Latest news with #DaltonPoliceDepartment
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Georgia teen forgives officer who wrongly arrested her leading to ICE detention
A Georgia teen detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after wrongfully being arrested said she forgives the police officer who mistakenly pulled her over for a traffic violation she did not commit. "I think he needed to do what he needed to do. He knows why he did it and I think, as from my standpoint, I don't hold a grudge against him. As a Christian I think the Bible says forgive those who wrong you, and I forgive him," Ximena Arias-Cristobal said at a press conference Wednesday. Arias-Cristobal, 19, was arrested on May 5 in Dalton, Georgia, when her dark gray truck was mistaken for a black pickup that made an illegal turn. Those citations were later dropped once officials realized there was a mix-up, Dalton Assistant Police Chief Chris Crossen said. But, she was still detained by ICE after it was discovered she was an undocumented immigrant. She was released on bond last week. Officer Leslie O'Neal has resigned from his position at the Dalton Police Department, the communications director for the City of Dalton, Georgia, confirmed to ABC News. MORE: Georgia teen detained by ICE after mistaken arrest says detention was 'life-changing' Arias-Cristobal said immigrants at the Stewart Detention Center, where she was held, are "treated like we're the worst criminals ever" and acknowledged that others have also been treated unjustly. "I know everything that I'm going through is something that's very unjust, and it's not only my case, but millions of people are going through this in the United States. At Stewart, I met a lot of people that are going through tougher situations than me, and I think they deserve justice because they are not criminals,' she said. "There's a lot of very sad cases in there, mine is just a speck of what you see and that's the sad truth," she said. Despite forgiving the officer for her arrest, she said he acted "very unprofessional with his words" and "unprofessional with how he treated me." She said the incident has changed her world. 'It kind of flips your world. ... Before we lived in fear, now a lot more," she said. "It's making people feel a little bit more entitled. With everything going on in the government, people just feel like their feelings can be poured out, and because of that, we feel as if we're more like targets in our community, and we're scared to go out, and we don't feel as comfortable as we used to before," Arias-Cristobal said. MORE: Georgia teen detained by ICE after mistaken traffic stop granted bond: Attorney The Dalton State College student said her arrest has put her life on "pause." She is choosing to continue her studies in fall 2025, but she said her faith in God and her family have kept her going. 'I know my parents came here with the dream to give me and my sisters a better future, and that's exactly what they achieved. Unfortunately, we are in the situation we are right now, but knowing that my parents moved from another country with nothing in their pockets and gave me the life they so much wanted for themselves keeps me going because they crossed a literal river with me to be able to give me the life I have,' she said. Arias-Cristobal's lawyers said they're looking into the possibility of applying for a U visa, which may be a pathway to legal status for Arias-Cristobal and her family stemming from the wrongful arrest, according to attorney Dustin Baxter. The U visa is a special type of visa that is offered to some victims of abuse or crimes who help law enforcement with investigations. "We have concerns based on a number of different things, how the arrest was carried out, what was put in the arrest report that obviously wasn't true, and some things that happened right after, resulting in his resignation about the legality of this stop and then arrest," Baxter said. "She should never have been arrested and she should never have been taken to Stewart," he said. Georgia teen forgives officer who wrongly arrested her leading to ICE detention originally appeared on
2 days ago
Georgia teen forgives officer who wrongly arrested her leading to ICE detention
A Georgia teen detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after wrongfully being arrested said she forgives the police officer who mistakenly pulled her over for a traffic violation she did not commit. "I think he needed to do what he needed to do. He knows why he did it and I think, as from my standpoint, I don't hold a grudge against him. As a Christian I think the Bible says forgive those who wrong you, and I forgive him," Ximena Arias-Cristobal said at a press conference Wednesday. Arias-Cristobal, 19, was arrested on May 5 in Dalton, Georgia, when her dark gray truck was mistaken for a black pickup that made an illegal turn. Those citations were later dropped once officials realized there was a mix-up, Dalton Assistant Police Chief Chris Crossen said. But, she was still detained by ICE after it was discovered she was an undocumented immigrant. She was released on bond last week. Officer Leslie O'Neal has resigned from his position at the Dalton Police Department, the communications director for the City of Dalton, Georgia, confirmed to ABC News. Arias-Cristobal said immigrants at the Stewart Detention Center, where she was held, are "treated like we're the worst criminals ever" and acknowledged that others have also been treated unjustly. "I know everything that I'm going through is something that's very unjust, and it's not only my case, but millions of people are going through this in the United States. At Stewart, I met a lot of people that are going through tougher situations than me, and I think they deserve justice because they are not criminals,' she said. "There's a lot of very sad cases in there, mine is just a speck of what you see and that's the sad truth," she said. Despite forgiving the officer for her arrest, she said he acted "very unprofessional with his words" and "unprofessional with how he treated me." She said the incident has changed her world. 