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1 Dead in Mich. Pileup Involving 150-Plus Vehicles

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At least one person was killed Friday morning in a major pileup in southwestern Michigan involving more than 150 vehicles, including a semi carrying fireworks that burst into flames.

Both directions of Interstate 94 between the Galesburg and Climax exits were shut down shortly after 10 a.m. after multiple pileups in the eastbound and westbound lanes, according to Michigan State Police Lieutenant Rick Pazder and NBC affiliate station WOODTV.

Pazder said the accident ensnarled 65 semis and 50 cars on the westbound lane and 48 on the eastbound lane. Two semi trucks were on fire, the one carrying fireworks and another carrying Formic Acid, he said.

One semi driver was confirmed dead and 10 people were taken to the hospital, he said. 

The Battle Creek Police Department advised area residents to stay off the roads if possible as snow continues to fall and emergency responders tried to clear several accidents taking place in the area.



Photo Credit: Kathryn Dennis/WOODTV
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Motion Filed to Unseal McStay Investigation Search Warrants

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NBC 7 is at the forefront of a motion to unseal search warrants in the McStay murder trial.

Courts in San Diego and San Bernardino counties have sealed dozens of warrants related to the family of four’s disappearance, the discovery of their bodies and the prosecution of the suspect in the case: Charles Chase Merritt.

The motion to unseal the warrants involves a number of news outlets, including the U-T San Diego, KNBC, The Associated Press and CNN. A hearing in San Diego on Jan. 23, and another a week later in San Bernardino, will determine if the warrants will become available.

NBC 7 is trying to reveal more details about the killings of Joseph and Summer McStay, 43, and their two children, Gianni and Joseph Mateo, ages 4 and 3 respectively. The family mysteriously vanished from their Fallbrook home in February 2010, prompting a San Diego County Sheriff’s Department homicide investigation and a Southern California search.

More than three years later, their skeletal remains were found by a motorcyclist in and around shallow graves near Victorville in southwestern San Bernardino County — about 100 miles north of their home. The site was about 50 yards from the nearest road, and officials said it appeared the bodies had been there for “an extended period of time.”

A subsequent investigation revealed the McStays had been killed in their home, and all died from blunt-force trauma, according to sheriff’s officials. In April 2013, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department announced it was transferring the case to the FBI after no suspects had been arrested.

Then, on Nov. 7, 2014, authorities announced they had arrested and charged Merritt with four counts of murder. Merritt was Joseph McStay’s business partner and was working on a custom decorative water fountain project with him when the family went missing.

Merritt said in a November 2013 interview that he was the last person to see McStay. Investigators have not released an alleged motive for the killings. They said there was “no smoking gun” that led them to Merritt, but they reviewed evidence that pointed to him.

Merritt has pleaded not guilty to the charges. At a pretrial hearing, his attorney revealed the suspect has congestive heart failure, a potentially deadly condition.

Dog Reunited with Owners After 8 Years

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One El Cajon doggy had his day when officials picked him up off a property and helped him find his family, eight years after he was nabbed from his outdoor kennel.

The Tatar family came home in 2006 to find four-year-old Chance, their boxer, had been stolen from his kennel outside the family's house. The family posted fliers around the neighborhood and checked local shelters at the time but found no any traces of their pooch.

On December 29, the family’s luck finally changed. The County Department of Animal Services picked up a dog in Bonsall that had wandered onto a property and took him to a Carlsbad shelter.
It was then that they scanned the dog for a microchip, which he had, and got in touch with his owners.

“They were astounded and ecstatic when they got the telephone call saying that Chance had been found,” said Dan DeSousa, deputy director of Animal Services.

Lila Tartar was only 10 years old when Chance went missing. She said now that the boxer is back home, he is settling in again to the same home he left eight years ago.

“We’re trying to get more weight on him, but he’s doing really well,” she said. “He definitely remembered us! As soon as he got home, he walked around and started wagging his tail and responding to his name.”

Animals Services said the dog’s return home after such a prolonged period of time was due to his microchip.



