Building cracks force 200 to evacuate Orlando-area apartments; crews break down doors to free residents

CNN Newsource on March 20, 2026

By Dacia Johnson

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    ORLANDO, Florida (WESH) — More than 200 people have been evacuated from an apartment building just west of Orlando after a woman called 911 early Thursday morning when she couldn’t open her front door and heard popping sounds.

William Farhat, the division chief with Orange County Fire Rescue, said when crews arrived, they had to pry the woman’s door open and found structural instabilities in the building.

A portion of the building was evacuated at that time, Farhat said. Other doors also had to be pried open to free residents.

Crews found cracks inside.

The Rialto apartments are located on W. Sand Lake Road in Dr. Phillips. just west of Interstate 4.

The Orangetheory Fitness, which is part of a string of businesses attached to the apartments, said it had to cancel classes this morning for “building damage” in a story on Instagram.

Building inspectors had to be brought in and determined the entire building needed to be evacuated.

Farhat said they are working with VisitOrlando and The Red Cross to find hotel rooms for displaced residents.

It’s unclear if or when residents would be allowed back in. An engineer needs to look at the building, Farhat said.

Residents worried

Residents who live in the apartment building told WESH 2 they were evacuated and not given much information.

One woman said her cat was still in her apartment on the top floor.

Olivia Stephenson said she was told there’s structural damage and a few people needed to be rescued from the building.

Stephenson said she was told it could be hours or never as far as when she can go back in.

Another resident said there is a crack in the ceiling.

Crews break down doors

A woman told WESH 2 fire crews used an ax to pry her door open and free her. She lived below the woman who originally called 911.

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Woman who lost her leg in boating accident meets dispatcher who helped save her life

CNN Newsource on March 20, 2026

By Sarah Mankowitz

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    FORT MYERS, Florida (WBBH) — Nichole Hall, who lost her leg and part of her hip in a boating accident in 2024, recently met Vicki Nisbet, the emergency dispatcher who answered the 911 call, in an emotional reunion in Lee County.

Nisbet, who works in emergency communications for Lee County Public Safety, recalled the moment she received the call.

“I remember exactly where I was sitting, what I was doing at the time. And it’s nice to be able to hug the person that you helped,” she said.

Reflecting on the significance of the encounter, Nisbet added, “We know we make a difference every day, but to really see it in person and to like, touch and hug the person like that, that just makes all the bad days better.”

Hall expressed her gratitude and the emotional impact of meeting Nisbet.

“I feel like I have to hug you, so a little bit of teary eyes, because it is such an impactful moment to be able to meet anybody who was there. I’m here because of her,” Hall said.

She continued, “I’m so grateful to be alive. And life is so beautiful. And everybody was part of my journey, so I’m just really grateful.”

The reunion allowed both Hall and Nisbet to put a face to the name of someone who had a significant impact on their lives, highlighting the importance of gratitude and human connection.

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Victim comes home to find strange man lying on couch in Lebanon County, police say

CNN Newsource on March 20, 2026

By Rachael Lardani

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    LEBANON, Pennsylvania (WGAL) — A Lebanon County man is facing charges after he was found inside a stranger’s home and attempted to steal two vehicles, according to the Lebanon City Police Department.

Investigators said they were called to the incident around 5:10 p.m. on March 7 in the 700 block of Locust Street.

According to court documents, the victim came home and found the suspect, identified as Matthew Butler, 37, of Palmyra, lying on her couch.

The victim told police that she did not know Butler, investigators said.

When the victim confronted him, Butler left her home and got into the driver’s seat of her vehicle, which was running at the time, according to the documents.

When he attempted to put the vehicle into gear, police said the victim went outside and Butler got out of her car.

Butler then got into another running vehicle nearby, put it in gear and drove off onto South Eighth Street, according to the documents.

Police said the owner of that vehicle was at the scene and still had her keys at the time.

Suspect located

According to court documents, officers found Butler a few hours later, and the vehicle was recovered from the Aldi parking lot on North 11th Avenue.

Butler was charged with criminal trespassing and theft by unlawful taking.

Stay with WGAL for updates as we learn more.

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Shawnee, Kansas, family fundraising for new wheelchair for their paralyzed goat, ‘Wheelie Nelson’

CNN Newsource on March 20, 2026

By Alan Shope, Chloe Godding

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    SHAWNEE, Kansas (KMBC) — This goat may only have two working hooves, but he doesn’t let it slow him down.

“Wheelie Nelson,” a goat in Shawnee, Kansas, has been partially paralyzed since birth. Pulling himself along with his front two legs, he makes his way around his backyard, a little bell signifying that he’s on the move.

