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Convicted Child Predator From Belgium Caught Hiding In DC, Deported By ICE Convicted Child Predator From Belgium Caught Hiding In DC, Deported By ICE
Convicted Child Predator From Belgium Caught Hiding In DC, Deported By ICE A convicted child sex predator who fled Belgium to avoid prison time was caught living in Washington, DC — and is now back in the hands of authorities in his home country, ICE officials confirmed. Romulus Mihai, 33, entered the US under the visa waiver program in 2013 and tried to become a citizen, officials said. What he didn’t disclose: He had already been convicted in Belgium for the sexual exploitation of a child. Instead of serving his sentence, Mihai fled to the US, ICE said. “Not only did Mihai victimize a child in his native country; he attempted to exploit the integrity of ou…

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by Zak Failla
News
Gunrunner Drove Hundreds Of Miles To Traffick 200+ Guns To DC-Area Felons: Feds Gunrunner Drove Hundreds Of Miles To Traffick 200+ Guns To DC-Area Felons: Feds
Gunrunner Drove Hundreds Of Miles To Traffick 200+ Guns To Dc-area Felons: Feds A repeat offender who funneled hundreds of illegal firearms up the East Coast to the DC area — selling many to convicted felons — is headed to federal prison, authorities announced. Michael Pittman, 30, of Washington, DC, was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for his role in a large-scale firearms trafficking operation, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Prosecutors said Pittman rented cars and drove to Georgia and North Carolina, where he bought firearms from illegal gun suppliers.  He then returned to the DC region and resold the weapons — oft…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Maryland EMT, DC Voice Coach Accused Of Abusing Minors Since 2004: Police Maryland EMT, DC Voice Coach Accused Of Abusing Minors Since 2004: Police
Maryland EMT, DC Voice Coach Accused Of Abusing Minors Since 2004: Police A man of many talents is behind bars after allegedly having inappropriate contact with minors over the course of at least two decades, according to authorities. Christopher Dudley, 46, of Fairfax, was arrested on Wednesday, July 24, and charged with eight counts of aggravated sexual battery and eight counts of indecent liberties by a custodian, the Fairfax County Police Department announced Monday, July 28. Police say detectives with the department’s Child Abuse Squad launched the investigation after a July 15 referral from Child Protective Services, which alleged Dudley had inappropriately…

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by Zak Failla
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Best, Worst Airport Websites For Data Security Revealed In New Study: See Where BWI Ranks Best, Worst Airport Websites For Data Security Revealed In New Study: See Where BWI Ranks
Best, Worst Airport Websites For Data Security Revealed In New Study: See Where BWI Ranks Boston's main airport has the safest website of any major airport in the Northeast, while New York City-area hubs rank among the worst, according to a new study. Digital privacy website VeePN rated 31 of the largest airport websites in the US based on two cybersecurity measures. The study ranked airport sites on their security headers, which help block cyberattacks, and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption, which protects personal data like travel records and credit card information. Logan International Airport earned a B for security headers and an A for SSL.…

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by Chris Spiker
News
MD Residents' Electric Bill Is About To Spike Again MD Residents' Electric Bill Is About To Spike Again
MD Residents' Electric Bill Is About To Spike Again A record-high electricity auction held by PJM Interconnection is expected to drive up energy bills across much of the East Coast, even as many states have already been hit with rate hikes this summer. The results of PJM’s 2026/2027 Base Residual Auction, announced Tuesday, July 22, show the price of capacity cleared at the federal cap of $329.17 per megawatt-day, the highest in years.  That’s a 22% jump from last year’s price of $269.92. PJM, which manages the power grid for 13 states and Washington, D.C., secured over 134,000 megawatts of power to meet the projected electricity needs…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Woman Attacked ICE Agents Outside DC Jail During 18th Street Gang Member Transfer: Feds Woman Attacked ICE Agents Outside DC Jail During 18th Street Gang Member Transfer: Feds
Woman Attacked ICE Agents Outside DC Jail During 18th Street Gang Member Transfer: Feds A DC woman is accused of violently trying to block the transfer of an alleged 18th Street gang member from the city jail to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, according to federal authorities. Sydney Lori Reid, 44, was charged in US District Court this week with assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees, according to the US Attorney's Office. The complaint alleges that the confrontation erupted around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 22, outside the DC Central Detention Facility. According to federal prosecutors, two men — described as suspected members of the …

