Paradise News

Tag: Americas

  • Man with blue beard arrested for allegedly threatening to blow up Ulta Beauty store

    OPELIKA, Ala. (TCN) — Police arrested a 42-year-old man for allegedly threatening to blow up a beauty supply store this month.

    According to court documents cited by WRBL-TV, on Oct. 19, Opelika Police Department officers responded to the Tiger Town shopping center after an Ulta Beauty employee reportedly heard Timothy Lincoln on the phone saying, “I’m going to blow this up!” with an expletive added in. As a result, Ulta evacuated all customers and employees from the store.

    Police arrived and arrested Lincoln. Lee County Jail records show he was taken into custody on a charge of making terroristic threats.

    WBMA-TV reports Ulta banned Lincoln for life.

    MORE:

    • Man with scribbles on his face allegedly threatened to blow up the Opelika Ulta – WRBL
    • Beauty store bomb scare: Man’s colorful threat leads to colorful arrest – WBMA
    • Lee County Jail inmate information

    Source

  • Mass Migration Ignites U.S. Tuberculosis Resurgence, Foreigners Account for 76% of Last Year’s Cases

    Besides compromising the safety of Americans by releasing over half a million illegal immigrants with criminal records in communities throughout the United States, the Biden administration has ignited yet another crisis by failing to properly screen migrants for contagious diseases. Judicial Watch has long reported on the serious health threat presented by illegal aliens and a decade ago exposed that tens of thousands of illegal immigrant minors (Unaccompanied Alien Children—UAC) under Obama fueled a deadly respiratory virus epidemic that struck American kids across the country and killed at least nine. Months earlier a U.S. Congressman, who is also a medical doctor, had confirmed that UAC were bringing in serious diseases including swine flu, dengue fever, tuberculosis, and Ebola virus. In a letter to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Georgia lawmaker, Phil Gingrey, warned of a “severe and dangerous” crisis because the young migrants were importing infectious diseases from Central America that are considered to be largely eradicated in the U.S.

    That was over a decade ago under Obama’s weak border policies and, predictably, the problem has worsened significantly during the unprecedented illegal immigration crisis that has gripped the nation under Biden and his laughable border czar, Kamala Harris. Besides the detrimental impact on national security, civilian safety, and taxpayer-funded programs (among others), mass migration is compromising health. Specifically, tuberculosis (TB), a deadly infectious disease that attacks the lungs and was once considered to be eradicated in the U.S., is on the rise. A report published by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), a nonprofit dedicated to researching immigration issues, reveals that after decades of decline TB is resurfacing in the United States. “One key factor of the resurgence of TB in the U.S. is open borders and mass immigration,” FAIR researchers found. “The massive, unregulated influx of migrants from countries with higher TB rates than the United States has helped spread the disease. Even legal immigrants and refugees—who are required to undergo medical screenings before arriving in the United States—may have latent TB which then progresses to active TB and becomes transmissible once inside the United States.”

    TB cases in the U.S. increased by 34% between 2020 and 2023 and the number of TB cases is now higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019, according to figures in the report. Nationally, 76% of TB cases in 2023 occurred in foreign-born patients and counties, states as well as metropolitan areas with high foreign-born populations have larger rates of TB than those with lower foreign-born populations. “Some countries of origin for both legal and illegal aliens have TB rates as high as 60 times the U.S. rate,” the FAIR report states, adding that “the government’s health screening for TB in potential immigrants is deficient” and that some categories of illegal immigrants do not undergo any type of health screening. Besides, latent TB is not grounds for inadmissibility even though some U.S. border regions have “TB rates exceeding rates in high-risk countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Lebanon,” researchers found. It is important to note that the cost of treating each case of TB is more than $20,000 and can reach over $500,000 if it is drug-resistant, FAIR points out.

    “Data clearly indicate that the prevalence of tuberculosis is, in part, a function of immigration,” FAIR researchers write. “Medical experts have long acknowledged this connection.” For example, in 1990 the CDC wrote that many TB cases in the U.S. occur among foreign-born people with asymptomatic infection when they entered the United States. More recently, research published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) determined that for countries with low TB rates, “immigration is an important factor in TB epidemiology, where migrants may originate from countries with substantially higher TB burden.” Incredibly, screening procedures for illegal immigrants entering the U.S. do not adequately guard against the spread of TB even though federal law states that aliens with communicable diseases “of public significance” are inadmissible. “However, the vast majority of aliens granted visas or who otherwise enter the U.S. are never medically screened,” FAIR researchers found. “Even for those who are medically screened, the standard for admission is lax, as it only excludes active TB and allows individuals with latent TB to enter the country, resulting in the importation of latent TB into the U.S.”

