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(LOS ANGELES) — Agricultural officials in Southern California are battling an active infestation of red imported fire ants that are “highly aggressive in nature,” and pose a risk to California’s agricultural economy.
The infestation occurred at a private property in Montecito, in Santa Barbara County, according to a recent press release from the Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office.
Located over 90 miles north of Los Angeles, Montecito is best known as a celebrity enclave with Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle among the town’s residents.
Officials did not name the owners of the private property.
Venom released from the ants’ stings can cause “painful pustules on the skin, and can be particularly dangerous, even fatal, to sensitive groups or those with an allergy to the venom,” officials said in the July 18 release.
Red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta, pose “an immediate threat” to California’s agricultural economy because they require a quarantine of nursery products, officials said.
The ant species is native to South America but has established populations in parts of Southern California, particularly in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties. The first recorded presence of the species in California was in 1984.
Siavash Taravati, an entomologist and integrated pest management advisor with the University of California’s Cooperative Extension offices, noted the distinction between this species of ants and ants native to California.
Native fire ants and argentine ants appear similar to red imported fire ants in size and color but the quickest way to differentiate them is by their “aggressive behavior,” Taravati told ABC News.
The ants’ stinging behavior is hazardous to fieldworkers and infestations can clog irrigation systems and damage electrical wiring, Taravati said.
The presence of red imported fire ants is known to increase the cost of fruit picking in the region, according to Taravati, due to the health dangers associated with the species.
The ants can also threaten wildlife and displace native ant species, Taravati said.
This is the only known active infestation in Santa Barbara County, according to officials, who said there are currently no red imported fire ant quarantines in place.
The infestation is believed to have originated from a nursery stock shipped from Riverside County in September 2023, which was infested by the red ants and spread to the surrounding property.
Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office staff are conducting regular surveys of the impacted property and determining appropriate treatments by a licensed and registered pest control business, according to the release.
Officials are working in collaboration with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), and Riverside County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office staff.
(HOUSTON) — A suspect has been identified after an abandoned newborn was found crying by a dumpster in Houston, police said Wednesday.
A person called 911 early Sunday afternoon reporting that they had heard a baby crying near a dumpster at an apartment complex, according to Houston Police Department spokesperson Jodi Silva.
First responders found the infant in the dumpster area, Silva said. Video captured by a bystander showed first responders rescuing the baby from the dumpster and appearing to swaddle him in a blanket.
The newborn was transported to a local hospital and is believed to be in good health, Silva said.
Child Protective Services has since taken custody of him, she said. It is unclear how long the infant was by the dumpster.
Police have been investigating the incident, including checking surveillance footage, to identify who placed the newborn there and any potential witnesses, Silva said.
Police have since identified a suspect and “are continuing to work through the investigation,” Silva said.
No additional details on the suspect have been released at this time, including their alleged connection to the incident. The name of the suspect will not be released until charges have been filed, Silva said.
(SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) — The former sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot Sonya Massey in her Illinois home while responding to her call for help has held six different police jobs since 2020, the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board confirmed to ABC News.
Body camera footage released Monday shows former deputy Sean Grayson yelling at Massey, an unarmed 36-year-old Black woman and mother of two, to put down a pot of boiling hot water.
The footage, reviewed by ABC News, shows that Massey told the deputy, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” and then she apologized after the officer threatened to shoot her. She poured the water into the sink and ducked down behind a counter, covering her face with what appears to be a red oven mitt. She briefly rose, and Grayson shot her three times in the face.
A review by Illinois State Police found that Grayson was not justified in his use of deadly force.
Grayson, who is white, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in Massey’s death.
The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) records show that Grayson, 30, worked three full-time and three part-time jobs in four police departments and two sheriff’s offices over the past four years, all within the state of Illinois.
Grayson was employed at three different police departments in 2021 alone, the records show. His shortest term of employment was with the Kincaid Police Department, where he was employed for just over three months. Records list his reason for leaving as “other.”
His longest term of employment was with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, where he worked for a year and two months. Grayson was fired from Sangamon County last week, following Massey’s death.
Grayson worked part time at the Pawnee Police Department from August 2020 to July 2021; his reason for leaving is listed as “other.” He also worked part time at the Kincaid Police Department from February to May of 2021.
The Kincaid Police Department told ABC News that Grayson was “let go by the Village of Kincaid board when he refused to live within the 10-mile radius of the village.” They also said they have no complaints against Grayson and no disciplinary actions were taken against him while he worked with the Kincaid police.
The Virden Police Department hired him part time from May to December 2021, and he also worked full time at the Auburn Police Department from July 2021 to May 2022. Both departments list his reason for leaving as “resigned.”
