Month: April 2026

By Austin Grabish

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    SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A doctor who was sentenced to three years in prison for his role in a patient’s death is now a free man and able to practice medicine in Arizona despite having a lifetime ban that prevents him from working in California.

Dr. Carlos Chacon was released from prison last month to parole supervision after spending roughly a year and a half behind bars. He was sentenced to three years in prison in 2024 for his role in the death of his patient, Megan Espinoza, after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

The mother of two died after seeing Chacon for a breast augmentation surgery in 2018 at Divino Plastic Surgery in Bonita.

Espinoza’s mother, Judy Gorcey, said she was stunned when Team 10 called her to ask for a comment about Chacon’s license being active in Arizona.

“I really appreciate Team 10 finding out this information and pursuing it and investigating it,” she said in an interview last week.

Gorcey said she had been assured that once Chacon’s license was canceled in California, other states would also revoke the license.

“I am just heartbroken that he still is a licensed doctor,” she said in an interview from Oxnard, Calif.

Chacon hired a nurse with no training in anesthesia who gave Megan a fatal dose of drugs, including fentanyl and ketamine. The nurse was also sentenced to prison and has since been released.

According to court testimony, after Megan’s heart stopped, Chacon left the 36-year-old on the operating room table for more than three hours and wouldn’t let his staff call 911.

“You left your struggling and dying patient multiple times,” said Superior Court Judge Maryann D’Addezio at Chacon’s 2024 sentencing.

Chacon, who was initially charged with murder, agreed to surrender his license as part of a plea deal that spared him from a trial. He was given a lifetime ban that prevents him from practicing medicine in California.

Last week, Team 10 got a tip that the ban didn’t apply to Arizona, where his license is valid with some restrictions that were put in place back in 2022 following Megan’s death.

The restrictions prevent Chacon from performing surgery without a licensed anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist. Chacon is also banned from directing unlicensed staff to give anesthesia.

Chacon, 51, is the latest doctor Team 10 has found who kept a medical license in another state after losing it in California.

“The state medical boards need to do a better job in reviewing who they give licenses to, especially if they come from another state,” said patient safety advocate Marian Hollingsworth.

Hollingsworth, who monitors disciplinary action taken against doctors, said medical boards too often turn a blind eye to misconduct that’s happened outside their state.

Last year, Team 10 revealed a doctor accused of sexual misconduct had moved to Florida, where his license was listed in good standing.

In 2023, we reported on a physician who lost his medical license after he admitted he installed a hidden camera in a hospital restroom. The doctor was working in Florida, had a medical license in good standing and later lost his job as a result of our reporting.

Arizona Medical Board executive director Raquel Rivera responded to the criticism from Gorcey and Hollingsworth.

“Arizona law does not provide for the automatic revocation of a physician’s license based solely on disciplinary action, surrender, or revocation in another state. The Board is required to independently review and investigate such actions and determine (an) appropriate outcome based on Arizona statutes and regulatory standards. This process is designed to ensure due process while also protecting the public,” she said in an email.

Rivera told Team 10 Chacon’s case is pending the outcome of a formal hearing that has not yet been scheduled.

“We understand and take seriously the concerns expressed by patients and their families. Protecting the public is the board’s highest priority, and all complaints and relevant information are thoroughly evaluated to determine what regulatory action is warranted.”

Gorcey said she’s angry Chacon did not spend three years behind bars despite assurances from prosecutors he would have to serve 80% of his sentence in custody.

“It was just another slap of the face and another heartbreak.”

The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said the case was complex and gut-wrenching.

“While we don’t have authority over licensing in another state, we do not believe that anyone convicted of homicide in the line of his medical profession should be able to practice medicine anywhere in the country,” a spokeswoman for the DA said in a prepared statement.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation defended Chacon’s release from custody.

“Chacon was not released early. Incarcerated individuals may earn credit toward their sentence as allowed by law,” said department spokeswoman Emily Humpal.

Chacon did not return requests for comment, but at his sentencing, he apologized to Megan’s family.

“I can’t undo what happened, and it haunts me daily. She trusted me with her care, and I failed her. Not a day goes by, they don’t think about the family who has to live with her absence. I cannot imagine the pain and anguish they experience,” he said.

