Author: CNN Newsource

By KAKE Staff

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    WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) — A man who was seen on camera taking a woman by force in northeast Wichita last year has been sentenced to 12 months of probation.

Daniel Espitia Guevara was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Tuesday. The Sedgwick County district attorney’s office said he pleaded no contest to two counts of domestic battery and one count of criminal restraint.

Judge Roger Woods sentenced Guevara to a year on probation with an underlying prison sentence of two years, meaning he’s subject to prison time if he violates the conditions of his probation.

The incident happened at around 2 a.m. Sunday, October 12 in the 1400 block of North Volutsia. The Wichita Police Department posted pictures and a video on social media after the incident was reported Sunday evening, hoping someone could identify her. The story garnered national attention.

Several days later, investigators received a phone call from a woman claiming to be the one in the video. Police said she lived in the area where the video was captured and that she did not have any significant injuries.

The woman reported that she and her boyfriend, Guevara, went to a baptism for one of her friend’s children at a church in south Wichita the night of October 11. A probable cause affidavit states that she drove Guevara back to his home on North Grove. She said Guevara had several beers, and the original plan was that she would drive to her house and Guevara would walk home. She said he was too drunk, so she decided to drop him off.

Once she pulled into Guevara’s driveway, the document states that he said “he was not going to get out ofthe car, so (the victim) drove to her house and parked in the driveway and told Espitia-Guevara he could walk home. Espitia-Guevara tried to grab (the victim’s) cell phone from the cup holder” and told her that “he wanted to see her messages with her ex-husband.”

She said she exited her car, and Guevara approached her and tried to take her phone away.

“Espitia-Guevara grabbed her hand and held her phone in front of her face to try and open the phone with Face ID. (The victim said Espitia-Guevara was unable to get the phone open,” the document states.

She said she tried to walk away, but Guevara grabbed her in a bear hug and threw her to the ground. She got up and tried again to walk away, but Guevara was walking with her and kept grabbing her left hand. She said they walked back and forth on 14th before she noticed a porch light on in the 1400 block of Volutsia.

“Silva said that she was trying to keep Espitia-Guevara calm and was looking for a way to get help. (She) said she ran up to the front door and tried to yell “Help!” when Espitia-Guevara grabbed her and spun her around and covered her mouth and nose with his left hand.”

Once back on the street, she tried to tell Guevara that she could not breathe. She said he pushed her down to the grass while still holding his hand over her nose and mouth. Guevara began to vomit, and she quickly walked away. A man in a car asked if she needed help, and she said yes. The driver took her home

The victim said she saw the news about the incident and did not come forward sooner because she was afraid that people would take her children away.

Guevara was ordered have no contact with the victim and complete a domestic violence offender assessment and batterers intervention course.

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 Jennifer Borrasso

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    WEST MIFFLIN, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A woman and her husband are fighting for a $400 refund after they bought furniture from a Value City Furniture store that filed for bankruptcy.

“It shows ottoman right here, and it shows that we bought it,” Jessica Reed said. “We paid in full.”

Reed, of Elizabeth, bought nearly $1,500 worth of furniture from the store in West Mifflin. She knew the store was going out of business, but she was promised she’d get her order.

“As you can see here, we are just getting the sofa, the recliner and the chaise, but no ottoman,” she said.

The sales representative told Reed that the ottoman was a limited stock, but they would get a refund if it did not arrive. On Monday, a delivery notification showed the $400 ottoman was not there. She called the store, but was told no refunds, and she needed to take the matter to court.

“It is never a good feeling when somebody gives you false hope,” Reed said.

She does not understand how she is now out the money and won’t have the furniture piece to show for it.

“It’s a feeling of being deceived, just being lied to and just taken money from us that we work hard for that now is just gone,” Reed said. “And I have nothing to show for it when we were promised we would get that back if the item didn’t come.”

KDKA-TV talked to a store manager on the phone on Tuesday, and he said “no comment.”

A Better Business Bureau spokesperson said the company has indicated it’s no longer responding to complaints since it filed for bankruptcy and is in the process of going out of business. The BBB added that there is a claims filing process on the company’s website that a consumer would have to follow for a potential refund.

Once a company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, someone who paid for goods or services that were never delivered may have a priority claim, but they are still not guaranteed a full refund, and any refunds received are dependent on funds available in the bankruptcy estate.

“Buyer beware, and do your research before purchasing anything from a company, especially if they are going out of business,” Reed said.

The chief of the West Mifflin Police Department suggests that Reed file a complaint with his department so detectives can look into it.

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 Natasha Brown, Adam Fox

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — A historic church in Philadelphia’s Society Hill neighborhood will be an integral part of the city’s 250th anniversary celebration.

Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church will offer tours, trips through its museum and programming to highlight the role it has played in the African American community for generations.

Deep-rooted history lies in every crevice of Mother Bethel, which sits on the oldest parcel of land continuously owned by African Americans.

Richard and Flora Allen purchased the land in 1791.

“We can think about the story and struggle of Richard Allen, certainly a freedom fighter, certainly an apostle of freedom and justice and hope,” Rev. Carolyn Cavaness said.

Cavaness is the senior pastor of the church and has made history in her own right. She’s the 53rd person in the role and the first woman to lead the congregation as pastor.