Grayson then worked at the Logan County Sheriff’s Office full time from May 2022 until he resigned in April 2023. He was hired at the Sangamon Sheriff’s Office in May 2023 where he remained until he was fired last week.
ABC News is seeking further details on Grayson’s employment history.
“It is clear that the deputy did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards. Therefore, Sean Grayson’s employment with the Sheriff’s Office has been terminated,” Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell wrote in a statement last week announcing Grayson’s termination.
Massey’s father, James Wilburn, questioned Grayson’s employment history.
“The biggest question is: How did this man ever get hired in law enforcement?” Wilburn told ABC News. “When a Black man has just a little blemish in his credit, he can’t get hired in the police department. But here’s a man who, in four years, he’s been in six different departments.”
Wilburn has also criticized Sheriff Campbell for his role in Grayson’s employment and called for Campbell to resign at a press conference on Tuesday.
“The sheriff here is an embarrassment,” Wilburn said. “[Grayson] should have never had a badge. And he should have never had a gun. He should have never been given the opportunity to kill my child.”
Campbell told ABC News he will not be resigning.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Massey’s family, says that Grayson must be held accountable for his actions.
“Sonya Massey needed a helping hand. She did not need a bullet to the face. We cannot continue to shoot first and ask questions later when it’s Black people,” Crump said to ABC News.
ABC News’ Davi Merchan and Emily Chang Contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — A week before Thomas Mathew Crooks opened fire on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, he became “very focused” on Trump and the rally, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
Crooks also searched for information on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, he said.
Wray told Congress in the last few days the FBI has been able to analyze a laptop connected to Crooks.
“On July 6, he did a Google search for quote, ‘how far away was Oswald from Kennedy?’ So that’s a search that’s obviously significant in terms of his state of mind,” Wray said.
He added that Crooks had pictures of public figures on his phone, but had “no rhyme or reason” to their methodology.
The FBI director said there is no apparent motive yet for the July 13 assassination attempt.
“We’re hoping to learn more, and we’re still exploiting a number of digital devices,” Wray said.
Crooks went to the site a week before the assassination attempt, he also said.
“He traveled to the grounds, I think, a week before, he spent roughly 20 minutes there,” he said. “Then he went to grounds again on the morning of the event, it appears, for about 17 minutes.” Crooks went to the site a third time “for good.”
Crooks flew a drone about 200 yards from the rally venue and had it up in the air for about 11 minutes, he testified.
“We have recovered a drone that the shooter appears to have used,” Wray said, adding the drone was recovered in the shooter’s vehicle.
“It appears that around 3:50 p.m., 4 o’clock, in that window, on the day of shooting, that the shooter was flying the drone around the area,” he said.
“Let me be clear about the area, not over the stage, and that part of the area itself, but I would say about 200 yards, give or take away,” he said.
Wray said it appears the shooter was a “loner” and didn’t have a lot of contacts in his cell phone.
“A lot of people describe him as a loner … that does kind of fit with what we’re seeing in his devices. You know, his list of contacts, for example, is very short, compared to what you would normally see from most people … there doesn’t appear to be a whole lot of interaction between him, you know, face to face or digital, with a lot of people,” Wray said.
The FBI has conducted over 400 interviews with “many more to conduct,” he said.
Border threat
In addition to questions about the assassination attempt against Trump, the FBI director was asked about the threat emanating from the southern U.S. border.
Over the past five or six years, the number of known or suspected terrorists encountered along the southern border “has increased,” and “that should be of concern,” Wray testified.
He also said that it doesn’t take a lot of foreign terrorists to be a “real problem.”
“I am increasingly concerned that foreign terrorists could seek to exploit vulnerabilities at our Southwest border or at other ports of entry or in other aspects of our immigration system to facilitate an attack here in the United States. I think that is something we have to be concerned about,” he said.
Election threats
Wray also said the Russians are continuing attempts to “influence” and “in various ways interfere with our democracy.”
“In fact, just in the last few weeks, we announced a significant disruption of a generative AI, enhanced social media and a bot farm, essentially of the Russians that was designed, designed to be an influence operation, and some of the fake, fictitious profiles of those bots purported to be US persons, so they’re still at it,” Wray said.
(NEW YORK) — A 28-year-old high school coach was “randomly shot and killed” standing on a rooftop bar while she was in town for a conference, police said.
Ayden Burt, a 28-year-old high school coach from Jasper Independent School District in Texas, was visiting San Antonio for the Texas High School Coaches Association Conference when, just after midnight, she was randomly shot and killed while standing at a local rooftop bar on the 500 block of E. Crockett St., police said.
