(CORNELIUS, N.C.) — The mother and stepfather of Madalina Cojocari, 11, who has been missing for weeks, were arrested on Saturday for allegedly failing to report her disappearance, police said.
The 11-year-old was last seen at home in Cornelius, North Carolina, about three weeks before her school was notified on Dec. 15 that she was missing, according to law enforcement officials.
“The parents of the juvenile reported the juvenile missing to the Bailey Middle School SRO where the juvenile attends school,” the Cornelius Police Department said in a statement on Friday. “The juvenile was last seen at home, on the evening of November 23, 2022, and has not been seen since.”
The FBI and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation are working with the Cornelius Police Department in the search for the missing girl.
Cojocari had been wearing “jeans, pink, purple and white Adidas shoes, and a white t-shirt and jacket” at the time of her disappearance, the FBI said.
Police said they began an investigation on Thursday after the school was notified Cojocari was missing.
Diana Cojocari, 37, and Christopher Palmiter, 60, were arrested on Saturday on the charge of Failure to Report the Disappearance of a Child to Law Enforcement, police said in two statements.
Police identified the pair as Cojocari’s mother and stepfather. Both are being held at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center, police said.
North Carolina law requires parents or guardians to report missing children to law enforcement within “a reasonable time.”
ABC News’ Victoria Arancio and Monica Camacho contributed to this report.
(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — Five people are in critical condition after a late Friday night shooting in North Memphis, Tennessee, according to the Memphis Police Department.
Two men and two women were transported to a local hospital in critical condition, and another woman was taken by a private vehicle to the hospital in critical condition.
The suspect is known by the victims but is not in custody, according to Memphis police.
“This incident stemmed from a domestic situation. All individuals shot were adults,” the department said in a Tweet.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(LOS ANGELES) — Los Angeles mountain lion P-22 was euthanized after officials determined the celebrity feline was suffering from severe injuries and chronic health problems, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said Saturday.
The mountain lion had been captured on Monday by CDFW and the National Park Service officials who brought it in for evaluation.
The CDFW said the feline’s injuries and health issues were discovered during a comprehensive medical evaluation.
The agencies say it is likely that a vehicle collision or incident was the cause behind some of the injuries.
The CDFW is not seeking information on a vehicle collision, calling the situation “an eventuality that arises from habitat loss and fragmentation, and it underscores the need for thoughtful construction of wildlife crossings and well-planned spaces that provide wild animals room to roam.”
Medical tests showed “significant trauma to the mountain lion’s head, right eye and internal organs, confirming the suspicion of recent injury, such as a vehicle strike,” the department said.
The CDFW said the trauma to his internal organs would require invasive surgical repair.
Tests also revealed significant pre-existing illnesses, including irreversible kidney disease, chronic weight loss, extensive parasitic skin infection over his entire body and localized arthritis.
“Based on these factors, compassionate euthanasia under general anesthesia was unanimously recommended by the medical team at San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and CDFW officials made the decision to do so on Saturday, Dec. 17,” the department said.
According to CDFW, the cat’s chronic and debilitating conditions, as well as his age, “left P-22 with no hope for a positive outcome.”
The celebrity lion, which is tracked by National Park Service researchers, became famous for making Griffith Park his home and prowling through the Hollywood Hills on occasion. He even became the subject of a book and a documentary.
“Mountain lion P-22 has had an extraordinary life and captured the hearts of the people of Los Angeles and beyond,” the statement from CDFW read. “The most difficult, but compassionate choice was to respectfully minimize his suffering and stress by humanely ending his journey.”
(NEW YORK) — At least 208,000 customers in the Northeast have lost power as a Nor’easter pummels millions in the Northeast with snow, ice and rain as a major storm continues to sweep its way across the country.
In Maine, at least 71,711 are without power, with 55,288 customers in New Hampshire, 50,666 in Vermont and 30,375 customers in New York experiencing similar outages Saturday.
This storm started in the west and the south, with 58 reported tornadoes slamming Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.
In the north, up to 4 feet of snow fell in western South Dakota, while up to 30 inches slammed Duluth, Minnesota. Blizzard warnings are ongoing for Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana.
Part of that massive storm has redeveloped into a Nor’easter that’s pounding the Northeast.
A winter storm warning is in effect from Pennsylvania to Maine.
