Southeast
Meet Fani Willis' GOP challenger for the top prosecutor job in deep-blue Georgia
Embattled Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis is facing a GOP challenger in the race for her post as district attorney this November, the first time a Republican has sought the office in more than two decades.
Courtney Kramer, an Atlanta-based attorney, is likely to face Willis in November, assuming Willis defeats her one Democratic primary challenger, which she is expected to do.
Kramer says she is running for office “because the citizens in Fulton County deserve someone who is going to fight for their safety, restore integrity and public confidence back into the office and advocate at the highest level for justice.
“Right now, we do not have a district attorney who is doing her job and, instead, victims are being languished and justice is being delayed for not just the victims, but their families, as well. Fulton County deserves an ethical, moral and honest DA who is committed to the job and the will of the people,” Kramer told Fox News Digital.
GEORGIA COURT OF APPEALS TO REVIEW TRUMP’S BID TO DISQUALIFY DA FANI WILLIS
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Wills will likely face GOP challenger Courtney Kramer in November. (Getty Images I Courtney Kramer )
Willis has come under significant scrutiny for her handling of the sweeping racketeering case against former President Trump related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Trump and his co-defendents’ bid to have Willis disqualified from the case is before the Georgia Court of Appeals. Willis was accused of having an “improper” affair with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor she hired in her election interference case against Trump.
After days of hearings, a Georgia judge said Willis could stay on the case but only after Wade was removed. Willis is also under investigation by Georgia state legislature committees.
Kramer, an associate at the Katz Legal Group in Atanta, also worked in the Office of White House Counsel in the Trump administration in 2019. She said Willis “has made a mockery of the legal profession and the judiciary.”
“Using her position to pursue political prosecution is not part of the oath you take when you become DA,” Kramer said.
FANI WILLIS SUGGESTS SHE WON’T TESTIFY IN ‘UNLAWFUL’ GEORGIA SENATE INVESTIGATION
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis during a hearing in the case of the State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump at the Fulton County Courthouse March 1, 2024, in Atlanta. (Alex Slitz-Pool/Getty Images)
“The job of the district attorney is to ensure safety in the community, put criminals away and make sure victims are being advocated for. Here, Willis is not zealously advocating for the people of Fulton County, she’s zealously advocating for herself,” Kramer said.
Kramer said she would have to recuse herself from the Trump litigation due to her own conflict of interest, having worked with co-defendants in the case.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS INVITE NATHAN WADE TO ‘INTERVIEW’ WITH JUDICIARY COMMITTEE REGARDING TRUMP ELECTION CASE
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis testifies during a hearing in the case of the State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump at the Fulton County Courthouse Feb. 15, 2024, in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer-Pool/Getty Images)
Kramer says Willis “cannot discern when she has a conflict of interest.”
And Kramer added that if she’s elected, she plans to “immediately analyze the backlog of cases and figure out where our resources are going and where they are most needed.”
“Transparency and accountability are needed now more than ever, and I hope to give that to the citizens of Fulton County,” she said.
Kramer’s bid is considered a long shot. Fulton County is a notoriously Democratic stronghold. Trump won only 26% of the vote in 2020.
But she is hopeful the tide will turn.
“This should not be about right versus left but about right versus wrong,” she said.
Willis did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Southeast
Repeat offender truck driver charged with bank robbery after claiming C-4 explosives, firing on officers: feds
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A North Carolina truck driver, who is a repeat offender, has been federally charged following a bank robbery and a shootout with law enforcement, authorities said.
Willie Edward McGee Jr. is charged with bank robbery and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, according to a complaint.
Authorities said that McGee entered a First Citizens Bank in Zebulon, North Carolina, on Dec. 26, and demanded money from a teller while claiming to have C-4 explosives. The teller gave him $3,234, and McGee fled in a semi-truck, they said.
Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies responded to an armed bank robbery investigation that led to the arrest of Willie Edward McGee Jr. in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina)
Deputies with the Rocky Mount Police Department said that McGee’s truck was found in a Hobby Lobby parking lot following the initial robbery.
According to surveillance and officers at the scene, McGee allegedly exited the vehicle armed with a Ruger AR-style 5.56 rifle and fired at officers.
Police returned fire and struck McGee. No law enforcement officers or civilians were injured. While taking McGee into custody, officers recovered the AR rifle he allegedly used to shoot at officers and a handgun from his waistband.
No officers or members of the public were injured as law enforcement safely took the suspect into custody after a coordinated response in Rocky Mount. (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina)
McGee, according to records reviewed by WRAL-News, has a lengthy criminal history. The local outlet said that the suspect has dozens of charges dating back more than 20 years.
