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Los Angeles Times
11-07-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Border Patrol agent charged with drunkenly attacking Long Beach cop while off duty
An off-duty U.S. Border Patrol agent was accused of drunkenly fighting with Long Beach police officers earlier this week after he was asked to leave a bar, authorities said. Isiah Hodgson, 29, was charged with three counts of resisting arrest, one count of battery causing injury to a police officer and several misdemeanor weapons offenses in connection with the July 7 episode in the Shoreline Village area, a busy tourist section of Long Beach not far from where the Queen Mary is docked, according to Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman. 'The conduct exhibited by Mr. Hodgson, a border patrol agent who has the duty to uphold the law and protect its citizens, is unacceptable and deeply troubling,' Hochman said in a statement. 'No one is above the law, regardless of their position or badge.' Hodgson was 'off-duty, intoxicated and armed with a handgun' inside a restaurant when he entered the women's restroom and approached a female, according to a statement from the district attorney's office. The woman noticed Hodgson carrying a firearm and notified restaurant staff, prosecutors said. Outside the restaurant, a security guard approached Hodgson and asked him to leave since firearms were not allowed on the property, according to the news release. When Long Beach police officers responded to the scene, they determined Hodgson was intoxicated and 'unwilling to cooperate with their commands as they tried to detain him.' Prosecutors allege Hodgson became 'physical' with officers and injured one of them. A spokesperson for the D.A.'s office did not immediately respond to a question about the severity of the officer's injuries. Hodgson was released on his own recognizance, but is not allowed to possess firearms or leave the state, according to the D.A.'s office. E-mails sent to representatives for the Long Beach Police Department and Border Patrol were not immediately returned. A spokesperson for the L.A. County Public Defender's Office, who is representing Hodgson, could not immediately comment. Hodgson pled not guilty during an arraignment Friday and is due back in court next week. If convicted as charged, Hodgson faces up to seven years in state prison, prosecutors said. The agent's arrest comes as federal law enforcement continues to engage in widespread immigration raids across Southern California that have roiled residents and spawned several lawsuits. Earlier this week, a phalanx of federal agents led by Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement descended on MacArthur Park in a militaristic show of force that ultimately netted zero arrests. While most L.A. elected officials have heavily criticized the Trump Administration's tactics in recent weeks, Hochman, a political independent, has noticeably tried to stay out of the political fray.
Los Angeles Times
02-07-2025
- Los Angeles Times
2 adults charged with assaulting horses, and a teen with attempted murder at L.A. protests
L.A. County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman announced new charges against people at immigration protests in L.A., including a man and a woman accused of assaulting law enforcement horses and a teen accused of attempted murder. Hochman said his office had charged more than 40 people in connection with protest-related violence and vandalism and intended to file more charges as attorneys continued to review evidence. At least 14 people are facing separate federal charges in relation to the L.A. protests, with alleged crimes including assaulting officers with cinder blocks and Molotov cocktails, and conspiracy to impede arrests. Among the new charges announced by the D.A.'s office Tuesday were those against a 17-year-old boy, who faces one felony count each of attempted murder, assaulting a peace officer and vandalism, as well as two misdemeanor counts of rioting. Iran Castro, 29, of El Monte and Dana Whitson, 66, of Oro Valley, Ariz., were charged in separate alleged assaults on L.A. County Sheriff's Department horses during different days of protests in downtown L.A, prosecutors said. Castro is accused of pulling on the bridle of one horse and grabbing the reins of another as mounted deputies moved toward a crowd of protesters to enforce dispersal orders on June 14. Castro has been charged with two felony counts of assaulting a peace officer, two felony counts of animal cruelty and one felony count of resisting arrest. She faces up to 10 years and four months in prison if convicted as charged and has pleaded not guilty, according to court records. On June 13, Whitson allegedly pushed one of the sheriff's