Search underway for women in string of retail thefts

By KABC Staff

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    BIG BEAR, California (KABC) — A search is underway for a group of women who detectives say have been on a retail crime spree in the Big Bear area.

The women have stolen hundreds of dollars in merchandise from several stores, according to the Big Bear Sheriff’s Station.

It started when four women walked out of a Dollar Tree store with merchandise that they allegedly didn’t pay for on Nov. 15.

The next day, detectives say they each stole items worth up to $350 from a Marshall’s store. They’re also accused of taking two Christmas tree boxes worth about $100 from a Grocery Outlet.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the sheriff’s station at (909) 866-0100.

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‘Jackpotting’: ATMs rigged to spit out cash in Salina

By KAKE Staff

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    SALINA, Kan. (KAKE) — Police in Salina are still searching for suspects after cash was stolen from two ATMs over the weekend.

The first theft happened at around 8 p.m. Saturday at the Bennington State Bank branch at 2130 South Ohio. The second occurred at the Bennington branch at approximately 1 p.m. Sunday. In each theft, the suspect or suspects got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Police say the suspect vehicle was a white Lincoln passenger car. It had a Kansas tag, but police say the license plate was stolen between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday from a vehicle in the 100 block of South Phillips.

Authorities believe this incident is connected to a previous “jackpotting” incident in Wamego, Kansas. The Salina Post reports “jackpotting” is a crime in which thieves install malicious software and/or hardware at ATMs that force the machines to spit out cash.

This is an ongoing investigation.

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Forsyth County firefighter gets second chance with new kidney from sister

By Kaitlyn Ross

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    FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. (WXIA) — A Forsyth County firefighter who has been fighting kidney disease since May has received a lifesaving gift from his sister.

Chris Stancel, who has served his community as a firefighter and first responder for 25 years, was diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney disease caused by a rare genetic condition. He had been working with Piedmont Hospital’s transplant team searching for a living kidney donor.

Now, thanks to his sister Katie, Stancel has received a new kidney and a second chance at life.

Their mother said it best: “They were raised, you take care of your people.”

And that’s exactly what Katie did, stepping forward in an act of love and courage that saved her brother.

For years, Stancel rushed toward danger when others ran away, offering help and hope during people’s most terrifying moments. When he needed help, his sister answered the call.

More than 90,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for a kidney transplant. According to the American Transplant Foundation, every nine minutes someone is added to the national organ transplant list, and 16 people on that list die every day.

Living organ donations can significantly cut wait times for patients while offering the best chance for long-term success.

Chris and Katie’s story is a powerful reminder of the impact of family, selflessness, and hope. From the operating room to recovery, they walk forward together — connected in the most literal way, carrying a piece of each other.

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Lawsuit alleges state left people deemed incompetent to stand trial in jail without treatment

By Cherisse Halsall

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    Missouri (KOMU) — The MacArthur Justice Center, ArchCity Defenders and the ACLU of Missouri filed a class action lawsuit against the Missouri Department of Mental Health on Monday, claiming the agency failed to provide legally required treatment for pretrial detainees living with serious mental illness and disabilities.

The groups filed the federal lawsuit in the Central Division of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. The lawsuit alleges the department left hundreds of Missouri residents deemed incompetent to stand trial in county jails without treatment.

Missouri law requires courts to receive competency evaluations within 60 days of an order, but advocates said the process often takes about six months. Nearly 500 people deemed incompetent to stand trial remain in jail without treatment while awaiting transfer to Department of Mental Health facilities, according to the lawsuit. On average, detainees wait 14 months before receiving restoration treatment, and some remain incarcerated longer than the maximum sentence they would face if convicted, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit lays out the following argument: The department’s own legislative testimony showing the waitlist for competency services increased by a third since September 2024 and nearly 88% since September 2023. As of May 5, 230 people waited in jail for evaluations, while another 430 detainees already ruled incompetent waited for court-ordered treatment. By October, the number of people waiting for restoration treatment reached nearly 500.

The lawsuit seeks court intervention to require the Missouri Department of Mental Health to provide timely evaluations and treatment for people deemed incompetent to stand trial.

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Incarcerated women in SF jail say sheriff’s deputies recorded them during mass strip-search

By Luz Pena

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    SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A group of women say San Francisco sheriff’s deputies took humiliating video of them during a mass jail strip-search on May 22, 2025.

