(BOSTON) — A woman who served on the grand jury as part of the high-profile investigation into Karen Read — who was acquitted of murder charges last month in the death of her boyfriend — agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge she leaked information from the secret proceeding, according to a court document filed Tuesday.
Jessica Leslie agreed to plead guilty to a charge of criminal contempt that accused her of willfully disobeying court rules against disclosure of grand jury information.
Leslie disclosed “the names of various witnesses appearing before the grand jury and the substance of their testimony and other evidence presented to the grand jury, all while said information was under seal and not subject to disclosure,” federal prosecutors said.
While the charging document did not specify that Leslie was a grand juror in the Read case, sources confirmed the case to ABC News.
Read was originally indicted by a Boston grand jury in June 2022 in the death of her police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe. Prosecutors alleged Read hit O’Keefe with her car outside the home of a fellow police officer after a night of heavy drinking in January 2022 and then left him to die there during a major blizzard.
The first trial ended in a mistrial last year after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
In a second trial that ended last month, Read was found not guilty of the most serious charges against her — murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene after an accident. She was convicted of operating under the influence of liquor and sentenced to one year of probation.
Leslie agreed to a sentence of incarceration for one day, deemed served, and 24 months of supervised release, court records said.
A plea hearing was not immediately scheduled.
Federal prosecutors did not say how they learned Leslie had disclosed secret grand jury information, but sources said authorities had been monitoring social media accounts and other communications during a case that received widespread attention.
(LOS ANGELES) — The U.S. military presence in Los Angeles is being reduced by almost half as the Pentagon confirms that 2,000 California National Guard members are being withdrawn from the mission to protect federal buildings and personnel that followed protests of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Los Angeles.
“Thanks to our troops who stepped up to answer the call, the lawlessness in Los Angeles is subsiding. As such, the Secretary has ordered the release of 2,000 California National Guardsmen (79th [Infantry Brigade Combat Team]) from the federal protection mission,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement provided to ABC News.
Nearly 4,700 personnel had been provided to that mission with 700 of them being active-duty Marines and the remaining 4,000 coming from the California National Guard.
The initial deployment of 2,000 California National Guard members to Los Angeles was announced on June 7.
At the time, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on social media that he was prepared to send active-duty Marines “if violence continues.” Two days later, U.S. Northern Command announced that 700 Marines from Twentynine Palms in California were being deployed to Los Angeles.
An additional 2,000 National Guard members were later mobilized for the mission in Los Angeles.
Some of the Guard members later received specific training to provide perimeter security during ICE operations and were not carrying out law enforcement duties. However, they were authorized to temporarily detain individuals if needed and then quickly turn them over to law enforcement personnel.
(IRMO, SC) — The family of a South Carolina man who died three days after being arrested last month demanded the release of police body camera video and answers regarding his death on Tuesday.
Byron Jackson, 45, died in the days after his June 22 arrest by the Irmo Police Department, following a 911 call alleging that someone had gotten into a fight, according to his family’s lawyer, civil rights attorney Bakari Sellers. The lawyer said that Jackson was not involved in a fight and the cause of his death is unclear.
“I can tell you that we’re not going to allow the Irmo Police Department just to treat him as some other young African American kid,” Sellers said at a press conference on Tuesday. “He’s dead now. You guys going about your business — that’s not going to happen on our watch.”
Byron Jackson’s mother Bettie Jackson, who was present at the news conference with other family members, was visibly distraught.
“We all loved him dearly, and we talked two and three times a day, and I’m surely, surely going to miss him,” Bettie Jackson said. “In fact, not ‘am going to miss him’ — I’m missing him already.”
Irmo Police Chief Bobby Dale told ABC News in a statement on Tuesday that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has taken over the investigation and that he could not make any further statements to ensure the process is conducted appropriately.
Also Tuesday, SLED confirmed in a statement to ABC News that Byron Jackson died on June 25 in the hospital, three days after the arrest. They said that the investigation is ongoing, and more information may be available at “a later time.”
The Richland County Coroner’s Office did not immediately reply to ABC News’ request for Byron Jackson’s autopsy and cause of death.
“We do know that the Irmo Police Department can release the body cam,” Sellers said. “We do know that body cam footage does exist, and we’re asking them to do that.”
Sellers requested the release of the identities of the officers involved. He also denied the police department’s alleged account that a high-speed chase ensued before Byron Jackson’s arrest, or that he was involved in a fight before police arrived. Sellers said he doesn’t know why a 911 call was made in regard to Byron Jackson.
