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Fired Mizzou Prof. Defends Herself in Op-Ed

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The University of Missouri professor fired for threatening journalists at a campus protest defended herself in a Washington Post op-ed Thursday, NBC News reported.

Melissa Click, who taught media studies in Mizzou’s school of communications, said she was aware of how someone’s actions could be exposed to public scrutiny, but couldn't understand the “impulse to shame” people, even those with good intentions.

"What would our world be like if no one ever took a chance?" she wrote. "What if everyone played it safe?"

Click came under fire after she was caught on video in November trying to block a student journalist from filming activists gathered on a campus lawn after Mizzou’s president resigned. 



Photo Credit: AP

La Jolla Man Returns Coin Worth $250,000 to US Mint

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When Randy Lawrence’s father gave him a 1974-D (for Denver) aluminum penny, along with other coins in a plastic bag more than three decades ago, he had no idea of its rarity or worth.

“It’s the rarest coin we’ve ever seen at La Jolla Coin Shop,” owner Michael McConnell explained.

After moving from Denver to La Jolla in 2013, Lawrence sold the bag of coins to the La Jolla Coin Shop, completely unaware of its value.

In coin collecting circles the penny is called a ‘discovery coin' because it’s so rare, McConnell said.

Randy Lawrence’s father, Harry Lawrence, had been a deputy director of the United States Mint in Denver until his retirement in 1979. He died the next year.

In the early 1970s copper prices and the U.S. Mint began experimenting with aluminum, among other metals.

At the shop, McConnell had the coin inspected and authenticated by the Professional Coin Grading Service.

The penny was found to have an estimated value of $250,000. While McConnell and Lawrence planned to auction the coin and give nearly half the money to charity, the U.S. Mint claimed rights to the penny.

The Mint cited the fact they never authorized an aluminum one-cent piece to be struck in Denver as proof of ownership.

Dr. Alan Goldman, the former interim mint director who served as the head of the aluminum cent project, speculates the 1974-D aluminum penny was most likely part of a very limited unofficial run, and that Lawrence received one of them at some point.

"I knew Harry Lawrence very well and he was a straight shooter. He would not have engineered this," Goldman said. "I probably visited the Denver Mint during the 11 years I was there maybe 10 times a year. I'd go to Denver, to San Francisco just to make sure everything was happening there was supposed to be happening."

Lawrence and McConnell reached a settlement once they discovered the coin was not part of an official mint production and the penny was the only one known in existence. They will return the coin to the U.S. Mint to be put on display.

"I know my father would be pleased that others will get to see and enjoy this rare piece in the U.S. Mint collection for years to come," said Lawrence about his father, who retired from the Mint in 1979.



Photo Credit: La Jolla Coin Shop

CA Primary Election Seen as Pivotal in POTUS Race

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California wasn't expected to be a "battleground state" in this year's Presidential primary campaign.

But now it's expected to get plenty of attention on the Republican side.

"You know, you've got a huge, very diverse state with eleven media markets, and it's very expensive,” says Republican political strategist Jason Roe, who served as a national spokesman for the now-suspended GOP campaign of Florida’s U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.

“I don't think that you're going to see a lot of advertising,” Roe told NBC 7 in an interview Thursday. “You'll see some stumping throughout the state of the two to three remaining candidates, to try to get some news media for it."

Could Donald Trump wrap up the GOP nomination by winning a big share of California's delegates?

Political observers won't say that's beyond his reach, although the numbers say he needs to win nearly 60 percent of the remaining Republican delegates.

California’s June 7 primary is part of a six-state Super Tuesday which includes New Jersey, with only one more primary the following week left in the campaign.

"Look, it might stretch out, there might be a contested election,” says Scott Lewis, editor of NBC 7’s media partner Voice of San Diego. “But we have -- what, 10 weeks until then? I think it's pretty likely that Trump consolidates his support and makes it impossible to head toward a brokered election."

On the Democratic side, "conventional wisdom" is predicting a Hillary Clinton win in California.