At least 19 women are accusing San Francisco sheriff’s deputies of subjecting them to a mass strip-search inside the B-Pod of the San Francisco County Jail.

“This has been happening over again on the inside. So we’re just here to say that we believe you and support you,” said Julia Arroyo, Executive Director of Young Women’s Freedom Center.

During a rally outside the jail, the city’s public defender commended the women for coming forward. His office filed a complaint against the deputies involved pointing to violations of policies – among them having men present during searches and failing to conduct searches in private areas.

“The mass strip-search and the harassment that continue afterwards is unacceptable and unjust,” said San Francisco Public Defender, Manohar Raju.

Several women are being represented by a private firm. Their attorney said they described armed guards pointing guns while searching them.

“During the strip-search, there was body-worn camera footage that was turned on. At least one of the women know that there was a younger deputy who tried to speak up and said, ‘shouldn’t we have our cameras off?’ And they were directed, ‘no keep the camera on,'” said Elizabeth Bertolino with Bertolino Law.

We looked into the San Francisco sheriff’s Custody and Court Operations Policy manual. It states portable recorders should be “activated any time” a deputy believes it’s valuable “except for strip searches.” Bertolino said her clients reported at least 15 male deputies in the room watching them.

“There was a couple women who said they reached out to try to have the body-worn camera footage of them erased, and they were, told, don’t worry if we upload it to YouTube or something, we’ll have it blurred,” said Bertolino.

The city’s executive director of the Department on the Status of Women said they are planning to tour the facility.

“We need to be able to really first look at more of the details in a transparent way and we need to be able to investigate and continue making sure that we hear all the voices and all the claims that come forward,” said Diana Aroche, Executive director of SF’s Department on the Status of Women.

Tanzanika Carter, SF’s Assistant Sheriff, responded to the allegations.

“We understand the allegations that a mass strip-search happened, but we know women were individually searched by female deputies in single person stalls. We want to acknowledge the women who came forward every complain raised within our facilities is taken seriously,” said Assist Chief. Carter.

Assistant Sheriff Carter said personnel actions were taken but did not elaborate on what those actions were.

The private attorney representing the women in this case said the city has 45 days to respond to their claim.

“We want some of those individuals fired like we there’s particularly a couple individuals who I believe are going to come to light and we want them fired. We want others held accountable. We want policies in place,” said Attorney Bartolino.

If the city rejects the claim or doesn’t respond, there will be a state or federal lawsuit filed against the city of San Francisco that will include compensation for the women.

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Gov. Shapiro signs CROWN Act into law in Pennsylvania

By Alexandra Simon, Dan Snyder

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — Inside a West Philadelphia hair salon Tuesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a law solidifying protections against hair discrimination in the state.

The CROWN Act, which stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” prohibits discrimination based on a person’s hairstyle, type or texture. Pennsylvania is the 28th state to pass a version of the CROWN Act.

Shapiro signed the legislation at the Island Design Natural Hair Studio, which specializes in creating and caring for natural hairstyles.

“This is a place where the community gets nurtured, and folks get to walk in and walk out looking and feeling their absolute best,” Shapiro said. “I think that’s noble work.”

“Wearing our crown is very important to me,” said Lorraine Ruley, who has owned Island Design Natural Hair Studio for 24 years.

Ruley has had lots of clients come to her salon to have their braids taken out or locs cut because their hairstyles were considered “unprofessional.”

House Speaker Joanna McClinton, who worked on the CROWN Act legislation for six years, said she changed her hair while in law school over the same concerns. U.S. Rep. La’Tasha D. Mayes, a West Philadelphia native who now represents parts of Pittsburgh, was the lead sponsor on the bill and said the fight will help improve lives across Pennsylvania.

“Hair discrimination has taken confidence from our children, but that ends today,” Mayes said. “Hair discrimination has taken dignity from workers, but that ends today. It has taken access to economic opportunities, hopes and dreams, but that begins to end today.”

According to the governor, in 2022 more than 900 complaints of racial discrimination based on hair were made to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

The bill passed in the state Senate on Nov. 19 by a vote of 44-3, eight months after receiving the bill from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

At the federal level, the CROWN Act was first introduced in the House of Representatives in 2021 and passed in the chamber in 2023.

