Flash flooding threat in South as major storm moves across country

(NEW YORK) — Three Fort Cavazos soldiers have been accused of a conspiracy to smuggle undocumented immigrants, according to the Department of Justice.

The Texas-based soldiers were caught on Nov. 27 allegedly driving three people — one Mexican national and two Guatemalan nationals — after a United States Border Patrol Agent initiated a vehicle stop in Presidio.

An agent approached the vehicle, which then fled and “struck a second USBP vehicle, injuring an agent inside,” the DOJ said.

Police eventually stopped the vehicle and apprehended the three undocumented immigrants, as well as one of the soldiers, identified as Emilio Mendoza Lopez.

The car’s driver, who was allegedly Angel Palma, “fled on foot and was located the following day at a hotel in Odessa,” prosecutors said.

The Department of Justice has accused Mendoza Lopez and Palma of traveling to the Army base to Presidio “for the purpose of picking up and transporting undocumented noncitizens.”

A third soldier, identified as Enrique Jauregui, has been accused of recruiting and facilitating the scheme.

Text messages between the three soldiers, which were obtained through a search of Palma’s phone, allegedly revealed communications “indicating collaboration in the smuggling operation.”

Mendoza Lopez is charged with one count “of bringing in and harboring aliens” and made his initial court appearance on Monday.

Palma and Jauregui are both charged with one count of “bringing in and harboring aliens” and one count of assaulting a federal agent. They were arrested Tuesday, and are expected to appear in court on Friday.

It was not immediately clear if any of the soldiers had obtained attorneys.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Army base said they “are aware of the arrest of three Fort Cavazos Soldiers” and said they would “continue to cooperate with all federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(PIEDMONT, CA) — Three people were killed and one was seriously injured when their Tesla Cybertruck crashed in Piedmont, California, according to police.

Just after 3 a.m. on Wednesday, police received a collision alert from an iPhone, which provided police with the location of the crash, according to Piedmont Police Department Chief Jeremy Bowers. Shortly after, someone called 911 to report a crash.

“Officers arrived on scene to find a single-vehicle collision fully engulfed in flames,” Bowers said at a press conference Wednesday.

Another motorist was able to pull one person from the Cybertruck, Bowers said.

Officers attempted to extinguish the flames, but the fire was too intense for the extinguishers to be effective, police said.

The Piedmont Fire Department responded and was ultimately able to extinguish the flames, according to Bowers.

Police believe it is possible the people involved in the crash were at a function together before the incident.

There is no evidence that a mechanical issue with the electric truck caused the crash, police said.

Police said they will not be releasing information about the identities of those killed in the Cybertruck at this time.

Speed was a factor in the collision, but there were other factors that likely contributed to the deadly crash, Bowers said.

The Piedmont Police Department is investigating along with the California Highway Patrol.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA) — The U.S. Department of Defense on Wednesday announced the transfer of two detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, bringing the total announced departures to three detainees in the last 24 hours.

Mohammed Farik bin Amin and Mohammed Nazir bin Lep, who are both Malaysians, are being sent to their home country to serve the remainder of a five year sentence imposed in June, the Pentagon said in a press release. Officials had announced the transfer of Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu to Kenya on Tuesday.

There are now 27 detainees at Guantanamo, 15 of whom are eligible for a transfer out of the detention facility.

The two detainees whose transfers were announced Wednesday had previously been brought before a Military Commission, where they pleaded guilty to multiple offenses, including murder in violation of the law of war, the Pentagon said.

Both had agreed prior to their trials to testify against Encep Nurjaman, who the U.S. described as the alleged mastermind behind al-Qaeda attacks in Bali, Indonesia, in 2002, and in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2003, the Pentagon said.

“On June 13, 2024, in accordance with the pretrial agreements, the Convening Authority approved sentences of confinement for approximately five years for each and recommended that both men be repatriated or transferred to a third-party sovereign nation to serve the remainder of the approved sentence,” the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

In announcing the transfer of Bajabu to Kenya on Tuesday, the Pentagon said that a review board had found that his detention was “no longer necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat to the national security of the United States.”

He was released to the Kenyan government, the U.S. said.

“The United States appreciates the support to ongoing U.S. efforts toward a deliberate and thorough process focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility,” the Pentagon said.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.