David Matthews – New York Daily News https://www.nydailynews.com Breaking US news, local New York news coverage, sports, entertainment news, celebrity gossip, autos, videos and photos at nydailynews.com Wed, 15 May 2024 22:23:47 +0000 en-US hourly 30 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.3 https://www.nydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cropped-DailyNewsCamera-7.webp?w=32 David Matthews – New York Daily News https://www.nydailynews.com 32 32 208786248 13-year-old girl charged with 2 felonies for making terroristic threats against Rochester school https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/15/teen-girl-arrested-terroristic-threats-rochester-middle-school/ Wed, 15 May 2024 22:23:47 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7700330 A 13-year-old girl was arrested Wednesday after allegedly making a terrorist threat against her school in Rochester.

The Town of Greece Police Department said in a statement that the threat was made on Snapchat against Arcadia Middle School. The message was reported by Greece Central School District security just after 6 a.m.

“We worked with security to mitigate the danger and disruption to students, staff, and parents,” the police department said.

The author of the Snapchat post was identified as a 13-year-old female student at the school who was later charged with making a terroristic threat and falsely reporting an incident in the first degree — both Class D felonies.

The specifics of the threat were not made public. The girl’s identity was not released.

“The student was issued an expedited appearance ticket returnable to Monroe County Probation. We appreciate the quick response and work done cooperatively between the school district and our officers,” the police department said.

The incident comes less than two weeks after a transphobic and homophobic bomb threat was made at Arcadia High School, leading to an evacuation. The threat referenced a fight that had occurred in the girls’ restroom earlier in February, but the school did not offer additional details.

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7700330 2024-05-15T18:23:47+00:00 2024-05-15T18:23:47+00:00
Florida principal caught on video beating special needs student https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/15/florida-elementary-principal-beating-special-needs-student-video/ Wed, 15 May 2024 21:12:28 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7700197 A Florida elementary school principal is facing charges after allegedly beating a special needs student in an incident that was caught on camera.

Dontay Prophet, 33, was arrested and accused of whipping the child with a charging cable and putting him in a chokehold at Destiny Leadership Academy, a private school in Ocala.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said there’s surveillance video of the abuse, which lasted for nearly an hour.

“Surveillance footage captured [Prophet] grabbing the victim, restraining him on the ground, and employing a chokehold,” the sheriff’s office said. “Prophet can be seen on camera using a charging cable to strike the child, causing the child to fall and sustain injuries.”

Deputies said at one point the child tried to escape and hide under a table but was grabbed again, after which Prophet “slapped the child in the face, and subjected him to further physical abuse.”

Prophet claimed he was trying to stop the student from harming himself, but deputies said the video evidence contradicted his statement.

Prophet was previously arrested for inappropriately touching a boy at his home in 2019 but those charges were ultimately dropped, officials said.

The school said Prophet was on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Prophet is being held without bond on charges of aggravated child abuse and false imprisonment of a child under the age of 13.

The identity and age of the child was not released.

The sheriff’s office said it was investigating what events occurred leading up to the assault.

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7700197 2024-05-15T17:12:28+00:00 2024-05-15T17:12:28+00:00
Barge slams into bridge in Texas, structural damaged and oil spill reported https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/15/galveston-bridge-barge-crash-pelican-island-texas-oil-spill/ Wed, 15 May 2024 19:53:53 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7699826 A barge slammed into a bridge in Texas Wednesday morning, significantly damaging the structure and spilling oil into the water.

The barge collided with the Seawolf Parkway Bridge in Galveston — about 50 miles southeast of Houston — around 9:30 a.m. local time, a spokesperson for the Galveston Office of Emergency Management said.

The bridge, which connects the city to Pelican Island in Galveston Bay, is closed to all traffic in both directions while the damage is assessed and the oil spill is contained and cleaned up. The bridge is the only way on or off the tiny island by car.

The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office told KTRK that a large piece of the bridge fell, while the oil spill spanned more than 300 feet.

David Flores, a navigation district bridge operator who witnessed the crash, told the Houston Chronicle the barge was being towed by a tugboat but plowed into the bridge after getting caught in the current.

“I’ve been on the waterfront for 43 years and this is the worst accident I’ve seen,” Flores told the paper. “This is a pretty bad one.”

The crew members onboard were either thrown from the barge in the collision or jumped off. However, no injuries or missing persons were reported.

