LAPD officer pleads not guilty to illegally recording his coworkers’ conversations

CNN Newsource on August 11, 2026

By Matthew Rodriguez

Click here for updates on this story

    LOS ANGELES, California (KCAL, KCBS) — The Los Angeles Police Department officer accused of illegally recording his coworkers allegedly saying sexist, homophobic and racist remarks.

Daniel Flores, 43, faces 16 counts for allegedly recording his colleagues without their permission that could lead to a sentence of up to 13 years in prison. The LA County District Attorney’s Office said he secretly recorded his coworkers 122 times while working at LAPD’s Recruitment and Employment Division in 2024.

“[The] defendant’s motive to make the recordings was less altruistic and more personally motivated to avoid being transferred to patrol and to reap a financial windfall from suing the City of Los Angeles,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.

Flores claimed in a hostile-workplace lawsuit filed against the city in June that he recorded the conversations as part of a “lawful investigation” into officers using slurs. He also claimed that the hostile workplace environment began in late 2021 when a new supervisor took over his division. Flores claimed the supervisor “repeatedly made derogatory statements and fostered an environment in which other employees were encouraged to do the same.”

Flores said he submitted complaints about his coworkers’ comments and more than 120 recordings to LAPD’s Internal Affairs Division and the LA Police Commission in January 2025.

“One can address important issues by going through the proper legal channels,” Hochman said. “If one chooses a law-breaking path instead, then the consequences will be straightforward and significant.”

His attorney, Alan Jackson, said Flores was being targeted for reporting racism within the department.

“Makes no sense. It’s abusive,” Jackson said. “From now until this case is over, we will defend Mr. Flores as vigorously as we possibly can against what we think is prosecutorial overreach, desperate prosecutorial overreach.”

In court filings, some colleagues said Flores at times made references to the desire to earn large payouts from the department in the form of civil lawsuits, which he allegedly referred to as the “LAPD lottery.” Prosecutors said Flores used the recordings to cash in on his job at the department without working. Prosecutors also claimed he altered the recordings to omit his participation in the allegedly bigoted conversations.

Last Thursday, Mayor Karen Bass denounced the “alleged racist, sexist, and homophobic comments” but shared her concern about the charges dissuading future whistleblowers from reporting “egregious behavior.”

“While I understand that it is inappropriate and a crime to record colleagues without their consent, these charges certainly send the wrong message that calling out egregious behavior could land you in prison,” Bass said. “I am worried that this will deter whistleblowers and discourage officers from using the appropriate reporting channels in the future.”

After prosecutors filed the charges, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said he supported prosecutors filing charges against Flores.

“I am committed to ensuring the workplace is professional, respectful, and free from misconduct, and any employee who violates those standards will be held accountable,” McDonnell 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.

Arden-Arcade residents speak out against prisoner re-entry home in neighborhood

CNN Newsource on August 11, 2026

By Carmela Karcher

Click here for updates on this story

    ARDEN-ARCADE, California (KOVR) — More than 200 Arden-Arcade residents packed a community meeting Monday night, demanding answers over a planned re-entry home for formerly incarcerated people that is set to open next month.

The home, along Norris Avenue in the northern Arden-Arcade area, has sparked opposition from neighbors and local officials who say its location near multiple schools and in the middle of a residential neighborhood is inappropriate.

The nonprofit operating the home, Inside Circle, purchased the property and plans to house people transitioning back into the community after serving time in prison.

“I want to know how they were first allowed to even purchase a property within that short distance of a school,” one resident said.

CBS News Sacramento first reported on the planned re-entry home last month. Some neighbors said they were caught off guard by the project, with some saying they live next door to the property and were unaware of the plans until recently.

The proximity to schools was one of the biggest concerns raised Monday night. Residents pointed to several nearby campuses, including one they said shares a fence line with the property.

“I think that there needs to be change to the legislation here that would prevent this type of program from being put smack in the middle of a family-oriented community next to schools,” resident Bryan Hiestand explained.

Sacramento County Supervisor Rich Desmond opened the meeting by saying he supports rehabilitation and successful re-entry for people leaving prison but believes the Norris Avenue property is the wrong location.

“We all have a vested interest in making sure they rehabilitate, they re-enter community, and they are successful,” Desmond said. “But this is the wrong location, and I wish they had worked with my office and with the sheriff’s department on finding a more suitable location for this program.”

