Month: November 2025

By Stephanie Moore

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    RICHLAND COUNTY, South Carolina (WYFF) — A detention officer in South Carolina has been arrested for using excessive force on two inmates, involving a chemical irritant, according to authorities.

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department said on Oct. 26 Latasha McClendon, 52, reportedly sprayed a chemical irritant into the cell before closing the flap door with two inmates inside.

Authorities said McClendon sprayed the irritant during a verbal dispute with an inmate in the cell.

Investigators said they reviewed evidence and determined the use of force was excessive.

McClendon was arrested and charged with two counts of third-degree assault and battery and misconduct in office.

She was booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.

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By Doug Meehan

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    GLOUCESTER, Massachusetts (WCVB) — For most, the idea of retirement means relaxing days in the sun, somewhere warm, and far away from the daily grind.

That is not the case for a North Shore couple who started their “retirement job” almost 50 years ago. Their idea of relaxing is running a company that makes, in their words, “formed for function” furniture.

“I was always afraid that sort of at mid-life you would lose your freedom to choose what you want to do,” said Gerhart Klein, owner of Brigger by Klein Design.

At 92 years young, Klein first started making furniture in the mid-1970s. At the time he couldn’t find a chair that he liked at local furniture stores, so he decided to make one.

In the mid-1980s, he moved into his current manufacturing facility in Gloucester and hasn’t stopped since.

Made of locally sourced wood and fabrics, the chairs are described as Scandinavian inspired design that are both flexible and comfortable.

“I make comfortable chairs,” said Klein.

With no signs of slowing down, it’s no coincidence that Klein’s energy matches that of a certain battery bunny. When Klein started his relaxing furniture business, he was simultaneously employed as a chemical engineer for a local company that made electronic capacitors. That company later evolved into, of all things, Duracell.

By 1985 Klein decided to leave corporate America and jump full time into his new endeavor.

“It’s an interesting challenge that is definitely what I like as my retirement job,” he said.

By his side for more than 62 years is his wife, Brigitte. In fact, the company name Brigger is a combination of the married couple’s names, BRIGitte and GERhart.

It seems being together for all that time makes, just like their chairs, a perfect fit for life and business.

Klein credited his wife for much of their company’s success.

“That’s why we’re still together because I come up with something, it was something that could be improved. She’s (Brigitte) quality control,” he said.

The two still have no signs of slowing down. They have recently relaunched their website, as most of their sales are online.

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By Terri Parker

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    BOYNTON BEACH, Florida (WPBF) — The daughter of a Boynton Beach woman who was shot and killed minutes after asking police for help has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and a Boynton Beach police officer.

Attorney Gary Susser filed the suit on behalf of Fridelene Daniel’s minor daughter. It accuses the Boynton Beach Police Department and Officer Jermaine Jones of failing to protect Daniel after she reported being stalked by her ex-boyfriend, Robens Cesar, two years ago to the day.

Investigative Reporter Terri Parker obtained the lawsuit and the lobby body-camera video from Daniel’s visit to the police station.

On the video, Daniel tells an officer, “I don’t know what’s wrong with him, every time, he keeps following me. I don’t want that.”

Daniel says Cesar had a gun and that she feared he would kill her.

“He got a gun. I don’t want him to make me die,” Daniel says. The officer responds, “He got what?”

The complaint alleges Jones “made fun” of Daniel, mocked her pronunciation of the word “gun,” used inappropriate language, and minimized the danger.

At one point on the recording, the officer tells Cesar, “So, one year ago. She don’t want it no more. You can’t fix this. OK, you got to find you a new boo. OK, work on a new relationship, alright? Yeah. I’m done. I’m good.”

The suit says Jones did not open an investigation, did not call a supervisor or a domestic-violence advocate, and did not escort Daniel to her car, even as Cesar was allegedly at the station “actively stalking her.”

Police say less than an hour after Daniel left the station, she was shot and killed.

According to the arrest report, Cesar confessed and told detectives that Daniel’s visit to police was “the final straw.”

“This was stalking 101. It was a crime being committed in his presence,” Susser told Parker. “She was mocked, she was belittled and she was not taken seriously and was summarily dismissed.”

Susser says Jones later received a two-week suspension and domestic-violence training. The lawsuit seeks $5 million from the city’s insurance carrier for Daniel’s daughter.

Cesar remains in the Palm Beach County Jail, charged with first-degree murder.

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By Tracy Escobedo

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    WATSONVILLE, California (KSBW) — A 19-year-old Watsonville man has been arrested in connection with the sexual assault and kidnapping of an underage girl.

Watsonville police officers responded to a report of a sexual assault Friday morning.

Officers learned that the 17-year-old victim was lured into the suspect’s car and taken to another location where the assault happened.

The victim said she did not know the suspect.

Officers were able to locate and arrest Christopher Medina Amezquita in Capitola with the help of the Capitola Police Department, the Santa Cruz County Anti-Crime Team, and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.

Medina Amezquita was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail on multiple felony charges, including rape, false imprisonment and kidnapping.

Detectives believe there are more victims and are asking anyone who may have been victimized by him to contact Watsonville police Det. Marcos Rios at 831-768-3357.

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By David Jones

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    ST. CLOUD, Florida (WESH) — A St. Cloud veteran is hopeful a potential kidney donor will come forward before he has to begin dialysis.

Retired Army Master Sergeant Owen McCurty served from 1983 to 2003.

An Army brat born in Germany with a father also in the Army, McCurty joined up after graduating high school.

He would go on to serve in various roles as an ammunitions specialist, notably serving a tour in Operation Desert Storm in Iraq as well as two overseas tours in Korea and Germany.

