Category: CNN Regional

By Madeline Bartos

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    WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A man is facing charges after police said he set off a large amount of fireworks over the Fourth of July weekend, causing more than $17,000 worth of damage to his neighbor’s garage in Westmoreland County.

According to court paperwork filed on Monday, 62-year-old Robert S. Cochran II was charged with felony criminal mischief and a summary charge of using fireworks close to a vehicle or building.

Pennsylvania State Police said troopers were called to Bell Point Road in Bell Township after a woman said she got home from work on July 5 to find firework debris throughout her yard and pool as well as on the roof of her garage, home and vehicle.

Police said she noticed there was a large pile of used fireworks at the neighboring property. She told troopers that Cochran came over and picked up some debris but didn’t apologize. He then set off more fireworks after that, police said.

Troopers said they saw “a large pile of used fireworks and debris” on Cochran’s property in close proximity to the home.

In August, police said the victim provided a construction quote for damage to the metal roofing on her garage. The contractor quoted more than $17,000 to repair the damaged roof.

According to Pennsylvania State Police, fireworks can’t be discharged within 150 feet of a building or vehicle.

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 Craig Smith

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    TUCSON, Arizona (KGUN) — After Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson area home, ransom notes came in telling the Guthrie family to pay up or never see her again. We know at least one note was fake. Now there has been a formal sentencing.

Federal Judge John Hinderaker told Derrick Callella he was profoundly stupid to think no one would see through his scheme during all the scrutiny of the Nancy Guthrie case

Callella conceded when he heard about Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance and the ransom demand that he went on the internet, found Guthrie family contacts and used them.

In a video message, daughter and NBC Today show host Savannah Guthrie said, “We need to know, without a doubt, that she’s alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen.”

Federal charges say shortly after that family message, Callella sent the family three ransom demands, two by text, one in a phone call.

The charges say Callella hid his real phone number but agents were able to track him down anyway.

The charges against Callella say the messages from him had no real connection to the bitcoin ransom note media outlets received the Monday after Nancy Guthrie disappeared.

In July he pleaded guilty to two counts of telephonic harassment. He blames some of his actions on addiction to meth. When he changed his plea in July, a judge ordered him into immediate drug treatment.

When Callella pleaded guilty he knew the deal called for five years on probation for each of the two counts—with both probations served at the same time.

Judge Hinderaker noted five years probation is more than the federal sentencing standard for this sort of crime but believes the long probation will help Callella stay off drugs and be able to care for his family.

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 CBS Miami Team

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    ORANGE COUNTY, Florida (WFOR) — Women from Florida and Georgia are facing criminal charges in the Sunshine State after investigators said four children spent more than six years living in the cab of a semi-truck, where they were sexually abused, beaten and denied basic care.

Tamra Marshon Stewart, 37, of Jacksonville and Keysha Monique Epps, 51, of Atlanta, Georgia, were charged in Orange County with sexually battering, molesting and neglecting the four children, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced.

According to investigators, the abuse spanned from January 2020 through April.

Epps, a commercial truck driver, ran routes from Atlanta to Miami with stops throughout Florida, including Orlando. The four children lived with Epps and Stewart in the sleeper cab of Epps’ truck during that time.

2 girls detail years of abuse, 2 boys describe beatings after confronting suspects, authorities say Investigators say the children were forced to share a single bunk and were denied adequate food, hygiene, schooling and medical care. Two of the children suffered untreated burns that left significant scarring. After leaving the defendants’ custody, one child was diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection.

The two girls in the group disclosed years of sexual abuse by Stewart. The two boys said they witnessed the abuse and were beaten after they confronted Stewart and told Epps about it.

Investigators allege Epps knew about the abuse, failed to stop it and failed to report it as required by Florida law.

During a post-Miranda interview, Stewart admitted to three sexual batteries against one of the girls, including one offense in Orlando, according to the attorney general’s office.