    Source

  • Alaska man pleads guilty to killing wife, driving around with body, and fatally shooting daughter

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska (TCN) — A 39-year-old man will spend the next century behind bars for killing his wife and teen daughter and then burning a vehicle with their bodies inside.

    According to the Alaska Department of Law, on Oct. 29, Tylan Lee-Kaulana Fely pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder in connection with the deaths of his wife, 30-year-old Cecilia Tuuaga, and 13-year-old daughter, Neveah Tuuaga. As part of his plea agreement, Fely will be sentenced to 100 years in jail with none suspended, and he will not be eligible for discretionary parole until 55 years served. His sentencing is scheduled for March 7.

    According to a department of law release posted by Anchorage Police, a jury initially indicted Fely in December 2019 on two counts of first-degree murder, four counts of second-degree murder, five counts of tampering with physical evidence, one count of third-degree arson, one count of third-degree criminal mischief, and one count of third-degree weapons misconduct. The prosecution also charged him with two counts of first-degree corpse misconduct and one count of second-degree criminally negligent burning. The other charges were dismissed as part of Fely’s plea.

    On Nov. 30, 2019, authorities said Fely fatally shot Cecilia Tuuaga in their residence before driving her body around with his daughter in the car and stopping at a gas station. Nevaeh Tuuaga reportedly got out and filled up a gas can while on the phone with her father. According to the department of law, Fely then fatally shot his daughter in a vacant lot and set the vehicle ablaze with the victims’ bodies inside. The Anchorage Fire Department responded to the burning car and discovered the remains of Nevaeh Tuuaga and Cecilia Tuuaga.

    MORE:

    • Homicide; 200-block Newell Street – Anchorage Police Department
    • Tylan Fely Pleads Guilty to Domestic Violence Murders of Wife and Daughter – Alaska Department of Law

    Source

  • Georgia funeral home owner arrested after 18 bodies found in various stages of decomposition

    DOUGLAS, Ga. (TCN) — A 39-year-old funeral home operator faces charges after authorities reportedly found over a dozen decomposed bodies.

    According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), on Oct. 26, Coffee County Sheriff’s Office deputies discovered 18 bodies in various stages of decomposition while serving an eviction notice at Johnson Funeral Home, which Chris Johnson owns and operates. Authorities also found the bodies of a dog and cat, WALB-TV reports.

    On Oct. 27, the GBI arrested and charged Johnson with 17 counts of abuse of dead body. In an update posted Oct. 28, the state bureau of investigation said, “Due to the complexity of this investigation, we are working to centralize the flow of information from the community to the GBI. There are three methods available to submit information about the decedents or their family members.”

    Coffee County Coroner Brandon Musgrove reportedly told community members, “My priority is to get the bodies properly identified and make the notifications to the family. Please bear with us. We’re working as diligently as we can.”

    Several people who used Johnson’s Funeral and Cremation Services expressed concern to WALB about whether they actually received the correct remains.

    One family said, “The first reaction was, I hope it wasn’t our daughter. But then you realize, if it’s not our daughter, it’s someone else’s.”

    Another woman said she paid for services but never received a death certificate. The woman told WALB, “I have called probably over 50 to 60 times, and he has not once returned my phone call. And I just wonder with all these bodies, is that even my mama’s body in this urn?”

    MORE:

    • GBI Arrests Funeral Homeowner in Douglas, GA on Multiple Counts of Abuse of Dead Body – Georgia Bureau of Investigation
    • Douglas funeral home owner facing eviction charged after discovery of 18 decomposing bodies – WALB

    Source

  • Man convicted in 'mass murder' of 4 family members and a pregnant woman after fight over curfew

    INDIANAPOLIS (TCN) — A jury found a 21-year-old man guilty of killing his parents, two of his siblings, and his brother’s pregnant girlfriend following an argument about staying out past curfew.

    Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced Raymond Childs III was convicted of six counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, and one count of carrying a handgun without a weapon for killing his parents, Kezzie Childs and Raymond Childs, both 42, sister Rita Childs, 13, brother Elijah Childs, 18, Elijah Childs’ 19-year-old girlfriend, Kiara Hawkins, and Hawkins’ unborn child.

