Southeast
AG-turned-senator lambasts Democrats’ silence on Jay Jones as sheriffs call for ouster: ‘We will not follow’
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Several Virginia law enforcement leaders are calling for attorney general candidate Jay Jones to drop out of the race after texts surfaced depicting him envisioning the murder of a former GOP leader, as a former top lawman turned senator told Fox News Digital it is unthinkable that many Democrats remain silent on the matter.
The Virginia Law Enforcement Sheriffs’ Association, representing the 86 sheriffs in the Old Dominion’s counties and independent cities, wrote a letter to Jones’ campaign headquarters in Williamsburg, Virginia, Wednesday demanding he bow out of the race.
“It’s really sickening,” Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital.
“Calling for the assassination of a rival, calling for the death of his children: I think hopefully all of us can agree that that’s beyond the bounds of what’s reasonable here, and he ought to step down,” said Schmitt, who previously served as the Show Me State’s attorney general.
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Schmitt added that it is unfortunate but telling that many Democrats have not said anything about it.
That “is pretty sad,” he said.
Virginia Attorney General candidate Jay Jones was convicted of reckless driving in 2022. (Craig Hudson For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
While Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., did defend Jones’ candidacy to Fox News Digital, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., ignored questions, along with Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Chris Coons, D-Del., to other reporters as seen in a recent video.
Schmitt’s tenure in Jefferson City, Missouri, was particularly litigious against the Biden administration, which he sued several times.
The most notable of the cases was one alleging collusion between the feds and social media companies to censor content they disagreed with. Another suit sought to challenge bans on new oil and gas leases.
Back in Virginia, several sheriffs who lead the commonwealth’s association wrote to Jones demanding he leave the race.
Grayson County, Virginia, Sheriff Richard Vaughn, the sheriffs’ association president who patrols a rural county centered on Independence and Mouth of Wilson, led off the letter, which said Jones’ statements are “disgusting” and “unacceptable” for someone seeking to be Virginia’s top law enforcement officer.
“Our association has seen the text messages in which you called for violence against a family to include his young children,” the letter read. “Furthermore, it is alleged that you stated that if more police were killed it would reduce shootings of civilians.”
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The letter, further signed by association officials representing Virginia’s Campbell County — surrounding Lynchburg, Mecklenburg County — which includes South Hill, and Wise County on the Kentucky line, said calls for violence are unbecoming of a law enforcement officer.
“We will not follow an individual who has made such vile statements against citizens and the men and women in uniform who work hard every day risking their lives to combat the violence you advocate against them,” they wrote.
“Sir, you need to hold yourself accountable and immediately withdraw from the Attorney General race.”
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Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is the GOP candidate for re-election, followed the letter with more reactions he received from other law enforcement around the commonwealth.
Smyth County, Virginia, Sheriff Chip Schuler joined the district prosecutor in the county seat of Marion to rip Jones.
“The office of attorney general is not a political prize — it is the commonwealth’s highest legal authority,” Schuler and Commonwealth’s Attorney Bucky Blevins said in a statement to Miyares’ campaign.
“The Attorney General must embody discipline, restraint, and integrity,” they added. “Every deputy sheriff and every prosecutor in this Commonwealth is held to that standard daily. Those seeking to lead us must meet, not evade, that same measure of accountability.”
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“For the good of the Commonwealth and the credibility of our justice system, we believe Mr. Jones should withdraw his candidacy,” Blevins and Schuler concluded.
Fox News Digital reached out to Jones’ campaign for comment.
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Southeast
Illegal immigrant arrested after showing up to Florida Border Patrol office for contract IT work
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FIRST ON FOX: An illegal immigrant who reported to a U.S. Border Patrol site in Florida to perform some Information technology contractual work was arrested when authorities were made aware of his citizenship status, officials said.
Angel Camacho, a Venezuelan citizen, reported to a USBP center in Dania Beach, Florida, Jan. 6 to do some IT work when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials began vetting him, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Fox News Digital.
During its investigation, it was revealed Camacho was in violation of U.S. immigration laws, authorities said.
Angel Camacho reported to a Florida U.S. Border Patrol center to perform contractual work when he was arrested, a Department of Homeland Security official said. (Getty Images )
“CBP vets all external visitors before allowing them to enter secure facilities to ensure safety and operational integrity,” DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.
“During the vetting process, CBP uncovered this individual was a tourist visa overstay in the country for over five years.”
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This photo shows a U.S. Border Patrol patch on a border agent’s uniform in McAllen, Texas, Jan. 15, 2019. (Suzanne CordeiroAFP via Getty Images)
Camacho was arrested and transferred to ICE custody, Bis said.
His criminal history includes theft and resisting a Florida Highway Patrol officer, officials said. Federal authorities have nabbed several illegal immigrants in the process of trying to obtain employment in law enforcement and education.
