Category: CNN Regional

WFOR

By Steven Yablonski

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    MIAMI (WFOR) — A drone used by the Miami Police Department was able to help officers track and eventually arrest a man connected to a domestic dispute last month, and the entire incident was caught on camera.

Police said they were dispatched to reports of a domestic-related dispute involving a boyfriend, who was later identified as 24-year-old LeCurry Anthony Williams Jr., who allegedly shoved his girlfriend and vandalized a window.

At that time, the Miami Police Department Drone First Responder unit deployed a drone to the area, which arrived at the scene before patrol units due to its aerial response capabilities, according to police.

Due to that, police said the drone was able to quickly spot Williams trying to leave the scene. The drone was also able to maintain visual contact with him and was able to relay real-time updates to officers responding to the scene.

In addition, police said Willimas tried to change clothes to avoid being recognized and arrested.

However, due to the live video feed from overhead, officers were able to remain informed of his appearance and where he was headed during the incident.

“This enhanced situational awareness allowed officers to approach and apprehend the suspect safely and without further incident, contributing to an effective resolution of the call,” the City of Miami Police Department said in a statement.

Police said the department continues to leverage innovative tools like the Drone First Responder program to enhance officer safety, improve response times, and better serve the community.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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 Steven Yablonski

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    MIAMI (WFOR) — A drone used by the Miami Police Department was able to help officers track and eventually arrest a man connected to a domestic dispute last month, and the entire incident was caught on camera.

Police said they were dispatched to reports of a domestic-related dispute involving a boyfriend, who was later identified as 24-year-old LeCurry Anthony Williams Jr., who allegedly shoved his girlfriend and vandalized a window.

At that time, the Miami Police Department Drone First Responder unit deployed a drone to the area, which arrived at the scene before patrol units due to its aerial response capabilities, according to police.

Due to that, police said the drone was able to quickly spot Williams trying to leave the scene. The drone was also able to maintain visual contact with him and was able to relay real-time updates to officers responding to the scene.

In addition, police said Willimas tried to change clothes to avoid being recognized and arrested.

However, due to the live video feed from overhead, officers were able to remain informed of his appearance and where he was headed during the incident.

“This enhanced situational awareness allowed officers to approach and apprehend the suspect safely and without further incident, contributing to an effective resolution of the call,” the City of Miami Police Department said in a statement.

Police said the department continues to leverage innovative tools like the Drone First Responder program to enhance officer safety, improve response times, and better serve the community.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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 Julian Paras

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    SANTA ANA PUEBLO, New Mexico (KOAT) — Tamaya Resort and Spa in New Mexico provides more than just a vacation — but also a sanctuary for abandoned and surrendered horses. The Stables at Tamaya offers them rehabilitation and care through a dedicated program.

Leika is one of those horses at the Stables at Tamaya. She’s as healthy as a horse can look at three years old. However, before arriving at the stables, Leika did not look the way she does now.

Gregg Marcantel, a wrangler with the rehab program, said, “She was pretty undernourished. In fact, she was so emaciated that you could set your hand on her back and feel her heartbeat.”

Marcantel explained that the program focuses on horses like Leika, often coming from owners who find themselves unable to manage the care required.

“Many of the cases are people that just wind up getting into life and realizing that they’ve got a little bit more horse than they can handle,” he said. This means they either don’t have enough money to support these animals or just don’t have the time to care for them.

Leika is not the only horse to benefit from rehabilitation at the Stables at Tamaya. According to those overseeing the program, every horse has been rehabilitated in some way. Connie Collis, the stables operator and founder of the rehab and rescue program, initially thought she would make some impact. The program has grown significantly over its 14-year lifespan.

“I actually thought when I started that maybe I was going to rescue ten horses, but it just didn’t happen that way,” Collis said.

Events like the Horseshoes and Heels Gala have played a crucial role in supporting the program, providing resources for training, vet care, and food.

Collis said, “It’s an amazing thing that we’re able to help because we’re here. It really is true that we’re able to help so many horses.”

Thanks to these efforts, horses like Leika are experiencing a life filled with care and attention.

“I think she knows it,” Marcantel said. “I think she knows how good she has it. And I think she appreciates the contrast between how she started her life.”

Organizers with the Horseshoes and Heels Gala raised approximately $90,000 for the event on Saturday. The money will be used to fund training, shelter, feed, and veterinary care for all animals through the rehab program.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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By Michael Rosales

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    SALINAS, California (KSBW) — A viral “door-kicking” challenge circulating on social media has reached Salinas, with residents reporting teens sprinting up to homes, kicking front doors, and running away.