Her February primary victory here in 2012 kept her campaign alive for three months, before then-Illinois U.S. Sen. Barack Obama won the nomination.
 

Trolley, Vehicle Collision Disrupts Train Service

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Crews were working to clear the scene Thursday afternoon after a collision between a MTS trolley and a vehicle, police said.

The crash happened at about 3:30 in the area of Eighth Avenue and C Street.

The trolley was stopped, as officers arrived on scene.

There has been no word on injuries.

There was a temporary delay in downtown trolley service, but the line was clear as of 4:30 p.m.



Photo Credit: James Vanderhoop

10-Year-Old Girl Defends Self From Would-Be Abductor

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Six months of self defense classes paid off Thursday afternoon for a 10-year-old girl nearly abducted on her way home from school in Chula Vista. 

Law enforcement officials are looking for the man who attempted to abduct her as she was walking home from Camarena Elementary Chula Vista police confirmed. 

She left school in the 1600 block of Exploration Falls just before 2 p.m. when a man jumped out of a car on Crossroads Street and tried to pull her inside.

The girl repeatedly struck the suspect and he fell down. She then ran away.

"It's really odd and it's scary," Camarena Elementary mother Armida Solis told NBC 7. "Be cautious and have the parents always go with the kids everywhere," she advised.

Greg Watkins had planned to let his daughter start walking to school alone.

"That is obviously going to go back to our regular plan now now of picking her up right after school," parent Watkins said. "It shows us that any community is a target and our kids may have a blanket of security that we believe is down here because of where we live. It's just not the reality."

The suspect got into a black 4-door 'smart' car and left the scene. Another man was driving.

The suspect is described as light-skinned, approximately 30 years old, 5'8" and 170 pounds.

Family Protection Unit Detectives are investigating.




Photo Credit: Getty Images/File

Teens Running Away From San Diego Rehab Facility

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Editor’s Note: The original story incorrectly reported a year to year comparison on the number of runaways from Sovereign, when the facility had only been open for 6 months in 2014. This article has also been updated to include new information obtained from Sovereign Health after the story originally aired.

Lexi Contreras was a competitive speed skater and an Olympic hopeful. 

Coaches called Michael Peterson an "iron man" for excelling in five sports.

But last fall, the two promising teens found themselves in a drug rehab center in East San Diego County: Sovereign Health Group.

The facility treats young people suffering from a variety of behavioral problems and addictions. Parents send their children there with the hope they'll get the help they need.

Alexandria Bekele, Lexi’s mother, said there were warning signs something was wrong.

“She (Lexi) stopped wanting to participate in her sports, and that's when I knew something was completely wrong," she said.

Lori Peterson Owen also noticed changed in her son, Michael.

“He said, ‘Mom I don't really have an enjoyment for life anymore, don't care if I live or die,’” she said.

Owen left her son at Sovereign Health on Sept. 26. Bekele dropped off her daughter on Oct. 5. Both teens were 16 years old. The teens accepted a minimum 30-day residential treatment for drug addiction.

“I was very nervous to ensure my son to some people I didn't know," said Owen.

Their treatment lasted less than three weeks.

On Oct. 18, Owen and Bekele said their teens and four others climbed the rehab center's fence and ran off. Both parents were notified by the Program Director, Jason Hennick.

Bekele said he didn’t seem alarmed: “He sounded like it was a common thing.”

San Diego County Sheriff’s Department records show it investigated 29 instances of teens running away from Sovereign Health in 2015.

Since this story was first published, NBC 7 Investigates has learned the facility admitted a total of 264 residents in 2015. Sovereign tells us that “if a resident is missing for 30 minutes, our staff immediately notifies the resident’s family and the Sheriff’s Department as soon as the staff becomes aware that a resident has left the facility.” The company also states, “in the vast majority of these cases, the teen voluntarily return to the facility within hours.”

“You leave your child there, you think they are in a safe facility,” said Bekele.

