Firefighters launch rescue operation for dog that fell into Florida cave
Marion County Fire Rescue
(NEW YORK) — A dog in Florida has been rescued by a team of firefighters after falling 14 feet into a cave in the middle of a field, authorities said.
The incident occurred at approximately 7:05 p.m. Monday when officials from Marion County Fire Rescue in Ocala, Florida, received a call from a distressed dog owner reporting that his dog Bella had fallen into a 14-foot hole and he was unable to get her out, according to a statement from MCFR released on Monday detailing the incident.
“Marion Oaks Engine #24 arrived on scene at 7:08pm, finding Bella trapped in the hole,” authorities said. “Engine #24 Captain established command and requested our Technical Rescue Team on Tower #2 from Belleview Station #18.”
Rescuers were able to set up their rig successfully and a firefighter was subsequently lowered into the cave in an attempt to rescue Bella.
“Firefighters removed her from the cave and returned her safely to her owner,” MCFR said in their statement.
It is unclear if the cave was signposted, but Bella looked thrilled to be out of trouble in pictures released by the fire department.
“Amazing work to save this dog. God Bless you all,” said one person commenting on MCFR’s social media post announcing the rescue.
“MCFR, thank you for saving this angel,” said another commenter. “I will be forever grateful for guys like you. God bless.”
(NEW YORK) — The attorney for two Black men whose racially motivated torture led to the conviction of six white former Mississippi law enforcement officers called for justice amid a new U.S. Department of Justice announced civil rights probe into the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD), where five of the former sheriff’s deputies worked.
Malik Shabazz, the lead attorney representing Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker, said during a video press conference Monday from his office in Greenbelt, Maryland, that the two men and their legal team “welcome this federal investigation into Rankin County and into Sheriff Bryan Bailey. It is long overdue.”
The investigation into the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department “will seek to determine whether RCSD engages in patterns or practices that violate the Constitution and federal law,” according to the DOJ announcement.
The probe is separate from the initial investigation launched by the DOJ last year into the Jan. 24, 2023 torture of Jenkins and Parker, which led to the conviction of five former sheriff’s deputies, as well as a former Richland, Mississippi police officer who was also involved in the incident, on both federal and state charges. The sheriff’s deputies were part of a self-described “Goon Squad” of “officers who were known for using excessive force and not reporting it,” according to the DOJ.
“Those officers have since been convicted and sentenced, but we are launching this civil pattern or practice investigation to examine serious allegations that the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department systematically violates people’s constitutional rights through excessive use of force; unlawful stops, searches, and arrests; and discriminatory policing,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in the statement announcing the probe.
Garland added that the allegations against the Rankin County Sheriff’s office include overusing tasers, entering homes unlawfully, using racial slurs, and utilizing “cruel tactics to assault people in their custody.”
In response to a request for comment, an attorney representing Sheriff Bryan Bailey and the RCSD referred ABC News to a statement posted on the RCSD’s Facebook page in response to the DOJ probe announcement.
“We have increased our agency’s transparency by placing our policies and procedures, in addition to our compliments and complaints portal on the Sheriff’s Department website,” the statement says. “We will continue this transparency and will fully cooperate with all aspects of this investigation, while also welcoming DOJ’s input into our updated policies and practices.”
Attorneys Shabazz and Trent Walker, who represent Parker and Jenkins, told ABC News in a joint statement that the DOJ probe into the RCSD is “a first, critical step in cleaning up the Sheriff’s Department and holding Rankin County legally accountable for the years of constitutional violations against its citizenry.”
“The torture and abuse of so many took place because, despite innumerable warnings, Rankin County and Sheriff Bailey belligerently refused to properly monitor and supervise this rogue and violent department,” Shabazz and Walker claimed in the statement.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi said in a statement responding to the DOJ probe announcement that the information the DOJ has gathered regarding the behavior of some members of the RCSD “calls back to some of the worst periods of Mississippi’s history.”
“We do not have to accept the old hatreds and abuse of the past,” Gee said. “And we do not have to accept the false claim that safety comes at the price of illegal force and abuse of power.”