But his family wanted to make it easier for him. So they did some research and found a wheelchair made for a dog.

“Once we got him in was the hardest part,” said owner Jordyn Doherty. “After that, he just took off. We almost named him ‘Hot Wheels’ because the second we got him in his wheels, he was gone.”

As Wheelie grew, he quickly got too big for his first set of wheels. As he’s only 3 months old, he’ll continue to grow and need new equipment. Without it, he could get hurt.

“Him dragging on the ground can create a bunch of sores and infections and things,” Doherty said.

That’s why his family started a fundraiser to raise a few hundred dollars for his wheels.

“Just so he can live the best normal life,” she said.

“Wheelie doesn’t know he’s ‘different,'” his family said in the fundraiser. “He just knows he’s loved.”

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.

Florida woman on life support after colleagues say she tried to stop customer from stealing tires

CNN Newsource on March 20, 2026

By Luana Munoz

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    LAKE COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — A Lake County woman is on life support after her colleagues say she tried to stop a customer from stealing tires at Just Stop Tires in Mascotte on Monday.

The owner of Just Stop Tires, Roy Cruz, called Ashley Tyer the heart of the company.

“She had so much love, but she was so tough,” said James Kelly, Tyer’s co-worker and friend. “She was, like, a tomboy and a pretty girl all at the same time.”

Tyer has worked for the shop for seven years. Her colleagues say she was more like family than an employee.

Kelly said he had just finished putting used tires on a customer’s vehicle, a job that amounted to just $95. However, Kelly said the customer did not want to pay.

“That split second I turned around and walked in the office, he was already letting the jack down,” Kelly said.

Kelly said the man got into his car and peeled out of the business and onto the road when his car stalled.

“I was thinking, grab the tag because he isn’t going to go far. We have the tag. We have the car. We have his name. We have everything,” Kelly said. “Ashley stood in front of him so he wouldn’t go, and he didn’t care. He just scooped her up.”

Kelly said Tyre was clinging to the hood of the car as the man sped off. He drove for half a block before turning a corner.

Tyer went flying off the vehicle and that is when Kelly realized how badly she was injured.

“It’s a lot to take. She wouldn’t want us to sit here and cry about it. She would actually call me a couple of names if she were here right now,” Kelly said. “Like, ‘Suck it up.’”

Kelly said Tyer had been working on turning an old, large tire outside of the business into a flower bed. Now, he is finishing what she started as a way of honoring a dear friend.

Mascotte police have not made an arrest in the case yet, but they tell WESH 2 they are working with other agencies to ensure the person responsible is brought to justice.

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.

Sedated cosmetic surgery patient says she was raped, doctor says it was consensual

CNN Newsource on March 20, 2026

By Malcolm Shields

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    MIAMI, Florida (WPBF) — A South Florida doctor was arrested on allegations of sexually assaulting a patient.

Ronald “Ron” DeMeo, 63, a resident of Miami, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with three counts of sexual battery of a physically helpless victim.

According to arrest documents, the incident between DeMeo, a New Jersey native, and a 29-year-old woman patient occurred on Oct. 25, 2025, at the DeMeo’s cosmetic surgery facility located in Miami.

The victim told law enforcement officials that during the follow-up procedure she remembered inhaling a sedative, which alleviated pain before the procedure along with prescribed medication.

The victim said, while she was waiting for the doctor to enter the procedure room, a staff member offered the victim a glass of wine.

According to the report, the cosmetic facility normally offers patients wine. The victim said she accepted the wine.

The victim stated she remembered the doctor in the procedure room saying he would see her in a while and she began to inhale the sedative.

The victim said she remembered the doctor closed the blinds in the procedure room and recalled feeling pushed to another office.

The victim alleged that the doctor was above her and engaging in sexual intercourse with her.

According to the report, the victim said she did not have the strength to speak or fight back and, “just closed her eyes wanting the assault to end.”

The victim said she never discussed or gave the doctor consent to have any sexual activity with her, felt impaired and had no control of her body.

The victim said she left the facility and did not see staff members. Days later, the victim said she discovered a video of the incident with the doctor saved to her cellphone.

The law enforcement official viewed the video, which showed the victim and the doctor.

The official believes the video showed the victim being assaulted by the doctor as “nonconsensual sexual acts and gestures were observed.”

Before being taken into custody by law enforcement on Wednesday, DeMeo was allowed to call the property manager of his residence to give law enforcement permission to execute a search warrant.

After the calls to the property manager failed, DeMeo called another number. The man on the phone told officials he was DeMeo’s attorney.

Over the phone, the man advised law enforcement that DeMeo would remain silent and did not have access to the building.