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 Gabe Salazar

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    SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The Port of San Diego on Tuesday decided to move forward with an environmental review that could potentially lead to the construction of a new Navy SEAL Museum at San Diego’s waterfront.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review of the proposed $256 million project could take about a year and a half.

San Diego is home to one of the largest military communities in the country, but when it comes to honoring Navy SEALs, supporters say the city has only scratched the surface.

Now, a major proposal could change that in a big way.

The Port of San Diego’s Board of Commissioners is considering whether to move forward with the first major step toward building a $256 million Navy SEAL Museum along the downtown waterfront.

If approved, the project would bring an 85,000-square-foot, four-level museum to the northern edge of Lane Field Park along Harbor Drive. The site sits on a former Navy property that was vacated in 2023.

The museum would be privately funded and developed through a partnership between the Navy SEALs Museum San Diego organization and its developer.

Plans for the facility include:

Seven exhibit galleries A 2,500-square-foot theater Educational and learning spaces A café and retail store A virtual reality experience An event terrace overlooking San Diego Bay

The proposal also includes a 150-foot public park along the waterfront, adding new green space to the Embarcadero.

The idea for the museum has been in development for more than two years. It gained traction after a Navy SEAL showcase opened on Kettner Boulevard in October, giving the public a preview of what a larger museum could offer and generating strong community interest.

“We want to tell the accurate story of Naval Special Warfare, preserve the history and the heritage,” said Brian Drechsler, executive director of the Navy SEAL Museum San Diego. “We’re doing it through the timeless traits of service, teamwork, discipline, commitment, and responsibility.”

The Port Commission is now considering whether to begin the state-required environmental review process, which is expected to take about 18 months.

The project is not affiliated with the U.S. Navy and would be fully privately funded. By its tenth year, the museum is projected to generate approximately $35 million in annual gross revenue.

If approved and the timeline holds, construction could begin as early as 2029, with the museum opening to the public in 2031.

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 Mallory Sofastaii

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    POTOMAC, Maryland (WMAR) — Three local women who lost thousands of dollars in separate scams have turned their shared experiences into a mission to protect others. Dolores Miller, Judith Boivin, and Jane Dean connected through a global AARP fraud victim support group. The women later discovered they all live in the same Maryland county and now meet monthly to support one another and speak publicly about the emotional and financial toll scams can take.

Some of the scams lasted hours. Others stretched on for months.

“It was frightening. It’s embarrassing. You lose your self-esteem. It’s a horrible feeling,” Miller said.

A fake Amazon call led to a bank impostor scam Jane Dean said her ordeal started with what appeared to be a routine fraud alert.

“I got a call from Amazon one evening,” Dean said.

The caller claimed someone was trying to purchase a laptop using her banking information before transferring her to someone posing as a bank representative. Dean said the caller even provided a legitimate phone number for her bank, which she verified online during the call.

The fake bank representative told Dean her identity was tied to a money laundering scheme involving someone in Mexico.

“There was a person in Mexico who was using my Social Security number and my name to launder $300,000,” Dean said.

Dean said the scammer instructed her to withdraw her “clean money” and send it to attorneys for safe keeping in a government account. She said she was told not to tell anyone what was happening.

After making withdrawals at two banks, a manager at a third bank intervened.

“He looked at me and he said, ‘Jane. What’s going on?'” Dean recalled.

The manager later showed her one of the addresses where she had sent money.

“It was an empty house on a new home’s construction lot,” Dean said. “He said, ‘You’re being scammed.'”

Scammers stole more than $25,000 from Dean and nearly took another $32,000 before the bank stepped in.

A caller posing as police threatened arrest and demanded Bitcoin Dolores Miller said she was shopping for birdseed when repeated calls from a “private number” finally convinced her to answer.

“The person on the other end of the line identified himself as a Montgomery County policeman,” Miller said. “He said there was a warrant out for my arrest.”

Miller said the caller texted her what appeared to be a warrant and warned that if she spoke to anyone, she could interfere with an active murder investigation.

“And that if I didn’t cooperate, a murderer could go free,” Miller said.

The caller instructed her to deposit cash into a Bitcoin kiosk and promised she would be reimbursed later. Miller said the scammer used intimidation tactics and even played what sounded like police radio chatter in the background to make the situation feel real.

