Do kids feel safe in D.C.? We asked them.
Teens with no previous criminal records were being arrested 'because they put a gun in somebody's face,' said then-D.C. Police Chief Robert J. Contee III at a crime summit in 2023. Students changed schools in fear only to find they could not escape the violence. A council member urged parents to keep their children indoors: 'It's not safe in D.C.'
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Undrafted WR Isaiah Bond no longer faces sexual assault charge, announces future plans with Cleveland Browns
Former Texas and Alabama wide receiver Isaiah Bond has been no-billed and is no longer facing the sexual assault charge he was arrested on two weeks before he went undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft, according to Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis in Texas. "After reviewing all the evidence presented, a Collin County grand jury returned a 'no bill' in the sexual assault charge involving Isaiah Bond, meaning no indictment will be issued," Willis said in a statement Thursday, via ESPN. "This concludes the criminal proceedings in this matter." Bond then announced his future plans with the Cleveland Browns, although ESPN's Adam Schefter reported shortly after that no deal has been finalized. Mary Kay Cabot followed with a report that the Browns are "doing their diligence" on Bond and that a contract won't be signed Thursday. Earlier in the day, news broke that Browns running back Quinshon Judkins — whom the team selected in the second round of this year's draft — will not face formal misdemeanor battery charges after he was arrested in July. "First and foremost, I want to express my deepest gratitude to the Cleveland Browns for believing in me and allowing me the opportunity to continue my career in the NFL," Bond wrote in a statement he posted to X. He later added: "I know there have been questions and reports about the recent allegations. I am grateful for the decision of the prosecutor and the courts not to pursue charges. I will learn from this experience as I grow in wisdom, character and faith. On the advice of my attorney, I will not discuss the details of this case, but I want to be clear: From the very beginning, I have refuted these allegations and maintained my innocence. I stand firm by that today." Back in April, the 21-year-old Bond reportedly turned himself in to Frisco, Texas, police for an outstanding sexual assault warrant. After he posted bail of $25,000, he was released from the Collin County jail. Bond released a statement, in which he described the claims made against him as "patently false." The statement also noted that he was "in full cooperation with the authorities" and that he'd remain that way throughout the investigation. Bond went on to sue the woman who accused him, according to ESPN, which reported that Bond's lawyers said the sexual encounter was consensual. The defamation suit was dismissed with prejudice last month by the U.S. District Court in Northern Texas, meaning that the case ended and Bond can't file the claim again. A former four-star prospect, Bond began his college career at Alabama, where he caught 65 passes across two seasons, most notably recording one of the most memorable grabs in Iron Bowl history in 2023. The following year, he went to Texas but made only 34 receptions, tallying 540 receiving yards in the process. He dealt with an ankle injury that affected him down the stretch of the 2024 season, which ended with his Longhorns falling to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Bond clocked out with six touchdowns and 638 yards from scrimmage as a junior before declaring for the NFL Draft. He was considered a mid-round draft prospect before his arrest.
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Louisiana sues Roblox alleging the popular gaming site fails to protect children
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana sued the online gaming platform Roblox on Thursday, alleging the wildly popular site has perpetuated an environment where sexual predators "thrive, unite, hunt and victimize kids.' The lawsuit, filed in state court by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, alleges that Roblox has failed to implement effective safety measures to protect child users from adult predators. 'Due to Roblox's lack of safety protocols, it endangers the safety of the children of Louisiana,' Murrill said in a news release. 'Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritizes user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety." The company has faced lawsuits and backlash for not doing enough to protect kids on its gaming services. Last month, a lawsuit was filed in Iowa after a 13-year-old girl was allegedly introduced to an adult predator on the platform, then kidnapped and trafficked across multiple states and raped. In Louisiana, Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard said his office has had multiple cases involving Roblox. In one, police allege a man used voice-altering technology to pose as a girl on the platform. Ard said there have yet to be any arrests made related to the gaming site. Ultimately, Murrill said she believes Roblox should be shut down. An email seeking comment was sent to the company Thursday. The free online gaming platform has more than 111 million monthly users. Its website describes Roblox as "the ultimate virtual universe that lets you create, share experiences with friends, and be anything you can imagine.' Roblox doesn't allow users to share videos or images in chats and tries to block any personal information, such as phone numbers. However, as with other gaming platforms and social media sites with similar policies, people find ways around such safeguards. Roblox, which according to its website has 'a zero-tolerance policy for the exploitation of minors,' doesn't allow children under 13 to chat with other users outside of games unless they have explicit parental permission. Because the