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New Orleans officials grilled over 'coordinated' 10-inmate jailbreak

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New Orleans officials grilled over 'coordinated' 10-inmate jailbreak

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In a fiery Tuesday meeting, the New Orleans City Council grilled the city’s top law enforcement officials over Friday’s 10-man jailbreak that has sent shock waves across the nation. 

During the first portion of the meeting, New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick was questioned by the council, headed by President Jean-Paul Morrell. 

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The first bombshell came when Morrell asked Kirkpatrick when the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) became aware of the escape. 

Kirkpatrick told him she was notified by a police captain at around 10:30 a.m., and only verified the captain’s claim by looking at media reports about the escape. 

MASSIVE JAIL BREAK IN NEW ORLEANS ‘IMPOSSIBLE’ WITHOUT STAFF INVOLVEMENT, SAYS EX-FBI FUGITIVE HUNTER

Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick answers questions from the New Orleans City Council.

Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson was later questioned, and took responsibility for the escape as she addressed the council in an opening statement, calling it “unacceptable.” 

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“As your sheriff, I take full accountability for this failure, and it is my responsibility to make sure it is addressed with urgency and transparency,” she said. 

“While our internal investigation continues, and while we must respect the boundaries of an active criminal investigation, I can tell you this: there were procedural failures and missed notifications,” said Hutson. “But I can also tell you this: there were intentional wrongdoings. This was a coordinated effort, aided by individuals inside our own agency, who made the choice to break the law.”

However, she shifted some of the blame to the county and city of New Orleans, saying that the department hasn’t been given adequate resources to run the jail despite what she said were multiple attempts to obtain those resources. 

VIDEO SHOWS 10 INMATES ESCAPE FROM JAIL IN NEW ORLEANS AS MANHUNT CONTINUES

Sheriff Susan Hutson speaks to the New Orleans City Council after the 10-person jail escape on May 15.

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After her opening statement came a volley of questions about the timeline of events on Friday morning at the jail. 

On Hutson’s right sat Chief of Corrections Jay Mallett. Mallett and Hutson tag-teamed the answers to the council’s questions. 

The first question: what was the timeline of the escape? 

Mallett immediately obfuscated, saying he could not reveal certain details given the ongoing investigation, much to the chagrin of Morrell. 

“So [the] timeline being one of the most critical parts of what we’ve heard from, and you’re saying you can’t share those things, that they’ll jeopardize the investigation?” he asked Mallett. 

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He said that at 8:44 a.m., the initial count of inmates from earlier in the morning “didn’t clear,” and was found to be incorrect. 

He disclosed to Council member Helena Moreno that the count begins routinely at around 6:45 a.m. and ends at about 7:45 a.m., leaving a gap of 46 minutes unaccounted for. 

Chief of Corrections Jay Mallett speaks to the New Orleans City Council about the mass jail escape.

By 8:57 a.m., he said, a lockdown had been initiated, and it was determined that two inmates were missing. 

However, a full search of the jail by the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office for missing inmates didn’t happen until 9:30 a.m., and the U.S. Marshals Service was not notified until after that was completed. 

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When Moreno pressed, Mallett couldn’t tell the council when exactly it realized that 10 inmates were missing. 

Morrell asked Mallett when NOPD was notified, and Mallett could not tell him, saying there were “missed” steps in the reporting chain. 

“The delay between when your count happened and when the public notification came out is anywhere from two to three hours,” Morrell said. “That’s a tremendous amount of time that expands the radius of where these people can go and where they could be. There’s a substantial breach of public trust when you look at the timeline.”

Hutson eventually jumped in and explained that during the frenzy over the potential escape, corrections officers had to account for 1,400 inmates and view more than 90 security cameras. This measure, she said, was taken to be certain that they told outside authorities exactly which inmates were missing in order to ensure authorities weren’t searching for people who were still in lockup. 

“You also can’t give out false information about who’s missing,” she said.”[If] one person was found elsewhere in the facility, but now law enforcement was looking for them, that would waste resources.” 