    Court records indicate he will be sentenced in January.

    Indianapolis Metro Police Department officers responded to the shooting call on Jan. 24, 2021, and found one of Childs’ brothers wounded but still alive. The brother reportedly identified Childs as the shooter and told them about more victims at his residence.

    The prosecutor’s office indicted Childs on Jan. 28, 2021. Even though Childs was 17 years old at the time of the crime, he was charged as an adult “due to his age and the allegation of murder.”

    Childs went to trial in July, but a judge declared it a mistrial after a witness for the prosecution confronted Childs and violated courtroom regulations, WXIN-TV reports.

    According to Childs’ probable cause affidavit, homicide detectives went to the home and found over 15 spent shell casings, as well as money that was covered in blood. Detectives interviewed the brother, identified in the affidavit as X.C., who survived the shooting and spoke with cops outside the home. He said Hawkins was “supposed to be having a baby next week.” Additionally, he claimed Childs got in trouble with his parents because he left the house the night before without permission. When Childs returned home, his father reportedly told him he “would be in trouble later.” After that, X.C. reportedly heard several gunshots.

    X.C. reportedly offered Childs $40 not to kill him, but Childs “just looked at me and then he shot me on the leg.” He reportedly also shot X.C.’s arm and aimed for his head, but missed.

    Childs’ girlfriend told police that he came over to her house on Jan. 23, 2021, to spend the night, but Childs’ father texted him to come home. Childs left, but then came back and said his father kicked him out. Moment later, the girlfriend received a notification about a shooting on the street where Childs and his family lived. She asked if he knew about the shooting, and he reportedly said no. The girlfriend spoke with Childs’ surviving sisters and told Childs to go to the scene later that day, but when they got there, he “began crying and ‘acted like a clown.’”

    Childs reportedly got in his girlfriend’s car and placed what he said was a bag of clothes at his feet. When he got out, he took the bags but the girlfriend found a magazine clip in her car. Detectives executed a search warrant for her vehicle and discovered an “AK-style magazine wrapped in clothes on the front passenger side floorboard.” The magazine contained 30 rounds of some of the same ammunition that investigators located at the scene.

    An autopsy showed Childs Jr. and Kezzie Childs both died from multiple gunshot wounds to the torso. Rita Childs suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest, while Elijah Childs and Hawkins were killed from a single gunshot wound to the head. Hawkins’ child died from “intrauterine fetal demise due to a gunshot wound to the mother’s head.” The full-term unborn child reportedly had “fully developed extremities and jaw.”

    One of Childs’ relatives called Indianapolis Metro Police on Jan. 25, 2021, and said he picked up Childs, though Childs claimed “that some people from the next block” killed his family. But the relative saw he had Childs Jr.’s gun on him, which also matched X.C.’s description of the firearm Childs used to shoot him and the other victims.

    Mears said in the news release following Childs’ conviction, “What occurred inside that home is as unfathomable today as it was in 2021. It has been an incredibly difficult journey for the family and friends of the six people that we tragically lost.”

    MORE:

    • Raymond Childs III convicted of murder for January 2021 mass shooting – Marion County Prosecutor’s Office
    • Affidavit of probable cause
    • Marion County Prosecutor’s Office files charges in January 24 mass murder, 1/28/2021 – Marion County Prosecutor’s Office
    • Mistrial declared against suspect in mass family killing, 7/23/2024 – WXIN

    Source

  • Ariz. man arrested for keeping father’s skeletal remains in backyard freezer for 4 years

    TEMPE, Ariz. (TCN) — Police arrested a 51-year-old man for reportedly failing to report his father’s death four years ago and keeping the deceased man’s skeletal remains in his backyard freezer.

    According to the Arizona Republic, on Oct. 22, the Tempe Police Department reportedly received a tip about a tarp-covered freezer in Joseph Hill Jr.’s backyard containing Hill’s father’s remains. Officers reportedly went to Hill’s home and asked to look in the freezer, but he refused and said his father died in Oregon several years prior. Detectives took over the case and confirmed that Joseph Hill Sr. was dead, even though his Social Security payments were collected in March 2023.

    Court records cited by KTVK-TV say detectives went to the residence and found the freezer hidden under several layers, including two moving blankets, plastic wrap, sheets, duct tape, and a tarp. When they managed to open the appliance, they discovered Hill Sr.’s apparent skeletal remains and “an extensive amount of biological matter.”

