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Judge orders accused sex offender cop jailed until trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:30 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A former police officer asked a federal judge for mercy on Wednesday after being accused of sexually abusing people he’d arrested. The former officer was already charged locally. Additional federal charges resulted in prosecutors asking for the defendant to remain locked up until trial.According to the court record, Marcellis Blackwell’s phone also has videos of unidentified victims he arrested. That was part of the federal prosecutor’s argument in court Wednesday, asking for Blackwell to stay in jail.FOX 2 interviewed Blackwell in February 2023, when he was still a police officer for the North County Police Cooperative, also known as NCPC. Four months later, his own department arrested him and sought the criminal charges he currently faces.The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Blackwell in June 2023 with forcible sodomy and kidnapping after his alleged sex abuse of an arrestee. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch...

St. Louis Airport expansion would see conversion to single terminal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:30 GMT

ST. LOUIS – Nearly a third of a billion dollars worth of new demolition and relocation projects offer the surest signs yet that St. Louis Lambert International Airport, as we know it, may be in the final stage of its lifespan.Airport Director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge confirms the airport’s 12 signatory airlines have agreed to fund 75% or more of $331,644,000 worth of work to free up space for the proposed airport expansion to a single terminal with 62 gates, up from the current 54 gates across two terminals. The cost of the monumental single-terminal transformation is $3 billion.Hamm-Niebruegge called the upcoming work “enabling projects.” Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News SIGN UP NOW They include:Demolition and relocation of the airport’s outdated pow...

Barricades remain at city hall as officials work to find shelter for homeless

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:30 GMT

ST. LOUIS – Fences still surround Washington Square Park at St. Louis City Hall. There has been a lot of confusion for the people living outside city hall this week, beginning with an eviction notice."We moved (the people) because it was unsafe and unhealthy. It was also a hazard to the employees and business people who use city hall on a daily basis," Mayor Tishaura Jones said.The city's original plan was to remove the homeless encampment Monday night at 10:01 p.m., but that plan was pushed back."Where the city was trying to relocate these people wasn't going to be able to accept them because of their policies and those hours that Monday evening, park curfew enforcement was put on hold and I think a lot of our outreach was done again yesterday," Sgt. Charles Wall, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, said. Attorney general urges Tyson Foods to sell two southern Missouri plants "The eviction got pushed back to 12 when the police came driving down, saying you have to be gone b...

After margarita theft, locals spot similarities in Hazelwood break-ins

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:30 GMT

HAZELWOOD, Mo. – A 31-year-old man who broke into a woman’s apartment while she was in the hospital faces charges after being found drinking a margarita in her kitchen. Nearby residents said they noticed similarities with other break-ins that happened early Tuesday morning."They went inside the residence; they encountered a gentleman there sitting in the kitchen, against the wall, drinking a margarita," Lt. James Taschner, Hazelwood Police Department, said.That man broke into the victim’s apartment around 2:30 a.m. before popping open a margarita from her fridge."It is an odd set of circumstances,” St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News SIGN UP NOW Something the victim witnessed from her Ring camera,...

Despite colder weather, plant specialist says not to worry

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:30 GMT

WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. – As leaves begin to change color, the temperature begins to drop."It's part of the cycle of the season, too,” Cheryl Spurlock, Rolling Ridge Nursery customer, said.On Tuesday, temperatures were in the 90s; on Wednesday, there was a near 15-degree drop with scattered showers. And this weekend, even colder weather is expected."You might see some wilting up on some things," Chris Wagner, nursery manager at the Rolling Ridge, said. K-9 finds two teens hiding in dumpster after armed robbery in St. Louis Wagner's worked at Rolling Ridge Nursery in Webster Groves for 40 years. He said anytime there's a big temperature shift, it's what his customers want to talk about. Despite the significant drop in temperatures, Wagner said all of your annual plants, like mums, will likely be fine through this weekend. It’s only when temps consistently stay in the 30s that you should be worried."Mostly when they are talking about a hard frost or freeze, that's when people really sta...