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One Sierra Leone citizen was recently arrested as he was training to become a Pennsylvania corrections officer.
Another illegal immigrant, Ian Roberts, served as the former superintendent of Iowa’s largest district, Des Moines Public Schools, before he was arrested by ICE.
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Southeast
High school teacher arrested in alleged sex case involving student
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A Georgia high school teacher was arrested Wednesday after allegations of inappropriate contact between a teacher and a minor student surfaced at Lee County High School.
Danielle Weaver, 29, of Leesburg, is charged with child molestation and improper sexual contact by an employee, agent or foster parent, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI).
Lee County High School requested the Leesburg Police Department investigate the allegations on Feb. 3, and the GBI was called to assist the following day.
Danielle Weaver, 29, of Leesburg, Ga., is charged with child molestation and improper sexual contact by an employee. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)
Investigators identified Weaver as the “subject,” and identified the victim as a student under 18 years old at Lee County High School, according to officials.
GBI agents continued the investigation along with the Leesburg Police Department, and arrest warrants were obtained for Weaver on Tuesday.
A Google Maps street view photo of Lee County High School in Leesburg, Ga. (Google Maps)
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Weaver turned herself in to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, and was later released on bond, according to a report from WALB News.
This investigation is active and ongoing, according to the GBI.
The incident allegedly happened at a high school in Georgia. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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Once complete, the case file will be given to the Southwestern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Leesburg is located in South Georgia, and is about an hour and a half north of Tallahassee, Florida.
Lee County High School’s communications team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Southeast
Federal court clears way for Ten Commandments to be displayed in Louisiana public school classrooms
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A federal appeals court cleared the way Friday for a Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, lifting a lower court block and reigniting debate over religion in public education.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit voted 12-6 to lift a block first imposed in 2024, finding it was too early to determine the constitutionality of the law. Critics argue the requirement violates the separation of church and state, while supporters say the Ten Commandments are historical and foundational to U.S. law.
The court said in the majority opinion that it was unclear how schools would display the poster-sized materials, noting that the law allows additional content, like the Mayflower Compact or the Declaration of Independence, to appear alongside the Ten Commandments.
The majority wrote that there were not enough facts to “permit judicial judgment rather than speculation” when evaluating potential First Amendment concerns.
A federal appeals court on Friday lifted a lower court block on Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom law, bringing the measure closer to taking effect. (John Bazemore/AP)
In a concurring opinion, Circuit Judge James Ho, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, wrote that the law was constitutional and “consistent with our founding traditions.”
“It is fully consistent with the Constitution, and what’s more, it reinforces our Founders’ firm belief that the children of America should be educated about the religious foundations and traditions of our country,” Ho said, adding that the law “affirms our Nation’s highest and most noble traditions.”
Circuit Judge James L. Dennis, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, wrote in a dissenting opinion that displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms would amount to “exposing children to government‑endorsed religion in a setting of compulsory attendance.”
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A federal appeals court ruling on Feb. 20 allows Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom mandate to proceed for now. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)
“That is precisely the kind of establishment the Framers anticipated and sought to prevent,” he added.
The ACLU of Louisiana and other groups representing the plaintiffs said they would pursue additional legal challenges to block the law.
“Today’s ruling is extremely disappointing and would unnecessarily force Louisiana’s public school families into a game of constitutional whack-a-mole in every school district,” the groups wrote in a joint-statement. “Longstanding judicial precedent makes clear that our clients need not submit to the very harms they are seeking to prevent before taking legal action to protect their rights.”
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Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry praised the appeals court decision on Feb. 20 allowing the Ten Commandments classroom law to move forward. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)
Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Friday praised the court’s decision, writing on Facebook, “Common sense is making a comeback!”
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill issued a statement following the ruling, saying schools “should follow the law.”
“Don’t kill or steal shouldn’t be controversial. My office has issued clear guidance to our public schools on how to comply with the law, and we have created multiple examples of posters demonstrating how it can be applied constitutionally,” she said.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said schools should follow the Ten Commandments display law after a federal appeals court lifted a lower court block on Feb. 20. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Joseph Davis, an attorney representing Louisiana in the case, celebrated the court’s decision.
“If the ACLU had its way, every trace of religion would be scrubbed from the fabric of our public life,” he said in a statement. “That position is at odds with our nation’s traditions and our Constitution. We’re glad the Fifth Circuit has allowed Louisiana to display the Ten Commandments in its public school classrooms.”
Friday’s ruling came after the full court agreed to reconsider the case, months after a three-judge panel ruled the Louisiana law unconstitutional.
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A similar law in Arkansas faces a federal court challenge, while Texas implemented its own Ten Commandments classroom requirement last year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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