Author: CNN Newsource

By Meghan Mosley

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    CADDO COUNTY, Oklahoma (KOCO) — A caregiver on Wednesday pleaded guilty to murder and other charges in connection with the death of 4-year-old Athena Brownfield.

Alysia Adams, who was one of two caregivers charged for Brownfield’s disappearance and death, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, child neglect and obstructing an officer.

A Caddo County judge sentenced Adams to life in prison for two of the charges, but they are 85 percent crimes – meaning she has to serve at last 85 percent of her time.

Alysia Adams pleads guilty

The plea came during a court appearance on Wednesday. KOCO 5 Reporter Meghan Mosley said Adams entered the courtroom crying, and the court heard victim impact statements.

Adams also apologized and said she regrets her decision.

“These three years have been hard. I’ve gotten close with God. I also loved her, and I’m so sorry for the hurt we caused,” Adams said.

Athena Brownfield’s disappearance and murder

The situation started on Jan. 10, 2023, after a mail carrier found Brownfield’s sister in Cyril, prompting law enforcement and OSBI agents to conduct a large search for the 4-year-old girl.

Brownfield’s remains were eventually found in rural Grady County, just outside of Rush Springs. Court documents revealed that Brownfield was killed on Christmas Day 2022.

Adams and her husband, Ivon, were charged in Brownfield’s death. Alysia Adams was offered deals in the past, which she turned down.

In 2024, the Caddo County District Attorney filed a motion recommending that the death penalty be considered in Adams’ case.

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 WDJT News Staff

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    RACINE, Wisconsin (WDJT) — A rather cheesy event was held at Red Apple School in Racine on Wednesday, May 20.

Students collected nearly 2,000 boxes of mac and cheese and turned them into a giant domino train, before being donated to local shelters.

CBS 58 spoke with staff members at the school who spoke on their students’ dedication toward helping others.

“This is great. This is amazing. The kids all set this up with minimal help from us and they are going to see it go back in the community,” said Trish Howard, Red Apple School staff.

“The kids love the community, we love the community too, so we feel it’s really important that they are a part of it and put back into the community,” said Susanne Kelly-Johnson, Red Apple School staff.

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By Morgan Rynor

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    MIAMI, Florida (WFOR) — The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office (MDSO) reported that 19 cars were broken into overnight, and one car was stolen in a northeast Miami-Dade neighborhood. Surveillance video shows the thieves, with faces covered, walking around the complexes on Northeast 191st St by 18th Ave.

Resident Jennifer Lopez discovered her car was one of the victims on Wednesday morning.

“I noticed that somebody broke in my car, and when I went to get in my car, the steering wheel, horn, and airbag were pulled out of my car,” Lopez said.

After driving around, she and her boyfriend found that at least a dozen more cars had been targeted.

Lopez noted that the thieves appeared to have a specific goal, as they were “just the Hondas getting broken into, and the majority of the stuff missing was just the airbag”. They notably left behind valuables, including a gun seen on a seat. Detectives informed Lopez that “this is something that they’ve been dealing with, of people stealing like the airbags out of the car, and that they’re working on it”.

Gelen Barrera, a board member of Building 4, said her building is looking into extra security measures. She mentioned that the police suggested getting a security guard, and they are considering closing the street with a fence, noting, “there is a lot of money” involved. Residents also said their buildings have been targeted repeatedly.

Another resident, Jesus Llerena, said he is taking matters into his own hands: “I got a gun in my house,” adding, “I see somebody in my car, he got a big problem with me, big problem”.

MDSO currently has no suspects, and the Auto Theft Squad has taken over the investigation.

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By WDJT News Staff

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    MILWAUKEE (WDJT) — A 3-month-old baby is dead, and his mother is now charged in connection.

Prosecutors say the child died March 22, and multiple drugs were found in both his baby bottle and in his system.

A toxicology report showed the boy’s cause of death was from mixed drug toxicity — fentanyl, xylazine, heroine and oxycodone.

Thirty-one-year-old Tashae Goodman of Milwaukee appeared in court Wednesday, May 20, on charges of first degree reckless homicide and chronic neglect of a child.

According to the criminal complaint, after calling 911 to report that her baby was not breathing, Goodman told the dispatcher that she’d slept on him.

Bail has been set at $100,000. A preliminary hearing is set for May 28.

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By Mike Sullivan

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    SOUTHBORO, Massachusetts (WJZ) — A Southboro, Massachusetts family came within feet of being struck by lightning on Tuesday, and the entire incident was caught on camera.

Brad Robillard had just got home with his son and daughter. “It sounded like a bomb was going off,” Robillard said.

As he went to get his daughter out of the back seat of his pickup truck, an explosion happened right behind him.

“I had literally just told my son that the chances of getting struck by lightning are pretty slim,” said Robillard. “It was the hair raising on the back of your neck, then immediately right after, it went off.”

Robillard knew there was thunder and lightning in the area. He counted to “10 Mississippi” before getting out of the car. It’s common teaching to determine how close lightning is. You start the count after you hear thunder and then divide by 5. It gives a rough estimate of how many miles the last lightning strike was.

“I had counted to 10 before we got out of the car and I’m like yeah, it’s OK. I never thought it would be on top of us on the next one,” said Robillard.

In the video you can see an explosion happening right behind him, but he doesn’t believe that is the lightning strike. There is a tree in his backyard with a line of bark shaved off the side. He thinks the lightning struck the tree, ran into a metal fence in their backyard, and then climbed their home and exited from a soffit at the roof. There are burn marks at the soffit and scorch marks on parts of the fence.

“The path of least resistance, then that big explosion behind me,” said Robillard.

The surveillance footage of the incident made quick rounds on the internet, but Robillard is still trying to wrap his head around what happened.

