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Georgia city to pay $55,000, train officers on free speech after veteran arrested for 'panhandling'

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Georgia city to pay ,000, train officers on free speech after veteran arrested for 'panhandling'

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A city in Georgia will change its free speech policies and pay $55,000 to settle a lawsuit, more than two years after police arrested a veteran for allegedly panhandling.

Jeff Gray, an Army veteran and self-described First Amendment auditor, frequently travels around the southeast, stands on public property, and holds a sign saying “God bless the homeless vets.” He does this to test officials’ reactions, and frequently captures video of police who accuse him of illegal protesting or panhandling.

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Police handcuffed and detained Jeff Gray in Alpharetta, Georgia, after people complained that he was panhandling outside city hall. Gray said he wasn’t asking for money, simply holding a sign, but panhandling is protected under the First Amendment anyway. (Courtesy of Lacy Jessica Photography)

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In January 2022, Gray’s camera was rolling while he held his sign outside Alpharetta City Hall and called out, “God bless the homeless vets” to people who passed by. Soon, a police lieutenant approached him and said two people had reported Gray for panhandling.

“I’m not panhandling, I’m just saying, ‘God bless the homeless veterans’ on public property,” Gray can be heard saying in the video as Lt. Arick Furr handcuffed him. Furr also took Gray’s camera and turned it off, telling Gray it was to preserve the battery, according to audio still being recorded on Gray’s Apple Watch.

Another officer “joined in the detention” and “interrogated and berated Gray before eventually releasing him” without charges, according to the lawsuit. But when he tried to resume his sign-holding, police again asked him to leave, and Gray complied.

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With the help of the nonprofit Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), Gray sued the city of Alpharetta in 2023.

The city settled last month, agreeing to change its policies and pay $55,000. Most of that will go to Gray, while a portion will pay his lawyers.

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“Alpharetta officers tried to run [Gray] out of town because they thought holding a sign was disorderly conduct,” FIRE attorney Adam Steinbaugh said in a statement. “They’ll think twice next time.”

The city must also provide “two hours of First Amendment training” to each officer per year in 2024 and 2025. The training will mostly focus on freedom of speech and its relationship with assembly rights, the right to record police activity, the use of profanity toward officers and refusals to answer officers’ questions, according to the settlement.

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Alpharetta officials and Furr’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Even if Gray had been panhandling, the First Amendment protects people’s right to ask others for money, FIRE pointed out. Yet police in the city of about 67,000 residents stopped people on numerous occasions and threatened them with citations or arrest, according to public records obtained by FIRE.

Police are now prohibited from making blanket statements that panhandling is illegal, according to Alpharetta’s new policy, which took effect July 18.

“However, officers may explain that ordinances or state law limits panhandling in certain areas or manners, provided that explanation accurately conveys existing ordinances or state law,” the new policy adds.

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Alpharetta officers accused of violating the First Amendment will also face a higher level of internal investigation, according to FIRE.

Army veteran and retired truck driver Jeff Gray frequently tests officials’ response to activities he says are protected by the First Amendment, like holding a sign on public property. (Courtesy of Lacy Jessica Photography)

FIRE also represented Gray in lawsuits against two other Georgia cities.

In Blackshear, police cited Gray for holding his sign without a permit, and in Port Wentworth, Gray was arrested for refusing to leave the area outside city hall where he was holding his sign, according to the lawsuits.

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Both lawsuits were settled last year.

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Southeast

Atlanta-area police blast parents over vodka martini packed in school lunch: ‘That is NOT apple juice’

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Atlanta-area police blast parents over vodka martini packed in school lunch: ‘That is NOT apple juice’

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An Atlanta-area police department issued a blunt notice to parents after officers claimed a child brought a vodka-based beverage to school — tucked beside Doritos in a packed lunch.

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The City of South Fulton Police Department sounded off about the incident in a now-viral Facebook post, warning parents to “CHECK. THE. LUNCHBOX.”

“Say Twin… Before you send them babies off to school… CHECK. THE. LUNCHBOX. Because why are we getting reports of juice boxes sitting next to… Cutwater margaritas??” the department wrote.

Officials also shared a photo of the alleged lunchbox, containing what appears to be a child’s lunch, Doritos and a Cutwater Lemon Drop Martini.

The police department shared a photo of a Cutwater canned cocktail in a lunchbox. (City of South Fulton Police Department via Facebook)

“That is NOT Capri Sun. That is NOT Apple Juice. That is a whole ‘Parent had a long night’ starter pack,” the department wrote. “Now little Johnny done pulled up to 3rd period talking about: ‘Who want fruit snacks?’ knowing good and well he got a Lemon Drop Martini in the zipper pocket.”

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Cutwater Lemon Drop Martinis, as found in the lunchbox, are 11% ABV ready-to-drink cocktails made with vodka, triple sec, lemon juice and natural flavors.

They come in 12-ounce cans, similar in appearance to a soda can.

The City of South Fulton Police Department issued a statement after the apparent mishap. (City of South Fulton Police Department via Facebook)

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The department said it understands mornings can be hectic, but issued a stern notice to parents to “TIGHTEN UP.”

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“Your child shouldn’t be the only one in the cafeteria with a beverage that requires an ID,” authorities wrote. “If it says 12% ABV… it does NOT belong next to a PB&J.”

Officials also provided a “quick parent checklist,” with items including: “Homework,” “Lunch packed,” and “Alcoholic beverages.”

Boxes of Cutwater Tiki Rum Mai Tai and Strawberry Margarita canned cocktails. (Gado/Getty Images)

“Check the lunchbox before the Fulton County Schools Police resource officers gotta do inventory at recess,” the department added.

