'Black Tax' Extortion, Naked Assaults: HS Football Players, Coach Charged In Hazing 'Black Tax' Extortion, Naked Assaults: HS Football Players, Coach Charged In Hazing 'Black Tax' Extortion, Naked Assaults: HS Football Players, Coach Charged In Hazing
'Black Tax' Extortion, Naked Assaults: HS Football Players, Coach Charged In Hazing A so-called "Black tax," a makeshift "gas chamber," and repeated sexual humiliation inside a high school football locker room have led to criminal charges against three students and a former teacher and assistant football coach, prosecutors announced on Friday, Oct. 9. The alleged abuse took place during school hours at Manheim Central High School in Pennsylvania this past April, when several teenage boys were subjected to racist harassment, physical assaults, extortion, and indecent exposure, Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams said. Former social studies teacher and assistant…
2 Charged After Sparking Fire That Destroyed CT Playground: Cops 2 Charged After Sparking Fire That Destroyed CT Playground: Cops 2 Charged After Sparking Fire That Destroyed CT Playground: Cops
2 Charged After Sparking Fire That Destroyed CT Playground: Cops Officers have arrested two teenagers after police say they set fire to a Connecticut playground, causing more than $100,000 in damages.  Jayvon Johnson and Jose Bordoy, both 19 and from Ansonia, face multiple charges connected to the Oct. 3 fire at Gatison Park in Ansonia, authorities said.  Officers and firefighters were called to the park near Third and Fourth streets shortly before 3:30 a.m., police said. The play equipment and the rubber surface beneath it were burning. Firefighters extinguished the blaze. The fire marshal quickly determined the blaze was intentionally s…
Woman Charged With Manslaughter In CT Teen’s Drug-Related Death Woman Charged With Manslaughter In CT Teen’s Drug-Related Death Woman Charged With Manslaughter In CT Teen’s Drug-Related Death
Woman Charged With Manslaughter In CT Teen’s Drug-Related Death A 21-year-old Connecticut woman has been charged with manslaughter following the 2025 death of an 18-year-old after taking a drug cocktail, authorities said.  Phoebe Allen was arrested Thursday, Oct. 8, in New Britain following an investigation into the teen’s April 29, 2025, death in Southington, according to police. The state’s chief medical examiner determined he died after taking a combination of methamphetamine and benzodiazepines.  Southington police began investigating after responding to a home for a report of an "untimely death," authorities said.  After a lengthy …
Police Officer Was 'Extremely Intoxicated' Before Fatal Strangling At Family Gathering: Docs Police Officer Was 'Extremely Intoxicated' Before Fatal Strangling At Family Gathering: Docs Police Officer Was 'Extremely Intoxicated' Before Fatal Strangling At Family Gathering: Docs
Police Officer Was 'Extremely Intoxicated' Before Fatal Strangling At Family Gathering: Docs A police officer was held down and strangled after becoming heavily intoxicated during a family gathering at a cabin, according to court documents obtained by Daily Voice on Friday, Oct. 9. Michael McGeehan, 44, a Middlesex Township Pennsylvania police officer and Shippensburg father of five, was found unresponsive on the front porch of a cabin at 7190 Dam Run Road in Cummings Township during the early morning hours of July 11, investigators wrote in the affidavit of probable cause. Paden Edward Frey, 25, of Cogan Station, has since been charged with third-degree murder, strangulation, inv…
Driver Crashes Into Stonington Home After Suffering Medical Emergency: Police Driver Crashes Into Stonington Home After Suffering Medical Emergency: Police Driver Crashes Into Stonington Home After Suffering Medical Emergency: Police
Driver Crashes Into Stonington Home After Suffering Medical Emergency: Police A 68-year-old man was hospitalized after his vehicle crashed into a tree and a home. Police said investigators believe he'd suffered a medical emergency.  The crash happened Thursday, Oct. 8, at 6:55 p.m. in Stonington. The man was driving south when his vehicle left the road, hit a tree, and then struck the house at 27 Morgan St., police said. An ambulance took him to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital. There were no other injuries.  Stonington Deputy Police Chief Todd Olson said the driver appeared to have suffered a medical episode. Police are still investigating what caused the cra…
Driver Wanted In Crash That Killed CT Tow Truck Operator, Dad Of 2 Driver Wanted In Crash That Killed CT Tow Truck Operator, Dad Of 2 Driver Wanted In Crash That Killed CT Tow Truck Operator, Dad Of 2
Driver Wanted In Crash That Killed CT Tow Truck Operator, Dad Of 2 Police are seeking a driver accused of killing a 26-year-old tow truck operator who was a husband and father of two. Alexander Ramos died after a vehicle hit him on Tunxis Avenue in Bloomfield on Sept. 8, according to police. A judge approved an arrest warrant for Curran Melanson, 28, on Thursday, Oct. 9.  Melanson faces charges of second-degree manslaughter, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and failure to reduce speed for a nonemergency vehicle, Bloomfield police said. Officers are working to take him into custody. His bond is set at $425,000, according to his warrant…
