Category: CNN Regional

By Alicia Roberts, Scott Jacobson

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    Philadelphia (KYW) — Families impacted by gun violence gathered at the School District of Philadelphia’s headquarters Wednesday for the Mothers In Charge toy giveaway, a night of holiday cheer complete with music, presents and a special visit from Santa Claus.

Dr. Dorothy Johnson-Speight, the national director of Mothers in Charge, hosted the night focused on lending a helping hand to those who have lost loved ones to gun violence.

“I lost my mom when I was very young, so I know the pain of that, especially at a time when everyone is happy, but maybe you’re not happy because you had a death in your family,” Johnson-Speight said.

This is the third annual Mother’s in Charge Toy Giveaway, and this year more than 200 children received a special gift just in time for Christmas.

Erica Reason brought her son Malik.

“We seen this at Target a month or so ago, and I didn’t have enough funds for it, so I told him no, and then we seen it here, so like that’s just a blessing in itself,” she said.

Shannon McCance attended the event with her 5-year-old daughter, Willow.

“I don’t think there is anyone in the city that doesn’t know gun violence,” McCance said. “I’m just happy there are still good people out there. There’s a lot of good people out there, and it’s from all walks of life, it’s just nice to see.”

‘Tis the season for giving — one smile at a time.

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 Celeste Springer

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    WASHINGTON (KRDO) — A prolific child predator from Colorado, who prosecutors say had victims in nearly every state in the country, has been sentenced to prison.

Austin Ryan Lauless, 31, will go to prison for 84 years after pleading guilty to 13 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, five counts of sex trafficking of a minor, two counts of advertising child sexual abuse material, and possession of child sexual abuse material, according to the United States Department of Justice.

Prosecutors say, besides having victims across the United States, he also had victims in at least five foreign countries.

The Department of Justice says that Lauless posed as a teenager, using the fake identity of “Cason Fredrickson.” Meanwhile, he was in his late 20s, unemployed, and living in hotels in Colorado and Texas.

Using his fake teenage identity, prosecutors say he found children on social media, later gaining their trust and coercing them into sending explicit videos of themself. He admitted to having a collection of child sexual abuse material, including prepubescent children, and children subjected to bestiality and sadomasochistic abuse. At least five minors were trafficked and forced to engage in sexual acts with adult men while being videoed.

In order to prolong his abuse, prosecutors say Lauless threatened to release the images of the children if they stopped sending him content or went to a parent or the police for help.

“This case represents one of the most egregious forms of exploitation the FBI investigates,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’Malley of FBI Indianapolis Field Office. “This was not an isolated crime – it was a nationwide and international campaign of exploitation that victimized at least 84 people, including children, and involved the trafficking of human beings. The FBI is committed to identifying offenders who use technology to abuse, manipulate, and control others, and to ensuring they are held fully accountable. Today’s sentence delivers justice for the victims and reinforces that these crimes will not go unanswered.”

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 KABC Staff

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    WEST HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — The brother of Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua was arrested over the weekend for stealing a BMW that reportedly belonged to Lakers forward Adou Thiero.

According to the West Hollywood sheriff’s station, the incident happened Friday, December 12, when deputies were flagged down in the 8400 block of Sunset Boulevard.

They said the victim, who was not identified by the sheriff’s department, told deputies that his newer model BMW had been stolen and that he was able to track it to that location.

Samson Nacua, 27, took the BMW from a location on Wilshire Boulevard, according to the sheriff’s department. Another suspect, identified as 27-year-old Trey Rose, was the one who drove the vehicle to the West Hollywood location, investigators said.

Both Samson Nacua and Rose were arrested for taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent and were released the same day.

Samson Nacua previously played for the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts.

No further details were released and the sheriff’s department said the investigation is “active and ongoing.”

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By Amari Saxton

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    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KOAT) — The New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness held a memorial on Wednesday honoring the lives of several homeless people lost and to highlight the severe human toll of homelessness in New Mexico.

The annual vigil, which has been taking place for at least the last 30 years, is held yearly to celebrate the lives of the people in the last 12 months who have died and were experiencing homelessness.

The organizers of the event state the importance of the involvement of community volunteers who have helped with the planning process.

“While it’s both somber and about remembrance, it’s also a call to action that something needs to be done about the problem,” says William Bowen, program manager for the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness. “It’s important that we create space to remember people who are often ignored and whose deaths are not often honored.”

As far as what’s next for the organization, Bowen says in January, the coalition hopes to lead the annual point-in-time count event to count everyone who is experiencing homelessness. He says it will be a time and an opportunity for people to volunteer and distribute resources to those on the street.

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 Zoe Hunt

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    HOLLISTER, Calif. (KSBW) — For the owner of JAS Family Farms Organics, Tony Serrano, it was a successful growing year on the Central Coast.

While everything looked like it was on track, it wouldn’t stay that way for long.

The farm quickly faced a labor shortage as its workers were scared to show up due to immigration fears.

“We hit a roadblock with the labor and the shortage. Not necessarily because there aren’t enough people around, but because everybody’s afraid to come out and work in the fields or anywhere if you’re my color,” said Serrano.

Serrano said what also added to the fear of ICE showing up was that his Hollister farm and Watsonville farm are both located off main roads, meaning workers were scared ICE could have easy access.

The lack of labor got so severe that Serrano said they had to start abandoning crops. There was simply not a large enough labor source to harvest it all in time.

