Author: CNN Newsource

By Allen Cone

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    BOYNTON BEACH, Florida (WPBF) — Two women are accused of a pickpocketing scheme targeting older adults for seven months, the Boynton Beach Police Department said Thursday.

The suspects, identified as 59-year-old Mavis Johnson of West Palm Beach and 57-year-old Tammy Evans of Boynton Beach, worked together to steal victims’ wallets at Ross Dress for Less and Dollar Tree in a shopping plaza at 2234 N. Congress Ave., police said. They then attempted to steal credit cards at various Target and Publix locations in Palm Beach and Broward counties, according to the arrest report.

Mavis Johnson used disguises in a pickpocketing scheme targeting elderly shoppers at Ross and Dollar Tree stores in Boynton Beach, police say. They are facing charges of unlawful possession of a stolen credit/debit card, theft of a credit card, fraudulent use of personal identification information and an organized scheme to defraud a person older than 65.

Johnson was arrested March 11 for some charges and April 8 for other ones, with her next court appearance scheduled for July 1. She is being held on bond totaling $26,250.

Evans was arrested Wednesday with bond totalling $25,000 Thursday, and her next court appearance is scheduled for June 12.

They were on probation for committing various crimes that include fraud and grand theft.

During each theft, Johnson would disguise herself by wearing different outfits, wigs and medical masks, while Evans would act as the getaway driver, police said. They drove a silver Infiniti SUV.

On March 11, detectives located the getaway vehicle near Ross and the Dollar Tree on Congress Avenue.

BBPD detectives, recognizing the suspects’ pattern of theft, set up surveillance. Utilizing drones from the Real Time Crime Center, detectives confirmed that Evans was the driver of the vehicle. Shortly after, a heavily disguised Johnson was seen exiting the Dollar Tree and entering Ross.

Johnson was then observed leaving Ross and returning to the Dollar Tree. Simultaneously, BBPD communications received a call from a victim at Ross who advised that a wallet was taken from a purse.

Detectives maintained continuous surveillance of the pair as they left the area and headed toward the Target off Boynton Beach Boulevard.

The South Florida Criminal Apprehension Team joined BBPD detectives in conducting surveillance.

Johnson, wearing a new disguise, was then observed walking into Target and using multiple credit cards to purchase $100 gift cards.

Johnson was found to be in possession of the original victim’s credit card in the March 11 incident. And it was discovered that the gift cards were purchased with credit cards from another victim who was at the Dollar Tree.

Evans told investigators she was only driving Johnson to various locations and was unaware of her activities.

Johnson admitted to investigators that she committed the theft and fraudulent use of credit cards and said Evans was not involved.

The arrest report lists thefts starting Oct. 24 at Ross. Other reported thefts were on Sept. 4 at Dollar Tree, Sept. 24 at Dollar Tree, Oct. 15 at Dollar Tree, Oct. 23 at Ross, Jan. 9 at Dollar Tree and Feb. 14 at Dollar Tree.

“The Boynton Beach Police Department encourages shoppers to remain aware of their surroundings and to keep a close eye on personal belongings while in public places,” the agency said. “Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of this pickpocketing scheme is urged to contact the BBPD by calling 561-742-6100.”

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 Marcie Cipriani

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    PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (WTAE) — Susan Larkin, 80, is accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a 75-year-old man she was supposed to be caring for, according to the Allegheny County district attorney, who also alleges she kept his family away to carry out the crimes.

When Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 visited Larkin at her Central North Side home Wednesday, she answered the door but refused to comment on the charges.

“She is being wrongfully accused,” said Larkin’s attorney, Phil DiLucente.

Court documents state Larkin met the man online, and he moved from Alaska to Pittsburgh in 2023 to be closer to his children. Detectives say he eventually moved in with Larkin, and that’s when investigators say the crimes began. Police claim Larkin secretly took over as the man’s power of attorney and prevented his children from attending his doctor’s appointments. The district attorney said this was Larkin’s way of hiding the man’s deteriorating mental state so she could access his money.

