Author: CNN Newsource

By Lisa Crane

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    CENTREVILLE, Alabama (WVTM) — The number of deadly dog attacks continues to climb in central Alabama. The most recent fatal incident happened last week in Blount County. That brings the number of deadly attacks in our viewing area to five this year. These are the ones we know of, and that number only gets bigger if you add in the dog attacks that weren’t fatal.

We start in February: That’s when a woman was killed by dogs in Tuscaloosa County. The Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit reported the woman was at a home on Boyd Road in the Echola community when she was attacked and killed. She was in the yard to feed the dogs while the owners were out of town.

Then, in March, a baby was killed in Alabaster. The baby was staying with a grandparent when their pet attacked.

In July, a pack of dogs fatally attacked a 7-year-old boy in Chilton County. The child’s grandmother was also attacked, but she survived. That same month in Bessemer, Delores Musgrove was found dead in an empty lot. The coroner said she was killed by a pack of dogs. And, just another deadly attack claimed the life of a Blount County woman.

Now, an elderly victim of a dog attack who is fighting for his life is suing the owner of the dogs that almost killed him.

A routine walk for 81-year-old Jamie Boyd turned into a nightmare. As he was walking down his gravel driveway last week to check his mail, seven dogs reportedly came through the trees from his neighbors’ house and attacked. Brent’s police chief arrived and fired a shot to get the dogs to leave. Chief Karl McMillian said, “I have seen a lot of dog attacks, but none that extensive.”

The victim’s attorney, North Patterson, called his injuries catastrophic.

“His scalp has been ripped from his head. He has gruesome injuries down his arms, down his legs. He’s lost 50% of his muscle tissue on his body,” he said. “He has a long road to recovery right now. He’s hanging in there and he’s fighting for his life.”

Boyd’s wife reportedly watched the gruesome mauling and tried to get to him to help. McMillian said, “At that moment, the wife fell, and I immediately saw one of the dogs, the brown and white pit, come down the hill. So, fired or shot it.”

Patterson added, “She’s shaken up tremendously. I mean, as you can imagine, she sees her husband, you know, being mauled by a pack of dogs. And so, she has severe emotional trauma. She has the injuries of her own. It’s a rough time for the family.”

The seven dogs are now at Bibb County Animal Control. There’s no word on what will happen to them, but we’re told they’re on a 10-day rabies hold. The Boyds are suing their neighbor, the dogs’ owners, for failing to contain their dogs. We were not able to reach them for comment.

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By Russ Reed

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    PORTLAND, Maine (WMTW) — Federal prosecutors say a Maine man has admitted to illegally selling the body parts of animals in violation of the oldest wildlife trafficking law in the United States.

Sergey Bachkovsky, of Greene, pleaded guilty Tuesday to trafficking whale and bird parts in U.S. District Court in Portland, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Court records and statements made during Tuesday’s hearing indicate that between June 2023 and March 2024, Bachkovsky imported wildlife items from Eastern Europe and sold them online to buyers across the United States. Prosecutors said these items included sperm whale and marine mammal teeth, both raw items and scrimshaw art pieces; blue whale and Antarctic minke whale ear bones; and a broad-winged hawk carcass.

Prosecutors said the charging document also includes a notice of forfeiture for animal parts that Bachkovsky intended to sell, including marine mammal teeth, bear teeth, whale vertebrae and feathers and wings from eagles, hawks, owls and vultures.

It is a violation of the Lacey Act to trade in wildlife taken, possessed, transported or sold contrary to another federal or state law.

The sperm whale and blue whale have been protected by the Endangered Species Act since 1973. Prosecutors said the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act prohibit the sale and transportation of whale and migratory bird items without a permit, such as for public display, scientific study or enhancement of species survival.

Bachkovsky faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss from his illegal activity. He will be sentenced at a later date.

Prosecutors said Bachkovsky was investigated and charged as part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Operation Raw Deal, which targeted the unlawful import and resale of whale teeth and bones.

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By Bill Schammert

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    GLENWOOD, Iowa (KETV) — When the Friar Family sat down for dinner on Aug. 6, the last thing they expected to hear was gunshots.

“A lot of people in the neighborhood light fireworks,” said Harrison Friar. “At first, we weren’t concerned.”

But it wasn’t fireworks. And the sound didn’t stop.

“It was so close that I felt there was something wrong, like really wrong,” said his wife, Brielle Friar.

Their neighborhood off Grover Street in Glenwood, Iowa, was under siege. Their neighbor, Dennis Burnell, had already killed two people and was returning to his house.

“My first instinct was to keep my family safe, keep my neighbors safe, and keep my neighborhood safe,” Harrison Friar said.

They didn’t know he’d already taken two lives: 38-year-old Brandon Oman and his wife, 35-year-old Stevie Oman.

After getting their four kids to safety in a back room, the Friars went outside to confront Burnell, who lived directly across the street.

The Friar family moved to Glenwood about a year ago from Michigan. Harrison Friar is stationed at Offutt Air Force Base as a senior airman specializing in linguistics.

His military training and protective instincts kicked in.