Children were “trapped in rolling prison,” Uthmeier says “These children were trapped in a rolling prison and abused by the adults who were supposed to protect them,” Uthmeier said. “Florida has zero tolerance for anyone who preys on children. We will seek the maximum punishment under the law.”

Stewart faces two counts of sexual battery by a person in familial or custodial authority, two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation of a child less than 12, two counts of battery of a child by expelling certain fluids or materials, two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm and two counts of child neglect causing permanent disfigurement.

Epps faces two counts of sexual battery by a person in familial or custodial authority, two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation of a child less than 12, two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm, two counts of child neglect causing permanent disfigurement and four counts of failure to report child abuse.

The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be filed, authorities say.

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By Jonathan Greco

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    OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — Gov. Kevin Stitt has ordered that all flags on state property be lowered in honor of a federal officer who died while helping others during a wildfire in southwestern Oklahoma.

Federal officer killed in wildfire Over the weekend, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that David Taylor, a 38-year-old federal officer from Scio, Oregon, was helping residents evacuate from the Railroad South Fire near Indiahoma in Comanche County.

Authorities said Taylor was helping local first responders by going door to door during evacuations. His last contact with dispatch came while he was helping a family evacuate their home.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service later found evidence that he died during that evacuation effort. The medical examiner is investigating.

Honoring David Taylor On Monday, Stitt ordered that all American and Oklahoma flags on state property be lowered to half-staff in honor of Taylor.

“Officer Taylor made the ultimate sacrifice while serving others,” Stitt said in a news release. “He put the safety of Oklahoma families ahead of his own, and his courage will not be forgotten. Sarah and I are praying for his family and his fellow officers.”

Flags will be flown at half-staff from sunrise Tuesday, Sept. 1, until sunset on Friday, Sept. 4.

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By Andy Alcock

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    KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KMBC) — An attorney for a boy who claims he was both physically and sexually assaulted in a bathroom at Eisenhower Middle School has filed notice with the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools Board of Education of a pending $5 million lawsuit.

“He was violently offended by a number of boys against his will, physically restrained while they sexually assaulted him,” said David Smith, the attorney for the boy and his parents.

The notice states the incident happened April 30, and the boy was 11 and in sixth grade at the time.

Smith said a group of three or four eighth-grade boys dragged the sixth grader into a bathroom and then took turns hitting him in the head, stomach, and sexually assaulting him while restraining him.

“He lives in daily fear. And that’s really unfortunate for somebody his age. He’s in counseling,” Smith said.

Smith’s lawsuit notice claims Eisenhower Middle School had shut down several bathrooms due to other incidents before this one.

And the notice claims there was supposed to be an adult monitor outside the bathroom when the boy was assaulted, but there wasn’t one.

“That’s a gross mistake by the school district’s part, because there have been enough things that have happened in the bathrooms at that school that this was foreseeable. And if it’s foreseeable, it’s predictable. And if it’s predictable, it’s preventable. All they needed was to step up and follow their own policies, and they failed,” Smith said.

KCKPS School Board members Valdenia Winn and Vice-chair Wanda Brownlee Paige said administrators didn’t tell them what happened at Eisenhower Middle School after the incident as they should have.

As a result, they were blindsided by the lawsuit notice issued August 18.

“I didn’t know anything because when the gentleman knocked on the door, I said, well, how can I help you? He said, I want to serve you with this. And I said, well, what is it? He said, just read it. And then when I shut the door, I was like, wow, this is unbelievable,” Paige said.

“It’s not fair to the board. We were elected by the people to at least be the caretakers. But if we don’t know, things happen, how can we reassure our parents, our constituents, our staff, the students? There is a serious communication problem with us. If it’s not deliberate and intentional, then do differently,” Winn said.

Smith said to his knowledge, Eisenhower parents with students not involved in the incident weren’t told what happened either.

He said KCKPS police officers ultimately showed up after the assault and referred the boy to Sunflower House to be examined.

