13-year-old boy accused of 11 break-ins targeting young girls
A 13-year-old was apprehended for allegedly targeting young girls in a string of home invasions in Michigan, authorities said. Oakland County Sheriff’s Office
(DETROIT) — A 13-year-old was apprehended for allegedly targeting young girls in a string of home invasions in Michigan, authorities said.
The teen was allegedly involved in nine break-ins in Pontiac and two in Detroit, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said.
On Feb. 4, the suspect — who was wearing a ski mask and was armed with a knife — choked a sleeping 10-year-old girl, according to the sheriff’s office. The girl screamed, and then her mom saw the suspect run down the stairs and out of the house, the sheriff’s office said.
“This is the worst nightmare for any parent — that somebody might be trying to climb in through a window to get after their kids, especially a young teenage girl,” Bouchard said at a news conference.
There were few physical injuries, but Bouchard stressed the immense “emotional trauma” of being targeted in bed.
The break-ins began two years ago, Bouchard said. The suspect allegedly looked for unlocked windows and had a knife during several incidents, he said.
Charges are not yet clear. The 13-year-old’s parent has been cooperative, Bouchard said.
(WASHINGTON) — The federal judge who oversaw Donald Trump’s classified documents case has blocked the Department of Justice from sharing special counsel Jack Smith’s final report on his probe with select members of Congress.
Judge Aileen Cannon, in an order issued one day after Trump’s inauguration, offered a scathing criticism of the Department of Justice’s “startling” conduct and willingness to “gamble” with the rights of Trump’s former co-defendants by attempting to allow four members of Congress to review Smith’s final report as directed by DOJ policy.
“Prosecutors play a special role in our criminal justice system and are entrusted and expected to do justice,” Cannon wrote. “The Department of Justice’s position on Defendants’ Emergency Motion … has not been faithful to that obligation.”
Trump pleaded not guilty in June 2023 to 37 criminal counts related to his handling of classified materials, after prosecutors said he repeatedly refused to return hundreds of documents containing classified information. The former president, along with his longtime aide Walt Nauta and staffer Carlos De Oliveira, also pleaded not guilty in a superseding indictment to allegedly attempting to delete surveillance footage at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
Judge Cannon dismissed the case in July based on the constitutionality of Smith’s appointment, and Smith dropped Trump from his appeal of the case after the election due to a longstanding Department of Justice policy prohibiting the prosecution of a sitting president — but the Justice Department appealed the dismissal of the case against Nauta and De Oliveira.
Cannon, in her ruling issued Tuesday, criticized prosecutors for being willing to release sensitive court materials — including material pursuant to grand jury subpoenas — while the case against Trump’s former co-defendants is ongoing.
“In short, the Department offers no valid justification for the purportedly urgent desire to release to members of Congress case information in an ongoing criminal proceeding,” Cannon wrote.
Cannon expressed concern that the report, if shown to members of Congress, could be leaked publicly and prevent Trump’s former co-defendants from having a fair trial.
“This Court lacks any means to enforce any proffered conditions of confidentiality, to the extent they even exist in memorialized form. And most fundamentally, the Department has offered no valid reason to engage in this gamble with the Defendants’ rights,” the order said.
Cannon’s order remains in effect at least 30 days after the case proceedings conclude, at which point the Justice Department can advise the court about their position on the order.
The DOJ’s new leadership under the Trump is not expected to press for the report’s release, making it unlikely that the report will ever see the light of day.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden has now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in history, after announcing Friday that he was pardoning nearly 2,500 nonviolent drug offenders.
Biden said in the announcement — which came just three days before his term ends — that he is commuting the sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses and “serving disproportionately long sentences compared to the sentences they would receive today under current law, policy, and practice.”
He did not provide additional details as to the exact number of people who would be affected by the clemency action, timelines involved or any of the qualifying criteria used for assessing the pardons.
“Today’s clemency action provides relief for individuals who received lengthy sentences based on discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine, as well as outdated sentencing enhancements for drug crimes,” Biden wrote.
In the 1980s, Biden supported several bills that increased penalties for drug users, including one that essentially lengthened sentences for crack cocaine users, predominantly African-Americans, as compared to those convicted of using powder cocaine, who were predominantly white.
Congress has since tried to address sentencing disparities through the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 and the First Step Act of 2018.
“This action is an important step toward righting historic wrongs, correcting sentencing disparities, and providing deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their families and communities after spending far too much time behind bars,” he said, with no direct mention of his prior record.
He also acknowledged that the decision would set a historic precedent.
“With this action, I have now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in U.S. history,” Biden said in the statement.
Hinting he’s not done yet with his pardon power, Biden also wrote that he will “continue to review additional commutations and pardons.”
(BATON ROUGE, LA.) — Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, went into lockdown after a shooting took place on campus Sunday evening.
The incident, which took place in the Ulysses S. Jones Hall dormitory, left at least one person injured and taken to the hospital, according to ABC affiliate WBRZ. Their condition is unknown.
No identities related to the incident have been released.
The school posted a message on its website at 7:24 p.m. local time, stating: “ATTENTION: There has been a shooting incident in U.S. Jones Hall. The possible suspect is a Black male waring a black hoodie with rhinestones and dark pants. The campus is locked down for safety. Please remain in your dorm rooms/offices until an all-clear is given.”
Southern University and A&M College is a Historically Black College and University and, with five locations across Louisiana, it is the only HBCU system in the United States, according to its website.
An all-clear was issued at 9:15 p.m. local time, according to WRBZ. It remains unclear if the alleged suspect described in the school’s previous announcement was located or taken into custody.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