Photo Credit: County News Center

Men Attempt to Buy Toddler for $100

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Two men in Southern California tried to buy a 2-year-old boy from his mother for $100 in a suspected human trafficking attempt at a Covina market, police said Thursday.

The 34-year-old woman and her toddler were at Baja Ranch Market in the 400 block of South Citrus Street around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday when a man walked up to them while they were checking out.

He paid both mother and son a number of compliments, and said both were very beautiful, the woman told police. He then asked her if she would consider selling the little boy. When she told the man no, he continued complimenting her son.

"The gentleman asked to purchase her kid for a hundred bucks," Covina Police Sgt. Gregg Peterson said. "She was somewhat surprised by that, declined the invitation, obviously."

The woman said she waited in the store’s lobby for a few minutes so the man would leave. When she thought the coast was clear, she walked to her car, but the man pulled up in a brown or champagne-colored Honda Pilot with a second man who had been in the store with him in the passenger seat.

"'Oh look, it’s you! It’s both of you. You’re so beautiful,'" the woman recalled the man saying to her, Covina police said.

The woman said she told the men to leave her alone, but the first man got out of the SUV and removed a $100 from his pocket and offered it to her, again asking to buy her son.

"He was saying, 'Let me buy the child, let me buy the child,'" Peterson said.

The woman said she froze, believing her son was going to be kidnapped.

The suspects both encouraged her to keep the money, and dropped it in her shopping cart before leaving southbound on Citrus Avenue.

"That would freak me out, to offer to buy my kid," shopper Erica Jiminez said. "I don't even know who does that."

"I've had people stare at (my daughter) and watch her," another shopper said. "I've learned when you have children, there's a technique you learn as a parent. You have to watch who's watching your kids."

The first man is described as about 45 years old, standing 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing about 200 pounds. He was wearing blue jeans and a brown button-down shirt at the time of the incident.

The passenger in the car was described as a man in his 50s, about 6 feet tall and weighing about 215 pounds. He was wearing tan slacks and a long-sleeved white shirt.

Police have released surveillance images from the market in an attempt to identify the two men.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Covina Police Department Detective Bureau at 626-384-5612. Anonymous tips can be made by calling Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Michelle Valles and Beverly White contributed to this report.



Photo Credit: Courtesy Covina Police Department

Machete-Wielding Man Arrested at Santa Fe Depot

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A man wielding a machete was arrested at a San Diego trolley station Friday.

The San Diego Sheriff's Department said they arrested the man after an altercation between he and the conductor of a train at Santa Fe Depot near Downtown San Diego. The conductor apparently told him he could not board a train with the weapon, authorities said.

The man had been asked to leave by deputies, but he put up a fight and was ultimately arrested.

Authorities said the San Diego Police Department had received reports that the man was threatening people with the machete and they called in sheriff's deputies.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Lawmakers Eye Task Force For Officer Body Cameras

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With the use of officer-worn body cameras escalating California, state lawmakers are now trying to get a handle on the practice — before major problems arise.

They’re discovering that body cams, as is the case with so many emerging technologies, present complex issues and potential, undesirable consequences.

San Diego Assembly Member Shirley Weber (D-79th) has introduced AB 66, which would create a statewide task force to establish "best practices" guidelines.

"Our main objective coming in was not because (body cameras) had to do with the enforcement of law,” Weber said Friday during a recording session for Sunday’s edition of NBC 7’s “Politically Speaking” public affairs program.

“It was because people thought they were being abused. So we have to be very careful that we do protect the rights of the individual."

Routine traffic stops caught on camera may not raise issues of citizen abuse very often.

But all too many stops don't stay routine — prompting questions about probable cause for detainment and possible racial profiling.

In the hope and belief that body cams will help resolve and clarify law enforcement encounters and incidents, the city of San Diego is spending $4 million to equip hundreds of its police officers with the cameras.

They already have guidelines about when to start recording.

But there are concerns among the public — reflected in many of some 700 responses by NBC 7 social media followers polled on the issue — about the circumstances under which officers may stop recording.

