3 military members among 9 charged in child prostitution sting in Texas
KILLEEN, Texas — Police in Texas have arrested nine people, including three in the military, in a child prostitution sting.
On Saturday, the Killeen Police Department Special Victim’s Unit in partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety Human Trafficking Program, concluded the two-day sting.
The overall goal of the joint effort was to locate and arrest subjects who were willing to make overt efforts to pay minors to engage in sexual acts.
During the operation, nine suspects, three of whom are in the military, contacted officers through various social media platforms and made agreements for sexual acts with girls they believed were 15 or 16 years of age, according to police.
The agreements were for fees that included money, drugs, and/or alcohol.
The suspects were apprehended without incident when they arrived at a predetermined location.
The operation concluded with seven felony prostitution charges, two misdemeanor prostitution charges, and two guns were confiscated.
The suspects arrested are listed below:
- Anthony Xavier Antwon, 25, of Fort Hood, Felony Prostitution under 18
- Javier Perez, 40, of Austin, Felony Prostitution under 18
- Brian Harley Flynn, 21, of Temple, Felony Prostitution under 18
- Brandon Anthony Lee, 25, of Killeen, Felony Prostitution under 18
- Dustin Edward Johnson, 42, of Lott, Felony Prostitution under 18
- Timmy Jones Jr., 30, of Fort Hood, Felony Prostitution under 18
- Shaun Paul Moore, 39, of Kempner, Felony Prostitution under 18
- Rakeem Jamal Nelson, 28, of Killeen, Class A Prostitution
- Pierre Jean, 32, of Killeen, Class A Prostitution
The Killeen Police Department would like to remind citizens, “If you see something, say something.” Please report any suspicious activity involving human trafficking to your local 9-1-1 emergency center.
Photo Credit: Bell County Jail
People flee as gunman opens fire at Bronx basketball tournament; 4 injured
MOTT HAVEN, The Bronx — Video of a shooting in the Bronx last week shows people running from a gunman as he opens fire near a crowded basketball tournament.
The NYPD released surveillance video of the suspect on Tuesday.
The shooting happened around 8:10 p.m. on Aug. 3 near St. Ann’s Avenue and East 147th Street in Mott Haven, according to police.
More than 100 people had gathered at a nearby park to watch the basketball tournament when gunshots rang out, authorities said.
Four people were shot, though they all survived, per the NYPD.
The video shows several people running away from the scene and then a man turns back, pulls a gun from his bag and apparently opens fire as bystanders around him try to get out of the way.
Photo Credit: NYPD
12-year-old girl raped in back of livery cab, driver arrested
BROOKLYN — A 12-year-old girl was raped in the backseat of a livery cab in Brooklyn Monday, according to police.
Authorities said the girl was put in the livery cab by her parents in Fort Greene at around 5 p.m. Monday to be driven home.
During that ride, the driver parked the car, entered the rear of the vehicle with girl and raped her, police said.
The driver then got back in the driver’s seat and brought the girl to her destination in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
At 8:45 p.m. Monday, police responded to NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull and met with the girl’s parents.
The driver, Rafael Martinez, 32, was arrested Tuesday. He is charged with rape, criminal sex act, sex abuse, endangering the welfare of a child, menacing and assault.
Photo Credit: pix11.com
10-year-old boy takes car, crashes into 2 houses during police chase
(WHIO/CNN) — Police said a 10-year-old boy took a car, led officers on a wild chase and crashed into two homes during the pursuit in Ohio.
The child was staying at a family friend’s house and took the keys to a car after everyone else went to sleep early Monday, according to the Sidney Police Department.
An officer spotted the car traveling the wrong way on a one-way street but didn’t realize a 10-year-old was behind the wheel.
The officer started the pursuit after the driver didn’t stop and drove off “in a reckless manner,” police said.
During the chase, the driver slammed into two houses and caused significant damage. He also hit several vehicles before coming to a stop.
Police were then able to take the child into custody. No injuries were reported.