But Smith has not yet received a copy of the police report he requested.

“As far as this little boy knows, his violators are still free. His violators are still at school,” Smith said.

He also said the boy is now attending a different school.

KMBC 9 Investigates has learned Maria Castleberry was a KCKPS police officer at Eisenhower Middle until she was fired in January.

Castleberry believes she was forced out for refusing to drop charges against a boy who badly beat up a girl at Eisenhower Middle.

Former KCKPS Deputy Police Chief Sy Colaco wrote a letter to the administration defending Castleberry.

Colaco, who was also later let go, said Castleberry was unfairly fired, “railroaded”.

With Castleberry gone, KMBC 9 Investigates has learned there was no police officer working at Eisenhower Middle the day the boy claims he was assaulted.

KMBC 9 Investigates first raised safety concerns about the KCKPS system in 2023.

Marialexa Sanoja quit her job as a KCKPS police officer at Wyandotte High School in frustration due to guns and drugs on school property, daily fights, and sex in the school frequently going unreported to parents and with little consequences.

“Nobody was hearing what I was saying. Nobody’s hearing the parents,” Sanoja said in 2023.

“Our schools are some of the safest places for our students in the community,” said KCKPS Superintendent Dr. Anna Stubblefield in 2023. “Unfortunately, in the urban core, you may see more fights, unfortunately.”

The school district has thirty days from the August 18 notice to respond to the pending lawsuit.

Administrators declined a request for documents and comment on the boy’s Eisenhower Middle School claims, stating they are exempt under Kansas law.

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By Chantelle Navarro

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    OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — Heartbreaking stories came from the ashes of a northwest Oklahoma City apartment complex after a Sunday afternoon fire left dozens of residents who moved there from the streets without homes.

Firefighters are working to learn how the fire started, but investigators said the flames erupted from the second floor. People living at the Meadows Apartments said it only took about 15 minutes for the flames to make their way through.

Lisa Moistner walked around the debris left by the fire.

“This is Noir. He was at the same camp as me. He works all the time,” Moistner said. “He wasn’t even here during the fire because he works all the time. As crazy as that sounds, homeless people have jobs.”

They are two of about 50 people who were once homeless before moving into the apartment complex thanks to Oklahoma City’s Key to Home partnership. The partnership between the city and nonprofits helps place unhoused people in homes.

That all changed on Sunday when a fire started on the second floor. It quickly made its way through the attic.

Moistner said she was half asleep when she heard her neighbor banging on the door.

“She was screaming at me, ‘Lisa, get out of your apartment! It’s on fire. Everything’s on fire!'” Moistner said.

Some witnesses told investigators that they saw someone set the fire, but it’s still under investigation. So far, no one has been charged.

Moistner reflected on her journey from homelessness to finding a home at the Meadows Apartments.

“I was out on the streets for 10 years because a car accident. I had to come work. I never thought I was going to get to get another home again,” she said. “It was a home for me, and now you’re cleaning up the yard every day. This is my home, our neighbors. We’ve all grown to like each other. We all have become good friends. It’s like a big family out here.”

The Homeless Alliance, one of the groups involved in the Key to Home partnership, is now working to help the displaced residents rebuild their lives.

“I’m always blown away by the resiliency of the folks who utilize our services,” Meghan Mueller of the Homeless Alliance said. “And so hopefully this is one of those cases where we’ll see that resiliency on display.”

Moistner also highlighted the reality she and other members of the community face.

“Half of the city is one paycheck away from me in the same position that I was in. I know that for a fact. The economy is not that great. There’s nothing wrong with any of these people. They’re not thieves,” she said.

But for Moistner, it’s not clear what happens next.

“I guess it’s either going to be a hotel or a tent. I just want to get my life back together. I’m tired of being on the streets,” she said.

The fire not only destroyed the residents’ homes but also took away everything that made them feel at home, including furniture and clothes.

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.