“Our Homicide Detectives are working to bring justice to Ayden and her family; however, details are limited,” according to a statement issued by the San Antonio Police Department.
Burt was reportedly at the bar with other coaches from across the state when the shooting occurred.
“She was sitting right next to me laughing and talking and the next bleeding in my lap,” said Humble High School football coach Robert Murphy on X. “My coaches did everything they could performing CPR etc to save her life. She was excited about the upcoming year. Traumatizing.”
Jasper Independent School District Superintendent John Seybold announced her death in a statement on social media.
“It is with a heavy heart that we have learned of the passing of one of our staff members, Ayden Burt. We ask for prayers of comfort for her family, as well as her extended family, the students and staff of Jasper ISD,” Seybold said. “Ayden has been teaching in Jasper ISD since 2019, teaching English at both Jasper High School and Jasper Jr. High, also serving as a Cheer Sponsor and Coach. We ask that everyone respect the privacy of the family and staff at this time.”
The San Antonio Police Department is asking for the public’s help for any information regarding this tragic incident.
If you have any information regarding this murder, please contact our SAPD Homicide unit at 210-207-7635. Any information provided may help solve this case.
(ST. LOUIS) — A judge in St. Louis issued a written order Monday vacating the murder conviction of Christopher Dunn, who has served 33 years in a Missouri prison for a murder he has maintained he did not commit.
The order follows a hearing two months ago during which Circuit Court Judge Jason Sengheiser heard evidence in favor of Dunn’s exoneration, including findings from an evidentiary hearing four years ago in which the presiding judge declared that if Dunn were tried today given the current evidence, “reasonably, properly instructed jurors would find [Dunn] not guilty.”
“In conclusion, the only evidence inculpating Dunn has been recanted,” court documents of Sengheiser’s ruling stated. “The [St. Louis] Circuit Attorney [Gabe Gore] has made a clear and convincing showing of ‘actual innocence’ that undermines the basis of Dunn’s convictions because in light of the new evidence, no juror, acting reasonably, would have voted to find Dunn guilty of these crimes beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office did not immediately return ABC News’ request for comment, nor did the state prosecutor’s office return ABC News’ request for a statement, including when Dunn might be released from prison.
Dunn, 52, was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole for a first-degree murder conviction in the death of 15-year-old Rico Rogers, who was shot to death in May 1990.
There is no physical evidence linking Dunn, who was 18 at the time, to Roger’s murder. His conviction was based on the testimony of two eyewitnesses who said they saw Dunn nearby just before the shooting. The witnesses — DeMorris Stepp, then 14, and Michael Davis Jr., who was 12 — recanted their testimonies in 2005 and 2015, respectively.
The eyewitnesses said they were coerced by prosecutors and police to testify that Dunn was guilty. The state attorney general’s office testified during the hearing, which began May 21, that they never coerced, manipulated or threatened the witnesses.
Defense attorneys for Dunn argued during the hearing that Stepp and Davis’ alleged false testimonies were “inconsistent, uncertain and unsure” and made while they were children, and that Stepp and Davis corrected their testimony when they became adults.
Gore filed the motion to vacate Dunn’s murder conviction in February this year.
“There remains no evidence upon which a reasonable jury could return a verdict of guilty,” Gore said in closing statements during the hearing earlier this year. “In fact your honor, in this case, there simply remains no evidence at all.”
Prosecutors from the Missouri Attorney General’s office maintained that Dunn was guilty, arguing that regardless of their testimonies, the witnesses were still able to identify Dunn via photo and a live lineup.
This is the second time a judge has heard Dunn’s case for exoneration. In a 2020 evidentiary hearing, Texas County Judge William Hickle ruled that given the new evidence, and the recantations of the testimonies, “reasonably, properly instructed jurors would find [Dunn] not guilty.”
Still, Dunn was not exonerated on account of a 2016 Missouri Supreme Court ruling that only allowed death row inmates to make a “freestanding” claim of innocence.
“We are overjoyed to soon be welcoming home MIP [Midwest Innocence Project] client Christopher Dunn,” his defense team told ABC News in a statement. “The Attorney General’s Office is continuing to waste taxpayer money as it fights Chris’ release even though two judges have now found that no jury would convict Chris today.”
In 2021, Missouri adopted a new law that expands the rights of incarcerated persons without death sentences to file for an exoneration. The law allows prosecutors to request hearings to vacate a conviction if they have information that demonstrates that the convicted person is not guilty, or was otherwise wrongfully convicted.
