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‘Call Me Daddy' Creepy Church Leader, Coach Who Raped Kidnapped Girl In Mexico Found Dead ‘Call Me Daddy' Creepy Church Leader, Coach Who Raped Kidnapped Girl In Mexico Found Dead
‘Call Me Daddy' Creepy Church Leader, Coach Who Raped Kidnapped Girl In Mexico Found Dead Kevin Esterly — the Pennsylvania man who fled to Mexico with a teenage girl in 2018 and was later convicted of repeatedly raping her as a child — died by suicide while incarcerated at Lehigh County Jail, authorities announced on Monday, June 22. Esterly, 53, was pronounced dead at 2:16 a.m. in the emergency department at St. Luke's Hospital-Allentown Campus after being found unresponsive in his single cell at the jail, according to Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio. District Attorney Gavin Holihan said Esterly was found shortly before 1:30 a.m. hanging by a bedsheet tied to the top bun…

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by Jillian Pikora
Business
Spotify Adds Direct Messages For Sharing Songs, Podcasts: How It Works Spotify Adds Direct Messages For Sharing Songs, Podcasts: How It Works
Spotify Adds Direct Messages For Sharing Songs, Podcasts: How It Works There's a new app where you can "Slide" into someone's DMs like a song by the Goo Goo Dolls or Calvin Harris and Frank Ocean. Spotify is rolling out its new Messages feature, the music streaming giant announced on Tuesday, Aug. 26. The messaging tool will help users share their favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks without leaving the app. Free and Premium users ages 16 and older will start getting access to Messages throughout late August. The one-on-one conversations will allow friends and family to swap tracks, send texts, and react with emojis. Spotify said its direct mess…

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by Chris Spiker
News
Instagram Can Share Your Location With New Map: How To Turn It On Or Off Instagram Can Share Your Location With New Map: How To Turn It On Or Off
Instagram Can Share Your Location With New Map: How To Turn It On Or Off The latest Instagram update lets friends see your real-time location, but only if you choose to share it. Instagram officially rolled out the new location-sharing feature across the US on Wednesday, Aug. 6. The popular photo and video app now allows users to privately share their last active location with certain friends. The update resembles the Snap Map on Snapchat or the iPhone's "Find My" app. Both are popular ways friends use to track each other in real time. Instagram's location feature is off by default and only works if you choose to turn it on. You can pick whi…

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by Chris Spiker
News
Dad, Police Officer Caught Secretly Filming Minors At YMCA: DA Dad, Police Officer Caught Secretly Filming Minors At YMCA: DA
Dad, Police Officer Caught Secretly Filming Minors At YMCA: DA A Coatesville man employed as a part-time police officer is accused of secretly recording minors in bathing suits at a Chester County YMCA, prosecutors announced on Friday, Aug. 1. Mark Mackrell, 52, of Coatesville, was arrested on Thursday, July 31, and charged with Photographing a Sexual Act, Stalking, and Unlawful Contact with Minors after detectives said he was caught filming underage girls at the "YMCA Brandywine, 605 Airport Road location in East Goshen Township, Chester County" on Tuesday, July 22, according to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office and as stated in the affidav…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Massive Data Breach Exposes 184 Million Accounts: What To Know Massive Data Breach Exposes 184 Million Accounts: What To Know
Massive Data Breach Exposes 184 Million Accounts: What To Know A cybersecurity researcher has uncovered a massive trove of compromised login credentials, raising new alarms about the scope and scale of InfoStealer malware campaigns. The exposed Elasticsearch database contained more than 184 million unique usernames and passwords. It was not password-protected or encrypted, and it was publicly accessible when discovered earlier this month. The database included login details tied to popular platforms such as Microsoft, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.  It also contained services with potentially greater stakes, including banking portals, health …

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
More Child Porn Charges For Former Music Teacher At Elite Mass Private School: DOJ More Child Porn Charges For Former Music Teacher At Elite Mass Private School: DOJ
More Child Porn Charges For Former Music Teacher At Elite Mass Private School: DOJ A former teacher at a prestigious Massachusetts private school accused of sharing child pornography now faces federal charges after investigators said he paid someone to produce more videos and bragged about having sex with boys younger than 13 years old.  Joshua DeWitte, 50, of Cambridge, was arrested last week and charged with sexual exploitation of minors, attempt, and conspiracy, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents said. He is accused of paying Christopher Allan Tisoy, a 27-year-old Filipino man who worked at a Baltimore hospital, to produce multiple videos. He…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Mass Private School Teacher Busted On Child Porn Charges: Police Mass Private School Teacher Busted On Child Porn Charges: Police
Mass Private School Teacher Busted On Child Porn Charges: Police A Massachusetts teacher was arrested after police said he shared child sexual abuse material and had sexual conversations with underage boys on social media, authorities said.  Joshua DeWitte, 50, of Cambridge, is charged with six counts of distributing obscene material to a minor, and one count each of distributing child sexual act material, and possession of child pornography, the Middlesex District Attorney's Office said.  DeWitte, a music teacher at Buckingham Browne & Nichols Lower School, is accused of using Snapchat to have sexual conversations with under…

