Man charged in N.J. wildfire says he shouldn't be held responsible because he tried to put it out

Man charged in N.J. wildfire says he shouldn't be held responsible because he tried to put it out

A New Jersey mancharged with starting the massive Jones Road wildfirelast month says he shouldn't be held responsible for the blaze because others who were with him should have snuffed it out. Joseph Kling, 19, was charged with aggravated arson and arson on April 23 in connection to the blaze in Wareton that burned 15,300 acres as it spread through the southern Ocean County area, theOcean County Prosecutor's Officesaid. Kling set wooden pallets on fire and left without the flames being fully extinguished, prosecutors said. After a brief court appearance Monday, Kling toldNBC Philadelphiahe and his friends had a bonfire in a remote part of Ocean Township on April 21 — but he left early and tried to put out the fire before heading out. "I was the first to leave after my buddy crashed his dirt bike," Kling said, noting he left to take his friend to a hospital. When asked why he didn't put the fire out before leaving he said, "There were other people there, and I tried." "I kicked dirt on it and everything. I had the flame almost out and, other people were there," he said. About 16 others were there, he said. On May 1, prosecutors announceda 17-year-oldhad also been charged with aggravated arson, arson and hindering apprehension. Kling was further charged with hindering apprehension after he and the other teen allegedly gave police false information, prosecutors said. "At this juncture, we have yet to see any evidence that this bonfire, that he was allegedly involved in, even led to this wildfire," Kling's attorney, Joseph Compitello, said. The area where authorities said the wildfire started from a bonfire has signs stating that fires are prohibited, NBC Philadelphia reported. The fire was observed by emergency personnel on April 22 as coming from the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust's Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area. The blaze was declared100% containedon May 12.

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

May 19, 2025

Man charged in N.J. wildfire says he shouldn't be held responsible because he tried to put it out

Man charged in N.J. wildfire says he shouldn't be held responsible because he tried to put it out A New Jersey mancharged with starting ...

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Sheriff says 'defective' locks were a key factor in Louisiana jailbreak by 10 men

Sheriff says 'defective' locks were a key factor in Louisiana jailbreak by 10 men

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Just days before 10 menbroke out of a New Orleans jail, officials with the sheriff's office asked for money to fix faulty locks and cell doors deemed a key factor in the escape. As the manhunt for the remainingseven fugitivesstretches into a new week, officials continue to investigate who or what was to blame in a jailbreak that even the escapees labeled as "easy" — in a message scrawled on a wall above the narrow hole they squeezed through. Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said she has long raised concerns about the jail's ongoing "deficiencies," adding that the breakout has "once again highlighted the critical need for repairs and upgrades" to the ailing infrastructure. But some officials are pointing the blame in security lapses at the person who oversees the control and custody of the inmates, Hutson. Early Friday, 10 men being held at the Orleans Justice Center — many awaiting trials or sentencing for violent charges, including murder — yanked open a cell door, slipped through a hole behind a toilet, scaled a barbed wire fence and fled into the dark. Only three of the men have since been caught. While Hutson said the locks played a key role in the escape, there are other crucial elements that officials have outlined; Indications that the escape may have been an inside job; the hole that officials said may have been formed using power tools; a lack of monitoring of the cell pod; and law enforcement not being aware of the escape until seven hours after the men fled. Attorney General Liz Murrill said on Monday said it's no secret that the jail has been experiencing staffing shortages and maintenance defects for years and that state and local officials, courts and law enforcement are working together to hastily address issues. Four days before the escape, Jeworski "Jay" Mallet — chief of corrections for the jail — presented a need for a new lock system during the city's Capital Improvement Plan hearing. Mallet said the current system at the jail, which houses around 1,400 people, was built for a "minimum custody type of inmate." But he classified many at the facility as "high security" inmates, who are awaiting trials for violent offenses, and require a "restrictive housing environment that did not exist" at the jail. As a result, the sheriff's office has transferred dozens in custody to more secure locations. In the aftermath of the escape, Murrill said officials are looking to "harden physical aspects of this prison so that we can be realistic about the population that is being held there." Mallet said some cell unit doors and locks have been "manipulated" to the point that they can't even be closed properly. Since becoming sheriff in 2022, Hutson said she has complained about the locks at every turn and advocated for additional funding to make the facility more secure. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell says that funding for the jail has been "a priority" and money has been allocated to the sheriff's office for operating expenses and capital improvements. Bianka Brown, the chief financial officer for the sheriff's office, said the current budget "doesn't support what we need" to ensure critical fixes and upgrades. "Things are being deprived," Brown said of the jail, which for more than a decade has been subject to federal monitoring and a consent decree intended to improve conditions. The jail, which opened in 2015, replaced another facility that had its own history of escapes and violence. Other's have pointed to Hutson being at fault. "Rather than take accountability, she's pointed fingers elsewhere," State Rep. Aimee Adatto Freeman, who represents much of the uptown area of New Orleans, said Monday as she called for the sheriff to step down. "Blaming funding is a deflection--not an excuse." Hutson has faced criticism in recent months for continued violence and dysfunction in the lockup. An independent watchdog overseeing the federal consent decree noted in a report last fall that Hutson, after taking office, abandoned a practice of housing certain inmates in a "high security unit" in the jail. The report found that inmates were left unsupervised for hours, allowing for "inmate-on-inmate assaults" and access to materials to fashion weapons. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry recently announced the state is launching an investigation into who is responsible in the escape. He is also asking for an audit of the jail's compliance with basic correctional standards and an inventory of pre-trial detainees or those awaiting sentencing in violent cases at the facility, to consider moving them into state custody. —— Associated Press writer Jim Mustian in New York contributed to this report.

