(NEW ORLEANS) — A maintenance worker at a New Orleans jail where 10 inmates escaped has been arrested and accused of helping facilitate the breakout, officials said Tuesday.
Sterling Williams, a maintenance worker at the Orleans Parish Justice Center, was arrested and booked into jail Tuesday morning, sources familiar with the arrest told ABC News.
Williams allegedly shut off the water to a toilet to aid in the escape in an apparent attempt to help clear a way for the inmates to escape, sources said.
Williams is facing 10 counts of principle to simple escape and one count of malfeasance in office.
Three other jail employees have been suspended in this investigation.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(RACINE, WI) — An 11-year-old boy was accidentally shot to death by his sibling inside of their Wisconsin home, police said.
The incident occurred on Friday when the Racine Police Department in Wisconsin received a call at 10:33 p.m. reporting that a juvenile had been struck by gunfire and was being taken to the hospital by his family, according to a statement from the Racine Police Department.
“When officers arrived at the hospital, they located an 11-year-old male suffering from a single gunshot wound,” police said. “The 11-year-old male did not survive his injury.”
Preliminary information indicate that the incident took place inside a home in the 2600 block of Prospect Street in Racine and that the victim was “accidentally shot by a sibling,” authorities confirmed.
“A suspect has been identified and apprehended,” police said.
Authorities did not disclose what may have happened leading up to the incident or how the juveniles came into contact with a firearm inside the home.
The investigation is currently ongoing and more information about this case will be released in due course.
(FORT MEYERS, FL) — A man in Florida has been arrested for shooting his neighbor’s cow five times after it wandered onto his property, police said.
The incident happened in North Fort Myers in Florida on May 13 when members of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Agriculture Unit responded to a call from a ranch of Sharon Drive regarding reports of animal cruelty, according to a statement from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
“Deputies were informed that a victim located his 2-year-old calf on the neighbor’s property with five gunshot wounds to the guts, chest, and rear leg,” police said. “Due to the calf’s injuries, a veterinarian determined the calf needed to be euthanized.”
The cow’s owner stated the neighbor, 54-year-old Hung Trinh, had been “angry in the past about livestock jumping the fence and threatened to shoot the animals,” according to authorities.
Detectives from the First Precinct ended up obtaining a search warrant and were able to locate the .22 caliber gun allegedly used in the shooting in a shed on Trinh’s property.
“There will be accountability for taking your frustrations out on innocent animals, in this case multiple felonies and jail time,” said Sheriff Carmine Marceno. “We know how much these animals mean to our farming community, and we will not tolerate these actions. I am proud of my Agriculture Unit for their immediate response and ability to make an arrest in this case.”
Trinh was charged with animal cruelty and grand theft of a commercial farm animal.
The investigation into the incident is currently ongoing.
(NEW YORK) — After a week of testimony from star witness Cassie Ventura, federal prosecutors in the ongoing trial for Sean “Diddy” Combs on Monday started calling witnesses they believe could corroborate his ex-girlfriend’s allegations of threats, abuse and violence.
Dawn Richard, a former member of the pop group Danity Kane, told jurors that she personally witnessed Combs assaulting Ventura. Ventura’s former best friend Kerry Morgan recounted pleading with Ventura to leave what Morgan viewed as an abusive relationship. And Combs’ former assistant, David James, offered a glimpse of what it was like working for the rap mogul.
“This is Mr. Combs’ kingdom. We’re all here to serve in it,” James recounted one of Combs’ employees telling him when he interviewed for the job.
Across six hours of testimony that played out like a legal tug-of-war, lawyers for Combs tried to cast doubt on prosecution witnesses and highlighted inconsistencies in the testimony, clawing back some of the credibility they might have built up with the jury during direct examination.
Combs has pleaded not guilty and denies allegations of sex trafficking and racketeering, arguing that while he might have committed other crimes – like domestic abuse and illegal drug use – he has not sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone.
Testimony is set to resume Tuesday, when James retakes the stand to explain how he would prepare hotel rooms for Combs – a piece of testimony that prosecutors plan to use to establish what, they allege, is a criminal enterprise with Combs at its center. Such a criminal enterprise is a key to proving the racketeering charges prosecutors have filed against Combs.
