Author: CNN Newsource

By LeeAnn Huntoon

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    OSTEEN, Fla. (WESH) — Two of four horses stolen from an Osteen property last week have been recovered in South Florida, and a suspect is in custody, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office announced. Authorities are continuing their search for the two remaining horses.

Lazaro Benitez Guzman, 26, was arrested in Hialeah and charged with grand theft and dealing in stolen property. The active investigation led Volusia Sheriff’s Office detectives and Florida Department of Agriculture agents to him.

“Thanks to diligent police work, great use of technology, and a lot of help from our partner agencies, we’re reuniting these horses with their owners, and we have a suspect in custody,” the Volusia Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

The investigation is ongoing as authorities work to recover the other two stolen horses.

The Volusia Sheriff’s Office noted that Guzman was found to be an undocumented immigrant from Cuba, and an ICE/HSI detainer has been placed on him in addition to his criminal charges.

The theft involved four horses: Slater (8 years old), R Chism (13), Snoop (19), and Gratian Hanover (13).

In addition to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office and Department of Agriculture, the FDLE, Florida Highway Patrol, Town of Davie Police Department, and Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office have assisted in the investigation.

The Volusia Sheriff’s Office has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible.

“My message to the suspects is that it’s only a matter of time before you’re caught, so your best course of action is to make sure no harm comes to these horses,” the Volusia Sheriff’s Office said. “It doesn’t matter where you go or how you try to cover your tracks. You’re going to get caught, and the consequences will be a whole lot worse if the horses were harmed.”

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 KITV Staff

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    HAWAII COUNTY, Hawaii (KITV) — A marine conservationist is continuing his recovery journey after he was bitten by a shark in waters off the Big Island.

Kaimani Ventura tried to free a reef shark during a routine dive on Tuesday, Dec. 9. The shark was tangled in netting and fishing line, but right as they freed the sea animal, Ventura said the shark got spooked and latched onto his left thigh.

Ventura got loose, swam back to shore and put a tourniquet on himself, using his own gear. The bite left him with 90 stitches.

“I got insanely lucky,” Ventura shared. “You guys don’t understand how lucky I got. I honestly believe that I got bit in the most, luckiest spot to get bit by a shark on my body. Anywhere else could have been life altering, and that’s that was, that’s thanks to God.”

Ventura said despite his encounter in the water, he will still continue to do his part to take care of our ocean creatures. He also plans to return to the ocean after he heals up.

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 Lisa Hughes

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    Massachusetts (WBZ) — A first-grade teacher from Everett, Massachusetts says she went on a dream cruise to the Bahamas over Thanksgiving that turned into a nightmare.

Lynnmarie Adams says she was bitten by bedbugs on board, and when she tried to get help from ship staff, she says her complaints went nowhere.

The eight-night cruise onboard the Norwegian Breakaway, operated by Norwegian Cruise Line, left from New York City to go to the Bahamas. Adams says red marks left all over her body are not from a sunburn, but rather from bedbug bites.

“When I woke up on Monday morning is when I noticed those,” she said. “And then every night thereafter there was more popping up on my abdomen, on my shoulder, on my forearm, on my knee.”

Adams told WBZ-TV that she talked to the woman who cleans her room but could not connect with a supervisor at guest services.

“Anytime you tried to dial 00 it would ring so much that it would start to either re-ring busy or disconnect. But if you were standing in line at guest services with 100 other people at any given time throughout the eight nights,” Adams said. “If the desk is busy, they just pick up the phone and hang it right up.”

She said she didn’t see a doctor on board due to them demanding payment up front, which is a common practice on cruise ships.

“I said, I’m not paying $200 out of pocket when I’m trying to bring to your attention what could be a serious matter,” Adams said.

When Adams got home, she did a telehealth visit and the provider confirmed that the bites were consistent with bedbugs. She said she bought a special spray and washed all her clothes in hot water at a local laundromat. She kept her clothes from the cruise in containers in the basement for over a week.

Norwegian Cruise Line response Adams said she tried to contact the cruise line’s corporate office but said her complaints were dismissed. In a statement, the cruise line said in part, “our records indicate that this illness was never reported to our medical office or to the guest relations desk.” It went on to say whenever illnesses are reported, their medical staff makes every effort to attend to it.

WBZ-TV reached out to Norwegian and in a statement they reiterated that Adams never sought treatment on board. The company also said the stateroom has no history of bedbugs and none have been found in the room since the sailing.

Adams said she is now seeing a psychologist to deal with the emotional toll that the vacation has taken on her mental and physical health.

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By Tom Ignudo

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    New Jersey (KYW) — Three kids were hospitalized Wednesday after falling into a frozen lake in Mount Holly, New Jersey, police said.

According to police, the three kids were walking on Woolman Lake when the ice collapsed, which led to them falling into the lake.