After retiring from military service, McCurty went on to become a veterans employment representative in Washington state, helping fellow veterans land jobs and translate their skills to a corporate setting.

“When service members were transitioning out of the Army, I would help them with their resume, and I would go out and build relationships with the Boeings, the Googles, the Microsoft’s and other companies in the Puget Sound area,” he said.

“When you serve that long, it’s in your blood.”

McCurty, a father of two, moved to Osceola County in 2019.

He’s volunteered with Meals on Wheels and on a sheriff’s community advisory board.

But he said the toughest mission of his life has been finding a kidney donor.

“About 20 years ago, I started having kidney issues. I went, had a physical and the doctor noticed that my creatinine in my kidneys were high,” he said.

“I’m not on dialysis yet, but I’m getting close to it. I’ve been praying very hard lately, and hopefully somebody comes forward to donate a kidney to me.”

A longtime bodybuilder, even at 60 years old, McCurty still stays in shape.

He said his visit to a doctor three weeks ago inspired him to come forward and ask for help.

“[The doctor] told me to tell the story in the community, he said you’re giving back in your community, and by you telling your story in the community, hopefully somebody will step forward to help you because you’re always giving back,” McCurty said.

Initially, he said he was hesitant.

“The person that I am, the human being that I am, when you’re always giving, your state of mind is to give,” he said. “It’s hard and it’s very humbling to ask for something from someone.”

He’s working with an organization called Dove, which in turn works to facilitate kidney transplants for veterans.

“Someone stepping forward to integrate themselves in my journey and giving me something, it would mean the world to me,” McCurty said.

If you’re interested in helping McCurty, you can call 407-303-3626 or visit ahlivingdonor.com.

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By Hamilton Kahn

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    SANTA FE, New Mexico (KOAT) — With the state Legislature poised for another special session beginning Monday, some lawmakers have called for a “truth commission” to get more information on what took place at the Zorro Ranch, a huge estate built on property south of Santa Fe that Jeffrey Epstein bought in 1993.

Epstein, who died in jail in New York after being arrested on sex trafficking charges in 2019, also had a brownstone residence in Manhattan and a private island in the Caribbean, where he was known to have been host to many well-known people whom he entertained with young women, many of whom may have been below the age of legal consent.

Epstein was also a close friend of President Donald Trump, who has said he ended his relationship with Epstein before being elected for his first time as president in 2016.

After he was investigated in March 2005 for molesting a 14-year-old girl, Epstein spent 18 months in jail on a single charge of soliciting a prostitute, under the terms of a plea deal with Florida prosecutors.

His long-time partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, for which she was convicted in 2021.

Epstein never faced charges in New Mexico, but the state Attorney General’s office confirmed that it interviewed possible victims who had visited the Zorro Ranch. It was sold in 2023 to pay creditors.

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By Madison Monroe Adams

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    LEE COUNTY, Florida (WBBH) — Joshua Mulnix was arrested on Sanibel after police say he stole a construction worker’s car and attempted to run him over, forcing the victim to jump out of the way to avoid being hit.

The incident began at Blind Pass Beach on Oct. 27, when Mulnix allegedly entered a property and tried to break into a shed.

Conner Easton, a resident, said, “A lot of people in Florida carry. I suggest you hide. Next time you do some stupid like that, you’re going to get shot dead.”

Chip Wolfe, another Sanibel resident, said, “I know the couple that owns the house. Yeah. That I’m not sure they know yet.”

Police reported that when a construction worker told Mulnix to leave, he jumped into the worker’s car and drove off.

“There’s a lot of big houses. Not really much crime you ever see out here going on,” Easton said.

Wolfe said, “Lock your cars. You know, you can never be too, too careful.”

The keys were left in the car, which was unlocked.

Investigators said Mulnix rammed through a gate, causing about $4,000 in damage, before heading toward the end of Sanibel Island near Captiva. Once he reached the end, he got out and went inside a porta-potty. When he realized deputies were waiting outside, he ran out without his pants, grabbed two wooden stakes to hold as a weapon, and started running.

Owen Dierson, another resident, speculated, “I think drugs are involved.”

Lee County deputies used a Taser on Mulnix when they saw him heading toward another car, fearing he might steal that one, too. Mulnix was taken into custody and booked into the Lee County Jail on Monday.

He is facing the following charges:

-Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill -Grand theft auto -Criminal mischief -Leaving the scene of a crash

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By Denzen Cortez

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    PARADISE, California (KCRA) — Seven years after the Camp Fire devastated Paradise, California, the town is slowly rebuilding and honoring the lives lost.

Mayor Steve Crowder said he’s proud of the community’s progress, noting that about 40% of the town’s housing has been restored and the population has grown to more than 11,000, compared to 26,000 before the fire.

“We lost 85 people that day, and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about them,” Crowder said.

The Camp Fire remains the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. It burned more than 153,000 acres, destroyed nearly the entire town of Paradise, and killed 85 people. Investigators later determined the fire was caused by electrical transmission lines owned and operated by Pacific Gas & Electric.

At a local nursery, new greenery is taking root — a symbol of the town’s ongoing recovery. “This will rebuild the city back to the beauty that it had originally,” one resident said.

Despite the loss and years of rebuilding, Crowder said the town’s spirit has never wavered. “The community is one thing that fire never took,” he said. “It’s the same community it was before the fire.”

Though Paradise hasn’t fully returned to its pre-fire population, the determination to rebuild remains strong.

“A lot of people after the fire said, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t rebuild,’” Crowder said. “Well, I’ll tell you — we’re kind of like the little train that could. Because that’s who we are.”

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