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Maintenance worker arrested for allegedly aiding escapees, says he was threatened

The Orleans Parish Jail maintenance worker arrested in connection with the escape reportedly said he was threatened with violence by the escapees before helping them get loose. 

Sterling Williams, 33, an employee of the sheriff’s office, has been charged with 10 counts of principal to simple escape and malfeasance in office, according to a Tuesday morning statement from Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office. 

Murrill said Williams turned the water off in the cell the inmates escaped from, and that instead of reporting the inmates, he helped them. 

Williams told police that the escapees threatened to “shank” him if he didn’t aid them in their breakout and turn the water off, an arrest affidavit stated.

“By turning off the water to cell 6 bottom in the 1D dorm, Williams willfully and maliciously assisted with the escape of the 10 inmates. With the water being turned off, the inmates were able to successfully make good on their escapes. Williams admitted to agents he committed the acts after he was directed to do so by one of the inmates who escaped, Antoine Massey,” the affidavit stated.

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According to the affidavit, Williams was seen on a video surveillance camera talking with two of the inmates who escaped. Williams told police that one of the inmates, Derrick Groves, tried to take his phone and get him to “bring a book with cash app information to his cousin in the next pod over.”

Click here to read the affidavit.

He also told police that one of the escaped inmates tried to take his phone and “get him to bring a book with cash app information,” according to the affidavit.

Murrill said Williams’ total bond was set at $1.1 million, $100,000 for each charge he’s facing.

“If you are helping any of the escaped inmates in any way, you too will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law!” Murrill said.

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The sheriff’s office did not immediately return a comment request. 

Sterling Williams is accused of helping 10 inmates escape from the Orleans Parish Jail. (Louisiana Department of Justice)

7 FUGITIVES REMAIN ON THE RUN AFTER NOLA PRISON BREAK; INSIDE JOB SUSPECTED

The release said he was booked into the same jail where he allegedly helped the inmates escape, but that he will be transferred to a different facility.

“This is a continuing investigation, and we will provide updates as often as possible. We will uncover all the facts eventually and anyone who aided and abetted will be prosecuted to the full extent the law allows. I encourage anyone who knows anything, and even those who may have provided assistance, to come forward now to obtain the best possible outcome in their particular case,” said Murrill.

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Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is calling for a full investigation of the incident. (Louisiana Attorney General’s Office)

LOUISIANA GOVERNOR BLASTS ‘PROGRESSIVE PROMISES’ AFTER NEW ORLEANS JAIL ESCAPE

Ten inmates escaped from the prison early Friday morning, and six remain on the run as of midday Tuesday. 

The most recent arrest came on Monday night. 

Gary C. Price, 21, who was in jail awaiting trial on multiple counts of attempted murder, was captured by the Louisiana State Police (LSP). 

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LSP said Tuesday morning that Price was arrested in New Orleans East by their detectives and a SWAT team. He was flown by helicopter back to jail. 

New Orleans jail escapee Gary Price is escorted to a helicopter by police officers who captured him. (Louisiana State Police)

However, the escapee considered most dangerous is Derrick Groves, 27, who remains at large. 

He was convicted of killing two men on Mardi Gras in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward in 2018, and was in jail awaiting sentencing. 

According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Groves was indicted federally on nine counts of possession of heroin with intent to distribute, eight counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, six counts of obstruction of justice and two counts of drug trafficking conspiracy.

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Gary Price was escorted to a helicopter by the Louisiana State Police and returned to jail after more than 72 hours on the run. (Louisiana State Police)

Orleans Parish district attorney says he and his prosecutors fear retribution from escapees 

On Monday, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said he and his prosecutors feared retribution from Groves and the other escapees. He said that as soon as he learned of the escape, he notified prosecutors who had tried cases against the suspects and coordinated with the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) to get them out of town.

“I am personally afraid, not just for myself but for my lawyers who tried the case against the individual twice,” Williams said, referring to Groves, during a news conference. 