platform does not encrypt private chat conversations, the company can monitor and moderate them. However, Murrill said there is no age minimum or substantial age verification process once a user signs up. As a result, young children, teens and adults posing as children can sign up, she said. The company says on its website that age verification "is a new feature that is currently in testing on Roblox.' Last month, it launched a feature that requires teenagers aged 13 to 17 to send a video selfie to verify their ages if they want to chat freely with people they know, called 'trusted connections.' Amid mounting criticism in recent months, the company has implemented additional measures that it says will keep their young users safe. In August, Roblox told AP that it was rolling out an artificial intelligence system to help detect early signs of possible child endangerment, such as sexually exploitive language. Roblox said the system led it to submit 1,200 reports of potential attempts at child exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in the first half of 2025. Sara Cline And Barbara Ortutay, The Associated Press Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
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Victim of catfish predator says she will always be angry her innocence was stolen
A victim of prolific catfish offender Max Hollingsbee has said she will always be angry that he stole her innocence. A complaint made by Immy (not her real name) led police to discover a litany of sex offences against other teenage girls committed by the Co Armagh man. Immy has said she now wants to use her experiences to help other victims. Hollingsbee, 21, of Orient Circle, Lurgan, was sentenced in May to five years and two months after admitting scores of child sexual abuse crimes against girls. He had pleaded guilty to some 42 charges with 14 victims identified. Immy, from the Surrey area, was 15 when she met Hollingsbee, who was using a fake profile, through the Wizz app three years ago. She said: 'He presented himself as being 16 and male. There were photographs which I know now weren't him. 'At the time I didn't see anything wrong with it. I thought you could only talk to people within a certain age range and you had to prove your age. 'We just had normal conversations. I was quite vulnerable at the time. It is an age where you want boys to like you, you want them to show interest in you. He was and he made me feel special, he made me feel seen. 'Now I now it was all part of his plan.' She added: 'Once he had built up the trust I added him on my Snapchat. He started with more compliments, flattery, things like that. 'At 15 years old that is all a girl wants to hear. He knew that and he definitely played on that vulnerability.' The situation escalated quickly with Hollingsbee demanding that Immy send him explicit photographs. She said: 'He would give me very specific instructions. I didn't like it but I didn't know how to say no. I wasn't confident enough to say no. 'I didn't want him to stop talking to me and I didn't want him to stop giving me that attention. 'I did send photos. I obviously regret that but I've never been made to feel embarrassed and I've never been made to feel that it was my fault.' Hollingsbee then attempted to blackmail the teenager, stating he would share the photographs with other people she knew if she did not send more. He did share the images with one of Immy's female friends. At this point she told her mother what was happening. She said: 'That was very scary for me. I was in such a state of panic it was like I blacked out, I was there and I was talking to my mum but I've no idea what I said to her. 'I showed her what was going on and just remember crying in a ball on the floor of her room.' Once police were alerted, Hollingsbee was arrested in Northern Ireland and his devices seized, leading to the discovery of the other victims. Thousands of photos and videos of underage girls performing sexual acts were found on his devices, obtained by blackmail or by hacking their social media accounts. Immy also helped police to track him down. He had given her his phone number and she used to BeReal app to discover his true profile and name. Immy said: 'Finding out there were so many other girls who hadn't said anything was the most gut-wrenching feeling in the entire world because I couldn't imagine not being able to tell someone. 'That was the hardest part, they were sitting at home so scared, so terrified and I knew how they felt because I had been there. 'Knowing they were so scared on their own was the worst feeling. Quite a few of them were younger than me.' She added: 'I am angry, I will always be angry at him for doing that to me and taking my innocence away from me. 'That is what he did. He played on my vulnerability, played on my weaknesses. I was so used and no 15-year-old should ever have to deal with a man like that ever. 'Kids do make mistakes. It is important I am able to talk about it because they need someone their age to say it could happen to you. It can happen. If you don't feel you have got the support at home, the police will take action. They did everything they way I hoped they would.' Immy said she hopes Hollingsbee is able to confront the impact of his actions when he is released from prison. She said: 'I would be happy knowing that he sees the wrong he did. 'I have made a lot of effort to not let it change my outlook about people. 'Not everyone is like that, he is a very specific type of person. But it did take a big toll, I am not as trusting as I used to be. 'But I have stopped a lot of people, I hope, from having to deal with him.' Immy is hoping to study psychology at university and to use her experiences to help other victims. She said: 'I want to be able to go into schools and work with kids, using my experience to make something good. 'I think it is so important that I make something good out of a bad situation. 'I am hoping I will be able to make a difference.'
