Maine Police Officer Arrested by ICE Agrees to Self-Deport
Jon Luke Evans, a reserve officer with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department and a citizen of Jamaica, was taken into custody on July 25 after his alleged attempt to purchase a firearm raised concerns about his immigration status. Maine is among a handful of states where non-citizens may work in law enforcement.
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DOD to offer new medal for personnel deployed to Southern Border
The Pentagon announced a new military decoration that will recognize service members stationed at the U.S.-Mexico border as part of the Trump administration's effort to bolster border security. A U.S. defense official confirmed to Military Times the veracity of a memorandum regarding the medal that began circulating online several days ago. 'Effective immediately, the Mexican Border Defense Medal (MBDM), is hereby established to recognize Service members deployed to the U.S. international border with Mexico for DoD support to United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP),' a memo uploaded to the Navy subreddit reads. Previously, service members collaborating with CBP were awarded the Armed Forces Service Medal, but the Mexican Border Defense Medal will take its place, according to the memo. Military personnel qualify for the medal if they have been 'permanently assigned, attached, or detailed to a unit that deployed' in support of a military operation supporting CBP within 100 nautical miles of the U.S.-Mexico border after Jan. 20, 2025, when President Trump assumed office. After chase, US Navy, Coast Guard intercept 1,296 pounds of cocaine Military personnel must have operated within Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California or the adjacent U.S. waters out to 24 nautical miles, the memo said. Service members and veterans can apply to have their Armed Forces Service Medal swapped out with the Mexican Border Defense Medal, but they are not allowed to possess both at once. Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20 to deter the 'unlawful mass migration' of illegal aliens into the United States by deploying supplemental military personnel along the Southern Border, among other strategies. Over the last eight months, the administration has ramped up its border security mission. U.S. Northern Command established Joint Task Force-Southern Border on March 14, 2025, to lead immigration enforcement efforts. As of July 2, approximately 8,500 military personnel were attached to the task force. The administration has also deployed the U.S. Navy to intercept and halt the flow of illicit drugs into the country. On Aug. 11, U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Sampson, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, intercepted 1,296 pounds of cocaine from a drug smuggling vessel. Solve the daily Crossword
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R.I. Ethics Commission wrestles with lawmaker's bid to rejoin list of attorneys hired by state
Rep. Jason Knight, a Barrington Democrat, sits before the Rhode Island Ethics Commission on Aug. 19, 2025. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) Does a state lawmaker qualify as an independent contractor when hired by Rhode Island's court system to represent clients who can't otherwise rely on a public defender? That was the question that kept the Rhode Island Ethics Commission debating for more than 40 minutes as its members weighed Rep. Jason Knight's bid to rejoin the judiciary's roster of attorneys representing indigent clients. Commission staff say the state's ethics code clearly bars Knight from returning to the court's list because he's a lawmaker and thus an independent contractor that would be paid by the court. But the panel is now exploring whether there's a way to let him back without running afoul of its own 'revolving door' rule. Knight, a Barrington Democrat, had been on the list before his election to the Rhode Island House of Representatives in 2016. In 2019, he requested his name be removed because the rates the criminal courts paid were not high enough. 'The cases were basically practice killers,' he said in an interview after the ethics commission meeting. 'To do them correctly, you would have to set aside just about everything in your world and (as) criminal defense lawyers, we're solo outfits, you need to be thoughtful in what your two hands can do on any given day.' At the time, court-appointed lawyers were paid by the judiciary $90 an hour for representing clients facing Class 1 felony charges for crimes like rape, kidnapping and robbery. The rate was $60 an hour for Class 2 crimes such as breaking and entering, larceny, possession of a stolen motor vehicle and certain drug offenses. Lawyers representing someone accused of murder were paid $100 an hour. In April, the Rhode Island Supreme Court increased the range from $112 for most cases to $142 per hour for clients facing murder charges. Knight now says he wants to return to the court's rotating list as a way to gain some additional revenue as he 'thinks about what the future's going to bring.' 'I need to get back on the horse,' Knight told the Ethics Commission. There's just one problem: The state ethics code bars elected officials from taking state jobs until they've been out of the General Assembly for at least a year. That's the position staff attorney Lynn Radiches urged the commissioners to keep. 