Connecticut mom to appear in court for allegedly attempting to poison man with antifreeze in wine: Police

Connecticut mom to appear in court for allegedly attempting to poison man with antifreeze in wine: Police
Connecticut mom to appear in court for allegedly attempting to poison man with antifreeze in wine: Police
Connecticut State Police

(RIDGEFIELD, Conn.) — A Connecticut mother is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday after she was charged with allegedly attempting to poison a man with whom she shares a child by putting antifreeze in his wine at his home in Ridgefield, according to the Connecticut State Police.

Kristen Hogan, 33, was arrested on Friday and charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of interference with an officer after she admitted to pouring ethylene glycol — a “poisonous ingredient within antifreeze and other household products” — in a bottle of wine from which the man drank, according to an affidavit obtained by ABC News.

On Sept. 12, police interviewed the 34-year-old male victim, who had been hospitalized “sometime in early August” and underwent a blood test that revealed he had ethylene glycol in his system, the affidavit said.

The victim, who has not been identified, said during the interview that he had “family over for dinner and that his stepmother had brought an unopened bottle of wine,” officials said. The victim and his family drank some of the wine, with the remainder being “corked and placed in the fridge at the end of the night,” officials said.

Then on Aug. 10, five days after the family dinner, the victim said he “consumed a small amount of the same wine,” went to bed and then “woke up in the middle of the night multiple times and became increasingly ill,” officials said.

At 6 a.m. the next day, the victim “woke up vomiting and called his father for advice,” who directed him to call his mother, who lived in the area, officials said.

Once at his home, the victim’s mother found her son “slurring his words, staggering, and vomiting,” and then decided to take him to the hospital, officials said.

The hospital “initially believed he was experiencing a stroke” but then determined that the victim was “exhibiting signs of an ethylene glycol poisoning,” the affidavit said. The victim was then placed on dialysis and admitted to the ICU, officials said.

Once authorities arrived at the hospital, the victim told them that he believed Hogan, with whom he shares a child, had poisoned the wine “based off the fact her phone uploaded data” to his Wi-Fi router a few days earlier and that she was the “last person other than himself to be in the residence prior to him drinking the already opened wine,” officials said.

The victim told officials he “believed that a motive for him being poisoned is the fact that Hogan would become the full owner of the residence and would gain full-time custody of their child,” officials said.

On Sept. 30, a final lab report indicated that “ethylene glycol was detected in the wine,” officials said.

Police also went through Hogan’s phone, which revealed searches for “various lethal amounts of poisons” and “how much mono ethylene glycol would kill you” after the victim was hospitalized, the affidavit said.

In an interview with police, Hogan said she and the victim had been separated since May but that she had “more recently started living back at the same residence” where the victim lived, officials said.

Hogan also said she “never intended to kill him, but just wanted to make him sick as payback for being mentally abusive,” the affidavit said.

Officials said Hogan had also claimed she was in Rhode Island when she was supposed to be in court with the victim on Aug. 7 regarding a complaint she had filed but that she was actually at the victim’s residence, to which she had full access, the affidavit said.

Hogan also told officials that she has poured “a very small amount” of the same substance into the man’s iced tea bottle on a separate date, the affidavit said.

“If undetected or untreated, ethylene glycol ingestion can cause serious or fatal toxicity,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In a statement to ABC News, Hogan’s lawyer, Mark Sherman, said it is “premature to comment on any specifics.”

“What we know is that Kristen is a loving mother who misses her children dearly right now. These are just accusations and we will be diligently investigating and defending her against these claims,” Sherman said in a statement.

Hogan’s bail was set to $1,000,000. She is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday at 10 a.m. local time, according to court records.

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Final escaped New Orleans inmate in custody following ‘brief stand-off’: Police

Final escaped New Orleans inmate in custody following ‘brief stand-off’: Police
Final escaped New Orleans inmate in custody following ‘brief stand-off’: Police

(NEW ORLEANS) — The last of 10 inmates who had been on the lam following a New Orleans jailbreak in May has been captured, police said Wednesday.

Derrick Groves, 28, was apprehended in Atlanta following a “brief stand-off,” Louisiana State Police said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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12-year-old girl on bike struck by school bus, marking 2nd Las Vegas student to die in crash in 1 week

12-year-old girl on bike struck by school bus, marking 2nd Las Vegas student to die in crash in 1 week
12-year-old girl on bike struck by school bus, marking 2nd Las Vegas student to die in crash in 1 week

(LAS VEGAS) — A 12-year-old girl has died after she was hit by a school bus while riding her bicycle in Las Vegas, authorities said, marking the second middle schooler in the city to die in a crash within one week.