“I like the idea,” Ebony Luna wrote in a post to NBC 7’s Facebook page, “(but) would love it better if the cop didn't have the ability to turn it off.”

San Diego Police Officers Assn. President Brian Marvel said an officer must be given certain situational discretion to turn off the camera:

"There could be certain circumstances regarding sexual assault victims, the privacy concerns in that area,” Marvel said during the “Politically Speaking” discussions.

“Confidential informants — they may not want to have it on during that time because a lot of people, when they are on cameras, may not be as forthcoming with information that they want to give us."

SDPD Chief Shelley Zimmerman said her department is on the cutting edge of body-cam use nationwide: “We’re the eighth largest city in the United States, and if you take all the other larger cities above us, we have more body-worn cameras out right now — 600 cameras — than all of the others combined.”

While Zimmerman says SDPD and its rank-and-file officers are “95 percent” in agreement regarding the department’s policy manual, civil libertarians think statewide guidelines covering all legal ramifications and privacy concerns are essential.

"A big concern is what happens if they don't have prosecution? Or what happens in addition to that?” asked Margaret Dooley-Sammuli, policy director for the San Diego and Imperial Counties chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. “Is (the video) released to the public? It shouldn't be, basically, unless there's strong public interest. There's no public interest in humiliating individuals."

Weber is reaching out to a wide range of "stakeholders" to vet the issues.

She's said she’s aiming to have the task force offer policy recommendations — and possible bills to go to floor votes — by June, before the Legislature's summer recess starts July 1.



Photo Credit: NBC 5 News

Victims of "Mother of the Year's" Pranks: Home Became Prison

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Victims of a former “Mother of the Year” said their home became a prison when the woman carried out a series of perverse pranks on them because she was jealous they got the house she wanted.

Kathy Rowe, 53, will spend one year under home electronic surveillance and five years’ probation for, among other things, posting an online advertisement that invited men to do sexually explicit things to the wife. Rowe pleaded guilty to felony stalking in November.

“I just wanted to say how humiliated I am by my behavior, that this is not representative of who I am,” Rowe told the court at her sentencing Friday.

The victims, Jerry Rice and Janice Ruhter, testified they need counseling and are enrolled in self-defense classes as a result of the paranoia Rowe caused.

"I felt most secure away from my home. The house became my prison,” said Ruhter. “As soon as one door was opened, it was immediately locked behind me.”

They said the emotional scars remain from the scary, ten-month saga that coincided with the birth of their second child. Rice told the judge he was diagnosed with PTSD and needs medication to cope with the lingering stress.

“The characterization of her email correspondence with several men while assuming my wife's identity and asking them to come rape my wife as a childish prank is absurd,” said Rice.

Rice and Ruhter asked Judge Kathleen Lewis to give Rowe jail time, but Lewis called this a puzzling aberration to Rowe’s life and weighed heavily the impact jail time would have on her disabled daughter.

Rowe told prosecutors she became extremely angry when a home she wanted in Carmel Valley was sold to another couple in 2011. Her attorney Brad Patton says mounting stress over caring for a sick husband and disabled daughter caused Rowe, who was named one of “San Diego’s 50 Best Moms” in 2006 by Time Warner Cable, to snap in an unusual way.

A felony complaint outlines how, in retribution, Rowe made life a living hell for the new homeowners.

Rowe impersonated Ruhter and posted a graphic advertisement for the “Carmel Valley Freak Show” online, encouraging men to come to their home and give Ruhter sexual favors of all types when her husband was not at home, according to prosecutors.

The language in the advertisement, the complaint says, was crude and very specific about the sex acts Ruhter would engage in.

Two men actually responded to the ad, and one showed up at the Carmel Valley home. Her attorney said she never intended anyone to show up or to cause the couple any actual harm.

But Rowe did not stop there, prosecutors say. She also sent over $1,000 worth of unsolicited magazines and books to the victims’ home, posted an online ad for a high school New Year’s Eve party and advertised a free Mexican fireworks giveaway on the Fourth of July at the home.