Williams reportedly tried Groves twice, and the convicted killer was tried a total of three times in New Orleans. 

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Orleans Parish DA Jason Williams and Orleans Parish Jail. (AP/Orleans Parish District Attorney)

He was first convicted and given two life sentences for killing two people on Mardi Gras in New Orleans in 2018. One of the convictions was overturned, leading to a second trial that ended in a mistrial. A third trial saw Groves convicted unanimously. 

“We were asking for a life sentence of this man, and he is now at large,” Williams said. “Two of the lawyers who I tried that case with, who successfully went forward and [were] able to get a conviction in that case, these lawyers got out of town this weekend with their families out of fear of retribution.”

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Virginia prosecutor’s record on violent offenders scrutinized after illegal immigrant charged in mom’s murder

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Virginia prosecutor’s record on violent offenders scrutinized after illegal immigrant charged in mom’s murder

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A prosecutor in Virginia is facing criticism after a Fairfax County Police Department officer warned the county’s commonwealth attorney about a criminal illegal immigrant who has racked up over 30 arrests before allegedly killing a mother.

Abdul Jalloh, 32, was charged with second-degree murder after he allegedly stabbed a mother to death while at a bus stop in Fairfax County, Virginia, on Feb. 23. Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano’s office, however, was warned several times about how dangerous Jalloh is, and dismissed many of his previous criminal charges.

Jalloh’s case is far from the only controversial actions by Descano’s office, which even includes a plea deal with a murder suspect that allows him the chance at freedom.

POLICE WARNED PROSECUTORS 3 TIMES ABOUT VIOLENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT BEFORE HE ALLEGEDLY KILLED VIRGINIA MOTHER

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Here’s a list of controversial cases handled by Descano’s office:

Abdul Jalloh

Abdul Jalloh, 32, is accused of killing Stephanie Minter, 41, at a Virginia bus stop.  (Fox 5 DC)

Jalloh, 32, was charged with second-degree murder after he allegedly stabbed a mother to death while at a bus stop in Fairfax County, Virginia, on Feb. 23. The victim, 41-year-old Stephanie Minter, was found dead with multiple stab wounds to her upper body, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Jalloh has a violent rapsheet dating back to 2014 and includes over 30 arrests with several charges dismissed by Descano’s office.

Jalloh was arrested the next day while he was allegedly trying to steal from a liquor store when an employee called 911. Officials said Jalloh came to the U.S. illegally in 2012 from Sierra Leone under the Obama administration.

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer on Jalloh in 2020, and he was later issued a final order of removal allowing him to be deported to any country other than Sierra Leone. Despite that order, he was not deported.

A police major for the Fairfax County Police Department even warned Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano about Jalloh on at least three separate occasions, according to emails obtained by WJLA.

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In one email to Fairfax County Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Jenna Sands, the police major said Jalloh “is one of the repeat (and violent) offenders” that they had discussed before. 

TRAVIS COUNTY DA FACES RENEWED ‘SOFT ON CRIME’ CRITICISM AFTER CAREER CRIMINAL CHARGED WITH MURDER

Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano speaking at an event. (Sarah Voisin/Getty Images)

“I wanted to get your background on why he is out so soon and ask if his prior suspended sentence (of I believe 5 years) was pursued by your office? Unfortunately, based on MTV Station’s numerous dealings with him, it is not a question of if, but rather when he will maliciously wound (or worse) again. My role of keeping the public safe, prompts me to follow up on his status,” the major wrote.

A Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the office “was aware of Jalloh’s criminal history and shared police concerns about potential future dangerousness. That is why our Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney personally handled these cases.”

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The spokesperson added that prosecutors “will often explore many different pathways to successful prosecution, but, at the end of the day, our decisions are constrained by what testimony is available and what is legally permissible and practicable in Fairfax courts.”

Joshua Danehower

In 2022, Joshua Danehower was arrested for the murder of Gret Glyer. (Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office)

In 2022, Danehower was charged with Gret Glyer’s murder. According to WUSA 9, Glyer, who owned the donation platform DonorSee, was shot 10 times as he slept next to his wife on June 24, 2022. 

