Man and dog killed in suspected bear attack in Florida: Officials
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(JEROME, Fla.) — A man and a dog were killed in a suspected bear attack in Florida, officials said.
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office said it received a call shortly after 7 a.m. Monday involving a “bear encounter.”
The incident was reported in the area of State Road 29 and U.S. 41, just south of the Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area, a conservation area, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
“The FWC is actively investigating a suspected fatal wildlife attack, that’s been reported to involve a bear, near Jerome in Collier County,” the commission said in a statement. “Preliminary information notes that the attack resulted in the death of a man and a dog.”
The FWC warned residents and visitors that the animal may still be in the area as authorities work to locate it and secure the perimeter.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we urge residents and visitors to remain vigilant, and avoid the area,” the FWC said.
(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — A man accused of trespassing at the home of the Memphis, Tennessee, mayor has been charged with attempted kidnapping and stalking, according to police, who said the suspect had a Taser, gloves, rope and duct tape in his vehicle at the time of his arrest.
The suspect — 25-year-old Trenton Abston — allegedly admitted to going to the mayor’s home to confront him about crime in Memphis, according to the complaint affidavit, which alleged that he took “substantial steps toward the commission of a kidnapping” involving the city’s mayor.
The suspect was apprehended and charged after police investigated “suspicious activity” in Mayor Paul Young’s neighborhood, the Memphis Police Department said Wednesday.
“On Sunday night, around 9:30 pm, a man jumped a wall leading into our subdivision,” Young said in a statement. “We now know that he walked straight to our home, knocking on the door with gloves on, a full pocket, and a nervous demeanor.”
Young was home at the time, according to the affidavit. After someone knocked on his door, the mayor looked at his Ring doorbell video and saw an unknown man “wearing a hoodie and gloves standing at his door with a lumpy bulge in his hoodie pocket,” the affidavit stated.
“Paul Young reported that he did not know the male and his presence at his door at a late hour wearing a hoodie and gloves put him, his wife and children in fear for their safety,” the affidavit stated.
The man fled when no one answered the door, according to the affidavit.
Surveillance footage showed that the individual went directly to the mayor’s residence upon scaling the wall and did not approach any other home in the neighborhood, according to the Memphis Police Department. His face was “clearly captured” in the Ring footage, according to the affidavit.
Police identified Abston as a person of interest in the case on Tuesday through law enforcement databases, and Abston’s employer positively identified him in the footage from the night of the incident, according to the affidavit. Abston’s vehicle was also captured in video systems near Young’s residence “on multiple occasions between May and June 2025, including the night of the incident,” the affidavit stated.
Officers detained Abston at his place of employment without incident and found a hoodie and gloves in his vehicle matching what was seen in the Ring footage, according to the affidavit. A Taser, roll of duct tape, and white rope were also found in the vehicle, police said.
After waiving his Miranda rights, Abston allegedly admitted to researching Young’s address and going to the mayor’s residence Sunday night to “confront Paul Young about crime in the city of Memphis and stated that he was angry at Paul Young and was armed with a Taser when he went to the residence,” the affidavit stated.
Abston has been charged with attempted kidnapping, stalking and aggravated criminal trespass, police said. He is detained at the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office jail and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, online jail records show. It is unclear if he has an attorney at this time.
The Memphis Police Department credited the “rapid response” of its officers and the surveillance footage throughout the neighborhood with quickly identifying, locating and arresting the suspect.
“We understand the concerns raised by this incident and want to reassure the public that the Memphis Police Department remains fully committed to the safety of all residents, including our city’s elected officials,” the department said in a press release. “We take any potential threat seriously and will continue to act swiftly and thoroughly.”
The incident comes amid heightened concerns over violence against elected officials, after two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses were shot on Saturday in what prosecutors called “political assassinations.” Democratic Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed, and Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were wounded in the attacks.
Young, who has served as Memphis’ mayor since January 2024, cited the Minnesota shootings while making a plea that political violence “cannot become our norm.”
“In today’s climate, especially after the tragic events in Minnesota and the threats my wife and I often receive online, none of us can be too careful,” Young said in a statement on Instagram while sharing a photo of him and his family. “The link between angry online rhetoric and real-life violence is becoming undeniable.”
“Let’s do better,” he added. “Let’s raise our discourse, reduce the hate, and protect one another — no matter our beliefs. Let’s reclaim our strength as one community. Let’s choose love.”
(NEW ORLEANS) — A Slidell woman was arrested and accused of helping a fugitive who is still at large from the massive New Orleans jailbreak elude capture, Louisiana State Police said.