Last year, the CROWN Act was reintroduced in both the House and Senate, but has not yet been passed in Congress.

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Family continues 27-year Thanksgiving tradition of Run to Feed the Hungry, despite grieving lost loved ones

By Michelle Bandur

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — Registration for Sacramento’s Run to Feed the Hungry has reached a record-breaking number of nearly 31,800 participants as of Monday afternoon, marking a significant milestone for the event that has been a tradition since 1994 and serves as a major fundraiser for the Sacramento Food Bank.

For one Orangevale family, the event is about preserving family traditions, even after losing dear family members.

Lianne Vicchio and her mother, Susan Vicchio, have been participating in the Thanksgiving run since 1998, a tradition started by Lianne’s father and Susan’s husband, Bert.

“Growing up, it was like, my dad’s out in the driveway, honking the horn, waking us up,” Lianne Vicchio said.

Susan Vicchio reflected on the longevity of their participation.

“This would be year 27,” she said. “I don’t know where the time went exactly.”

The Vicchios, along with their daughters, ages 8 and 9 at the time in 1998, began their Thanksgiving mornings with neighbors, friends, and cousins, making the run a non-negotiable part of their holiday.

“No matter who was in town, there was no option. We all did Run to Feed the Hungry,” Susan Vicchio said.

Year 20 was particularly challenging for the family, as they lost their leader, Bert Vicchio, to blood cancer in December 2018.

“We’ve lost him. And this is an important tradition for me to carry on, differently,” said Susan Vicchio. “But to continue to express gratitude now in different ways with different people.”

The family faced further loss when Susan Vicchio’s older daughter, Haley, died in a car accident. Despite these hardships, Susan emphasized the importance of maintaining family traditions during the holidays.

“As difficult as it is, maintaining some of the family traditions that you had is a really important way to hold it together during the holidays, which can be the most challenging time of the year,” she said.

Lianne Vicchio holds on to her father and sister’s memories.

“They’re my strength, so I get joy from that,” she said. “I’m carrying their legacy. I’m living their life that maybe they could have.”

Registration for the Run to Feed the Hungry is still open, and participants can even sign up on site on Thanksgiving morning.

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DLI student swept to sea at Soberanes Point identified by Monterey County Sheriff’s Office

By Jacquelyn Quinones

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    MONTEREY COUNTY, California (KSBW) — The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office says the man swept off the rocks into the ocean at Soberanes Point was a Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center student.

The man was identified as Amanpreet Thind, a 35-year-old U.S. Army specialist and student at the Defense Language Institute, as the man swept away by waves at Soberanes Point on Saturday.

Col. Christy L. Whitfield, Commandant at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, stated, “The missing person from Saturday’s incident at Garrapata State Park is Spc. Amanpreet Thind, a U.S. Army Soldier and student at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center. As search and recovery operations continue, we hold out hope that Spc. Thind will be found. We offer our deepest condolences to the Thind family during this difficult time. We are providing those impacted with every resource and support service available and extend our heartfelt gratitude to local, state, and national first responders working tirelessly to locate Spc. Thind.”

Thind, from New Jersey, was one of three people caught by the waves, but he never made it out of the water, while the two women accompanying him did.

Andy Rosas, spokesperson for the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, stated, “In this particular case, there are established protocols both by the U.S. military services as well as the Monterey County Sheriff’s office to ensure that family members are notified about the current situation regarding their loved ones prior to making any public statements.”

Search efforts resumed on Tuesday morning, involving multiple agencies.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s dive team reported that ocean conditions remain unsafe for entry into the water at this time.

“The dive team indicates that it’s still unsafe for them to make entry into water; however, they’ve looked ahead, and there appears to be an opportunity to begin underwater dive searches tomorrow,” Rosas said.

Rosas said Thind is of Indian descent and was wearing a white turban, black shorts, a black shirt, and a black vest.

At around 4:24 p.m. Saturday, a Coast Guard helicopter spotted what appeared to be a body in the ocean but, due to high surf, lost visual. Because of this and other factors, the response has shifted to a search-and-recovery mission.

A beach hazards warning was in effect Monday, with conditions expected to improve Tuesday.

Coast Guard officials have warned that sneaker waves are very dangerous.

“Sneaker waves are unpredictable waves that are higher in height than other waves, move up the shoreline just not in the beach, but also along rock,” Leo Zapawa, Chief Warrant Officer with the U.S. Coast Guard, said.

