Category: CNN Regional

By Karin Johnson & Emily Sanderson

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    HAMILTON COUNTY, Ohio (WLWT) — Chaos erupted inside a Hamilton County courthouse this week after a suspect’s plea deal led to a confrontation between families.

The chaotic incident surrounded a plea deal in the murder case of 17-year-old Edwin “Myzell” Arrington.

See body camera video from the incident in the video player above

Arrington was killed on New Year’s Day 2024.

Latrelle Rogers, charged with murder, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 12 to 17 years in prison.

Body camera video shows a man waiting outside the courtroom and attempt to strike the suspect and a crowd gathers, prompting officers to intervene.

Video also shows deputies respond to break up the crowd.

Shamicka Arrington, the victim’s mother, expressed her discontent with the plea deal, saying, “He shot my son 5 times in the back. My son was actually trying to get away from him and instead of just letting my son try and run away from him, he decided to kill him,” she said. Shamicka was emotional about the plea deal, questioning, “It was like manslaughter, how? My son was shot 5 times. How?”

Adding to the emotional atmosphere, Shamicka described how Rogers looked at her family during the hearing.

“He smiled at me. He looked at me and he smiled. And my reaction was to get up, push the courtroom doors and walk out,” she said.

Tensions escalated further after the hearing as deputies escorted Rogers out of the courtroom.

Shamicka recounted, “When they brought him out, my relative did attack him.”

Witnesses described the scene on the fifth floor as chaotic, with people running, shouting, and pushing courtroom doors.

“It was more than a confrontation. It was way more than a confrontation,” Shamicka said.

Deputies called for backup, and a sheriff’s office spokesperson stated that while they were not aware of physical interactions, three people were cited for disorderly conduct, including Shamicka’s other son, whom she insists did nothing wrong.

A spokesperson for the prosecutors’ office explained the decision behind the plea deal: “In every criminal trial, there are inherent risks. Our office carefully weighed the evidence in the Latrell Rogers case and determined that the best chance for a just outcome was the plea as presented in Court. The defendant received the maximum sentence available for the offenses that he pled guilty to, leading to a sentence of 12-17.5 years, which we believe protects the community for as long as possible, given the inherent risks associated with trial.”

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 Michael Cusanelli

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    LEBANON, New Hampshire (WPTZ) — The Lebanon Police Department have identified a man who allegedly stole a cashbox with $1,000 from local Girl Scouts selling cookies.

Investigators said the theft happened at 1:50 p.m. outside the Walmart on Plainfield Road in West Lebanon.

According to officials, a man stole the cashbox off a Girl Scout cookie sales table near the store’s entrance and fled on foot toward the wooded area behind the plaza.

Police later tracked the suspect to the parking lot of a nearby New Hampshire State Liquor Store. Surveillance footage showed the man running across the parking lot and getting into the driver’s seat of a white Jeep Grand Cherokee before driving away.

Officers eventually found the empty cashbox in the woods.

In an update on Thursday, police said they had identified the suspect as a man who lives outside of New Hampshire. At this time, they are working to obtain arrest warrants.

The suspect’s name was not released.

Police thanked the community for their help in identifying the man.

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 Stephanie Moore

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    COLLETON COUNTY, South Carolina (WYFF) — A South Carolina man who “made it is job to peddle in poison” and “make the community sick” has been sentenced to prison, according to the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

David Michael DeLong, 52, of Colleton County, was found guilty Tuesday in a bench trial of trafficking methamphetamine. Circuit Court Judge Carmen T. Mullen handed down the 25-year sentence.

West Blue Ridge Drive near Old Bramlett RoadOne person dead in Greenville County crash “This defendant made it his job to peddle in poison, making our community sick and harming an untold number of people,” said Assistant Solicitor Lynorr Musser, of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case.

Musser said DeLong was pulled over on March 8, 2025, for having blue lights mounted on the exterior of his pickup truck.

Bello impersonating officer chargeFake traffic stops in Greenville lead officers to cache of weapons and police‑style gear Investigators said a K9 alerted to the vehicle, and deputies discovered two clear bags of crystal-like substance in the center console.

