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Former Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy’s indictment is a ‘sad day,’ mayor says

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The indictment of former Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy shortly after she resigned from her position is a “sad day for our community,” a Tennessee mayor says. 

Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp made the remark Thursday after the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced that a grand jury in his county returned a 17-count indictment containing felony and misdemeanor criminal charges against Murphy. 

“Those of us who have been entrusted to serve the public have a responsibility to keep that trust,” Wamp wrote on X. “The Chattanooga Police Department is a revered law enforcement agency and I am confident it will thrive again under new leadership.” 

The TBI said special agents started investigating Murphy’s residency in April and “determined Murphy knowingly entered false information on several government documents related to establishing residency in Chattanooga, though swearing to their truth in signing the documents.” 

FORMER CHATTANOOGA POLICE CHIEF CELESTE MURPHY FACING CRIMINAL CHARGES ONE DAY AFTER HER RESIGNATION 

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Celeste Murphy served as the chief of the Chattanooga Police Department since April 2022. (Chattanooga Police Department)

Murphy, who was sworn in as police chief in April 2022 before resigning Wednesday, was charged with “one count of Illegal Voter Registration, one count of False Entries on Official Registration or Election Documents, three counts of False Entries in Governmental Records, three counts of Forgery, three counts of Perjury, and six counts of Official Misconduct,” the TBI added. 

The agency says Murphy surrendered Thursday morning at Hamilton County Jail before being booked and released after posting a $19,000 bond. 

ILLINOIS POLICE OFFICERS WILL NOT BE CHARGED IN DEADLY SHOOTING OF UNARMED MAN IN HIS HOME   

Former Chattanooga Police Department Chief Celeste Murphy

Celeste Murphy resigned from her position as chief of the Chattanooga Police Department on Wednesday, June 26. (Chattanooga Police Department)

Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly said Wednesday that he had “accepted the resignation of Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy, effective immediately,” according to WZTV.  

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“While the circumstances surrounding the situation have been challenging, I respect her desire to preserve the integrity of the Chattanooga Police Department,” Kelly reportedly said.  

Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp

Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp says Murphy being charged is a “sad day for our community.” (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call)

 

Harry Sommers, the Chattanooga Police Department’s current Executive Chief of Police, will now fill Murphy’s vacated role while the mayor’s office launches a search for the next chief, WZTV reports. 

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Southeast

Family dies in New York plane crash following Cooperstown baseball tournament: police

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A family of five from Georgia has died in a small plane crash in upstate New York after leaving a baseball tournament in Cooperstown, police say. 

The victims, identified as Harrison VanEpps, 10, James VanEpps, 12, Ryan VanEpps, 42, Laura VanEpps, 43 and Roger Beggs, 76, were killed Sunday afternoon in the accident near Lake Cecil Road in the town of Masonville, according to New York State Police. 

“All of the passengers are family members from the state of Georgia and were in Cooperstown, NY for a baseball tournament,” police said. 

“The plane departed from Alfred S. Nader Regional Airport in Oneonta, NY and was traveling to West Virginia to refuel with its ultimate destination as Cobb County International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia,” State Police added. 

SMALL PLANE CARRYING 5 PEOPLE CRASHES IN NEW YORK, OFFICIALS SAY 

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James VanEpps, 12, Laura VanEpps, 43, Ryan VanEpps, 42, and Harrison VanEpps, 10, were killed in a plane crash in New York Sunday, authorities said. (Courtesy)

Cooperstown is the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. 

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday called the incident “tragic,” and asked the public to join him and his family “in praying for the loved ones of the Beggs and VanEpps families,” WSB-TV reported. 

“We offer our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved them,” the governor reportedly added. 

A small plane crashed in New York

A single-engine Piper PA-46 crashed near Sidney, New York, on Sunday afternoon. Authorities are seen responding to the crash site. (WICZ)

The Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the crash along with the National Transportation Safety Board, told Fox News Digital that the plane involved in the crash was a single-engine Piper PA-46. 

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All those on board the plane died, the FAA added. 

MULTIPLE PEOPLE DEAD AFTER CAR CRASHES INTO NEW YORK NAIL SALON 

Piper PA-46-310P Malibu airplane

A Piper PA-46-310P plane, similar to the one involved in the crash in New York on Sunday, June 30. (aviation-images.com/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

An NTSB spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the agency is looking for witness reports as they “will be very helpful to the investigation.” 

“A multi-agency effort search of the area, with the utilization of drones, ATV’s and helicopters led to the discovery of debris and ultimately to the downed aircraft,” New York State Police said. 

 

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New York State Police added that its “Bureau of Criminal of Investigation, Collision Reconstruction Unit, and Forensic Identification Unit are working in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Board to determine the cause of the crash.” 

