Latest news with #Blanding
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Blanding man arrested for unlawful sexual contact with 16-year-old while in ‘secret relationship'
Content warning: This article contains information about alleged child sexual abuse material. Reader discretion is advised. Report CSAM to law enforcement by contacting the ICAC Tip Line at (801) 281-1211 or your local law enforcement agency. BLANDING, Utah () — A Blanding man has been arrested for allegedly having a 'secret relationship' with a 16-year-old and encouraging her to send him explicit sexual photos, which are considered child sexual abuse material (CSAM) due to her age. Kerry Dean Benally, 30, was booked into the San Juan County Jail on five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, five counts of distributing material harmful to a minor, and five counts of unlawful sexual contact with a 16 to 17-year-old. Charges have not been formally filed by the county attorney yet. According to court documents, on June 4, 2025, a 16-year-old victim was interviewed at the Children's Justice Center after the Blanding Police Department was made aware of a possible sex offense committed against her by a 30-year-old man. The victim told police that she had been communicating and spending time with Benally. Roy woman charged after 10-month-old baby hospitalized for ingesting narcotics, documents say The 16-year-old stated that she had been speaking with Benally through Instagram, and that she had spent 'a couple of nights over' with Benally at his family member's trailer. Documents say that she would not go into detail about those nights, but did confirm they had slept in the same bed. Documents say that the victim was told that she and Benally 'needed to keep their relationship a secret from other people.' The usernames for Benally and the 16-year-old were obtained, and the Blanding Police Department filed a search warrant. Two days later, on June 6, the search warrant for the Instagram accounts was returned. In the messages, police located CSAM created of the teenage victim, as well as explicit sexual photos Benally sent to the victim of himself. Throughout the conversation, Benally repeatedly asked the victim for sexual photos and had explicit conversations with her. He also discussed the five times that they had met in person, and spoke about having illegal sexual relations with the minor during those times. On Aug. 12, an officer with the Blanding Police Department was 'able to locate Kerry [Benally] while he was driving.' The officer knew that Benally had a warrant for a previous incident, and was driving without a valid driver's license. Midvale man charged for alleged road rage incident where he hit victim's car, swung metal pole The Blanding Police officer arrested Benally and brought him to the San Juan County Jail. When they arrived, the officer began asking questions about his 'relationship' with the 16-year-old victim. Benally allegedly stated that he 'knew of her' and was 'talking to her a little bit' through Instagram. Through further questioning, Benally admitted that they had started talking in February, but claimed he stopped talking to her when he 'found out how old she was.' He also claimed she once told him she was 19. The 30-year-old told the officer that while she was at his family member's trailer, he had gone home and let her stay there alone. The officer told Benally that he had the messages between them and 'confronted him about lying.' Benally admitted that he knew the victim was 16 and that he had continued sending and receiving graphic sexual photos despite her age. Benally was booked into the San Juan County Jail, where he is currently being held without bail. Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Latest headlines: Celebrate National Thrift Shop Day with discount deals Social Security marks 90th anniversary Keeping the wheels turning for adaptive sports Utah Jazz 2025-26 schedule released 21-year-old hit and killed on e-bike in Riverton, thrown over 180 feet Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-08-2025
- Yahoo
$1.2 million in fentanyl, heroin seized in San Juan County traffic stop
BLANDING, Utah (ABC4) — Deputies seized $1.2 million in illegal drugs during a traffic stop in San Juan County Saturday morning, according to the San Juan County Sheriff's Dept. Early Saturday morning, Aug. 2, members of the San Juan County Major Crimes and Drug Task Force unit conducted a traffic stop in Blanding for a registration violation. A police K-9, Nyx, did a free air sniff of the vehicle and alerted her handler to the odor of narcotics. Authorities conducted a search of the vehicle and found approximately 88 pounds of suspected fentanyl pills — around 240,000 pills — and 5 kilograms of suspected heroin. The street value of these drugs is estimated to be $1.2 million. The driver was arrested and booked into San Juan County Jail. The investigation is currently active. No further information is available at this time. Latest headlines: Salt Lake City firefighters rescue several people in early morning abandoned building fire Safest Car Rankings for 2025 $1.2 million in fentanyl, heroin seized in San Juan County traffic stop Texas House committee advances GOP-friendly map Monroe Canyon Fire continues to grow amid high winds, community meeting scheduled Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
56 Threatened Turtles Born at Iowa Zoo Released Into the Wild
Dozens of Blanding's turtles were released back into their natural wetland habitat on June 4 Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Blank Park Zoo, and Iowa State University joined forces to raise the turtles that are considered a threatened species The year-old turtles were released with tiny transmitters allowing their movements to be tracked for the next two monthsA group of year-old Blanding's turtles were released from the Blank Park Zoo and placed in their natural habitat. Blanding's turtles are a threatened species, and as part of a partnering project between the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Blank Park Zoo, and Iowa State University, the agencies worked together to help the population. "Blanding's turtles are so cool, they've got this bright yellow chin, and they kind of look like an army helmet with this dome shape of their shell," Dr. Karen Kinkead, wildlife diversity program coordinator for the Iowa DNR, told WHO Des Moines. The turtles' parents are native to the Iowa wetlands. Now that their babies are one year old, they were released into a marsh in Guthrie County with tiny transmitters to track their movements and gather data. 