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Navy Lieutenant Commander Who Cyberstalked Ex-Wife, Kids For Years Learns Prison Fate Navy Lieutenant Commander Who Cyberstalked Ex-Wife, Kids For Years Learns Prison Fate
Navy Lieutenant Commander Who Cyberstalked Ex-Wife, Kids For Years Learns Prison Fate A US Navy lieutenant commander will spend years behind bars after being convicted of a years-long cyberstalking campaign that targeted his ex-wife and their children, prosecutors announced in Maryland. A federal jury convicted Jason Michael Leidel, 45, of Silver Spring, on one count of cyberstalking following a two-week trial in December 2025, according to the US Attorney's Office. On Thursday, March 12, Leidel was sentenced to 41 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.  According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Leidel repeatedly sent …

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by Zak Failla
News
Maryland Navy Lieutenant Commander Convicted In Cyberstalking Targeting Ex-Wife, Kids: DOJ Maryland Navy Lieutenant Commander Convicted In Cyberstalking Targeting Ex-Wife, Kids: DOJ
Maryland Navy Lieutenant Commander Convicted In Cyberstalking Targeting Ex-Wife, Kids: DOJ An active-duty US Navy lieutenant commander was convicted after a two-week federal trial for a yearslong cyberstalking campaign that targeted his ex-wife and their children, prosecutors announced in Maryland. A federal jury convicted Jason Michael Leidel, 45, of Silver Spring, on one count of cyberstalking, according to the US Attorney's Office. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Leidel repeatedly sent emails containing false allegations in an effort to get his ex-wife fired from her job as a special education teacher at a public school, authorities said. Prosecu…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Retired NJ Teacher Who Plays Santa Claus Arrested On Child Porn Charges: Prosecutor Retired NJ Teacher Who Plays Santa Claus Arrested On Child Porn Charges: Prosecutor
Retired NJ Teacher Who Plays Santa Claus Arrested On Child Porn Charges: Prosecutor A retired New Jersey elementary school teacher known in the community as “Santa Mark” has been arrested on charges tied to child sexual abuse material, authorities said. Mark Paulino, 64, is charged with second-degree distribution of child sexual abuse material, second-degree possession with intent to distribute, third-degree possession of child sexual abuse material, and endangering the welfare of a child, Mercer County Prosecutor Jandetta D. Mabrey said. The prosecutor’s office has filed a motion to detain him pending trial. Detectives received information on Thursday evening, Dec. 4, fro…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
SWAT Raid Horror: Frederick Educator Accused Of Abusing Students Tried To End His Life: Sheriff SWAT Raid Horror: Frederick Educator Accused Of Abusing Students Tried To End His Life: Sheriff
John McAleer Accused Of Sexually Abusing Minors In Frederick An educator in Maryland accused of sexually abusing multiple minors attempted to kill himself during a barricade before being rushed to the hospital, officials say. In September, the Frederick County Sheriff's Office received a report alleging sexual abuse involving 22-year-old John McAleer, a special education instructional assistant at Oakdale Middle School. During the investigation, several underage victims came forward to report alleged abuse that happened at the school. On Sunday, Oct. 5, detectives obtained search warrants for McAleer’s residence, vehicle, and person. The follow…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Miami Man Nearly Beheads, Murders Mom Who Came To Check On Him: Police Miami Man Nearly Beheads, Murders Mom Who Came To Check On Him: Police
Miami Man Nearly Beheads, Murders Mom Who Came To Check On Him: Police A 40-year-old Miami Beach man was arrested and charged with murder after an eight-hour SWAT standoff over the weekend after his New Jersey mother's body was found nearly decapitated in a dumpster, police said. Anthony Caruso, 40, was arrested on Sunday, July 20, following the standoff at his apartment on Washington Avenue, according to a criminal complaint filed by Miami Beach Police. Police were dispatched to 800 Washington Ave.,, for a welfare check after Elizabeth Caruso’s son-in-law reported not hearing from her for over six hours, the affidavit says. Elizabeth had arrived mid-day Satu…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Supreme Court Green-Lights Trump Plan To Gut Education Department Supreme Court Green-Lights Trump Plan To Gut Education Department
Supreme Court Green-Lights Trump Plan To Gut Education Department The Supreme Court has just swept aside a lower-court injunction and handed President Donald Trump permission to restart mass layoffs at the US Department of Education, reviving his promise to dismantle the agency created nearly half a century ago. In an unsigned, 6-3 order divided along ideological lines that was released late Monday afternoon, July 14, the justices lifted a spring ruling by US District Judge Myong Joun of Massachusetts that had forced the administration to rehire hundreds of Education Department employees terminated during a March reduction-in-force.  Earlier report…

