Category: CNN Regional

By Remi Murrey

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    MEDINA, Ohio (WEWS) — A Pittsburgh man is charged with cocaine possession and accused of trying to solicit a minor for sexual activity after he told police that he drove to Medina to meet a 14-year-old boy he met on Tinder.

In body camera video News 5 received from Medina police, officers can be seen confronting and arresting the 29-year-old man on July 9 at Lake Medina.

This comes after the 29-year-old man told police he drove 2.5 hours to Medina to meet up with a 14-year-old boy, who originally told the Pittsburgh man he was 19 years old.

A Medina police officer asked the Pittsburgh man the following question: “You were online, on Tinder, trying to connect with a 19-year-old male; the guy told you that he was 19. Prior to leaving Pittsburgh, they did admit they were only 14 years old. You then drove 2.5 hours to Medina to meet up with said 14-year-old, correct?”

The Pittsburgh man said, “yes.”

He then said, “I should’ve listened to my gut this morning. I’m being dead honest with you, sir. I f***** up. I’m ashamed of it, and I wish I could go back to this morning.”

If the man hadn’t gotten caught, National Law Enforcement Procedures and Security expert Tim Dimoff said this situation could’ve had a different ending.

“We’re seeing a lot more electronic abuse, and that includes soliciting, importuning children, taking advantage of adults, abuse of elderly,” said Dimoff.

That’s why Dimoff encourages parents to talk to their kids about online safety, set boundaries around screen time and consider downloading parental control apps to help monitor their behavior.

He also said parents should be aware if their kids start hiding what they’re doing online or using their devices in private.

“I think we all have gut instincts when someone’s doing something that they don’t want you to see, so basically, I say keep your parental radar up and out,” said Dimoff.

Medina police declined our interview request.

But according to court documents, the Pittsburgh man was arraigned last Friday on the solicitation charge.

He’s scheduled to appear in court this Wednesday at 11 a.m. for a preliminary hearing on the drug possession charge.

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 Logan Ramsey

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    POCATELLO, Idaho (eastidahonews.com) — A judge did not accept the guilty plea of a former church leader who is accused of committing sexual abuse against multiple minors.

Virgil Larson, 47, had a court hearing Monday morning where he attempted to plead guilty to six amended counts of felony injury to a child. He made this plea in exchange for having his previous charges reduced, which were six counts of felony sexual abuse of a child. This plea deal would not have required Larson to register as a sex offender.

EastIdahoNews.com first became aware of this plea agreement in May, reporting on court records that showed the agreement had been signed on May 26. But after hearing Larson’s account of the events that led to these charges, Judge Robert Naftz did not find the amended charges appropriate.

This is because, based on how Larson claimed his interactions with the victims occurred, it wouldn’t meet the definition of “willfully” under the law, Naftz explained.

“(The law) requires more than a purpose or willingness to commit the act. … The state is required to show the defendant had knowledge of the consequences,” Naftz said.

At the time when Larson was accused of having committed these crimes, he was a first counselor in the leadership of his local ward in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

In total, seven victims, one of them an 18-year-old, came forward during Larson’s investigation, which was initiated in July 2024 after the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office was informed that three of the victims reported the abuse to their ward bishop through the Kirton McConkie Law Office, which represents the LDS church.

During the investigation, a pattern emerged in what the victims reported to authorities and to their bishop, saying that Larson had touched them inappropriately while giving them massages at his private residence, while they were naked.

Court documents stated that victims reported the massages being done, “on the naked body, focusing on the buttocks.”

During Monday’s hearing, Larson gave his own version of the events that led to his criminal investigation.

Larson framed his actions as offering athletic and therapeutic help rather than abuse. He claimed that he first learned “deep tissue manipulation” to address medical conditions faced by his children, who were athletes.

He then went on to claim that the victims had requested massages from him after they heard from one of the boys in their social circle about how Larson had helped relieve his injury and keep competing over the course of multiple sessions.