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by Josh Lanier
Schools
Teacher Resigns After Video Of Her Threatening Trump Voters Goes Viral Teacher Resigns After Video Of Her Threatening Trump Voters Goes Viral
Teacher Resigns After Video Of Her Threatening Trump Voters Goes Viral A Connecticut school teacher who was put on leave after a video surfaced of her delivering an angry message directed at President-elect Donald Trump and his voters has resigned, officials said. Annie Dunleavy, a special education teacher for the Cheshire School District, submitted her immediate resignation from Chapman Elementary on Wednesday, Nov. 13, two days after being placed on temporary leave, school officials said. 'Related: You Will End On A Stretcher': Teacher on Leave After Threatening Trump Voters She shared the minute-long viral video in a private group message on Snapchat, b…

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by Josh Lanier
Schools
'You Will End On A Stretcher': CT Teacher On Leave After Threatening Trump Voters 'You Will End On A Stretcher': CT Teacher On Leave After Threatening Trump Voters
'You Will End On A Stretcher': CT Teacher On Leave After Threatening Trump Voters Update: A Connecticut teacher who threatened to fight President-elect Donald Trump's voters in a viral video has resigned from the New Haven County school where she worked. Click here to read more.  Original: A Connecticut elementary school teacher was placed on temporary leave after a video of her threatening people who voted for President-Elect Donald Trump was shared on social media.  Cheshire Schools Superintendent Jeff Solan announced the decision on Monday, Nov. 11, and said the New Haven County school district is investigating the incident.  In the minute-long vi…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
CT Man Accused Of Sending Explicit Photos To 13-Year-Old CT Man Accused Of Sending Explicit Photos To 13-Year-Old
CT Man Accused Of Sending Explicit Photos To 13-Year-Old A Connecticut man has been accused of sending explicit images to a girl in the Midwest. Detectives at the Jackson Police Department in Missouri determined Litchfield County resident Carter Denlinger, of Bridgewater, sent Snapchats to the 13-year-old in their jurisdiction. Connecticut State Police detectives then joined the investigation, and an arrest warrant was issued in Missouri. Denlinger, age 25, was located in Bridgewater on Friday, April 12, and taken into custody as an extradition arrest, state police said. He is being held on a $1 million dollar bond and is due to …

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
6 Western Mass Teens Held Mock 'Slave Auction,' Made Racist Comments On Social Media: DA 6 Western Mass Teens Held Mock 'Slave Auction,' Made Racist Comments On Social Media: DA
6 Western Mass Teens Held Mock 'Slave Auction,' Made Racist Comments On Social Media: DA Six Hampden County eighth-grade students have been charged in juvenile court after chat logs were discovered where they made threats against minority students, used racist slurs, shared racist memes and comments, and held a mock "slave auction" for two black classmates, authorities said.  Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni held a press conference on Thursday, March 14, explaining his decision to charge the Southwick Regional School students. He called their online chat "vile, cruel, and contemptible" in a news release.  Hatred and racism have no place in this community. …

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Former CT School Employee Charged With Sexual Assault Of 11-Year-Old Boy Former CT School Employee Charged With Sexual Assault Of 11-Year-Old Boy
Former CT School Employee Charged With Sexual Assault Of 11-Year-Old Boy Connecticut State Police have arrested a former Connecticut school employee for allegedly sexually abusing an 11-year-old boy on numerous occasions.  Tolland County resident, Alyson Cranick, age 42, of Columbia, was charged with sexual assault on Tuesday, Nov. 14. According to the arrest warrant provided by state police, Cranick assaulted the boy during July and August of 2022.  During an interview with state police, the boy told investigators the two began their "relationship" via iMessage and Snapchat and then moved their communication to Discord after Cranick learned the …