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

May 19, 2025

Sheriff says 'defective' locks were a key factor in Louisiana jailbreak by 10 men

Sheriff says 'defective' locks were a key factor in Louisiana jailbreak by 10 men BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Just days before 10 menbro...

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Ashli Babbitt's family to receive $5 million in settlement with Trump administration: Sources

Ashli Babbitt's family to receive $5 million in settlement with Trump administration: Sources

The Trump administration is set to pay out nearly $5 millionto settle a lawsuitbrought by the family of Ashli Babbitt, a rioter fatally shot during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News on Monday. The settlement will resolve a $30 million suit brought by Babbitt's estate and the conservative group Judicial Watch alleging the Capitol Police officer who shot her as she attempted to breach a broken window of the House speaker's lobby was negligent in his duties. The Washington Post firstreportednews on the settlement amount. MORE: DOJ reaches agreement in principle to settle lawsuit brought by family of Ashli Babbitt The Justice Department in April 2021 announced it had cleared U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd of any criminal wrongdoing in the shooting, after an investigation revealed no evidence he "did not reasonably believe that it was necessary to do so in self-defense or in defense of the Members of Congress and others evacuating the House Chamber." A separate investigation by the U.S. Capitol Police further found Byrd's actions were "lawful and within Department policy" and that he would not face internal discipline. "The actions of the officer in this case potentially saved Members and staff from serious injury and possible death from a large crowd of rioters who forced their way into the U.S. Capitol and to the House Chamber where Members and staff were steps away," USCP said in an August 2021 statement. "USCP Officers had barricaded the Speaker's Lobby with furniture before a rioter shattered the glass door. If the doors were breached, the rioters would have immediate access to the House Chambers. The officer's actions were consistent with the officer's training and USCP policies and procedures." It was not immediately clear whether the settlement would require the Justice Department to amend its public stance on Babbitt's shooting or admit fault on the part of Lt. Byrd or the Capitol Police. A DOJ spokesperson and attorneys for Babbitt's estate did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said in a statement to ABC News that he is "extremely disappointed and disagree with this settlement." "In 2021, the DOJ investigation determined no wrongdoing by police. This settlement sends a chilling message to law enforcement nationwide, especially to those with a protective mission like ours," he said. MORE: DOJ drops probe into officer who shot Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt Officials in recent weeks confirmed to a federal judge they had reached an agreement in principle to settle the lawsuit, which was filed during the Biden administration, though they did not disclose the terms of the pending settlement. Trump has repeatedly cited Babbitt's death as part of his broader vocal support for rioters who stormed the Capitol seeking to overturn his 2020 election loss. Trumppardonednearly all of the approximately 1,500 individuals charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack as one of his first acts in office, in a proclamation that described the Justice Department's investigation into the riot as "a grave national injustice." Following the pardons, Manger said in a memo to Capitol Police that the move "let violent criminals who attacked police officers off the hook" and that such criminals "should be met with consequences, condemnation and accountability." In March, Trump said in aninterview with Newsmaxthat he wasn't aware of the ongoing lawsuit brought by Babbitt's family but promised he would "look into" it. "I'm a big fan of Ashli Babbitt, okay, and Ashli Babbitt was a really good person who was a big MAGA fan, Trump fan, and she was innocently standing there -- they even say, trying to sort of hold back the crowd," Trump said. "And a man did something unthinkable to her when he shot her, and I think it's a disgrace. I'm going to look into that; I did not know that." Ashli Babbitt's family to receive $5 million in settlement with Trump administration: Sourcesoriginally appeared onabcnews.go.com

