2/28/2021

MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) – Police have arrested a total of seven people after they raided a Miami Beach apartment complex as part of a drug, gun and human trafficking investigation.

The raids happened at an apartment complex along the 700 block of Jefferson Avenue, Thursday night.

SWAT Team members surrounded two buildings inside of the complex and raided multiple apartments following a weekslong investigation involving the sale of cocaine, crystal meth and sex. 

Police said during their investigation, they discovered a human trafficking victim, who said she was beaten, threatened and given drugs in exchange for performing sexual acts.

“She was beat to the point that she needed to be transported to the hospital,” a prosecutor said in court on Friday. “They would give her crack cocaine in exchange for her performing sex acts.”

Five of the seven arrested appeared in a Miami-Dade County courtroom on Friday, including Jason Rivera, who flipped off the judge during the proceeding.

“Sir, you are in direct contempt of court,” Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Gisela Cardonne Ely said to Rivera.

According to police, all of the suspects involved have extensive criminals pasts.

“In fact, a few are former gang members, so these are very, very dangerous individuals who are responsible for serious crimes,” Miami Beach Police spokesperson Ernesto Rodriguez said.

2/27/2021

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — A convicted sex offender from Ohio is facing charges including cyberstalking, identity theft and having child porn in south Louisiana.

The Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested 22-year-old Arnold C. McCann of Cleveland for allegedly committing felony computer-aided sex crimes and possessing pornography involving juveniles between November 2020 and March 2020.

Back in 2017, deputies looked into a complaint involving a juvenile’s Snap Chat account that had been hacked by someone who tried to extort the juvenile into sending lewd and lascivious photos, according to APSO.

The juvenile stopped using the account but did not deactivate it. Upon returning to the account in March 2020, the victim found that the hacker had been using the app to hold inappropriate images of underage girls.

Deputies linked evidence in the case with McCann, who was listed as a sex offender in the Cleveland area, where the hacking originated, according to APSO.

The Ohio Division of Probation and Parole arrested McCann on Oct. 1, 2020, and McCann refused transport to Louisiana. He was finally extradited to the state after a Governor’s Warrant was issued.

He was booked into the Assumption Parish Jail Monday on the following charges:

• Cyberstalking
• Computer fraud
• Computer-aided solicitation for sexual purposes
• Identity theft
• Pornography involving juveniles

2/27/2021

MADISONVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A traffic stop in Monroe County led deputies to a home where 650 grams of methamphetamines were discovered, according to Sheriff Tommy Jones.

On Monday, deputies stopped a car they spotted leaving a known drug trafficking location, along Reagan Valley Road in Tellico Plains.

During the stop, deputies searched the car and found more than $22,000 in alleged drug money. After that, deputies searched the home and found approximately 650 grams of (ice) methamphetamine.

Right now, charges are pending on several individuals as the investigation continues.

TRAFFIC STOP LEADS INVESTIGATORS TO A RESIDENCE ON REAGAN VALLEY ROAD, WHERE 650 GRAMS OF METHAMPHETAMINE WAS DISCOVERED.

On Monday, January 4, 2021, during a surveillance operation on a known drug trafficking location on Reagan Valley Road led by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division, Vonore Police Department, with the assistance of Madisonville Police Department Patrol Division and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division, a traffic stop was made on a vehicle leaving the residence.

During the stop, indicators of drug trafficking and criminal activity were observed. During a search of the vehicle, over $22,000.00 dollars in drug money was recovered.

Further investigation led investigators to a Reagan Valley Road residence, where approximately 650 grams of Ice Methamphetamine was recovered. Charges are pending on several individuals pending further investigation.

2/27/2021

COLUMBIA, S.C. A federal judge has sentenced a Columbia man to decades in prison after he pleaded guilty to sex trafficking minors.

Donnell “Tank” Woodard, 33, pleaded guilty in Sept. 2019 to conspiracy to sex traffic minors and benefiting from sex trafficking of minors.

Back in November 2017, undercover officers with the Lexington Police Department set up a meeting with an underage person advertising sex online.

The officers saw the victim getting dropped off at a motel by Woodard and India “Lady Tank” Cuyler, 26. They were both arrested.

Investigators then found a second victim in another nearby motel.

Officials determined Woodard and Cuyler were posting the online ads for commercial sex with minors and taking money.

Thursday, United States District Court Judge J. Michelle Childs sentenced Woodard to 25 years in federal prison. When he gets out he will be on supervised release for 15 years and must register as a sex offender. He must also make restitution to the victims.

LPD, the FBI and the West Columbia Police Department all investigated the case as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Offices’ Project Safe Childhood.

2/27/2021

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (WEAR) — An Okaloosa County man is charged with over 20 counts of child porn.

Jose Maldonado Ayala, 29, of Fort Walton Beach is charged.

• possession of child pornography (20 counts)
• transmission of child pornography
• use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony

According to an arrest report, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip back in May 2020 about a child porn video linked to Maldonado Ayala’s account.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office conducted a search warrant on Feb. 3, finding several child porn videos on his devices, according to the arrest report. The victims included children ages 6-10.

Maldonado Ayala was arrested Tuesday and is being held in Okaloosa County Jail on $44,000 bond.

2/26/2021

POMONA, Calif. A 78-year-old woman died after receiving the Pfizer vaccine at Cal Poly Pomona, but her death is not believed to be related to that shot, according to officials.

The woman received the shot Friday afternoon and was being observed when she started complaining of feeling discomfort and lost consciousness, according to a statement from Dr. Michael E. Morris, physician director of Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California’s COVID-19 vaccination program, which runs the site.

Paramedics on scene rendered aid to the woman “but she ultimately could not be revived.”