Explosive Lawsuit By Ex-Jets VP Claims Team Fired Him, Smeared Him In Sex Harassment Fallout Explosive Lawsuit By Ex-Jets VP Claims Team Fired Him, Smeared Him In Sex Harassment Fallout Explosive Lawsuit By Ex-Jets VP Claims Team Fired Him, Smeared Him In Sex Harassment Fallout
Explosive Lawsuit By Ex-Jets VP Claims Team Fired Him, Smeared Him In Sex Harassment Fallout A former New York Jets executive is suing the team, claiming he was fired for speaking up about alleged sexual harassment by team president Hymie Elhai, then publicly smeared in an effort to destroy his reputation. Larry Fitzpatrick, who served as the Jets' vice president of ticket sales and services for more than 16 years, filed the lawsuit Friday, Oct. 2, in Bergen County Superior Court against the team, Elhai and team executive Eric Gelfand. The Jersey City resident claims he was fired Friday, July 25, 2025, just one day after meeting with team investigators about allegations involving E…
CT Man Convicted Of Trafficking Women In Exchange For Housing: State CT Man Convicted Of Trafficking Women In Exchange For Housing: State CT Man Convicted Of Trafficking Women In Exchange For Housing: State
CT Man Convicted Of Trafficking Women In Exchange For Housing: State A Connecticut man who arranged paid sexual encounters for women he housed has been convicted of five human trafficking charges, authorities announced on Thursday, Oct. 8 Gordon Newkirk, 63, of Hartford, was found guilty Wednesday of first-degree and third-degree promoting prostitution, Hartford Judicial District State’s Attorney Sharmese L. Walcott announced. A judge is scheduled to sentence him on Dec. 9.  The case began with a 911 call to Bloomfield police on Sept. 27, 2023. A woman living in Newkirk’s home reported witnessing a physical fight between him and another reside…
CT Woman Charged In Hit-And-Run That Killed 27-Year-Old Moped Rider CT Woman Charged In Hit-And-Run That Killed 27-Year-Old Moped Rider CT Woman Charged In Hit-And-Run That Killed 27-Year-Old Moped Rider
CT Woman Charged In Hit-And-Run That Killed 27-Year-Old Moped Rider A Connecticut woman faces charges in a hit-and-run crash that killed a 27-year-old man riding a moped, police said. Ayesha Abdul-Lateef, 47, of Waterbury, was arrested Wednesday, Oct. 7, on a warrant in connection with the July 25 Waterbury crash, authorities said. She faces charges of leaving the scene of a fatal crash and failing to yield while making a left turn, police said. Authorities said she was being held on a $100,000 bond. The crash happened at the intersection of Meriden Road and Southmayd Road around 2:07 a.m. Police found Luis Santana on the ground with severe injuries near …
Groton Teen Clocked At 147 MPH On I-395 — 82 MPH Over The Limit: State Police Groton Teen Clocked At 147 MPH On I-395 — 82 MPH Over The Limit: State Police Groton Teen Clocked At 147 MPH On I-395 — 82 MPH Over The Limit: State Police
Groton Teen Clocked At 147 MPH On I-395 — 82 MPH Over The Limit: State Police A Connecticut teenager faces a reckless driving charge after state police say he drove a BMW at 147 mph on I-395, more than twice the posted speed limit. Orlando Perez, 19, of Groton, was behind the wheel when a sergeant measured the car’s speed with a laser device near Exit 46 in Putnam soon after 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7, Connecticut State Police said.  The speed limit on that southbound stretch is 65 mph. That puts the reported speed 82 mph above the limit. The sergeant pulled onto the highway and caught up with the BMW M3. Perez stopped near Exit 43 in Danielson, police sa…
CT Grandfather Killed In Stabbing Died Defending Woman In Danger, Family Says CT Grandfather Killed In Stabbing Died Defending Woman In Danger, Family Says CT Grandfather Killed In Stabbing Died Defending Woman In Danger, Family Says
CT Grandfather Killed In Stabbing Died Defending Woman In Danger, Family Says The family of a 45-year-old Connecticut grandfather who was fatally stabbed over the weekend said he died trying to defend a woman in danger. Joseph Lugo, of Hartford, died after a stabbing reported around 7:30 p.m. on Columbus Boulevard in New Britain, according to police.  A GoFundMe campaign seeking $3,000 to help his family cover funeral expenses said Lugo was trying to defend a woman when he was stabbed. "My mom’s husband, Joseph, was tragically stabbed in a parking lot while trying to defend a woman in danger," the fundraiser’s author wrote. "Joseph was not only an excellent fat…
21-Year-Old PA Marine Dies By Suicide Days After Cryptic Facebook Post; Family Seeks Support 21-Year-Old PA Marine Dies By Suicide Days After Cryptic Facebook Post; Family Seeks Support 21-Year-Old PA Marine Dies By Suicide Days After Cryptic Facebook Post; Family Seeks Support
21-Year-Old PA Marine Dies By Suicide Days After Cryptic Facebook Post; Family Seeks Support A 21-year-old Marine died by suicide days after posting a haunting message about death and recognition on Facebook, according to the Lehigh County Coroner's Office, while his grieving family described the circumstances surrounding his death differently in a fundraiser for his funeral. James Arthur Henry Wikkerink, of Lower Macungie Township, Pennsylvania, was pronounced dead at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest at 12:37 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio announced Thursday, Oct. 8. An autopsy conducted Thursday determined his manner of death was suicide, Buglio…