Month: February 2026

By Samantha Calderon

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    MADISON, Wis. (WISC) — MADISON, Wis. — The Madison Metropolitan School District on Wednesday confirmed that one of its staff members was placed on leave after a mother claimed her non-verbal autistic son was fed dog food instead of a school lunch.

Debra Hawkes told News 3 Now on Monday that her son Jaden, a freshman at Madison East High School, was given a can of wet Nutrish dog food by a staff member several weeks ago.

Madison school officials sent the following statement:

“The Madison Metropolitan School District takes student safety and well-being seriously.

We have zero tolerance for actions that compromise student safety and well-being. When issues arise, we respond immediately and must also follow due process.

The staff member allegedly involved has been placed on leave. Because of student and employee privacy laws, we are unable to share any information about this incident at this time.

We are committed to providing students with a safe learning environment. Staff procedures and protocols are being reviewed, and additional training regarding snack protocol will be provided to staff to help ensure this does not happen again.”

School staff sent Hawkes a photo showing that Jaden had eaten part of the dog food. They reportedly called Debra to confirm that a staff member had given Jaden dog food.

She says the incident has affected her son’s behavior and mood.

“Jaden hasn’t been himself,” Hawkes said, noting that her son is usually nice and energetic.

This incident caused Debra to visit East High School every day for roughly a week demanding answers about what happened to her son.

News 3 Now cannot share the name of the staff member who was put on leave since the district has not confirmed that person’s involvement in the incident.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Samantha Calderon
scalderon@wisctv.com
(608)277-5133

By Pat Reavy,

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    SALT LAKE CITY (KSL) — A Saratoga Springs man with a history of DUI arrests, who was convicted of hitting and killing a 13-year-old boy on a bicycle in 2022 and then driving off, went before the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole for the first time on Tuesday.

“I don’t have an excuse. I know the choices I made that day were horrific. They were life changing. Just when I thought I had everything in my grasp and (under) control … I had a relapse,” Mason Andrew Ohms told the parole board.

However, the parents of 13-year-old Eli Mitchell, who was riding his bike when he was hit and killed in West Jordan on April 26, 2022, believe that the state must send a strong message to all repeat DUI offenders in addition to protecting the public against Ohms, and told the board Tuesday that serving four years of a possible 20-year sentence isn’t enough.

“Five times he was given another chance. Five times the system believed in him,” an emotional Jeremy Mitchell, Eli’s father, told the board while adding that Ohms didn’t just “simply make a mistake” that day. His actions were the result of a “series of dangerous, reckless choices” made over many years, he said.

“The grief in our home is constant,” Mitchell said. “This is our life sentence. There is no parole from it.”

In 2022, Eli had just gotten his first debit card and couldn’t wait to ride his bicycle to the store to purchase his favorite treats, Kit Kats and Hostess donuts.

He was riding home with his treats hanging in a bag on his handlebars and in a crosswalk at 1510 W. 9000 South in West Jordan when Ohms made a right turn on a red light and hit the young teen.

Ohms, who was driving a 2007 Chevy Silverado, was waiting at a red light to make a right turn when he “accelerated hard into his right turn, hitting (Eli) just as he entered the crosswalk,” charging documents state.

He never hit his brakes after hitting Eli, the charges state, and then made a U-turn in the street and drove past others who were administering help to Eli, and kept driving. Ohms drove to the parking lot of a nearby business, got out and pulled the bicycle out from under his truck before driving to his Saratoga Springs home, according to the charges.

He parked about a block away from his house but was arrested by waiting police when he arrived home. Hours after the accident, Ohms’ recorded blood-alcohol level was 0.10%, which prosecutors argued meant he likely had a level of 0.22% at the time of the crash.

The incident happened right after Ohms left a bar that he had been at for six hours with co-workers, during which time he claimed on Tuesday he drank four 20-ounce beers and bought additional beers for others. After he made the right turn and saw someone waving him down, he thought that something must have fallen off the back his truck.

“And that’s when I seen someone in the road. I had no clue. I didn’t even understand what happened,” he told the board on Tuesday.

At that point, Ohms claims panic set it.

“As I look back … I let a lot of things just slip through. … I didn’t have discipline. I ran and hid. That’s all I look at (now) is my actions (that day),” he attempted to explain, saying he’s had four years to reflect on what happened. “I couldn’t believe it happened, that I allowed it to happen.”

Ohms says he’s “not proud” of his actions and that the incident was “unbecoming of who I am.”

“It was the worst thing that could ever happen to anybody, yet it was me who did that. No words can describe why I left … why I left someone sitting there. … That’s not me,” he said.

But board member Dan Bokovoy, who conducted Tuesday’s hearing, pressed the repeat DUI offender on what will be different the next time he is in public. Bokovoy noted that even though Ohms, now 53, had no arrests between 2013 and 2022, he keeps “going back to the same behavior” after being sober for a while.

Likewise, Eli’s parents, Jeremy and Lisa Taylor Mitchell, both told the board they can’t understand why Ohms acted the way he did and why he was given so many chances.

“I miss you so much. I miss you every minute of every day. We’re doing everything to honor you,” an emotional Lisa Mitchell said Tuesday, first speaking to Eli before directly addressing the board.