Additional pranks included sending Valentine’s Day cards in Rice’s name to other women in the neighborhood, listing the house for sale and asking religious groups to visit, the complaint says.

Rowe is now prohibited from contacting the victims or getting within 100 yards of them for 10 years – an important provision to the victims because Rowe ended up buying a home less than a mile away.

Grandmother of Murdered Baby Speaks

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The grandmother of a murdered infant found dead in a dumpster begged for witnesses to come forward at a vigil held at the family home in Long Beach, California, Friday.

Pastors and community leaders also turned out for the event held to remember Eliza de la Cruz, who was abducted Saturday from the house on West 51st Street by a man who shot and wounded her parents and uncle. Her body was found in a San Diego dumpster last Sunday.

Clutching an information flyer and flanked by friends at the crime scene vigil, Eliza’s grandmother, Lupe Lechuga, went door-to-door to appeal for information. 

"You don't have to give your name, just come forward," Lechuga said.

LaWanda Hawkins, of vigil organizers Justice for Murdered Children, also turned up and demanded people put any fears aside and speak up.

"Snitches get stitches? We're not having that. We’re saying, hey, this crosses every line. This was a 3-week-old baby,” Hawkins said.

Further support was lended by Pastor Claude Powe, who hoped people would put themselves imn the victims’ shoes.

"Neighbors? It could have been your child! But for the grace of God, there go us. Amen," Pastor Powe said.

Residents were clearly moved at the well-attended event.

"It's a three week old baby! And it's like really really sad about that," Lupe Torres of Long Beach said

And fellow local Miguel Reynos said he wanted to do whatever he could to help.

"(I'm) coming here to show support to the family. May God have her soul," Reynos said.

Long Beach Police Department Cmdr. Don Wood was hoping the appeal will help bring new information to light.

"They're cooperative. But unfortunate at this time, we don't have any information that's going to lead us to the person or person's responsible," Cmdr. Wood said.


5 Killed in Maryland Crash

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Two children and three adults, including a pregnant woman, died in a crash in Queen Anne's County, Maryland, Saturday morning, Maryland State Police confirmed.

A family of five from Greenbush, Virginia, was traveling westbound on Route 50 in a 2006 Suzuki Forenza when a tractor-trailer heading south on Route 213 struck the passenger side about 1:15 a.m. The tractor-trailer apparently rolled over the car.

Sisters Zarissa and Regina Ayres, Regina's boyfriend Travis Stratton, their 2-month-old son Jonathan, and Regina's 7-year-old daughter Jordan were on a trip to Baltimore to visit family, police said.

Regina Ayres, 24; Stratton, 25; and the two children were pronounced dead at the scene. Zerissa Ayres, 30, was taken to a hospital where she and her unborn child were pronounced dead.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, 28-year-old Yvenet Mayette, was believed to be headed home to Wilmington, Delaware, after picking up 44,000 pounds of polyfiber in Charlotte, North Carolina, Friday afternoon. He was flown to University of Maryland Shock Trauma, where he is being treated.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, but alcohol does not appear to be a factor. It's unclear which vehicle had a green light.

Route 50 reopened about 9:30 a.m.



Photo Credit: NBCWashington.com

Searchers Look for Missing Girl, 16

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More than 200 people fanned out over a 10-block area around Grand Central Terminal on Saturday to look for a 16-year-old Westchester, New York, girl who hasn't been heard from since she left home more than a week ago wearing only pajamas.

The teenager, Ji Woo "Christine" Kang, was last seen by her family at her home in Greenburgh at about 8 p.m. on Friday Jan. 2, when she left the home after an argument with her family, according to police.

The search was the biggest coordinated effort since Kang left her Robin Hill Road home.

She was last seen in surveillance video getting off a train from Scarsdale at Grand Central.

Aubrey Graf, a member of Edgemont Cares, an arm of the Edgemont Community Council, organized the search, which brought together people from the central Westchester County community and beyond.

"The response has been overwhelming," she said.

