Midwest
Utah mom kept missing daughter, 5, hidden in cult 'compound' for months with help from adult sons: prosecutors
A Utah woman is accused of kidnapping her then-4-year-old daughter in January 2023 and evading law enforcement for 18 months, with help from her adult sons, before she was finally caught.
At the time when Kimberly Dell Davidson-Drolet, 53, allegedly kidnapped her daughter, she and her now-estranged husband, Laurence Drolet, were in the process of getting a divorce.
After 14 months of planning, on Jan. 10, 2023, Davidson-Drolet sold her vehicle in Utah for $13,000 and deposited the check into her bank account, according to a federal indictment.
Three days later, she withdrew $16,000 and transferred the remaining balance to her sister, Kristine Merrill, over the next month.
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Kimberly Dell Davidson-Drolet is charged with kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. (Buchanan County Sheriff)
On Jan. 23, 2023, Davidson-Drolet allegedly packed their personal belongings in duffle bags, piled them into her 30-year-old son Jaxson Davidson’s truck and drove cross-country to Missouri.
She left her personal cellphone at home in Utah and purchased a burner phone, federal court documents state.
Jaxon’s attorney, Craig Johnson, told Fox News Digital in a statement that the defendant is “presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, according to his constitutional rights,” and he will not be commenting further because it is an open criminal case.
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Merrill later told police that she destroyed Davidson-Drolet’s personal phone when she had allegedly given it to Davidson-Drolet’s 23-year-old son, Dallas Davidson.
Jaxson Davidson allegedly admitted to discussing taking the child out of state, and Merrill was present at the time and assisted with Davidson-Drolet’s departure, authorities wrote in court filings.
More than a year after Kimberly Dell Davidson-Drolet allegedly kidnapped her daughter from Utah, authorities would discover the now-5-year-old girl at “a compound run by a religious cult leader Paul Dean who is the founder of an FLDS religious type cult.” (NCMEC)
More than a year later, authorities would discover the now-5-year-old girl at “a compound run by a religious cult leader Paul Dean who is the founder of an FLDS religious type cult,” according to a complaint filed against Davidson-Drolet reads, referring to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
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Dean is reportedly a White, self-described Christian man who founded two “Native American” churches in Missouri, according to local news outlet Springfield Daily Citizen. He calls himself “Man Found Standing.”
Dean, who is not charged in the kidnapping case, is involved in Native American traditions like sweat lodges and believes bitcoin is the solution of government instability.
“I thought: Here’s a solution. Here’s a way you can go and store value … that isn’t controlled by governments,” Dean can be heard saying in a 2017 YouTube video.
READ THE INDICTMENT:
Davidson-Drolet allegedly concealed her whereabouts by using burner phones and mailing letters back home to her other children through her sister via the U.S. Postal Service.
In her letters, she apparently said she felt safe in Missouri because “they don’t participate in extradition” and she and Dean were planning to “flee to Thailand,” the indictment reads.
“Kimberly Davidson-Drolet and other coconspirators went through great lengths to utilize pre-paid cellular phones that were rotated regularly to prevent law enforcement interception,” the complaint reads.
Davidson-Drolet, her sons, Jaxson and Dallas Davidson, and Merrill have all been charged with kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
Read the full article from Here
Detroit, MI
Detroit People Mover resumes service after nearly 2 months of repairs
The Detroit People Mover is back up and running after being closed for the past two months for repairs following storm damage.
According to the Detroit Transportation Corporation, the People Mover reopened to the public at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
High winds on March 13 forced the People Mover to undergo a series of repairs, including undercarriage sheet metal removal, track cable communications and switch mechanisms.
Over the last 16 days, People Mover cars have been out for tests ahead of the reopening.
“Rider safety is always at the heart of what we do, and it is our responsibility as a public transit provider,” DTE CEO Melia Howard said in a statement. “The time was a necessary requirement to restore key, operational components and is an investment in the continued reliability of the system. We take pride in the role that the People Mover plays for residents, workers and visitors, and we look forward to being the go-to public transportation for both daily rides and special events which bring everyone together.”
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee teacher in the running for ‘America’s Favorite Teacher’
MILWAUKEE – This week marks Teacher Appreciation Week and, as many teachers are honored throughout the week, one local educator is in the running for one of the nation’s top honors.
America’s Favorite Teacher
What we know:
Tina Gleason, a teacher at Golda Meir School in Milwaukee, is in the running to become “America’s Favorite Teacher” and needs the support of the community to earn the title.
Gleason is going up against thousands of teachers nationwide. But each week, that list narrows down.
This week wraps up the quarterfinals – where Gleason will rely on public vote to move on.
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Gleason has been teaching for 31 years. Almost half those years have been catered to STEM and sustainability education.
“I think it’s just an honor to be recognized,” said Tina Gleason. “I’m just excited to be in the running at all, I had no idea I’d make it to the quarterfinals.”
How to vote
What you can do:
Voting for the quarterfinals ends on May 7 at 9 a.m. A single vote is free – while a larger quantity requires a donation to The Planetary Society.
Help Tina Gleason become America’s Favorite Teacher by casting your vote here.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by America’s Favorite Teacher.
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