“With the speeds that the 10-year-old was able to get the vehicle up to, we’re just lucky there were no other cars in the area or pedestrians out,” said Capt. William Shoemaker.
Police said they have a policy not to pursue vehicles driven by an underage person like in this incident. However, police said they did not know a 10-year-old was the driver of the car until after the pursuit had ended.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Nurse quits from Georgia school after packed hallway photo goes viral
A nurse in the Georgia school district that went viral for a crowded hallway photo says she quit over concerns that not enough was being done to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Amy Westmoreland said she was forced to make a tough choice when she learned that face masks would be optional in the Paulding County School District, CNN reported.
“I work in the clinic, not the classroom, but my biggest fear was infecting the children or a fellow staff member,” she told news station WSB-TV. “I didn’t feel comfortable.”
She said her decision was validated by a photo that emerged from North Paulding High School, where many students were seen without masks during the first week of classes.
The image was taken by a 15-year-old student, Hannah Watters, who was suspended for posting it to Twitter.
Nine people, including six students, tested positive for the virus following the return of classes, the outlets reported.
“I find it very heartbreaking, and it was obviously some sort of validation, but it was not the validation that I necessarily wanted to see,” Westmoreland told CNN.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/08/11/nurse-quits-from-georgia-school-after-packed-hallway-photo-goes-viral/
Photo Credit: AP
Florida father and son, both doctors, die from COVID-19
A Florida father and son — who both dedicated their lives as doctors to helping patients — died from coronavirus-related complications within weeks of each other.
Dr. Jorge A. Vallejo, 89, and his middle son, Dr. Carlos Francisco Vallejo, 57, were hospitalized the same day in late June after their family believes the younger physician caught the virus from one of his patients, the Miami Herald reported.
Carlos, who was an internist, cared for dozens of patients on the front lines before he fell sick with the disease.
His family said he lived in Hialeah close to his father, whom he saw often and provided care for, the outlet reported.
The elder Vallejo, who was a retired obstetrician, died six days later after he was admitted to Palmetto General Hospital.
Meanwhile, Carlos succumbed to the virus on Aug. 1 after spending 42 days in the intensive care unit at Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weston.
“We just lost basically both of our anchors of our whole entire family,” Jessica Vallejo, who was Jorge’s grandaughter and Carlos’ niece, told the Herald.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/08/11/florida-father-and-son-both-doctors-die-from-coronavirus/
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Jessica Vallejo
Google Maps Street View helps Peruvian man discover wife’s affair
A Peruvian man got a bit more than he bargained for when he checked out a Street View of the capital, Lima, on Google Maps — his wife cozying up on a bench with another man, according to a report.
His wife and her paramour thought they were safe from prying eyes as they canoodled by the city’s Puente de Los Suspiros de Barranco, or Bridge of Sighs of the Ravine, back in 2013, the UK’s Express reported.
But one of Google’s cars equipped with a 360-degree camera captured the conniving couple sitting on a bench — the woman, wearing a black top, white shirt and boots, seated as her beau, clad in blue jeans and a white shirt, lounging with his head in her lap.
Although her face is blurred, as is customary on Google Maps, her hubby recognized her by her attire, the news outlet reported.
When confronted, the cheating wife confessed her infidelity — leading to their divorce.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/08/11/google-maps-street-view-helps-peruvian-man-discover-wifes-affair/
Photo Credit: Google Maps
Grandmother, 103, gets first tattoo after release from nursing home isolation
A 103-year-old Michigan grandmother got her first tattoo — after she spent months isolated at a nursing home during the coronavirus pandemic.
Dorothy Pollack, who celebrated her birthday on June 16 in a nursing home in Muskegon, had a surprise request weeks after she was discharged from the facility, CNN reported.
She went to get an image of a frog inked on her arm Friday.
“It was pretty exciting because years ago my grandson wanted me to get [a tattoo] and I wouldn’t do it,” Pollack told the network. “All of a sudden, I decided I would like to have one. And if I could, a frog.”