During a court hearing on Thursday morning, DeMeo’s attorney stated the encounter between the doctor and the victim was consensual.

“This is an incredibly compelling matter,” Daniel A. Lurvey, the attorney representing DeMeo, said during the court hearing on Thursday. “We have overwhelming evidence exonerating the defendant [DeMeo]. This goes back several months, as the court can see. It was a consensual, 100% encounter. The alleged victim in this case, through her attorneys, the crime victim law firm, demanded $10 million from the doctor. He of course refused to pay it. He, very recently, right before the victim reported this to the police, filed a lawsuit against her for extortion. That’s when she reported to the police.”

DeMeo’s attorney said he has a video of the incident that he said clearly shows the encounter with the doctor and victim was consensual.

“This is a shakedown by this alleged victim,” Lurvey said during the court hearing. “It is outrageous what is going on.”

When Judge Mindy S. Glazer asked how the victim’s cellphone could have been recording while the encounter happened, Lurvey stated that during civil mediation, the victim said the cellphone fell to the ground and accidentally started recording.

Miami Police Department Officer and Public Information Officer Mike Vega Miami Police provided the following statement to WPBF 25 News on Thursday about the video:

“The victim was documenting the procedure on her phone in short, recorded videos. As she is recording it, she’s also taking a gas which makes her calm down, she had also taken a pill to calm down.

As she records a video she passes out, the phone falls and it falls right next to her lap, it falls with the screen facing down, the camera facing up, so it’s capturing everything. The doctor then decides to take advantage of her, and he does sexual acts on her.” On Thursday afternoon, Judge Glazer denied bond for DeMeo and ordered DeMeo to in-house arrest.

He must wear an electronic monitoring device and not have contact with the victim.

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.

Oklahoma prisoners to compete for medals in statewide Inmate Games

CNN Newsource on March 20, 2026

By Adam Roberts

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    HINTON, Oklahoma (KHBS) — Oklahoma prisoners will compete against each other in the “Inmate Games” next month, according to a news release from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

Inmates from 23 facilities will compete in 19 events and a singing contest.

Each facility will host events and send its top three champions to a regional competition.

Regional winners will advance to the statewide final at the Great Plains Correctional Center in Hinton.

There, they’ll compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals. The winner of the singing contest will perform the national anthem.

The Inmate Games are meant to be a pro-social activity that fosters accountability, discipline, and teamwork, according to the release.

Events will include pickleball, foot races, tug-of-war, trivia, spades, and dominoes.

The Inmate Games are scheduled to begin on April 13, 2026.

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.

Jury rules TQL must pay over $22M to pregnant employee over death of her baby

CNN Newsource on March 20, 2026

By Felicia Jordan

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    CINCINNATI (WCPO) — A Hamilton County jury ordered Cincinnati-area company Total Quality Logistics to pay a former employee $22.5 million for a wrongful death lawsuit claiming the company caused the death of the employee’s baby.

According to the lawsuit filed in 2023, the baby’s death was a direct result of the then-pregnant employee being denied the ability to work from home, despite a letter from her physician saying she needed to be on bed rest.

The lawsuit says the woman began experiencing pregnancy complications while she was employed by TQL; she had to undergo an emergency surgery in February 2021 in order to prevent premature labor, according to the lawsuit.

When she was discharged from the hospital, her obstetrician ordered she remain on modified bed rest to protect the baby, the lawsuit says.

According to the lawsuit, when the employee first requested permission to work from home, so she could maintain her pay and health care during the mandated bed rest, she was instead sent paperwork for an unpaid leave of absence. After that, the employee presented TQL with a note from her doctor saying that she could work, but needed to do so from home because of her pregnancy complications.

The employee’s manager rejected the doctor’s note, saying no action could be taken because the letter did not have an end date for the accommodation, or a medical reason for its need. Later that same day, the employee submitted a new letter from her doctor that more explicitly stated she needed to work from home until the start of her maternity leave, expected some time in July. “I am requesting that she work from home in order to prevent further complications with her high risk pregnancy, due to increased activity at the work place,” reads the letter included in the lawsuit.

After the employee sent the second letter to her manager, the lawsuit says that manager forwarded it to a human resource officer, writing “did you want to take it from here? I am guessing we are not approving her [working from home] for this long.”

According to the lawsuit, TQL did not request any clarification on the request or otherwise engage with the employee about it — they just denied it.

The employee was told she could either continue working in the office against her doctor’s orders, or take an unpaid leave of absence until she gave birth.

This is despite TQL having allowed employees to work from home just one year before, during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic; the lawsuit says that in early 2021, most employees returned to in-person work, but at least one employee in the same department worked remotely before and after the pandemic. Others had worked from home after being exposed to COVID, the lawsuit says.