horses several times, hit the animal's muzzle and pulled on its reins. He has been charged with one felony count each of assaulting a peace officer, resisting arrest and animal cruelty and pleaded not guilty, according to court records. If convicted as charged, Whitson faces up to six years and four months in prison. In addition to the injuries suffered by Sheriff's Department horses, at least five Los Angeles Police Department horses were injured at protests, officials said. Law enforcement use of horses for crowd control has been criticized due to the physical dangers posed to protesters. A video captured on June 8 by independent journalist Tina-Desiree Berg shows a protester falling as a line of officers on horseback advance into a crowd. The mounted units continue marching forward, trampling over the protester lying on the ground. Other protesters recently charged by the D.A.'s office include Patrick Monoz, 37, of Whittier. He is accused of injuring a police officer with a flagpole on June 11 after officers ordered protesters to disperse outside a Whittier hotel where federal immigration agents were rumored to be staying. Monoz pleaded not guilty to one felony count each of assaulting a peace officer and resisting arrest and one misdemeanor count of rioting. Robert McGrath, 21, is charged with one felony count of vandalism for allegedly spray-painting an expletive on the side of the federal Veterans Affairs building in downtown Los Angeles. He has pleaded not guilty, according to court records. 'The large-scale protests may have ended for now, but our work has not,' Hochman said in a statement. 'I want to thank the team of investigators and prosecutors for their tireless efforts to ensure that those who committed criminal acts under the guise of protest are held accountable.' Hundreds of people were arrested by various law enforcement agencies as protests roiled downtown Los Angeles for more than a week, with the most intense period of unrest from June 6 until June 10, the day a regional curfew was imposed. Los Angeles police alone made at least 575 arrests. The D.A.'s office announced initial charges against more than a dozen protesters on June 11, for alleged crimes such as throwing fireworks at police officers, driving a motorcycle into officers and vandalizing the Hall of Justice. Another round of charges was announced on June 17, with allegations including setting a California Highway Patrol vehicle on fire and looting of an Apple store.
Vancouver Sun
20-06-2025
- Vancouver Sun
Man sentenced after to-do list unravels plan to frame neighbours for attempted murder
A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to more than seven months in prison after an elaborate hoax in which he injured himself and then accused his neighbours of trying to kill him. Police were alerted to the false nature of the alleged attempted murder after they discovered the man's hand-written to-do list. It included items such as 'Make sure I wear gloves when planting evidence' and 'When ready to call 911 have evidence all planted.' Terry Sipe, 63, appeared before Judge Michelle H. Sibert for sentencing on Tuesday. He previously pled guilty to several charges including false alarms to agencies of public safety, stalking, and recklessly endangering another person. He was sentenced to serve over seven months in prison, to be followed by periods of consecutive probation. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. According to a release from the District Attorney's office in Cumberland County, Penn., state troopers from Carlisle had responded to a 911 call. Sipes accused his neighbours, the Mixell family, of attempted murder, telling police that they had bound his hands with duct tape, placed a bag over his head, bloodied him and left him in a ditch. However, investigators found that Sipe had self-inflicted minor injuries and had bound himself. Troopers also found matching tape in Sipe's home, and forensic evidence showed that only Sipe's DNA and fingerprints were present at the scene. They also discovered a hand-written 'to do' list written by Sipe. 'During the sentencing proceeding, multiple members of the Mixell family gave powerful victim impact statements where they described the traumatic events of the initial police response including being removed from their home, permitting their home to be searched by police, and going to the police station to be interviewed,' the D.A.'s office said in its release. The statement accused Sipe of having 'weaponized law enforcement.' The office also singled out state trooper Jacob Brown-Schields 'for his diligent and thorough investigation.' Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Boardwalk Empire' star Michael Pitt's lawyer says sex assault case ‘built on a bed of lies'