“This started with a 911 call from a resident of Irmo. I’m not sure what she thought she saw,” Sellers said. “I can’t go into her head, but there was not a fight in the vehicle. There was one person — who was Byron — in that vehicle. That is a fact.”
Sellers also said that Byron Jackson was in a work utility van that had “its own issues” and that he knew from investigators that there was no high-speed chase.
The attorney said that, after police arrived, there was a low-speed collision, Byron Jackson and an officer ended up at the bottom of a ravine and the South Carolina resident was handcuffed. After that, Sellers said he died and the family doesn’t know how.
(JONES, OK) — A farmer in Oklahoma has been killed by two water buffaloes after becoming trapped inside their enclosure, police said.
The incident occurred on Friday evening in Jones, Oklahoma, at approximately 8:35 p.m. when officers from the Jones Police Department and the Jones Fire Department responded to an emergency call regarding an individual who had been attacked by two water buffalo at a farm located at 7501 North Henney Road, officials said.
“Upon arrival, first responders were initially unable to reach the victim due to the aggressive behavior of the animals,” said the Jones Police Department in a statement on social media released on Monday. “One water buffalo was immediately dispatched to allow safe access to the scene.”
But when responders gained entry to the enclosure, they discovered that the victim, named as Bradley McMichael, had sustained “multiple deep lacerations that proved to be fatal,” officials said.
“While investigators were processing the scene, a second water buffalo became increasing agitated and posed a threat to emergency personnel,” police said. “For the safety of those on site, the second animal was also dispatched. Evidence gathered at the scene confirmed that the water buffaloes were responsible for Mr. McMichael’s fatal injuries.”
Police discovered during the investigation that McMichael had purchased the two water buffaloes just the day before at a livestock auction and that it is believed he became trapped inside their enclosure while tending to the animal, according to the Jones Police Department.
The office of the chief medical examiner subsequently took custody of McMichael and transported him to their facility for further examination.
(SPOTSWOOD, NJ) — At least seven geese are dead after a car struck the flock while they were trying to cross a street in New Jersey, police said.
The Spotswood Police Department in New Jersey is currently investigating an incident that took place on Monday evening at approximately 6:45 p.m. that involved a car striking a flock of geese trying to cross Devoe Avenue and then leaving the scene prior to authorities arriving, according to a statement from the Spotswood Police Department.
“At this time, it is unclear whether the collision was accidental or intentional,” police said. “The department is reviewing available surveillance footage from both nearby businesses and residences. We are requesting assistance from any witnesses who may have observed the incident.”
Geese are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and any intentional harm caused to the animals could constitute a violation of both state and federal law, authorities said.
“We take all incidents involving wildlife seriously, especially those that may involve intentional harm to the animals,” said Captain Edward Schapley from the Spotswood Police Department. “We ask anyone with information to please come forward and assist us in our ongoing investigation.”
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has relevant video footage is urged to contact the Spotswood Police Department.
The investigation is currently ongoing and no further information is available at this time.
(DADE COUNTY, Ga.) — A Georgia sheriff’s deputy has been fired after a police dog died in their hot car, according to the Dade County Sheriff’s Office.
In a statement shared on Tuesday, officials in Trenton said they “tragically lost our newest member of our K-9 team,” a bloodhound named Georgia.
The deputy responsible for Georgia allegedly left her alone in a patrol car on Sunday, with the heat index rising to around 100 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit, officials said.
While the deputy was inside the sheriff’s office, the car’s air conditioning compressor malfunctioned and the heat alarm in the vehicle “was not functioning,” officials said.
“Those two factors, coupled with K-9 Georgia being left unattended for what we considered to be an unacceptable amount of time, contributed to her passing,” officials said.
The sheriff’s office said the deputy who left Georgia alone in the sweltering car is “no longer an employee of Dade County Sheriff’s Office.”
Moving forward, officials said any K-9 vehicle will be taken out of service “if ANY of the essential K-9 equipment isn’t in 100% working order” and that police dogs will “not be left in vehicles for extended periods of time during the summer.”
The incident will be handed over to the Dade County District Attorney’s Office, who will determine if the deputy should face charges, the sheriff’s office said.
Officials said their “hearts are aching at the loss” of Georgia — who was donated to the sheriff’s department by a local family.