“The numbers that I saw initially were close to a million dollars. The gentleman is 75 years old. He was on the early stages of dementia. A woman gets his confidence, transfers a POA from his son to her own account,” District Attorney Stephen Zappala said.

Zappala said Larkin then gained access to the man’s bank accounts and used his money for personal expenses. Court documents allege she withdrew $220,000 from his account when she realized his children were trying to take the power of attorney back.

“Criminals work at this all the time. Powers of attorney are about trust. Guardianships are about trust. And when you’re older, and you trust somebody, that’s what we see. That’s senior abuse by definition,” Zappala said.

The man’s children have since regained power of attorney and moved their father out of Larkin’s home, but detectives are still tracking the money, Zappala said.

DiLucente, however, said the accusations against his client are false.

“My client loves this man greatly, has been with him for numerous years, and to now be attacked like this, I’m very disappointed. I really am,” DiLucente said.

Larkin faces several charges, including theft and access device fraud. She is free on a nonmonetary bond and is scheduled to appear in court in July.

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 Karen Morfitt

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    PROSPECT VALLEY, Colorado (KCNC) — A Girl Scout troop in Colorado is tackling conflict resolution with a project designed to help classmates settle arguments on their own.

The girls of Troop 65460 at Prospect Valley Elementary School created a “peace path” as part of their effort to earn the Bronze Award, the highest award for Girl Scouts at their age level.

Long after the final bell rings, the students are still working on the project they hope leaves a lasting impact on their school community.

“I hope that this sort of leads to a legacy in our school, and it will help a lot of kids out,” said fifth grader and troop member Annette Carache-Pineda. “The best part? Probably this project.”

To earn the award, troops must identify a community issue and create a sustainable project to address it.

“We thought for our Bronze Award, a peace path would be great to help with our school community,” troop member Camilla Gomez said. “If there is any issues, we can use the peace path to help resolve this.”

The peace path uses cue cards with prompts students can follow during disagreements.

“It’s basically saying, ‘oh, I feel this when …’ and then they state how they feel,” Camilla said. “And the yellow card goes next, and they say, ‘oh, I feel this when …'”

The troop also consulted experts in conflict resolution while developing the project.

“I think that we have less and less social contact with each other, whether that’s because of social media and screens or COVID,” said Jessica Riley, the social-emotional learning specialist at Prospect Valley Elementary School. “Our students just have a lot less time to practice those skills, and they really rely on adults to help them resolve conflicts.”

“Giving them the tools to be able to do this is going to have a really far-reaching impact,” she continued.

As part of the project, the troop created enough cards for every classroom, presented the idea to teachers, and produced a video explaining how to use them.

“It’s all worth it,” Annette 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 Tim Fang

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    SANTA CLARA, California (KPIX) — Police in Santa Clara released additional details in connection with a deadly shooting and house fire last week, saying the suspect shot his estranged brother before setting the fire.

“This incident resulted in a terrible loss of life and has deeply effected a family, a neighborhood and our broader community,” Police Chief Cory Morgan said at a briefing Thursday afternoon, nearly a week after the May 8 incident.

Morgan said officers were called to Enright Avenue at 12:24 p.m., following reports of numerous gunshots and an armed man near homes. Officers arrived about three minutes later, finding a man with multiple gunshot wounds outside his home.

The officers performed life-saving measures on the man as gunfire continued. Around the same time, officers noticed heavy smoke and fire in a neighboring home.

Officers began evacuating homes, while firefighters were working in what Morgan described as “extremely dangerous and uncertain conditions.” Armored rescue vehicles, along with drones, tactical personnel and mutual aid personnel were brought to the scene to evacuate residents and protect firefighters.

Despite life-saving measures, the victim, identified as 52-year-old Mark Heflin, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers soon learned the victim’s brother, identified as 49-year-old Matthew Heflin of Bloomington, Indiana, had rented the neighboring home, which was listed as a short-term rental. Police said the brothers had been estranged for about three years.

An investigation determined that Matthew Heflin traveled more than 2,000 miles in a rental vehicle carrying firearms and ammunition. Morgan arrived in the San Jose area around April 14 and did not tell others about his whereabouts.