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

May 19, 2025

Ashli Babbitt's family to receive $5 million in settlement with Trump administration: Sources

Ashli Babbitt's family to receive $5 million in settlement with Trump administration: Sources The Trump administration is set to pay out...

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Cheryl Burke Blasts Critics of Her ‘New Face’: ‘I’m Not on Ozempic. I’m Not Sick’

Cheryl Burke Blasts Critics of Her 'New Face': 'I'm Not on Ozempic. I'm Not Sick'

Cheryl Burke responded to people critiquing her "new face" in a TikTok video on Sunday, May 18 TheDancing with the Starsalum, 41, denied that her change in appearance is a result of being sick or using the weight loss drug Ozempic "The assumptions are just exhausting as hell," Burke said, while removing her makeup in the video Cheryl Burkeis squashing speculation about her "new face." On Sunday, May 18, theDancing with the Starsalum, 41, shared aTikTok videoaddressing comments about her appearance that she'd noticed underneath her recent social media posts. She denied several false claims before confessing to finding proving herself "challenging." "Let's just address the elephant in the comment section," Burke said, while removing her makeup in the video. "I'm not on Ozempic. I'm not sick. I didn't get a face transplant, and no, I didn't get a brow lift." "The level of projection that is happening and that I'm witnessing is wild," she said, adding that people discuss her online as if she is "not a person." Burke confessed that the "most disappointing part" is reading comments from people saying they miss the "old" version of her. "Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Cheryl," she said. "Back in 2006,Dancing with the Starsseason 2, when I was 21 years old, or three years ago, Cheryl, where I was going through a divorce. I hate to break it to you, but that Cheryl doesn't exist anymore." "The assumptions are just exhausting as hell," she continued. "The accusations are completely cruel, and the fact that so many of them are actually coming from women, that's what is so shocking and hurtful to be quite honest." Cheryl Burke/TikTok; Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty "I have been in the public eye since I was 21 years old, my body has changed over the past 20 years, my face has changed because I've changed," Burke said. "I've experienced so much trauma, divorce, and this is by no means a pity party. Soberity, burnout, reinvention, I've healed, I've lost, I've grieved like anybody else." "And yeah, maybe it shows, but I'm not sorry for it, not one bit," she added. (Burkefiled for divorcefromMatthew Lawrencein 2022 after nearly three years of marriage.) Cheryl Burke/TikTok Burke went on to say that the "pressure" to prove herself lately has "been challenging," while adding that her "healing" journey hasn't "come with the before and after label" people approve of. "I'm still the same person who has advocated for mental health and body image for many years," she said. "I just do it differently now than maybe you're used to. I'm quieter, I have boundaries and more discernment, and frankly, I don't feel safe the way I used to." "There's a tone now on certain platforms that feels more like a firing squad than an actual community," she continued. "The saddest part of all is the way I'm witnessing women tear down other women while pretending it's from concern. This is me at 41, I am still healing, still growing, and still choosing to show up." "If you're here to speculate, compare, or demand answers that you're just not entitled to, you're not welcome in the space that I have created," she added. "But, if you're here to evolve, unlearn, to support, welcome, we're just getting started." Frazer Harrison/Getty In the caption of the video, Burke wrote, "I'm not on Ozempic. I'm not sick. I didn't get a 'new face.' Stop dissecting women's bodies like they belong to you. This is YOUR reminder: I don't owe you an explanation for my healing or for anything quite frankly. Let this be the last time I have to say it." Hundreds of people liked the video and praised her in the comment section for taking a stand against critics. Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The video comes after she shared a similar message in a reflectiveInstagram postahead of her 41st birthday on May 3. "This next chapter isn't about proving anything to the world. It's about proving to myself that I deserve peace, fulfillment, and joy without conditions,"Burkesaid. "Here's to stepping into 41 with open hands, an open heart, and a soul wide awake. Here's to Chapter 2. May it be everything and more ..." she concluded. Read the original article onPeople