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by Kathy Reakes
News
CT Woman Helps Cover Up Killing Of Father Of 3, Sells His Belongings: Here's Her Sentence CT Woman Helps Cover Up Killing Of Father Of 3, Sells His Belongings: Here's Her Sentence
CT Woman Helps Cover Up Killing Of Father Of 3, Sells His Belongings: Here's Her Sentence A Connecticut woman will spend time in prison after helping to cover up the kidnapping and murder of a Massachusetts man on Christmas Eve, officials announced.  Hartford County resident Shamari Smith, age 34, of Manchester, also known as "Dakota," was sentenced on Friday, Oct. 13 to 25 months in prison for helping to cover up the murder of 28-year-old Francisco Roman, Jr. in December 2020, the US Attorney's Office for District of Connecticut announced.  Earlier Report: Murder Conviction: Manchester Woman Admits To Role In 2020 Killing Of Father Of 3 According …

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Child Porn Conviction: Central Mass Man Who Had 500 Videos, 1,000 Images Gets 10 Years Child Porn Conviction: Central Mass Man Who Had 500 Videos, 1,000 Images Gets 10 Years
Child Porn Conviction: Central Mass Man Who Had 500 Videos, 1,000 Images Gets 10 Years A 46-year-old Worcester County man who admitted to having hundreds of images and videos of child porn and using social media to solicit nudes from children will spend a decade behind bars, authorities said Michael Irons, 46, of Gardner, pleaded guilty in January to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. A judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison last week, the prosecutor announced on Tuesday, May 23.  Police searched Irons' home in July 2020 and found two cell phones in his bedroom that c…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
'Sexual Predator' Gets 12 Years For Blackmailing Massachusetts Teen Into Send Nudes: Feds 'Sexual Predator' Gets 12 Years For Blackmailing Massachusetts Teen Into Send Nudes: Feds
'Sexual Predator' Gets 12 Years For Blackmailing Massachusetts Teen Into Send Nudes: Feds A 33-year-old Chicago man who bullied a 16-year-old Massachusetts girl into sending him nude photos and then threatened to release them to her friends and family if she didn't give him more will spend more than a decade behind bars, federal authorities said.  Ernesto Herrera, who pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor in August, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on Friday, Fed. 24, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said.  Herrera reached out to the victim from an anonymous phone number through a social media app in June 2020 and manipulate…

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by Josh Lanier
Lifestyle
New Survey Reveals Gen Z’s Favorite Restaurant New Survey Reveals Gen Z’s Favorite Restaurant
New Survey Reveals Gen Z’s Favorite Restaurant When it comes to satisfying those hunger pangs, it turns out nothing does it for Zoomers quite like the delectably irresistible taste of America’s favorite chicken shack. A new survey by investment firm Piper Sandler found that Generation Z’s favorite restaurant is Chick-fil-A. Of those polled, 18 percent picked the Atlanta-based chicken chain as their favorite place to eat, followed by Starbucks (17 percent) and Chipotle (13 percent). The restaurant category was just one of several that was gauged as part of Piper Sandler’s 44th semi-annual “Taking Stock With Teens” survey, which includ…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Man Used Snapchat to 'Blackmail' Massachusetts Teen To Perform Sex Acts With Dog: Feds Man Used Snapchat to 'Blackmail' Massachusetts Teen To Perform Sex Acts With Dog: Feds
Man Used Snapchat to 'Blackmail' Massachusetts Teen To Perform Sex Acts With Dog: Feds Federal authorities arrested a 33-year-old Chicago man after he bullied a 16-year-old Massachusetts girl into sending him nude selfies and videos and to perform a sex act with her dog, prosecutors said.  Ernesto Herrera was arrested and charged with coercion and enticement of a minor, the Department of Justice said on Tuesday, July 26. Authorities also charged Herrera with sexual exploitation of children in June 2021 in an unrelated case, authorities said.  Herrara reportedly first contacted the girl on the social media app Snapchat in June 2020, prosecutors said. He said he …

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by Josh Lanier
News
Level 3 Massachusetts Sex Offender Admits To Extorting Child For Explicit Photos Level 3 Massachusetts Sex Offender Admits To Extorting Child For Explicit Photos
Level 3 Massachusetts Sex Offender Admits To Extorting Child For Explicit Photos A Level 3 Registered Sex Offender from Lowell pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography from a minor over Snapchat, the US Attorney's Office for Massachusetts reports.  Chayanne Nieves, age 24, forced an 11-year-old from Vermont to send him naked pictures of himself from around November 30, 2020 to December 3, 2020, the office reports.  Nieves has been in custody since he was arrested and charged with receiving child pornography in August 2021, the office reports. Based on his criminal history,  Nieves could face up to 40 years in prison and a lifetime of …