Prosecutors are expected to call an escort known as “The Punisher” and to call Ventura’s mother on Tuesday.
Dawn Richard testified about star-studded dinner where Combs allegedly punched Ventura
Dawn Richard began her testimony after Ventura left the witness stand Friday. She resumed her appearance in court Monday morning by testifying about how she witnessed Combs beat Ventura multiple times.
Richard testified that she witnessed Combs punch his then-girlfriend Ventura in the face with a “closed fist” in 2009 before a music festival in Central Park. After Ventura put on sunglasses and makeup to hide the injury, Richard said she put on sunglasses “in solidarity” with Ventura. The jury then saw a photo of Richard, Ventura and another member of Danity Kane wearing sunglasses at the festival.
Richard also testified that the violence extended to other public settings, alleging that Combs punched Ventura in the stomach during a group dinner attended by Usher, Ne-Yo and Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine. Richard mentioned that allegation in her civil lawsuit against Combs, but defense lawyers highlighted that Richard’s prior discussion of the dinner did not mention the high-profile guests.
Richard in 2024 sued Combs for assault, copyright infringement and false imprisonment, alleging — among other things — that he groped her on numerous occasions and forced her to endure inhumane work conditions. Combs denied all of the allegations and his attorneys last week filed a motion to dismiss the case.
On cross-examination, defense attorney Nicole Westmoreland said Richard’s account of an alleged assault has changed several times, prompting some members of the jury to visibly shake their heads and scribble notes. Westmoreland also suggested Richard agreed to testify against Combs because he ruined her music career by dismantling the music groups she had once been a part of.
“You felt like Mr. Combs ruined your career not once but twice,” Westmoreland said. “Yes,” Richard answered.
Ventura’s former best friend takes the stand
Ventura’s former best friend Kerry Morgan testified on Monday about two instances when, she said, she personally saw Combs assault Ventura.
She testified she saw Combs hit Ventura in a home Combs rented in Hollywood Hills, and she testified about a second instance when Combs — allegedly in her presence — assaulted Ventura during a trip to Jamaica.
“I heard her screaming and I went to the hallway. The hallway was extremely long. They were coming out of the master bedroom, and he was dragging her on the floor by her hair,” Morgan testified about the Jamaica trip.
Prosecutors also asked Morgan about the aftermath of a 2016 incident when Combs is accused of assaulting Ventura. Ventura has testified this occurred when she tried to leave a “freak-off” at the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles. Part of that incident was captured on hotel closed-circuit security cameras.
Morgan’s account matched what Ventura told jurors last week, saying the police arrived after the incident but Ventura refused to cooperate.
Morgan said her relationship with Ventura ended in 2018 after she says Combs tried to choke Morgan and hit her with a wooden coat hanger. Morgan testified that Combs demanded she tell him “who Cassie was cheating on him with” while Ventura locked herself in a bathroom.
Morgan said she later accepted a $30,000 payment from Combs after she threatened to sue. She agreed to a confidentiality deal in return for the money, she testified.
On cross examination, defense lawyers questioned why Morgan has not rekindled her relationship with Ventura. They tried to reinforce the idea that Combs was violent simply out of jealousy and because of the drugs he was taking – not that he was using violence to coerce Ventura and keep her under his control.
“I draw the line at physical abuse,” Morgan said. “The reason I stopped speaking to her was she was not supportive of me after that incident.”
Combs’ former assistant testifies about ‘Mr. Combs’ kingdom’
David James, Combs’ former personal assistant, began his testimony on Monday by telling jurors about interviewing for the job he had with Combs.
As he entered the headquarters of Bad Boy Entertainment in New York, James said an employee remarked about a photo of Combs hanging on the wall. “This is Mr. Combs’ kingdom. We’re all here to serve in it,” James said the woman told him.
James testified about the demanding hours, the weapons Combs’ security staff carried and the time Ventura warned him about Combs.
“She said to me, ‘Man this lifestyle is crazy,'” James testified Ventura saying. “She said, ‘I can’t get out. You know Mr. Combs oversees so much of my life. He controls my music career, he gives me an allowance.'”
James’ testimony is set to resume on Tuesday morning, when he is expected to continue describing the alleged process of preparing hotel rooms for Combs.
That line of testimony could establish the broader enterprise of people who supported and enabled his activities.
