Month: September 2025

By Chelsea Hylton

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    California (KCAL, KCBS) — Cases of beer were scattered across the westbound 210 Freeway in Azusa on Tuesday morning after a semi-truck crash.

A semi-truck carrying cases of beer nearly folded in half, causing nearly 5,000 beer cans to scatter across the freeway.

The California Highway Patrol issued a Sig Alert for the freeway just west of Vernon Avenue. The CHP said the two right lanes will be closed for several hours as crews work to clear the roadway.

KCA News has also issued a Next Traffic Alert to warn drivers about the impact on their morning commute.

It is unclear how the crash occurred. No injuries were reported.

Officials are urging drivers to travel with caution to be observant of crews working in the area.

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By Kerry Breen

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    MINNESOTA (WCCO) — Canadian authorities have identified a person known as “The Woman in the Well” nearly two decades after her remains were found.

The woman, Alice Spence, was born in September 1881 and had moved to Canada from Minnesota in 1913, police said.

In June 2006, crews excavating a site in Sutherland, Saskatoon, found an old well and a barrel containing preserved human remains, according to a news release from the Saskatoon Police Service. The area was previously the site of the Shore Hotel, a boarding house that was demolished in 1927, according to a news release from the private genetic genealogy company Othram.

The woman had been partially dismembered, police believed, and was wrapped in a burlap sack and stuffed in the barrel, Othram said. Police found clothes, including a fitted jacket and long skirt, that dated to between 1910 and 1920, Othram said. A broken necklace and men’s clothing were also found.

An autopsy determined the woman had died under suspicious circumstances, but authorities were unable to identify her despite years of investigation. Police developed a DNA profile, but found no matches, and facial reconstruction images released to the public turned up no answers, Othram said.

In 2023, the Saskatoon Police Services submitted forensic evidence from the case to Othram. Othram’s scientists were able to develop a DNA extract from the skeletal evidence. They built a comprehensive DNA profile, Othram said, which was used to generate “new investigative leads” that were returned to the police service.

A breakthrough came in June this year, Saskatoon Police Service Sergeant Darren Funk said in a news conference. At an event in Ottawa, Funk heard the Toronto Police Service describe how they had used investigative genetic genealogy to solve a homicide. Investigative genetic genealogy uses the DNA of people who were related to the subject to help make an identification.

Funk connected with the Toronto Police Service and asked them to review the case of “The Woman in the Well.” The Toronto Police Service’s follow-up investigation led investigators to people who may have been the woman’s relatives. Police collected reference DNA samples from those subjects, and those samples were compared to the woman’s DNA profile. Authorities also used historical information and city archives to help make the identification.

Alice Spence was married to a man named Charles Spence and had a daughter, Idella, police said. Spence’s listing in a 1916 census was the last proof of life historians could find for her.

The family’s home in Sutherland was destroyed by a fire in 1918, police said. Other records show Charles and Idella Spence living with a housekeeper in 1921. Investigators believe that Alice’s death occurred sometime between 1916 and the fire in 1918.

Spence’s descendants, located through forensic genetic genealogy, were largely unaware of their relative and her death, police said.

The police service said it believes this is the oldest investigation in Canada to be solved with the assistance of investigative genetic genealogy. Saskatoon Police Service Chief Cameron McBride called it a “testament to the determination and innovation of investigators throughout all these years.”

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By Nicole Comstock, Dean Fioresi

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    WEST COVINA, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Wild video captured the chaotic moments that two drivers chased each other around a West Covina parking lot last week, colliding multiple times before both fled from the area.

Witnesses say that the incident rapidly escalated into what the now-viral video shows, as two sedans speed around a parking lot in circles before colliding once, causing debris and clothing from one car’s trunk to fly. The cars separate briefly, each heading down a different aisle, before again crashing into one another in front of a clothing store.

After the second crash, both cars sped off in different directions, heading away from the parking lot at Francisquito Avenue and Sunset Avenue.

“I was literally at a loss for words,” said Drea Cano, the general manager at Louie’s Liquor. “Part of me wanted to run over there and be nosy and see what happened.”

West Covina police said that a report was taken based on a witness statement, but that neither of the drivers involved contacted them to file their own reports.

“Both parties involved in the incident fled the area prior to our arrival,” said a statement from WCPD. “We are still attempting to identify the parties involved. The investigation is still ongoing.”

While the investigation into who was involved and what exactly led up to the wild incident continues, Cano said that she heard that it was possibly connected to some sort of domestic dispute.

No further information was provided by police, and it’s unclear what charges the drivers could face for their part in the incident, if any.

CBS News Los Angeles has reached out to both the West Covina mayor and some city council members for comment on the matter but has not yet heard back.

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By KGUN News Staff

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    ORO VALLEY, Arizona (KGUN) — Can you imagine going inside a Fry’s grocery store at around six in the morning, and being told by a fellow shopper that there’s a bear inside the store? Well that was the reality for Charlie Alolkoy on Monday morning.