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

May 19, 2025

Cheryl Burke Blasts Critics of Her ‘New Face’: ‘I’m Not on Ozempic. I’m Not Sick’

Cheryl Burke Blasts Critics of Her 'New Face': 'I'm Not on Ozempic. I'm Not Sick' Cheryl Burke responded to people c...

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Wes Anderson questions Trump film tariff proposal: 'Can you hold up the movie in customs?'

Wes Anderson questions Trump film tariff proposal: 'Can you hold up the movie in customs?'

Wes Andersonhas some questions aboutPresident Donald Trump's proposed film tariff. During aCannes Film Festivalpress conferencefor his latest movie "The Phoenician Scheme," the Oscar-winning director reacted to the president'splan to institutea 100% tariff on movies produced outside of the United States. Anderson, who shot "The Phoenician Scheme" in Germany, expressed confusion about how such a tariff would work logistically. "Can you hold up the movie in customs?" he asked. "It doesn't ship that way." While Anderson noted he is not an expert on the subject, he called Trump's announcement "fascinating" and voiced surprise at the idea of a 100% tariff, saying, "I feel that means he's saying he's going to take all the money, and then what do we get?" But the "Moonrise Kingdom" filmmaker said he wanted to "hold off on my official answer" until he hears the details of the plan. White Housewalks back Trump's big Hollywood tariff announcement After Trump's social media post announcing his film tariff proposal sparkedwidespread confusion in the entertainmentindustry, theWhite House appearedto walk the announcement back, saying that "no final decisions" had been made. Trump wants to slap tariffson foreign-produced movies: What we know Trump had said on his social media platform Truth Social that he would authorize the Commerce Department "to immediately begin the process" of instituting the tariff because "the Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death," adding that other countries "are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States." Trump's proposal also came up during a Cannes press conference forRichard Linklater'snew film "Nouvelle Vague," which was shot in France. But the "Boyhood" director said he doubts that the president's plan will ever come to pass. "That's not going to happen, right?" Linklater said. "The guy changes his mind like 50 times in one day." Outside of Cannes,Tom Cruisewas asked about Trump's tariff proposal during a "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" event earlier this month but declined to engage in the topic, saying, "We'd rather answer questions about the movie." Alex Jacquez, chief of policy and advocacy at the economic think tank Groundwork Collaborative and a former White House National Economic Council official during the Biden administration,previously told USA TODAYthat Trump's "tossed-off idea" is "nonsensical" and "not serious policy." Contributing: Brian Truitt This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Wes Anderson questions Donald Trump's movie tariff proposal in Cannes

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

May 19, 2025

Wes Anderson questions Trump film tariff proposal: 'Can you hold up the movie in customs?'

Wes Anderson questions Trump film tariff proposal: 'Can you hold up the movie in customs?' Wes Andersonhas some questions aboutPresi...

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