Prosecutors alleged Danehower killed Glyer because of an obsession with his wife. The suspect allegedly became fixated with her after a church function, and according to her family, the two had gone on a date about a decade ago.

Danehower was given a plea deal by Descano’s office, which found him not guilty by reason of insanity in February.

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DHS RIPS DEM-RUN COUNTY AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MURDERER RELEASED: ‘BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS’

Virginia law requires Danehower to be sent to a psychiatric hospital, where his status will be evaluated on an annual basis for the next five years, then every two years afterward. If he’s deemed no longer a threat to himself or others, he’d have an opportunity to be released from the psychiatric hospital.

Heather Glyer, the victim’s wife, said while on the witness stand, “I was robbed of my life partner.”

“My kids were robbed of their father,” she added.

Wilmer Osmany Ramos-Giron

Wilmer Osmany Ramos-Giron pleaded guilty to lesser charges. (DHS)

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In January 2025, according to a report by former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, Ramos-Giron, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, choked his ex-wife during an argument and pulled out a knife.

He was charged with felony abduction by force, felony strangulation, and misdemeanor assault and battery against a family member after the incident, but Descano’s office allowed him to plead to lesser charges of misdemeanor battery and brandishing a bladed weapon.

In a statement released by Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Deputy Chief of Staff and Public Information Officer Laura Birnbaum, according to the report, the plea agreement “achieved the outcomes that the victim wanted.”

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However, when the victim spoke with 7News, she refuted Birnbaum’s statement, saying she didn’t agree to the plea deal.

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“He’s dangerous,” she said, fearing another violent incident would happen.

“If I die, who is going to take care of them?” the victim asked, referring to her children.

Ronnie Reel

Ronnie Reel accepted a plea deal by Fairfax county prosecutors. (Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office)

In July 2021, Reel was arrested on charges of sexual penetration, forcible sodomy and aggravated sexual battery against a minor, according to the Fairfax County Times.

During Reel’s trial on Sept. 13, 2022, Chief Judge of the Fairfax County Circuit Court Penney Azcarate ruled that the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s office had missed an evidentiary deadline, meaning confessions, including a call from Reel to a defendant’s mother where he allegedly confessed, as well as other evidence and witnesses couldn’t be used in court.

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According to the outlet, that meant the case would rely on the victim’s testimony entirely.

As a result, Reel was offered a plea deal and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery and was sentenced to one year in prison, but was released on time served. He also wasn’t required to register as a sex offender, according to FOX 5.

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The mother, who asked to be identified as Amber, told FOX 5 the case has had a big impact on her son.

“I was really upset. This is my child, this is my baby,” she said while crying. “And he got no justice. So he continues to see me cry and everything. He held his own, he stayed strong. He’s always trying to be strong for mom.”

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“He was confessing every little detail that he did, and it was making me sick to my stomach,” she added. “It was horrible. He literally confessed to me why he did it.”

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

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MIKE DAVIS: Virginia returns to the Confederacy with a seditious conspiracy against ICE

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MIKE DAVIS: Virginia returns to the Confederacy with a seditious conspiracy against ICE

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Immigration enforcement is a core federal power. Under Article I of the Constitution, Congress has the duty to write our federal immigration laws. Under Article II, the President has the duty to enforce them. States cannot meddle and certainly not obstruct. Unfortunately, many Democrat states, especially Virginia, are on a deadly collision course with the federal government.

American voters gave President Trump and the Republican-led Congress a broad electoral mandate to reverse the disaster the Biden-Harris border policy caused in every state in America by mass importing as many as 20 million illegal aliens, including the worst of the worst around the world. 

Activist judges and other Democrat politicians and election deniers have done everything they can fathom to thwart Trump’s constitutional duty to expel these dangerous illegal aliens.