The barge has a capacity of 30,000 gallons of oil but it’s unclear how much it was carrying at the time of the crash and or exactly how much had leaked.

The U.S. Coast Guard decided to close a small stretch of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway since the oil spill was flowing in that direction, causing a major disruption to maritime traffic in the area.

The bridge, which was constructed in 1960, is nearly 4,000 feet long but has deteriorated. Construction on a replacement bridge was scheduled to begin in 2025.

The collision comes nearly two months after a container ship struck Baltimore’s Key Bridge, killing six construction workers.

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7699826 2024-05-15T15:53:53+00:00 2024-05-15T15:53:53+00:00
Angie Harmon sues Instacart, delivery driver after dog shot and killed https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/15/angie-harmon-sues-instacart-delivery-driver-after-dog-shot-killed/ Wed, 15 May 2024 15:30:12 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7698989 Actress Angie Harmon has sued Instacart and a driver after her dog was allegedly shot and killed by a delivery person dropping off her order.

The “Law & Order” alum, 51, accused a delivery person of shooting Oliver the pup during an Easter weekend altercation earlier this year in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In an Instagram post, Harmon said the driver shot and killed the German shepherd/beagle mix and admitted to doing it, after making the grocery delivery.

In response, Instacart said it suspended the delivery person and was cooperating with law enforcement.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department did not charge the driver, later identified as Christopher Anthoney Reid, who claimed he acted in self-defense and had been bitten by the dog — which Harmon denies. Police said another dog was present at the time and was not harmed.

Harmon filed a lawsuit against Instacart and Reid, accusing the company and driver of trespassing, conversion, negligence, negligent supervision/hiring, invasion of privacy and negligent misrepresentation, according to People.

The suit claims Reid was “not injured” or “seriously threatened” by the dog and had “ample opportunity” to leave.

Harmon is seeking $25,000 in damages.

“Our hearts continue to be with Ms. Harmon and her family following this disturbing incident,” Instacart told People, adding that it could not comment on pending litigation and reiterating Reid was no longer eligible to use its platform.

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7698989 2024-05-15T11:30:12+00:00 2024-05-15T11:30:12+00:00
Woman pleads guilty in neo-Nazi plot to attack Baltimore power grid https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/14/baltimore-power-grid-attack-neo-nazi-plot/ Wed, 15 May 2024 00:04:01 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7687122 A Maryland woman pleaded guilty on Tuesday in a plot to attack the Baltimore power grid with a Florida neo-Nazi leader.

Sarah Beth Clendaniel, 36, and co-conspirator Brandon Russell, the founder of the group Atomwaffen Division, conspired to shoot up five electrical substations in the greater Baltimore area in order to “break down society,” according to a court filing.

The pair began writing to each other around 2018 while both were imprisoned on unrelated charges. They began a romantic relationship which continued after they were released, the court filing says.

Clendaniel and Russell allegedly shared white supremacist ideology and considered themselves “accelerationists” who aimed to bring about societal collapse through mass violence.

But their plot to attack the power stations in Baltimore itself collapsed after they discussed their plans with a government informant in January 2023, according to prosecutors. They were both arrested and charged soon after.

Clendaniel pleaded guilty to conspiracy to damage electrical facilities, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, which is punishable by up to 15 years.

Russell is charged with conspiracy to damage electrical facilities and is awaiting trial.

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7687122 2024-05-14T20:04:01+00:00 2024-05-14T20:04:01+00:00
Different body found during search for missing Florida diver https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/14/different-body-found-search-for-missing-florida-diver/ Tue, 14 May 2024 22:39:52 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7686963 The search for a missing Florida diver took a bizarre turn when the body of an unrelated person was found.

Searchers combing the coast near the Fort Pierce Inlet for Virgil Price made the surprise discovery of a different man on Monday afternoon.

“His clothing and physical characteristics do not match those of the missing diver from Sunday,” the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The identity of the man taken out of the water was unknown and did not match the description of any missing person in the county, the sheriff’s office said. The man appeared to be over 50 years old.

Authorities are working to determine the cause and time of death for the unidentified man but said he did not seem to have been in the water for very long.

Price, 39, went missing Sunday morning while free diving at a WWII-era shipwreck in the same area about 130 miles north of Miami but did not resurface.

The U.S. Coast Guard had been searching for Price but said Monday night it was suspending its efforts “pending new info.” The military branch said it had covered more than 1,415 miles in 36 hours without finding a trace of Price.

