Phoenix set to break record for 110-degree days as extreme heat plagues West Coast
(PHOENIX) — Extreme late-season heat is plaguing the West Coast from Los Angeles to Seattle with heat alerts issued for more than 65 million Americans across six states.
Phoenix has surpassed 110 degrees 55 times this summer, tying the record set just last year. Phoenix is expected to break that all-time record Thursday as temperatures are forecast to reach near 114 degrees.
Over the last 30 years, Phoenix has seen an average of just 21 days a year over 110 degrees.
There have been 177 heat-related deaths in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and its suburbs, from January through August, according to the Maricopa County Department of Health. The deaths of 436 other people are being investigated as to whether they are heat-related.
Last year, 645 heat-related deaths were recorded in the county, according to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.
Phoenix reached 111 degrees on Wednesday, extending its record for the most consecutive days at 100 degrees or higher to an even 100. The previous record was 76 days at 100 or above.
Elsewhere in the West, record temperatures of 106 degrees are possible in Medford, Oregon; 102 is possible in Portland, Oregon; and 91 degrees is possible in Seattle.
In addition to record heat, a red flag warning has been issued for Washington state, where very low humidity and hot temperatures could help spread wildfires.
Numerous wildfires have been burning in Oregon and some evacuations have been issued.
The hot weather will continue for the West through this weekend.
Long Beach, California, could get close to a record 100 degrees on Saturday and Boise, Idaho, could approach a record 95 degrees on Sunday.
(SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) — The legal team of Sean Grayson, the former deputy charged with fatally shooting Illinois mother Sonya Massey in her home, notified the court Monday during his first pretrial hearing that they filed a request for an appeal with the Illinois Appellate Court last week following a lower court’s decision to deny Grayson’s pretrial release, according to Grayson’s lawyer.
Grayson has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in Massey’s death after she called 911 to report a prowler. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains in custody.
A review by Illinois State Police found Grayson was not justified in his use of deadly force. He was fired from his position with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office on July 17, the same day the charges were filed against him.
Grayson’s defense team requested his pretrial release from jail twice. In their latest request, the team argues in a motion filed earlier this month that he is currently under cancer treatment and will not receive adequate care in the Menyard County Jail, where Grayson is currently being held. They also stated that he does not pose a threat to Massey’s family.
Judge Ryan Cadagin denied the requests on July 18 and Aug. 9, according to the circuit court.
“Mr. Grayson is not being treated any differently than any other defendant that walks into the courthouse this morning, or is in custody, as well for a felony and they’re detained,” Mark Wykoff, Grayson’s attorney, told reporters at the circuit court after the hearing.
Wykoff said it could take up to three to four months for a decision to come out of the appellate court. If the appellate court approves the appeal, the defense can then petition the Illinois Supreme Court to review the appellate court’s decision, according to the Illinois Courts website.
In Monday’s hearing, the defense requested more time for discovery — the exchange of information between the prosecution and defense about witnesses and evidence they’ll present at trial, according to the court. Cadagin granted their request and ordered a status hearing for Oct. 21.
Grayson’s job with Sangamon County was one of six different police jobs he held over the past four years.
Prior to his employment with Sangamon, Grayson worked at the Logan County Sheriff’s Office for just under a year. According to audio files obtained by ABC News, Grayson’s then-boss, Logan County Chief Deputy Nathan Miller, expressed concerns over Grayson violating department policy and submitting inaccurate reports while discussing his mishandling of a traffic case.
Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell, who announced he will retire at the end of August in connection to hiring Grayson, previously told ABC News that Sangamon County was not aware of this incident when Grayson was hired. Without knowledge of his disciplinary issues at Logan County, Campbell said that Grayson presented no red flags.
“Some individuals would rather see our community divided and in turmoil, than allow me to continue serving as Sheriff,” he said. “The health of me and my family, the Sheriff’s Office, and our community has to be my priority.”