“He asked if there’s something I could do, and so I said yes,” Larson asserted. Later, Larson said, “And over a period of time, they all requested to have something done to a similar effect.”

Bannock County Prosecuting Attorney Ian Johnson said that statements from the victims contradict this claim.

“Victim impact statements will say that (Larson) sought them out and asked them to come there, and then he willfully put his hands on them,” Johnson said.

Now that Larson’s plea deal has been rejected, he will go to trial, which Naftz set for Jan. 12, 2027.

And once at trial, Larson will face his original charges of six counts of felony abuse of a child, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years imprisonment. If Larson is convicted on all counts, he would face up to 150 years in prison.

Though Larson has been charged with these crimes, that doesn’t necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty in the eyes of the law.

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 Trey Baylor

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    IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (eastidahonews.com) — Richard Dee Bierma Jr, 42, has been accused of stealing thousands from the elderly man he lived with and cared for.

Bierma has been charged with one count of exploitation of a vulnerable adult over $1,000, one charge of criminal possession of a financial transaction card and one charge of grand theft.

Court documents say the 73-year-old victim reported to police that $5,784 was taken from his bank account and that there were 12 unauthorized withdrawals from an ATM at U.S. Bank on 1st Street in Idaho Falls.

Officers obtained a warrant to access bank records and video footage, but could only verify that $5,120 was part of the unauthorized withdrawals.

In surveillance footage from February, officers observed what appeared to be the same man accessing the victim’s account at the ATM each time, documents report.

The victim identified the man in the video as Bierma, the man who’d been living with him.

The victim confirmed to police officers that he had never given Bierma permission to have or use his credit or debit cards.

Bierma was detained and taken to the Idaho Falls Police Department for questioning, documents report.

During interviews, Bierma told police that he drove the victim around and picked up his groceries. As a general rule, he said he’d never given Bierma permission to make withdrawals from an ATM, but that he would drive the victim to the bank and the victim would make withdrawals.

Bierma later confessed to police that he withdrew the funds to pay for drugs, according to court records. But Bierma claimed the victim was aware of it and had given him permission.

Bierma did allegedly admit to being the one shown in photos and videos at the ATM.

Bierma has been appointed a public defender. The Idaho State Public Defender’s Office does not comment on active cases.

Bierma is set to appear in court for his preliminary hearing July 29.

If found guilty, Bierma may face up to 29 years in prison and may be required to pay fines of up to $80,000 in fines.

Although Bierma has been accused of a crime, it does not necessarily mean he committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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 A.J. Nwoko

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    PETERSBURG, Virginia (WTVR) — Vandals severely damaged a Habitat for Humanity home under renovation in Petersburg over the weekend, putting a family of five’s planned August 1 move-in date in jeopardy.

Tri-Cities Habitat for Humanity Vice President Bob Hodge said the vandalism happened sometime Saturday afternoon, but the organization did not learn about it until Sunday morning. They have since contacted Petersburg police to investigate.

“Nothing was necessarily taken, but there was a lot of things that were broken and vandalized,” Hodge said.

The home is on St. Mark Street in Petersburg’s Fifth Ward.

Every window on the first floor was busted. The kitchen cabinets were completely gutted. Doors were torn from hinges or kicked in, and on the second level, a broomstick was shoved through a wall.

A nearby Ring doorbell camera captured potential suspects who appear to be young children. Hodge urged parents to stay aware of their children’s whereabouts.

“Keep track of your kids, know what they’re doing, know who they’re running with,” Hodge said.

Tri-Cities Habitat Board Member John Jarrhet said the destruction is difficult to witness.

“I hate to see good work go down the drain,” Jarrhet said.

Habitat says the father of the family planning on moving into the home went to visit the property late Monday afternoon and was devastated by its current condition. The nonprofit says he and his children are in fear of their safety and want Petersburg Police to conduct increased patrols within the neighborhood and throughout the Fifth Ward to deter the vandals from coming back.