Scout troops, sports teams and teachers from Edgemont High School, where Christine is a junior, were among those handing out fliers.

Reade Seiff, 16, donated money he earned from a business he runs to pay for 3,000 fliers. He and his sister, Sydney, helped hand them out.

"I feel so bad for her parents," he said. "She's out there somewhere with no coat, no phone, no money."

Kang is described as being 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing about 120 pounds. She has brown eyes and brown hair and was last seen wearing a green flannel shirt, pajama pants and UGG boots. The school said she wasn’t wearing a jacket.

Anyone with information about Kang’s whereabouts is asked to call the Greenburgh Police Department at 914-682-5300.

Drugged Bread Causes Hallucinations

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At least 40 people in Orange County suffered symptoms ranging from nausea to hallucinations after eating Three Kings cake laced with a synthetic drug, prompting a criminal investigation of the bakery that made it, police said Friday.

Officials closed Cholula’s Bakery in Santa Ana on Wednesday after up to 40 customers reported getting sick after eating Rosca de Reyes bread on Monday and Tuesday, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.

Nurses from multiple hospitals contacted Santa Ana police after dozens of patients turned up sick earlier this week, said Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, of the Santa Ana Police Department.

Bertagna said patients were nauseous and were having hallucinations and out-of-body experiences.

"The only common denominator with all these patients is they ate this Three Kings bread in celebration of the holiday," he said.

He is hoping laboratory specialists can identify exactly what was contained in the bread.

"There are hundreds of types of synthetic drugs," Bertagna said. "Hopefully they can isolate what exactly we're talking about."

The fruitcake, which is traditionally eaten on Jan. 6 to mark Three Kings Day, was distributed around California. Customers became ill with symptoms including dizziness, palpitations, and numbness, officials said. The cake is also known as Three Kings bread.

Lab results showed the presence of a synthetic drug in the bread, said health officials, who handed the case over to the Santa Ana Police Department, which launched a criminal investigation.

Esperanza Rodriguez, 60, of Santa Ana, said that after eating the cake she felt dizzy, her mouth was dry and eventually she fainted.

Other victims include a man in his mid-40s, his teenage daughter and son, and a 4-year-old boy, who all reported feeling nauseated and anxious as if they were under the influence of a drug, police said.

People who believe they have consumed the tainted bread are encouraged to contact the Santa Ana Police Crimes Against Persons Unit at 714-245-8390.

The bakery will remain closed until it meets three criteria — professional restaurant-grade cleaning, disposal of all opened food and all ingredients used to make the Rosca de Reyes bread, and mandatory food safety training for all staff.

The bread was sold at Cholula's Bakery and the following outlets:

-- El Nopal Mercado, 31451 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano;

-- La Bodega Ranch, 918 N. Glassell St., Orange;

-- La Bodega Ranch, 1700 N. Placentia Ave., Fullerton;

-- Santa Ana Marquet, 1216 W. 1st St., Santa Ana;

-- Tony's Liquor, 32141 Alipaz St., San Juan Capistrano;

-- Gonzalez Marquet, 235 W. La Jolla St., Placentia;

-- Taqueria Mocorito Restaurant, 1076 N. State College Blvd., Anaheim;

-- Taco Boy, 725 N. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim;

-- Brianna's Ice Cream, 2107 E. Ball Road, Anaheim;

-- La Bodega Ranch Market, 4945 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach.

Calls to the bakery for comment were not immediately returned.

Funeral for Boy and Mother Killed in Tragic Crash

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A 6-year-old boy and his mother, who were killed after a DUI suspect smashed into a crowd outside a Christmas concert in Redondo Beach last month, were laid to rest Saturday.

Samuel Gaza and his parent Martha Gaza, 36, were among a dozen people hit when the motorist drove through a group of pedestrians crossing the road outside St. James Catholic Church on Dec. 17.

The funeral service was held at the same place of worship at 10 a.m. It was filled to capacity.
Grief-stricken family members said their final farewell.