It is unclear if any parents or students were disciplined in relation to the mix-up.

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Fulton County Schools did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The City of South Fulton, Georgia, is a rapidly growing municipality located about 20 minutes from Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

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Federal prosecutor admits ‘extraordinary’ timing in Abrego Garcia smuggling case charges

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Federal prosecutor admits ‘extraordinary’ timing in Abrego Garcia smuggling case charges

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A federal prosecutor acknowledged Thursday that the decision to charge Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia two years after a routine traffic stop was “extraordinary” while defending the human smuggling case as legally justified.

Abrego Garcia, 31, has become a flash point in the national immigration debate since last March, when he was deported to El Salvador in violation of a 2019 court order in what Trump administration officials acknowledged was an “administrative error.” 

The Supreme Court later ruled that the administration had to work to bring him back to the U.S.

After returning in June, Abrego Garcia was taken into federal custody in Nashville and detained on human smuggling charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee.

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He has pleaded not guilty and is seeking dismissal of the charges on the grounds of vindictive and selective prosecution.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia and his wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura, left, are accompanied by Lydia Walther-Rodriguez, right, of We Are Casa, as they leave the federal courthouse, Thursday, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A 2019 court order prevents Abrego Garcia from being deported to El Salvador after an immigration judge determined he faced danger from a gang that had threatened his family. He immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager and has been under the supervision of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

Abrego Garcia was accused in court records of repeated domestic violence against his wife, who alleged multiple incidents of physical abuse in protective order filings. She later withdrew the protective order request and has defended her husband publicly. 

The Department of Homeland Security has also said he was living in the U.S. illegally and has alleged ties to MS-13, disputing portrayals of him as simply a “Maryland man.” His attorneys have denied the gang allegations.

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Tennessee Highway Patrol body camera footage from when Abrego Garcia was pulled over for speeding shows a calm exchange with officers. While officers discussed suspicions of smuggling among themselves — noting there were nine passengers in the vehicle — Abrego Garcia was issued only a warning.

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A woman holds a sign in support of Kilmar Abrego Garcia in front of the U.S. District Court in Nashville. (Getty Images )

First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Rob McGuire, who was acting U.S. attorney in April 2025, testified Thursday that his decision to charge Abrego Garcia was based on the evidence.

“I had previously prosecuted several human smuggling cases,” McGuire said, noting that after seeing video of the traffic stop, “I was immediately struck by how similar what was being depicted in the body cam was to those investigations.”

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McGuire said Abrego Garcia’s vehicle belonged to someone with “a human smuggling background” and added that the route was “suspicious.”

“It was a large number of individuals traveling in one SUV with a driver who spoke for the group. No one had luggage… the car had Texas plates… the route was suspicious,” McGuire said.

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Kilmar Abrego Garcia arrived at the federal courthouse, Thursday, for a hearing on whether the charges against him should be dismissed. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

During cross-examination, McGuire acknowledged that the timing of the charges, coming so long after the traffic stop, was “extraordinary.”

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He said he had not previously been aware of the traffic stop but reiterated that nobody in the Trump administration, including the White House or the Department of Justice, pressured him to seek the indictment.

When asked about whether he might have felt pressure to prosecute the case, McGuire said, “I’m not going to do something that is wrong to keep my job.”

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Kilmar Abrego Garcia, right, and his brother Cesar Abrego Garcia, center, arrive at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Baltimore, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

McGuire also said timing factored into charging Abrego Garcia since he was being held in El Salvador, and he did not want the indictment to go public before all senior officials were briefed on the matter.

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“I knew from the get-go that this was going to be a controversial matter,” McGuire said.

U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw did not make a ruling Thursday and said he would wait to receive post-hearing briefs from attorneys by March 5 before determining whether another hearing is necessary.

Crenshaw previously found some evidence that the prosecution “may be vindictive” and that prior statements by Trump administration officials “raise cause for concern.”

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Thursday’s court appearance came after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from re-arresting Abrego Garcia into federal immigration custody on Feb. 17.

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Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch, Jake Gibson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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GOP Rep Nancy Mace introduces ‘Death Penalty for Child Rapists Act’

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GOP Rep Nancy Mace introduces ‘Death Penalty for Child Rapists Act’

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Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., has introduced a bill to authorize the death penalty as a potential punishment for the sexual abuse of children.

“We have zero mercy for child rapists. Those who prey on our most vulnerable deserve the harshest consequence we can deliver,” Mace said in a statement.

The proposal is aptly called the “Death Penalty for Child Rapists Act.”

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., announces she will run for South Carolina governor during a press conference at the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, on Aug. 4, 2025. (Tracy Glantz/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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“No predator should be allowed to walk away from the most unthinkable crimes against children,” Mace noted. 

“This bill is simple. Rape a child and you don’t get a second chance, you get the death penalty. We will never apologize for protecting America’s children,” Mace added.

The bill would put capital punishment on the table as an option to punish those who sexually abuse children.

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Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., attends the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C.  (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

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“INTRODUCING: The Death Penalty for Child Rapists Act to amend Title 18 to authorize the death penalty for aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse of a minor and abusive sexual contact offenses against children. It will also amend the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to authorize the death penalty for the rape of a child,” she said in a post on X.

“We’ve spent months fighting to expose Jeffrey Epstein’s network of powerful predators. We’ve demanded accountability and pushed for transparency. Now we’re making sure anyone who rapes a child faces the ultimate consequence,” she noted.

Mace has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since early 2021. 

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She is one of the candidates currently running in the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary.

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