NBC 7 Investigates had an interview scheduled with Hennick, but two days before, the company cancelled it and instead sent NBC 7 Investigates this letter. Since this story aired, Sovereign Health provided additional information to NBC 7 Investigates and this article has been updated to reflect that.

In its initial letter, citing HIPAA guidelines, Sovereign’s Senior Director of Strategic Development, Jamie Deans said the facility could not confirm Michael or Lexi were patients.

According to the letter, Sovereign is "a non-locked and no restrain facility. State licensure guidelines dictate that, should a resident decide to leave treatment, the staff will not attempt to restrain the resident."

A requirement of California law states no child in a group home "can be locked in any room, building, or facility.”

Click here to read more about the state law.

Even in the context of the law, William Grimm, Senior Attorney for the National Center for Youth Law said Sovereign can and must do more to prevent runaways.

He said, “I think when children run away from any facility where they have been entrusted for their health and well-being it’s a concern. There are lots of things that contribute to this. Things such as staff not being qualified to address the issues for which children are admitted to the facility. Staff not trained well enough. Programs and treatments that don’t meet the needs of the children there.”

In letters to NBC 7 Investigates, Sovereign Health said it has a “Gold Seal Accreditation from the Joint Commission” which “requires staff to be properly licensed and trained” according to “standards of performance which are often more rigorous than those of state licensing agencies.”

As for Michael and Lexi, weeks passed with no word from them.

Bekele said she thought she would never get her daughter back. “I hadn't heard from her; there have been no confirmed sightings of her. I am thinking she's probably dead,” she said.

Because the teen’s voluntary ran away, the mothers says the Sheriff's Department told them the department couldn't devote resources to finding them.

A spokesperson for the Sheriff's Department said the agency "responds, takes reports, and assigns cases on all runaway juveniles - as well as all missing persons. These investigations are assigned to specialized detectives, who pursue leads to their logical conclusion."

Bekele and Owen said Sovereign employees didn't step in either.

“Their level of involvement was zero,” Bekele said. “I was extremely disappointed in the fact that I didn't get one phone call. None of us got one phone call from anybody at the facility to say, just want to know how you're doing.”

In its letter sent after this story aired, Sovereign Health, said, when a patient is found to be missing, “in addition to making the required reports to family and to local law enforcement, as soon as a resident leaves the grounds, Sovereign staff will patrol the surrounding area in an attempt to locate the resident and convince the resident to return to the facility. Sovereign Health goes beyond the scope of what licensing requires for serving our residents...If doing this kind of early reporting of these missing children means that our reporting numbers are a little higher, then so be it.”

The mothers also said Sovereign continued to charge them for their children's treatment.

“We were billed after Michael wasn't there on the 18th,” Owen said. “But we were billed through the 20th to the 21st. So they even tried to get extra days when Michael wasn't even a patient there.”

Sovereign is licensed and inspected by the California Department of Social Services.

NBC 7 Investigates checked inspection records and found since being licensed in June 2014, the facility has not been cited for any violations.

Click here to see the inspection records.

Thirty-four days after fleeing the rehab center, Bekele said she found Lexi roaming the streets in Ocean Beach.

“She looked tattered, not like her normal self," she said. "It was a very sad time because she didn’t have shoes on. She was barefoot, her toes had cuts. They looked like they had been bleeding a little bit from walking with no shoes. She just looked very lost, very empty. Like all the life had been sucked out of her. She said,  'I just don't want to go back to a rehab! I don't want to go back to that place.'”

Michael was found in downtown San Diego 44 days after running away.

“He was alive and he was in bad shape,” said Owen.

Both mothers said they believe Sovereign and other teen rehabs need more oversight and more resources for teens and their families.

“Rehabs in general , especially this one, I think they are more of a business than they are there to truly help people,” Bekele said.

Owen said, “I put him in Sovereign to keep him safe and they didn't do their job. The system failed Michael. The system failed us as parents. And I hope that whatever I'm saying can help another parent who's seeking help for their teen.”