Inside Circle CEO Eldra Jackson was there to hear all of it, laying out the groundwork of how the program works and to answer any questions.

“We have established strict, multi-layered screening criteria,” Jackson explained. “Individuals with any history of serious offenses against minors, sex offenses, arson, or high-risk sexually violent convictions are operationally banned from our home. Furthermore, every single person in our home remains under active legal supervision by either Sacramento County Probation or State Parole.”

That explanation did little to ease concerns for some residents, who called for the property to be sold and the program relocated.

“I think the best solution is that Mr. Jackson considers selling the property, doing it at a reasonable price, and move it somewhere that makes a lot more sense,” one resident said.

Why the county and city can’t simply stop it The dispute also centers on who has authority over the home.

While Sacramento city and county officials have voiced opposition, state law limits the ability of local governments to block certain re-entry programs operated as residential homes for up to six people.

That means the county and city cannot simply prevent the home from opening based on local opposition as long as it meets the requirements established under state law.

Desmond said he plans to continue working with state officials to determine whether there is a way to stop the project or move it to another location.

Meanwhile, residents are organizing a petition opposing the home and are pushing for the operation to be shut down or relocated.

Inside Circle plans to hold additional community meetings as it prepares to open the home next month.

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.

Northern California softball players gave up smartphones for a month. A year later, they say the effects remain

CNN Newsource on August 11, 2026

By Brady Halbleib

Click here for updates on this story

    LOOMIS, California (KOVR) — More than a year after the Del Oro High School girls softball team traded their smartphones for basic flip phones as part of a monthlong mental health challenge, players and parents say the experiment continues to influence how they use technology.

The team took part in the “digital detox” last year after Jennifer Christensen, whose daughter Addy played on the team, challenged the athletes to give up their smartphones for an entire month.

Christensen said she initially wasn’t sure whether the players would agree.

“I did not foresee 100% participation,” she said.

The challenge was designed to encourage the teens to step away from social media and constant smartphone use while focusing on their mental health.

Addy Christensen also participated in a separate experiment during the detox, undergoing brain scans throughout the month.

According to the Christensen family, the scans showed changes during the early stages of the detox that were described as resembling withdrawal. Later scans showed improvements in areas associated with decision-making, impulse control and retention.

Now, more than a year later, Jennifer Christensen said she has noticed what she believes are lasting behavioral changes.

“One thing that I’ve noticed for sure and something that was reported back was regulatory capability,” she said.

She described that as a greater awareness among teens of when and why they reach for their phones, particularly when they are anxious.

“Not always grabbing the phone now, but rather sitting with themselves and processing it,” Christensen said.

For Christensen, the most noticeable changes have gone beyond phone use.

She said she and other parents have noticed some teens appearing more confident, with better posture, stronger eye contact and more fluid speech.

“To come out on the other side in the ways she has is really exciting,” Christensen said of her daughter.

The experience has also turned the mother-daughter duo into advocates for mental health awareness and more intentional technology use.

Jennifer and Addy have since been invited to speak at events, sharing what they learned from the digital detox with other families and communities.

Christensen’s advice to parents considering a similar experiment is straightforward: The transition may be difficult, but she believes the potential benefits are worth it.

“They won’t even look like they did at the beginning of the digital detox and it’s only in positive ways,” she 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.

San Francisco police officers used excessive force on man they mistakenly arrested, report states

CNN Newsource on August 11, 2026

By Jose Fabian

Click here for updates on this story

    SAN FRANCISCO, California (KPIX) — The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office Monday called on police leadership and the police commission to act on a findings report that states officers used excessive force during a wrongful arrest in 2024.

The incident took place July 4, 2024, after an officer made a mistake entering a license plate number and believed he had identified a stolen vehicle, the Public Defender’s Office said. San Francisco police officers would then proceed to smash the driver’s window, drag the driver out and pepper-spray him — actions that a San Francisco Department of Police Accountability (DPA) report states were excessive.

In the driver’s seat of the suspected stolen vehicle was Matthew Ludwig. Ludwig was charged with reckless driving and resisting arrest. The Public Defender’s Office said the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office refused to drop the case even after the mistake came to light.