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Epstein grand jury records released, describe trafficker's network for 'grooming' underage girls

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Jeffrey Epstein, the sex-trafficking financier who died in federal custody while awaiting trial, had a network of groomed girls in Palm Beach, Florida, recruiting victims for him as far back as 2005, according to newly unsealed grand jury transcripts from a child trafficking case that he largely escaped with a slap on the wrist nearly 20 years ago.

The 176-page document contains new details about Epstein’s crimes, including specifics about cash payouts to teens who recruited one another for Epstein’s misdeeds, firsthand accounts from child sex-assault victims, and allegations of rape.

Palm Beach police initially opened the case after a fight between girls at a local high school, according to the transcript. One, just 16, had been accused of prostitution by a classmate, and a school official later found $300 in her purse, which originally came from Epstein, according to the documents. 

She testified that she had been instructed to concoct a fake life story and pretend to be 18 to get $200 to give Epstein a massage before the first time she met him. Then she revealed she was asked to strip down to her underwear and had a graphic sexual encounter with him.

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FLORIDA GOV RON DESANTIS SIGNS LAW WITH BIG POTENTIAL IMPACT ON EPSTEIN CASE

Jeffrey Epstein pictured in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Sept. 8, 2004. (Rick Friedman/Rick Friedman Photography/Corbis via Getty Images)

In a court order authorizing the release of the documents, Circuit Judge Luis Delgado warned that the contents were disturbing.

“It is widely accepted that Epstein is a notorious and serial pedophile,” the order reads. “The testimony taken by the Grand Jury concerns activity ranging from grossly unacceptable to rape – all of the conduct at issue is sexually deviant, disgusting, and criminal.   The details in the record will be outrageous to decent people.”

Joseph Abruzzo, who serves as Palm Beach County’s court clerk and comptroller, announced the release of the documents shortly before 3 p.m. on Monday, hours after a new Florida law took effect legalizing the release of grand jury materials in certain cases. Grand jury proceedings are typically kept secret.

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The transcript shows that prosecutors asked the victims if they were aware that they may have committed the crime of prostitution and did not describe Epstein as a “pedophile” in questioning before the grand jury. 

EPSTEIN CELLMATE, AN EX-COP, CONVICTED OF KILLING 4 PEOPLE

Prince Andrew Virginia Roberts

Photo from 2001 that was included in court files shows Prince Andrew with his arm around the waist of 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre who says Jeffrey Epstein paid her to have sex with the prince. Andrew has denied the charges. In the background is Epstein’s girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. (Florida Southern District Court) (U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals)

An investigator on the witness stand, however, referenced a March 14, 2005, phone call from a victim’s mother who was concerned about “sexual activity” involving her step-daughter.

“What had occurred was that [redacted] had gotten into a fight at [redacted] School,” the doc explains. “And subsequently, after the fight, they discovered $300 in her purse.”

“When questioning the $300, she had told ’em that she had received it from a man in Palm Beach.”

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The girl explained to a detective that she was taken to a house to massage “a wealthy man in Palm Beach,” – and the documents identified the man as Epstein.

PSYCHIATRIST HENRY JARECKI BLASTS EXPLOSIVE CLAIMS IN JEFFREY EPSTEIN ACCUSER’S NEW SEX TRAFFICKING LAWSUIT

A partially-redacted evidence photo shows various girls smiling for a picture on Jeffrey Epstein's Little St. James Island

A partially-redacted evidence photo shows various girls smiling for a picture on Jeffrey Epstein’s Little St. James Island in 2006. The documents pertaining to a 2017 civil lawsuit from Epstein-accuser Virginia Giuffre against Ghislaine Maxwell have been made public by a federal judge. (SDNY)

On page 102 of the document, a search of Jeffrey Epstein’s home found that a dildo was found in a bedroom. In earlier testimony, one of his underage accusers said he had offered her an extra $100 – on top of $200 for a massage – if she’d let him use a similar toy on her.

The documents also reveal one of Epstein’s victims being interviewed about the money she was given for acts she performed.

“And I was like, I got $300,” the girl said. “And I was like, kind – I was excited. $300.”

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One victim disclosed that she was 17 years old when she had sex with Epstein. The encounter took place on the day before her 18th birthday. Another said she was in her early teens when the financier used a sex toy on her and masturbated.

Mug shot of Jeffrey Epstein

Jeffrey Epstein mugshot, 2019. (Kypros/Getty Images)

“And for my birthday he gave me, like, a couple [of] bras and panties,” the victim said. She was also asked to stay in the room while Epstein had sex with Nadia Marcinko.

When asked if she wanted to have sexual intercourse with him, the victim answered no but said that it was “stupid of [her] to put myself in that situation.” A juror also asked the question, “Did he take away from your person, your being, your spirit?”

“Yes,” she replied. The witness also told jurors that she Epstein was well aware of her age at the time, but did not want to testify against Epstein.

“I would like to put it behind me for the most part,” she said. “I was successful until about two days ago.”

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Jury proceedings also revealed that a witness saw Epstein sexually assault a stripper.

“When Jeffrey entered [redacted], did she ask him to stop at all?”