The Mississippi NAACP said in a statement posted to Facebook that the DOJ probe into the sheriff’s office “marks a significant step in addressing concerns raised by the community and advocates regarding potential misconduct within the department,” and that the NAACP “looks forward to Rankin County being held accountable for alleged acts against its population.”
The DOJ civil rights probe comes nearly six months after the federal sentencing in March of former RCSO deputies Hunter Elward, Jeffrey Middleton, Christian Dedmon, Brett McAlpin and Daniel Opdyke, along with Joshua Hartfield, a former Richland, Mississippi police officer, to between 10 and 40 years in prison. The six men also pleaded guilty to state charges stemming from the incident and were sentenced in April to between 10 and 20 years in prison.
All six pleaded guilty to 16 felony charges related to the racially motivated torture and sexual assault of Jenkins and Parker, along with a third Rankin County man, in two unrelated incidents, according to a statement released by U.S. Department of Justice on Aug. 3, 2023. They also pleaded guilty to a subsequent plan to cover up their crimes.
News of the Jan. 24, 2023 incident and the subsequent convictions sparked a firestorm in Mississippi, including calls for Bailey’s resignation from numerous parties, including the Rankin County branch of the NAACP, which launched a petition calling for the sheriff to step down.
Following the sentencing of the former sheriff’s deputies in March, Bailey said in a statement obtained by ABC affiliate WAPT-TV in Jackson, Mississippi that “the safety and security of everyone in Rankin County is a primary concern for this department” and that his office cooperated with the initial DOJ probe into the torture of Jenkins and Parker.
“As the duly elected and acting Sheriff of Rankin County, I will remain committed to the betterment of this county and this sheriff’s department moving forward,” Bailey added.
Jenkins and Parker filed a $400 million federal lawsuit in July 2023 against the former law enforcement officers involved in this case. The lawsuit also names Sheriff Bailey, claiming he “failed to properly train, supervise, control, direct, monitor, and discipline Rankin County Sheriff’s Deputies.”
The former sheriff’s deputies and Bailey denied wrongdoing in an Oct. 2023 filing in response to the suit.
In July, Bailey asked U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III to dismiss him from the lawsuit, claiming he had “qualified immunity” — a doctrine that protects government officials, including law enforcement officers, from personal liability for alleged constitutional violations. But in a July 24 ruling, the judge denied Bailey’s request.
(ATWATER, Calif.) — A Federal Bureau of Prisons employee died after coming into contact with an unknown substance in the mail room at the U.S. penitentiary in Atwater, California, according to a bureau spokesperson.
The employee began to feel unwell on Friday after coming into contact with the substance and was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the BOP. A second employee came into contact with the substance, was observed at the hospital and released.
“Our hearts are heavy as we extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of our fallen Bureau employee,” a Bureau of Prisons spokesperson said. “Out of respect for the family’s privacy and the grief of our Bureau community, we have no further details to share at this time.”
The Council of Prison Locals, the BOP’s largest union that represents employees, has been advocating for more mailroom safety measures, according to the Council President Brandy Moore-White.
A bill was introduced by Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebr., in December 2023 that would require the agency to electronically scan all the mail coming into the facilities. It is unclear what the procedures are now.
The bill has yet to make it out of the Judiciary Committee.
(BRIDGETON, N.J.) — A 24-year-old woman has been charged for allegedly hopping a fence at a New Jersey zoo and “enticing” a tiger, according to police.
Zyair Dennis was charged with one count of defiant trespassing and was issued two city ordinances related to climbing fences in the zoo, Bridgeton police said in a statement Monday.
Dennis allegedly entered a restricted area at the Cohanzick Zoo on Aug. 18, according to police.
Witnesses gave authorities video and photos that showed a woman jumping over the fence, approaching the caged tiger enclosure and “reaching into the cage before quickly pulling her hand out when the animal reacted aggressively,” police said.
Police said she was almost injured when she “enticed” the tiger.
The woman was allegedly also seen on video “depicting the same scenario at the bear enclosure,” police said.
Last week, Bridgeton police released information and images from the incident in an effort to identify the suspect. Police said Monday that the footage helped them identify Dennis.
Dennis’ appearance in Bridgeton Municipal Court has not been scheduled, police said.
ABC News’ Julia Reinstein contributed to this report.