If you or someone you know are looking for resources or help for a teenager, you can start by contacting the government's Treatment Locator service at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or go to their website.

Captured American Says Time With ISIS Was Bad Decision

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An American described as an ISIS defector says he made a "bad decision" to follow a young woman to Iraq, and left ISIS because he doesn’t share the group’s views, NBC News reported.

The man, identified by Kurdistan 24 television as Mohamad Jamal Khweis, 26, said in a heavily edited interview that he doesn’t see ISIS as “good Muslims.”

American-born Khweis said he left for Europe in December and wound up in Turkey where he met an Iraqi girl, with whom he traveled to Mosul. During the interview, Khweis said he was taught sharia and religion from an imam, but later escaped. Despite being described as an ISIS fighter, he made no mention of combat activities.

It is unclear if he will be returned to the U.S. or prosecuted. His uncle, Kamal Khweis, told NBC News he is anxious to have him back on American soil.  



Photo Credit: via Voice of America
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Lawsuit Claims Botched Surgery

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A 60-year-old Milford woman has filed a lawsuit against Yale-New Haven Hospital, Yale University and two physicians, claiming she was forced to go through two surgeries in one day after her surgeon-in-training removed the wrong rib and then lied about why the surgical team needed to operate again.

Deborah Craven was admitted to Yale-New Haven Hospital on May 18 for doctors to remove a painful and potentially cancerous lesion on her eighth rib, according to the lawsuit.

A Yale attending physician and other members of Yale-New Haven Hospital staff were supposed to perform the surgery, but a resident was added to the surgery for training purposes without Craven’s knowledge, the suit says.

Before the surgery, radiologists marked the rib to be removed by placing metallic coils onto it and injecting a marking dye into her skin and the surrounding tissue, lawyers said, but the wrong rib was removed.

When Craven woke up, she was in pain and it continued into the night, so hospital staff ordered an X-ray.

It showed the metal markers were still in Craven’s rib and the surgery had been performed on the seventh rib, rather than the eighth, according to the lawsuit, which goes on to claim the resident tried to cover up the mistake and said “not enough rib” was removed.

Then Craven was told she needed immediate surgery.

“The fact that the surgical team operated on the wrong rib despite a clear indication of the proper site is, of course, negligent,” Craven’s attorney, Joel Faxon, of Faxon Law Group in New Haven, said in a statement. “But the fact that a cardiothoracic surgeon in training would make the outrageous claim that ‘not enough rib had been taken’ really takes this to another level of culpability. Making the patient undergo another surgery the same day, without owning up to the real medical reason for the repeat surgery is just plain deceitful. Absent the lying my client never would have instituted a lawsuit. As the old adage goes the cover up is worse than the crime.”

The lawsuit claims negligence and unfair trade practices.

NBC Connecticut reached out to Yale-New Haven Hospital, which said it "recognized that an error was made."

In a statement, it said: 

“Yale-New Haven Hospital and Yale Medical Group are committed to providing the safest and highest quality of care possible. However, even in the best organizations medical errors may occur. When they do, our goal is to acknowledge them, learn from them, and ensure that we minimize any chance that they ever occur again. With respect to the case of Ms. Craven, we recognized that an error was made, we informed and apologized to the patient, and we immediately reported it to the Connecticut Department of Public Health.”



Photo Credit: AP, File

Major Candy Companies Will Stop Advertising to Kids

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With the Easter bunny just hops away, six major candy companies have agreed to stop advertising to kids, including the makers of Peeps, Lemonheads and Jelly Belly candies, NBC News reported.

The companies are the Ferrara Candy Company, Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, Jelly Belly Candy Company, Just Born Quality Confections, The Promotion in Motion Companies, and the R.M. Palmer Company, a maker of Easter candies.

Under the program, participants will no longer advertise directly to kids under 12. They're joining six other, larger companies, including Hershey's, Mars and Nestlé, who in 2007 stopped marketing to children.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Gene Key to Autistic-Like Behavior in Disorder

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Researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine have developed a mouse model that connects the genetic defects of Jacobsen syndrome to effects on brain function consistent with autism disorders.

