Category: CNN Regional

By KOMU Digital Staff

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    BOONVILLE, Missouri (KOMU) — A suspect charged in connection to an armed robbery at the Isle of Capri casino in Boonville appeared in court via video call on Tuesday.

Benjamin Charles, 21, an employee of the casino, was arrested on charges of first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and tampering with physical evidence in felony prosecution, according to court documents.

He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Tuesday.

A probable cause statement alleged that Charles, acting alongside 20-year-old Hollis Vanleer, entered the casino around 2 p.m. Wednesday carrying guns, then stole $1,276,000 from the bank area of the casino.

While the suspects were trying to escape, someone at the casino tackled one of the suspects and a fight ensued, according to the probable cause statement.

While the first suspect and the patron were fighting, the second suspect approached and struck the patron in the face and head numerous times with his fist, ending the fight and allowing the suspects to exit the building, according to the statement.

Charles and Vanleer were identified as the suspects, and Missouri Gaming Commission officers identified Charles as an employee of the Isle of Capri casino who was on duty on Thursday night, according to the probable cause statement. He was detained at the casino, according to the statement.

During an interview with investigators, Charles allegedly said he and Vanleer transported the money stolen from the casino out of Missouri, where the money was concealed, according to the probable cause statement.

Charles is being held at the Cooper County Jail on a $1.3 million bond.

Vanleer is currently at large and has a warrant out for his arrest, according to court documents.

“We’re confident we’re going to locate the second subject,” Missouri State Highway Patrol Lt. Eric Brown said Monday. “It’s not a matter of if, more as a matter of when, we’re going to locate him and make an arrest.”

Brown said agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting with the investigation.

“A couple of biggest things that they’re able to help with is one manpower … and their ability to work in neighboring states across the nation. It becomes very important and very helpful to have those law enforcement investigative authorities and powers in the areas that we’re working in as we follow leads and in search for the remaining suspect,” Brown said. “We were able to get someone into custody. That shows how important those working relationships are with our federal local and state police agencies.”

Brown said this investigation does not have a special task force dedicated to it.

“We have a lot of experience across our agency and with the officers involved in this investigation,” Brown said. “This is one of the larger robberies that we can remember in our careers.”

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.

WWJ

By Nick Lentz

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    Michigan (WWJ) — A lawsuit filed earlier this month alleges a Washtenaw County, Michigan, teen was “violently assaulted” by a garbage truck driver after the teen’s mother tried to drive past the vehicle, leaving the girl with a concussion.

The incident happened on March 5 while the mother, identified as Doreen Whelan, was driving her two sons, ages 17 and 4, to school in Whitmore Lake, Michigan, according to the suit.

Whelan encountered the garbage truck, owned by Duncan Disposal, “during the course of her route,” the lawsuit said. She tried to pass it without realizing the driver, whose age has yet to be disclosed, was going to reverse the rig into a roadway.

According to the court document, “Upon realizing that the garbage truck was backing up, Ms. Whelan began to reverse her vehicle to move out of the garbage truck’s path.”

The garbage truck driver started yelling “vulgar obscenities and profanities” at Whelan and her children and “displayed his middle finger” toward them, the lawsuit said. He continued to yell at them after Whelan asked him to stop.

Whelan’s 17-year-old son then asked the driver to stop yelling at them, the lawsuit said. In response, the driver jumped out of the truck, sprinted toward Whelan’s vehicle and punched, kicked and grabbed the teen, according to the court document.

The lawsuit said the driver’s knuckles were visibly bleeding after the assault.

Whelan was panicked by the assault, according to the court document, and struggled to unbuckle her seat belt. When she did, the driver started to approach her “in an aggressive and threatening manner.”

Bystanders then intervened and de-escalated the situation, the lawsuit said. The driver was later arrested.

According to the suit, the driver winked at Whelan’s children in a “deliberate, menacing, and taunting gesture” while being arrested to “further intimidate and traumatize them.”

Whelan’s teenage son was diagnosed with a concussion, sprained ankle and possible rib fracture, the court document said. He has since been unable to attend school and extracurricular activities, including baseball and track.