'Indigent clients do have a right to an attorney, they do not have a right to Mr. Knight as their attorney.' she said. 'I don't write the rules, but I've become pretty good at interpreting them.' Officials can work for the state if they held the position at the time of their election, but Radiches said because Knight withdrew from the court list in 2019 he is ineligible to return. But commissioners argue that just because Knight would be appointed by the court to a client does not mean he is necessarily working for the state. 'He is providing services, as an attorney, to his client — just like a private attorney would be,' said commissioner Frank Cenerini. 'And he, or any person providing indigent services, is still bound by the legal code of ethics.' That's not how John Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island and a longtime observer of the commission, sees it. 'The money is coming from the state of Rhode Island,' Marion said in an interview. 'That's the point of the rule.' Chairman Lauren E. Jones acknowledged that the court may cut Knight's checks, but said it's only in order to represent a third party. 'He's not representing the interest of his contractor,' Jones argued. The panel ultimately rejected its staff's advisory opinion but stopped short of ruling in Knight's favor. Instead, it directed staff to draft a new opinion on what legally defines an independent contractor in Rhode Island. Should the commission grant an exception for Knight, Marion warns it could set a dangerous precedent. 'If we start down that path, that only leads to a place where there is no enforceable code of ethics and that's not a good place,' Marion said. The new advisory opinion is expected to be complete by the time the panel reconvenes in September. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Solve the daily Crossword
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Multiple 999 calls about two people drowning in the sea near Blackpool's Central Pier
Multiple 999 calls were made over the weekend following reports of two people drowning in the sea near to the Central Pier in Blackpool. HM Coastguard Fleetwood confirmed that the RNLI, Blackpool Beach Patrol, North West Ambulance Service, North West Air Ambulance Service and police were called to a series of incidents. At around 6.38pm on Saturday (August 16), rescue teams responded to multiple 999 calls about persons drowning at Blackpool Central Pier. READ MORE: UK households warned of rules if neighbour's tree is blocking sunlight in your home or garden READ MORE: EuroMillions results LIVE: Lottery numbers for £210MILLION draw on Tuesday, August 19 Never miss a story with the MEN's daily Catch Up newsletter - get it in your inbox by signing up here The two people involved were later rescued by a friend and refused treatment at the scene, the Coastguard said. Earlier in the day, a further concern for welfare call made following reports of somebody swimming near to the North Pier. It was later revealed to have been an abandoned coat. HM Coastguard Fleetwood said there were numerous 'overlapping' incidents in Fleetwood and Blackpool, but issued a statement to 'dispel the made-up stories on social media of multiple fatalities'. Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE On Sunday (August 17), rescue teams were called to reports of a person in difficulty at St Anne's Pier being helped by a paddleboarder in the area. The casualty was dragged to shore where they were treated by air ambulance paramedics. A three-year-old was also reported missing on South Pier in Blackpool. A search through 'extremely busy crowds' later resulted in them being located safe and well, the Coastguard said. Also in Blackpool, another adult who couldn't swim also fell from an inflatable. An onlooker swam out to help but also ended up in difficulty in the water, with rescue teams pulling them to safety. The two casualties were said to have been in a 'concerning condition' from water inhalation and ingestion. They were stabilised and rushed to hospital from the scene. --- Day in day out, our reporters in the Manchester Evening News newsroom bring you remarkable stories from all aspects of Mancunian life. However, with the pace of life these days, the frenetic news agenda and social media algorithms, you might not be getting a chance to read it. That's why every week our Features and Perspectives editor Rob Williams brings you Unmissable, highlighting the best of what we do - bringing it to you directly from us. Make sure you don't miss out, and see what else we have to offer, by clicking here and signing up for MEN Daily News. And be sure to join our politics writer Jo Timan every Sunday for his essential commentary on what matters most to you in Greater Manchester each week in our newsletter Due North. You can also sign up for that here. You can also get all your favourite content from the Manchester Evening News on WhatsApp. Click here to see everything we offer, including everything from breaking news to Coronation Street. If you prefer reading our stories on your phone, consider downloading the Manchester Evening News app here, and our news desk will make sure every time an essential story breaks, you'll be the first to hear about it. And finally, if there is a story you think our journalists should be looking into, we want to hear from you. Email us on newsdesk@ or give us a ring on 0161 211 2920
