Category: CNN Regional

By Sera Congi, Phil Tenser

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    LAWRENCE, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Numerous armed federal agents used armored equipment in a dramatic arrest of an alleged gang member and drug dealer in Lawrence on Monday.

Sky5 arrived overhead at approximately 10:35 a.m. as one of the armored vehicles with a battering ram was used to break a window of the house at 2 Roberta Lane. Within minutes, officers tossed something through the window, which was followed by a burst of smoke.

Soon after, a man exited the home and put his hands in the air.

While he was escorted down the street, a column of other armed officers was seen entering the house.

The FBI initially said that agents and “partners” were conducting “court-authorized activity” at the address. Later, a spokesperson confirmed the agents were working to arrest Luis Jose Nivar Cabral, in connection with a drug case filed in U.S. District Court in Maine.

A criminal complaint filed with the court indicates that Cabral is believed to be a member of the Trinitario street gang and was based in Massachusetts but frequently traveled to Maine for drug deals. The document also contains allegations that Cabral “has perpetrated at least three home invasions in Maine, as well as a high-speed chase with police, during which Cabral and his associates repeatedly fired on pursuing officers.”

According to the complaint, agents were surveilling a home on Easton Hill Road on Aug. 15, in Rumford, Maine, when they saw a Dodge Charger leave the property. An officer attempted a traffic stop, but a chase followed, reaching speeds in excess of 90 mph.

Two marked cruisers followed the Dodge but realized they were being fired upon by people in the car. One rifle was thrown out of the vehicle and another was recovered about a week later, after the abandoned Dodge was found.

The complaint indicates that officers arrested one suspect along Route 232, near where the Dodge was abandoned, on Aug. 16. That co-conspirator provided the name of the driver and told investigators one of the other men in the car was named Jose.

Investigators said the suspect also gave them access to his cellphone, which contained records of his communications with Jose.

Two others were arrested after vehicles drove through a roadblock in Rumford early on the morning of Aug. 16. According to the complaint, they sought to buy drugs and followed directions from Jose on Aug. 15. Both of them identified Cabral from a photograph and one allowed investigators access to his phone, containing their communications about drug purchases.

The federal complaint also indicates that Cabral was arrested on a warrant by Massachusetts State Police on Aug. 31 following a traffic stop. At that time, he was carrying eight pieces of identification for others, including the ID for one of the men arrested in Rumford and a relative of a cooperating witness.

Based on the results of a search warrant for Cabral’s phone, the FBI told the court that Cabral made at least four “drug-related trips to Maine from Massachusetts” after Sept. 9. They also spotted him driving a rented black Jeep, similar to the one seen in the driveway in Lawrence on Monday morning.

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By Denzen Cortez

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — Isis Wharton is contesting the California Department of Motor Vehicles’ decision to revoke her personalized license plate, which she believes is protected under the First Amendment.

On Friday, Wharton received a letter from the California DMV regarding her car’s personalized license plate, “I AM ISIS.”

The letter stated,

“Dear Isis, the Department of Motor Vehicles has reviewed its records, and it was determined that personalized license plates ‘I AM ISIS’ assigned to your 2021 Kia contain a configuration of letters/ and or numbers that are non-compliant with the requirements of Title 13.”

Wharton purchased the $50 license plate back in 2022 and has paid a $50 renewal fee for three years ever since.

“I just did my registration a couple months ago, and they didn’t say anything then either,” she said.

The DMV now says the license plate violates Section 206 of the California Code of Regulations, which allows the agency to refuse plates that associate with anything illegal or violent.

“Regardless of your intention, the configuration ‘I AM ISIS’ can be construed as ‘I AM ISLAMIC STATE OF IRAQ AND SYRIA (ISIS),'” the DMV added.

Wharton expressed her surprise and confusion upon reading the letter.

“I was surprised. My first reaction: I was super surprised. I was confused since I’ve had it for so long. And I was honestly super hurt,” she said.

Leslie Jacobs, a professor at McGeorge School of Law, weighed in on the situation, citing that Wharton’s license plate is protected under the First Amendment.

“The free speech clause protects people saying their own messages on personalized license plates,” Jacobs said. “And so, most likely, the DMV is not going to be able to prevent her from saying that.”

Jacobs referred to a 2020 U.S. District Court decision in a similar case in which a federal judge ruled the DMV’s censorship of personalized license plates was unconstitutional because personalized sayings are protected under the First Amendment as private speech.

“The United States Supreme Court has said that specialty license plates, those are the ones like save Lake Tahoe, can be government speech. And maybe the government can prevent people from having specialty license plates, but these are personal license plates. And so, they’re going to say it’s her own speech,” Jacobs said.

For now, Wharton is unsure of her next steps, but her family is supporting her, much like the nurturing Egyptian goddess Isis she was named after.

“I’m proud of my name. I’m proud that it’s on my car. And I feel like driving around. It looks cool,” Wharton said.

The DMV has given Wharton until Sept. 25 to request a hearing, which she is currently working on drafting. If she does not meet that deadline, the DMV will proceed with revoking the license plates.

Attempts to reach the DMV for comment have not been successful.

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By Spencer Burt

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    GREEN RIVER, Utah (KSTU) — A man was rescued after getting swept up in a flash flood in eastern Utah Saturday afternoon.