“Because I like frogs,” she added, laughing.
Tattoo artist Ray Reasoner Jr. told CNN she “took it like a champ.”
“I didn’t even see her wince. Maybe she had half a wince once,” said Reasoner, of A.W.O.L. Custom Tattooing. “She was just so excited. It was an amazing experience. If someone over a century old tells you to do something for them, you just gotta do it.”
Pollack was his oldest client ever, he added.
The centenarian’s granddaughter, Teresa Zavitz-Jones, told the network that “COVID-19 had her in prison for months.”
“The nurse in the home said she was horribly depressed and we needed to get her out,” she added. “We couldn’t see her so we had no idea how she really was. She’s extremely hard of hearing so phone calls were not helpful.”
After her tat, the spunky grandmother also crossed another item off her bucket list — riding on a motorcycle, according to the report.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/08/10/grandmother-103-gets-first-tattoo-after-nursing-home-isolation/
Photo Credit: facebook
Fire rips through Rachael Ray’s home in upstate New York
A home belonging to celebrity cook Rachael Ray was reportedly on fire in upstate New York on Sunday night.
Fire crews were battling flames at the home in Lake Luzerne, as the Warren County Sheriff’s Office told ABC10 the residence belonged to the television personality.
Images showed the flames shooting through the roof of the home.
A spokesperson for Ray said she was not injured in the blaze.
“Rachael, her husband and their dog Bella are safe,” said the rep, Charlie Dougiello.
“The house is unfortunately damaged and we don’t yet know to what extent.”
Ray has been producing live cooking segments for her daytime talk show during the pandemic from the upstate home.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/08/10/fire-rips-through-rachael-rays-home-in-upstate-new-york/
Photo Credit: Jeff St. John
Woman who ripped her eyes out while on meth gets prosthetics
A South Carolina woman who gouged her eyes out during a meth-induced psychotic episode in which she thought she could save the world has received a pair of prosthetic eyeballs that make her “appear more normal to the outside world,” according to a report.
Kaylee Muthart, of Anderson, was 20 when she ripped out her eyes, squishing them with her hands, in February 2018 after snorting and injecting tainted methamphetamine, according to a report in People magazine.
“The drugs take your fears and beliefs and amplify them,” she told the mag. “I thought I had to take my eyes out to survive and save the world.”
Since the horrific act, Muthart has pledged to quit drugs for good and entered rehab, The Sun reported.
On Wednesday, she finally received her prosthetic eyes from Dr. Joseph Gorrin of Gorrin’s Clinic in Greenville, according to the news outlet.
“I was so excited to get them,” Muthart, who is enrolled in blind school, told The Sun. “I just wanted to appear more normal to the outside world.”
Her boyfriend Alex George, 42, said it “melted” his heart to see her receive her new eyeballs.
“She was never any different to me, but I know she’s wanted this for a very long time and I’m so happy she has this now. I felt so much joy, love, appreciation and thanks to God,” he told the outlet.
“Seeing Kaylee happy makes me happy. She is always an upbeat and positive person, but this made her extra happy. It was incredible to be able to look in her eyes,” George added.
Muthart FaceTimed with her mom, Katy Tompkins, to show her the new look
“She cried with happiness too,” Muthart told The Sun. “She is so excited for me and this next chapter in my life.”
Muthart said she celebrated by going to dinner with George at an Applebees where they had their first date.
“Before we had dinner I put on my own makeup for the first time since I lost my sight. That felt very special,” she said.
Muthart, who will soon receive a guide dog, said she has learned a “decent amount” of Braille, can cook, wash clothes, make a bed and even look after pets — and plans to get her high school diploma and go to college.
“I’ve come such a long way from two years ago,” she told The Sun. “Coming off meth was awful, physically and mentally. There was hallucinations and psychosis, but I overcame it thanks to God.”
via: https://nypost.com/2020/08/10/woman-who-ripped-her-eyes-out-on-meth-gets-prosthetic-eyeballs/
Photo Credit: Alexander George / SWNS