NEW YORK — The sexual assault case against 'Boardwalk Empire' star Michael Pitt is 'built on a bed of lies,' the actor's lawyer told the Daily News after a brief court appearance in Brooklyn. Pitt, 44, was busted May 2 on charges he sexually assaulted his ex-girlfriend and attacked her with a four-by-four and a cinder block, at the Brooklyn home they previously shared. 'This case is an utter, absolute disgrace,' Pitt's lawyer, Robert Gottlieb, said outside the Brooklyn Supreme Court building, as the actor stood silently by his side. Pitt didn't offer any comment. 'It is built on lie after lie after lie. We have obtained some of the discovery, not all of it,' Gottlieb said, referring to the materials prosecutors must release to defense attorneys, 'and already we can say, it is built on a bed of lies, which is unbelievable that it even came to this point.' 'It is clear that the district attorney did not investigate this case, because if they investigated it, there is no way that this man, who is innocent, would find his way in this court,' Gottlieb said. He didn't elaborate further. A spokesman for Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said Tuesday that his office can't comment on pending cases. Pitt is charged with criminal sex act, criminal sexual abuse, assault, attempted assault and strangulation. The top charge carries a maximum 25-year prison sentence, if convicted at trial. He's pleaded not guilty to the charges, and remains free on $100,000 bail. The indictment against the 'Funny Games' and 'Ghost in the Shell' actor describes four disturbing allegations by the woman, who is not named in court papers. He's accused of forcibly touching her anus and vagina with his finger in April 2020, forcing her into oral sex and assaulting her with a four-by-four in August 2020, attacking her with a cinder block in June 2021 and strangling her in August 2021. On Tuesday, Gottlieb sparred with Assistant District Attorney Amanda Fisher over the release of documents and evidence during an appearance in Brooklyn Supreme Court in Pitts' sexual assault case. In court, Pitt's lawyer Gottleib accused the D.A.'s office of slow-walking key documents in the case. 'We do know that, as of this late date, that we haven't received a single police report… no detective notes, no complaint reports, no DIR [domestic incident] reports,' Gottlieb told Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Abena Darkeh, adding that Pitt was under investigation as far back as February 2024. 'It's all due now,' the defense attorney said, 'and it's all glaring what's missing. It goes to the heart of the investigation that goes on for so long.' Fisher countered that the case was investigated entirely by the Brooklyn D.A.'s office. 'There is no NYPD involvement in this case other than the arrest,' she said. Pitt returns to court July 1, when the judge is expected to hear an application to modify the actor's bail so he can get his passport back.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Monsters' Star Cooper Koch Read His One-Take Episode Script ‘Almost Every Day' for Eight Months: ‘I Would Write Out All of the Words'
Episode 5 of Netflix's 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' was shot in one take. It's one of several standout episodes in this Emmy season that are delivered as a 'one-take' or a 'oner.' Netflix's nine-part series follows the real-life events of the Menendez brothers, Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik Menendez (Cooper Koch), who were convicted of murdering their parents in 1989. 'The Hurt Man' episode was written by the show's co-creator, Ian Brennan, and focuses on Erik. In the episode, Erik sits in an interview room with his defense attorney Leslie Abramson, played by Ari Graynor, and details the abuse he suffered at the hands of his parents, Jose (Javier Bardem) and Kitty Menendez (Chloë Sevigny). More from Variety 'Monsters' Star Cooper Koch Says He Spoke With Erik Menendez After Life Sentence Reduction: He Wants to Make 'A Lot of Change in the Prison System' Joey King, Cooper Koch Set to Announce This Year's SAG Awards Nominations 'Monsters' Star Cooper Koch, Kim Kardashian Praise D.A.'s Call for Menendez Brothers' Resentencing: 'I Hope to See Erik and Lyle Free From All This' Sitting down for Variety's Anatomy of a Character Panel, Koch explained the episode was written as a oner and recalled when showrunner Ryan Murphy first told him about the episode. 