About half of children with Jacobsen syndrome experience social and behavioral issues consistent with autism disorders.

"While this study focused on mice with a specific type of genetic mutation that led to autism-like symptoms, these findings could lead to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying other autism spectrum disorders, and provide a guide for the development of new potential therapies," said study co-author Paul Grossfeld, MD, clinical professor of pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine and pediatric cardiologist at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego.

The study also found the anti-anxiety drug clonazepam reduces autistic features in the Jacobsen syndrome mice.

Jacobsen syndrome is a rare genetic disorder in which a child is born missing a portion of one copy of chromosome 11.

The gene loss can lead to multiple clinical challenges, such as congenital heart disease, intellectual disability, developmental and behavioral problems, slow growth and failure to thrive.

Previous research by Grossfield and others suggested that PX-RICS, the dominant isoform expressed in nervous system development, might be the missing chromosome 11 gene in children with Jacobsen syndrome.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo found PX-RICS to be the most likely gene responsible for autism-like symptoms in Jacobsen syndrome.

They found mice without PX-RICS were less social and more apathetic to other mice. They also spent twice as much time on repetitive behaviors than mice with the gene and were less able to adapt to new situations. They found mice lacking PX-RICS were also deficient in GABAAR, a protein crucial for normal neuron function.

PX-RICS-deficient mice treated with clonazepam, which works by boosting GABAAR, behaved almost normally in social tests, experienced improvements in learning performance and were better able to deviate from established habits.

"We now hope in the future to carry out a small pilot clinical trial on people with Jacobsen syndrome and autism to determine if clonazepam might help improve their autistic features," Grossfeld said.

Study co-authors include Tsutomu Nakamura, Fumiko Arima-Yoshida, Fumika Sakaue, Yukiko Nasu-Nishimura, Yasuko Takeda, Ken Matsuura, Toshiya Manabe, Tetsu Akiyama, University of Tokyo; Natacha Ackshoomoff, UC San Diego; and Sarah Mattson, San Diego State University.



Photo Credit: National Institutes of Health

Defendant Takes Stand in Firefighter Stabbing Trial

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The man accused of stabbing two firefighters downtown last June took the stand Thursday, telling the jury he feared for his life when he pulled out his knife and attacked Ben Vernon and Alex Wallbrett.

The firefighters were responding to a call for medical aid for a person down at Park and Market on June 24 last year.

Earlier this week, the jury heard heartfelt testimony from those two firefighters who were attacked in the line of duty.

Vernon and Wallbrett testified about how the stabbing took not just a physical toll but how they have suffered emotionally since the assault.

Remarkably, both said it was not being able to protect each other that was the unbearable part of that day.

Prosecutors say body camera footage shows Vernon backing away with his hands up as Ryan Jones stabs him.

The defense has argued that video evidence shows San Diego Fire Captain Steven Michaels made the first physical contact, shoving Jones over a bench.

The fire captain testified he felt threatened while trying to save the patient.

Jones testified Thursday he was pepper-sprayed by MTS officers at the scene, leaving his vision very cloudy and then his survival instincts took over.

“I was thinking that these guys were just going to jump all over me with batons, pepper spray. They had guns. I didn’t know what they were going to do. I had no idea,” Jones testified. “Okay, I’m going to defend myself. I’m going to do whatever I have to do. I’m not going to be a statistic. I’m not going to die today. That’s the attitude and approach that I had that day.”

A forensics behavioral scientist testified the firefighters were not acting within the scope of their duties concerning their dealings with Jones.

Dr. Thomas Streed, a former Sheriff’s homicide detective, testified the firefighters broke protocol by not standing back for San Diego police once Jones became difficult at the medical aid call.

Both the defense and prosecution are scheduled to present their closing arguments Monday and turn the case over to the jury.

Jones faces 25 years to life if convicted.