The Public Defender’s Office filed a complaint to the DPA in May 2025 regarding the stop and use of force, and the DPA issued its findings in March of this year.

“The DPA investigated and sustained multiple police abuses that Mr. Ludwig suffered. I call on SFPD leadership and the city’s Police Commission to act on these findings and implement every available measure to prevent future misconduct,” said San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju.

The DA’s office ultimately dropped the case, the Public Defender’s Office said, after Ludwig died in September of 2025.

“Stopped without justification” Around 11:30 p.m., officer Vinesh Govindbhai and officer Jonathan Zepeda were near Larkin and Grove streets when they began following a Honda Accord they believed was stolen after Zepeda mistakenly entered the wrong license plate number, a complaint to the DPA states.

The officers followed the vehicle onto O’Farrell Street, saying they had observed the driver run several red lights, the Public Defender’s Office said, and parked behind it at a red light.

“Ofc. Govindbhai stopped his car directly behind the Honda so that, practically, it was pinned in from the front and back,” the complaint says.

The Public Defender’s Office said Govindbhai, without double-checking the plate numbers, walked to the driver’s side door and struck the window with his baton four times, smashing the glass.

“When Ofc. Govindbhai approached the car, he made no realistic attempts to talk to Ludwig—or even order him out of the car—to investigate the moving violation as is ordinary when a person has run a red light,” the complaint states.

On the other side of the vehicle, Zepeda, with his gun drawn and “at low ready,” told the passengers to get out of the vehicle, which they did, the complaint says. He then went to help detain Ludwig, who was already on the ground. Video of the arrest shows Ludwig being dragged out of the car, thrown onto the ground, and then pepper-sprayed as Govindbhai tries to put Ludwig’s arms behind his back.

In explaining his use of force, Govindbhai, in part, states the neighborhood is known as a “high drug trafficking area” and has “suspects with warrants,” the complaint says, which cites officer reports.

“Calling a neighborhood dangerous similarly does not give officers license to smash windows during a traffic stop absent some other justification,” the Public Defender’s Office writes. “It was, instead, both officers’ erroneous belief that the car carried the wrong license plate that supplied the threat. In short, officers’ fears were imaginary and exaggerated.”

The officers eventually realized they had entered the wrong plate number but still recommended Ludwig be charged with reckless driving and resisting arrest, the complaint states.

“The complainant stated the driver was stopped without justification,” the DPA writes. “The driver was not operating a stolen vehicle, and the officers therefore had no reasonable suspicion to stop him.”

“He lost virtually everything” Ludwig was arrested and booked into jail, and his vehicle was later sold at auction after being impounded, the Public Defender’s Office said; days later, the RV he shared with his girlfriend was towed.

Still facing charges of reckless driving and resisting arrest, he was offered diversion by the prosecution as a final deal, the Public Defender’s Office said. He died in September of 2025 before the charges were dropped and before the DPA found the officers used unnecessary force and approached him without justification.

“As a result of this, he lost virtually everything that he owned,” Deputy Public Defender Brandon Coleman, who represented Ludwig, said. “He told me that he felt like this world lacked compassion for human life and that he had never been given a fair chance in life.”

CBS News Bay Area reached out to San Francisco police and were told to contact the city attorney’s office, as they cannot speak on pending litigation.

We have also reached out to the DA’s office but have yet to hear back.

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.

Colorado 5th grader “arrested” for refusing to let mom take back-to-school photo

CNN Newsource on August 11, 2026

By Logan Smith

Click here for updates on this story

    KEENESBURG, Colorado (KCNC) — On the first day of school, a Colorado grade schooler learned the consequences for not listening to his mother.

Keenesburg resident Amanda Stolz was driving her son, Colton, to school Monday morning when she encountered one of the town’s officers.

“He was giving me some trouble,” Stolz said of her son. She wanted to take Colton’s photo on his first day of 5th grade.

Colton resisted.

She turned to the law for help.

“[S]o Officer Jack had to step in,” she later recounted on social media, “and inform him that refusing your mom a first-day-of-school picture is, in fact, against the law.”

The emergency lights came on and the handcuffs came out. Keenesburg Officer Jack Ross briefly took Colton into custody.

“It was awesome that Officer Jack took it serious,” Stolz told CBS Colorado. “We were like, ‘Well, I guess we have you back-to-school pictures now, don’t we?'”

