Author: Jack Bogart

A former Maryland middle school teacher who repeatedly sexually abused a 14-year-old student has learned her fate. Melissa Curtis, 32, of Upper Marlboro, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday, Nov. 15. However, a Montgomery County judge suspended the majority of the sentence, allowing Curtis to serve 12 months behind bars and five years of supervised probation, a spokesperson for the Montgomery County State Attorney’s Office confirmed in a statement shared with PEOPLE on Tuesday, Nov. 19. Following her release, Curtis will be required to register as a sex offender for 25 years, per the statement. She will…

Illinois’ Democratic attorney general and a court-appointed monitor are among those warning Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson that his administration’s proposed cuts to police resources may land the crime-wracked city in litigation.During a status hearing last week, monitor Maggie Hickey told Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer that cuts to the Chicago Police Department’s (CPD’s) Constitutional Policing division could “could be a devastating blow to the future of CPD reforms” under a legally-mandated consent decree, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.State Attorney General Kwame Raoul separately warned Johnson that adopting cuts proposed in his new budget would place Chicago “at significant risk of being held…

Authorities have made an arrest following a months-long investigation into the April 2023 killing of an Arizona dancer who was found in a burning car.  Mercedes Vega, 22, was killed along a highway in Tonopah, Ariz., on April 17, 2023, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement to PEOPLE.  Earlier this month, on Nov. 11, authorities arrested 22-year-old Sencere Hayes in Tennessee in connection with her death, per the MCSO.  Vega was last seen in the parking lot of her Tempe residence on April 16, 2023, according to her parents, NBC News, ABC 15 and FOX 10 Phoenix…

If you like fun .22 builds with a sci-fi bent, then read on. My latest build is the A280-CFE Blaster from Canto Arms. If you hated my last blaster build, the DL-44, then this is still not the post you are looking for. The A280-CFE The A280-CFE is the blaster featured in Star Wars Rogue One, and the Andor series. It’s a modular heavy blaster that can be configured as a pistol or rifle in Star Wars canon. While the DL-44 blaster was based on a Mauser C-96 Mauser pistol the A280 actually is based on an AR upper and…

A pregnant mom of four, who was nine months pregnant at the time, has been missing for over a month and was last seen at her boyfriend’s home, her family said. Emma Baum, 25, disappeared on Oct. 10 in Gary, Indiana. Baum’s family said she was last seen at her boyfriend’s house that day, and Baum’s mother believes the boyfriend had something to do with her disappearance, WGN9 reported. Baum’s boyfriend is in custody but is being held in connection with an unrelated case, Gary Police Commander Jack Hamady told the outlet. SUZANNE SIMPSON’S HOME MAY BE SOLD AS MISSING REALTOR’S HUSBAND REMAINS…

A Syrian national was charged after allegedly funneling more than $9 million in U.S.-funded humanitarian aid to terrorist organizations — including al Qaeda.According to a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office, District of Columbia, 53-year-old Mahmoud Al Hafyan was charged in a 12-count indictment for allegedly diverting more than $9 million in U.S.-funded humanitarian aid intended for Syrian civilians to armed combatant groups.The groups included the Al-Nusrah Front (ANF), which is a designated foreign terrorist organization affiliated with al Qaeda in Iraq, the release said.”This defendant not only defrauded the U.S. government, but he also gave the humanitarian aid…

On the third day of the trial for the suspect in Laken Riley’s February homicide, prosecutors shared evidence of the last known communication from the nursing student: a message to her mother. Riley, a 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student, was killed on Feb. 22 after she went out for a morning jog on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Ga.  Jose Ibarra, 26, was arrested and charged with several offenses including murder, kidnapping and assault, according to court records, and is on trial in Athens County this week.  On Tuesday, Nov. 19, prosecutors shared in court the last text…

Shutterstock With gift-buying season upon us, it’s natural for gun owners who enjoy target shooting, hunting, collecting or just plain plinking to want to share their enjoyment of firearms with others. What better way to do that than to gift a firearm to a family member, close friend or relative? The first thing to remember if you’re thinking about giving someone a gun is that ownership of a firearm brings with it serious responsibilities and legal obligations that other consumer products don’t. So, let’s look at some questions you may have about giving a firearm as a gift. Consider a…

The congressional task force investigating the July and September assassination attempts against President-elect Donald Trump has accused the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) of stonewalling.The Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump on Monday issued subpoenas seeking testimony from ATF employees after the bureau had not responded to lawmakers’ multiple requests for documents and information, according to a news release. “For weeks, ATF had not produced any requested documents or made any personnel available for interviews with the Task Force. However, less than one hour after the Task Force served its subpoenas yesterday for depositions, ATF…

Many hunters and long-range shooting enthusiasts are eager to explore the capabilities of the new 7mm PRC cartridge. Others are searching for a versatile setup that can handle both hunting and precision shooting duties. The combination of Vortex’s New Strike Eagle 3-18x44mm scope mounted on a Mossberg Patriot Predator in 7mm PRC won’t disappoint in either application, and the best part is it provides tremendous value for the money. Let’s explore what makes this pairing so appealing for those looking to stretch their shooting distances without emptying their wallets. Before we get into the specifics of the rifle and scope,…