Former Virginia State Senator and Petersburg City Council candidate Joe Morrisey was on site Monday with his children to help with the cleanup. Morrisey said the damage extends well beyond the physical structure.

“The margin that Habitat has to operate is razor thin, and for a group of folk to come and vandalize it is heartbreaking,” Morrisey said. “And now because of the extensive vandalism they won’t be able to [move in], and that’s also collateral damage.”

Hodge said the organization must now take stock of the full scope of repairs needed. A spokeperson for the Tri Cities Habitat says the home serves temporary house is used for families who are eligible for the Habitat program, but are still waiting on their permanent home to be built.

The nonprofit says the 15-year-old house serves as a manageable transition for families in need to prepare for the eventual responsibility of their own home. Hodge said the damage is estimated to be several tens of thousand of dollars.

“We’ll have to fall back and do a complete assessment of what’s necessary to fix it up,” Hodge said.

Tri-Cities Habitat says the home was already undergoing renovation to get it ready for the next family, but the damage caused by the vandals nearly erased all the progress made over the past several weeks.

The organization says it is scraping together resources as quickly as possible to restore the home to a livable condition. Both Hodge and Jarrhet are calling on the community for support.

“Any donations would be appreciated,” Hodge said. “It’s a setback to them and it’s a setback to us that it’s happened and we hope it doesn’t happen again.”

“We could use some manpower,” Jarrhet said. “We’re trying to provide decent housing for our low-income residents. This is a setback… and I hope we can make a rebound.”

Anyone willing to donate time, materials, or funds is asked to email kparker.habitat@gmail.com.

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WTVR verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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 Esteban Reynoso

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    MCCLELLAN PARK, California (KCRA) — With fires breaking out across Northern California, Cal Fire says it is prepared to respond quickly to protect lives and homes.

“The smaller we can stop it, the better. If we throw large amounts of resources and we’re able to stop it at one acre or less, that is good,” said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Robert Foxworthy, a public information officer.

Foxworthy explained that the agency’s strategy is to respond fast and hit fires hard to contain them as quickly as possible.

“Try and overwhelm those fires and get them contained, and that forward progress stopped as fast as possible,” Foxworthy said.

Last year, Cal Fire responded to approximately 8,000 fires.

“I can guarantee you most folks only know a few of the largest ones that occur, and that’s throwing resources at every fire start,” Foxworthy said.

At McClellan Air Base, Cal Fire reloads and dispatches aircraft to fight fires from above. The agency strategically positions its aircraft to ensure they can respond quickly when needed.

“They make it anywhere in the state within 20 minutes of dispatch, and that’s what happened at the Miners Fire,” Foxworthy said.

On Sunday, Cal Fire laid a fire retardant line on the Miners Fire in El Dorado County. Neighbors reported that it took Cal Fire roughly 15 minutes to attack the flames from above.

Cal Fire reminds residents to follow evacuation warnings and orders during fires so crews can focus on fighting the flames.

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 Jonathan Ayestas, Andres Valle, Daniel Macht

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    PLACER COUNTY, California (KCRA) — Interstate 80 in Placer County is fully reopened 16 hours after a massive crash involving 10 vehicles and two big rigs, officials said Tuesday.

The crash happened around 1:50 p.m. Monday at westbound I-80 at Drum Forebay Road, the California Highway Patrol said. There were at least two people with major injuries and multiple others with minor injuries.

CHP said there was also a significant diesel leak because of the crash, further delaying the reopening as crews were seen cleaning up the roadway. Westbound traffic was turned around at Nyack into the evening.

Throughout the day, crews were focused on vehicle recovery, cleaning up scattered debris and hazardous materials work.

One lane reopened Monday evening, and at 6:12 a.m. Tuesday, Caltrans said all lanes had reopened.

Preliminary reports indicate that a big rig during the crash went off the road and over an embankment.

The cause of the crash is not known, and the ages and genders of those injured are not known.

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.