“My sister was a hero,” said Martha Gaza’s brother, David Aguilar. “She was really just an amazing person.”

Samuel had just sang at the Christmas concert before the tragic incident occurred. Mary Wilson, 81, and Saeko Matsumura, 87, both of Torrance, were also killed in the crash, and had just watched their grandchildren perform in the same concert.

“When you look at Samuel, he was always so happy and always so full of life,” said pastor Michael Meyers.

Gaza’s husband, Glenn, remains in a wheel chair as he recovers from injuries he sustained in the crash.

“As we struggled together as a community we've found that God has given us strength that we didn't know that we had,” Meyers said.

Margo Bronstein, 56, of Redondo Beach has been charged with four counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and one count of driving under the influence of a drug causing injury, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

“(Martha) really looked out for us and we're going to miss her forever,” Aguilar said.



Photo Credit: Gaza Family

Activists Protest on Cheney’s Porch

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Human rights activists protesting "torture policies" squeezed through the front gate of former Vice President Dick Cheney’s McLean, Virginia, home and demonstrated on his front porch Saturday.

Fairfax County Police arrived soon after and called the protesters back to the street, police spokesman Roger Henriquez said, Reuters reported.

The protest was organized to mark the 14th anniversary of the opening of Guantanamo Bay prison, which still holds 127 detainees, Reuters reported.

In front of Cheney’s gate the activists from the anti-war group CODEPINK and Witness Against Torture put a man in a Cheney mask behind fake prison bars and in a black-and-white striped jumpsuit.

The group carried signs that read “Torturer lives here” and chanted “Arrest Dick Cheney,” “Stop torture now” and “Close Guantanamo Bay.”

Police arrested two protesters, including the man in the Cheney mask and prison costume. Code Pink identified them as Tighe Barry, 57, and Eve Tetaz, 83. The group said they were unfairly singled out for arrest, according to Reuters.

Officers then asked the group to leave the street because they were blocking traffic.

The crowd dispersed and then gathered at Langley Fork Park. Wearing black hoods and orange jumpsuits, they marched to the front gate of the CIA carrying various signs, including ones that read “Shut Down Guantanamo,” Stop Drone Bombings in Pakistan” and “Is this who we are?” They again called for the Guantanamo Bay prison to be closed and an end of “torture policies.”

Earlier, the group made its first stop at CIA Director John Brennan’s house in northern Virginia.



Photo Credit: NBC News

Plane Crash Victim NASA Scientist

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The pilot who died when his small plane crashed in Los Angeles Saturday was a NASA and Jet Propulsion Labs researcher who assisted in the Mars Curiosity Rover expedition.

Alberto Behar's plane nosedived soon after taking off from Van Nuys Airport, crashing into a street in the Lake Balboa neighborhood at around 1:15 p.m. and killing him instantly, authorities said.

A JPL spokeswoman confirmed that Behar, a who worked at the Pasadena-based lab for 23 years, died in the crash. He was a scientist on two Mars research missions, including the Curiosity rover collecting data about conditions on the Red Planet.

"His career was dedicated to better understanding Earth and the other planets," said JPL Science Division manager Michael Watkins in a statement. "On behalf of everyone at JPL, I wish to extend our condolences to his family and friends."

The Scottsdale, Ariz., resident, who was also an Arizona State University professor of robotics, spent years at NASA and JPL reseaching how robots and scientific equipment work in harsh locales like Greenland and in harsh environments, like volcanoes and underwater, according to his university biography.

Behar designed a camera that captured on camera a tiny shrimp-like creature swimming deep beneath the Antarctic ice sheet, a profoundly unexpected find so far from the open ocean, according to NASA press release from 2010.

The discovery prompted scientists to wonder "if life-forms as complex as these can survive deep within sub-glacial waters could they survive in other unusual and unfriendly environments in space?" the release said.

“From his submarines that peeked under Antarctica to his boats that raced Greenland's rivers, Alberto's work enabled measurements of things we'd never known," NASA scientist Thomas Wagner said in a statement.