“Her cause of death has not been determined; however, there were no signs or symptoms of a severe allergic or anaphylactic reaction,” Morris said in the statement.

The woman’s family says she had a history of heart-related illness. Her husband of 57 years also received the vaccination and is still urging people to get the vaccine, adding that he intends to get his second dose in a few weeks.

Kaiser says the site will remain open and vaccinations will continue as long as supplies are available.

“On behalf of everyone involved in the vaccine site, led by Kaiser Permanente, we extend our sincere and heartfelt condolences to her family,” Morris said.

2/26/2021

President Joe Biden’s deputies will bypass the media’s clickbait focus on border-backlogged “kids in cages” by simply flying and bussing more Central American migrants to homes through the United States.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told Breitbart News that its Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has:

…authorized programs to pay transport fees for unaccompanied children (including airline tickets), including escort transport (where necessary by airline or ORR policy) in order to facilitate release of children to approved sponsors.

ORR care providers are authorized to use program funds to purchase airline tickets in the event that a sponsor is not able to pay fees associated with commercial airfare, and a child’s physical release would be otherwise delayed.

“This isn’t about a backlog,” said Rosemary Jenks, policy director at NumbersUSA. She continued:

This is about Biden’s policies creating a border surge … They’re getting exactly what we all knew they were going to get which is more people coming across, including more unaccompanied children. So now they’re trying to figure out what to do with them because you know AOC [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, (D-NY)] and others are so unhappy with their “kids in containers” policy that they’ve got to fly them away from the border so nobody notices them.

“The administration wants open borders — they want anyone from around the world to come here as fast as they possibly can,” she said. But the resulting rush of migrants is forcing officials to hide the unpopular migration as it arrives at the border.

The surge of migrants will not be easy to hide, she added. “Former President Obama knows that because when he was flying the unaccompanied children all over the country, all hell broke loose and governors started complaining, and citizens started complaining. I don’t see how anyone with a memory .. would call that a win.”

2/26/2021

HURON TWP, Mich.  – Law enforcement in rural Wayne County said a family argument turned deadly when a 25-year-old man stabbed his parents, killing his mother.

The Michigan State Police and investigators have been in Huron Township nearly all day on Friday after police said a family argument ended with a 25-year-old man stabbing both of his parents.

Caution tape and police vehicles surrounded the home on Judd near Gentz in Huron Township. Investigators believe a 25-year-old man showed up at his parents’ house and an argument started between the son and his 55-year-old dad. 

“That led to multiple weapons being brought out at some point we do know there were shots fired there were multiple weapons on the scene at least one knife and one handgun brought out,” said Huron Twp Director of Public Safety Everette Robbins.

Robbins said the biggest part of the fight happened inside the parents’ home – but it didn’t end there. 

“It spilled out in some type of physical altercation across the street in which the suspect had a knife. That’s when we got the call from the neighbor – the suspect was attempting to stab somebody on his front lawn,” Robbins said.

Investigators say that neighbor is an off-duty police officer who held the son at gunpoint until police took him into custody. They found the dad hurt on the lawn and the 53-year-old mom inside the home. She was pronounced dead. 

Right now, it’s unclear what injuries the parents sustained. 

Investigators are grateful for the off-duty officer’s quick thinking to put a stop to the violence.

“He’s a guy with great integrity he is well-known here he was able to handle it professionally quickly luckily we are very fortunate no one else got hurt,” Robbins said.

The suspect is in custody as his father recovers at the hospital.

2/26/2021

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Mich. (WJRT) – A former sheriff deputy from northern Michigan faces up to 25 years in prison after he pleaded guilty Friday to several child pornography and drug charges.

Prosecutors say 39-year-old Andrew Wernette was a deputy with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. He allegedly took home morphine and OxyContin from the department’s drug take-back program for personal use after it was dropped off to be disposed.

Investigators allegedly found more than 100 images of child pornography on Wernette’s computers and cell phone.

He pleaded guilty Friday to the following charges:

• Two counts of aggravated child sexually abusive activity.
• Using a computer to commit a crime.
• Aggravated possession of child sexually abusive material.
• Distributing or promoting child sexually abusive material.
• Larceny in a building.
• Illegal possession of morphine.
• Illegal possession of OxyContin.
• Maintaining a drug house.

Michigan State Police began investigating Wernette’s behavior after receiving a tip. Troopers executed a search warrant in the case, which allegedly turned up the child pornographic images and the illegal drugs.

The Michigan Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case to avoid a conflict of interest with Osceola County investigators.

“The crimes this defendant has now pled guilty to are extremely disturbing,” Nessel said. “Children must never be taken advantage of, and this office will take aggressive action to ensure the laws that protect them are enforced and those individuals who exploit minors or support that immoral behavior are punished.”

Wernette faces up to 25 years in prison for the most serious child pornography charges. Sentencing is scheduled for March 26 in Osceola County Circuit Court.

2/26/2021

FRESNO, California (KSEE/KGPE) – A pair of 16-year-olds were arrested for human trafficking this week after a months-long investigation involving both the Department of Homeland Security and Fresno Police led to their capture, officials say.

According to Fresno Police, federal agents received a tip of possible prostitution of a young female in the area of Belmont and First in Fresno in August 2020. They reported seeing a female getting a vehicle occupied by two other juveniles. Fresno Police’s Vice Unit then took over the investigation.

Officers say that the female was 16 years old and was being trafficked – but lacked the evidence to make an arrest. The victim was rescued and returned to her family.

A follow-up investigation identified the two other juveniles involved. A 16-year-old girl was arrested on Monday and a 16-year-old boy was arrested on Tuesday. Both were booked into the Fresno County Juvenile Justice Center on human trafficking charges.