    Hill Jr. was arrested and told police that he bought the freezer immediately after his father’s death. He did not want to report it because Hill Jr.’s name was not on the deed to the house and he didn’t want to lose his residence.

    KTVK reports Hill Jr. bought a piece of property in Strawberry and had plans to bury his father there, but then a fire caused him to lose power. He brought the freezer back with him to the Tempe home. A fire in 2023 in Tempe reportedly led to another power outage, so Hill Jr. allegedly hauled the freezer to the desert to bury his father, but he saw other people around when he tried to do it.

    He returned to Tempe with the freezer, which has reportedly been without power for about four to six months.

    The medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to confirm the identity of the remains. Court records show Hill Jr. was arrested and charged with concealing a dead body and failure to report a death.

    MORE:

    • Dad’s skeletal remains hidden in freezer by Tempe man to keep his home, court docs say – Arizona Republic
    • Tempe man kept father‘s body in backyard freezer to avoid losing home, docs say – KTVK
    • State of Arizona vs. Joseph Hill

    Source

  • Man sentenced for torturing, electrocuting his ex-wife after he accused her of cheating

    GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (TCN) — A 32-year-old man will spend a minimum of 14 years in prison for torturing his ex-wife by electrocuting her and attaching her to a noose after he accused her of cheating in what prosecutors called a “very troubling case.”

    WOOD-TV reports a Kent County judge sentenced Saul Ipina-Lucio to 14 to 30 years after he pleaded no contest in early October to two counts of torture and one count of intimidating a witness. The prosecutor’s office said Ipina-Lucio entered the plea after the trial started and his ex-wife testified.

    According to MLive.com, on one occasion, Ipina-Lucio reportedly tied a noose around his wife’s neck and ordered her to stand on a bucket. She reportedly fell off the bucket and was being hanged, but Ipina-Lucio intervened and got her down. She did not file a police report about that incident.

    Ipina-Lucio reportedly tied the victim to a children’s swing in their basement, covered her back and arms in metal wire, then electrocuted her with a jumper cable for five hours. She contacted police after that.

    The victim revealed at his trial, “Any time I would answer a question or didn’t answer a question, he would zap me.”

    WOOD reports Ipina-Lucio expressed remorse at the sentencing, saying, “I just want to apologize to my victim, first of all and everyone that I hurt in this process, which is my entire family and community.”

    According to MLive.com, the judge told Ipina-Lucio his actions were the “most egregious behavior I’ve seen.”

    MORE:

    • Man sentenced for torturing ex-wife by electrocution, noose – WOOD
    • Trial results, 10/4/2024 – Kent County Prosecutor’s Office
    • Man gets prison for tying up, electrocuting ex-wife in basement for hours – MLive.com

    Source

  • Indiana mother who wrapped 1-year-old in layers of blankets and duct tape is sentenced

    NEW ALBANY, Ind. (TCN) — A 28-year-old mother will spend over a decade behind bars after authorities saw her harming her baby on video.

    The Floyd County Prosecutor’s Office announced Oct. 25 that Jessica Meade pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent. A judge sentenced her to 16 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections.

    According to prosecutors, on Sept. 24, 2023, New Albany Police responded to a report of an unconscious 1-year-old. A corporal with the department spoke with emergency medical services personnel and learned the child and Meade were transported to a hospital. EMS reportedly informed authorities that the child “had aspirated, was pale, and barely breathing.”

    According to the prosecutor’s office, an officer was told the child had digested shellfish and was possibly allergic. Meade allegedly put the child down for a nap, and the baby began vomiting and choking. However, authorities were given different stories of what had happened. Prosecutors said investigators obtained a video showing Meade “wrapping the child in layers of blankets and duct tape.”

    Deputy Prosecutor Kristin Perdue said, “It is a terrible tragedy when a parent, who is the one person who is supposed to protect their child from the hardships of the world, is responsible for the abuse.”

    MORE:

    • New Albany Woman Sentenced to 16 Years for Neglect of a Dependent – Floyd County Prosecutor’s Office

    Source

  • Judicial Watch Sends Election Monitors to Wisconsin, Launches National Voter Fraud Hotline

    With the race for the presidency hurtling to the finish line, Judicial Watch will dispatch an election integrity team to Wisconsin to help ensure free and fair elections. Wisconsin is a critical swing state with a history of tumultuous electoral contests. “Judicial Watch’s teams will monitor the election in Wisconsin to expose and deter any fraud,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

    Improper or illegal election activities are also the focus of Judicial Watch’s new Election Integrity Hotline. Voters who witness fraud or intimidation, or suspicious activities at polling places or with voting machines, can send details to JW election experts at ElectionLaw@JudicialWatch.org.