“She was an amazing bloodhound who was sweet, goofy and had all the potential to be the ‘best of the best.’ She will be deeply missed by everyone at our office, and by anyone who had the pleasure to meet her,” the sheriff’s office said.
It remains unclear how long Georgia was left alone in the car.
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Attorney General Pam Bondi should release “whatever she thinks is credible” on Jeffrey Epstein as he faces pressure from his MAGA supporters.
Trump, speaking to reporters as he left the White House, said he received a “very quick briefing” on the Justice Department and FBI review of the Epstein files. The briefing took place before the release of the DOJ and FBI memo last week.
The review found no evidence the deceased financier kept a “client list” of associates and no further charges are expected. The department also released hours of footage as part of its review, which officials say further confirmed Epstein died by suicide while in custody in his jail cell in Manhattan in 2019.
ABC News’ Katherine Faulders asked the president what Bondi told him about the review, “specifically, did she tell you at all that your name appeared in the files?”
“No, no, she’s — she’s given us just a very quick briefing,” Trump responded before making baseless claims the files were created by some of his political foes.
“And in terms of the credibility of the different things that they’ve seen, and I would say that, you know, these files were made up by Comey, they were made up by Obama, they were made up by the Biden — and you know, we and we went through years of that with the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax, with all of the different things that we had to go through,” Trump said.
“We’ve gone through years of it, but she’s handled it very well, and it’s going to be up to her,” Trump said of Bondi. “Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release.”
Bondi, when asked about Trump’s comments to ABC News, said she hadn’t yet seen the president’s comments but added that the DOJ and FBI memo “speaks for itself.”
Trump is facing outrage among his MAGA base over the administration’s handling of the Epstein files. It’s also led to some infighting within his administration, as Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino had a fiery confrontation with Bondi over the matter, ABC News reported.
Amid calls for her resignation, Bondi said defiantly on Tuesday: “I’m going to be here for as long as the president wants me here, and I believe he’s made that crystal clear.”
When asked about the rift between her and Bongino, Bondi said she wouldn’t discuss personnel matters.
“I was with [FBI] Director [Kash] Patel all morning and we are committed to keeping America safe, making America safe, working with our incredible partners at DEA, FBI, ATF, U.S. Marshals to do everything we can to make America safe and that’s what we’re focused on,” she said at an event at the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Trump sought to quiet the revolt over the weekend by posting a lengthy defense of Bondi and urging his administration to focus on other priorities.
But the comments continued to pour in, including warnings from some of Trump’s top defenders that the issue is not going away and could have consequences in next year’s midterm elections.
Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law and a Fox News host, told MAGA influencer Benny Johnson on Monday that she believed there did need to be “more transparency” regarding the administration’s handling of the Epstein case.
Trump was asked on Tuesday what he thought about her remarks.
“The attorney general’s handled that very well. She’s really done a very good job,” Trump said. “And I think that when you look at it, you’ll understand that. I would like to see that also. But I think the attorney general, the credibility is very important. And, you want credible evidence or something like that. And I think the attorney general has handled it very well.”
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, some Republican lawmakers expressed interest in Epstein’s convicted associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, testifying before Congress.
Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, said he believed everything on Epstein should be out in the open.
“I think all this stuff ought to be public,” Hawley said. “I mean, I think all of the all the documents, should all be public. I think we’d all ought to be out in the open. I’m a big fan of declassifying — I think this isn’t technically classified. It’s just, you know, close hold for prosecution, but I think we ought to put it all out there.”
Though Rep. Jim Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, told ABC News he had “total confidence in President Trump and his team” regarding the Epstein matter.
ABC News’ Luke Barr, Lauren Peller and Isabella Murray contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — The extreme rainfall that occurred in the Northeast on Monday will likely occur more often in the future as a result of climate change, research shows.
The Northeast has experienced the largest regional increase of extreme precipitation in the U.S., with a 60% increase in recent decades, according to the U.S. government’s Fifth National Climate Assessment, a summary of the latest climate science research findings by 14 different federal agencies, published in November 2023.
Extreme precipitation events are very rare, defined as the top 1% of daily precipitation events.
While it’s problematic to attribute any specific weather event solely to climate change, global warming is amplifying naturally occurring events, like the torrent of rain that fell on the Northeast on Monday evening, making them more intense.
New York City’s Central Park preliminarily recorded its second-highest hourly rainfall total since 1943, measuring 2.07 inches of precipitation in one hour at around 7 p.m. on Monday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The amount of rain that fell in one hour represents a 1-in-20-year flood for Central Park, meaning there is a 5% chance it could happen in any given year.