Before leaving, Miller wrote a note to her husband explaining what was happening.

Her husband took the note to the sheriff’s office and learned the entire story was fake.

By then, scammers had already stolen about $10,000 during the five-hour ordeal.

Fake police and FBI agents convinced retiree to drain savings Judith Boivin said her scam lasted nearly four months after her caller ID displayed the Rockville Police Department.

“We have a warrant for your arrest,” Boivin recalled the caller saying.

The caller accused her of money laundering before transferring her to someone pretending to be with the FBI. Boivin said she searched the names and phone numbers online during the calls and believed they appeared legitimate.

The fake FBI agent asked Boivin to become an “asset” in the investigation.

“We know you’ve lived in Mexico. We know you’ve been in other countries. We know your education, everything,” Boivin said.

She later realized much of that information had likely been pulled from her LinkedIn profile.

Boivin said the scammer convinced her to liquidate her accounts so the government could temporarily protect her money.

“The total that I lost was approximately $600,000,” Boivin said. “And it was the totality of my IRAs and my savings.”

Despite warnings from her financial institution, Boivin believed she was helping investigators protect her identity and finances. She said she did not realize it was a scam until she heard from the Maryland Office of the Attorney General months later.

From scam victims to support system The women now meet monthly to share their stories and help others recognize warning signs before it’s too late.

“One of the last talks we had, a woman actually came to me afterwards and said, ‘I believe you have saved me,'” Miller said.

Dean said the women have formed a close bond through their shared experiences.

“We’re tight. We are very, very tight,” Dean said. “We’ve got each other’s back.”

The women also encourage other victims to speak openly and seek support.

“There are people who are ashamed, embarrassed, humiliated,” Dean said. “They can’t carry the burden of this having happened to them alone because it really does diminish your own quality of life to carry that secret around.”

Fraud fears are rising, and experts say anyone can become a target New research from the AARP suggests concerns about scams and fraud continue to grow across the country.

According to AARP, nearly 4 in 10 U.S. adults, or roughly 103 million people, say they’ve already experienced fraud, while an estimated 159 million worry they could become victims in the future. The research found many Americans fear not being able to recover stolen money or seeing a loved one targeted.

The report also found that 9 in 10 Americans believe fraud can happen to anyone. Researchers say common habits like answering calls from unknown numbers, responding to suspicious texts, reusing passwords, or skipping multi-factor authentication can increase vulnerability to scams.

“Criminals are persistent, and awareness alone won’t stop them,” said Hank Greenberg, state director for AARP Maryland. “That’s why AARP is active in communities around the state — providing practical tools, trusted guidance, and support so people can better protect themselves and their loved ones.”

Throughout April, AARP Maryland is hosting fraud prevention events across the state, including community shred days, educational workshops, virtual events, and live tele-town halls with fraud experts. Click here for more information.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network also offers a free helpline with trained fraud specialists, scam alerts, and an online scam-tracking map where people can report fraud activity and see scams reported in their area. To reach the toll-free helpline, contact 877-908-3360 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WMAR’s editorial team 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 Jonathan Ayestas, Daniel Macht

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    WOODLAND, California (KCRA) — Kenneth Chee, one of the men at the center of the deadly Esparto fireworks explosions investigation, is now in custody in Yolo County.

He is one of eight people charged in connection with the 2025 tragedy that killed seven people when a facility officials say was storing about 1 million pounds of illegal explosives ignited.

Law enforcement in Florida arrested Chee, 48, earlier this month while he was at Disney World. He made his first court appearance in an Orange County courtroom, where he was told he would be extradited back to California.

Jail records show he is currently in custody at the Monroe Detention Center in Woodland. He is due in court Thursday.

Chee is the owner of Devastating Pyrotechnics, one of the two fireworks companies that operated at the facility.

Of the eight arrested, Chee is one of five people facing second-degree murder charges.

Chee is also accused of conspiracy to possess explosives, make explosives and transport explosives.

Other charges included three counts of insurance fraud and more counts for explosives possession, possession of a destructive device, possession of explosives near private habitations and public roadways, unlawfully causing a fire, and managing a dangerous workplace.

In a motion to deny bail filed in court on April 13, prosecutors argued that Chee had been “indifferent” to the dangers of the fireworks he imported and his “callous disregard for life” continued after the Esparto explosions with efforts to rebuild his business.