Escaped New Mexico Prisoner's Sister Charged

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The sister of an escaped convicted murderer in New Mexico was charged Thursday with helping her brother, state police said.

Olivia Cruz, 38, sister of convicted killer Joseph Cruz, is charged with assisting escape, state police said. She was already being held on unrelated warrants, NBC News reported.

Police said she made contact with Cruz after he and another inmate, Lionel Clah, escaped from a prison van on March 9, and that she tried to find them a place to stay in Albuquerque.

Cruz was recaptured in Albuquerque on Friday, while Clah surrendered to police on Saturday. Two other women were arrested Wednesday in connection with the escape.  



Photo Credit: New Mexico State Police

2 Children Dead in Texas Home

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Two children were killed and their mother stabbed in a bizarre crime involving the family of an internationally known pianist Thursday in Benbrook, Texas.

Someone who had gone to the house to check on the family in the 6600 block of Waterwood Trail called 911 about 9:30 a.m., said Benbrook Police Cmdr. David Babcock.

Officers found the mother, identified by neighbors as 31-year-old Sofia Tsygankova, stabbed.

Her two daughters, identified by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner as 5-year-old Nika Kholodenko and 1-year-old Michela Kholodenko, were both dead.

Sofia Tsygankova was rushed to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, where she underwent surgery and is recovering in unknown condition.

"It's very disturbing," said Terri Messer, who lives on the other side of the family's rented duplex. "I wouldn't have expected anything like this."

According to the medical examiner, the two children were both found in bed.

Police say unlike their mother, they had no visible injuries.

"The children were not stabbed," Babcock said. "The manner of death has not been determined at this time. But they were not stabbed."

Asked about who could have done this or why, he said investigators were waiting for the mother to recover from her injuries.

"Until we speak to the mother, it's too early in this investigation to establish any suspects or motives at this point," Babcock said.

The children's father is an internationally known pianist, Vadym Kholodenko.

In 2013, he was the first winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth held following Van Cliburn's death.

Court records obtained by NBC 5 show that Kholodenko filed for divorce in November. His attorney wrote that the couple married in 2010 and stopped living together as a couple last August.

Tsygankova filed a counter-suit, records show, asking for attorney fees.

Neighbors said they didn't know anything about the divorce but added that Tsygankova seemed like a good mother who loved her children and frequently jumped with them on a trampoline in their back yard.

"She played outside with them," said Messer, the next-door neighbor. "If they were on the trampoline, she was on the trampoline."

Inside the family's garage Thursday, a suitcase on the floor and a balloon that said, "I love you," provided few clues about what happened inside the house.

Police provided few answers.

"We have still not spoken with her at this time. We are waiting for her to recover," Cmdr. Babcock said.

Kholodenko was scheduled to perform three shows with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra this weekend.

A statement issued late Thursday by the symphony said, "We are currently formulating our plan for this weekend's concerts in light of the developing situation and plan to release a statement in the morning."

Babcock said that a suspect has not been determined, and that there were no signs of forced entry at the home.



Photo Credit: NBC 5 News
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Owner Reunites With Pup Lost at Sea

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The puppy thought to be dead for five weeks after she fell off a fishing boat in Southern California was finally joyfully reunited with her owner in San Diego Thursday night.

Commercial fisherman Nick Haworth embraced Luna, his blue-eyed 1 ½-year-old German Shepherd, as she jumped into his arms, her tail wagging.

"Luna!" Haworth squealed, as the pup pranced around him.

Haworth scooped her up, rubbed her belly and gave her a big kiss.

"She still smells like fish," Haworth told NBC 7 with a smile. "I can't believe this dog is alive. I never thought I'd see her again."

I'm just glad to have her home," he added.

The last time Haworth saw his beloved companion was on Feb. 10.

That day, in the very early morning hours, Haworth, Luna and his crew were out on a fishing boat about two miles off the coast of San Clemente near Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island (SCI).

As Haworth and his crew were bringing in their fishing traps, Luna suddenly vanished. Hayworth said one minute his pup was there and the next she was gone.