During the May hearing, Dunn’s defense attorneys brought up Judge’s Hickle’s findings in 2020 that Dunn had met the standard for exoneration, and called on Judge Sengheiser to “establish actual innocence and allow you to do what Judge Hickel could not do. Vacate the wrongful conviction of Christopher Dunn.”
(NEW YORK) — A geyser explosion in Yellowstone National Park sent dozens of visitors running Tuesday morning, officials said.
Videos taken of the event show the dramatic moment, with water and debris raining down over the park’s Biscuit Basin thermal area, about two miles from Old Faithful.
The geothermal explosion damaged the boardwalk, but did not cause any injuries, officials said.
The Biscuit Basin has been temporarily closed while geologists investigate the event.
Hydrothermal explosions are somewhat common in the area, occurring when underground water suddenly turns to steam.
Similar eruptions occurred at Biscuit Basin in 1959, 1991 and 2009.
Homes are threated as the Hawarden Fire burns in Riverside, Calif., July 21, 2024. (David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Officials in Southern California said they are searching for suspects in a fire sparked by illegal fireworks that has caused more than $10 million in damages.
The Hawarden Fire in Riverside County ignited Sunday afternoon and within three hours had burned more than 500 acres, according to Riverside Mayor Lock Dawson.
Six homes have been completely destroyed and seven others damaged in the “horrendous fire,” Dawson said during a press briefing Monday evening.
The fast-moving fire has resulted in an estimated $10 million in damage to homes and more than $1 million in response costs, Dawson said, who noted that damage assessments were still ongoing.
The blaze was determined to be sparked by fireworks, which are illegal in Riverside County, the mayor said.
“This tragic event serves as a stark reminder of why fireworks are illegal in our community,” Dawson said. “We live in an area with dry brush, varied terrain and high temperatures, making it ideal for such disasters.”
Camera footage showed suspects fleeing the area, and a vehicle of interest is being reviewed by investigators, Dawson said. No additional details were released on the suspects and vehicle.
“We will ensure they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Dawson said.
Investigators are pursuing all video and social media leads, according to Greg White with the Riverside arson investigations team.
White said they will seek restitution from those responsible.
The Hawarden Fire was 40% contained as of Tuesday morning, according to Cal Fire. It is one of 20 active fires in the state, according to the agency.
(PHILADELPHIA) — A 28-year-old man who was wounded in a mass shooting that broke out at a West Philadelphia party early Sunday in which nine people were shot, three fatally, has been arrested and accused of being one of the gunmen involved in the violence, authorities said Tuesday.
The suspect, whose name was not immediately released, was charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder, Philadelphia Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore announced in a statement posted on X.
Vanore said detectives with assistance from the Philadelphia district attorney’s office “developed evidence to charge one of our shooting victims.” Vanore did not comment on the evidence that led police to the suspect.
Investigators are continuing work to identify other suspects in the shooting, officials said.
The mass shooting unfolded around 2 a.m. on the 1200 block of North Alden Street in the Carroll Park neighborhood of West Philadelphia, where a party attended by more than 100 people was taking place, according to police.
When officers arrived, they found victims suffering from gunshot wounds and multiple spent shell casings scattered in the area, officials said.
“It appears that there were multiple shooters. It’s unclear at this time how many. But we have counted at least 25 to 30 spent shell casings at this time,” Pace told reporters at the scene Sunday morning.
One gun was recovered at the scene, officials said.
“Preliminary information indicates an exchange of gunfire between multiple parties resulting in a nonuple shooting and triple homicide,” police said in a statement.
The shell casings recovered from the scene indicate different caliber weapons were used in the shooting, which is “consistent with an exchange of gunfire between individuals on location,” according to the police statement.
Three men ages 23, 29 and 33 were killed in the shooting, police said. One died at the scene and two were taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead, police said.
The other shooting victims were a 26-year-old woman and five men ranging in age from 26 to 30, according to police. All were listed in stable condition, police said.
Two of the victims who survived the shooting were taken to hospitals in private vehicles, police said.
The shooting occurred when a fight broke out at the party, police said.
Police say two of the fatally shot victims were brothers.
“My condolences to the family, particularly the parent who lost two sons,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said at a news conference on Monday. “It was not some individual who came up and just randomly started to shoot down the block and shoot nine people. There is an absolute gun battle that goes on, for, though it seems long, it was a short period of time.”
Surveillance video reviewed by investigators captured the shootout, police said.
“This tragedy reminds us that while gun violence continues to decline in Philly and nationwide, we as elected and community leaders still have much work to do,” Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement.