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by David Cifarelli
News
Former Massachusetts Substitute Teacher Facing Child Pornography Charges Former Massachusetts Substitute Teacher Facing Child Pornography Charges
Former Massachusetts Substitute Teacher Facing Child Pornography Charges A former educator in the Pentucket Regional School District was arraigned on child pornography charges on Tuesday, June 21, the Merrimac Police Department said.  Kenneth Niven, age 24, who substituted at Sweetsir and Donaghue Schools pleaded not guilty to possessing child pornography and photographing an unsuspecting nude person, police said. Investigators uncovered two alleged images of child pornography on Niven's phone after a parent reported an inappropriate conversation between him and their child on SnapChat, police said.  Superintendent Justin Bartholomew sa…

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by David Cifarelli
News
Police Possible Middle School Threat In Western Mass Police Possible Middle School Threat In Western Mass
Police Possible Middle School Threat In Western Mass Extra police officers are on patrol at four Western Massachusetts schools after a possible social media threat was made thru Snapchat. The threat was made against a school in Hampden County in South Hadley on Monday, May 30. Officials first became aware of the "possible" threat after school officials were notified that someone had sent a Snapchat message referencing violence at Michael E Smith Middle School, located at 100 Mosier Street, said Lt. Lt William Sowa, of the South Hadley Police Department. In an abundance of caution, the department has stationed extra officers at South Had…

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by Kathy Reakes
Schools
Possible Middle School Threat Under Investigation In Western Mass Possible Middle School Threat Under Investigation In Western Mass
Possible Middle School Threat Under Investigation In Western Mass Extra police officers were stationed at a Western Massachusetts middle school on Friday, May 27, after a threat was made via social media. The threat was uncovered in Hampden County late Thursday, May 26, and targeted West Springfield Middle School. According to police, on Thursday, the West Springfield Police Department received information from a neighboring police department concerning a threat made on social media.  The threat made towards the West Springfield Middle School was captured on Snapchat, via screenshot, the police department said. After receiving the information, the …

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by Kathy Reakes
News
CT Man Sexually Assaulted Girl He Met On Snapchat, Fed Says CT Man Sexually Assaulted Girl He Met On Snapchat, Fed Says
CT Man Sexually Assaulted Girl He Met On Snapchat, Fed Says A 27-year-old Connecticut man is facing charges for allegedly soliciting teens to commit lewd acts through social media, federal authorities announced. Hartford County resident Justin McKenney, of Windsor Locks, has been charged in a federal criminal complaint with multiple child exploitation offenses following his arrest on Thursday, March 17 at his workplace in Boston. US Attorney Leonard Boyle said that beginning in October 2021, Glastonbury Police began investigating the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl by an individual she met on Snapchat.  The investigation revealed that Mc…

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by Zak Failla
News
CT Mom Sues Social Media Companies Over Daughter's Death CT Mom Sues Social Media Companies Over Daughter's Death
CT Mom Sues Social Media Companies Over Daughter's Death A Connecticut mother has sued Meta-owned Instagram and Snapchat alleging the two played a role in her 11-year-old daughter's suicide. Hartford County mother Tammy Rodriguez of Enfield said she noticed a change in her daughter, Selena, as she became addicted to the media platforms, reported Bloomberg News. The child suffered from depression and sleep deprivation after becoming addicted, Rodriguez alleged in a lawsuit filed in San Francisco federal court. Rodriguez said in the suit, Selena struggled for two years with "extreme addiction," and that the companies have deliberately de…