"That was rough day," he recalled. "It was about 3 a.m. I was looking around and I couldn't find the dog. I just couldn't find the dog. I started freaking out, honestly."

Frantic, Haworth called officials at SCI from his fishing boat to report that his dog had fallen overboard and was was nowhere to be found. He said she might try to swim to shore.

Haworth said Luna may have gotten distracted by something in the water and jumped in. All he knew was that he had to find her.

Haworth stayed at sea for two days looking for his dog, while Navy staff at SCI searched the island for Luna.

"We went on a full-fledged search with spotlights and everything. It was so dark. We couldn't find her by the time the light came up. I thought she had already drowned -- or made it to the island," he explained.

After about a week of searching, she was presumed lost at sea and dead by both her owner and U.S. Navy officials.

"I gave up," said Haworth. "I went through a lot of time where I was so sad about losing my dog. She's behind me all the time -- every minute we're on the boat."

More than a month passed.

During that time without Luna Haworth said he often returned to San Clemente Island to go fishing, bringing binoculars every time so he could take another look over the sea, just in case.

"[I had] to make sure she wasn't there, waiting on me," he said. "I was heartbroken. I didn't know whether she was alive or dead; what to think. It was really devastating to go from having this dog next to me every minute of my life to, all of a sudden, she's gone in a flash."

Then a miracle happened.

This past Tuesday (March 14) Navy staff spotted Luna on a road on SCI. Just as her owner hoped, the pup had somehow managed to make it ashore to the island, She ran right up to the Navy personnel.

"They were shocked," Naval Base Coronado PAO Sandy DeMunnik told NBC 7 on Wednesday. The pup was undernourished but in "good spirits," she said.

The Navy flew Luna from San Clemente to Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI) in Coronado Wednesday to be reunited with her loved ones. Haworth was out of town, so Luna was turned over to his close friend, Conner Lamb.

Lamb and Luna's reunion in Coronado was joyous. Lamb has worked on a fishing boat with Luna and her owner many times and was ecstatic and amazed she's alive.

On Thursday, Haworth rushed home to have his own reunion with his four-legged friend.

Haworth said that when the Navy first reached out to tell him they had his dog, he simply couldn't believe it.

"I was in awe -- pure disbelief at first," he said. "Then I had to see a picture of her. I was like, 'I have to make sure [it's my dog]. When I saw [that it was Luna], I was overwhelmed with joy. Probably the happiest I've ever been in my entire life."

"To have my best friend back is really nice," he added.

Haworth said he can never thank Navy officials enough for bringing Luna back home safely.

"They never gave up and found her," he said. "I'm very appreciative. To get her back in good health is a miracle. It's the greatest gift I've ever received."

Haworth said Luna is a bit skinny, but he expected that since she likely had to forage for food on the island all this time.

He said he plans to treat the pup to a nice, homecooked meal.

Haworth said that next time Luna accompanies him on a fishing boat, he will be sure to outfit her with a dog life jacket and a reflector, so he can keep an eye on her, and may also keep her on a leash while at sea.

"[I'm] not letting her go again, that's for sure," he said.
 



Photo Credit: Elroy Spatcher/NBC 7 San Diego

Bicyclist Fatally Struck in Carlsbad ID'ed

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A woman fatally hit by a car while riding her bicycle in Carlsbad Wednesday morning has been identified as 59-year-old Joyce Koven Smith of Cardiff-by-the-Sea authorities confirmed.

The deadly accident happened just after 10 a.m. in the 4600 block of Carlsbad Boulevard, between Sequoia Avenue and Tierra Del Oro Street, the Carlsbad Police Department said, shutting down traffic on the busy roadways near the beach.

Police said the Smith was riding southbound in the bike lane when, for unknown reasons, she swerved into the number one lane. She was struck by an oncoming Ford Fiesta driven by a 64-year-old woman.

Police said Smith was killed in the crash, while the driver remained at the scene and cooperated with officers.