Connie Weeden, 59, was taken into custody in Slidell and booked into the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center on Thursday. In addition to jail employees, she is the third person arrested for assisting the Orleans Justice Center’s escaped inmates.
Weeden faces a felony charge of accessory after the fact for allegedly assisting Jermaine Donald, one of the five escapees still on the run.
“Weeden was in contact via phone both before and after the escape,” said LSP officials in a statement. “Investigators determined that after the escape, she provided Donald with cash through a cell phone app.”
Donald remains at large, along with four others who broke out of the Orleans Justice Center on May 16. Authorities have recaptured five of the original 10 who escaped.
Law enforcement officials warned that helping fugitives will carry serious consequences. “Those who choose to assist or conceal these individuals are violating the law and will be held accountable,” said state police. “Harboring fugitives threatens the safety of our communities and will not be tolerated.”
Under Louisiana law, a conviction for accessory after the fact carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $500, or both.
The LSP announced on Wednesday that 32-year-old Cortnie Harris and 38-year-old Corvanntay Baptiste were arrested and charged with felony counts of being accessories after the fact. They were both booked at the Plaquemines Parish Detention Center, officials said.
Earlier on Thursday, the Orleans Parish District Attorney issued subpoenas to the Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, and other OPSO staff members as part of an ongoing investigation into the escape of inmates.
The order demanded access to emails, text messages, internal messages, from or to Hutson and other OPSO staff and contractors, including those to Sterling Williams, the jail maintenance worker who was arrested in connection with the jailbreak.
Williams, a 33-year-old maintenance worker at the Orleans Parish Justice Center, was arrested and booked into jail Tuesday morning, according to Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill.
Williams allegedly shut off the water to a toilet to help clear the way for the inmates to escape, sources said. The prisoners, including three who are charged with second-degree murder and remain on the run, were able to get out after ripping the toilet off its hinges.
Four other jail employees have been suspended in this investigation.
(NEW YORK) — A former assistant to Sean “Diddy” Combs concluded three days on the witness stand, with attorneys for the music mogul grilling her so intensely that a prosecutor asked the judge to stop the cross-examination, calling it “humiliating” and “harassing.”
The witness, testifying under the pseudonym “Mia,” told jurors last week that Combs tormented and sexually assaulted her during her time working as his personal assistant.
Defense attorneys tried to assail her credibility over her last two days appearing on the stand, pressing her about dozens of text messages and social media posts she authored about Combs that were playful, respectful and even adoring.
Combs’ lawyers argued Mia misrepresented how Combs treated her and fabricated part of her story. Mia largely stood by her testimony, telling jurors that she was “brainwashed” by Combs and explained that she now wants to speak truthfully about the years of harassment and abuse she endured.
“It’s the worst thing I ever had to talk about in my life,” Mia told the jury about her reluctance to talk about how Combs sexually assaulted her.
Mia’s testimony marked the beginning of the fourth week of testimony in Combs’ sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial. Prosecutors charge that Combs used his wealth and influence to run a criminal enterprise that served to protect his reputation and coerce women into sex.
If convicted on all counts, the music mogul could spend the rest of his life behind bars. Combs has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers argue that, while he might have been violent towards romantic partners and abused illicit drugs, he did not commit the crimes alleged by the Department of Justice.
Defense attorneys stress Mia’s loving messages to Combs
Continuing his cross-examination from last week, defense attorney Brian Steel returned to Mia’s social media posts and text messages to challenge the woman and the version of events she shared with the jury.
“Life is f—— insane and supposedly it all happens for a reason in order to elevate us in our human experience, but it’s rough,” Mia wrote Combs in 2020, more than three years after she stopped working for him. “I love you with all of my heart and I’m here for you forever.”
Steel also showed the jury other text messages from the 2019-2022 time frame in which Mia expressed love and admiration to Combs.
“Hey. Saw our doc on Netflix top 10. Congrats I miss you,” read one text from July 2022.
Combs responded, “Love, love, love, love.” Mia wrote back, “And I love, love, love you.”
“Everything is positive and loving from you to Mr. Combs, would you agree with that?” Steel asked.
“Yes, of course,” Mia answered. She quickly explained to the jury she was still “brainwashed” by Combs from her years working for him.
Once the lengthy and contentious cross-examination of Mia concluded, federal prosecutors tried to minimize any damage that might have been done to her credibility.
“Did you post on social media as part of your job?” prosecutor Madison Smyser asked on re-direct examination.