Tourists visiting the area expressed alarm upon hearing about the recovery efforts.

One visitor said, “It’s all open ocean, so it’s because of the wind that you can lose balance and go in, and anything can happen.” Another added, “Everyone should definitely be more cautious.”

A resident commented on the situation, saying, “That’s really tragic, there’s a lot of signage on the trails and if you just obey the signs and stay on the trail, you can be safe and enjoy the views, it’s really beautiful.”

The public is asked to stay away from the Soberanes Point area as search efforts continue.

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Search for at-risk woman paused; GPS review underway

By Zoe Hunt

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    BONNY DOON, California (KSBW) — The search for 73-year-old Jeanne Burke, missing since November 18 in the Bonny Doon area, has paused as authorities analyze GPS data to plan the next steps.

Burke was last seen near Smith Grade and Moore Ranch Road, prompting a large-scale search effort over the past week.

Crews have spent six days searching 3,500 miles of Bonny Doon, focusing on the area where Burke was last spotted.

Each search team was equipped with a GPS tracker to plot and track their search areas.

On Monday, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office temporarily paused active searching to analyze the GPS data and identify any gaps or missed areas that could guide future search efforts.

“The teams are taking all that data, and analyzing it, trying to see if there’s any gaps, any missed areas, any areas that would point it in the direction for the next search that’s going to happen,” Ryan Farotte, with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, said.

Mountain bikers familiar with the area have expressed concerns about the challenging conditions.

“I think very dangerous. Between the weather and the temperatures at night, and her age. And, we’re riding a pretty aggressive trails. And if you get lost on some of these, it’s. It would be pretty tough,” one mountain biker, Paul Miller, said.

Another mountain biker, Rodeny Stanton, added, “Could be really rough out there. there’s not a lot of not a lot of help. I mean, it’s pretty much just forest.”

Burke is believed to be wearing a plaid jacket, black pants, and flip-flops, which are not suitable for the cold mountain temperatures.

“We want to find her. That’s our biggest goal,” Farotte said.

Authorities are urging residents in the area to check their cameras and any buildings on their property, such as sheds or outhouses, where Burke might be seeking shelter.

They advise checking these locations again, even if they have been checked once, as Burke could be moving between locations.

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Woman attacked by rabid bobcat

By Tia Maggio

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    JEKYLL ISLAND, Georgia (WJCL) — A terrifying scene unfolded Sunday on Jekyll Island when a woman was attacked by a rabid bobcat in front of families at the island’s miniature golf course.

Investigators say the woman was walking between holes at Jekyll Island Miniature Golf when the bobcat suddenly charged and latched onto her leg. Families nearby ran for cover, but one man ran toward the danger.

Joshua Thornton said he heard a scream and saw the attack happening right in front of him.

“I assumed it was like a pet or something misbehaving. But you know, after looking a little harder, I saw that she was getting attacked by something,” Thornton said.

Thornton said he didn’t hesitate to jump in.

“I ran and helped her. And, I got the animal off of her and, you know, got to shoo it away. And, you know, try to contain a little bit. But then I made sure, you know, everybody was off the golf course,” Thornton said.

Jekyll Island officials confirmed the bobcat was killed after the attack. The woman suffered bite marks and scratches to her leg and drove herself to the hospital for treatment.

Thornton said the animal’s behavior was unlike anything he’s seen on the island.

“I’ve never seen one attack somebody — that was wild. I mean, he was definitely trying to kill something,” Thornton said.

Bobcats are commonly spotted on Jekyll Island — residents often share videos of them roaming in yards — but officials say this incident is unprecedented. In a statement, Jekyll Island Authority said:

“This person did not provoke the bobcat or do anything to cause the injuries that occurred. Incidents like this are extremely rare, and there is no immediate threat to the general public.”

The Glynn County Health Department confirmed the bobcat tested positive for rabies, a potentially deadly virus. They say unprovoked aggression is one of the key warning signs.

“For an animal to randomly attack somebody, that’s definitely not normal. There was definitely some abnormal,” Thornton said.

The woman has been advised to receive treatment for rabies exposure.

Officials are urging the public to avoid unnecessary interaction with wildlife, keep pets vaccinated and supervised, and report any unusual or aggressive animal behavior immediately.

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