The Emery County Sheriff’s Office said they were called around 4 p.m. to the southern part of Green River, where the man became stuck in a “wash” by a flash flood.

The first deputy to respond called for additional help, and eventually, a multi-agency team was there with rope rescue gear, a front-end loader, and several employees or volunteers. A local resident also showed up with a raft and offered to help.

The team tied the raft to the front-end loader as Deputy Josh Opp and Green River resident Kent Nelson paddled out to reach the stranded victim in the fast-moving water. They brought him a life jacket, then those on shore pulled both the raft and the man to safety. He was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, the sheriff’s office said.

“A HUGE thank you to Green River Fire Department, Green River City Public Works crew, Utah Highway Patrol, Classic Air Medical, and any other Green River citizens that jumped in to help at this time of need,” the sheriff’s office wrote. “The actions provided by the citizens were priceless. They put themselves in danger to rescue a perfect stranger. The victim is not from our area and no one knew him, but that did not matter to any of them. They were all cold and wet, working together to rescue to a very scared person that could have been swept away at any second. To all involved, your actions today absolutely saved a life. BRAVO!!!”

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By Paula Wethington

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    MACOMB COUNTY, Michigan (WWJ) — Four people were thrown from a boat and injured when the vessel exploded Sunday afternoon in Macomb County, Michigan.

The distress call was reported about 3:45 p.m., after which the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office Marine Division was sent to the scene in Belvedere Bay in Harrison Township.

Deputies said the boat was anchored in the bay when the owner, one adult passenger and two minors were on board. When they tried to get out, the engine compartment flamed up and exploded. All four were thrown out of the vessel.

Those in a nearby boat helped get all four onboard their vessel and took the victims to store. The Harrison Township Fire Department provided medical treatment on scene; and three of the four were taken to an area hospital for additional treatment. They were all reported in stable condition Monday.

In the meantime, the Macomb County marine division deputies extinguished the fire and had the boat towed.

A Macomb County Sheriff’s Office fire investigator has inspected the burned0out vessel, and determined nothing was suspicious. Foul play is not suspected.

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By Hamilton Kahn

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    ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — A woman in the fast-moving water in an arroyo Saturday who was first spotted by a retired firefighter was finally pulled to safety by the coordinated efforts of 31 first responders, an Albuquerque Fire Rescue news release said.

Personnel from the Albuquerque Fire Rescue and Bernalillo County Fire Rescue agencies sent to multiple locations along the arroyo, but the woman was moving so fast that she went past two of them before she was saved near the Montgomery Boulevard overpass. She was taken up to street level on a stretcher, alert and stable, and was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital.

“This was a dynamic rescue situation,” AFR Battalion Chief Emily Kane told KOAT at the scene. “We had a victim who was moving along in the water pretty quickly — 10 to 20 miles an hour.”

Once she had fallen in the arroyo, the woman would have had a difficult, if not impossible, time getting out on her own, Kane said.

“We saw the headwaters come down, and it was probably at least a four-foot wall of water that was rolling, turbulent. If you were in front of that and that thing came and hit you, you’d be knocked off your feet and you’d be going for a long ride,” Kane said.

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By Kyle Langellier

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    APPLETON, Wisconsin (WGBA) — Before September, customers at vape shops like Top Dogz in Appleton could choose from more than 200 different flavored vape products. Now, only 39 remain on the shelves.

The dramatic reduction follows a new Wisconsin state law requiring all vape products to receive FDA approval before being sold. The change has left many smoke shops across the state scrambling to clear old inventory or face fines as high as $1,000.

“Vapes were definitely our number one seller,” Jason Williams, co-owner of Top Dogz, said.

Williams co-owns Top Dogz with Jenny Peters. The business owners say they’re seeing fewer customers walk through their doors since the law took effect at the beginning of September.

“Clearly we see a decline in the number of people coming through our doors, our numbers are down a little bit,” Williams said.

An employee at A-Z Smoke Shop in Appleton, who declined to appear on camera, said the business is losing between $3,000 to $5,000 daily since the law went into effect.

The Top Dogz owners express concern not just for their business, but for customers who relied on vape products that are no longer available.

“What’s impacted the most by this is our customers. Because a lot of our customers have chose to stop smoking cigarettes and now they have to come back to cigarettes,” Peters said.

Non-profit Wisconsinites for Alternatives to Smoking Tobacco, also known as WiscoFAST, filed a lawsuit challenging the law. However, the lawsuit was overruled on Sept. 5.

If the law isn’t reversed, Peters said Top Dogz may need to re-brand as a corner store to stay in business. Two Appleton smoke shops, including Fox Valley Vapor, have already temporarily closed.

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By KGUN News Staff

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    BISBEE, Arizona (KGUN) — A man was transported to Copper Queen Hospital in Bisbee by helicopter over the weekend after getting stuck at the bottom of the Lavender Pit Mine.

According to a Cochise County Sheriff’s Office’s social media post, its Search and Rescue unit was activated after the man called 911 at around 1 a.m., saying he was stuck at the bottom of the pit.

Mine security was notified, but they were unable to reach the victim due to condemned roads.

Tucson DPS Air Rescue Ranger 2 was brought in to assist. They flew recon around the pit, picked up a CCSO rescue specialist at the pit overlook, then conducted a hover ingress to rescue the man, who was injured.

The man was flown directly to the Copper Queen.

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