The lawsuit accuses the driver, named as a defendant, of assault and battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Duncan Disposal, also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, is accused of vicarious liability, negligent hiring, retention and supervision, and negligent entrustment. The court document, citing “information and belief,” said the company “knew or, in the exercise of reasonable diligence,” should have known that the driver “had a propensity for violence, aggression, and/or volatile behavior.”

According to the lawsuit, the company also failed to vet the driver’s “fitness for employment” and provide adequate training and oversight during his time with Duncan Disposal.

The family is asking for at least $75,000 in compensation, per the suit.

A spokesperson for the company said they didn’t have a statement about the lawsuit and that the driver has since been fired. CBS Detroit has reached out to law enforcement authorities and is awaiting a response.

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 Nick Lentz

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    Michigan (WWJ) — A lawsuit filed earlier this month alleges a Washtenaw County, Michigan, teen was “violently assaulted” by a garbage truck driver after the teen’s mother tried to drive past the vehicle, leaving the girl with a concussion.

The incident happened on March 5 while the mother, identified as Doreen Whelan, was driving her two sons, ages 17 and 4, to school in Whitmore Lake, Michigan, according to the suit.

Whelan encountered the garbage truck, owned by Duncan Disposal, “during the course of her route,” the lawsuit said. She tried to pass it without realizing the driver, whose age has yet to be disclosed, was going to reverse the rig into a roadway.

According to the court document, “Upon realizing that the garbage truck was backing up, Ms. Whelan began to reverse her vehicle to move out of the garbage truck’s path.”

The garbage truck driver started yelling “vulgar obscenities and profanities” at Whelan and her children and “displayed his middle finger” toward them, the lawsuit said. He continued to yell at them after Whelan asked him to stop.

Whelan’s 17-year-old son then asked the driver to stop yelling at them, the lawsuit said. In response, the driver jumped out of the truck, sprinted toward Whelan’s vehicle and punched, kicked and grabbed the teen, according to the court document.

The lawsuit said the driver’s knuckles were visibly bleeding after the assault.

Whelan was panicked by the assault, according to the court document, and struggled to unbuckle her seat belt. When she did, the driver started to approach her “in an aggressive and threatening manner.”

Bystanders then intervened and de-escalated the situation, the lawsuit said. The driver was later arrested.

According to the suit, the driver winked at Whelan’s children in a “deliberate, menacing, and taunting gesture” while being arrested to “further intimidate and traumatize them.”

Whelan’s teenage son was diagnosed with a concussion, sprained ankle and possible rib fracture, the court document said. He has since been unable to attend school and extracurricular activities, including baseball and track.

The lawsuit accuses the driver, named as a defendant, of assault and battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Duncan Disposal, also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, is accused of vicarious liability, negligent hiring, retention and supervision, and negligent entrustment. The court document, citing “information and belief,” said the company “knew or, in the exercise of reasonable diligence,” should have known that the driver “had a propensity for violence, aggression, and/or volatile behavior.”

According to the lawsuit, the company also failed to vet the driver’s “fitness for employment” and provide adequate training and oversight during his time with Duncan Disposal.

The family is asking for at least $75,000 in compensation, per the suit.

A spokesperson for the company said they didn’t have a statement about the lawsuit and that the driver has since been fired. CBS Detroit has reached out to law enforcement authorities and is awaiting a response.

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 Erin Lowrey

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    Louisiana (WDSU) — It’s the worst time of the year in New Orleans — stinging caterpillars are back.

According to the LSU AgCenter, buck moth caterpillars become a problem in the spring in Louisiana due to their spines that are covered in venom.

The caterpillars often fall from trees, and if they land on a person, can sting them.

This is especially concerning ahead of Easter egg hunts this weekend.

The venom can cause symptoms such as itching and burning as well as nausea, according to the LSU AgCenter.

Anyone who comes into contact with a stinging caterpillar should take antihistamines and apply a cold compress to the area that is affected.

Pain can last up to 24 hours, according to the LSU Ag Center.

People should also remove the caterpillar hairs from their skin by using tape and then washing the area with soap and water.

