Kentucky sheriff accused of shooting judge pleads not guilty, could face death penalty
Leslie County Detention Center
(WHITESBURG, Ky.) — The Kentucky sheriff accused of fatally shooting a judge in his chambers last week could face the death penalty if convicted, according to a special judge appointed to preside over the case.
Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines, 43, made his first court appearance Wednesday, where he pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges.
On Thursday, Stines allegedly killed Kentucky District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, inside his chambers in the Letcher County Courthouse, officials said. The shooting allegedly occurred “following an argument inside the courthouse,” according to Kentucky State Police, and investigators are still searching for a motive.
Stines did not appear to show emotion during the brief hearing on Wednesday, where he appeared over Zoom wearing a jail uniform alongside his public defender, who entered the not guilty plea on Stines’ behalf.
He is expected back in court on Oct. 1.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Three tourists from Germany have been cited after going on a paintball shooting spree that defaced road signs, bathrooms and dumpsters throughout Joshua Tree National Park, officials said.
On Sunday, a park ranger who was patrolling the Jumbo Rocks Campground at Joshua Tree National Park noticed “fresh yellow paintball splatter on structures and signs,” according to a statement from the National Park Service released on Thursday.
“Law enforcement rangers were called to the campground to investigate further and found a slingshot in plain view inside a vehicle,” officials said. “After being questioned, the visitors admitted to firing paintballs with a compressed paintball gun, known as a paintball marker, and slingshots the night before.”
Rangers subsequently searched the vehicle and recovered “three slingshots, a paintball marker, paintballs, and other related equipment as evidence,” park officials confirmed.
Authorities have not released any information on the suspects involved in this case but did confirm that the three suspects questioned were tourists from Germany, according to the statement detailing the incident from the National Park Service.
“Defacing or altering the NPS landscape, no matter how small, is against the law,” said Joshua Tree National Park Acting Chief Ranger Jeff Filosa. “It diminishes the natural environment that millions of people travel the world to enjoy. The park is regularly tasked with removing graffiti of all types, using time and resources that could be better dedicated to other priorities.”
Upon further investigation, park rangers also learned that at least 11 roadway signs along Park Boulevard from Jumbo Rocks campground to the Maze Trailhead, two miles from the west entrance of the park, had been shot with yellow paintballs.
Law enforcement rangers issued each of the three suspects a federal violation notice for vandalizing, defacing, or destroying property. The violation incurs a maximum penalty of a $5,000 fine and up to six months in prison.
“Paintball markers and slingshots are legally considered weapons and are prohibited in National Park Service-administered lands,” authorities said.
The case is currently under investigation and the park’s maintenance staff is undergoing cleanup at the park.
(NEW YORK) — A NASA employee testified during a weekslong hearing on the implosion of OceanGate’s Titan submersible that the agency had disagreements over the sub maker’s press materials mentioning NASA.
Justin Jackson, a materials engineer with NASA, testified Thursday during the U.S. Coast Guard’s hearing into the June 2023 implosion of the OceanGate submersible, which killed all five passengers while on a deep-sea dive to the Titanic shipwreck.
Jackson said OceanGate’s then-chief operating officer initially reached out to NASA to manufacture a composite hull and they signed an agreement under the Reimbursable Space Act Agreement in early 2020.
NASA had an interest in the fabrication of a thick composite hull for “exploration applications,” though the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the agency from manufacturing or testing one for OceanGate, he said.
NASA did provide remote consultation to OceanGate on a one-third scale mockup, including a plan to try to fabricate a thick-walled hull, Jackson said. Conversations with the company ended in 2021, shortly after a disagreement over press materials invoking NASA, he said.
Asked by investigators why NASA refused OceanGate’s request to use its name in a media release, Jackson said, “It was the language they were using was getting too close to us endorsing. So it was, our folks had some heartburn with the endorsement level of it.”
As previously reported by ABC News, in some public statements, OceanGate suggested that its Titan submersible was designed and engineered with the assistance of entities such as NASA and Boeing. In statements to ABC News in the wake of the catastrophic implosion of the Titan, each entity described its role in the Titan submersible, or lack thereof, as more limited than sometimes stated by OceanGate.
Investigators also heard from a witness with Boeing regarding the company’s past dealings with OceanGate over a carbon-fiber hull during the hearing on Thursday.
Boeing entered an agreement with OceanGate in 2013 to conduct a preliminary feasibility study for a concept vessel, the Coast Guard said. Boeing was asked whether it was feasible to “have a design with a certain amount of buoyancy and safety factor,” Mark Negley, a materials and process engineer with Boeing, said during his testimony.
Negley said Boeing did not manufacture any parts for OceanGate or give advice on the type of carbon fiber to purchase, and was not involved in materials testing.
Negley said Boeing did not work with OceanGate on subsequent requests from the submersible maker.
“I don’t know [why] exactly, you know, I think maybe we were too expensive,” he said.
OceanGate suspended all exploration and commercial operations after the deadly implosion, which killed five people, including its co-founder, Stockton Rush.
The hearing on the incident began on Sept. 17 and is scheduled to run through Friday in North Charleston, South Carolina, though the proceedings might be impacted by Hurricane Helene, the Coast Guard said.
The main purpose of the hearing is to uncover the facts related to the implosion and to make recommendations, the Coast Guard said.
(MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.) — Some homeowners in Southern California are blurring their homes on Google Maps as a means of deterring potential burglaries, Ryan Railsback, an officer in the Riverside Police Department, told ABC News.
The tactic could reduce the likelihood of a robbery by denying would-be wrongdoers useful information about the value of one’s possessions and any security measures in place to protect them, Railsback said.
“The crooks are looking for new and innovative ways to victimize people,” Railsback said. “It’s good for the public to be aware of that and counter what the criminals are already doing.”
The blurring of homes on Google Maps was first reported by ABC News affiliate KFSN in Fresno, California. Google did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Here’s why some people are blurring their homes on Google Maps, and how to do it yourself.
Why are some people blurring their homes on Google Maps?
The safety tactic of blurring one’s home on Google Maps has been around for years, Christopher Herrmann, a professor of law and police science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, told ABC News. The simple digital fix could stop robbers from targeting a given home, he said.
“Would-be thieves certainly want to scout their locations before they hit them,” Herrmann said.
When seeking online images of a home, criminals look for valuable assets worth stealing and any security barriers that may be in place to stop them, Herrman said. That includes identifying a home’s layout and entrance, as well as the presence of a front-door camera or exterior surveillance system.
Blurring a home on Google Maps could help prevent theft by concealing such information. However, the maneuver also risks backfiring should thieves become suspicious that a property has been blurred because it features valuables or vulnerabilities worth keeping out of sight.
“It may be more of a red flag,” Herrmann said.
Home burglaries are actually exceedingly rare. In 2019, fewer than 1% of households experienced a burglary, according to the Department of Justice.
“Is your house going to be targeted by would-be thieves?” Herrmann asked. “Probably not.”
How do you blur your home on Google Maps?
To blur your home on Google Maps, navigate to Street View mode at your address using the website. The option to request a blurring of your home will not appear on the mobile app.
A drop-down menu will appear in the top-left corner of the screen. Navigate to the option labeled “Report a Problem.” A questionnaire will present you with prompts to identify where and why you would like the Street View image to be blurred.
Submit the questionnaire. Google Maps may follow up with you for additional information.