As a result, the employee chose to keep her pay and health care, and she worked in the TQL building as directed, the lawsuit says.

The employee’s husband spoke to an HR manager at his place of employment who believed TQL’s decision was incorrect; the employee’s husband then reached out to a departmental vice president at the company with whom he was socially acquainted to discuss the work from home issue.

According to the lawsuit, the vice president responded: “Thank you. You just saved us a lawsuit.”

Very quickly after, the employee’s accommodation request was granted and she was permitted to work from home — but the same day, she began experiencing cramping and bleeding, the lawsuit says.

The employee was taken to Bethesda North Hospital, where she had to give premature birth to her daughter, Magnolia, who was just 20 weeks and six days in gestation. Magnolia died an hour and a half after she was born, the lawsuit says.

The employee was discharged from the hospital on February 26; TQL expected her to return to the office the following Monday, on February 29, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit claimed that TQL’s denial of the employee’s work from home request during doctor-ordered bed rest directly led to the premature birth and death of Magnolia. A jury agreed, and on March 18, over five years after Magnolia’s death, TQL was ordered to pay the family $22.5 million in compensatory damages.

“This is a heartbreaking out come for a young family,” said Matthew Metzger, an attorney with Wolterman Law Office who co-counseled the family. “The evidence showed that Chelsea Walsh was following her doctors’ instructions for a high-risk pregnancy and simply asked to work from home. The jury found that TQL’s denial of that reasonable request led to the death of her daughter.”

We reached out to TQL about this story. A spokesperson sent us the following statement:

“We extend our condolences to the Walsh family. We disagree with the verdict and the way the facts were characterized at trial. We are evaluating legal options and remain committed to supporting the health and well-being of our employees.”

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.

Ex-Detroit police sergeant led ‘double life’ as serial rapist, prosecutor says

CNN Newsource on March 20, 2026

By Max White, Randy Wimbley

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    DETROIT (WXYZ) — A former Detroit police sergeant who spent nearly 30 years on the force allegedly led a double life as an officer and a serial rapist, according to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.

Benjamin Wagner, 68, is now facing charges in five separate sexual assaults of girls and women between the ages of 15 and 23 from 1999 and 2003 in Northwest Detroit.

The details were laid out at a press conference on Thursday by Worthy, Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison, as well as other prosecutors and police officers.

“The deplorable fact in this case is that the person we are charging has led a double life as a law enforcement officer and serial rapist,” Worthy said.

According to Worthy, Wagner “utilized isolation and force, armed with a handgun,” and threatened the girls’ lives as he sexually assaulted them.

These cases stem from the nearly 11,000 sex assault kits from 1984-2009 that were found in a warehouse in 2009.

According to the prosecutor’s office, Wagner was employed by the Detroit Police Department from 1989 until he retired in 2017. He then moved to Greenville, N.C. and that’s where he was arrested. Police said he was taken into custody on Tuesday, March 17, and is expected to be back in Detroit next week to face charges.

Wagner reportedly worked in both the 10th and 2nd precincts, as well as investigative operations, tactical services, commercial auto theft unit and more, where he received several awards and commendations.

In all, Wagner is facing 14 separate charges in the five cases. Five counts of kidnapping, eight counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Worthy is asking anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Wagner to report it to the Detroit Police Sex Crimes Unit by calling 313-596-1950

The breakdown of the charges and cases are below.

Case 1 – Nov. 10, 1999

Prosecutors say a 17-year-old took a bus to a bus stop near the home of a friend in the area of Chalfont and Mark Twain on the city’s northwest side.

According to Worthy, Wagner reportedly approached her, pointed a gun at her, ordered her from the scene and sexually assaulted her.

He’s charged with one count of kidnapping and three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in this case.

Case 2 – Jan. 31, 2000

Prosecutors say a 23-year-old woman left her home to walk to a store in the 184000 block of Wyoming. When she was walking, Wagner repotedly walked toward her, pointed a gun at her, ordered her from the scene and sexually assaulted her.

In this case, he’s charged with one count of kidnapping and one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Case 3 – Sept. 28, 2000

According to prosecutors, a 15-year-old girl was on her way to school and walking to the bus in the 19800 block of Florence when Wagner grabbed her arm, put a gun in her face and moved her from the scene, assaulting her.

In that case, he’s facing charges of kidnapping, first-degree criminal sexual conduct and third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Case 4 – Nov. 19, 2000

In this case, prosecutors say a 20-year-old woman was walking to a friend’s house in the 8500 block of W. McNichols when Wagner walked past her, attacked her from behind and put a gun to her back. He then moved her to another area and sexually assaulted her.