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 Ashley Sharp

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KOVR) — A Sacramento mother is now back in the United States after she was detained and deported just 24 hours after what she thought would be a routine immigration appointment in late February.

Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez has lived in the U.S. for nearly thirty years and has protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

A federal lawsuit was filed on her behalf, and on March 23, a judge granted emergency relief, ruling her deportation was unlawful and ordering her return within the next seven days.

Just hours before that deadline would pass, Estrada Juarez was allowed to cross the border on March 30 and back into the arms of her daughter, who was born in the U.S.

“I was taken away from my daughter without a warning. I didn’t get to prepare, I didn’t get to say goodbye. I didn’t get a real chance to speak to a judge or defend myself. It all happened so fast,” Estrada Juarez said.

Estrada Juarez says she showed up on February 18 at the John E. Moss Federal Building in Downtown Sacramento for an appointment regarding the status of her green card application.

She was denied and deported the next day to Mexico.

“This has been one of the most painful experiences of my life as a mother, being separated from my child like that made me feel helpless, not knowing if she was okay broke my heart, in a way I can’t fully describe,” she said through tears.

Damaris Bello, her daughter, waited in agony for her mother’s return, not sure if it would happen.

“She has built her life here with honesty and hard work. But instead of coming home, she was detained and deported in less than a day. We didn’t get to say goodbye,” said Bello. “It was like grieving someone who was still alive. This should never happen to anyone.”

Advocates say Estrada Juarez should never have been deported and fear other wrongful deportations are happening nationwide.

“There was two things that happened very wrong in Maria’s case. One, it was that she was unlawfully deported because she was a DACA recipient. And two, it was that basis of that deportation was all on a removal order from 1998 that actually was never final to begin with,” said Maria Braley, an advocate with Fwd US.

Stacy Tolchin, Estrada Juarez’s attorney, called the case shocking.

“My mind was blown. Nobody before this would have thought that the government would knowingly deport somebody with DACA,” Tolchin said.

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed Estrada Juraez did receive due process.

“DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country. Any illegal alien who is a DACA recipient may be subject to arrest and deportation for a number of reasons including if they’ve committed a crime,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.

DHS alleges Estrada Juarez re-entered the country illegally, which her attorney claims is not true.

For Sacramento’s vice mayor, a daughter of immigrant parents, the news of the wrongful deportation of one of her constituents hit too close to home.

“The Trump administration has caused people to live in fear of their own safety and that of their families. That’s not the America that I know. This is a nation built by immigrants for immigrants, and it should stay that way,” said Vice Mayor Karina Talamantes.

Advocates hope this case calls attention to a need for widespread change.

“What we are seeing across the country right now is not normal. Families are being separated with little warning. People are being detained despite having protections. Communities are being destabilized in ways that should concern all of us. Maria’s case makes that real,” Braley said.

Estrada Juarez says she hopes sharing her story will help others.

“What happened to me, it should not happen to anyone. I am home now, and I will use my voice to make sure others are not silenced or taken away,” Estrada Juarez said.

Now, Tolchin said she is focused on getting Estrada Juarez’s DACA status renewed which expires at the end of April. She will also keep trying to get Estrada Juarez the green card she was working toward before she was denied and deported.

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 Libby Smith

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    COLORADO (KCNC) — It’s tough to be a teen in the foster care system. For many of them adoption is no longer an option, and they face aging out of the system without any support. A 2023 study of Colorado youth who age out of foster care with no support will end up costing the state an average of $343,000 per person over their lifetime. The costs stem from higher rates of homelessness, incarceration, and unemployment. Raise the Future works hard to find one caring adult to stand by those teens as they transition into adulthood. Heather Piper is one of those caring adults. She’s a foster parent who specializes in being a “bonus mom” to all who need her.

“It has absolutely been my jam. So I only take teenagers now. 15 is probably on the youngest end that I take, all the way up to 21,” Piper explained.

She said that she loves teenagers because they’re doing all the things she likes to do, like learning to drive, working on graduating, putting a house together, and applying to colleges.

“It’s important because sometimes their parents aren’t able to be there for them in the way that young adults need them,” Piper said.