TRUMP URGES DHS, ICE TO PUBLICIZE ARRESTS, SAYS CRACKDOWN IS ‘SAVING MANY INNOCENT LIVES’

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The latest example is Virginia, which is passing a series of unconstitutional laws that would dangerously and illegally obstruct ICE. These proposals include criminal penalties, meaning that state law enforcement would attempt to arrest and jail ICE agents for simply doing their jobs. 

This effort is seditious, insurrectionist, extremely dangerous and blatantly unconstitutional. For the sake of the Republic, the Justice Department must immediately and aggressively quell this Virginia seditious conspiracy.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Davis Spanberger laughs aloud during a ceremony in a Virginia court in Richmond. (Mike Kropf-Pool/Getty Images)

Fairfax County District Attorney Steve Descano is the Soros puppet Democrat prosecutor in the DC suburb, an uber-wealthy Democrat enclave that is an albatross around Virginia’s neck. Abdul Jalloh is an illegal alien who invaded our country in 2012. Jalloh settled in Virginia and began wreaking havoc on the good citizens there, racking up a whopping 30 arrests. These included one for rape and four charges for stabbing Americans. 

Yet, thanks to the willful ineptitude of Fairfax County’s Democrat regime, Jalloh only had one felony conviction. He violated his probation, spent three months in jail and went free because of a deal between his lawyer and Descano’s office. Sanctuary jurisdictions like Fairfax County do not notify ICE when detaining or releasing illegals like Jalloh, who had a final order of removal from 2020. 

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Police in Fairfax repeatedly warned Descano’s office via email that Jalloh’s release would endanger the public, but the pleas fell on deaf ears. Earlier this week, Jalloh allegedly stabbed to death 41-year-old innocent mother Stephanie Minter at a bus stop.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger ran as a moderate Democrat. But after her inauguration this year, she immediately showed her true leftist colors. She issued an order prohibiting cooperation between state officials and ICE. 

Several anti-ICE bills await Spanberger’s signature: (1) a prohibition against ICE arrests at courthouses (where these alleged dangerous criminal illegals visit daily); (2) a prohibition against ICE arrests within 40 feet of polling places (where illegals violate federal criminal laws by voting); and (3) criminal penalties for ICE agents who wear masks (because they don’t want to get doxxed and killed).

Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano (Sarah Voisin/Getty Images)

If Spanberger signs these unconstitutional state laws, the Trump Justice Department should immediately sue and seek to enjoin them in court. A Virginia federal judge should issue an injunction, following the lead of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which fully stayed California’s unconstitutional prohibition against ICE agents’ use of masks.

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But civil enforcement is not enough. Virginia Democrat officials plotting to arrest ICE agents for doing their jobs (seditious conspiracy under 18 U.S.C. § 2384) — and especially those who cause the arrests (insurrection under 18 U.S.C. § 2383, assault, kidnapping, harboring, conspiracy, and more) — must go to federal prison for their serious federal felonies. If anyone gets killed in a deadly standoff between these new Virginia confederates and ICE, these Virginia Democrat officials must face felony murder charges.

VIRGINIA LAWMAKERS UNLEASH ON VCU NURSE FIRED OVER ‘HEALTHCARE TERRORISM’ ENCOURAGING HARMING ICE AGENTS

Former President Biden and his missing-in-action border czar Kamala Harris allowed millions of illegal immigrants, including the most violent and dangerous criminals in the world, to pour across our borders. Trump is doing everything in his power to fulfill his broad electoral mandate and undo the damage by arresting and deporting these illegals.

Virginia’s proposed laws do not merely prohibit communication between state officials and ICE; rather, they criminalize federal law enforcement actions that are plainly within the scope of federal immigration enforcement power.

Abdul Jalloh has racked up over 30 arrests since entering the U.S., according to officials. (DHS)

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States do not have to help ICE by, for instance, providing law enforcement resources to assist in ICE apprehensions of illegals. But states certainly cannot subvert or obstruct these federal efforts. This is especially true of Virginia’s attempt to arrest ICE agents in the line of duty, which could justify their use of deadly force.