Prosecutors release evidence from Ventura’s testimony
After four days of Ventura’s brutal and deeply intimate testimony last week, federal prosecutors Monday released many of the photos they have shown the jury in their effort to convict Combs in their sex trafficking and racketeering case.
Through the evidence, jurors were able to see some of the bruises, gashes and welts that Ventura said she suffered after Combs beat her. They also saw a knife that Ventura said she used to block a door and protect herself from Combs.
“I was getting a lot of unannounced visits from Sean where he was angry, and trying to kill two birds with one stone, to lock it and have a weapon,” she testified.
Prosecutors also released photos from the night Combs was arrested last year, including $9,000 in cash, substances that they said tested positive for ketamine and MDMA, and bottles of baby oil that were allegedly stocked by Combs for use during the sex parties that witnesses have described in court testimony.
(LOS ANGELES) — Erik and Lyle Menendez were resentenced last week to 50 years to life in prison, which makes them eligible for parole — a topic that would likely have been broached at their next hearing, originally scheduled for June 13.
However, the parole hearing dates were pushed back to Aug. 21 and Aug. 22, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced on Monday.
Erik and Lyle Menendez were initially sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the 1989 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez.
Prior to the announcement from CDCR, it seemed that next month’s parole board hearing was just for the governor’s clemency path — to give the governor insight for a decision whether to grant clemency or not.
Following the resentencing decision on May 13, future parole considerations would have taken place at separate hearings, likely months after the hearing that was already scheduled for June.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has already requested information, such as a risk assessment, while considering the brothers’ clemency bid. The brothers are pursuing multiple avenues to freedom, and the clemency path was separate from the resentencing path.
Newsom can grant clemency at any time.
But it could still be months or years before the brothers would get parole — if ever. That will be up to the parole board.
(PALM SPRINGS, CA) — Guy Bartkus — the lone suspect in a fatal car bombing that took place outside of a fertility center in Palm Springs, California, on May 17 — appears to have operated multiple social media accounts where he posted videos of homemade explosive devices and messages pointing to his plans.
Law enforcement officers are reviewing the accounts, which are believed to have been operated by Bartkus, a source familiar with the investigation told ABC News.
A snapshot of a YouTube channel, titled “Indict Evolution,” was saved to an online archive before the channel was taken off the platform.
The archive contains videos dating back at least six years and pointing to an interest in experimenting with homemade explosives and chemicals.
Several videos show what appear to be tests of homemade explosive devices.
Other videos suggested an interest in radioactive materials, with titles like “Uranium ore next to Geiger counter” and “Thorite from thorium mine.”
A spokesperson for YouTube, when asked about the account “Indict Evolution,” said, “We terminated channels associated with the suspect.”
The channel was no longer available as of Sunday.
The spokesperson added that the accounts had been removed for violating the platform’s policy on violent extremism.
One of the videos from the YouTube account was shared on May 12 to a controversial message board dedicated to suicide. The account that shared the YouTube video there went by the same username that law enforcement believes belonged to Bartkus, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
On May 5, a post on that account mentioned a failed suicide attempt involving drugs and a homemade explosive device.
On Thursday, that account posted again, detailing disturbing plans for a death by carbon monoxide poisoning. In a follow-up post, the user referred to “some extra drama that I probably shouldn’t say haha.”
The suspect was identified on Sunday afternoon as 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus of Twentynine Palms, which is located about 50 miles from Palm Springs, according to Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.
Bartkus is believed to be the person found dead next to the detonated vehicle, Davis said.
The fertility clinic near the blast, the American Reproductive Centers of Palm Springs, said in a statement that its staff members, as well as eggs, embryos and reproductive materials, were unharmed in the blast.
(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge on Monday ruled that the Trump administration’s takeover of the U.S. Institute of Peace was unlawful, and efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency to dismantle the agency are “null and void,” according to court filings.
D.C. federal judge Beryl Howell’s ruling says that President Donald Trump’s unilateral effort to disband the agency, which primarily functions as a think tank supporting both the executive and legislative branches, exceeded his constitutional authorities and violated the statute that established the USIP.
