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Dead Passengers, Fake Drivers: NJ Woman, Colombian Lover's $13M Scheme Unravels
Some of the passengers were dead. Some of the drivers had never driven a car.
But a New Jersey woman and her Colombian lover apparently had no trouble taking taxpayers for a ride.
For years, prosecutors say, Jael Watts, 45, of Alloway, operated Pearl Transit Corporation, a New Jersey-based company that purported to have drivers scattered across the country giving rides to elderly and disabled people while also conducting outreach for homeless Americans.
Watts and Luis Pino-Copete, 42, of Bogota, Colombia, were convicted following a multi-week federal trial in Utica of orchestrating a spraw…
Fashion CEO, Wife Found Shot Dead Outside California Residence
A fashion company CEO and his wife were found shot dead outside their California home, according to multiple reports.
Neighbors identified the couple as Bryan and Michelle Walker, who built the women’s clothing brand, Bryn Walker.
They were found outside their home on Panoramic Way in Oakland, California, on Friday, Oct. 2, The Berkeley Scanner reported.
Police had not publicly released their names when the Scanner published its report. Michelle was 63. Reports differed on Bryan’s age.
A neighbor who heard gunfire discovered the couple around 10:45 a.m., according to the Scanner, ci…
Dead Puppy, Fake Sex Ad: Naugatuck Woman Accused Of Targeting Animal Control Officer
A 35-year-old Connecticut woman who is facing animal cruelty charges is now accused of targeting an animal control officer who investigated her by using a fake online ad offering sex, police said.
Melissa Mae Ahlgren, 35, of Naugatuck, was arrested on Thursday, Oct. 1, on three outstanding warrants. She is being held on $110,000 in bonds, police said.
The animal cruelty case began Aug. 6 after animal control learned that a 5-week-old puppy in Ahlgren’s care was seriously ill, police said.
Prospect Animal Control helped get the puppy to an emergency veterinary hospital, but its c…
CT Mourns Former Deputy Police Chief As Support Grows For His Family
A Connecticut deputy police chief spent more than two decades serving the city. Now, a fundraiser has raised tens of thousands of dollars to help the wife and two young sons he left behind.
Former Hartford Deputy Chief Jason Lee, of Tolland, died Sept. 27 after a yearlong fight with cancer, city officials said. Since his death, nearly 300 people have donated to a GoFundMe for his family, pushing it past $48,000 as of Friday afternoon, Oct. 2.
"His loss is being felt deeply by everyone who knew and loved him, especially (his wife) Caitlin and their two young sons, Anthony and Zach, as they f…
Father Of Four Stabbed To Death On NYC Subway, ‘Heartbroken’ Children Launch Fundraiser
After a father of four was stabbed to death in a random attack on the New York City subway, his children have launched a fundraiser to honor his life.
Mesias Lojano, 59, of Jamaica, Queens, was killed while riding the J train near Woodhaven Boulevard on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
“He was a devoted father to four children, a cherished member of our family, and a friend to so many,” the Lojano children wrote in a GoFundMe. “We are his children, William, Laura, Darwin, and Edwin, and we are heartbroken.”
Jyrell Thomas, 25, of the Bronx, was arrested and charged with murder in Lojano’s death, WABC r…
Police ID CT Man, 44, Killed In I-91 Rollover Crash
A 44-year-old Connecticut man was killed on Interstate 91 South after another car hit his vehicle, sending him into a guardrail and rolling across the highway, authorities said.
Matthew Bennett, 44, of Enfield, crashed near Exit 36 in Windsor around 5:10 p.m. on Thursday evening, Oct. 1, Connecticut State Police said.
Bennett was traveling alongside another car when the two vehicles made contact "for an unknown reason," police said. His car hit a metal guardrail, rolled over, and stopped on the left shoulder.
Emergency crews took Bennett to Hartford Hospital, where he later died from…