“We end up leaving behind sometimes as much as 90-95% of our crops in the field. Something that’s completely edible, that’s total grade one, that would pass any type of inspection, that would definitely nourish some people who are in desperate need of it,” said Serrano. “But we’re leaving it on the plant, in the ground, because there is no way to collect it.”

The result of all this was various crops, from artichokes to strawberries and peppers, dying in his fields.

“We grew a beautiful crop of chiles, Filipino peppers, serranos … and managed to get them to the right maturity stage, and then right as we were getting ready to harvest … we didn’t have enough labor,” said Serrano. “We had to sacrifice about 80% plus of it.”

With the winter season slowing things down, Serrano said he’s left with a lot of uncertainty just thinking about the upcoming harvest season.

“Just kills your next year’s plan,” said Serrano.

His concern is not just for his farm, but for the wider Central Coast agriculture industry.

“If I’m in the same boat as everyone else around here and they’re thinking the same thing and start to reduce the acreage that they have, that will create a shortage of food that’s available to everybody,” said Serrano. “We need agriculture because we need to eat. We need food.”

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By Nick Sloan

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    KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) — A former elementary school teacher who worked in multiple Kansas City–area school districts now faces expanded federal charges after a grand jury returned a new indictment alleging additional child pornography offenses.

Dennis Adlai Hernandez, 28, was named in a 13-count superseding indictment filed this week in U.S. District Court in Kansas City.

The new indictment adds six counts of production and attempted production of child pornography to charges he was already facing.

Federal prosecutors allege the offenses involved 12 minor victims and occurred over a three-year period, from August 2022 through August 2025.

Hernandez was previously charged with seven counts, including production and attempted production of child pornography, transportation of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.

The new indictment incorporates those earlier charges and expands the scope of the case.

Court records show Hernandez briefly worked at Fairmount Elementary School in the Independence School District before his arrest.

He previously spent several years as a substitute and staff member in the North Kansas City School District, where he worked at multiple elementary schools.

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By Erin Lowrey

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    NEW ORLEANS (WDSU) — A person arrested in Louisiana who was tied to a terrorist group behind a thwarted New Year’s Eve bombing attack had plans to attack Border Patrol agents in New Orleans, according to new court documents.

The person arrested by the FBI New Orleans Office in New Iberia was identified as Micah James Legnon.

Legnon, who is a former Marine with military combat experience, went by the alias “Black Witch” in a group chat with four others connected with the failed bombing attack planned for businesses across California.

According to the court documents, Legnon was a member of the terror group called The Turtle Island Liberation Front. Legnon was also part of a more extreme group within that organization called The Black Lotus.

Legnon indicated in a social media post that they “wanted to recreate Waco” on Border Patrol agents.

Legnon then shared in a group chat a video of multiple guns, gas canisters and body armor with the message “On my way to NOLA now, be there in about two hours.”

The FBI tracked Legnon from an apartment to Highway 90 eastbound toward New Orleans.

Legnon was then taken into custody and is facing threats in interstate commerce charges.

Attorney General Liz Murrill issued the following statement on the arrest:

“It’s extremely disturbing to find out that someone from Louisiana was arrested for his role in planning an attack on federal immigration enforcement agents in New Orleans. While the FBI is the lead on this investigation, if state charges can be lodged, we will seek them. I’m grateful for the extraordinary work by FBI Director Kash Patel and his agents to keep America safe from extremists and terrorists who want to inflict harm on immigration enforcement agents and the American people.”

The FBI Los Angeles office confirmed Monday that four people were arrested in California and a fifth person, Legnon, in New Iberia, Louisiana, who were part of the same extremist group.

Four were arrested in California for a bombing plot for New Year’s Eve.

Legnon was not part of the California bombings plan; however, the FBI said Legnon was “a considerable threat” and part of the terror organization.

The plot behind the planned bombings in California was eerily similar to the plan of Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, who placed bombs in coolers around the French Quarter and then drove a truck through a crowded Bourbon Street when those bombs did not detonate.

According to the FBI, the extremist group is called the Turtle Island Liberation Front.

The four suspects’ plan included placing backpacks with pipe bombs at businesses across California.

According to the FBI, the group is believed to be behind multiple organized terror attack plots across the United States.

The four suspects in connection with the planned bombings in California met in the desert to test the bombs. They were taken into custody, and search warrants led the FBI to the fifth person, Legnon, who was then arrested in New Iberia.

They each face charges including conspiracy and possession of a destructive device, court documents show.

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 Jason Burger

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    KONAWA, Okla. (KOCO) — An investigation is underway at Konawa High School after three phones were found recording inside the girls’ locker room, with all devices placed by the same person.

The district reported that one of the phones was discovered on Friday, concealed and actively recording during a girls’ basketball practice.

In a letter to parents, the district’s superintendent wrote, “Upon discovery, it was determined that a student attempted to conceal the phone while it was recording. The video did not contain any images of other students.”

It remains unclear how long the devices were in the locker room. All three phones have been turned over to Light Horse Police as the investigation continues.

The same letter to parents stated, “While the devices were discovered during the final hour of the school day, we are unable to definitely determine how long they had been in place.”

The district would not share information about the student involved due to the Federal Education and Privacy Act.

In the letter to parents, the superintendent assured them that disciplinary and precautionary measures had been taken to prevent a recurrence of the incident.

The school district also noted that the FBI could become involved in the investigation if necessary.

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.