So far 13 inches of snow fell in Landgrove, Vermont, 12 inches hit Piseco, New York, and 10 inches were recorded in Plainfield, Massachusetts.
Heavy rain and powerful winds up to 50 mph are slamming the coast from New York City to Boston.
The storm will slowly drift to the northeast, dropping rain and heavy snow in New England before tapering off Saturday night.
ABC News’ Dan Amarante and Kiara Alfonseca contributed to this report.
(HIGHLAND PARK, Ill.) — The father of the suspected Highland Park, Illinois, mass shooter appeared in virtual bond court in Lake County on Saturday, a day after being charged with seven counts of reckless conduct in connection with the shooting.
Robert Crimo Jr. took a “reckless and unjustified risk” when he signed the Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card for his son to apply for gun ownership, Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said at a news conference Friday. At the time, his son was 19 and could not get a FOID card on his own because was not 21 or over; Those who are 18, 19 or 20 are required to have parent or guardian authorization, Rinehart said.
Under an agreement between the state and Crimo’s defense team, the judge reduced his bond from $500,000 to a $50,000 cash bond. Judge Jacquelyn Melius also ordered Crimo Jr. to surrender his Firearm Owners Identification card, conceal and carry license and any dangerous weapons in his possession within 24 hours of his release. Highland Park police will take possession of those items.
Under his release, Crimo Jr. will have a curfew and cannot have drugs or alcohol or any weapons.
His next court date is set for Jan. 12 at 9 a.m.
“Parents and guardians are in the best position to decide whether their teenagers should have a weapon. They are the first line of defense. In this case, the system failed,” Rinehart said.
Crimo Jr. is facing seven counts of reckless conduct causing great bodily harm.
His son, Robert Crimo III, is accused of killing seven people and injuring dozens of others in the mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb this summer. He pleaded not guilty to charges including murder and attempted murder.
Crimo Jr.’s attorney George M. Gomez said in a statement Friday that the charges were “baseless and unprecedented.”
“This decision should alarm every single parent in the United States of America who according to the Lake County State’s Attorney knows exactly what is going on with their 19 year old adult children and can be held criminally liable for actions taken nearly three years later,” Gomez said in a statement.
The attorney added that his client “continues to sympathize and feel terrible for the individuals and families who were injured and lost loved ones this past July 4th, but these charges are politically motivated and a distraction from the real change that needs to happen in this country.”
Bobby Crimo Jr. told ABC News in July that he was “shocked” by the shooting.
“I had no — not an inkling, warning — that this was going to happen,” he said.
“I filled out the consent form to allow my son to go through the process that the Illinois State Police have in place for an individual to obtain a FOID card,” Crimo told ABC News this summer. “They do background checks. Whatever that entails, I’m not exactly sure. And either you’re approved or denied, and he was approved.”
“Signing a consent form to go through the process…that’s all it was,” Crimo said of his involvement. “Had I purchased guns throughout the years and given them to him in my name, that’s a different story. But he went through that whole process himself.”
Crimo Jr. said his son purchased the weapons with his own money and registered them in his own name.
The Illinois State Police changed its rules for FOID card applications in the wake of the shooting.
ABC News’ Alex Perez and Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Two protesters from Tennessee surrendered Friday to face federal charges in New York for routinely harassing women entering a Planned Parenthood clinic on Manhattan’s Bleecker Street.
Bevelyn Beatty Williams, 31, and Edmee Chavannes, 41, violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act with a multiyear campaign to interfere with women who were seeking or providing lawful reproductive care, federal prosecutors said.
The clinic is regularly the scene of abortion-related protests, but Williams and Chavannes used force, threats of force and physical obstruction to impede women from entering the clinic since at least 2019, the indictment said.
“This office will remain committed to ensuring that healthcare facilities, their staff, and those seeking to obtain reproductive health services can continue to do so without unlawful interference,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.
On consecutive days in June 2020 — during the coronavirus pandemic — Williams and Chavannes used force against patients and staff members to keep them from going inside the clinic, the indictment said, quoting from a livestreamed video on Williams’ Facebook page: “This is going to be a wonderful day. We are going to terrorize this place.”
In one instance, Williams pressed her body against the patient entrance door, crushing a staff member’s hand. In another instance, Chavannes forced a woman against a metal barricade and screamed in her face, according to the indictment.
The two appeared briefly in Tennessee before they are transferred to New York for prosecution.