Police said a boy was able get out of the lake on his own, but two girls were partially submerged in chest-deep icy waters.

First responders rescued the two girls from the lake by throwing them a rope to get them safely out of the water.

The three were treated at the scene and taken to Virtua Hospital as a precaution due to cold water exposure, police said. They’re expected to be OK.

The Mount Holly Police Department said in a Facebook post that it’s grateful for the quick actions of first responders and everyone else at the scene who helped the minors get to safety.

“This incident serves as an important reminder to our community: no ice in our area should ever be considered safe, regardless of recent cold temperatures or appearances,” the Mount Holly Police Department said. “Ice thickness can vary significantly and unpredictably, even within the same body of water.”

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By Tom Wait

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    LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — After self-deporting to South Korea in June, U.S. Army veteran Sae Joon Park has spent the last six months isolated away from his family, in a country he hasn’t lived in since he was a child.

“It’s scary,” he said. “There’s a good chance I’ll never make it back home.”

Park, a Purple Heart recipient after being shot in combat, struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder after returning home. While he had a green card, his legal status was jeopardized after he was charged with drug possession and failure to appear in court 15 years ago.

Given Park’s military service, immigration officials allowed him to remain in the U.S. They told him that his deportation order would not be enforced if he had regular check-ins with immigration agents, according to his attorney, Danicole Ramos. For more than a decade, Park raised his children in Southern California without issues, until President Trump began his second term this year.

During a routine check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the summer, Park said agents told him he would be deported.

“He had his cuffs out. He was ready to detain me, put cuffs on me and everything, which as unbelievable,” Park said. “Why would I go back to jail? I didn’t do anything wrong. It took him a while, but he got the OK from the supervisor to put an ankle bracelet on me, and I had three weeks to remove myself.”

Park was forced to leave his family behind and move to South Korea.

“I had to leave everything behind; my kids, my mom, who has Alzheimer’s right now, she can’t remember anything,” Park said. “It’s been really tough.”

Last week, Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-Rhode Island) confronted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about veterans and military families facing deportation or prolonged detention. After Noem said no veterans have been deported, Park joined the congressional meeting via Zoom.

“I was really surprised. I didn’t know what to expect,” Park said. “The way he presented the question and the way she answered. I thought it was great. It really put her on the spot.”

Park said the spotlight on his case gave him some hope. However, he and his attorney have not heard back from the Department of Homeland Security even though Noem said she would review his case.

CBS LA reached out to DHS for a statement but has not received a response.

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By Cecilio Padilla

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    SACRAMENTO (KOVR) — An arrest was made in Crescent City as law enforcement officers continue to investigate the deadly Esparto fireworks warehouse explosion.

The Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office says, back on Dec. 12, deputies and the Yolo County District Attorney’s Criminal Investigation Bureau served a search warrant to a home on Calaveras Street in Crescent City.

Detectives say the warrant stemmed from the ongoing investigation into the Esparto explosion, which left seven people dead.

Authorities say the Crescent City search uncovered more than 100 pounds of illegal fireworks.

Ronald Botelho III was arrested during the search warrant and faces multiple felony charges, including possession of destructive devices and explosives, child endangerment, and intent to manufacture destructive devices. He was also booked on misdemeanor charges related to explosives, illegal fireworks, and firearm violations.

Del Norte County officials did not state exactly how the investigation is related to the Esparto explosion.

The investigation into the Esparto explosion has resulted in a number of raids and arrests across California, including in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

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By Hunter Geisel

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    MIAMI (WFOR) — Video captured the moments when two boaters were rescued early Wednesday morning after their sailboat’s mast broke on the rough waters off Florida’s Gulf Coast, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

Just before 3:25 a.m., a USCG Southeast District watchstander received a distress notification regarding a 30-foot sailing vessel that became disabled approximately 40 miles west of Tarpon Springs, prompting the USCG to launch a helicopter rescue crew to the signal’s location. Tarpon Springs is approximately 30 miles northwest of Tampa.

Shortly before 4:50 a.m., the aircrew arrived at the scene and found the boaters and their de-masted sailboat in “4 to 6-foot seas and 20 knot [23 mph] winds,” the USCG said.

In a video from the rescue mission shared on X, the aircrew is seen deploying a rescue swimmer, who swiftly swims to the disabled vessel and helps each boater to the helicopter’s lift.

The USGC said both boaters were in stable condition and safely taken to Air Station Clearwater.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason Ayber, a search and rescue controller at the USCG’s Southeast District command center, said the boaters’ distress alert was “vital” because it gave them critical information to rapidly deploy a rescue crew to the boaters.

“Having reliable communication equipment and necessary safety equipment can make all the difference when seconds matter on the water,” he said.

The USCG said the boat’s owner is coordinating with commercial salvage to recover the vessel and the cause of the de-masting is unknown.

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.