“At the time it’s like, ‘Wow what is going on?’ Then we ran inside and the adrenaline wears off, that’s what you start thinking about,” said Robillard.

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By Joseph Buczek

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    KALAMAZOO, Michigan (WWJ) — Video shows the moments a baby was tossed by its mother from a burning home and caught by a Kalamazoo, Michigan, police officer.

Kalamazoo police responded to a fire at a home in the 1200 block of Washington Avenue around 4:15 p.m. on May 15 for a report of a mother and her infant being trapped on the porch of the two-story home.

When officers arrived, they spotted the mother leaning out of a second-floor window on the left side of the home and holding her baby as smoke surrounded them.

In bodycam footage, Kalamazoo Police Officer Arnett can be heard telling the mother, “Hey, throw me your kid. Kick out the screen.” The mother can be seen dropping her child into Arnett’s arms. A ladder was brought to the window, and the mother safely climbed down.

The mother and the baby were taken to a local hospital as a precaution, but neither suffered injuries, according to police.

Other residents of the home, which is divided into three separate living units, safely evacuated on their own and were unharmed.

The fire damaged the home’s interior staircase, forcing crews to use ladders to access the second-floor porch and enter the residence. Most of the fire occurred on the right side of the home, but authorities say some flames spread into the attic.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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By Frances Lin

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    PINELLAS COUNTY, Florida (WFTS) — A Pinellas County deputy rescued a kitten found alone in the emergency lane on the southbound side of the Bayside Bridge Sunday morning.

Deputies with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) said a driver spotted the kitten and called authorities after determining it was unsafe to stop. Deputies from the Marine Unit responded and took the animal to BluePearl for care.

Officials said they do not know how the kitten ended up on the nearly three-mile bridge over open water. Abandoning an animal in a public place is a first-degree misdemeanor in Florida, punishable by up to a year in jail, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

Pinellas County Animal Services and local organizations such as SPCA Tampa Bay and the Humane Society of Pinellas offer surrender and rehoming programs for owners who can no longer care for pets.

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By Grace King

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    ATLANTA, Georgia (WXIA) — Atlanta is launching a new anti-human trafficking campaign ahead of the FIFA World Cup matches coming to the city next month.

The effort is part of the global “It’s a Penalty” campaign, which uses major sporting events to raise awareness about human trafficking and exploitation. Organizers said the campaign will focus on helping people recognize warning signs, report concerns, and connect victims with support services.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said large events can increase vulnerabilities for trafficking victims.

“Trafficking is a crime that hides in plain sight,” Dickens said. “We are asking people to say something if they see something.”

The Atlanta Alliance Against Trafficking Task Force will coordinate prevention efforts before the World Cup. Officials said the task force includes law enforcement agencies, nonprofits, faith leaders, businesses, and survivor support groups.

Sarah D. Carvalho, founder and CEO of It’s a Penalty, said the organization has launched campaigns tied to major sporting events in 14 countries over the past 12 years.

Carvalho said campaign materials will appear in airports, hotels, ride-share vehicles, and on flights with airlines including American Airlines, British Airways, and Emirates during June and July.

Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp said the state has made combating human trafficking a priority for years, especially after Atlanta hosted the Super Bowl in 2019.

“We will also be vigilant in our fight to protect our most vulnerable,” Kemp said. “If you see something this summer, say something. Alert law enforcement, because you never know if you might save a life.”

Kemp said Georgia has passed 11 laws aimed at helping survivors and strengthening prosecutions against traffickers and buyers. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has investigated 644 human trafficking cases, leading to 196 arrests and the recovery of 216 possible victims, she said.

Atlanta Police Department Deputy Chief Darin Schierbaum said officers are receiving additional training ahead of the World Cup.

Several hospitality and travel companies also announced expanded anti-trafficking training programs for employees and partners.

Officials encouraged residents and visitors to remain alert during the World Cup and report suspicious activity to law enforcement or trafficking hotlines.

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By Kristen Consillio

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    KANEOHE, Hawaii (KITV) — Carter Cantiberos made a pit stop on his way to school to the Kukane St. Stand — the latest of its kind popping up in recent months across the state.

“I like it. It’s nice and neat, actually. And it looks good, everything,” Cantiberos said. “It helps people out.”

The recent bake stand boom is prompting the Department of Health to investigate a dozen of them statewide over the past few months, citing nine for not being compliant with certain food standards.

Still, residents from near and far are flocking to these rustic sheds to support local.

More than 100 people show up at the roadside bake stand in Kaneohe. And that has shocked Lila Bermudes and Kamealani Carvalho. The two jumped into the business headfirst after a random meeting.

“I just had bought this house from Kamealani… and there was a missed delivery here so her information was on the package,” Bermudes said. “But before that, a lot of the neighbors were already telling me what a great baker she was and they would ask me if I bake, and I’m like, ‘No, I don’t bake. I make lattes, but no.'”

The two strangers met up and took a leap of faith.

“What was supposed to be three minutes turned into like a 30-minute conversation, right?,” Bermudes said.

“We came up with the concept and after that we were like texting constantly, like ‘I think we’re doing this, like we’re doing this, yeah?’ And we opened Feb. 12,” Carvalho added.

Through social media and word-of-mouth, the business took off.

Customers thirsting for not just morning coffee, but nostalgia.

“It’s like that old school style of trading almost, you know. I mean you have a product that you can provide and people in the community can come and pick up stuff to eat,” said customer Dustin Nakayama.

And it’s all based on trust with customers paying by Venmo or cash in a box.

“It’s a trust-based business really and that’s kind of old-school style, right?,” Nakayama said. “We don’t really have that anymore and it’s good to see it again.”

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