'It kind of flips your world. ... Before we lived in fear, now a lot more," she said. "It's making people feel a little bit more entitled. With everything going on in the government, people just feel like their feelings can be poured out, and because of that, we feel as if we're more like targets in our community, and we're scared to go out, and we don't feel as comfortable as we used to before," Arias-Cristobal said. The Dalton State College student said her arrest has put her life on "pause." She is choosing to continue her studies in fall 2025, but she said her faith in God and her family have kept her going. 'I know my parents came here with the dream to give me and my sisters a better future, and that's exactly what they achieved. Unfortunately, we are in the situation we are right now, but knowing that my parents moved from another country with nothing in their pockets and gave me the life they so much wanted for themselves keeps me going because they crossed a literal river with me to be able to give me the life I have,' she said. Arias-Cristobal's lawyers said they're looking into the possibility of applying for a U visa, which may be a pathway to legal status for Arias-Cristobal and her family stemming from the wrongful arrest, according to attorney Dustin Baxter. The U visa is a special type of visa that is offered to some victims of abuse or crimes who help law enforcement with investigations. "We have concerns based on a number of different things, how the arrest was carried out, what was put in the arrest report that obviously wasn't true, and some things that happened right after, resulting in his resignation about the legality of this stop and then arrest," Baxter said. "She should never have been arrested and she should never have been taken to Stewart," he said.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Georgia teen forgives officer who wrongly arrested her leading to ICE detention
A Georgia teen detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcements after wrongfully being arrested said she forgives the police officer who mistakenly pulled her over for a traffic violation she did not commit. "I think he needed to do what he needed to do. He knows why he did it and I think, as from my standpoint, I don't hold a grudge against him. As a Christian I think the Bible says forgive those who wrong you, and I forgive him," Ximena Arias-Cristobal said at a press conference Wednesday. Arias-Cristobal, 19, was arrested on May 5 in Dalton, Georgia, when her dark gray truck was mistaken for a black pickup that made an illegal turn. Those citations were later dropped once officials realized there was a mix-up, Dalton Assistant Police Chief Chris Crossen said. But, she was still detained by ICE after it was discovered she was an undocumented immigrant. She was released on bond last week. Officer Leslie O'Neal has resigned from his position at the Dalton Police Department, the communications director for the City of Dalton, Georgia, confirmed to ABC News. MORE: Georgia teen detained by ICE after mistaken arrest says detention was 'life-changing' Arias-Cristobal said immigrants at the Stewart Detention Center, where she was held, are "treated like we're the worst criminals ever" and acknowledged that others have also been treated unjustly. "I know everything that I'm going through is something that's very unjust, and it's not only my case, but millions of people are going through this in the United States. At Stewart, I met a lot of people that are going through tougher situations than me, and I think they deserve justice because they are not criminals,' she said. "There's a lot of very sad cases in there, mine is just a speck of what you see and that's the sad truth," she said. Despite forgiving the officer for her arrest, she said he acted "very unprofessional with his words" and "unprofessional with how he treated me." She said the incident has changed her world. 'It kind of flips your world. ... Before we lived in fear, now a lot more," she said. "It's making people feel a little bit more entitled. With everything going on in the government, people just feel like their feelings can be poured out, and because of that, we feel as if we're more like targets in our community, and we're scared to go out, and we don't feel as comfortable as we used to before," Arias-Cristobal said. MORE: Georgia teen detained by ICE after mistaken traffic stop granted bond: Attorney The Dalton State College student said her arrest has put her life on "pause." She is choosing to continue her studies in fall 2025, but she said her faith in God and her family have kept her going. 'I know my parents came here with the dream to give me and my sisters a better future, and that's exactly what they achieved. Unfortunately, we are in the situation we are right now, but knowing that my parents moved from another country with nothing in their pockets and gave me the life they so much wanted for themselves keeps me going because they crossed a literal river with me to be able to give me the life I have,' she said. Arias-Cristobal's lawyers said they're looking into the possibility of applying for a U visa, which may be a pathway to legal status for Arias-Cristobal and her family stemming from the wrongful arrest, according to attorney Dustin Baxter. The U visa is a special type of visa that is offered to some victims of abuse or crimes who help law enforcement with investigations. "We have concerns based on a number of different things, how the arrest was carried out, what was put in the arrest report that obviously wasn't true, and some things that happened right after, resulting in his resignation about the legality of this stop and then arrest," Baxter said. "She should never have been arrested and she should never have been taken to Stewart," he said. Georgia teen forgives officer who wrongly arrested her leading to ICE detention originally appeared on