The girl — identified by the coroner’s office as Haylee Ryan — was struck at about 3:23 p.m. Monday and was flung onto a parked SUV before falling to the ground, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said.

She was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and died on Tuesday, police said.

Dozens of students were on the bus at the time of the crash, police said, adding that none of them were hurt.

The bus driver and the SUV driver both stayed at the scene and showed no signs of impairment, police said.

Haylee was heading home from school at the time of the accident, according to a GoFundMe page.

Haylee “was a sweet, pure, and fiercely creative child, who dreamed of becoming an artist one day,” the GoFundMe page said. “Haylee’s kindness and spirit touched everyone who knew her.”

Just days earlier, on Friday morning, a 12-year-old boy was crossing a street in an implied crosswalk when he was struck by a car, Las Vegas police said. The boy, who was on the way to school at the time, later died from his injuries, Clark County School District Superintendent Jhone Ebert said.

The driver fled the scene and was later arrested on hit-and-run and driving under the influence charges, police said.

“Both of these students had unlimited potential — potential they will never have a chance to realize,” the superintendent said at a news conference.

Dozens of Las Vegas students have been struck by cars on the way to or from school so far this school year, Ebert said, citing the school district police.

“It’s enough. … Right now we need immediate action, with the community’s help, to protect our children,” she said.

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Man accused of ‘maliciously’ igniting fire that caused the deadly Palisades Fire: DOJ

Man accused of ‘maliciously’ igniting fire that caused the deadly Palisades Fire: DOJ
Man accused of ‘maliciously’ igniting fire that caused the deadly Palisades Fire: DOJ
Volunteers with Samaritan’s Purse search for meaningful personal items for members of the Alvarado family in the rubble of their home which burned in the Eaton Fire on February 05, 2025 in Altadena, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

(LOS ANGELES) — An arrest has been made in connection with the Palisades Fire, which caused widespread destruction in Los Angeles County and killed a dozen people earlier this year, the Department of Justice announced on Wednesday.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, is accused of “maliciously” igniting a fire on Jan. 1 in the Pacific Palisades that ultimately erupted into the Palisades Fire, the Department of Justice said.

The New Year’s Day brush fire was suppressed by fire crews but continued to smolder underground before high winds caused it to surface and spread nearly a week later, “causing what became known as the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles City history,” acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said during a press conference on Wednesday.

Rinderknecht has been charged by criminal complaint with destruction of property by means of fire. He was arrested on Tuesday near his residence in Florida and is scheduled to make his first court appearance in Orlando federal court on Wednesday, officials said.

The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7, burning more than 23,000 acres over more than three weeks and destroying nearly 7,000 structures, according to California fire officials.

It ignited the same day as the Eaton Fire, which burned more than 14,00 acres in Los Angeles County, destroying more than 9,400 structures and killing 19 people, according to officials.

The fires started burning during strong Santa Ana winds, which, combined with dry conditions, helped their ability to spread quickly. This spread prompted mass evacuations.

The Palisades Fire decimated the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

What became known as the Lachman Fire was detected at 12:12 a.m. on Jan. 1 on a hilltop in the Pacific Palisades, according to the DOJ.

Rinderknecht, who the DOJ said was working as an Uber driver at the time and once lived in the Pacific Palisades — had dropped a customer off in the area of the fire, according to the complaint. Two of his passengers that night allegedly told law enforcement later that he appeared “agitated and angry,” the complaint stated.

The complaint alleges Rinderknecht caused the fire by lighting a combustible material, such as vegetation or paper, with an open flame, likely a lighter.

He attempted to contact 911 several times to report the fire, before ultimately getting through once he had cell service, according to the complaint. He allegedly made a three-minute screen-recording of his iPhone while attempting to call 911 and asking ChatGPT, “Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes?” according to the complaint.

“Based on my training and experience and this investigation, this indicates that RINDERKNECHT wanted to preserve evidence of himself trying to assist in the suppression of the fire and he wanted to create evidence regarding a more innocent explanation for the cause of the fire,” a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives wrote in an affidavit in the complaint.

Essayli said the suspect left in his car but then returned and filmed firefighters responding to the blaze.

There is no indication that anyone else was in the area at the time the fire started, Essayli said.

Investigators interviewed Rinderknecht on Jan. 24, during which he allegedly lied about where he was when he saw the Lachman Fire, according to the DOJ.