The historic church at 6th and Lombard streets still looms large as the mother of its denomination.

“We are the mother church of our denomination — the African Methodist Episcopal church, founded April 9, 1816 — her home is right here, Mother Bethel. We are the first church,” Cavaness said.

The church is home to anywhere between 800 and 1,000 members, many third- and fourth-generation legacy congregation members. It’s only fitting that this historic church be a focal point in Philadelphia’s 250th anniversary celebration this year.

“We have deemed our contribution to this celebration, celebrating Black excellence from America’s beginning, that we as people of African descent have been here from the onset, we have made considerable contributions,” Cavaness said.

The church will be home to one of the Bells of PA, and the museum will have special exhibits this year, Cavaness said.

“We are looking forward to an amazing year of tours, activity, programming, but also helping to again just connect with the rich history and contributions of persons of African descent,” she said.

Cavaness is excited to introduce to some and reintroduce to others the significance of this church to Philadelphia’s history and America’s history.

“It is not an accident that here Mother Bethel is nestled and you’re within range of where the first White House [was] and where independence was written,” Cavaness 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 Jesse Zanger, Carolyn Gusoff

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — More than 300 kilos of cocaine were seized in Nassau County in one of the largest drug busts ever on Long Island, officials said Tuesday.

Officers on patrol last week spotted what they thought was a drug deal taking place in a Holiday Inn parking lot on Sunnyside Boulevard in Plainview.

“They opened up the trunk on the pickup truck and this is what you got — 312 kilos of cocaine,” Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said.

The driver and passenger were charged with drug possession. Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said she’s seeking upgraded charges of major drug trafficking for Daniel Santana of Glen Cove and Michael Viera of Florida, who have pleaded not guilty.

Their attorneys and family members had no comment when asked about the charges. Police say both men are also facing murder charges in their native Puerto Rico.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman praised the officers’ training and street smarts for the bust.

“This was a head’s-up operation by our police officers. They understand how drug dealers operate. And it’s because of their observations that they were able to recover this amazing amount of cocaine — $21 million — in excess of that probably,” Blakeman said.

“Look at it all here in this auditorium. It is staggering,” Donnelly said. “When this all gets cut up and sold, these individuals would have been very, very rich.”

The investigation continues into where the drugs came from and where they were going. Police said they believe they foiled a major distribution pipeline.

“This massive amount of drugs, they were couriers,” Ryder said.

“This historic seizure saved lives. There is no doubt about it, because this didn’t get on the street and cause a fatal overdose to one of our children,” Donnelly added.

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 Elle McLogan

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — A flooded manhole has turned a loading dock into an ice rink in Queens.

“The water has nowhere to go, so it’s 24/7 of just constant flow,” Mike Ciuffo said.

Ciuffo, president of food wholesale company M&V Provisions, says the mystery leak has been gurgling for more than a month, posing added risk to staff, customers, and delivery drivers since the snowstorm and deep freeze.

“We’ve had a few people fall,” he said.

He says a tractor trailer full of eggs was unable to complete its delivery.

“He got stuck on the ice. He was here for about three hours before they finally towed him out,” co-owner Joe Vallario said.

“We need those eggs,” loading dock manager Albert Arana said.

It comes as a blow to the long-running Ridgewood family business, which delivers ingredients and kitchen supplies across the Tri-State Area.

“It’s thousands of bodegas, delis, restaurants,” Ciuffo said.

Staff tried using sandbags to dam up the manhole.

“It didn’t quite work as well as we hoped for, but we’re trying to do anything we can to stop the flow,” he said.

He says repeated 311 requests have gone nowhere.

“It’s been over a month now. We’re getting no response from the city at all. This morning, we had to chase away about half a dozen tractor trailers that couldn’t get in,” Vallario said. “We’re trying to supply the city with food, and it’s creating all sorts of problems.”

The Department of Environmental Protection told CBS News New York that it is actively investigating and that it remains unclear whether the issue is a water main break or other condition.

“No one’s reached out to us at all. No one,” Vallario said.

Management worries about the ripple effect for delis and their customers.

“The impact now is we cannot receive products. No delivery driver will take a chance to back in,” Ciuffo said.

“As long as it stays below freezing, it’s a problem, and there’s no signs of it warming up anytime soon,” Vallario 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 Elle McLogan

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — In glittering costumes, a group of women aged 70 and up dance in styles from traditional to K-Pop. The members of the senior dance team at Korean Community Services practice in Flushing twice a week and perform at events citywide.

“They choose their own music. They also design and select their own fabrics,” said Helen Ahn, the managing director of aging services.

The dancers say they make each other better.

“I’m not staying home. I’m active,” Clara Kim said. “Whatever they’re doing, I’m doing, too.”

These days, they’re memorizing steps for upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations, rehearsing with styled hair and makeup.

“Especially when I have a ponytail, I feel very young, about 10 years younger,” Jeehyun Kim said.

Beyond the walls of their church basement rehearsal space, the dancers have experienced hardship, from the loss of a partner to a cancer diagnosis.

“It’s more than just a dance performance,” Ahn said. “They heal each other.”

Moodon Ha’s child has noticed how radiant she looks since she joined the team.

“I’m so happy every day,” Ha said.

After practice, the women come together to enjoy meals and play games.

“We share our life,” Jeehyun Kim 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.