According to the document, Chee implemented no safety measures after a three-story building linked to Devastating Pyrotechnics that was storing illegal, overcharged explosives exploded on June 14, 2023.

The document also says that on Dec. 31, 2024, an 18-year-old was decapitated after lighting one of Chee’s “Northern Beast”-branded explosives. The document notes that the defendants continued to import and sell Northern Beast.

Later, when half a million pounds of illegal fireworks were seized in Commerce, California, in May 2025, Chee “repeatedly sought to bring those devices to Esparto.”

The document alleges that since the July 1, 2025, Esparto explosions, Chee has remained focused on efforts to “restart and rebuild his illegal enterprise” with co-defendants in Nevada, citing emails and phone records. He has tried to recruit new workers, according to the documents.

“Chee’s criminal network is large, and many individuals engaged in illegal explosives trafficking have not been charged with crimes,” the document says.

The document also alleges his public activities “demonstrate his brazen disdain for victims and the law.”

It says he tried to participate in a pyrotechnics show at the 2026 Chinese New Year celebration in San Francisco despite not having a pyrotechnics license, and socialized there in non-public areas of the event.

In making the case against bail, the document alleges that Chee has a “broad network” in the Bay Area, California, China and Malaysia where many contacts in the illegal explosives business continue to work.

The other fireworks company that operated at the site was Blackstar Fireworks, owned by 61-year-old Craig Cutright. This week, a judge approved his $500,000 bail with strict conditions.

Those conditions are:

Defendant must surrender passport to the District Attorney’s Office. Defendant is searchable. Defendant’s electronic devices are also searchable. Defendant must not associate with co-defendants except by and through counsel. Defendant must not contact (directly or indirectly) with family members of victims. Defendant will be placed on electronic monitoring — at defendant’s expense — for a period of 60 days. Defendant may not leave California without express permission of the Court. Defendant may not engage in any sort of explosives/fireworks business. Defendant may not possess any explosives, fireworks, or the precursors to these devices

Four people are due back in court Wednesday. They are Cutright, Douglas Tollefsen and Jack Lee. None of them has entered pleas yet for the charges they are facing.

Sam Machado, who was a Yolo County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant at the time of the explosions, will also appear in court for a trial setting conference. He owned the property where the fireworks companies operated.

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 Anahita Jafary

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — Chinna Jewellers Inc. in South Sacramento was rammed by a car in a violent break-in, marking the second time the store has been targeted in nearly six years.

The store’s walls are now boarded up after a car sped through the parking lot, narrowly missing a security guard before jumping the curb and crashing into the storefront.

“In this moment, the car, like flew and rammed the door,” said Alex Marchuk, a private security supervisor tasked with protecting the store.

Marchuk said he sprang into action after witnessing the crash.

“I saw right there, a family member, elderly man. He was laying under the car right there and yelling,” Marchuk said.

The store’s owner, Inderjit Singh, said he, his family and customers were inside at the time, describing the sound of the crash as resembling an explosion. Singh’s uncle remains hospitalized following the incident.

“Big robbery. This one was big. So now I want my safety,” Singh said.

According to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the security guard’s actions prevented the situation from escalating further.

“That security guard absolutely thwarted this robbery from occurring,” said Edward Igoe of the sheriff’s office.

Marchuk said he drew his gun and commanded the suspect to stop and lay on the ground, but the individual, wearing a hoodie and black gloves, did not comply.

As Marchuk chased the suspect out of the store, he noticed several cars pulling up and people with bags, suggesting a coordinated effort.

“When they saw me with a gun and this guy fleeing they very quickly jumped again inside [the car] and they were running from here,” Marchuk said.

Singh said this is the second time his store has been broken into, with the last incident occurring in 2020.

“My whole family, my kids, everybody is scared. […] I don’t know why the people are targeting my store, you know, because I do the business, I’m helping the economy,” Singh said.

While nothing was stolen, Singh said the damage to the store is extensive.

“All the security gates…They broke everything. So then now I’m in a very hard situation,” Singh said.

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said there is currently no suspect description and no arrests have been made. The suspects could face charges of attempted robbery and attempted murder.