“He claimed he was near the bottom of a hiking trail when he first saw the fire and called 911, but geolocation data from his iPhone carrier showed that he was standing in a clearing 30 feet from the fire as it rapidly grew,” the DOJ said in a press release.

Essayli said he didn’t want to discuss motive, though he pointed to digital evidence included in the complaint of an image Rinderknecht allegedly generated in July 2024 using ChatGPT, showing in part “a burning forest and a crowd fleeing from it.”

“You could see some of his thought process in the months leading up, where he was generating some really concerning images up on ChatGPT, which appears to show a dystopian city being burned down,” Essayli said.

The charge is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted, the DOJ said.

Essayli said the DOJ will make determinations on additional charges against Rinderknecht in the coming days.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell called the investigation into the Palisades Fire “extremely intensive and thorough.”

“I’m proud of the professionalism and dedication shown by our detectives and the team who work collaboratively with our federal, state and local partners,” he said during the press briefing. “That teamwork ultimately led to the arrest of the suspect responsible for this devastating crime.”

Over the past eight months, investigators pursued more than 200 leads, conducted hundreds of interviews and collected more than 13,000 pieces of evidence, including fire debris, digital data and DNA samples, as part of the probe, according to Kenny Cooper, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Los Angeles Field Division.

“We have a lot of different data that all concluded where this fire started, and the fire behavior from that origin, from that Lachman Fire, was clearly established in the Palisades Fire,” Cooper said at the press briefing.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the city will release the Los Angeles Fire Department’s report on the Palisades Fire “shortly,” now that an arrest has been made.

“More than 9 months ago, our city faced one of the most devastating periods our region had ever seen. Lives were tragically lost. Thousands of homes were destroyed. Our heroic firefighters fought the blaze valiantly with no rest,” she said in a statement. “Each day that families are displaced is a day too long and as we are working tirelessly to bring Angelenos home, we are also working towards closure and towards justice — and today is a step forward in that process.”

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2 arrested, 2 at large in burglary of Saints player Cam Jordan’s home

2 arrested, 2 at large in burglary of Saints player Cam Jordan’s home
2 arrested, 2 at large in burglary of Saints player Cam Jordan’s home
Authorities are searching for two suspects from the Atlanta area: Jahaun Suber, 20, and Devell Ortiz, 19. Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto

(NEW ORLEANS) — Two suspects have been arrested and two more are at large in connection with a burglary at the home of New Orleans Saints defensive end Cam Jordan.

The four suspects allegedly broke in through a back door while the house was empty on Sept. 14 — the day of a Saints home game, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said.

Jordan spoke out about the break-in on social media on Tuesday, saying, “Yah that Sunday sucked… the most important things, my family, was and is safe.”

It appears no one else was targeted; the suspects, who are from the Atlanta area, drove back to Georgia right after the burglary, Lopinto said at a news conference.

Two men — Donald Robinson, 28, and Jadon Brown, 19 — were arrested after being identified within 24 hours of the break-in, according to the sheriff’s office.

Authorities are still searching for the two other suspects, identified as Jahaun Suber, 20, and Devell Ortiz, 19, the sheriff’s office said.

Charges have not been finalized but will likely include simple burglary and possession of stolen property, the sheriff said. The FBI is working with local officials on the case and federal charges are possible, the sheriff added.

Some of the property has been recovered, but Lopinto didn’t disclose what was stolen.

It is not clear if the suspects are linked to other burglaries, the sheriff added.

The Saints lost the Sept. 14 home game to the San Francisco 49ers 26-21.

Jordan, who has played his entire 15-year career for the Saints, is an eight-time Pro Bowler and has 124 career sacks, second-most among active players.

This is the latest in a string of burglaries targeting professional athletes. Other victims of break-ins include Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić.

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Man arrested, faces federal charge in connection with Palisades Fire: DOJ

Man accused of ‘maliciously’ igniting fire that caused the deadly Palisades Fire: DOJ
Man accused of ‘maliciously’ igniting fire that caused the deadly Palisades Fire: DOJ
Volunteers with Samaritan’s Purse search for meaningful personal items for members of the Alvarado family in the rubble of their home which burned in the Eaton Fire on February 05, 2025 in Altadena, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

(LOS ANGELES) — An arrest has been made in connection with the Palisades Fire, which caused widespread destruction in Los Angeles County and killed a dozen people earlier this year, the Department of Justice announced on Wednesday.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, is accused of igniting a fire on Jan. 1 in the Pacific Palisades that ultimately erupted into the Palisades Fire, the Department of Justice said.