“I lost Eli because of this man’s repeated choices,” she said. “His history shows a pattern that cannot be ignored.”

Jeremy Mitchell noted that 18 victim impact statements had been submitted to the board prior to Tuesday’s hearing, and Eli’s three best friends were in attendance for the parole hearing. He noted that he has enjoyed watching the friends get their driver’s licenses, go on dates and grow into young men. But “these are moments I’ll never share with my son. And it will only get harder,” he said.

Mitchell concluded his comments by saying his desire to have Ohms remain in prison is “not about anger or revenge” but rather about preventing another family from suffering the same fate.

Ohms replied to the Mitchell family by reading a letter he had prepared. He apologized and called his actions “inexcusable, outrageous and morally unacceptable.”

Ohms’ two sentences for convictions of automobile homicide, a second-degree felony, and failing to remain at an accident involving death, a third-degree felony, were ordered to run consecutively. In total, he was ordered to serve a minimum one year in the Utah State Prison and up to 20. If he serves his full sentence, he will be released in the year 2042.

The full five-member board will now vote whether to grant parole or set another parole hearing. A decision isn’t expected for about a month.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KSL verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Alyssa Bethencourt

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    LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A case about a dog abandoned at Harry Reid International Airport is now raising broader questions about Nevada law and whether pet owners cited for abandonment can still legally reclaim their animals.

The 2-year-old doodle, later named “JetBlue,” drew national attention after police said his owner tied him to a ticket counter inside the airport and attempted to board a flight. The case quickly went viral, prompting thousands of adoption requests and a closer look at how abandoned animals are handled under Nevada law.

According to an arrest report and documents obtained by Channel 13, officers were called to a JetBlue ticket counter at Harry Reid International Airport on Feb. 2 after an airline employee reported a dog had been left behind.

Police allege that 26-year-old Germiran Bryson arrived at the counter with the dog but was told the animal was not registered to fly and that additional paperwork would be required. According to the report, Bryson allegedly told an airline employee to call animal control because she did not want to miss her flight.

Investigators say Bryson then tied the dog’s leash to a metal baggage sizer and walked toward a security checkpoint. Airline staff denied her boarding and contacted police.

Officers later cited Bryson on a misdemeanor charge of animal abandonment. She also faces misdemeanor counts of resisting a public officer and providing false information to or obstructing a public officer, according to the arrest report. Bryson is scheduled to appear in court March 31.

What happened to the dog

Clark County Animal Protection Services took custody of the dog following the incident.

County officials told Channel 13 that the dog was placed on a 10-day legal hold from Feb. 3 through Feb. 13. During that time, the owner could have come forward to retrieve the animal. The dog was never picked up.

“When it comes to reclaiming an abandoned pet, it depends on the circumstances of the case. In the case you are referring to, the dog could have been reclaimed by its owner. This dog had a 10-day legal hold placed on it from February 3 – February 13. It was cleared to be adopted after that date,” said a Clark County spokesperson.

After the hold period expired, the dog was cleared for adoption and transferred to Retriever Rescue of Las Vegas, which later placed him in a permanent home. The dog was ultimately adopted by one of the officers who responded to the call, according to rescue officials.

Why reclaim was legally possible

The case has prompted questions from viewers about how someone cited for animal abandonment could still have had the opportunity to retrieve the dog.

Animal advocates say the answer lies in how Nevada law treats pets. Under Nevada law, dogs and other companion animals are generally treated as personal property. That means ownership does not automatically transfer simply because an animal is impounded or because an owner is cited for abandonment.

Because Bryson was cited on misdemeanor charges and there was no immediate court-ordered forfeiture of the animal, county officials confirmed the dog remained legally eligible to be reclaimed during the standard holding period.

Advocates call for possible legal changes

The case has sparked renewed discussion among some animal advocates about whether Nevada law should be updated to limit reclaim rights in certain abandonment or neglect cases.

“We need to clean that language up just a little bit and send a strong message that yeah, we’re not playing around in Nevada anymore when it comes to animal cruelty and that’s what it is, plain and simple,” said John Waudby, founder of Nevada Animal Advocates.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Dan Raby

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    GWINNETT COUNTY, Georgia (WUPA) — A Gwinnett County man is in custody facing human trafficking and other charges after police say a separate robbery investigation helped them make an arrest.

Gwinnett County police say their investigation began on Jan. 20, when they responded to a robbery call on the 2000 block of Satellite Pointe in Duluth.

When officers got to the scene, they met with 28-year-old Changze Li, who let them into the apartment where he said a burglary was taking place. As the officers entered the apartment, they reported hearing glass breaking and seeing 30-year-old Dominique Gray bleeding from his hand. Officers used a Taser on Gray after they said he didn’t comply with their commands and threw his phone at them.

Gray was charged with reckless conduct, pandering, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, armed robbery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and kidnapping. During their investigation, officers charged Li with pimping and keeping a place of prostitution.

Weeks later, VICE investigators say they found an online listing believed to be connected with prostitution that matched Li’s phone number.

The investigators set up an undercover sting at an apartment in unincorporated Duluth. There, they say they found Li hiding in a room and arrested him again.

Li is now facing additional charges of keeping a place of prostitution, pimping, human trafficking, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

The Buford man is now in the Gwinnett County Jail without bond.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.