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by Joe Lombardi
Politics
Trump Administration Freezes $110M In Maryland Education Grants, AG's Lawsuit Claims Trump Administration Freezes $110M In Maryland Education Grants, AG's Lawsuit Claims
Trump Administration Freezes $110M In Maryland Education Grants, AG's Lawsuit Claims Just weeks before the new school year begins, prosecutors in Maryland and Virginia are among a growing coalition suing the Trump administration over a sudden freeze on billions in education grants that threatens to derail teacher training, special education services, and after-school programs across the region. The lawsuit, filed Monday, July 14, comes after the US Department of Education notified states late last month that it would not be releasing scheduled funds for six long-standing federal programs on July 1, despite years of precedent and approved state-level plans already in place. …

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by Zak Failla
News
Paraeducator Admits To Assaulting Non-Verbal Student During Dance Class In Maryland Paraeducator Admits To Assaulting Non-Verbal Student During Dance Class In Maryland
Paraeducator Admits To Assaulting Non-Verbal Student During Dance Class In Maryland A 65-year-old Baltimore woman has been convicted after entering an Alford Plea to second-degree assault involving students with special needs, the Howard County State's Attorney announced this week. Annette Melvina Bouldin was found guilty of second-degree assault for her involvement in an incident last September while she was a paraeducator assisting in the Academic Life Skills dance class at Mount Hebron High School An Alford Plea is a type of guilty plea in which the defendant does not admit to committing the crime but agrees that the prosecution has enough evidence to obtain a convictio…

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by Zak Failla
News
School Bus Driver In MD Responsible For Sexually Abusing Special Needs Passengers: Prosecutors School Bus Driver In MD Responsible For Sexually Abusing Special Needs Passengers: Prosecutors
School Bus Driver In MD Responsible For Sexually Abusing Special Needs Passengers: Prosecutors Prosecutors say that a school bus driver in Montgomery County who drove special education students was found criminally responsible for sexually abusing four girls on his route following a lengthy investigation. Gaithersburg resident Etienne Kabongo, 67, was found guilty by a jury on Thursday, Feb. 9 to multiple counts of rape and sexual abuse of a minor after one of his victims came forward and several other victims were identified during the investigation. A driver for Montgomery County Public Schools, officials said that one of Kabongo’s victims came forward following an incident in July…

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by Zak Failla
News
Special Education Teacher In Virginia Sentenced For Importing MDMA Into The US From Overseas Special Education Teacher In Virginia Sentenced For Importing MDMA Into The US From Overseas
Special Education Teacher In Virginia Sentenced For Importing MDMA Into The US From Overseas A high school special education teacher in the region will spend years behind bars following his sentencing for importing MDMA into the United States from Europe. Virginia resident Andrew Myers, 39, of Newport News, has been sentenced to two years in prison after being busted bringing the drug, more commonly known as ecstasy, into the country from Spain and German. In February 2020, special agents with Homeland Security Investigations and detectives with the Newport News Police Department received a tip that a package containing MDMA was entering the US and was addressed to Myers, officials…

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by Zak Failla
News
Maryland Teachers Rally Over 'Recruitment Failures,' Purported Educator Shortage Maryland Teachers Rally Over 'Recruitment Failures,' Purported Educator Shortage
Maryland Teachers Rally Over 'Recruitment Failures,' Purported Educator Shortage Maryland educators and school boards are at odds amid a national teacher shortage after claims that teachers hired through third-party contractors will receive significantly higher wages, officials say. The Anne Arundel Public Schools (AACPS) Board of Education has fired back in a statement against the claims made by the Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County (TAAAC), claiming that the union holds their own interests higher than those of students. "TAAAC’s social media campaign opposing a staffing agency contract to help put caring, capable, qualified, certificated, and consistently pr…

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by Annie DeVoe
Police & Fire
Maryland Runaways Were Out Carjacking Victims, Police Say Maryland Runaways Were Out Carjacking Victims, Police Say
Maryland Runaways Were Out Carjacking Victims, Police Say Three runaways from a special education school in Maryland have been arrested and charged for their roles in a Rockville carjacking, police said. The trio, who were committed to the Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents (RICA), allegedly carjacked a man in broad daylight at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 7, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police. It is alleged that the three minors were in the 14800 block of Physicians Lane in Rockville when they approached their victim, who was sitting in his parked Honda CRV, investigators said. As they approached th…

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by Zak Failla