The investigation is ongoing, but police do not believe the driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. At this point, the driver has not been charged in the accident.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner's (ME) office said Smith lived with her husband in Cardiff-by-the-Sea.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Fire Breaks Out in East County Apartment Building

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A fire broke out at an apartment complex in the 3800 block of Ruffin Road in Serra Mesa the San Diego Fire Department confirmed.

The fire started around 8:30 p.m. Thursday, possibly on the second floor.

"I was just on my way home and I start seeing smoke stacks and it's really crazy cause I live right here," Jennifer Stenson told NBC 7. "I rushed home and everything was fine but I see the apartment across the street just smoking flames from one of the apartments...I don't think anyone was hurt, which is like the best part."

Stenson said the smoke completely surrounded her home.

Crews have shut down the street and continue to fight the 'well involved' fire.

There is no word yet on injuries.

 No further information was immediately available.

Refresh this page for updates on this breaking news story.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

USD Women’s Team Wins WNIT Opener

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For the 5th straight year the University of San Diego women’s basketball team earned a victory in the WNIT.

Malina Hood scored 20 points to lead the way in Thursday’s 69-65 opening round victory over Northwestern.

A pair of free throws from USD’s Cori Woodward (15 points) helped seal the victory for USD.

Hood finished 7-for-15 from the field and also hauled in seven rebounds.

Sydney Williams added 15 points and Maya Hood notched a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

As a team, USD shot 42.3% from the floor, while the Wildcats shot 39.1%.

USD committed 22 turnovers but overcame those mistakes by hitting enough free throws.

USD improves to 24-7 overall and will travel to play IUPUI on Saturday in a 4 p.m. (PT) game in Indianapolis.



Photo Credit: usdtoreros.com

DNA Study Points to Prehistoric Sex With Neanderthals

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A new study found that ancient Eurasia was a hotbed of prehistoric sex between Neanderthals and ancestors of modern humans, NBC News reported.

And the genes of these ancient Neanderthals and Denisovans live on today in modern Europeans, Asians and in the Melanesians of Papua New Guinea and other Australasian islands.

The study, published in the journal Science, helps confirm earlier theories that human ancestors didn't interbreed with other hominin species until after they left Africa. There's a barely a trace of Neanderthal in Africans living today.

But once they started moving across Europe and Asia, they not only lived side by side, they had a few run-ins.



Photo Credit: AP

Homeless Man Gets $100,000 Reward

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A San Francisco homeless man received his $100,000 reward on Thursday after he helped police capture three escaped inmates.

Matthew Hay-Chapman, 55, recognized escaped inmates Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu and followed them into a McDonald's.

Hay-Chapman flagged down officers who were on duty on Jan. 30 and reported seeing the two prisoners, who escaped from a Southern California jail. Shortly after, San Francisco police were able to find and capture Nayeri, who was wanted on charges of kidnap and torture, after a brief chase. They then tracked down Tieu, who was imprisoned in Santa Ana on murder charges, as he was hiding in a white van nearby.

Orange County Supervisor Tom Spitzer delivered the check to Hay-Chapman.

"I had a duty to help bring these individuals back into custody," Chapman said in a voicemail to Supervisor Todd Spitzer.

KiMi Robinson and Lori Bentley contributed to this report.

Suspicious Powder Sent to Trump Son

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The son of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump was sent an envelope with suspicious powder Thursday, the NYPD said.

Eric Trump’s security team called the NYPD at 7:15 p.m. after a suspicious envelope containing the powder was sent to his apartment at 100 Central Park South.

The envelope was taken by law enforcement and is being examined. 

Preliminary tests indicate that the powder discovered inside the envelope isn't hazardous. 

Sources familiar with the investigation say the envelope had a Massachusetts postmark. The envelope contained no letter, police said. 

An NYPD squad car was outside of Eric Trump's apartment Friday morning. 

The 32-year-old son of the GOP frontrunner has been seen on the campaign trail in recent days stumping for his dad. He is Trump’s third child.

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