“The President’s efforts here to take over an organization outside of those bounds, contrary to statute established by Congress and by acts of force and threat using local and federal law enforcement officers, represented a gross usurpation of power and a way of conducting government affairs that unnecessarily traumatized the committed leadership and employees of USIP, who deserved better,” Howell wrote of efforts to disband the agency as part of Trump’s plan to slash the federal government.
In a hearing in March, officials who were ousted from USIP described in dramatic detail what was essentially a forced takeover of the agency by officials with DOGE, assisted by armed agents with the FBI, members of the D.C. Police Department and officials with the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“This conduct of using law enforcement, threatening criminal investigation, using armed law enforcement from three different agencies … to carry out the executive order … with all that targeting probably terrorizing employees and staff at the institute when there are so many other lawful ways to accomplish the goals … why?” Howell asked. “Just because DOGE is in a rush?”
But at the time, Judge Howell turned down an emergency request from the plaintiffs in the lawsuit to reinstate USIP’s board, saying they failed to meet the high legal burden that would warrant a temporary restraining order.
“I’m very offended by how DOGE has operated at the Institute and treated American citizens trying to do a job that they were statutorily tasked to do at the Institute,” Howell wrote in March. “But that concern … is not one that I have that can sway me in my consideration of the factors for a TRO.”
In her ruling Monday, Howell noted that USIP is unique in its status as seemingly a mix between an executive branch agency and a private nonprofit corporation — and that Trump’s aggressive approach to oust its board members and replace them with DOGE officials seemed to violate a statute that required approval by Congress.
“The actions that have occurred … at the direction of the President to reduce USIP to its ‘statutory minimums’ — including the removal of USIP’s president, his replacement by officials affiliated with DOGE, the termination of nearly all of USIP’s staff, and the transfer of USIP property to the General Services Administration (‘GSA’), were thus effectuated by illegitimately-installed leaders who lacked legal authority to take these actions, which must therefore be declared null and void,” Howell wrote.
The administration is likely to appeal the ruling, making it one of a number of ongoing legal fights on appeal regarding President Trump’s removal authorities.
(GREER, Ariz.) — A wildfire in eastern Arizona continues to burn, expanding to over 20,000 acres, with more red flag warnings in effect on Monday.
The Greer Fire, named after the small community in Arizona’s White Mountains where the blaze sparked on May 13, has grown to 20,425 acres and is 38% contained, officials said on Monday.
A red flag warning in northeastern Arizona — including the area of the flames — is in effect on Monday, with officials urging residents to avoid burning or using tools that spark.
“One spark into the dry veg under red flag conditions can start a rapid spreading wildfire,” the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management said Monday in a post on X.
Over 700 personnel have been assigned to battle the blaze, with high winds — reaching around 40 mph — posing “another test for firefighters holding the firelines,” the forestry service said.
On Saturday, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs declared a state of emergency in Apache County due to the growing flames.
“My heart is with everybody who has been impacted by this devastating wildfire,” Hobbs said in a statement on Saturday.
Evacuations have been issued for Greer, South Fork, residents west of Highway 261, Eager, south of Highway 260 and west of River Road, officials said. An interactive map has also been established to highlight the current evacuation orders.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, officials said.
Greer is a small mountain town near the state’s border with New Mexico with a population of less than 60 residents, as of 2020 census data.
More information on the growth of the fire and evacuations will be provided to the public on Monday evening, the forestry service said.
ABC News’ Leah Sarnoff contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A Mexican Navy sailboat with 277 people on board crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday evening, killing two people and injuring more than a dozen others who were on board in a dramatic scene along the New York City waterfront, according to authorities.
The crash occurred at 8:30 p.m., resulting in at least 19 people injured, according to the New York Police Department. Four people were left with serious injuries, according to city officials, who gave a press briefing late Saturday evening.
Mayor Eric Adams said early Sunday that two people were dead following the crash. Two others remained in critical condition, he said in a statement posted to social media.
On Sunday, Mexican Sen. Manuel Huerta identified the two sailors killed in the crash as América Yamilet Sánchez and Adal Jair Marcos.
The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a go-team to New York City to investigate the crash, the federal agency said Sunday. They began arriving that same day. The multidisciplinary investigative team is comprised of experts in nautical operations, marine and bridge engineering and survival factors, the NTSB said.