CBS Colorado is trying to confirm which state statute was cited as the offense, and also whether booking photos are allowed in the school’s yearbook.

Meanwhile, mom…er, Stolz…couldn’t help celebrating online.

“Here’s to 5th grade buddy!”

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.

Car full of 17-year-olds goes off Colorado cliff; Grand Junction police say 5 dead

CNN Newsource on August 11, 2026

By Spencer Wilson

Click here for updates on this story

    GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado (KCNC) — Five 17-year-old boys were killed in a car crash over the weekend in western Colorado when the vehicle they were in went off the road and off the edge of a cliff. It happened along Lookout Lane in Orchard Mesa, which is south of Grand Junction.

A driver called 911 after spotting the wreckage off the side of the roadway on Sunday morning. First responders then raced to get to the crash scene and used ropes to descend down the cliff, but there were no survivors.

Because the people who died are all minors, police are not identifying the victims. Police said three had seat belts on and two did not.

An investigation is underway into whether speed played a role in the crash.

Grand Junction police said they are offering support through the victim services unit.

“Those professionals who deal with mental health and grief counselors, any type of professional like that, they are so vital for people to talk to,” said Kelly Clingman of the Grand Junction Police Department.

Mesa County public schools start back up on Tuesday. The Mesa County Valley School District says it will have resources on hand for students and staff.

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.

Retired Cicero firefighter sues Gibsons Steakhouse alleging contaminated oysters caused brain injuries

CNN Newsource on August 11, 2026

By Sara Tenenbaum

Click here for updates on this story

    OAK BROOK, Illinois (WBBM) — A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a former Cicero firefighter against Gibsons Steakhouse in Oak Brook, alleging contaminated oysters he was served there caused catastrophic brain injuries.

Announcing the suit Monday morning, attorneys for Joe Belgio and his family said the 44-year-old U.S. Marines veteran and retired Cicero firefighter suffered a heart attack and was in a coma for months after eating contaminated raw oysters served at the west suburban restaurant.

According to the lawsuit, Belgio contracted Etheropathogenic E. coli, or EPEC, and Plesiomonas shigelloides from eating the oysters.

As a result, attorneys sad Belgio suffered a massive heart attack that caused an anoxic brain injury, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit asserts that Belgio’s treating physicians “determined to a reasonable degree of medical certainty” that his illness, heart attack and subsequent injuries were a result of eating the oysters.

Attorneys said Belgio was in a coma for months and now needs specialized brain-injury rehabilitation, additional therapeutic care and specialized support.

Attorneys said Belgio has already racked up seven-figure medical bills as a result of his injuries, and are seeking damages from the restaurant to help cover the still-accruing costs.

Belgio’s family and colleagues described him as a devoted father and beloved little league coach. Firefighters, police officers and community members who know him have organized a fundraiser online to help pay for the specialized inpatient therapy he needs.

CBS News Chicago reached out to Gibsons Restaurant Group about the lawsuit, who responded with a statement, writing, “The impact of Mr. Belgio’s cardiac event is tragic. We recognize the seriousness of what he is facing and wish him a full recovery. We take food safety extremely seriously, and providing a superior and safe dining experience is always our primary focus. There have been no other reported cases of illness. Based on the facts and our internal investigation, there is no evidence to suggest that our establishment caused his health condition. We are confident that a fair and thorough legal process will agree with this conclusion.”

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.

2 custodians fatally shot at Mark Twain Elementary School near Chicago Midway Airport, police say

CNN Newsource on August 11, 2026

By Todd Feurer, Marissa Sulek

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICAGO, Illinois (WBBM) — Two custodians were killed in a shooting at a Chicago Public Schools elementary school on Monday afternoon near Midway International Airport.

Chicago police said that around 3:40 p.m., two people were found unresponsive inside Mark Twain Elementary School, at 5134 S. Lotus Ave. in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood.

Jacob Hernandez says he went to the school. He says he saw the police and fire response when he was biking by.

“I saw two people on a stretcher. They were trying to resuscitate somebody,” he said. “And I heard this guy, he was telling me he heard a girl screaming.”

A 48-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man both had been shot once in the head. Both victims were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead. Police said a weapon was recovered at the scene.