The brush fire was suppressed by fire crews but continued to smolder underground before high wind caused it to surface and spread nearly a week later, “causing what became known as the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles City history,” acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said during a press conference on Wednesday.

Rinderknecht has been charged by criminal complaint with destruction of property by means of fire. He was arrested on Tuesday near his residence in Florida and is scheduled to make his first court appearance in Orlando federal court on Wednesday, officials said.

The fire erupted on Jan. 7, burning more than 23,000 acres over more than three weeks and destroying nearly 7,000 structures, according to California fire officials.

It ignited the same day as the Eaton Fire, which burned more than 14,00 acres in Los Angeles County, destroying more than 9,400 structures and killing 19 people, according to officials.

The fires started burning during strong Santa Ana winds, which, combined with dry conditions, helped their ability to spread quickly. This spread prompted mass evacuations.

The Palisades Fire decimated the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Indiana woman reported missing after ‘suspicious’ fire in her house: Sheriff’s office

Indiana woman reported missing after ‘suspicious’ fire in her house: Sheriff’s office
Indiana woman reported missing after ‘suspicious’ fire in her house: Sheriff’s office
Britney Gard is seen in an undated photo released by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. Putnam County Sheriff’s Office

(PUTNAM COUNTY, Ind.) — An Indiana woman was reported missing last week following a “suspicious” fire in her house, authorities said. 

Britney Gard, 46, last had contact with her family the evening of Sept. 30, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. She is considered a missing endangered person “due to her unknown whereabouts,” the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities responded to her home on Oct. 1, following a 911 call for a fire at her home in Bainbridge, located about 40 miles west of Indianapolis, the sheriff’s office said. Smoke was reported coming from the residence around 7:40 p.m., the office said.

Fire crews extinguished the blaze, which investigators believe is “suspicious in nature,” Putnam County Sheriff Jerrod Baugh said in a statement on Friday. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Baugh said in an update on Wednesday.

No one was found in the fire-damaged home, and attempts by family and friends to contact Gard following the fire have been unsuccessful, the sheriff’s office said. She was not located following a drone-assisted search of the area and searches of a pond on the property following the fire, the sheriff’s office said.

Gard was supposed to attend her daughter’s volleyball game on Oct. 1, but did not show up, her sister, Stephanie Bowen, told Indianapolis ABC affiliate WRTV.

“Her car’s at home, her purse is at home. She’s nowhere to be found, and the house is on fire. It makes no sense,” Bowen told WRTV.

“I just feel like there’s something here bigger that we don’t know,” she said.

The search continued this week for the mother of two, with dozens of people, including her sisters, looking through cornfields and wooded areas near Gard’s property on Monday, WRTV reported.

Drones have continued to be deployed in the area, and conservation officers with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources have been conducting searches of the ponds at the residence and in the surrounding area, the sheriff’s office said Wednesday.

Detectives have also been working with the FBI and Indiana State Police, “looking for any leads into the current and past locations of any and all devices that could lead investigators to the location of Britney Gard,” Baugh said Wednesday.

Baugh asked anyone with information about her whereabouts to contact the sheriff’s office.

“As this is an active investigation and the location of missing Putnam County resident Britney Gard remains unknown, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office will not be releasing detailed information about the scene, the ongoing investigation, or any speculation as to the whereabouts or condition of Ms. Gard,” Baugh said Wednesday.

Bowen urged people to be “vigilant” and to check their home security cameras.

“Britney, we love you,” she told WRTV. “We hope to see you safely return home.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Arrest made in connection with Palisades Fire: Sources

Man accused of ‘maliciously’ igniting fire that caused the deadly Palisades Fire: DOJ
Man accused of ‘maliciously’ igniting fire that caused the deadly Palisades Fire: DOJ
Volunteers with Samaritan’s Purse search for meaningful personal items for members of the Alvarado family in the rubble of their home which burned in the Eaton Fire on February 05, 2025 in Altadena, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

(LOS ANGELES) — An arrest has been made in connection with the Palisades Fire, which caused widespread destruction in Los Angeles County and killed a dozen people earlier this year, sources close to the investigation confirmed to ABC News.

Federal and local law enforcement officials are scheduled to announce a “significant development” in the criminal investigation into the fire on Wednesday.

The fire erupted on Jan. 7, burning more than 23,000 acres over more than three weeks and destroying nearly 7,000 structures, according to California fire officials.