'When Ryan told me that I got the job, I was just so thrilled and excited that I didn't really get emotional. It felt right, and I was just so relieved that I got it. And then right after, and he goes, 'Also, you're going to have your own episode that's one shot, it's one scene, so you're basically going to do an episode that's like a play.'' With access to the scripts in advance, Koch read that script 'almost every day' for eight months. Koch said, 'I wrote it out a lot. I would just write all of the words. And I think over time, it just starts to seep into your subconscious. And I would do the same thing, of just reading those stories and memories that he recounts, and I just tried to get them as specific as possible so that when I went to go and tell them on the day that they would feel real and they would fuel me emotionally.' Koch was joined by casting director Tiffany Little Canfield, who said she felt huge pride for Koch and Chavez. Her initial reaction to hearing that there would be a oner was, 'We need trained actors. They just can't look like them. They need to have training.' But Murphy wanted fresh faces to play the part. Canfield watched thousands of audition tapes to find those fresh faces, and was mindful of her perimeters since 'we were casting real people.' With casting returning to in-person sessions, Canfield was able to meet Koch. 'I knew his resume, but working together in person was so much fun. I felt like it was a beautiful day. It felt very Menendez,' she said. 'We were at a house, I was house-sitting. It was all very strange, but I felt like Cooper just was really ready to play.' Later, she said, 'We got so lucky that the two best, honest, raw performances happened to also come from two actors that had come from training in a way that made me feel completely confident that they had the tools they needed.' Since the show was based on a true story, Matthew Flood Ferguson, the show's production designer, discussed how he spent hours sourcing crime scene photos. However, he noted one thing: all the photographs were 'mainly looking in one direction, and we didn't have much looking in the opposite direction. And I had maybe one bedroom photo and a photo of Kitty Menendez in the kitchen. So I had sort of an idea of the house and certainly the exterior.' Even though the show was filmed in Los Angeles, the landscape of the city had changed since 1989. When designing how the house would look, Ferguson looked at the era and what was happening culturally. 'It was a decade of materialism and decadence and grandeur and shows like Robin Leach's, 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous' and 'Entertainment Tonight' celebrated that excess here in Beverly Hills.' So he drew on that. The house ended up being three different locations. While the interior was on a stage, the exterior was a home within a gated community in Hancock Park, the pool was also at a house in Hancock Park. But the tennis court where the family plays tennis proved to be a challenge. 'In 2005, the National Tennis Association decided to change tennis courts from green to blue, so we could not find any green tennis courts,' Ferguson said. At first, he thought he'd have to paint an existing tennis court, but in the end, he found a house in Sherman Oaks with the right court color. Koch recalled walking onto the set for the first time: I had done similar research. I knew exactly what that house looked like. I knew what the floors looked like. I knew what that bookshelf looked like. I knew what Eric's room looked like. So, walking in there was emotional and sort of like I was coming home for the first time, and it became my home.' As the series tracks multiple angles, it ultimately looks at how to define a monster. Erik and Lyle have maintained that after years of abuse, they were pushed to the extreme and did what they did out of fear for their lives. In playing Erik, Koch talked about what he had learned about himself in playing the part. 'I learned a lot of self-love, to accept yourself for what's happened to you, for whatever you are, whatever you like, whatever you don't like, accept the things that you can't control. I also learned a lot about trust. I was so scared every day that I went to work. And at the end of the day, I'd be like, 'Okay, I did it. Okay. I can trust myself.' The same thing would happen the next day. I was like, 'Oh, God. Now I have to do this scene, and I'm so terrified again.'' He explained the experience of playing Erik 'taught me to really trust myself. And if I can do that, then I can do anything. And then the last thing I'll say that I learned is to ultimately have, and to continue to have, the utmost gratitude and love for my family, and for the people that are closest to me.' He also hoped the show gave audiences a deeper understanding of what happened with the Menendez Brothers: 'If I in any way had anything to do with someone's perception being changed, then I did my job. That's what I set out to do in the first place was to have people who don't understand what happened get a really deep understanding of why it happened.' 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