logo
Charlotte teacher used translation app to prey on two students, documents say

Charlotte teacher used translation app to prey on two students, documents say

Yahoo08-04-2025

A teacher from Harding High School allegedly used a translator app to prey on two Spanish-speaking students, according to court documents obtained by Channel 9 this week.
We previously reported when Adrian Lewis was arrested and charged with sex crimes. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's Sexual Assault Unit started investigating after a school resource officer reported allegations of inappropriate messages to a student.
PREVIOUS STORY: Charlotte teacher arrested, charged after reports of inappropriate messages to student
In an affidavit, one student reported that Lewis had asked her inappropriate questions through the app, and he would often get in her personal space, including touching her back during class.
Last week, she said Lewis asked about her grades through the app, and he responded by saying she should be his girlfriend, investigators said in an affidavit.
Investigators found messages in the translation app, and Lewis said they were messages to another student, according to court records. Police interviewed that student, and she said Lewis asked her inappropriate questions through the app.
Police said they reviewed the translation phrases with Lewis, and he 'admitted that they were inappropriate,' according to the affidavit.
Lewis has since been released from the Mecklenburg County jail on bond.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has employed Lewis since August 2023, a spokesperson said.
(VIDEO: New NC bill would allow public schools to hire unlicensed teachers)

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

More than 40 'narco-boat' drug smugglers arrested in major police sting
More than 40 'narco-boat' drug smugglers arrested in major police sting

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

More than 40 'narco-boat' drug smugglers arrested in major police sting

More than 40 people have been arrested after a major drugs raid busted a "narco-boats" gang accused of trafficking cocaine into the EU. The investigation, dubbed Operation Black Shadow, saw police forces from around the world work together to seize nearly 3,800 kilos of cocaine, 69 vehicles and €100,000 (£84,232) in cash. A British national was among the 48 arrested during last Tuesday's raids, the National Crime Agency confirmed to Sky News. The gang used "mother ships" to transport cocaine from South America to the Canary Islands, with 11 speedboats used to ferry the drugs to shore. They even turned an abandoned shipwreck into a refuelling platform for the speedboats and boats, according to Spain's Policia Nacional. The criminal network used a "complex encrypted communications system" to evade police, including the use of satellite terminals, hard-to-trace phones and a coded language. Read more from Sky News: Twenty-nine houses were searched in Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote. "The criminal network specialised in smuggling large quantities of cocaine from South America into Spanish territory using high-speed boats, said an NCA spokesperson to Sky News. "Alongside our international partners, we are relentless in our efforts to tackle drug trafficking across borders, ensuring it's seized before it reaches the UK criminal supply chain."

Multiple immigration sweeps reported across L.A.: 'They're everywhere'
Multiple immigration sweeps reported across L.A.: 'They're everywhere'

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Multiple immigration sweeps reported across L.A.: 'They're everywhere'

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were carrying out a series of immigration sweeps across Southern California on Friday morning, sparking fear and anxiety among immigrant communities. At least one video posted on X show federal agents running after people in the parking lot of the Home Depot in Westlake, not far from downtown Los Angeles. A man recording the video can be heard warning people in Spanish that immigration officials were at the location and to stay away. Los Angeles Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, whose district includes Westlake, said in a written statement that her office has received reports about immigration enforcement operations taking place in her district and other parts of Los Angeles. "These actions are escalating: agents arrive without warning and leave quickly, aware that our communities mobilize fast," she said. "I urge Angelenos to stay alert." The raids are the latest in a string of high-profile immigration enforcement actions over the last week, part of President Trump's promised deportation crackdown. A few days ago, immigration agents raided a popular San Diego restaurant and made arrests, sparking a standoff with outraged residents. Agents also arrested Chinese and Taiwanese nationals at an underground nightclub in the Los Angeles area. Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe, a spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of ICE, said federal agents in downtown Los Angeles were executing search warrants related to the harboring of people illegally in the country. No other details were provided, and it wasn't known how many operations were taking place. Another video posted on Instagram shows six federal agents walking near the intersection of Towne Avenue and 10th Street in the Fashion District. Ron Gochez, a member of Unión del Barrio, an independent political organization advocating for immigrant rights and social justice, said his group has been "flooded" with calls about immigration sweeps taking place in Los Angeles and Orange counties. "There were ICE agents at a Home Depot in Cypress, there's ICE agents at Wilshire Boulevard and Union Avenue, a construction site in North Hollywood and in South L.A.," he said in a phone interview. "They're everywhere." This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is made available. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