“I just didn’t believe it. I just thought this guy’s drunk,” he said about the man who told him.

While some were scared, he said others were curious, and one woman was even crying. While he encounters a lot of wildlife when he photographs them, a bear is not an animal he has ever encountered.

“I was very startled and my first reaction was to just get out of the way,” Alolkoy said about his own reaction. “When I felt like I was at a safe distance from it, I was more about curiosity than fear.”

Alolkoy recounted that the bear looked like it was looking for a way out of the store, running around the different aisles. However, he said it eventually found its way out and Fry’s employees evacuated the store and the Oro Valley Police Department arrived at the grocery store.

“When they’re cornered, they’re more dangerous and this seemed like that kind of situation so I was a little more cautious than I normally am,” Alolkoy said.

Because it’s rained less this year, Arizona Game and Fish’s public affairs community liaison Mark Frieberg said bears come closer to our neighborhoods when looking for “bear necessities” like food because there are less resources in the mountains. Uusally Frieberg said it doesn’t happen often, but when it does he said it happens during the summer and has recently been happening more.

Last Friday Olena Kotsur said she was barely able to stay calm when she saw a bear in this neighborhood about three miles away from the Fry’s. She said she also saw it around six in the morning when she was going for a walk in the morning. While she normally sees wildlife like javelina, she said she had never seen a bear.

“I was frozen. I was freaking out because you don’t really expect to see a bear somewhere here,” Kotsur said. “When he saw me, he just stopped and he started staring at me. It was really scary moment.”

This also comes after there was a bear sighting last Friday by another person.

Frieberg said they’re still looking for the bear from Fry’s. They said it could be put in a sanctuary or be put down if it was a threat to humans. If anyone finds it, Frieberg said they can call 623-236-7201.

“It was unbelievable. I will never forget this,” Kotsur said.

A bear was filmed Monday morning running around the aisles of a grocery store on Oracle Road in Oro Valley.

Photographer Charlie Alolkoy captured footage of the bear as it ran around the aisles.

According to Arizona Game & Fish, officers are currently out looking for it.

Stay with KGUN 9 for more details.

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By Ginger Allen, S.E. Jenkins

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    SOUTHLAKE, Texas (KTVT) — A Southlake mom and former substitute teacher was released from federal custody with a GPS monitor on Monday. U.S. prosecutors allege she is involved in sex trafficking women to New York to a financier’s so-called sex “dungeon.”

Jennifer Powers entered the courtroom in shackles around 2 p.m. The 45-year-old was softspoken. She told the judge she understood the charges.

This initial hearing came just hours after Carroll Independent School District confirmed she was a substitute teacher but had been dismissed.

This appearance was for a federal criminal case, but CBS News Texas learned she has also been involved in a civil case that was dismissed in 2022.

Powers allegedly arranged encounters for Rubin Prosecutors allege that between 2009-2019, the two arranged for women to travel to New York City to engage in sex with Rubin at his penthouse on 57th Street or in luxury hotels. Rubin had converted a bedroom of his penthouse into a soundproof sex “dungeon,” prosecutors said, and would engage in sadomasochistic sex with the women. He allegedly used a device to shock or electrocute the women, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors allege Rubin would establish a “safe word,” but then ignore it or prevent women from saying it because they were bound and gagged. He allegedly encouraged women to drink alcohol and take sedatives. Additionally, Rubin is accused of threatening women with legal action and public shaming if they sought help or reported the incidents.

“For many years, Howard Rubin and Jennifer Powers allegedly spent at least one million dollars to finance the commercial sexual torture of multiple women via a national trafficking network. The defendants allegedly exploited Rubin’s status to ensnare their prospective victims and forced them to endure unthinkable physical trauma before silencing any outcries with threats of legal recourse,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia said.

Civil case against Jennifer Powers and Howard Rubin In or about 2017, Powers and others, including Howard Rubin, a former Wall Street portfolio manager, were sued in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York by women who allegedly engaged in commercial sex acts with Rubin, requesting millions of dollars in damages.

According to the women, they were asked to sign a non-disclosure document that asked women to stay quiet about engaging in “…sexual, sadomasochistic (sm) activity that can be hazardous and on occasion cause injury…”

Attorneys for the women entered exhibits that they claimed showed Powers texting the women, sending airline tickets, arranging payments to them for up to $5,000 and confirming entry into Rubin’s New York penthouse.

In 2022, the civil case against Powers was dismissed by a jury. All other defendants were ordered to pay compensatory damages. On Friday, CBS News Texas learned the former substitute teacher and Rubin are now facing a 10-count criminal indictment.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says that as Rubin’s personal assistant, Powers was involved in misleading and recruiting women between 2009 and 2019.

Carroll ISD calls the allegations “serious” In a statement, Carroll ISD called the allegations “serious” and confirmed it is working with “the appropriate agencies.”