Valerie Plesch for The Washington Post via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who came under scrutiny for the agency’s failure to prevent the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, has resigned.
Cheatle had faced calls to step down since the shooting at a Trump rally on July 13, which left one attendee dead and two others critically injured.
She announced her resignation Tuesday morning in an email to Secret Service employees, which was obtained by ABC News.
“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders and financial infrastructure. On July 13th, we fell short on that mission,” she wrote. “The scrutiny over the last week has been intense and will continue to remain as our operational tempo increases. As your Director, I take full responsibility for the security lapse.”
In a statement following her resignation, President Joe Biden said he was “grateful” to Cheatle for her service and that the independent review into the shooting would continue.
“As a leader, it takes honor, courage, and incredible integrity to take full responsibility for an organization tasked with one of the most challenging jobs in public service,” Biden said.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas thanked Cheatle for her “lifelong devotion to our country” and for leading “the Secret Service with skill, honor, integrity, and tireless dedication.”
“She is deeply respected by the men and women of the agency and by her fellow leaders in the Department of Homeland Security,” Mayorkas said in a statement. “I am proud to have worked with Director Cheatle and we are all grateful for her service.”
In an interview with ABC News after the attack, Cheatle called the incident “unacceptable” and said it was her responsibility to ensure nothing like it would happen again.
“The buck stops with me,” she said. “I am the director of the Secret Service, and I need to make sure that we are performing a review and that we are giving resources to our personnel as necessary.”
Cheatle said during the interview she would not resign from her role — a claim she repeated during House testimony on Monday.
During the contentious hearing, Cheatle called the assassination attempt on Trump the “most significant operational failure at the Secret Service in decades.”
“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders. On July 13, we failed,” Cheatle said in her testimony before the House committee. “As the director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse. We are fully cooperating with ongoing investigations. We must learn what happened.”
Cheatle told the committee that she would move “heaven and earth” to ensure that what occurred will never happen again.
“Our mission is not political. It is literally a matter of life and death, as the tragic events on July 13 remind us of that,” she said. “I have full confidence in the men and women of the Secret Service. They are worthy of our support in executing our protective mission.”
Cheatle had faced calls to resign from both Republicans and Democrats after the shooting. John Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the House Oversight Committee, told Cheatle in his opening statement at the hearing that he was among those who believe she should resign.
By the end of the hearing, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the ranking member of the committee, joined in the calls for Cheatle to resign, saying that the director “has lost the confidence of Congress at a very urgent and tender moment in the history of the country and we need to quickly move beyond this.” Following the hearing, Raskin joined Comer in sending Cheatle a letter requesting her resignation.
Critics questioned how the Secret Service could have failed to safeguard the rally area from such an attack, particularly following reports the shooter had been spotted before he opened fire and identified as potentially suspicious.
Cheatle previously told ABC News “a very short period of time” passed between then and the shooting.
“I don’t have all the details yet, but it was a very short period of time,” she said. “Seeking that person out, finding them, identifying them, and eventually neutralizing them took place in a very short period of time, and it makes it very difficult.”
Cheatle also said that local authorities were tasked with securing the building where the alleged shooter fired the shots before being taken out by a Secret Service sniper, and confirmed that local police were present inside the building while the shooter was on the roof.
“In this particular instance, we did share support for that particular site and that the Secret Service was responsible for the inner perimeter,” Cheatle said. “And then we sought assistance from our local counterparts for the outer perimeter. There was local police in that building — there was local police in the area that were responsible for the outer perimeter of the building.”
Some of the criticism of Cheatle has focused on her being a woman, with prominent conservatives, like Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., calling her a “DEI hire” and female Secret Service agents in general as having “physical limitations” that should prevent them from serving.
Cheatle testified before the GOP-led House Oversight Committee on Monday. In a statement announcing the hearing, chairman Comer said, “Americans demand answers” from Cheatle.
“The United States Secret Service has a no-fail mission, yet it failed on Saturday when a madman attempted to assassinate President Trump, killed an innocent victim, and harmed others,” Comer said. “We are grateful to the brave Secret Service agents who acted quickly to protect President Trump after shots were fired and the American patriots who sought to help victims, but questions remain about how a rooftop within proximity to President Trump was left unsecure.”
Cheatle, who was appointed by Biden in 2022, was one of only two women to ever serve as director of the Secret Service. Previously, she had been the first woman to serve as the agency’s assistant director of protective operations.
Before her appointment, she was the senior director in global security at PepsiCo. Before that, she had served with the Secret Service for more than 25 years, including on Biden’s security detail while he was vice president.
