A former church leader will stand trial on 60 charges related to sexual abuse after a Washtenaw County judge added 30 more counts based on preliminary testimony. Supporters of the eight men and one boy who testified against Zachary Radcliff, 29, could be heard crying in the courtroom as Judge J. Cedric Simpson read off the additional charges. …

“Ron DeSantis is attacking me because he was worried I would support Byron Donalds over his wife, knowing I have monumental political weight, and trust our commander and chief President Trumps reccomendations completely. They attacked me to prevent me from destroying his wifes political ambitions. Interestingly, I had no interest in Floridian politics untill I learnt how communist the DeSantis …

Little Rock’s NBC affiliate reports: A north Arkansas man pleaded guilty to stealing more than half a million dollars from a church. According to court records, 49-year-old Brian Keith Herring pleaded guilty in Boone County on Monday to theft of property, tampering with physical evidence and second-degree forgery. On Oct. 13, 2021, prosecutors said Herring turned in a laptop, an …

The New York Times reports: The Justice Department said on Monday that it would review the conviction of the former clerk of Mesa County, Colo., who was found guilty of state charges last summer of tampering with voting machines under her control in a failed attempt to prove that they had been used to rig the 2020 election against President …

Boston’s ABC affiliate reports: Crews responded to a Littleton shopping complex early Monday morning where seven Tesla EV chargers caught fire, and investigators believe the act was intentional. First responders shows up just after 1 a.m. after receiving reports from a neighbor who saw the fire. Firefighters say the chargers suffered heavy fire damage, and after power was cut to …

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 …