Prior to Grayson’s time in public law enforcement, he was discharged from the U.S. Army for unspecified “misconduct (serious offense),” according to documents obtained by ABC News.
ABC News also learned that Grayson was charged with two DUI offenses in Macoupin County, Illinois, in August 2015 and July 2016, according to court documents.
Grayson, 30, and a second, unnamed deputy responded to Massey’s 911 call on July 6 reporting a possible intruder at her Springfield home.
Body camera footage shows Massey, who was unarmed, telling the two responding deputies, “Please, don’t hurt me,” once she answered their knocks on her door. Grayson responded, “I don’t want to hurt you, you called us.”
Later in the video, while inside Massey’s home as she searches for her ID, Grayson points to a pot of boiling water on her stove and says, “We don’t need a fire while we’re in here.”
Massey then pours the water into the sink and tells the deputy, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
Grayson then shouts at Massey and threatens to shoot her, the video shows, and Massey apologizes and ducks down behind a counter, covering her face with what appears to be a red oven mitt. She briefly rises, at which time Grayson shoots her three times in the face, the footage shows.
Grayson said he feared for his life during his encounter with Massey, according to documents released by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in August.
“While on scene, I was in fear Dep. (redacted) and I were going to receive great bodily harm or death. Due to being in fear of our safety and life, I fired my duty weapon,” Grayson wrote in his field case report.
The Menard County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Grayson “is not receiving any preferential treatment, nor being afforded any privileges or benefits not afforded to other inmates of the Menard County Jail.”
ABC News’ Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.
(BEAUFORD, S.C.) — A Massachusetts man vacationing with his family in South Carolina has been missing since Friday and is endangered, authorities said.
Stanley Kotowski, 60, was last seen Friday morning leaving his family’s vacation rental on Hilton Head Island, according to his family. He is believed to be barefoot and did not take any personal items such as his phone or wallet, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Kotowski has been struggling with anxiety recently, his family told ABC Savannah, Georgia, affiliate WJCL.
“He had really bad insomnia for about a month. This is like a brand-new thing,” his wife, Jackie Kotowski, told WJCL. “He doesn’t have dementia. His anxiety just kept getting worse and worse and worse and he started to get a little paranoid, and he thought someone was chasing him.”
His son, Zak Kotowski, told WJCL that his father is otherwise healthy.
“He’s a strong person, he’s athletic. He could, even in a delirious state, shoeless, he could get a few towns over,” Zak Kotowski told the station.
Kotowski was reported missing by his family about two hours after he was last seen, according to Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Master Sergeant Daniel Allen. He has been listed as endangered due to his mental state, the length of time he has been missing and because he was last seen on a Ring camera without any shoes on, Allen said.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office continued to search for Kotowski on Tuesday.
Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office continues to search for missing and endangered 60-year-old Stanley Kotowski. https://t.co/iKCirBWxl1
— Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, SC (@bcsopio) August 20, 2024
Search efforts have included K9s, helicopters, drones, boats, and foot patrol, the sheriff’s office said. There have been some tips but none that have panned out, Allen said.
“Unfortunately with all the efforts that they’ve been putting out, from literally air, land and water, we have not made contact with him at this point,” Allen told ABC News on Tuesday.
Kotowski’s information has been entered into national databases and sent out to agencies statewide, the sheriff’s office said.
His family said they are not leaving Hilton Head Island without him while pleading for people to help.
“We just want him to come home,” Jackie Kotowski told WJCL. “We need help from anybody who can assist us in finding him.”
Zak Kotowski also had a message for his dad: “We love you. Come home, we just want you home.”
Kotowski was last seen wearing a gray Coors Light T-shirt, dark-colored shorts and no shoes, as captured on a Ring camera footage shared by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. He is approximately 6 feet tall and weighs around 200 pounds, with short brown hair and brown eyes and a thick Boston accent.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office has asked residents to review their cameras and check their property for any signs of Kotowski. Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 843-524-2777.