They are each charged with conspiracy to violate the FACE Act, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Williams faces an additional charge of violating the FACE Act through force, which carries up to 10 years.
The two protesters were named in a civil lawsuit filed in February 2021 by New York Attorney General Letitia James. James announced in April 2021 that her office had come to an agreement with the two women to stay outside the buffer zone or pay a $5,000 fine if they broke the agreement.
Prosecutors said the two have sought to harass women at reproductive health care clinics in Atlanta, where they stood inside the vestibule and yelled threatening comments at patients; Brooklyn, New York; and Fort Myers, Florida. Chavannes and Williams were also arrested for trespassing at a Planned Parenthood during an anti-abortion protest in Nashville, Tennessee, in July.
(NEW YORK) — Brittney Griner thanked her family and friends and credited her faith for surviving her time in custody on Friday in her first comments since being released from a Russian prison earlier this month.
“It feels so good to be home! The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn,” Griner wrote on Instagram. “I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help.”
The U.S. swapped the WNBA star for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout on Dec. 8.
Griner was taken into custody at a Moscow area airport in February in possession of vaping cartridges containing hashish oil, an illegal substance in Russia. She pleaded guilty in July and was sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 7. She appealed the sentence, but was quickly rejected in October.
The U.S. had been negotiating a prisoner swap for months. President Joe Biden finally announced on Dec. 8 that he had spoken to Griner from a plane as she flew back to the United States and shared photos of himself with Griner’s wife, Cherelle, and Vice President Kamala Harris in the Oval Office.
Griner also specifically thanked Biden and urged the U.S. to continue to fight to bring imprisoned ex-Marine Paul Whelan home from Russia.
“President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too,” she wrote. “I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you. I also encourage everyone that played a part in bringing me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole.”
(WASHINGTON) — A follower of the QAnon conspiracy theory movement who led members of the pro-Trump mob that chased Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman during the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol was sentenced Friday to five years in prison following his conviction of multiple felony and misdemeanor offenses for his actions during the riot.
Doug Jensen, 43, became one of the more recognizable figures in early pictures that emerged from the Capitol assault and was one of the first rioters to breach the building after scaling a 20-foot wall on the West Front of the complex.
Prosecutors had sought 64 months for Jensen, describing him as a leader who “was trying to fire up a revolution” that day.
Judge Tim Kelly went slightly below their recommendation in sentencing Jensen to 60 months, expressing concern at Jensen’s failure to express any remorse for his actions, including in a short statement he delivered just prior to the sentence being handed down. Jensen made no apology and said he just wanted to move forward and get back to his old life.
Kelly credited Goodman’s heroism as he detailed the rationale behind the sentence, noting if he hadn’t been able to divert the mob away from the U.S. Senate the consequences could have been dire.
“It is a miracle that more people were not injured and did not lose their lives that day,” Kelly said.
In their sentencing memo, prosecutors described Jensen as a “ringleader” during the attack who later expressed pride in becoming a “poster boy” of Jan. 6.
A jury convicted Jensen in September of five felony offenses including assaulting a law enforcement officer and obstructing an official proceeding, after a trial which featured testimony from Officer Goodman himself.
Goodman described the harrowing moment he was chased by Jensen and other rioters up a stairwell inside the Capitol where he managed to divert them away from the Senate Chamber and into the Ohio Clock Corridor where other officers joined him to provide backup.
Capitol Police Inspector Thomas Lloyd said in a new letter to Judge Kelly this week that the quick thinking by Goodman likely prevented a shootout inside the Capitol to prevent rioters from reaching Senators who were at the time sheltering in place.
“Thankfully, the Defendant was able to walk out of the Capitol Building on January 6. He can thank Officer Goodman,” Lloyd said. “If Officer Goodman had not led the Defendant and the rest of the mob away from the Senate Lobby and an attempt was made to breach those doors, there would have been tremendous bloodshed.”
Even after Goodman was joined by his fellow officers, Jensen continued to confront them — demanding they “back up” and arrest Vice President Mike Pence. Prosecutors later revealed he had been carrying a knife in his pocket with a three-inch blade.
After the riot, when Jensen was first interviewed by the FBI, he was asked by agents if he regretted his actions and told them “it would have been worth it” if former President Trump was able to stay in power as a result of the attack, prosecutors say.