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by Kathy Reakes
Business
Charli D'Amelio, Age 17, Of Fairfield County Is Outearning Top CEOs By Millions Charli D'Amelio, Age 17, Of Fairfield County Is Outearning Top CEOs By Millions
Charli D'Amelio, Age 17, Of Fairfield County Is Outearning Top CEOs By Millions A teen social media star from Connecticut is outearning some of the most successful CEOs in the US by millions of dollars, according to new reports by Forbes and the Wall Street Journal. With 133 million TikToker followers, 17-year-old Fairfield County resident Charli D'Amelio, of Norwalk, who started posting to TikTok in 2019 -- has the video-sharing app's largest following, Forbes says. Last year, she brought in $17.5 million. The median pay for chief executives of S&P 500 companies in 2020 was $13.4 million, the WSJ reports. Darren Woods was the highest-earning CEO of 2020, brin…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Suspect Nabbed In Sex Assault Case, CT State Police Say Suspect Nabbed In Sex Assault Case, CT State Police Say
Suspect Nabbed In Sex Assault Case, CT State Police Say A 22-year-old man in Connecticut is facing charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a teen, State Police announced. Torrington resident Jacob Joseph Haag, of Litchfield County, was arrested by Connecticut State Police investigators following an investigation into alleged sexual assault. The investigation into Haag was launched in late March, police said, when troopers received a report of a possible sexual assault involving a 15-year-old that happened in the Town of Goshen. According to police, investigators spoke to the teen, who said that a man she met online had picked her up near her …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
School District In Region Increases Security After Apparent National Threat School District In Region Increases Security After Apparent National Threat
School District In Region Increases Security After Apparent National Threat Following social media threats, there will additional police presence at a school district in the region. The posts were shared in Western Massachusetts from another municipality in another state, according to the Springfield Police Department. The individuals who shared them locally are the subject of a criminal investigation, said the Springfield Police. There will be an additional police presence at the school, which is reportedly Springfield Central High School, on Monday, Oct. 25 out of an abundance of caution, the department added.  Springfield Police Commissioner Cheryl Clappr…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Man Admits To Posing As Teen To Receive Explicit Videos Of Fairfield County Girl Man Admits To Posing As Teen To Receive Explicit Videos Of Fairfield County Girl
Man Admits To Posing As Teen To Receive Explicit Videos Of Fairfield County Girl This story has been updated. A 36-year-old out-of-state man has pleaded guilty to the distribution of child pornography in connection with a Fairfield County case. Brian Grinnell, of Lakewood, Ohio (near Cleveland), pleaded guilty on Monday, April 19 in Hartford for posting nude videos of a 12-year-old New Canaan girl on a popular video-sharing service, said Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut. According to court documents and statements made in court, in March 2020, Grinnell posed as a 15-year-old girl and met a New Canaan girl, who at the time w…

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by Kathy Reakes
Politics
Pelosi Laptop Thief's Dad Busted On Child Porn Charges In Undercover Sting Pelosi Laptop Thief's Dad Busted On Child Porn Charges In Undercover Sting
Pelosi Laptop Thief's Dad Busted On Child Porn Charges In Undercover Sting The father of a Pennsylvania woman who stole Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's laptop was busted on child porn charges after asking an undercover detective posing as a teenage girl online to film herself using the bathroom, news reports say. Rickey Williams, 55, -- a security guard from Dauphin County -- was communicating with the detective under the belief he was a girl on the Snapchat app, Fox43 says citing the criminal complaint. During the course of this alleged communication, Williams, of Steelton, requested a video of the girl using the bathroom, Local21news reports. …

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by Jillian Pikora
News
FBI Asks For Help Identifying Possible Victims Of Westchester Man Facing Child Porn Charge FBI Asks For Help Identifying Possible Victims Of Westchester Man Facing Child Porn Charge
FBI Asks For Help Identifying Possible Victims Of Westchester Man Facing Child Porn Charge Authorities are asking for help in identifying possible victims from throughout the country in a sextortion investigation involving a New York man from Westchester County.  The FBI Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force and Port Chester Police Department issued the joint advisory on Friday, Feb. 5. Investigators arrested Jose Zafra on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021, and charged him with the production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), or what is commonly known as child pornography. Based on the criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of New York, investigators allege Zafra …

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Sentenced: Deputy Abused Worcester Area Girls He Met Through Minecraft Sentenced: Deputy Abused Worcester Area Girls He Met Through Minecraft
Sentenced: Deputy Abused Worcester Area Girls He Met Through Minecraft A former Texas Deputy Sheriff has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for sexually abusing and stalking two Worcester County girls. Pasquale “Gino” Salas, 26, a former deputy with the Matagorda County Sheriff’s Office in Texas, pleaded guilty in May to sexual exploitation of a minor and cyberstalking, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Massachusetts. On Tuesday, Sept. 14, Salas was sentenced in Worcester district court to 220 months - about 18 years - in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Salas met his victims through the online video game Minecraft in 2014 when they …

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by Kristin Palpini
Police & Fire
Ex-con Accused Of Selling Guns Via Snapchat, Social Media Ex-con Accused Of Selling Guns Via Snapchat, Social Media
Ex-con Accused Of Selling Guns Via Snapchat, Social Media A man who allegedly tried to sell firearms through social media platform Snapchat is facing gun-related charges. Juan Aparicio, 29, of Lowell, was indicted Thursday, Aug. 13, on the charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Massachusetts. Law enforcement officials searched Aparicio’s residence in January after viewing Snapchat videos in which Aparicio allegedly tries to sell multiple firearms. During the search officers allegedly recovered a loaded assault rifle and cocaine,…

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by Kristin Palpini