Man found guilty, sentenced to life in prison for murder of co-worker at Colorado Springs Walgreens

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:30 GMT

The man accused of killing 17-year-old Riley Whitelaw in a Colorado Springs Walgreens breakroom in June 2022 was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday.A jury found Joshua Johnson guilty of first-degree murder, and 4th Judicial District Court Judge Eric Bentley sentenced Johnson to life in prison on Wednesday, 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen said at a news conference.Whitelaw and Johnson, 29, were coworkers at Walgreens in the 6800 block of Centennial Boulevard. Whitelaw had previously told a store manager that Johnson made her feel uncomfortable, and he had made advances toward her, according to an arrest affidavit.Police responded to the Walgreens on June 11, 2022 after employees reported they found a body in the breakroom, according to an arrest affidavit. Investigators found surveillance video of Johnson stacking boxes in front of a surveillance camera to block its view before the murder. The El Paso County Coroner’s Office ...

Los Angeles Dodgers to face Arizona Diamondbacks in NLDS

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:30 GMT

Just two years after suffering through a 110-loss season, Arizona moved into the franchise's first NL Division Series since 2017. The Diamondbacks will take on the NL West champion Dodgers in the opener of their best-of-five series on Saturday in Los Angeles.The Diamondbacks defeated the Milwaukee Brewers Wednesday night.Zac Gallen settled down after a shaky start and Arizona’s bullpen stepped up at the very end, helping the Diamondbacks sweep their NL Wild Card Series against the Brewers with a 5-2 victory in Game 2.The NL Central champion Brewers have dropped nine of their last 10 playoff games, a stretch that started with their Game 7 home loss to the Dodgers in the 2018 NL Championship Series.Attention in Milwaukee now turns to the future of Craig Counsell, who has managed the Brewers since 2015 and has guided them to five playoff appearances over the last six seasons. Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio has said the team wants Counsell back, but he h...

Summer-like weather returns to SoCal with highs in the 90s, triple digits expected

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:30 GMT

Yet again, Southern Californians are feeling the heat as offshore flow combines with a high-pressure system to bring warm and dry weather through Thursday, and a moderate Santa Ana wind event through Friday that will keep temperatures well above normal, the National Weather Service reported.  Inland temperatures, according to KTLA Weatherman Kaj Goldberg, are forecast to be in the uppers 90s to low triple digits.  As the weak Santa Ana winds move into SoCal, keeping up the heat all the way through the weekend, air quality is also expected to diminish with the hot, dry winds. The winds are forecast to peak today, with gusts of 25-40 miles per hour.  The skies are expected to remain mostly clear through Saturday. The hottest weather will come Thursday-Friday, and while weekend temps will be warmer than normal, the region is unlikely to see any of those low triple digits.  "Late Sunday into Monday, we’ll see the offshore flow start to weaken and the onshore flo...

Alleged murder-suicide in upscale Long Beach neighborhood under investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:30 GMT

Homicide detectives are investigating an alleged murder-suicide in Long Beach between a man and a woman believed to be married, authorities announced on Wednesday.  Officers with the Long Beach Police Department responded to the 5600 block of Corso Di Napoli, near West Neapolitan Lane, at around 6:30 a.m. in the Naples neighborhood of Long Beach Wednesday for a welfare check of an elderly couple who were not answering their phone or front door, according to a LBPD news release.  After entering the home, police discovered an elderly female with a gunshot wound to the upper body, as well as an elderly male with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the upper body.  Medical personnel with the Long Beach Fire Department responded and declared both the man and the woman dead at the scene.  The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner also responded to the scene to conduct an independent investigation.   L.A. County Public Works spokesman arrested on child pornography...

Man arrested after pursuit with stolen RV trailer in Riverside

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:30 GMT

A man was arrested after leading officers on a pursuit with a stolen RV trailer in Riverside on Wednesday.The suspect was identified as Mark Vaughn, 52, by the Riverside Police Department.Officers responded to an RV theft in the Canyon Crest neighborhood around 4:50 a.m.Vaughn was allegedly stealing an RV trailer from someone’s driveway at the time, police said. A neighbor who witnessed the theft said Vaughn didn’t realize he was being watched at the time.The neighbor called the police and followed Vaughn as he drove away with the stolen trailer.Police eventually spotted the stolen trailer going down Chicago Avenue to Central Avenue. When they attempted to pull him over, he refused and drove off, leading officers on a pursuit.A man was arrested after leading officers on a pursuit with a stolen RV trailer in Riverside on Oct. 4, 2023. (Riverside Police Department)A man was arrested after leading officers on a pursuit with a stolen RV trailer in Riverside on Oct. 4, 2023.He led office...