"His creativity knew few bounds. He is, and will forever be, sorely missed.”

Behar's plane, a single-engine, fixed-wing Lancair 320, was listed in an FAA record as amateur-built and experimental. Lancair planes are pre-fabricated kits assembled by the people who buy them, according to the company's website.



Photo Credit: Courtesy NASA

Accused Officer Found Dead in Texas

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Dallas police Sr. Cpl. David Wayne Kattner, accused last month of sexually assaulting a prostitute, was found dead Friday morning in his Little Elm home, Dallas police say.

Ron Pinkston, president of the Dallas Police Association, confirmed Kattner's death.  Investigators with the Little Elm Police Department said Kattner, 47, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A statement from the Dallas Police Department released Friday morning offered condolences to Kettner's family but did not specify his cause of death.

Kattner and his attorney were to meet with Internal Affairs Friday morning on allegations that he forced a prostitute to perform a sexual act on him on three occasions, at least once while in uniform. The woman also alleged Kattner showed her outstanding warrants for her arrest and told the woman that he knew where her daughter lived.

Kattner, a 26-year veteran of the department and a northeast patrol division officer, had been placed on administrative leave while the allegations were investigated.

The Little Elm police department is leading the investigation into Kattner's death.



Photo Credit: NBC 5 News

Boy Dies After Falling Into Pond

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Despite the quick-thinking efforts of police officers, a 7-year-old boy who fell into a frigid pond in Maryland on Friday evening passed away.

Prince George's County Police say a woman flagged down police in the 1500 block of Southview Drive about 5:30 p.m., saying her son had fallen into a pond. 

An off-duty Prince George's County police officer nearby heard the call and also offered help. Officer Dale Sollars, Officer First Class Brendan Taylor and Officer Melvin Fulton helped pull Zae’ Quan Antonio White, of southeast D.C. from the pond and performed CPR until an ambulance arrived.

"I saw him bringing that baby up the hill in his arms," neighbor Frank Foster said.

The boy was taken to a hospital in critical condition and pronounced dead just before 11 p.m.

The officers also were taken to a hospital as a precaution. 

Prince George's County Police think the boy was playing when he walked onto the frozen pond and fell in when the ice gave way. They say the boy's mother was alerted to the situation by another son.

El Cajon Residents Demand Change After Fatal Crash

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After a fatal pedestrian accident on a busy city street, El Cajon residents are asking for something to be done about the traffic.

A 57-year-old man was killed after being hit by at least two cars Thursday night while crossing a busy street between two controlled intersections. The accident is not the first for that area.

One resident who lives on the corner where the man died said it was bound to happen and will likely happen again if changes aren’t made.

“With the way people are flying up and down the street, you never know,” Bruce Ratcliff said. “It’s human nature. People want to do everything the quick way, the easy way, the convenient way.”

Ratcliff, who has lived there for three years, said he heard a thud and thought someone had hit his fence, which faces the busy street. He went outside to see an SUV and a body in the street behind it.

“Before I even got to the SUV, I could see he was gone,” Ratcliff said. “I mean, he looked like a mannequin laying on the ground. He was lifeless. He was still.”

Ratcliff said he spoke to the driver of the SUV, who was frantically texting someone and seemed shaken. He said she appeared sober, but in shock, standing in the dark street waiting for police.

“I couldn’t see anything except, you know, the injuries,” he said. “His head was split open and his face was down on the pavement…it appeared to be an older gentleman by his torso, but I couldn’t see his face at all.”

A former cop, Ratcliff said the gruesome scene didn’t faze him so much as it disappointed him.

“It didn’t shock me,” he said. “It’s just kind of disappointing that it keeps happening.”

Another long-time El Cajon resident, Eduardo Vazquez, echoed Ratcliff’s assessment of the problem.

“Maybe some better lighting on that street would help out,” Vazquez said. He also suggested a traffic light be put in near Renette Avenue to slow the drivers in the area.

Vazquez, who has lived in his El Cajon home since 1971, attributes a large part of the problem to the development of apartment buildings at both ends of the residential streets that meet with Avocado Street, where the accident happened.

