ATLANTA – A Mexican national faces federal charges after authorities caught him flying an unauthorized drone over Centennial Olympic Park during the FIFA Fan Festival in Atlanta, according to a federal criminal complaint. 

Federal agents took 37-year-old Lorenzo Rojas-Martinez into custody on Friday after discovering he was unlawfully present in the United States following two prior deportations. 

What we know:

Federal agents standing near Centennial Olympic Park on Friday spotted Rojas-Martinez operating a drone in a temporary flight restricted zone, according to the criminal complaint. Rojas-Martinez was standing in a nearby parking area recording video of the FIFA Fan Festival when agents approached him and requested his identification. 

A review of his driver’s license confirmed his identity and led agents to discover his status as a repeat deportee who also holds a prior conviction for cocaine distribution, federal officials said. Rojas-Martinez was formally charged on Monday with operating a drone in a temporary flight restricted zone and illegal reentry by a removed alien. 

What we don’t know:

Officials have not yet confirmed the exact type of drone Rojas-Martinez was operating or what he planned to do with the recorded video footage. It remains unclear how long he had been back in the country following his second deportation or where he obtained the aircraft. 

Authorities have not disclosed whether Rojas-Martinez has retained an attorney to speak on his behalf. A trial date has not been set, and the government maintains the burden of proving his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 

By the numbers:

The FBI Atlanta Counter UAV Task Force has seized 21 drones, including the aircraft used by Rojas-Martinez, as part of ongoing airspace protection measures around World Cup events. The enforcement action is tied to Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative targeting illegal immigration, cartels, transnational criminal organizations and violent crime. 

U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg and Special Agent in Charge Marlo Graham of FBI Atlanta noted that Ground Intercept Teams will continue monitoring restricted areas. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dash A. Cooper is prosecuting the case, which is being jointly investigated by the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A water leak at the VA Medical Center in downtown Augusta caused extensive damage over the weekend, impacting portions of three floors, according to the facility’s public affairs office.

Officials said the leak happened Friday evening after a pipe burst on campus. All staff and patients in the affected areas were safely relocated.

VA Augusta personnel worked throughout the weekend and are continuing efforts to restore full operations in the impacted parts of the facility, according to the public affairs office.

Patients whose appointments were affected have been contacted to reschedule or coordinate care through a community healthcare partner.

Officials also expressed appreciation for the quick and coordinated response by VA Augusta staff during the incident.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters in the nation’s capital head to the polls on Tuesday to select party candidates for mayor and the district’s delegate to Congress, an election taking place as Washington undergoes major change under President Donald Trump’s administration.

The primary marks the first time in a generation that D.C. residents will vote for a new mayor and delegate in the same election. And in an overwhelmingly Democratic city, that party’s winner is expected to come out on top in the general election in November.

The most prominent race is for mayor after Muriel Bowser, who was first elected in 2014, decided not to seek a fourth term. Democratic front-runners Janeese Lewis George and Kenyan McDuffie are hoping to replace her.

The district’s long-serving congressional delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is also stepping down, with top candidates council member Brooke Pinto and at-large council member Robert White Jr. vying for the role. Republican Denise Rosado, an immigration lawyer, is running unopposed.

The primary will include rank choice voting for the first time, which D.C. election officials have warned could delay results for days.

Trump looms large over the vote

Central to all the campaigns has been the city’s fraught relationship with the Trump administration and the federal government. The city has limited autonomy and federal leaders retain significant control over local affairs, including the approval of the budget and laws passed by the D.C. Council.

That autonomy has been further squeezed under Trump, who launched a federal law enforcement surge last summer and sent in the National Guard for an ongoing, open-ended deployment. Trump’s efforts to downsize the federal government also roiled the capital region, costing thousands of people their jobs. He has also been reshaping the city by removing or renovating storied landmarks and putting his name or image on buildings.

Trump just last week threatened a new federal takeover of Washington, when asked about his response to a potential victory by Lewis George, a democratic socialist.

“Maybe we’d take back Washington, run it on the federal basis,” he said.

Bowser found herself walking a fine line between staying in Trump’s good graces and responding to the concerns of constituents, many of whom said she didn’t push back hard enough on Trump’s actions.

Republicans in Congress meanwhile have used their oversight authority to challenge the local government’s limited autonomy.

“We are the capital of the United States, and it’s an incredibly symbolic place, this city,” said Amanda Huron, a professor at the University of the District of Columbia who teaches courses on D.C. history and politics.

She said it’s important to remind the public that what the federal government does to its capital city is a harbinger of “how it’s going to treat the rest of the country as well.”

Federal intervention, affordability among candidates’ top priorities

Lewis George, in responding to questions sent by The Associated Press, said her top priority is addressing “the affordability crisis here in DC, which the Trump administration has only made worse by unjustly firing federal employees en masse and militarizing our streets.”

McDuffie said his top priority is public safety. He would add 1,000 police officers over four years and take a public health approach to violence reduction that would include a focus on mental health.

Other candidates for mayor include former council member Vincent Orange and Hope Solomon, a former federal contractor who lost her job because of cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency.

Some residents have expressed concern on how Trump will react to pushback. Pat Wheeler, who lives in Washington, said candidates must be realistic. Trump still has enormous power over the Republican Congress and could easily order members to take steps against the city’s home rule authority, she said.

Five people are seeking to replace Norton, who is finishing her 18th term representing D.C. in Congress. Norton, 89, faced heavy pressure to stand down by critics, including her former chief of staff, who said she was diminished and not capable of mounting the defense the moment called for against Trump.

Pinto and White both say their top priority for the city is self-governance along with affordability for middle and working class residents.

Other candidates seeking the Democratic spot on the ticket include Trent Holbrook, a former Norton staffer; Kenney Zalesne, the former Deputy National Finance Chair of the Democratic National Committee; and Gregory Jaczko, former chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.