A close-up of Jeffrey Epstein

Jeffrey Epstein in Cambridge, MA on 9/8/04. Epstein is connected with several prominent people including politicians, actors and academics. Epstein was convicted of having sex with an underaged woman. (Rick Friedman/Rick Friedman Photography/Corbis via Getty Images)

“She screaming no,” the witness replied. The witness also added that he later apologized and offered her a thousand dollars in return.

The documents also mention former President Bill Clinton, who knew Epstein. It was in relation to a girl mentioning the former president on her blog, according to the investigator on the witness stand.

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“There is a notion on one of her blogs, that she says she would like to meet Bill Clinton this week, because – and this is in quotes now – ‘Someone could be so famous for sucking his d–k; that’s how famous I could be.’” 

She did not accuse the former president of wrongdoing or indicate that she’d actually met him.

Recalled to the stand, Palm Beach Detective Joe Recarey testified that investigators found evidence that one of Epstein’s “assistants,” as his groomers were known, recruited a 23-year-old woman for Epstein, but he turned her away.

“He told her, the younger, the better,” he testified. “She brought a 23-year-old to massage him, and he told her that she was too old and he wanted someone younger.”

Epstein received a lenient punishment of just 13 months for the 2005 child sex case. As a result, a group of accusers in February announced a lawsuit against the FBI, alleging it failed to properly investigate him at the time, allowing him to continue harming children and young women for years.

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Kentucky Gov Beshear responds to rumors that he’ll run for president: 'It's flattering'

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Kentucky Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear told reporters Monday that even though President Biden’s recent debate performance was “rough,” he has no intention of sliding into presidential contention unless Biden bows out of the race.

Reporters asked Beshear what he thought about Biden’s performance in last week’s debate and whether he should remain in the race.

“Well, the debate performance was rough. It was a very bad night for the president,” the Kentucky governor said. “But he is still the candidate. Only he can make decisions about his future candidacy, so as long as he continues to be in the race, that’s important.”

The question came just days after the first presidential debate between Biden and former President Trump, which left many Democrats shocked and concerned about the current president’s performance. Biden’s rambling answers and raspy voice raised concerns about his age, mental state and whether he is fit to serve another four years.

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TOP HOUSE DEM ADMITS BIDEN DEBATE WAS A ‘SETBACK,’ CALLS FOR COMEBACK AFTER ‘UNDERWHELMING PERFORMANCE’

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear was asked about his thoughts on President Biden’s debate performance and whether he would consider sliding in to run for the top spot on the ticket in November. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley/File)

Following the debate, multiple Democrat figures and media outlets called for the current president to step out of the race and allow another Democrat to take the party’s spot at the top of the ticket.

When asked if he would slide into the slot if Biden were to bow out of the race, Beshear reiterated that only the president can determine his future as a candidate.

“He is the candidate, and as long as he is, I’m supporting him,” Beshear said.

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BIDEN DEBATE DEBACLE: 10 EYE-OPENING MEDIA RESPONSES, FROM MSNBC PANIC TO ‘THE VIEW’ CALLING FOR REPLACEMENT

Three shots of Biden during the debate

Voters have expressed concerns over Biden’s age and capability to serve a second term after the debate. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images | Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

But he also told reporters that he was flattered when people mention his name as someone being considered to lead the party as a presidential candidate.

“I think it’s a reflection of all the good things going on in Kentucky. As compared to the rest of the country, the temperature’s been turned down here,” Beshear said.

He explained that state Democrats and Republicans are excited about the jobs the state has created as well as the record-low unemployment and decreases in overdose deaths, among other things.

BIDEN REPORTEDLY HUMILIATED BY DEBATE PERFORMANCE, LACKS CONFIDENCE: ‘IT’S A MESS’

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Democrat Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speaking at an event

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley/File)

Beshear said he thinks the rest of the country is turning to the things being done in Kentucky, and he talked about how a Democrat governor and a Republican general assembly can get good results.

“I think the answer to that is everything is not partisan, and people are tired of the clashes, day in and day out,” he said. “So, when they look at what we have done in Kentucky, they see a better future that’s beyond some of the back-and-forth that we see on the federal level.”

Biden has not bowed out of the race, though he was reportedly humiliated by his debate performance and “devoid of confidence,” according to an NBC News report that cited a person familiar with the president’s mood.

“It’s a mess,” the source reportedly told NBC News.

The outlet reported that several prominent Democrats expressed concern in private over Biden’s chances of beating Trump in November after his debate performance. However, they remain steadfast in their support for Biden in public.

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During a speech at a New Jersey fundraiser on Saturday, the president acknowledged he didn’t have a “great night.”

“Research during the debate shows us converting more undecided voters than Trump did, in large part because of his conduct on Jan. 6,” he said. “People remember the bad things during his presidency.”

Biden’s campaign said it has raised $27 million since his debate performance.

Fox News Digital’s Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.

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