Virgil Price, 39 of West Palm Beach. (Instagram)
Virgil Price, 39 of West Palm Beach. (Instagram)

“The decision to suspend an active search is never taken lightly. We extend our sincerest condolences to Mr. Price’s family,” Lt. Cmdr. John Beal said.

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7686963 2024-05-14T18:39:52+00:00 2024-05-14T18:39:52+00:00
‘9-1-1’ crew member dies in California car accident after 14-hour overnight shift https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/14/911-show-crew-member-dies-car-accident-overtime/ Tue, 14 May 2024 20:35:39 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7686662 A crew member working on the TV series “9-1-1” died last week in a car accident following a 14-hour overnight shift, his union said.

Rico Priem, who worked as a grip on the ABC show, “died in a tragic freeway accident in Los Angeles,” union IATSE Local 80 confirmed.

Priem’s crash occurred around 4:20 a.m. on Saturday morning when his Toyota Highlander flipped over on an embankment after leaving the road near San Dimas. He was found dead at the scene. Why Priem’s vehicle went off the road is part of the ongoing investigation, according to the California Highway Patrol.

“Everyone in the IA family is shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss,” IATSE Local 80 President Matthew Loeb said in a statement. “We are working to support our member’s family, their fellow members and colleagues. Safety in all aspects of the work our members do is our highest priority and we will assist in any investigation in any way that we can.”

“We are fully committed to the safety and the well-being of all our members and express our heartfelt condolences to the member’s family,” a statement attributed to the larger organization added. “Workers have a reasonable expectation that they can get to work and come home safely. No one should be put in unsafe circumstances while trying to earn a living.”

20th Television, a producer on the show, also memorialized Priem.

“On behalf of the studio and everyone at ‘9-1-1,’ we send our sincere and deepest condolences to Rico Priem’s family and friends,” it said in a statement.

Nina Moskol, a fellow IATSE member working on “9-1-1” shared a eulogy of of Priem on Instagram while advocated for better protections for workers.

“The two most dangerous parts of our days are getting to work, and getting home,” she wrote. “Please stay safe out there. Grip safe. Drive safe. Get off the road if needed. Take the room.”

Priem’s death is the latest connected to high-profile film and TV productions. In February, rigger J.C. “Spike” Osorio died in a fall on the set of Marvel Studios’ “Wonder Man” series in Los Angeles. In April, several crew members were injured while rehearsing a stunt sequence on the Atlanta set of Eddie Murphy’s upcoming film “The Pickup.”

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7686662 2024-05-14T16:35:39+00:00 2024-05-14T16:35:39+00:00
Inmate escapes, 2 guards killed after gang attacks prison van in France https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/14/inmate-escape-france-la-mouche-guards-killed/ Tue, 14 May 2024 18:11:26 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7686315 A manhunt is underway in France after two prison guards were killed when a gang attacked a transport van to free an inmate.

The escaped prisoner was identified as Mohamed Amra, a convicted burglar who goes by the nicknamed La Mouche, or “The Fly.”

Amra is also the subject of an investigation of an alleged kidnapping and a separate homicide case in Marseille, according to the Associated Press.

Another three guards were injured in the carnage, which occurred around 11 a.m. local time while the convoy was en route to Rouen in northern France. Multiple vehicles struck the van at a toll booth and assailants fired “heavy weapons” to aid the escape before fleeing with the prisoner.

“All means are being used to find these criminals,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said in a statement. “On my instructions, several hundred police officers and gendarmes were mobilized.”

A Police officer loads of a burnt-out escape car that had been used during a ramming attack which took place late morning at a Incarville's road toll, in Gauville-la-Campagne, in the Eure region of northern France, on May 14, 2024. Two French prison officers were killed and two others wounded on May 14 in an attack on a prison van transporting an inmate who escaped, a police source told AFP. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP) (Photo by ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images)
A Police officer loads of a burnt-out escape car that had been used during a ramming attack which took place late morning at a Incarville’s road toll, in Gauville-la-Campagne, in the Eure region of northern France, on May 14, 2024. (Photo by ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images)
Police officers gather at the site of a ramming attack which took place late morning at a road toll in Incarville in the Eure region of northern France, on May 14, 2024. Two French prison officers were killed and two others wounded on May 14 in an attack on a prison van transporting an inmate who escaped, a police source told AFP. (Photo by ALAIN JOCARD / AFP) (Photo by ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images)
Police officers gather at the site of a ramming attack which took place late morning at a road toll in Incarville in the Eure region of northern France, on May 14, 2024. (Photo by ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images)

Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti said during a news conference that it was the first time since 1992 a French prison service worker has died in the line of duty.