“When seeing someone actively shooting at buildings and people in the neighborhood, I retrieved my firearm as a deterrent,” he said. “I never intended to use it.”

Security cameras from the Friar’s home capture the incident. Burnell is heard firing at least eight times toward them and their house.

“He raised his firearm at me, and I tried to de-escalate the situation by yelling, ‘Don’t!'” he said. “But that didn’t do anything. So he’s intending to kill me, my wife, whoever he can, so I fired back two times.”

Harrison Friar believes he hit Burnell in the leg and wrist with one of his shots.

“He had hundreds of rounds in his house,” he said. “I think he intended to take as many people with him as he could before I confronted him. When I hit him in the leg, I think it immobilized him slightly.”

About a minute later, law enforcement arrived from every angle. Burnell eventually set his home on fire and died.

Friar credits his military training with teaching him how to take action in the midst of chaos.

“I feel like it taught me to be a little more calm under pressure,” Friar said. “As I was fired upon, I felt like I almost got tunnel vision -in a good way. It gave me some clarity.”

Now, they’ve patched more than half a dozen bullet holes in their home. One of their vehicles was totaled by the nearby flames. Another vehicle had its windshield replaced because of a bullet hole.

Brielle Friar said it’s hard to describe the pride she has in her husband.

“It’s hard to explain it,” she said. “It’s something you hope someone would do, and I’m so glad he did.”

And Harrison Friar has a message for parents and spouses everywhere.

“It’s good to have everything at your disposal, to be prepared,” he said. “Give some thought to things happening — anything from a fire and having an extinguisher to something like this.”

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By Rachel Whelan

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    CROSBY TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WLWT) — A Crosby Township family of four says they’re alive today because of their neighbor’s fast action when flames broke out on their back deck.

Homeowner Mandy Hampton says the fire started around 5:30 Thursday morning while she, her husband, and their two young boys were still asleep inside. Security video shows the flames smoldering for nearly half an hour before her next-door neighbors happened to get up to feed their baby.

“They saw a weird orange glow in their window and said, ‘Oh my gosh, their house is on fire!’” Hampton recalled.

That’s when neighbor Ben Braun grabbed a sprinkler, jumped the fence, and started dousing the flames. His wife called Mandy to get her family out while he and Hampton’s husband worked to knock down the fire—just minutes before firefighters arrived.

“Well, I didn’t put pants on, so that’s everyone’s favorite part,” Braun joked.

Investigators believe the fire started with a pool pump vacuum and spread to other devices with lithium batteries. It destroyed a couch and melted part of the home’s siding, but Hampton says it could have been far worse if not for Braun.

“I can’t overstate how important it is to have good relationships with the people around you, and how great it is to feel loved by your neighbors enough that they’re willing to risk their life to help,” Hampton said.

Braun downplayed the label of hero: “I don’t see it as that. I was just trying to help.”

But Hampton insists his courage is the reason her family is safe. “In a world today where you hear so many bad things… There are still good people,” she said. “I’m so grateful. So grateful for him.”

Fire officials said if the Hamptons had a traditional wooden deck instead of a composite one, the fire could have spread even faster.

In a twist of fate, Braun once considered becoming a firefighter—he even took a semester of fire science in college—though he eventually chose another path.

This time, his instincts kicked in at exactly the right moment.

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By Allison Petro, Hayley Crombleholme

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    MARION COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — A man was arrested after he was accused of creating child pornography using artificial intelligence, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies identified the suspect as 39-year-old Lucius Martin.

MCSO received a report claiming that Martin had images of child sexual abuse material involving two juvenile victims stored on his cell phone.

The reportee stated that she discovered several original photos obtained from a social media application, alongside the altered versions that Martin modified using AI.

Deputies said Martin created the images on June 3.

Martin was located during a traffic stop. He refused to comply with demands to exit his vehicle and barricaded himself.

Deputies said Martin reset his cell phone to destroy the evidence.

He was eventually apprehended and taken to the MCSO Criminal Investigations Division for an interview. However, he chose not to speak with officials.

Martin was placed under arrest and is currently in custody at the Marion County Jail, where he is being held without bond.

He was charged with:

Four counts of creating child pornography Four counts of possession of child pornography One count of destroying evidence in a felony investigation

His arrest came just days before a new law takes effect Oct. 1. The law explicitly states that it’s illegal to generate “an altered sexual depiction of an identifiable person, without consent.”

“We’re very, very glad that that new law is in place,” Lt. Paul Bloom with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said. “Because we don’t want there to be any loopholes when it comes to protecting children,”.

Horacio Maysonet, president and CEO of cybersecurity solutions, says most reputable AI programs have guardrails that prevent people from creating these types of images. But,

“Sadly, there are a couple of models; there are models out there in the wild, as we say, specifically on the dark web, that have zero guardrails and no matter what you ask them to do or what the request is, the AI will execute and generate,” Maysonet said.

He encourages checking the privacy settings on your social media and locking it down. The Sheriff’s Office does, too.

“That’s your best defense,” Lt. Bloom said. “Is it impenetrable? Of course not.

As of Tuesday night, Martin was being held in the Marion County jail. His arrest report says he is currently the subject of a sexual molestation investigation in another county.

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