Piper has been a foster parent for 10 years with about 100 young people coming through her home. Many of them come back or continue to call her for support.

“My two goals for any child when they are here is for them to feel safe and loved. If I have done that…I’m winning,” she said.

“She’s just an extra parent, an extra role model, an extra person I can count on to be there with me,” said Gabrielle.

Gabrielle is 21-years-old now. She’s lived in and out of Piper’s home for many years, and still turns to her for love and support.

“I think that not a lot of teens realize there are options out there. Some things that I was told was, ‘You’ll never make it.’ ‘You’ll never be something.’ ‘You’ll end up on the same level as your parents.’ and to prove those people wrong. I did make it to college. I did graduate high school,” Gabrielle explained.

Emberleigh is 18-years-old. She also lived with Piper while she was in foster care. She’s currently back living with her biological mother, but still relies heavily on Piper.

“I’d call her if I was stuck somewhere or if I needed help. I would call her in any situation I needed her,” Emberleigh said. “I definitely feel like going into being an adult, I am fully prepared to do so because of everything she’s taught me. And I know if I don’t get it right away, she’s right there to help me.”

Emberleigh credits her time in Piper’s home as being the inspiration for change in her life.

“I was very naughty,” she said with a laugh.

She explained that she would protect herself with big behaviors that often got her moved from foster home to foster home.

“They understood that I was coming from a hard place. They didn’t judge who I was as a person, and I think that just changed me and helped me want to change who I was for the better,” Emberleigh recalled.

“For a lot of my teenagers, they have parents. I’m not trying to replace anybody. I don’t need to be anybody’s mom. I’m okay being an extra mom. I’m okay being the weird aunt. I’m okay being a bonus…whatever they allow me to be,” Piper 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 T.J. Wilham, Jason McNabb

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    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KOAT) — The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office has launched a crackdown on motorists who fail to comply with the state’s move over law, which requires drivers to move over for first responders, tow truck drivers, or anyone pulled over on the side of the road.

The crackdown comes following the death of Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Sergeant Michael Schlattman, and a subsequent Target 7 Investigation has found the law is rarely followed and rarely enforced until now.

In a matter of two hours, 67 motorists were pulled over for not moving over when there were emergency crews on the side of the road.

“I wasn’t expecting 67 just in one day,” Sheriff John Allen said. “You would think there would be a lower number and people would have been paying attention, moving over and following the law, but of course that’s not the case.”

The consequences of not following the move over law can be deadly. Last month, Bernalillo Schlattman was killed during a traffic stop when a semi-truck slammed into the back of his patrol car.

“I’m very fortunate, I’m very fortunate. Almost sometimes there’s a little bit of guilt because why did I survive and why do others have to die?” said Former Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Jacobs.

Twenty years ago, Paul Jacobs was nearly killed on the same stretch of road, prompting him to lobby for the state’s move over law.

“It was a similar situation, and why did I walk away? I wish everybody could walk away, but it’s not the reality that we live in,” Jacobs said.

At the time Schlattman was killed, Target 7 discovered the law had only been enforced 16 times statewide since it was passed in 2005.

“So I think now we always have to look at what we can do better,” Sheriff Allen said. “And Sergeant Schlattman’s death brought more attention to this.”

Sheriff John Allen launched Operation Schlatty, the nickname of the fallen sergeant.

“It’s designed to protect first responders,” Sheriff Allen said. “Everyone thinks it’s just for law enforcement, even for tow truck drivers, ambulance, roadside workers. Slow down, pay attention, move over because anything can happen. We want everybody to be safe, including workers.”

The investigation into Schlattman’s death is being conducted by the Rio Rancho Police Department, and there has been no determination whether charges will be filed against the semi-truck driver.

“I wouldn’t doubt if charges were brought, but I don’t know, so I can’t say as a fact,” Allen said, “I will tell you, I watched the body camera. That was rough to watch. And then I watched it in slow motion. And you can tell that the driver’s not paying attention, and he should have moved over.”

Sheriff Allen plans to order more operations in the future to crack down on people who don’t move over and wants to strengthen the penalties. Currently, if caught, motorists face the same penalties as someone caught for speeding.

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.