“Yes,” Mia answered, adding that posting about Ciroc, Diddy Door, the Bad Boy reunion, and Combs himself were part of her job. She described her Instagram posts “like the highlight reel” of Combs and not meant for posts about the downside of working for him.
“Is that why you didn’t post about Mr. Combs slamming Cassie’s head into a bed frame?” Smyser asked. “Yes,” Mia answered.
“Is that why you didn’t post about Mr. Combs throwing a computer at your head?” Smyser asked. “Yes,” Mia answered.
“Is that why you didn’t post about Mr. Combs sexually assaulting you?” Smyser asked. “Yes,” Mia answered.
Steel tries to cast doubt on Mia by asking why she didn’t document abuse Throughout his searing cross-examination, defense attorney Steel tried to poke holes in Mia’s testimony by highlighting how she did not document the abuse she said she suffered from Combs, even as she documented the upside.
“Do you have any recording of Mr. Combs berating you?” asked Steel, who highlighted that part of Mia’s job was to carry a small camera to document Combs’ life. “No, I would not have been allowed to record that,” Mia responded.
“Because it’s not true, is it, Mia” Steel accused. “Your statements that you were the victim at the hands of Mr. Combs of brutality isn’t true?”
Mia fired back, testifying, “Everything I’ve said in this courtroom is true.”
Steel also questioned Mia’s account of escaping Combs with Ventura in Turks and Caicos by paddleboarding out to sea. Steel asked whether there were any text messages, emails or photographs documenting those allegations.
“Was that just made up by you?” Steel pointedly asked. “No,” Mia testified.
Steel’s next question — “How is it that all these events have no photograph or text message or email from you?” — was stopped by the judge after an objection.
At one point, prosecutors asked the judge overseeing the case to intervene, arguing the “humiliating” cross-examination borders on harassment and could deter other crime victims from coming forward in other cases.
“Eyes are on this trial. Victims in other cases are going to see how victims are treated,” Comey said in a clear nod to the global headlines being created by the Combs trial. “Our concern is that if this victim is not protected from further harassment, it will deter other victims in other cases.”
Judge Arun Subramanian said he heard no yelling and saw no improper treatment, but he did caution Steel about the form of his questions.
Steel suggests Mia fabricated her story after Ventura’s lawsuit
Steel suggested Mia timed her disclosure of alleged sexual assault by Combs with the filing of a civil lawsuit by the singer Cassie Ventura, Combs’ former longtime girlfriend. Ventura is the prosecution’s star witness, and she has alleged that Combs abused her for a decade. Her lawsuit, the starting point for the federal investigation that culminated with the current prosecution, was settled after a day for $20 million, Ventura testified. There was no admission of wrongdoing.
Steel questioned why Mia did not tell federal prosecutors about her claim that Combs sexually assaulted her until June 2024, six months after she began meeting with the authorities and seven months after Ventura’s civil lawsuit. The defense emphasized to the jury that Mia met with federal prosecutors a total of 28 times.
“Do you remember the first time you ever made a claim Mr. Combs ever sexually assaulted you was on June 18, 2024?” Steel asked.
“I don’t remember the dates, but I do remember that horrible conversation,” Mia answered.
On redirect examination, Smyser asked Mia to clarify why she met so often with federal prosecutors. “I met with the government so much in order to understand my story and because I was so terrified and I was learning at the same time,” she testified, and, using Combs’ earlier street name, said she was “terrified of Puff.” She said she has never been able to talk about her claim that Combs sexually assaulted her without looking down.
“It’s the worst thing I ever had to talk about in my life,” she explained.
Latest witness tells jury about damage to Combs’ hotel room
Prosecutors concluded the day by calling Susan Oken, manager of the Beverly Hills Hotel, to testify about the times when Combs was a guest of her establishment.
She said Combs checked into the Beverly Hills Hotel under aliases like “Frank Black” or “Phillip Pines” and Cassie Ventura was listed under Combs’ profile as a guest.
Oken testified that Combs once incurred an extra $300 charge to clean the drapes and another $500 charge to clean “oil damage.” Oken said the charge reflected something “beyond the scope of what we’d normally clean.” The prosecution’s questioning was a callback to earlier testimony about the so-called “freak-off” orgies that Combs would allegedly host and, according to testimony, featured gallons of baby oil.
Court is set to resume on Tuesday with Eddie Garcia, an employee of the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, CA., the scene of Combs’ caught-on-camera attack on Ventura that has created perhaps the most enduring images to come from the high-profile criminal trial.