One incident in the Creekbridge neighborhood was caught on a Ring camera. There have been similar posts appearing across the Nextdoor app, with at least one Salinas resident saying a kick knocked their door off its hinges.

A concerned neighbor blames lack of supervision and peer pressure.

“Parents are working, and they don’t know where their kids are,” one resident said.

Police across the country warn that the trend has already led to violent confrontations.

“This year alone, there’s been two deaths related to this — one in Texas and one in Virginia— where individuals were shot as they were fleeing,” said Chief Thomas Bell of Lower Swatara Township police.

Elk Grove police added, “What may be fun to post is traumatic and terrorizing to those on the other side of the door.”

Authorities advise parents to talk with teens about risks, and residents to report incidents save video evidence and avoid confrontations.

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By Paula Wethington

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    Michigan (WWJ) — A nearly 400-pound haul of cocaine was seized as U.S. and Canadian authorities followed up on suspicious activity in St. Clair County, Michigan.

The investigation began about 6:30 p.m. Nov. 25, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office said. That’s when members of the U.S. Homeland Security Task Force North noticed two commercial vehicles with Ontario plates parked at a Michigan truck stop. The two trucks left the area in opposite directions.

One of the trucks traveled to the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron, where authorities did a vehicle inspection with the assistance of Warren Police Department K-9 Argo.

Officers found the nearly 400 pounds of cocaine in that vehicle, deputies said.

Officers saw the second vehicle swerving while driving and made a traffic stop. St. Clair County Sheriff’s K-9 Brock picked up on a suspicious odor, which led officers to search that vehicle, deputies said.

The Homeland Security Task Force members working on this investigation included officers from the Port Huron Police Department, Warren Police Department, St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Ontario Provincial Police and Canada Border Services Agency.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents also assisted in the arrest at the bridge.

“Thank you to the law enforcement officers involved in this case for their dedication to disrupting the dispersal of narcotics into the community,” St. Clair County Sheriff Mat King said.

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By TJ Dysart

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    KENOSHA, Wisconsin (WISN) — A Kenosha mother is mourning the loss of her three children who died in a fire at their father’s apartment on Thanksgiving Day.

“Instead of Christmas shopping, it’s casket shopping,” said Jourdan Feasby, the mother of 10-year-old Rylee, 9-year-old Connor and 7-year-old Alena.

The fire happened at an apartment complex near 43rd Avenue and 52nd Street in Kenosha, with flames breaking out around 10:30 p.m., according to the Kenosha Fire Department.

Feasby had spent Thanksgiving morning with her children before they were dropped off at their father’s apartment later that evening.

“I couldn’t process what I was hearing on the phone. They were just my whole world, and they were literally the brightest things that I have ever had in my life,” Feasby said.

She described the close bond between her children, who were just 17 months apart.

“They were just the three little amigos,” Feasby said.

The siblings were not only close but each had their own unique spark, whether it was singing, making videos, or playing on the playground.

Feasby finds solace in the memories captured on camera, though she struggles with the pain of being left behind.

“It does bring you peace that they are all together, that way none of them are alone, but it’s also hard in a selfish sense for myself because I didn’t want to get left behind,” Feasby said.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire, and the family has set up a GoFundMe for funeral costs.

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By Nick Lentz

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    CANTON TOWNSHIP, Michigan (WWJ) — Officials in Canton Township, Michigan, say they’re looking into what caused a fire that destroyed a home on Sunday afternoon.

The blaze happened at a house on the 43000 block of Fredricksburg Street. Responding firefighters saw smoke and flames throughout the home, and that the back of the residence was fully engulfed, according to Battalion Chief Nick Lombardi with the Canton Fire Department.

According to officials, the home has been deemed “a complete loss,” and residents of the home have been displaced.

Neighbors told CBS News Detroit that rounds of ammunition were exploding during the fire. Police went to nearby homes to look for damage.

“It just puts us a little bit on a higher alert when that stuff happens,” Lombardi said when asked about the reports of exploding ammunition.

The fire department says there have been no reported injuries.

Lombardi said a fire inspector is looking into the cause of the blaze.

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By Beth Carlson

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    OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — As many streets remained icy following winter storms in Omaha, several “neighborhood heroes” took to pushing cars out of snowbanks and ice after several pileups on Pratt Street in North Omaha.