He’s charged with one count of kidnapping and one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Case 5 – April 15, 2003

Prosecutors say a 16-year-old girl was walking to catch a bus to school in the 19000 block of Ferguson when Wagner approached her, had a handgun and removed her from the scene, raping her.

He’s charged with one count of kidnapping and one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

According to the prosecutor’s office, despite having a firearm in all the alleged sexual assaults, there are no felony firearm charges because of Michigan’s statute of limitations.

—

Detroiters Leslie Cunningham and Robert Williams both live in the area where investigators say two of the five attacks occurred.

“You know, for men, we’re protectors of women, and that’s our assignment, to be protectors of our women. To hear that kind of thing is heartbreaking,” said Cunningham.

Robert Williams said, “the thing that bothers me is I don’t recollect it. And then 25 years later, for it to come up — what happened all this time?”

Scottie Jones lives on the same block Wagner once did.

“It’s appalling. It’s scary,” said Jones.

Kim Hurst from Avalon Healing Center, which supports rape survivors, says the revelation is devastating.

“When you find out someone in a position of authority — especially one meant to protect — was also a police officer, it’s definitely traumatizing,” said Hurst.

Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison called the case “egregious” and “disturbing.”

“Defendant Wagner’s actions do not represent the integrity, values, or mission of the Detroit Police Department,” he said.

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.

‘I am mortified,’ woman identified as ‘serial defecator’ tells officers who caught her in the act

CNN Newsource on March 20, 2026

By Derrick Rose

Click here for updates on this story

    STOUGHTON, Wisconsin (WISN) — Some might call it a “Code Brown.”

Stoughton police, last month, turned heads and perhaps a few stomachs with a social media post not fit for dinner-time debate.

“SPD USES DRONE TO ARREST SERIAL DEFECATOR IN CITY PARK,” the Feb. 5 message read in all caps. “After multiple reports of residents finding human feces and used toilet paper in a city park, SPD used trail cameras and a drone to ID and cite the person responsible,” the message continued.

Before that post went viral, records obtained by 12 News show police found two “number 2’s” in Schefelker Park, about 30 minutes outside Madison.

In a Feb. 4 report, one officer wrote, “I located another pile of frozen human excrement on top of the snow that melted through but was now frozen. Both piles had pieces of crumpled toilet tissue near them. The last snowfall in the area was overnight to early morning on 02-02-26, leading me to believe the initial pile was prior to that snowfall, while the second pile was post that snowfall.”

“Hope they made her pick it up,” one person wrote in the comments on the department’s Facebook post.

“It’s way too cold to be doing your business outside,” someone else added.

Determined to catch the culprit, police set up trail cameras and launched the department drone.

At approximately 5 a.m. Feb. 5, the incident reports said, an officer spotted a runner leaving the main trail toward the woods, police believed, to drop another smelly souvenir. Roughly two minutes later, according to the drone video 12 News obtained through a public records request, a person can be seen emerging from the woods to return to the main path, unaware that an officer was waiting with a body camera rolling.

“Can you come here and talk to me?” the officer says to a woman in the body camera video, also obtained through a public records request. “Can you look directly above me? See the drone that just caught you going to the bathroom back here?”

“Yeah,” the woman responds.

“You’ve been doing this quite a while, too,” the officer said.

“Yeah, I’m sorry,” she replies.

The woman’s apology was not enough to wipe away what had already been done. She explained to the officer she’s a regular runner and normally sees a portable toilets on her route during summer months.

Still, because of the series of incidents, and apparently catching the woman in the act, the officer promised to issue her a citation for indecent conduct.

In the Stoughton police Facebook post, an official noted in the comment section, “For those concerned that the suspect was/is homeless, she is not.”

She is, however, a health professional, 12 News has learned. Public records and online profiles indicate the woman is a nurse practitioner with connections to UW Health and SSM Health. 12 News is not identifying the woman by name as she has not been charged with a crime.

She did not answer multiple calls or respond to a text message seeking comment. In the video, she did express regret after a third and likely final fecal infraction.

“I am mortified,” she told the officer in the video.

“I will let you continue your run. Please don’t do this anymore,” the officer replied.

It is unclear if the woman has paid the $187 fine.

The initial Facebook post from the police department has hundreds of interactions, shares and comments; however, the image the department used showing a thermal image of a person with their hands raised could be considered misleading. When asked why the video provided in response to the records request did not include video with thermal imaging matching the image in the post, a department official said, “The image posted on Social Media was a Google Search Image, nothing from our drone or this case.”

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.