Latest news with #Sheriff's
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Miami Herald
Mom and kids abducted by man working for cartel, feds say. He's convicted in MT
A man accused of trafficking drugs for a Mexican cartel was convicted of federal kidnapping charges after prosecutors said he abducted a mother and her two daughters, taking them to several U.S. states before Mexico, where he 'locked them in' a home and abused them. Roughly six years later, in 2023, Adolfo Vargas Lepe kidnapped another woman he knew for years from her Wyoming home and took her to Montana, where he used to live, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Montana. Now, a federal jury in Billings has found Lepe guilty of three counts of kidnapping and one count of making an interstate threat after a three-day trial, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a June 5 news release. 'Lepe traumatized his kidnapping victims, including physically and sexually assaulting them, shooting one of them, and transporting them around the United States and into Mexico,' U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said in a statement. 'While engaged in that conduct, he also distributed methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine in communities in Montana and elsewhere,' Alme added. Attorneys appointed by the court to represent Lepe, who used to live in Roberts, didn't immediately return McClatchy News' request for comment June 6. Roberts is about a 220-mile drive southeast from Helena, Montana's capital. On June 4, Lepe's trial ended with the jury finding him not guilty of kidnapping the mother of the two girls, but guilty of kidnapping her daughters, one of whom he's accused of sexually assaulting, and the other woman, court records show. Lepe began dating the mother of the two girls in 2017, before Lepe revealed 'he transported drugs for the cartel' after she found 'a significant amount of methamphetamine,' prosecutors wrote in court filings. Afterward, prosecutors said he kidnapped the family, took them to multiple states, then confined them to a Mexico residence. Lepe wouldn't let the woman 'leave his sight because of her knowledge of his drug trafficking,' according to prosecutors, who said he 'threatened to kill her and have cartel members kill her family.' The woman was repeatedly beaten and threatened with a gun by Lepe, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The other woman he kidnapped in 2023 was also beaten and abused, including by Lepe pistol-whipping her and shooting her in the legs, according to prosecutors. He also 'imprisoned her in a dog kennel for hours on end' and 'beat her with bats and metal bars,' prosecutors wrote in court filings. The woman managed to escape Lepe by fleeing his home, to a local bar to alert the police, according to prosecutors. Before making it to the bar, prosecutors said she hid for hours in dirt located behind bushes. He was spotted driving two days later by Carbon County Sheriff's deputies, who were led on a 'high-speed chase' by Lepe until his truck rolled over and he was taken into custody, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Later, an investigation resulted in authorities finding narcotics linked to Lepe, including 'one pound of cocaine and two pounds of meth' and '12.5 pounds of meth and roughly 10,000 fentanyl pills,' prosecutors said. Lepe, who's facing life in prison, is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 2, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
4 inmates escape minimum security prison in Ohio, deputies say
Four inmates escaped a minimum-security prison in Ohio late Thursday. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Columbus Police officers responded around 8:50 p.m. to reports that four inmates were on the run from the Franklin County Community Based Correctional Facility, according to our news partner, WBNS TV in Columbus. TRENDING STORIES: Founding member of popular Dayton band feared dead in California plane crash CareFlight requested after vehicle crashes into Shelby County home Firefighters battle heavy flames during house fire in Harrison Twp. A Franklin County Sheriff's detective told WBNS that the inmates broke a window and ran. Arrest warrants have been issued for those four inmates. The Franklin County Community-Based Correction Facility (CBCF) is a minimum-security residential prison diversion program for adult offenders, according to its website. The identities of the four inmates have not been released. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Tractor-trailer destroyed by fire after colliding with pickup in Turner
May 7—TURNER — A tractor-trailer was destroyed by fire Wednesday morning after a collision with a pickup on Route 4. Responding to multiple 911 calls, Androscoggin County Sheriff's deputies arrived at 868 Auburn Road/Route 4 around 7:41 a.m. to find leaking diesel fuel spill had sparked a fire that engulfed the big rig, according to a Sheriff's Office Facebook post. Fox Kein, 51, of Cornish was driving his 2023 Chevrolet pickup truck north on the road when he crossed the centerline and collided with a Western Star tractor-trailer driven by Roger Eastman, 82, of Milan, New Hampshire, the post said. Both drivers were transported to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston with injuries not considered life-threatening, the Facebook post said. "The impact caused the commercial vehicle's fuel tank to rupture, igniting a fire that fully consumed the tractor-trailer," the post said, adding that both vehicles were total losses. Firefighters were able to put out the blaze as traffic on Route 4 was closed off between County Road and Lower Street for about five-and-a-half hours. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection was called to the scene to clean up the diesel spill. Deputies, emergency personnel and fire departments from Auburn, Greene, Leeds and Livermore responded to the scene ,the post said. The investigation into the crash is ongoing and further details were unavailable. Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less Moxie Festival to go Hawaiian this year Tiptoeing through the tulips in Poland
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
2 teens found dead in JetBlue landing gear ID'd months later with 'extensive DNA testing'
Florida investigators identified a pair of teenagers whose bodies were found in an airliner's landing gear after a New York City-to-Fort Lauderdale flight back in January, officials said on Tuesday. It took the use of "extensive DNA testing" for detectives to name Jeik Aniluz Lusi, 18, and Elvis Borques Castillo, 16, according to statement by the Broward County Sheriff's Office. Both teens were from the Dominican Republic, Sheriff's spokesperson Carey Codd added. Their bodies were found late at night on Jan. 6 after JetBlue Flight 1801 landed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Flight 1801 took off from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport that evening at 7:49 and landed in South Florida at 11:10 p.m. That particular craft had also made a stop on Jan. 5 in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, NBC South Florida previously reported. The sheriff's statement did not reveal how the teens got into the leading gear or formally state their cause of death. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
Siblings say 15-year-old brother shot outside apartment complex during robbery
Authorities are responding to a reported shooting in Harrison Township Wednesday evening, a Montgomery County dispatch supervisor confirmed. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] News Center 7′s John Bedell is on scene and is working to get the latest information LIVE on News Center 7 at 6:00. The shooting was reported in the 5000 block of Embassy Place on reports of a shooting before 5 p.m. TRENDING STORIES: 29-year-old mother found dead in home was shot, police say Township fiscal officer facing investigation for attempting unauthorized purchase of gold coins Historic Dayton lumber company announces sale Several Montgomery County Sheriff's deputies and Dayton police officers were spotted on scene. Caution tape is also blocking off an intersection at the complex and several grassy areas. News Center 7 spoke to Anna Craft and Monique Littlejohn, who say the victim is their 15-year-old brother. They both said the shooting happened after a robbery and the teen was shot multiple times. The victim was reportedly transported to an area hospital, according to the woman. 'And all we see was pop, pop, pop, pop... We was just sitting there having a good time and they shot him,' the women said. News Center 7 will continue to follow this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