'You definitely want to be putting them into a good Blanding's turtle habitat where they're gonna be able to thrive, so that's pretty much made up of wetlands,' Elizabeth Lang, a research associate at Iowa State University, told Iowa Local 5 News. WHO Des Moines reports that Lang will spend her summer in the marsh tracking the turtles and monitoring their whereabouts. Over the winter, the baby turtles made the Blank Park Zoo their home. "The zoo's kept them over the winter for us, and they've kept them awake instead of allowing them to go to sleep for the winter," Kinkead told KCCI News. "So they've grown bigger than they would in the wild. Because they're bigger, it will be harder for some of their natural predators to swallow them whole." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. Kinead said she has concerns about the Blanding's turtle release: "I'm definitely a bit nervous. I hope that they do really well out there." "To my knowledge, this is the first opportunity we've had to track the juveniles," Kinkead told WHO Des Moines. "And we suspect that the juveniles are not using the habitat the same way as the adults do because we just don't find them the way we do adults." Kinkead said she believes the young turtles spend more time in the water than the adults. The turtle's transmitters will last two months, allowing Lang and partnering technicians to track how the turtles spend their summer. WHO Des Moines reports that the Blanding's turtle was placed on a threatened species list due to complications in successful nesting and habitat loss. DNR is working to rebuild the Blanding's turtle population following a late winter storm that devastated the species 10 years ago. Read the original article on People
Hamilton Spectator
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Toronto Zoo warns of extinctions if Ontario mining bill becomes law
TORONTO - Species could go extinct if Ontario passes a controversial mining bill that is set to transform its approach to endangered species and the environment, the Toronto Zoo warned the province. Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, would strike a blow to the recovery of several species the institution has been trying to save, said Dolf DeJong, the zoo's CEO, at a committee hearing at Queen's Park on Thursday. If and when the bill becomes law, DeJong wants the province to step up with funding so it can dramatically increase its biobank with Ontario species that could die off as a result of the legislation. 'We're concerned this act will result in the erosion of biodiversity and the loss of species at risk,' DeJong said. 'This bill, if passed, could undo decades of conservation efforts and threaten some of Ontario's most vulnerable species, species your Toronto Zoo works directly for.' The zoo is concerned that this bill, combined with the rollback of environmental protections under U.S. President Donald Trump, further threaten endangered species. 'I think we all understand that endangered species don't recognize political boundaries, and these policy changes makes their survival on both sides of the border more questionable,' DeJong said. The zoo has an ongoing program to help the recovery of the Blanding's turtle with the help of Parks Canada. The animal is considered threatened in Ontario and, by the province's own definition, is 'likely to become endangered if steps are not taken to address factors threatening it.' 'Together with Parks Canada, your Toronto Zoo has helped release more than 700 individuals into Rouge National Urban Park,' DeJong said. 'And while they may not move quickly, these turtles travel up to six kilometres a year around the watershed as they move between nesting, feeding and hibernation sites.' Anything that would disrupt that habitat would be catastrophic for the Blanding's turtle, he said. The province's omnibus bill seeks to speed up the approval of mining projects through a variety of measures. It includes eventually repealing the Endangered Species Act, removing significant habitat protections and doing away with requirements to create recovery strategies for at-risk species. The definition of habitat would change from the entire area needed for a species to survive, to just its nest or den and the area immediately surrounding it. The province is also giving itself greater power over an independent, science-based committee to add and remove species from a protected list. And the bill also proposes to give the government power to create so-called 'special economic zones' where it can suspend provincial and municipal laws, including environmental laws, on certain projects. Premier Doug Ford said the province will designate the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario as the first such zone, a move that has sparked anger and protest from First Nations living there. They would also allow companies to start developing a project that could destroy habitat or kill at-risk species without first getting a permit. Instead, the government is proposing to move to a not-yet-defined 'registration-first approach' for all projects But Ford also mused non-mining projects such as his idea of a massive transit and traffic tunnel under Highway 401 could also receive the designation along with other major infrastructure projects. 'If the government decides to move forward as written, we have one ask, establish an insurance policy for these species and their well-being,' DeJong said. 'This government needs to commit to funding to create an Ontario wildlife biobank at your Toronto Zoo, our reproductive science team can play a critical role, working with partners across all walks of life to ensure we have a backup plan for future generations.' The zoo currently has about 100 animal species in its biobank, largely from animals in its own collection and other accredited zoos across the country. A few years ago the zoo began working with non-governmental organizations and scientists to explore the idea of collecting samples from the wild for its growing repository, said Gabriela Mastromonaco, the institution's chief science officer. The zoo has worked with Parks Canada and the University of Saskatchewan over the past 10 years on its wood bison conservation program. The zoo's biobank is a collection of living cells, not DNA, that can be used to procreate the species, Mastromonaco said. The zoo collected sperm and eggs from wood bison populations, which are susceptible to disease, across the province 'We can disinfect them, we can make the embryos, we can store them as clean material, and then we can use surrogate herds like Toronto Zoo's and the one at the University of Saskatchewan to make the calves clean — disinfected calves — to repopulate the wild with the right genetics,' Mastromonaco said. From that technique, the zoo was able to help create 15 bison that now live there. They are still working on reintroduction programs for the bison, but they've had success with other animals like the dusky gopher frog, which they artificially inseminated before releasing the resulting tadpoles back into the wild. But the zoo is worried the new law, when passed, will ramp up the loss of species. 'We have to protect against outright genetic loss and the potential for genetic erosion where the populations are getting smaller and smaller,' Mastromonaco said. The province maintains the proposed law will balance environmental concerns with economic ones. 'We're always going to be very conscious of making sure that we take care of the environment,' Ford said Friday when asked about the blowback on the bill. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Toronto Zoo warns of extinctions if Ontario mining bill becomes law