    Judicial Watch has long been a national leader in ensuring election integrity and voting rights. Judicial Watch’s election integrity team is led by Robert Popper, the former deputy chief of the Voting Section of the Civil Right Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and a veteran poll observer.

    “Voter fraud in one form or another is a feature of very election,” Popper says. “It can be impersonation fraud, absentee ballot fraud, registration fraud, double voting, noncitizen voting, or voting by those ineligible under state law. It’s hard to detect and prove, especially where the law requires a showing of specific intent, but we know it is there. And sometimes fraud can swing a close election. Clean elections are a critical component of an effectively functioning democracy. Dirty elections undermine confidence in the democratic system.”

    A key weapon in the fight to keep elections free and fair is the National Voter Registration Act, which mandates that states to make “a reasonable effort” to remove from voting rolls “the names of ineligible voters” who have been disqualified from voting due to death or change of residence. States often dodge this responsibility, creating opportunities for election fraud.

    Legal pressure from Judicial Watch under the NVRA has led to the removal from voter rolls of more than four million ineligible voters nationwide. JW has spearheaded major voter roll cleanups in California, New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Kentucky, Colorado, and elsewhere. Cleaner voter rolls mean cleaner elections. You can learn more about JW’s voter roll cleanups here.

    Judicial Watch fights on other legal fronts as well. In 2022, we defeated a highly partisan Maryland redistricting plan initiated by Democrats in the state legislature. Last year, we compelled Illinois to provide more transparency in its state-wide centralized list of registered voters. And earlier his month, we won a major victory when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed a lower court ruling allowing absentee ballots to be received up to five days after Election Day in Mississippi.

    “Congress statutorily designated a singular ‘day for the election’ of members of Congress and the appointment of presidential electors,” the Fifth Circuit noted in its ruling. “Text, precedent, and historical practice confirm this ‘day for the election’ is the day by which ballots must be both cast by voters and received by state officials.”

    Judicial Watch’s Tom Fitton hailed the ruling. “This is a historic victory for election integrity and voter rights and confidence,” Tom said. “This is a precedent that ensures that only ballots that arrive by Election Day can be counted under federal law. We hope this begins a national movement to increase voter confidence, comply with federal law, and limit voter fraud by counting ballots that arrive only by Election Day.”

    #

    Micah Morrison is chief investigative reporter for Judicial Watch. Tips: mmorrison@judicialwatch.org

    Investigative Bulletin is published by Judicial Watch. Reprints and media inquiries: jfarrell@judicialwatch.org

     

    Source

  • Person of interest in custody after U.S. Army solider found dead in dumpster

    Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. (TCN) — A homicide investigation is underway after a U.S. Army soldier was found dead in a dumpster last week.

    According to officials with U.S. Army Fort Leonard Wood, Sarah Roque failed to report for formation on Oct. 21. Her chain of command and family were unable to reach her, and she was last seen on the base.

    In an update posted Oct. 22, Fort Leonard Wood announced that Roque was found deceased. In a statement obtained by KRCG-TV, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Christopher Beck said Roque’s remains were discovered in a dumpster on the base near residential housing for single soldiers. Two days later, officials took an unnamed person of interest into custody in connection with Roque’s death.

    Roque, who enlisted in 2020, reportedly served as a mine dog handler with the K-9 Detachment within the 5th Engineer Battalion. Fort Leonard Wood officials said she received multiple awards and decorations, including the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.

    Beck said, “Sergeant Roque was a daughter, sister, friend, and soldier who chose to serve our country bravely and honorably. Her passing has caused a tremendous void throughout our team, and while there are no words to ease the pain, we continue to provide care, resources, and support to those who are affected during this difficult time.”

    MORE:

    • News Release, 10/21/2024 – U.S. Army Fort Leonard Wood
    • Fort Leonard Wood update, 10/22/2024 – U.S. Army Fort Leonard Wood
    • Fort Leonard Wood update – U.S. Army Fort Leonard Wood
    • Person of interest in custody in connection to the death of Sgt. Sarah Roque – KRCG

    Source