MCSO child predator bustNorth Carolina: 4 charged in undercover sting targeting online child predators Testing confirmed more than 31 grams of methamphetamine.

The solicitor’s office said DeLong’s criminal history in Florida dates to 1995. He was convicted of trafficking methamphetamine in both 2016 and 2018.

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 Peter Eliopoulos & Imani Clement

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    TAUNTON, Massachusetts (WCVB) — A woman and her 2-year-old daughter are in the hospital recovering after they were severely burned in a home explosion in Taunton, Massachusetts.

Lucitha Blanc, 24, and her 2-year-old daughter Janelle were at their Plain Street home making breakfast Wednesday morning when the house suddenly exploded, bursting into flames.

Taunton house explosion victims (1)Woman, 2-year-old girl recovering after Taunton, Massachusetts, home explosion The boyfriend of Blanc, and Janelle’s father, Shnider Germilus, said he was at work, but was on the phone with his family, when he heard the explosion.

“When she turned the stove on, all I heard was a big boom, and my daughter, she was screaming and crying, screaming,” Germilus said. “I had seen the video of our house on fire, so I thought they had died. I got scared, you know.”

Germilus told NewsCenter 5 that he later went to see his family in the hospital immediately after.

“I went to see my daughter, and when I saw her, she was all burned up. The first thing she said was ‘Hi, dada.’ She’s so strong.”

Video: Police body cam footage shows aftermath of Taunton house explosion

Authorities said the explosion was the result of a natural gas leak.

A GoFundMe has been set up to support the 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 Bethany Cates

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    ROCKINGHAM, North Carolina (WXII) — It’s a puzzle piece that was missing for two decades.

“You know what, on this particular case, that piece of the puzzle came through recently,” said Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page.

Back in 2001, Michele Hundley Smith’s husband told investigators she left home to travel to K-Mart in Virginia to go Christmas shopping but never returned. She was 38-year’s old at the time.

michele hundley smith Interactive timeline | What to know about Michele Hundley Smith; from her disappearance to her arrest Page attributes technology with helping to track her down almost a quarter century later.

“She applied for service that captured that information and alerted us,” Page said. “And so again, information sharing, collaboration with local state and federal authorities, and information services working with our national database, we were able to get that information in a timely manner and act on it.”

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Over the span of time, extensive investigations were launched with the assistance of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI, and still Smith’s whereabouts remained unknown.

“The case does not close until the person is located and we get closure,” Page said. “It’s not stopped, we continue to advertise, put information out, advertise for Crimestoppers, and let people know that we’re trying to solve this case, we need help, we need that piece to the puzzle.”

Page said Smith asked them originally not to be in contact with her family, and they honored that, but he said he understands how hard this must be for loved ones.

“It’s got to be a lot, especially if you look at the kids their grown up now and what they’ve had to go through,” Page said.

At this point, he said they are not finding any reason to add additional criminal charges outside of the DWI charges stemming from November 2001.

“The investigators and our chief investigator advised me that it didn’t have substantial evidence for any criminal charges beyond that point,” Page said.

He said after the finding of Smith, he has one request to the community.

“If you have someone who goes missing, time is critical, the quicker the better, and now we have more technology,” Page said.

Smith was taken into custody on Wednesday at the request of Rockingham County authorities and will appear in court in March.

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 Raquel Ciampi

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    PITTSBURGH (WTAE) — A woman has been taken into custody after knocking on a Pittsburgh door and stabbing the person who answered.

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police was called to the 3000 block of Arlington Avenue in the city’s Arlington Heights neighborhood Friday morning for a reported stabbing.

When they arrived, officers said they found a man who had been stabbed in the shoulder and the wrist.

The man told police a woman knocked on his door, started to verbally fight with him and then took out a knife and stabbed him.

After stabbing the man, authorities say the woman fled on foot but was later found at the intersection of Josephine Street and Salisbury Street.

Her identity has not been released.

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.