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Melania Trump Could Get Kennedy Center Named In Her Honor Under GOP Plan Melania Trump Could Get Kennedy Center Named In Her Honor Under GOP Plan
Melania Trump Could Get Kennedy Center Named In Her Honor Under GOP Plan Could the Melania Trump Opera House be the future in DC?  A GOP-led proposal to rename the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, after First Lady Melania Trump is sparking immediate backlash from Democrats. Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson, the chairman of the House Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees federal funding for capital repairs, operations, and maintenance at the Kennedy Center made the proposal on Tuesday. The lawmaker said he wants to honor Melania Trump's "support and commitment in promoting the arts and humanities." NBC repo…

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by Zak Failla
News
'Go F— Yourself': Colbert Slams Trump In Blistering Monologue After Show's Cancellation 'Go F— Yourself': Colbert Slams Trump In Blistering Monologue After Show's Cancellation
'Go F— Yourself': Colbert Slams Trump In Blistering Monologue After Show's Cancellation Just days after CBS announced it would end "The Late Show" in May 2026, Stephen Colbert opened Monday’s July 21 monologue with a fiery response aimed at President Donald Trump, who’d taken a public victory lap. Reading from Trump’s Truth Social post, while doing his best mocking impression, Colbert quoted the president: “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert! Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show.” Colber…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
He Drove 200 Miles To Murder Famed DC Photographer — Now He’ll Die In Prison He Drove 200 Miles To Murder Famed DC Photographer — Now He’ll Die In Prison
He Drove 200 Miles To Murder Famed DC Photographer — Now He’ll Die In Prison The Pennsylvania man who drove 200 miles from his home to murder famed DC photographer Joe Shymanski will spend the rest of his life in prison. Brandon Ross Holbrook, 49, of Reedsville, PA, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing and dismembering Shymanski in Huntingtown, the Calvert County Sheriff's Office announced. Holbrook was found guilty of murder in June following an eight-day trial in Calvert County Circuit Court. According to prosecutors, Holbrook shot Shymanski on Sept. 3, 2023, in the driveway of his home in Huntingtown. He then took the bod…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Maryland Man Used Voice Of America Lines In DC To Threaten Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene: Feds Maryland Man Used Voice Of America Lines In DC To Threaten Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene: Feds
Maryland Man Used Voice Of America Lines In DC To Threaten Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene: Feds A longtime federal media employee from Maryland is facing charges for allegedly phoning in violent threats to a sitting Republican Congresswoman — from inside Voice of America’s studios in DC. Seth Jason, of Edgewater, was arrested on Thursday, July 17, after a federal grand jury indicted him on four charges for allegedly threatening to kill Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, her staff, and their families. Jason, who was taken into custody by US Capitol Police and the Anne Arundel County Police Department, made his first court appearance Thursday in US District Court in Washington, DC, officials …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Maryland Officer Who Used Pepper Spray On Handcuffed Man During DC Stop Gets Prison Time Maryland Officer Who Used Pepper Spray On Handcuffed Man During DC Stop Gets Prison Time
Maryland Officer Who Used Pepper Spray On Handcuffed Man During DC Stop Gets Prison Time A former Maryland police officer will spend more than six years behind bars for using excessive force during a traffic stop in Washington, DC. Philip Dupree, who was working as an officer with the Fairmount Heights Police Department at the time, was sentenced on Wednesday, July 16, to six years and two months in federal prison, the Department of Justice announced. The sentence follows Dupree’s conviction in June 2024, after a weeklong jury trial in which prosecutors said he crossed the line during a stop on Aug. 4, 2019. According to trial evidence, prosecutors say Dupree pulled over a dri…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
5-Year-Old Deandre Pettus Found Dead In DMV Apartment; Father Now Charged With Murder: MPD 5-Year-Old Deandre Pettus Found Dead In DMV Apartment; Father Now Charged With Murder: MPD
5-Year-Old Deandre Pettus Found Dead In DMV Apartment; Father Now Charged With Murder: MPD A DC father has been indicted for murder months after his 5-year-old son, Deandre Pettus Jr., was found unresponsive in their apartment, police said. Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department responded at 9:44 a.m. on Sunday, October 6, 2024, to the 4500 block of Connecticut Avenue, Northwest, for a report of an unconscious child inside a DC home, officials said. United States Secret Service officers arrived first and began CPR on the child, according to police. DC Fire and EMS personnel then took over, but lifesaving efforts failed, and the child was pronounced dead by first re…

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by Zak Failla