The captain, who was maneuvering the ship, lost power and mechanical function, and the current caused the ship to go right into the pillar of the bridge, hitting the mast of the ship where there was a couple of sailors,” NYPD Chief Wilson Aramboles said during a press briefing.
The sailors were injured as a result of the mast striking the bridge, according to Aramboles.
The U.S. Coast Guard, which responded to the incident, described the vessel, called the Cuauhtémoc, as a 297-foot-long training ship. The Coast Guard said all three of the tall ship’s masts were damaged as a result of the collision with the bridge.
Numerous cellphone videos from nearby onlookers captured the moment the ship’s masts, decorated with lights, collided with the bottom of the Brooklyn Bridge. Members of the ship’s crew were seen dangling from the masts after the collision.
No one fell into the water, according to officials. Officials said they did not believe the bridge sustained any structural damage. The bridge has since been reopened to traffic, Adams said just after midnight, adding that “we can confirm that the bridge sustained no damage” after a preliminary inspection.
“We are praying for everyone on board and their families and are grateful to our first responders who quickly jumped into action, ensuring this accident wasn’t much worse,” he said.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said in a statement on Sunday evening that the Mexican government is coordinating with local authorities and the U.S.
“The injured are being attended to first and foremost and our solidarity always goes out to a cadet and a sailor who died, and we are going to be attending to them,” Sheinbaum said.
She also said that the cause of the accident is “being reviewed” by the Mexican naval secretary and the relevant authorities.
The ship was disembarking from Pier 17 and heading to Iceland, officials said.
The NTSB was on site immediately after the crash and said it will begin its investigation into the cause, but preliminary information shows it was likely a mechanical issue with the sailboat, according to officials.
ABC News’ Bill Hutchinson, Josh Margolin, Clara McMichael and Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Around 30 million people from Texas to Illinois are bracing for another day of potentially destructive storms following a tornado outbreak that slammed communities across the Heartland to the East Coast.
Since Thursday, at least 28 people have been killed, including 19 in Kentucky, where a powerful EF-3 twister tore through Laurel County in the southeastern part of the state, officials said.
At least 250 tornadoes were reported since Thursday. They killed two people in Virginia and seven in Missouri, where a funnel cloud with a preliminary intensity rating of EF-3 — on the Enhanced Fujita Scale of zero to five — and packing 152 mph buzzsaw-like winds wreaked havoc in St. Louis, officials said.
Overnight, officials said suspected tornadoes hit Stafford, Reno and Grove Counties in Kansas, causing massive damage to the cities of Plevna and Grinnell. Grapefruit-size hail was also reported in Arnett in Anderson County, Kansas.
As first responders across the Heartland continued to search for victims on Monday morning and devastated residents combed through the rubble of their destroyed homes, more severe weather is being forecast.
According to the National Weather Service, eastern Oklahoma — including the cities of Oklahoma City and Tulsa — was under a moderate risk of receiving destructive storms on Monday, as well as the cities of Fort Smith in northwest Arkansas and Joplin, Missouri. Possible high-end, long-track tornadoes, large hail and destructive thunderstorms could hit the areas, officials said.
An enhanced risk of severe weather is forecast from Dallas, Texas, to Kansas City and Columbia, Missouri.
Storms are expected to quickly explode and intensify on Monday afternoon from northeast Texas to eastern Kansas.
The bad weather is expected to spill into Tuesday. Flash flooding is possible in southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas through Tuesday morning.
A line of storms is forecast to sweep through the South on Tuesday, reaching Memphis and Nashville by Tuesday afternoon.
Rain is forecast to spread to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York City early Wednesday and scattered showers are expected to linger through Thursday.
Part of what’s been fueling the severe weather outbreak has been extremely hot temperatures, which are expected to continue through at least Wednesday.
In Texas, Dallas is expected to be in the mid-80s over the next three days, while San Antonio has the potential to break a daily high temperature record on Tuesday, when it is expected to reach 102 degrees. Houston could also see a daily record fall on Tuesday, when the temperature is forecast to rise to 98.
Meanwhile, Orlando, Florida, could break daily high temperature records with back-to-back days of 97-degree weather on Monday and Tuesday. Savannah, Georgia, could also set a new daily high temperature mark on Tuesday, when it is expected to reach 96 degrees.