The hilly block between 40th and 41st streets was a sheet of ice Saturday afternoon, causing repeated crashes where drivers lost control of their vehicles. Despite a number of vehicles with damage, neighbors say everyone walked away from the crash safely.

“I’ve had wrecks before, but nothing in the winter like this. This is insane. This is the second one. The first wreck had three cars involved, and then not 20 minutes later, four or five cars are wrecked in front of my house,” homeowner Lacey said.

One driver says she was slowing down as she drove down the hill, but said she lost control when she hit ice. Her vehicle slammed into another car, which then was hit again when more cars became involved.

“They’re driving like it’s a normal day, like there’s no ice the way that if you were standing down there and you’ve seen the way that they hit in the impact and how fast they were going, there was no way of stopping it,” Jay Barrett said.

Brothers Dauntae, Jaxxon and Donovan said they ran outside after hearing one crash.

“Just making Hot Pockets. And then out of nowhere, we just hear: boom! So, we jump up, forget the Hot Pockets,” Dauntae said. “We’ve been outside since, like, 10 a.m., just helping people.”

Nina Ahlf said she got a call that her car had been hit while parked on Pratt Street. When she came by to look at the damage, she said she witnessed another pile-up.

“As I’m trying, the first car comes down and hits the red vehicle. And then the second car and then the third, and then the Jeep comes down. And that’s the one that caused a lot of damage. They hit one car and then swung and hit the light pole, and the light poles busted,” Ahlf said.

She said the brothers helped her dig her parked car out of the snowbank. The family also invited drivers inside to warm up after spending hours in the snow.

“They needed a house. We gave them water. Make sure everybody was good. I got everybody warm until the cops figured everything out. And we just sat out there with the entire street,” Dauntae said.

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By Sean MacKinnon

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    CINCINNATI, Ohio (WLWT) — Multiple cars were reported stolen at the Rookwood parking lot Saturday, and inside one of them was a puppy named Dolly.

Dolly’s story went viral on Cincinnati social media.

Thieves dumped the pup in the freezing cold, but Sunday, she was reunited with her owners.

On Saturday night, around 8 p.m. at Rookwood, thieves went on a stealing spree.

“Three cars were stolen that day. One car was stolen two minutes before ours from the lot as well,” Jimmy Hermann said.

Inside one of those cars was Dolly the long-haired daschund. Right away, her owners posted online, and it went viral on Greater Cincinnati social media.

“Immediately I thought, well, ‘Oakley Hyde Park Moms’ [Facebook group] will be all over this,” Olivia Molina said. “I had strangers messaging me saying they were driving around the area looking for her, I had people asking me how they could help.”

People connected them with a thermal drone pilot to look for Dolly’s heat signature Sunday morning.

“Yeah, he was out there at 9 o’clock this morning, with his drone, running around. It was 25 degrees. Yeah, he was extremely helpful, yeah, people at 5 in the morning are posting pictures on Facebook thinking they saw her,” Hermann said.

Location lead took them to East Walnut Hills, where they found Dolly Sunday afternoon after surviving the night.

“Yeah, thanks to everybody. We can’t thank the community enough,” Hermann said.

Police found the stolen car in East Price Hill. The tracking software was ripped out and the license plates were taken off.

When it was stolen Saturday night, Hermann was picking up pizza from Donatos in Rookwood.

“What the police had kind of shared and what’s happened often, is when you’re in those 15-minute parking spots, they typically kind of camp those areas out,” Hermann said.

The key fob in his pocket, the car was still running, but the doors were locked. Police told him thieves have new tech that might make people think twice about remote starts.

“They’ll have a universal key, and so if the car is still running, they can use that to at least access the car — no matter if it’s locked or not,” Hermann said.

“Everything’s wireless, I can start my car from you know inside my house, but then you know, not even think about it because it’s locked, but if they can get through the locks now, and be able to drive away,” said Doug Barclay, who was picking up Donatos pizza Sunday night. “I didn’t know if there was some type of distance that your car can go without the fob or not, but it’s just crazy what they can do now.”

For Jimmy and Olivia, though, Dolly was all that mattered. She’s home thanks to people who cared.

“She won’t be running any errands anytime soon. We’ll probably let her just stay at home and bark at the delivery guys from now on,” Hermann said.

WLWT News 5’s Sean MacKinnon reached out to Aegis Security at Rookwood to see if the stolen cars were caught on security cameras.

Police did not say if there were any possible suspects, but took fingerprints from the recovered stolen car.

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