“We understand how much trust families place in our district, and I want to assure you that the safety and well-being of our students are our highest priorities,” CISD Board President Cam Bryan said. “The individual in question is no longer employed by Carroll ISD, has been fully removed from all roles, and no longer has any access to our campuses or facilities.”

CBS News Texas reached out to Powers’ attorney, who has not responded to the requests. CBS News Texas also reached out to several of Rubin’s attorneys, but they have not responded.

After processing, Powers will be free to go home on a monitor; however, the judge made sure she was aware of her next hearing in New York later this week.

Powers and Rubin are both charged with sex trafficking and transporting women across state lines for sex. If convicted of the top charge of sex trafficking, they each face 15 years to life in prison. Rubin pleaded not guilty at a federal court in Brooklyn, according to the Associated Press.

Rubin was also charged with bank fraud in connection with misrepresentations made to a bank in the course of financing Powers’ mortgage for the Texas home of Powers and her husband.

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By Lindsay Weber

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    VALLEJO, California (KCRA) — A woman has died weeks after investigators determined she was “intentionally shoved” into the path of an oncoming vehicle, according to the Vallejo Police Department.

The Sept. 15 crash in the 100 block of Lincoln Road West was initially believed to be a crash involving a pedestrian.

The woman sustained critical injuries in the crash and was taken to an area hospital, but died from her injuries on Sept. 28.

Investigators reclassified the crash as a homicide investigation, Vallejo police said, after officers “developed information that the victim had been intentionally shoved into the path of the oncoming vehicle.”

The victim has not yet been identified, and no suspect information has been released.

Anyone with information about the crash is urged to contact Detective Zach Horton at (707) 648-5425 or Zach.Horton@cityofvallejo.net or Detective Daniel Callison at (707) 648-4533 or Daniel.Callison@cityofvallejo.net.

Officials said this marked the 13th homicide in Vallejo this year.

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By Ricardo Tovar

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    PACIFIC GROVE, California (KSBW) — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is searching for a man wanted for allegedly decapitating a sea lion in Pacific Grove.

A woman walking along Point Pinos Beach in Pacific Grove reported witnessing a man and his daughter mutilating the carcass of a dead seal back in June to KSBW 8.

Several months later, NOAA got involved and announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the man wanted for doing this.

The incident occured at 8:40 p.m. on July 27. NOAA says the sea lion was dead before being decapitated, and its cause of death was not determined.

“We are seeking information on the person who decapitated the animal and any other details surrounding the incident,” said NOAA.

The man was described as a white male, approximately 5’9”, bald, with a full beard, and appearing in his late 50s to early 60s. After sawing off the head, he placed it in a zip-style plastic bag and left the area in a late-model Cadillac Escalade.

“Harassing, harming, killing, or feeding sea lions is prohibited under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, as is collecting marine mammal protected species parts,” said NOAA.

Violations could result in $36,000 in civil court fines and a year in jail or up to $100,000 in fines if found criminally liable.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NOAA Enforcement Hotline at (800) 853-1964

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By Alice Gainer

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — A man who shoved a woman onto the subway tracks in an unprovoked attack back in August 2023 was sentenced Monday.

Victim Yanan Xu was emotional as she spoke to attacker Samuel Junker in court. Junker followed her into a subway station near West Broadway and Chambers Street, shoved her onto the tracks without warning, and then ran off.

Xu suffered a broken leg.

“I am standing here today not because of an accident, but because of a sudden, violent act,” Xu said.

Xu said she tried to get up three times as she heard the train coming.

“I only had one thought — I may not be able to survive,” Xu said. “Luckily, there were a few strangers who tried their best and helped me and pulled me up.

“Although I survived, my life was never the same,” Xu added.

Xu said she suffered complications and psychological trauma, and still wakes up in the middle of the night.

“Every time when I walk into a subway station, I feel faster breathing and my heart beats faster,” Xu said. “That act of violence tears away at my sense of security and safety.”

Xu called for justice, and asked the judge to punish Junker to help prevent this from happening again.

Junker, 43, was arrested after an officer recognized him from a wanted flyer. He took a plea deal, admitting guilt to one count of attempted assault.

Junker mostly kept his head down during court, but did speak briefly.

“My apologies run deeper than the ocean for how sorry I am to this innocent person,” Junker said.

Prosecutors asked for a 12-year sentence, explaining what happed to Xu is every New Yorker’s nightmare. The judge agreed, but sentenced him to 10 years, noting his mental health issues and that sometimes he’s not compliant with his medication.

“I hope he seeks the help he needs while he’s incarcerated,” the judge said.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg released a statement after the sentencing.

“Samuel Junker has been held accountable for shoving an innocent woman — a wife and mother — onto the tracks of a Lower Manhattan subway station in a brutal, unprovoked attack,” Bragg said. “We will continue to treat acts of violence committed throughout our subway system with the seriousness they deserve, and I thank our prosecutors for their hard work.”

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