“Everything, and I mean everything, will be done to find the perpetrators of this heinous crime,” he said. “These are people for whom life means nothing. They will be caught, they will be judged, and they will be punished according to the crime they have committed.”

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7686315 2024-05-14T14:11:26+00:00 2024-05-14T14:11:26+00:00
David Sanborn, Grammy-winning saxophonist, dies at 78 https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/13/david-sanborn-saxophone-grammy-winner-dies/ Tue, 14 May 2024 00:09:00 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7685218 Versatile Grammy-winning jazz saxophonist David Sanborn has died. He was 78.

“It is with sad and heavy hearts that we convey to you the loss of internationally renowned, 6-time Grammy Award-winning saxophonist David Sanborn,” read a post on Sanborn’s Facebook page, adding he died Sunday afternoon “after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications.

“Mr. Sanborn had been dealing with prostate cancer since 2018, but had been able to maintain his normal schedule of concerts until just recently,” the statement continued. “Indeed he already had concerts scheduled into 2025. David Sanborn was a seminal figure in contemporary pop and jazz music. It has been said that he ‘put the saxophone back into Rock ’n Roll.'”

Sanborn released a number of solo jazz records but is perhaps more known for his collaborations with others like David Bowie’s 1975 album “Young Americans” and several James Taylor hits, including “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You).”

He also recorded and toured with Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Carly Simon, Billy Joel, Steely Dan, James Brown, The Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead, the Eagles and many others.

Sanborn grew up in St. Louis and was honored for his achievements in jazz by the city in March.

“I’m so glad I am alive to receive this,” the artist said at the time. “I am deeply grateful and amazingly honored to receive this award in my hometown of St. Louis.

“I have been able to find my way spiritually, creatively, emotionally – every way – through music. It opens doors you never imagine existed.”

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7685218 2024-05-13T20:09:00+00:00 2024-05-13T20:09:00+00:00
Prisoners charged with killing mobster Whitey Bulger reach plea deals https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/13/whitey-bulger-prison-killers-plea-deals/ Tue, 14 May 2024 00:04:06 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7685033 Three men who were charged in the 2018 murder of notorious Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger in a federal prison have reached plea agreements, according to prosecutors.

Bulger, 89, was beaten to death in a West Virginia penitentiary on Oct. 20, 2018, allegedly as revenge for being a law enforcement informant, hours after he was transferred to the facility.

Fotios “Freddy” Geas, Paul DeCologero and Sean McKinnon were charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the killing in 2022.

Geas and DeCologero beat Bulger while McKinnon acted as the lookout, prosecutors said.

Geas was already serving a life sentence for several violent crimes including the murder of Gary Westerman, another informant. DeCologero was behind bars for buying heroin to carry out a hit on a teenage girl. When the girl didn’t overdose, another gangster broke her neck and dismembered her.

McKinnon got paroled in 2021 but was re-arrested in 2022. Prosecutors previously announced they would not seek death sentences for the three men.

No details about the plea deals were made public.

Bulger’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Department of Justice in 2019, claiming the government purposefully put him in harm’s way by transferring him to “one of the country’s most violent federal penitentiaries.”

A Justice Department Inspector General investigation found a series of bureaucratic missteps led to Bulger’s death.

Bulger ran the Winter Hill Gang in Boston in the 1970s and ’80s while also serving as an FBI informant, ratting on his rivals and cohorts. He spent a decade and a half on the lam after fleeing Boston in 1994 when his FBI handler tipped him off that he was about to be indicted. He was finally apprehended in California in 2011 and convicted of 11 homicides, as well as extortion and money-laundering. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2013.

Shortly before he was killed, the Bureau of Prisons announced Bulger was being transferred from a Florida facility to the high-security Hazleton prison in West Virginia.

Bulger may be dead, but his legacy lives on in streamable movie hits.

Jack Nicholson’s character in the 2006 Oscar-winning Martin Scorsese film “The Departed” was based on the mob boss’ exploits. Johnny Depp-starred as Bulger in 2015’s “Black Mass,” which was made after Bulger was imprisoned.

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