San Antonio police backpedal on initial claim that Jonathan Joss' murder was not an anti-LGBT hate crime
San Antonio police backpedal on initial claim that Jonathan Joss' murder was not an anti-LGBT hate crime

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

San Antonio police backpedal on initial claim that Jonathan Joss' murder was not an anti-LGBT hate crime

Less than a week after the San Antonio Police Department insisted there was 'no evidence whatsoever' of homophobia in the June 1 shooting death of former King of the Hill actor Jonathan Joss, the city's top cop walked back that claim as 'way, way, way premature.' 'We shouldn't have done it,' SAPD Chief William McManus said at a Thursday press conference. 'It was way too soon, before we had any real information, and I will own that.' 'We understand that many in the LGBTQ+ community are feeling anxious and concerned,' McManus added. 'A lot of it has to do with that premature statement that we released, and again, I own that shouldn't have done it. The loss of Jonathan Joss was tragic and most, most heavily felt by the LGBTQ+ community.' Last Sunday, as Joss, 59, and husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales drove to San Antonio from Austin, where they had recently been living, to check the mail at what remains of their home, which burned down in January. (Kern de Gonzalez said he is certain the blaze was arson. Authorities, on the other hand, have said the cause remains undetermined.) When they got there, the pair was shocked to find the charred skull of one of their three dogs, which had perished in the blaze, placed on the ground 'in clear view,' according to Kern de Gonzales. The two began crying and screaming, leading to the deadly confrontation with neighbor Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, he said. In announcing Joss' death on social media, Kern de Gonzales, 23, said there was no doubt the deadly attack was a hate crime. The 59-year-old Ceja, Kern de Gonzales wrote in a Facebook post, 'was someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other.' Still, the SAPD issued a statement a day later saying investigators had found nothing 'to indicate that Mr. Joss' murder was related to his sexual orientation.' 'We take such allegations very seriously and have thoroughly reviewed all available information,' the statement said. 'Should any new evidence come to light, we will charge the suspect accordingly.' However, Kern de Gonzales subsequently told The Independent that Ceja laughed and spewed homophobic slurs as Joss lay dying. 'Everything was really close range. It was in the head,' Kern de Gonzales said. 'I held his face together while I told him how much I loved him. He could still hear me, he looked up at me and he wasn't able to talk because of the extent [of his injuries], but I could tell he was trying to say, 'I love you.'' This, according to Kern de Gonzales, prompted Ceja to unleash a vile anti-LGBT tirade. 'While I'm holding him, he has the gun pointed over me, and he's laughing, saying, 'Oh, you love him? Joto,'' said Kern de Gonzales, who grew up in South Carolina. ''Joto' is Spanish for f****t. I never knew the word until I came to Texas, and then I heard it a lot.' Joss was pronounced dead at the scene. Ceja, according to an incident report obtained from the SAPD, quickly confessed, telling police, 'I shot him.' Some 48 hours following the shooting, Ceja, who now faces a first-degree murder charge, was released from jail on $200,000 bond. He will remain under house arrest, two doors down from where Joss was gunned down, pending trial. In a follow-up interview with The Independent after Ceja bailed out, Kern de Gonzales said he was not surprised by the turn of events and railed against the SAPD for not having better protected Joss. He said the couple, who married this past Valentine's Day, had lodged dozens of complaints about alleged harassment and threats from Ceja and other nearby residents, to little effect. Joss had also been the subject of complaints to police by neighbors, who called the cops on the actor more than 50 times in the past year, according to SAPD incident logs. However, while Joss may have at times annoyed people by 'ranting and raving' in public, Kern de Gonzales said he suffered at times from mental illness but insisted he was never a danger to himself or anyone else. 'I've been in mental health crisis and acted just as Jonathan did, even worse,' he said. 'The difference was, I was given medical attention and was treated as someone who needed help instead of being seen as a violent threat. Jonathan was never violent, he never went after anybody or threatened anybody's person.' Joss, who was of Comanche and White Mountain Apache descent, was best known for voicing the part of John Redcorn in the animated series King of the Hill. He also appeared in a recurring role as Chief Ken Hotate on the NBC series Parks and Recreation. Ceja 'thought he would silence [Joss] and get rid of him, but all he did was make him more powerful,' Kern de Gonzales said. Now, he continued, Joss will instead 'be remembered as a martyr and a legend' among many in the LGBT and Native American communities. Ceja is due back in court on August 19. His court-appointed lawyer, Alfonso Otero, did not respond to a request for comment.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store