The record for most precipitation in one hour in Central Park was set on Sept. 1, 2021, when the remnants from Hurricane Ida caused 3.15 inches of rain to fall, flooding basement apartments in the city and killing 13 people.
The deluge of water caused subway lines to flood, with water even rushing from platforms and into train cars. In at least one instance, the city sewer overflowed into the subway system, according to the city’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Between one and five inches of water fell in neighboring northern and central New Jersey, with the highest totals measured in the regions around Plainfield, New Jersey and White Plains, New York – about five inches, according to the NWS. Metro-North and New Jersey Transit commuter train lines experienced service disruptions due to downed trees and flooding, and numerous roadways in the region were closed due to floodwaters. Two people were killed when their car was swept into the overflowing Cedar Brook river in Plainfield, officials said.
According to climate scientists, human-amplified climate change is causing extreme rainfall events to become more frequent and more intense. More intense extreme rainfall events also increase the frequency and scale of flash flooding as the influx of water is more than existing infrastructure was built to handle, according to the Fifth National Climate Assessment.
Additionally, human-amplified climate change has contributed to increases in the frequency and intensity of the heaviest precipitation events across nearly 70% of the U.S., the Fifth National Climate Assessment found.
ABC News’ Climate and Weather Unit contributed to this report.
(LOS ANGELES, Calif.) — Two people have been found shot to death in a Los Angeles home during a welfare check, police said.
Police found the victims while responding to the home in Encino on Monday afternoon, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. They both had gunshot wounds to the head, police said.
The victims were found in different rooms inside the home, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
A broken sliding glass door could be seen at the house.
No arrests have been made, police said. The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the shooting as a double homicide.
Detectives have been scouring the neighborhood for video since the bodies were found, sources said.
Next of kin is being notified and the names of the victims have not yet been released.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(PARKER COUNTY, Texas) — A woman in Texas is behind bars after allegedly attempting to send her ex-husband fentanyl-laced chocolates, according to the Parker County Sheriff’s Office.
Pamela Jean Stanley, 63, from Coleman, Texas, was indicted last week after being arrested in May for “developing a plan to murder her ex-husband,” in which she specifically wanted to purchase powdered fentanyl and inject it into a high-end box of chocolates, the sheriff’s office said in a statement on Friday.
According to officials, Stanley told an acquaintance — in conversation she didn’t know was being recorded — that she planned on mailing the laced chocolates to her ex-husband, making it appear like the package was from a travel agency as a “congratulatory gift for his recent engagement with a ‘honeymoon’ incentive offer.”
Through an undercover ruse in the parking lot of a local motel on May 30, an investigator “solicited the purchase” of what Stanley believed was fentanyl, with officials “immediately” taking her into custody, the sheriff’s office said.
At the time of her arrest, Stanley was also in possession of a substance “tested as containing 9.5 grams of methamphetamine,” according to authorities.
Stanley was indicted on Friday for criminal solicitation with intent to commit murder, criminal attempt to commit murder and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, officials said.
Her ex-husband, Jeff Kauth, told ABC News Dallas station WFAA that this was not the first time he had concerns about his ex-wife’s alleged threats, with Kauth previously talking to investigators about rumors of Stanley hiring a hitman.
“It didn’t really surprise me because she’s kind of that way,” Kauth told WFAA. “Her plan was pretty ingenious. She thought this stuff through.”
The two were married for 14 years before they divorced in 2019, Kauth told WFAA. For his safety amid his ex-wife’s alleged threats, Kauth said he installed security cameras around his house and even placed a “dummy” he built wearing his hat and jacket in the kitchen as a decoy in case she tried to shoot toward him.
“I was hoping she would move on or find happiness, I was hoping she’d hope the same for me, but it just didn’t work out that way,” Kauth told WFAA.
Kauth said if Stanley had been successful in her alleged plan, he “probably would’ve eaten” the laced chocolates and said he is “relieved” she was caught by officials.
“I’ll never look at a box of chocolates the same,” Kauth told WFAA.
Stanley remains in custody, with a bond set to $450,000, the sheriff’s office said.
She was previously arrested in 2019 for deadly discharge of a firearm, according to jail records.
Court records indicate that she is scheduled to appear for a pre-trial hearing on Aug. 12, with her jury trial beginning on Oct. 20.
The attorney representing Stanley did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
