HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — A Wethersfield woman was charged Friday after allegedly bringing a minor from New York to her home and attempting to sexually coerce him, according to the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

Amily Colon, 31, was charged on a federal criminal complaint with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, and with transportation of a minor to engage in sexual activity, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

Court documents allege that Colon initiated an online relationship with a 13-year-old boy from New York.

Colon, who identified herself as “Alice,” allegedly had conversations with the victim through a messaging and communications app, according to court documents.

The conversations became sexually explicit, documents state. Then, Colon allegedly coerced the victim to send her a sexually explicit video of himself, and Colon sent back explicit images and videos of herself in return.

On June 26, Colon traveled to an area of New York to pick up the victim and bring him to her residence in Wethersfield, court documents allege. Here, Colon allegedly attempted to engage in sexual activity.

The next day, Colon drove the victim back to New York and dropped him off a few blocks from his home, according to court documents.

Colon was ordered detained in Hartford on Friday.

Officials in Connecticut and New York are conducting the investigation.

Alex Smith, from Holden, attended Brewer High School and Hampshire College, and earned a law degree from Northeastern University and a master’s degree in public health from Tufts. He has worked for UNHCR, UN Women and the International Criminal Court in The Hague. He lives in London.

To win the progressive vote and have any chance of beating Susan Collins, Democratic candidates must speak with conviction and moral clarity about the defining human rights violations of our time: Israel’s genocide, apartheid, systemic torture, occupation and other crimes against Palestinians. Those who don’t need not apply.

I grew up on Holbrook Pond off Route 1A near Bangor. Today, I’m a lawyer and global health specialist with more than 25 years of experience. In 2024, I resigned from my senior advisor role with USAID in protest of the Biden administration’s Gaza policies.

Since then, I’ve joined a legal team investigating Israel’s crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and have continued my advocacy through research, media appearances (e.g., CNN ,  Al Jazeera English, Al Jazeera Arabic, AJ+  and TRT World ), lecturing and publishing with  Cambridge University (UK), DAWN and other universities and think tanks.

I’ve traveled to the West Bank twice in the last year, investigating ongoing sexual violence and other human rights abuses in Gaza and the West Bank and coordinating legal research with human rights organizations, lawyers and survivors of torture.

With the rise and fall of the Platner campaign, I was encouraged to see my fellow Mainers elevating human rights in Palestine to a major concern and not a fringe issue. This concern mirrors broader national trends.

Among voters who supported Joe Biden in 2020 but did not vote for Kamala Harris in 2024, the single most important issue was ending Israel’s violence in Gaza (29% ), surpassing even inflation and the economy (24%), Medicare and Social Security (12%) and immigration (11%). Nationwide, a majority of Democrats have correctly identified that Israel is committing genocide, with 83% supporting a permanent stop to the killing and 75% opposing U.S. military aid to Israel (compared to just 18% in favor).

Taking a moral stand is clearly popular with Democratic voters, as we’ve seen in New York and Colorado, where voters treated opposition to Israeli crimes like a basic moral litmus test. The saying goes: “If you won’t stand against genocide, why would I trust you to stand up for universal healthcare?”

Condemnation of Israel’s crimes comfortably puts candidates on the right side of history and in good company with the U.N. Commission of Inquiry, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Save the Children, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the International Court of Justice, Nick Kristof and Israeli genocide scholars and organizations, including Omar Bartov, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel .

With voters showing such moral clarity and focus on this issue, it is striking that so few candidates have spoken clearly about it. To date, Jordan Wood , Shenna Bellows and Nirav Shah have publicly stated that they believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and have called for ending U.S. support for Israel’s military campaign.

The remaining potential Democratic nominees, including Troy Jackson, Dan Kleban, Paige Loud, David Costello and Andrea LaFlamme, have either taken more limited positions or have not publicly condemned what many international organizations, legal experts and human rights groups have described as genocide, nor have they called for ending U.S. arms transfers to Israel.

When Gov. Janet Mills was asked about the Gaza genocide, she gave an incoherent answer, deflecting to other humanitarian crises, listing Sudan, Somalia and the Rwandan genocide, which was over 30 years ago. Instead of naming specific actions to stop genocide and other crimes, she said vaguely, “There’s a lot we have to be concerned about.” She went on to lose the primary battle. That kind of wavering on an issue as serious as genocide won’t cut it.

Graham Platner, who openly opposed Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank, received more than 150,000 votes, the highest total ever won by a Democratic U.S. Senate primary candidate in Maine. Those voters weren’t simply looking for another Democrat. They wanted someone willing to challenge corruption and the bipartisan abandonment of principle on important issues, including Gaza.

The last thing voters want is more invertebrates in Congress. Anyone not taking a moral stand should therefore stand aside.

Several chains and local shops are marking the July 19 holiday with giveaways, rewards offers and limited-time discounts. Some offers require an app or loyalty account, and participation may vary by location.

Here are some deals for National Ice Cream Day in Massachusetts:

New City Microcreamery: The Massachusetts scoop shop is giving away a $25 gift card for National Ice Cream Day. To enter, customers must like the giveaway post, comment with a favorite New City flavor and follow the shop on Facebook and Instagram. You can find the post here.