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Pennsylvania SWAT officer says team had no contact with Secret Service before Trump rally shooting

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Pennsylvania SWAT officer says team had no contact with Secret Service before Trump rally shooting


A police officer on a local tactical team assigned to former President Trump’s July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, said there was no contact between their SWAT team and the U.S. Secret Service before Trump was shot.

“We were supposed to get a face-to-face briefing with the Secret Service members whenever they arrived,” the Beaver County team’s lead sharpshooter Jason Woods told ABC News. “That never happened.”

Woods told the outlet that the lack of communication was likely part of the critical failure in planning that ended with 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks wounding Trump, killing spectator Corey Compartore and injuring two others before he was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper.

TRUMP SHOOTING: TIMELINE OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW GUNMAN EVADED SECURITY

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Donald Trump, with blood on his face, is surrounded by Secret Service agents as he is taken off the stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024.

“I think that was probably a pivotal point, where I started thinking things were wrong because it never happened,” he continued. “We had no communication.”

In the wake of the assassination attempt, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned, and a series of law enforcement and congressional probes have been announced.

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Woods told ABC News that he and his team were in position hours before Trump took the stage at the Butler Farm Show, but his team’s first communication with the Secret Service was “not until after the shooting.” By then, he said, it was “too late.”

TRUMP CAMP QUESTIONS WHY THEY WEREN’T ALERTED OF SUSPICIOUS PERSON PRIOR TO ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

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Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump reacts as multiple shots rang out during a campaign rallyRepublican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump reacts as multiple shots rang out during a campaign rally

Former President Trump reacts as multiple shots ring out during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024.

WATCH: THOUSANDS DESCEND ON MICHIGAN TOWN FOR FIRST TRUMP RALLY SINCE FAILED ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

One of the Beaver County snipers took pictures of Crooks and called into command about his suspicious presence at the venue – but the 20-year-old gunman was still able to position himself on the roof of the building, ABC reported.

Meanwhile, members of Trump’s Secret Service detail and his top advisers have questioned why they weren’t told that local police had spotted a suspicious person who turned out to be a would-be assassin.

Trump’s advisers thought that the sounds of shots, which they heard from a large white tent behind the stage, were fireworks, according to the Washington Post.

SECRET SERVICE WILL AMP UP SECURITY AT UPCOMING PENNSYLVANIA TRUMP RALLY DUE TO ‘COPYCAT’ FEARS: EXPERTS

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Two advisers, who were not named by the outlet, said they did not understand why the alert had not been passed on so that they could consider delaying Trump’s speech, a sentiment the GOP nominee echoed in an interview with Fox News.

“Nobody mentioned it. Nobody said there was a problem,” the former president said in an interview with Fox News’ Jesse Watters on Monday. “They could’ve said, ‘Let’s wait for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, five minutes,’ something. Nobody said — I think that was a mistake.”

Beaver County Chief Detective Patrick Young, who runs the Emergency Services Unit and SWAT team, said the group “did everything humanly possible that day.”

“We talk a lot on SWAT that we as individuals mean nothing until we come together as a team,” Young said.

In a statement, the U.S. Secret Service wrote that “as it relates to communications on that day, we are committed to better understanding what happened before, during, and after the assassination attempt of former President Trump to ensure that it never happens again.” 

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“That includes complete cooperation with Congress, the FBI and other relevant investigations,” the statement continued.

Original article source: Pennsylvania SWAT officer says team had no contact with Secret Service before Trump rally shooting



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Neighbors welcome man home to Downingtown, Pennsylvania, after months in ICE detention

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Neighbors welcome man home to Downingtown, Pennsylvania, after months in ICE detention


A Chester County, Pennsylvania, man is back home with his family after spending more than eight months in ICE detention.

Supporters of Carlos Della Valle spent months rallying and writing letters to immigration officials, urging them to release him. Now the Downingtown resident is sharing what it feels like to finally be home and why uncertainty still hangs over his future.

“I couldn’t be happier,” Carlos Della Valle said about being home. “You know, it’s so many months and it just didn’t seem like it was going to happen.”

Supporters lined the street outside his Downingtown home on Wednesday, cheering as he returned from a detention center in Louisiana. The 49-year-old said it still feels surreal to be back in Chester County after 258 days in ICE custody.