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Virginia’s attempt to subvert and obstruct federal law must fail. We fought the Civil War because the Confederacy, headquartered in Virginia, sought to nullify federal law with respect to slavery. Today’s Virginia Democrats are reverting to their confederate roots. 

Just as the federal government did during the Civil War and for a century after when segregationist states continued their efforts to nullify federal law, the federal government now must stand strong against Virginia’s sedition and insurrection. The Supremacy Clause of the Constitution makes plain that federal law is supreme in areas where the federal government has authority.

If Virginia gets away with effectively nullifying federal immigration enforcement, other states can nullify any other federal law that it finds distasteful. Let’s hope Abigail Spanberger comes to her senses and vetoes this insanity. If she does not, the federal government must use all tools at its disposal, including the Insurrection Act of 1807 and other federal criminal statutes, to preserve federal law. 

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Virginia state officials must go to federal prison for engaging in seditious conspiracy, insurrections and other very serious federal felonies. Anything less would threaten the existence of the Republic.

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South Carolina pastor describes evacuating members from Middle East after war broke out during Israel trip

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South Carolina pastor describes evacuating members from Middle East after war broke out during Israel trip

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Dozens of members of a South Carolina church are finally back in the United States after Operation Epic Fury left them stranded in Israel for nearly a week after their flight was supposed to depart.

Forty members of Calvary Chapel Summerville landed in Israel on Feb. 20 for eight days of exploration in the Holy Land. 

The group was set to fly home on Feb. 28 and had arrived at the airport three hours before their scheduled departure when the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran. The attack prompted the closure of Israel’s airspace and the group had to evacuate the airport.

“It felt like the weight of the world on my shoulders and I just prayed and prayed and prayed and asked God to give me wisdom,” said Vic Carroll, pastor at Calvary Chapel Summerville in South Carolina.

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TRAVELERS STRANDED IN DUBAI PAYING HUGE SUMS TO FLEE ON PRIVATE CHARTER FLIGHTS AMID OPERATION EPIC FURY

Members of Calvary Chapel Summerville visit Al-Khazneh in Petra. (Melanie Carroll)

Carroll said the group had to shelter-in-place in Israel, going in and out of bomb shelters for several days. He then had to face the decision of the group staying or taking a bus to Jordan to have a shot at getting a flight back to the United States.

“We ultimately, you know, made the decision between what was bad and what was worse. I thought the worst would be to stay,” the pastor said. 

“We were instructed that if a siren goes off while we were on the road, the bus would pull over, we would all need to get on the ground, lay on the ground face-down for at least 10 minutes until the threat was gone, and then be on our way,” he continued.

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STATE DEPARTMENT USES PATRIOTS TEAM PLANE TO EVACUATE AMERICANS FROM MIDDLE EAST

The members of Calvary Chapel Summerville sightseeing in the Holy Land. (Melanie Carroll)

Fortunately, that did not happen and the group made it to the airport in Jordan to hop on a flight out of the Middle East Thursday morning.

Before the flight, Carroll said it was frightening, but their faith was greater than their fear.

“We’re just having to trust that we’re making the right decision, and this is our only option to get home, so we [were] just trusting in God,” he said.

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AMERICAN STUCK IN MIDDLE EAST ESCAPES IN RACE TO REACH CRITICALLY ILL HUSBAND IN CALIFORNIA

The group returned to the U.S. on Thursday night, landing at JFK in New York.

Melanie Carroll, the pastor’s wife, texted, “We are so thankful!!!!! It’s surreal!!” 

Melanie and Vic Carroll while visiting The Holy Land. (Kailey Schuyler)

The unexpected extension of the trip caused the price tag to increase significantly. Melanie created a GoFundMe, writing, “The path to get us home between lodging, flights and transfers will be upwards of $2500 per person.”

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The group was able to raise their goal of $100,000 in less than three days.

Melanie said the group is continuing to pray for everyone trying to get out of the Middle East. 

Nearly 24,000 Americans have returned to the U.S. after fleeing the Middle East since Operation Epic Fury began last week, according to the State Department.

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