Matthew Heflin began staying at the rental home, directly adjacent to his brother’s, about three days before the incident.

“Family members were not aware the suspect was staying next door at any point,” Morgan said.

The victim had been taking items from his car when he was approached by his brother, who was concealing a gun in a paper bag. After a brief verbal exchange, police said the suspect opened fire.

Officers recovered 12 spent casings from the scene.

After the shooting, the suspect retreated into the rental home and fired additional shots. Once inside the home, the suspect set a fire in the rear of the home.

On Friday evening, as the home was still burning, the department’s Special Response Team located a body in the home. After the building was determined safe, the body was recovered and the scene was processed.

Morgan said the suspect’s passport, along with four pistols, ammunition, manufactured fire logs and $95,000 in cash was found by investigators. Police have not determined if the money was related to the motive or circumstances of the shooting.

Through dental records, authorities confirmed the identity of the body as Matthew Heflin.

“This was a targeted homicide, followed by suicide, involving two adult brothers,” Morgan said.

According to the chief, police in Indiana searched Matthew Heflin’s home and did not find a note or manifesto explaining a motive.

Mayor Lisa Gilmor also spoke at the briefing and had a message to the victim’s family.

“To his wife, his children and every loved one grieving right now, Santa Clara mourns with you. A husband is gone, a father is gone, and no words from any of us can fill that absence,” Gilmor said.

The mayor also attempted to reassure residents that the community remains safe.

“This was a targeted family related incident. The evidence is clear: There is no ongoing threat to our community,” she went on to say.

Morgan said the incident remains under investigation.

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 Amelia Mugavero

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    ARLINGTON, Texas (KTVT) — Step inside AT&T Stadium and the transformation is impossible to miss. The familiar Cowboys turf is gone. In its place is a brand-new FIFA World Cup pitch made of real grass, built from the ground up for one of the world’s biggest sporting events.

“I’m excited. I’m ready to go. I’m ready to get that first match going,” said stadium General Manager Tod Martin.

The field may look seamless, but the work behind it is anything but simple.

And the coolest thing about this new pitch is the fact that the grass is real. This is the original turf of AT&T Stadium, and this is the real grass.

According to Senior Pitch Manager Ewen Hodge, the process began months ago with the stadium’s concrete base.

Grass grown in Colorado, installed in Texas The grass itself was grown in Colorado, then carefully transported to Arlington and installed piece by piece by Precision Turf. Beneath the surface are several inches of soil, along with a complex system designed to keep the field in top condition.

That includes advanced irrigation, air circulation, and temperature‑control technology working together to maintain a consistent, tournament‑quality playing surface.

“We’ve had about 44 tests in here across various games, and that’s been massive,” Hodge said.

Grow lights replace missing sunlight Because the stadium is enclosed, no natural sunlight reaches the field. That is where the bright pink grow lights come in. Suspended above the pitch, they provide the light needed to keep the grass alive, running for about 12 hours at a time.

On match days, those lights will lift up and out of the way, another unique feature designed specifically for this stadium.

“It is a first to hang the grow lights,” Hodge said. “They’re all LED grow lights, providing basically the heartbeat to the pitch.”

Pitch elevated and expanded for FIFA The pitch itself sits about two feet above the original field and has been expanded on both ends to meet FIFA regulations. It is part of a massive transformation inside the stadium, which will also include covering existing signage and reworking fan and club spaces to meet World Cup standards.

The project has been years in the making, backed in part by FIFA’s five‑year research initiative focused on player safety, field consistency, and adapting to different climates.

“Something of this magnitude comes with its challenges, but it’s been great,” Martin said. “Once we get to that first match, it’ll all be worth it.”

Final touches before global spotlight And once everything is in place, Hodge says it is almost time to let the games begin.

“Put some goals and get some lines on it, and off we go,” Hodge said.

AT&T Stadium, which will be referred to as Dallas Stadium during the World Cup, will host nine matches, the most of any single venue. The first match is one month away, when the Netherlands will face Japan on Sunday, June 14, at 3 p.m.

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.