TORONTO – Species could go extinct if Ontario passes a controversial mining bill that is set to transform its approach to endangered species and the environment, the Toronto Zoo warned the province. Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, would strike a blow to the recovery of several species the institution has been trying to save, said Dolf DeJong, the zoo's CEO, at a committee hearing at Queen's Park on Thursday. If and when the bill becomes law, DeJong wants the province to step up with funding so it can dramatically increase its biobank with Ontario species that could die off as a result of the legislation. 'We're concerned this act will result in the erosion of biodiversity and the loss of species at risk,' DeJong said. 'This bill, if passed, could undo decades of conservation efforts and threaten some of Ontario's most vulnerable species, species your Toronto Zoo works directly for.' The zoo is concerned that this bill, combined with the rollback of environmental protections under U.S. President Donald Trump, further threaten endangered species. 'I think we all understand that endangered species don't recognize political boundaries, and these policy changes makes their survival on both sides of the border more questionable,' DeJong said. The zoo has an ongoing program to help the recovery of the Blanding's turtle with the help of Parks Canada. The animal is considered threatened in Ontario and, by the province's own definition, is 'likely to become endangered if steps are not taken to address factors threatening it.' 'Together with Parks Canada, your Toronto Zoo has helped release more than 700 individuals into Rouge National Urban Park,' DeJong said. 'And while they may not move quickly, these turtles travel up to six kilometres a year around the watershed as they move between nesting, feeding and hibernation sites.' Anything that would disrupt that habitat would be catastrophic for the Blanding's turtle, he said. The province's omnibus bill seeks to speed up the approval of mining projects through a variety of measures. It includes eventually repealing the Endangered Species Act, removing significant habitat protections and doing away with requirements to create recovery strategies for at-risk species. The definition of habitat would change from the entire area needed for a species to survive, to just its nest or den and the area immediately surrounding it. The province is also giving itself greater power over an independent, science-based committee to add and remove species from a protected list. And the bill also proposes to give the government power to create so-called 'special economic zones' where it can suspend provincial and municipal laws, including environmental laws, on certain projects. Premier Doug Ford said the province will designate the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario as the first such zone, a move that has sparked anger and protest from First Nations living there. They would also allow companies to start developing a project that could destroy habitat or kill at-risk species without first getting a permit. Instead, the government is proposing to move to a not-yet-defined 'registration-first approach' for all projects But Ford also mused non-mining projects such as his idea of a massive transit and traffic tunnel under Highway 401 could also receive the designation along with other major infrastructure projects. 'If the government decides to move forward as written, we have one ask, establish an insurance policy for these species and their well-being,' DeJong said. 'This government needs to commit to funding to create an Ontario wildlife biobank at your Toronto Zoo, our reproductive science team can play a critical role, working with partners across all walks of life to ensure we have a backup plan for future generations.' The zoo currently has about 100 animal specimens in its biobank, largely from animals in its own collection and other accredited zoos across the country. A few years ago the zoo began working with non-governmental organizations and scientists to explore the idea of collecting samples from the wild for its growing repository, said Gabriela Mastromonaco, the institution's chief science officer. The zoo has worked with Parks Canada and the University of Saskatchewan over the past 10 years on its wood bison conservation program. The zoo's biobank is a collection of living cells, not DNA, that can be used to procreate the species, Mastromonaco said. The zoo collected sperm and eggs from wood bison populations, which are susceptible to disease, across the province 'We can disinfect them, we can make the embryos, we can store them as clean material, and then we can use surrogate herds like Toronto Zoo's and the one at the University of Saskatchewan to make the calves clean — disinfected calves — to repopulate the wild with the right genetics,' Mastromonaco said. From that technique, the zoo was able to help create 15 bison that now live there. They are still working on reintroduction programs for the bison, but they've had success with other animals like the dusky gopher frog, which they artificially inseminated before releasing the resulting tadpoles back into the wild. Wednesdays A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future. But the zoo is worried the new law, when passed, will ramp up the loss of species. 'We have to protect against outright genetic loss and the potential for genetic erosion where the populations are getting smaller and smaller,' Mastromonaco said. The province maintains the proposed law will balance environmental concerns with economic ones. 'We're always going to be very conscious of making sure that we take care of the environment,' Ford said Friday when asked about the blowback on the bill. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2025.