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Della Valle, whose wife and son are U.S. citizens, has lived in Chester County for nearly 30 years. He said he came to the United States from Guerrero, Mexico, at age 20 after fleeing cartel violence.

“I was afraid for my life,” he said.

At age 21, Della Valle said, he was detained and sent back to the Mexican border, but he was never formally deported.

During a trial in August 2025, a jury acquitted him of illegally re-entering the country. Despite the verdict, he was taken into ICE custody because he does not have legal status in the United States.

Carlos Della Valle was released from ICE custody last week but said he still worries about what comes next.

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“They tried to deport me twice, so what’s to stop that from happening again?” he said.

Carlos Della Valle said he now has weekly check-ins with ICE and is working with an attorney to get a work permit so he can return to his job as a plant manager at a small adhesive company.

His wife, Angela Della Valle, said the family’s experience pushed her to become more involved in immigration reform efforts.

“The Dignity Act that’s been authored by Congresswoman Maria Salazar is a very, very powerful piece of legislation,” Angela Della Valle said. “It would allow Carlos to stay since he’s linked to a U.S. citizen wife. It would allow him to work.”

For now, Angela Della Valle said she’s focused on appreciating the moments they missed during his time in detention.

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“It’s amazing being together again and even more powerful to be able to come back together home,” Angela Della Valle said.

Since returning home, Carlos Della Valle said he has been reconnecting with friends and recently attended a Phillies game with his family.

“We loved being there,” he said.

Central Presbyterian Church in Downingtown is hosting a “Welcome Home Carlos” open house Saturday night to celebrate Carlos Della Valle’s release.

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Pennsylvania mom wins $1 million from lottery scratch-off:

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Pennsylvania mom wins  million from lottery scratch-off:



When 32-year-old Beth Dudley, a mom of two, walked into a convenience store in Salem Township, Westmoreland County, last month, she was stressed out about her flat tire. 

Now, after winning $1 million from a scratch-off ticket, not only is Dudley getting a new tire, but she’s thinking about getting an entirely new car. 

The Pennsylvania Lottery celebrated Dudley on Friday ahead of Mother’s Day, presenting her with a commemorative $1 million check. 

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Luck didn’t seem to be on Dudley’s side when she visited the Crabtree Gas and Go on Roosevelt Way in April. But she said she decided to treat herself to a lottery ticket anyway. 

“I thought, ‘What’s it going to hurt?’” Dudley said. “I play occasionally. Before I won, my brother said, ‘You’re going to get the tire changed and your whole world will turn around.’”  

And turn around it did. Dudley scratched the ticket and learned that she had won $1 million.

“I thought, ‘Am I seeing this right?’ Then I just started to cry,” said Dudley.

She said she was crying so much that when she called her mom, her mom thought something was wrong. She called her husband next, and she said he didn’t quite believe her at first. 

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Now she plans on buying a new car and investing the rest of her winnings. One thing’s for sure: she’ll be celebrating Mother’s Day this year with a little more money in the bank. 

“It’s great to see a hardworking mom who juggles so much have some luck come her way,” Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne said. 



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Former Pennsylvania 911 director sentenced to decades in prison for child sex crimes

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Former Pennsylvania 911 director sentenced to decades in prison for child sex crimes



Former Somerset County 911 director Bradley Lavan has been sentenced to as long as 120 years behind bars for sex crimes he committed against five children. 

Late last year, Bradley Lavan pleaded guilty late last year to dozens of charges stemming from a 2023 arrest where police alleged he sexually abused five young children.

Lavan was ordered Thursday to serve 60 to 120 years in state prison, a sentence that Somerset County District Attorney Tom Leiden called “appropriate,” citing the seriousness of the crimes he committed.

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“Today, justice was served,” Leiden said, adding that “the sentence should assure that Mr. Lavan is never able to prey on innocent children again.”

At the time of his arrest, then District Attorney Molly Metzgar said that it was alleged that Lavan groomed children in ages from 3 to 6 years old and forced them into performing various sex acts on him while they were in his home. 

Police at the time said that Lavan’s time as the 911 director in Somerset County ended before he was arrested and the charges and his work with the county weren’t connected.

“This successful prosecution and sentence are the result of the District Attorney’s Office’s commitment to seeking justice for victims and for protecting the children of Somerset County,” Leiden said. “We will continue to work tirelessly to make Somerset County a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.”

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