“If you look down that street there, it’s all houses,” Vazquez said. “But at the end of the street is apartments. With more people, it can actually get more congested.”

When asked if he’s made complaints to the city about the traffic, he said yes; about that, and the road being repaved. His cries have thus far gone unanswered.

NBC 7 reached out to the El Cajon office of the California Highway Patrol and the city manager's office, asking if they plan to put speed bumps or more streetlights. They said they are still investigating.

Undercover Cops Bust Couple in ID Theft Operation

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In a surprise bust in Point Loma Friday night, San Diego Police arrested a couple who they say were creating fraudulent credit cards using real San Diegans’ identities.

Undercover financial crimes detectives ended a three-month long investigation by taking a woman and her boyfriend, both in their 30s, into custody at the corner of Plumosa Drive and Chatsworth Boulevard.

Police say the two moved around from hotel to hotel, occasionally staying with friends as they operated their illicit business.

According to investigators, the suspects stole wallets and purses, mostly from parked cars, and used the personal identity information to craft fraudulent credit cards.

They then charged about $1,000 a day for goods and services, police say.

“No comment please,” the man said as he was arrested Friday.

The undercover detectives confiscated evidence from the trunk of the woman’s car that appeared to be material needed to make fake cards.

The couple could face a number of serious charges in connection with identity theft and fraud, according to officials on scene. The couple was arrested outside the home of one of their parents, but they were not operating out of that house, detectives clarified.
 



Photo Credit: Dave Summer

4 Shot Dead in San Francisco: PD

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Four men fatally shot in San Francisco's Hayes Valley neighborhood Friday night were inside a stolen car, police said Saturday.

When police arrived at the 200 block of Page Street around 10 p.m. on a report of multiple shooting victims, they found four victims shot to death in a car, Lt. Tony Chaplin of SFPD's homicide detail told reporters. Chaplin said all four were adult males pronounced dead at the scene. No suspects are in custody yet.

SFPD spokesperson Albie Esparza said the victims were in a stolen car that was double parked on the street. Police are working to verify the make and model of a car that was seen speeding away from the shooting and if it is related to the homicide, Esparza said.

Neighbors in the area said they heard rapid gunfire, almost like firecrackers, and what sounded like a car crash. Some bullets went through nearby homes, one even lodged into someone's refrigerator.

Police told NBC Bay Area the area has a history of gang violence.

"We don't know that's what happened here just yet," Chaplin said. "Our gang taskforce unit is on scene and they will be looking into that aspect."

Chaplin said SFPD's ShotSpotter gunshot detection system had been activated with numerous shots being fired. He estimated at least 10 shots were fired Friday night.

Police say a semi-automatic weapon was used.

Police cordoned off several blocks with yellow crime tape and were canvassing the neighborhood for witnesses Friday night. Yellow evidence markers were spotted near the scene of the shooting.

Investigators are talking to witnesses for information and hoping to look at video footage from the scene. Anyone with information on the homicide is asked to call SFPD at (415) 575-444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411 with SFPD at the start of the message.

Information from Bay City News was included in this report.



Photo Credit: NBC Bay Area

FDNY Stop Rescue Drill to Save Man

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A man who cracked through the ice and fell into a frigid lake at Central Park Saturday had the good fortune of doing so while firefighters were conducting ice-rescue drills nearby.

Firefighters engaged in the drill noticed the man walking in the middle of the frozen lake at about 1 p.m. and shouted warnings at him, an FDNY spokesman said. The man, who wasn't identified, failed to heed the warning and moments later plunged into the icy water.

Firefighters were already wearing their ice-rescue gear and were able to get to the man within two to three minutes, the FDNY said. Rescuers were unsure of the temperature of the lake water, but said it was about 20 degrees outdoors.

The man was incoherent and intoxicated, rescuers said. He was combative in the ambulance and had to be sedated as he was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital, they said.

The rescue occurred near West Drive in the vicinity of 76th Street. 

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