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Newsweek
Man Allegedly Kills Wife, Drives to Pregnant Girlfriend's House to Kill Her
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A man in Dalton, Georgia, allegedly killed his wife and girlfriend, who was pregnant, before fatally shooting himself. The Dalton Police Department identified the suspected shooter as 37-year-old Kevin Andrew Akins in an information release sent to Newsweek. The Context Police said Kevin fatally shot his wife, 35-year-old Rebeca Nicole Akins, at her apartment in Dalton early Wednesday morning. Detectives found surveillance footage of Kevin Akins leaving that apartment around 6 a.m. Then, he drove to his girlfriend Cindel Mae Rhoden's apartment, where he allegedly shot and killed the 33-year-old. Rhoden's family said in a GoFundMe that she was five months pregnant when she was killed. Police said Akins fatally shot himself after killing his wife and girlfriend. What To Know On Friday, officers were called to Rebeca Akins' apartment around 6 p.m. after her coworkers reported that they hadn't seen or heard from her for several days. Officers found her deceased with an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Officers were able to trace Kevin's vehicle to Rhoden's apartment and were waiting for a search warrant when they saw Rhoden's father use a key to enter the home. He called 911 to report that he had found his daughter and another man dead inside the apartment. Rhoden is survived by two young daughters, according to the GoFundMe. Stock image: Police car lights at a crime scene investigation. Stock image: Police car lights at a crime scene investigation. Ajax9/Getty Images Her aunt, Lynn Barker, spoke to Savannah news station WTOC about the immediate needs of the family. "We would just like to have enough money to give her a burial she deserves, so those girls will have a place to go visit their mom," Barker said. The family said the GoFundMe fundraiser will support funeral arrangements and the children. "Cindel was in a relationship with a man who was married to his estranged wife and she fell victim of manipulation and in a devastating turn of events, he took the life of his wife, then drove to Cindel's home to kill her," the GoFundMe said. What People Are Saying Ashley Barker, GoFundMe organizer, on a fundraising page for Cindel Rhoden: "Cindel was more than just a victim of this tragedy she was kind, full of life, and a devoted mom doing her best for her girls. Her daughters are now in the care of family, but they need help." Lynn Barker, Cindel Rhoden's aunt, told WTOC: "I know everybody judges. People speculate, and they're entitled to that. But as humans, don't lose compassion. There's a lot of lives that are devastated and broken. Nobody asked for this. Why it happened, we don't know." What Happens Next Dalton police said the investigation into the killings is ongoing. No motive for the shootings has been released. Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@ If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "988" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Man reportedly fires gun during road rage incident, Dalton police say
The Brief Dalton police arrested 22-year-old Alfredo Herrera, Jr. after he allegedly fired multiple shots during a road rage incident Friday afternoon. The confrontation began after Herrera performed a burnout near a pickup truck, prompting the driver to approach him before shots were fired. Herrera was quickly apprehended by police and is now facing two counts of aggravated assault and one count of discharging a firearm within city limits. DALTON, Ga. - A Dalton man is facing multiple charges after police say he fired several gunshots during a road rage incident in the downtown area Friday afternoon. What we know According to the Dalton Police Department, 22-year-old Alfredo Herrera, Jr. of Old Grade Road was arrested following the shooting, which occurred around 3 p.m. on East Morris Street near the railroad tracks. Investigators say the incident began after Herrera left the Crescent City Tavern in a Ford Mustang and began "laying drag" — spinning his tires and performing a burnout — on Depot Street. A man driving a pickup truck with his wife told police their vehicle may have been hit either by rocks kicked up from the burnout or by the Mustang itself. When the man got out to confront Herrera, he said Herrera pulled a handgun and racked the slide as if chambering a round. The driver returned to his vehicle, and Herrera allegedly fired several shots. Four shell casings were recovered from the scene. The victims were not injured and were unsure whether the shots were fired at them or into the air. Herrera fled the scene but was stopped at a traffic light on Glenwood Avenue moments later. Thanks to a 911 call from the victims and the proximity of a patrol officer, police were able to pull Herrera over and take him into custody without further incident. He is charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of discharging a firearm within city limits.