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 Randy Wimbley

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    DETROIT (WXYZ) — The man who shot and killed three people at a Detroit gas station on Sunday will not face charges after prosecutors determined he acted in self-defense.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy’s office announced Wednesday afternoon that a warrant will be denied due to insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the suspect did not act in lawful self-defense and defense of others. The shooter was released from police custody early Wednesday.

According to the prosecutor’s office, the confrontation at the west side gas station followed a crash on the road, a pursuit, and someone pointing a gun at another car. The three people killed — Lester Owens III, Trevor Sheeler, and Jasmine Sheeler— were seen getting out of their car, opening the driver’s door of another vehicle, and getting into a physical altercation with the driver. A man in the rear of that car then fired the fatal shots.

The decision not to charge the shooter has outraged the grieving families, including Lester Owens III’s father

“They premeditated everything before they got in their vehicle – what they were gonna do. They’re gonna hit a car, get somebody to come out and tell them it was, and then shoot because they already felt cocky because they riding around with three guns,” Lester Owens Jr. said. “You let murderers out to do it again. The murderers are not the victims. I’m the victim. Lester, my son, is the victim, and those two people that were killed are the victims.”

Attorney Terry Johnson said Michigan law allows someone to use lethal force when they are in imminent fear of death or great bodily harm.

“My concerns are someone getting out of a vehicle, going into another vehicle, again that’s never a good thing, especially when there’s been some friction between the two parties beforehand,” Johnson said.

Community violence intervention group The People’s Action said there were opportunities on both sides to avoid the tragedy and that it should serve as a lesson to everyone.

“De-escalation skills, it was so many times where they could have stopped and said, you know what, it’s not that, it’s not worth it, or, or we can go a different route, right? Because, you know, when you put gas on a fire, you know what happens, right?” Kurteiz Thompson said.

“Like us as a community, we need to intervene more. I don’t think that we should just always depend on law enforcement or extreme circumstance, extreme people to come and intervene, we could do it, right? Let’s hold ourselves accountable as a community,” Tiaja Perry said.

The family of Trevor and Jasmine Sheeler, who were brother and sister, declined an interview. The man who fired the shots also declined an interview.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WXYZ’s editorial team 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 Michael Rosales

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    SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, California (KSBW) — Heavy rain and warm weather in Santa Cruz County are creating challenges for strawberry farmers, with mold, fruit splitting, and accelerated growth threatening their crops.

Strawberries are the top crop on the Central Coast, with Produce Business Magazine reporting that 90% of the country’s strawberries come from the area. However, heavy rain could prevent much of the fruit from reaching consumers.

“You got a lot of fruit out there already, and then the rains come in that can just knock those back,” said Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner David Sanford.

Mark Bolda, a farm advisor, described the impact of the recent rainfall.

“The fruit loss is going to be tremendous. Just this morning I measured an inch and a half of rain over the past two days. Usually berries start to break down after half an inch,” Bolda said.

Rain can cause mold and even make strawberries burst or split.

“The fruit, as we all know, have sugars in them. And then that gets drawn into the area of higher concentration. And subsequently that results in the fruit bursting,” Bolda said.

Farmers say hundreds, if not thousands, of strawberries could be wasted after heavy rain. At a strawberry field in Watsonville, piles of fallen strawberries were visible.

Rain isn’t the only concern for growers. Recent heat has accelerated the growing season by about three weeks, which initially helped reduce production costs. However, those benefits may be short-lived.

“All the sudden we were fruiting at the same time that Oxnard was, Baja California, and Santa Maria. So yes, prices will go up, but I think they’re going to go up from—they were pretty low because we had so much production,” Bolda said.

Sanford noted that the Central Coast agricultural industry is accustomed to challenges, pointing to the 2023 Pajaro floods as one of the most difficult events in recent memory.

“You have major losses in the field. You have tremendous flood loss with these kinds of rains in the spring. You know, they’re not entirely uncommon in terms of timing, of picking, slowing things down. Again, thinning of berries have been damaged. But the growers here in the Pajaro and Watsonville area [are] very resilient, very used to this. And I think, as Mark said, they’ll be back, picking fruit very quickly,” Sanford said.

Farmworkers in Watsonville were seen working to clean up the fields, facing the aftermath of the recent weather.

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.