And while his attorneys said leading up to his trial that he was reformed and no longer believed in the QAnon conspiracy theory movement, he was later caught using an unauthorized cell phone to stream Mike Lindell’s so-called “Cyber Symposium” that propagated more conspiracy theories about the 2020 election being stolen.
(DALLAS) — A jury has begun the sentencing phase Friday for former police officer Aaron Dean, one day after he was found guilty of manslaughter in the death of Atatiana Jefferson.
The same jury decided to convict Dean on Thursday for manslaughter as opposed to a harsher murder charge during roughly 13 hours of deliberations. Manslaughter is a second-degree felony, according to the Texas penal code. It’s punishable by two to 20 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
Jefferson, a 28-year-old Black woman, was fatally shot by Dean, a white police officer, in her Fort Worth, Texas, home on Oct. 12, 2019.
Dean and another officer responded to a nonemergency call to check on Jefferson’s home around 2:30 a.m. because a door was left open to the house.
Dean did not park near the home, knock at the door or announce police presence at any time while on the scene, according to body camera footage and Dean’s testimony.
Dean testified that he suspected a burglary was in progress due to the messiness inside the home when he peered through an open door. When Dean entered the backyard, body camera footage showed Dean looking into one of the windows of the home.
Jefferson and her young nephew Zion were playing video games when they heard a noise, according to Zion’s testimony. Zion said his aunt had left the door open because they burned hamburgers earlier in the night and were airing out the smoke.
Jefferson grabbed her gun from her purse before approaching the window, Zion testified. Police officials have said Jefferson was within her rights to protect herself.
Dean’s lawyers argued during the trial that he was confronted by deadly force when he saw Jefferson with the gun and was within his right to respond with deadly force. However, Dean admitted on the stand that his actions constituted “bad police work.”
In body camera footage, Dean can be heard shouting, “Put your hands up, show me your hands,” and firing one shot through the window, killing Jefferson. According to a forensics video expert, there was half a second between his commands and when he shot Jefferson.
Dean resigned from the police department before his arrest. Fort Worth Chief of Police Ed Kraus has said Dean was about to be fired for allegedly violating multiple department policies.
(WASHINGTON) — A follower of the QAnon conspiracy theory movement who led members of the pro-Trump mob that chased Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman during the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol is set to be sentenced Friday following his conviction of multiple felony and misdemeanor offenses for his actions during the riot.
Doug Jensen, 43, became one of the more recognizable figures in early pictures that emerged from the Capitol assault and was one of the first rioters to breach the building after scaling a 20-foot wall on the West Front of the complex.
In their sentencing memo requesting Judge Timothy Kelly sentence Jensen to more than five years in prison, prosecutors describe Jensen as a “ringleader” during the attack who later expressed pride in becoming a “poster boy” of Jan. 6.
A jury convicted Jensen in September of five felony offenses including assaulting a law enforcement officer and obstructing an official proceeding, after a trial which featured testimony from Officer Goodman himself.
Goodman described the harrowing moment he was chased by Jensen and other rioters up a stairwell inside the Capitol where he managed to divert them away from the Senate Chamber and into the Ohio Clock Corridor where other officers joined him to provide backup.
Capitol Police Inspector Thomas Lloyd said in a new letter to Judge Kelly this week that the quick thinking by Goodman likely prevented a shootout inside the Capitol to prevent rioters from reaching Senators who were at the time sheltering in place.
“Thankfully, the Defendant was able to walk out of the Capitol Building on January 6. He can thank Officer Goodman,” Lloyd said. “If Officer Goodman had not led the Defendant and the rest of the mob away from the Senate Lobby and an attempt was made to breach those doors, there would have been tremendous bloodshed.”
Even after Goodman was joined by his fellow officers, Jensen continued to confront them — demanding they “back up” and arrest Vice President Mike Pence. Prosecutors later revealed he had been carrying a knife in his pocket with a three-inch blade.
After the riot, when Jensen was first interviewed by the FBI, he was asked by agents if he regretted his actions and told them “it would have been worth it” if former President Trump was able to stay in power as a result of the attack, prosecutors say.
And while his attorneys said leading up to his trial that he was reformed and no longer believed in the QAnon conspiracy theory movement, he was later caught using an unauthorized cell phone to stream Mike Lindell’s so-called “Cyber Symposium” that propagated more conspiracy theories about the 2020 election being stolen.