CPS also sent out a letter from the principal saying, “It is with deep sadness that I inform you that this afternoon, shots were fired inside our building. I am sorry to share that members of our school community were impacted.”

The principal says there were no students inside the building at the time. They will give parents more information as the investigation unfolds. Students are not expected to go back to school for another couple of weeks.

Several parents came by the school after the shooting, concerned about what happened inside.

Felicia Puga said she’s now terrified to drop off her daughter at school once it starts on Aug. 24.

“How are we supposed to send our kids to school knowing something like this could happen potentially again?” she said.

Puga was ready to send her soon-to-be second-grader, Luna, to school and had open house a couple of days before. Now she’s considering sending her to another school nearby.

“Now I’m questioning if I should even send her, and hopefully there’s a school nearby, but we’re not in the district for it,” she said. “So we’re hoping maybe I can get her into that school, because something is not right here.”

As of Monday night, the identities of the victims were not released.

The shooting remains under investigation by Area 1 detectives.

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.

Plano City Council votes to put Dallas Stars arena funding plan on November ballot

CNN Newsource on August 11, 2026

By Amelia Mugavero, S.E. Jenkins

Click here for updates on this story

    PLANO, Texas (KTVT) — The Plano City Council has voted to move forward with a funding plan for the proposed new Dallas Stars arena. The vote was unanimous, 8-0.

The vote means Plano voters will get the final say in November on a package of taxes and fees that would help fund the proposed $3 billion development near Willow Bend.

The project would include a new Dallas Stars arena, along with restaurants, shops and public spaces.

“We will have many more opportunities to say no, but now is not the time to do that,” said Plano council member Bob Kehr.

Plano is proposing to put $700 million toward the development via:

– A short-term hotel occupancy tax, up to 2%, resulting in a maximum combined hotel occupancy tax rate of 15% – A short-term motor vehicle rental tax, up to 5% – An event parking tax of up to $3 per vehicle – An admissions tax of up to 10% of the ticket price – A venue facility use tax of up to $5,000 per game on each member of a major league team that plays a professional sports game at the venue

“If citizens were to rent motor vehicles, they will be charged with those tax increases,” said Deputy City Manager Doug McDonald.

The city says Plano property taxes would not increase to pay for the arena.

“The proposed venue-related taxes would apply only to specific transactions and would not affect the existing property tax rate for Plano residents. The election does not determine the future of the arena,” the city said in a statement.

The City’s potential financing plan also includes new commercial property tax revenues generated within the Willow Bend Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) and other revenues generated by arena events.

Proposed Stars arena concerns residents The proposal has drawn considerable concern from residents, especially regarding traffic. The city says more than 2,400 written comments came in during the public input process, with 84% focused on traffic.

“If you have a Dallas Stars game, expending 20,000 to 22,000 people, that’s 8 to 10,000 cars and there’s not a lot of public transit in that area,” said Michael Forner, a Plano resident.

Parking, noise, light pollution and the impact on nearby neighborhoods have also been major concerns.

“I think you will be reducing the attractiveness of Plano to families,” said Ileen Chivata, a Plano resident.

There will be an update on development studies at a meeting in October. The city said that it will include a traffic study.

Monday night’s vote does not approve the arena or its funding. It puts the funding plan on the November ballot, when Plano voters will have the final say.

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.

Woman wanted in 1996 murder of 3-year-old daughter arrested in Mexico

CNN Newsource on August 11, 2026

By S.E. Jenkins

Click here for updates on this story

    TARRANT COUNTY, Texas (KTVT) — The woman wanted in the 1996 murder of her own 3-year-old daughter has been arrested in Mexico after years on the run, the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office said.

Maria Narez, 48, was arrested in Mexico on Saturday.

In mid-November 1996, Narez shook her daughter, Kasandra White, and threw the child into a wall, causing her head to strike a door, according to the 1999 Tarrant County grand jury indictment.

“The DA’s office never gave up on bringing Narez back to face the charge against her and answer for the death of her daughter,” the county’s office said in a statement.

The DA’s office thanked Mexico Interpol, the U.S. Marshals Mexico Foreign Field Office, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Justice-Office of International Affairs, DA Investigators Tiffany Johnson and Victor Espino-Nevarez, and Assistant DA Steven Elliott for their work in capturing Narez.

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.