It ignited the same day as the Eaton Fire, which burned more than 14,00 acres in Los Angeles County, destroying more than 9,400 structures and killing 19 people, according to officials.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Trump says Chicago mayor and Illinois governor ‘should be in jail’ for not protecting ICE agents

Trump says Chicago mayor and Illinois governor ‘should be in jail’ for not protecting ICE agents
Trump says Chicago mayor and Illinois governor ‘should be in jail’ for not protecting ICE agents
Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — President Donald Trump is ramping up a war of words with the mayor of Chicago and the governor of Illinois, suggesting in a social media post on Wednesday that they “should be in jail” for refusing to protect ICE agents.

Trump’s social media post came as Texas National Guard troops arrived in Illinois on Monday night and were preparing to be deployed in Chicago.

“Illinois will not let the Trump administration continue on their authoritarian march without resisting,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said on Tuesday as the Texas National Guard troops appeared at an Army Reserve training center in the Chicago suburb of Elwood.

“We will use every lever at our disposal to stop this power grab because military troops should not be used against American communities,” Pritzker said.

The military deployment drew outrage from Democratic leaders, as well as from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.

“Donald Trump declared war on Chicago. That’s what he did. What the Trump administration is doing is intentionally fomenting chaos,” Johnson said on Tuesday. “The federal government is out of control. This is one of the most dangerous times in our nation’s history.”

Trump fired back on Wednesday on social media.

“Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE Officers!” the president wrote. “Governor Pritzker also.”

Johnson responded in a social media post on Wednesday, writing, “This is not the first time Trump has tried to have a Black man unjustly arrested. I’m not going anywhere.”

Pritzker also reacted to Trump’s post, writing on social media on Wednesday, “I will not back down.”

“Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power,” Pritzker said. “What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?”

The back-and-forth between the Illinois leaders, both Democrats, came as after Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in Chicago. The act, which dates back to 1807, empowers the president to nationally deploy the military and federalize National Guard units to suppress civil disorder, insurrection, or an armed rebellion against the federal government.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday afternoon, Trump said he did not yet see the need to use the Insurrection Act, but “if I had to enact it, I’d do it, if people were being killed and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up.”

Meanwhile, the Texas National Guard has been seen at an Army Reserve training center in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, ABC News has learned.

Groups of soldiers were seen walking the grounds of training center in Elwood, with most of the troops apparently having arrived on Monday night, according to ABC News’ Chicago station WLS.

Pritzker said at a news conference on Monday that over the weekend, he called on Abbott “to immediately withdraw his support of this decision” to send the Texas National Guard members to Chicago.

Earlier Tuesday, Abbott had replied to Pritzker on social media, saying, “I fully authorized the President to call up 400 members of the Texas National Guard to ensure safety for federal officials.”

The deployment drew outrage from Democratic leaders, as well as Chicago Mayor Johnson.

“Donald Trump declared war on Chicago. That’s what he did. What the Trump administration is doing is intentionally fomenting chaos,” Johnson said on Tuesday. “The federal government is out of control. This is one of the most dangerous times in our nation’s history.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Texas National Guard seen at training center in Chicago suburbs

Trump says Chicago mayor and Illinois governor ‘should be in jail’ for not protecting ICE agents
Trump says Chicago mayor and Illinois governor ‘should be in jail’ for not protecting ICE agents
Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Members of the Texas National Guard have been seen at an Army Reserve Training Center in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, ABC News has learned.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday shared a photo on social media showing what he called the state’s “elite” National Guard boarding a plane, but he did not say where they were headed.

Groups of soldiers have been seen walking the grounds of that Elwood training center, with most of the troops apparently having arrived on Monday night, according to ABC News’ Chicago station WLS.

“Illinois will not let the Trump administration continue on their authoritarian march without resisting,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said. “We will use every lever at our disposal to stop this power grab because military troops should not be used against American communities.”

Pritzker said at a news conference on Monday that over the weekend, he called on Abbott “to immediately withdraw his support of this decision” to send the Texas National Guard members to Chicago.

Earlier Tuesday, Abbott had replied to Pritzker on social media, saying, “I fully authorized the President to call up 400 members of the Texas National Guard to ensure safety for federal officials.”

The deployment drew outrage from Democratic leaders, as well as Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.

“Donald Trump declared war on Chicago. That’s what he did. What the Trump administration is doing is intentionally fomenting chaos,” Johnson said on Tuesday. “The federal government is out of control. This is one of the most dangerous times in our nation’s history.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.