WRAL reported that he has offenses spanning from Duplin, Wake and Durham counties.
Federal and local law enforcement recovered guns and evidence following the arrest of a suspect charged with armed bank robbery and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina)
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche called the incident “domestic terror.”
“As alleged, this defendant didn’t just rob a bank — he threatened innocent civilians with explosives and then opened fire on police officers,” Blanche said. “That is not desperation, it is domestic terror. Thanks to the extraordinary courage and professionalism of our law enforcement partners, he is alive, in custody, and facing decades in federal prison.”
“Let this serve as a warning: if you bring violence into our communities or target the men and women who protect them, this Department of Justice will meet you with the full weight of the federal government and ensure you are removed from the streets for a very long time.”
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The investigation remains active. Anyone with further information about the alleged crimes is asked to please call the FBI at (704) 672-6100. Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina, for comment.
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Southeast
Homeless drifter accused of killing Barnes & Noble Christmas shopper blamed ‘fight or flight’ outburst: report
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The man accused of fatally stabbing a woman inside a Palm Beach Gardens Barnes & Noble days before Christmas had traveled through several states before entering Florida, authorities said Tuesday.
Palm Beach Gardens police identified the suspect as Antonio R. Moore, 40, and said he is accused of killing 65-year-old Rita B. Loncharich inside the popular bookstore on the evening of Dec. 22.
Investigators said Moore is not a Florida resident and had moved through multiple states, including through Georgia and North Carolina, before coming to Florida. Police said Moore boarded a bus on Dec. 15 from Orlando to Titusville and then traveled onward into Palm Beach County.
Antonio Moore, 40, is facing a murder charge following the alleged stabbing at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (Google Maps/Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office)
WOMAN IN FLORIDA BARNES & NOBLE STABBED TO DEATH, POLICE SEEK MOTIVE
According to the arrest affidavit obtained by WFLX Fox 29, Moore entered the bookstore around 7:29 p.m. and Loncharich arrived shortly afterward. Investigators said Moore approached Loncharich in a store aisle and stabbed her in the back with a pocketknife.
According to the Palm Beach Post, Moore allegedly told police a “fight or flight” response overtook him, and he took a fixed-blade knife from his jacket pocket. He reportedly told police that he stabbed Loncharich because she was the closest person to him at the time and said he did not have any prior interaction with her.
A Barnes & Noble location in San Diego, Calif. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
Bystanders helped the victim until first responders arrived, the local outlet reported. Loncharich was transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center, where she died during surgery.
MAN WITH VIOLENT CRIMINAL HISTORY ON PAROLE ALLEGEDLY STABS TEEN TO DEATH: OFFICIALS
Police received a 911 call at 7:52 p.m. and located Moore several blocks from the scene minutes later. He was taken into custody without incident.
Moore, who police say is homeless, told investigators he had no prior relationship with the victim and offered no motive for the attack. According to authorities, he admitted to sitting in the store charging his phone just before the stabbing.
Jail records from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office show that Moore was booked on a charge of first-degree premeditated murder. He is being held without bond.
The Palm Beach Gardens Police Department said it is searching for a motive in the Barnes & Noble stabbing. (Palm Beach Gardens Police Department)
Local family members and community members described Loncharich as a “kind, gentle” person whose life was cut short during what should have been a routine holiday outing.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.
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Southeast
University of Alabama student suffers ‘severe head injury’ while on family vacation in Caribbean
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A University of Alabama student reportedly suffered multiple skull fractures and other injuries after he fell while on vacation with his family in the Caribbean.
A GoFundMe page set up for Matthew Polaski and his family reads, “What should have been a joyful time together quickly became every parent’s worst nightmare.”
“Mike, Steph, Matthew, and Evan were on a family vacation in the Dominican Republic during the holidays while Matthew was home on winter break from his freshman year at the University of Alabama,” the GoFundMe page added.
“On December 28th, Matthew suffered a severe head injury after a fall. He was rushed to a local hospital where doctors performed emergency surgery to relieve swelling on his brain and save his life. He remains in critical care and was placed in a medically induced coma,” it continued. “Once stabilized, Matthew was transported by international medical flight to Miami, where his treatment continues.”
POLICE SHOULD BE TAKING ‘CLOSER LOOK’ AT COLLEGE STUDENT’S DEATH AFTER MOTHER’S ALLEGATIONS: FORMER PROSECUTOR
Matthew Polaski, left, is recovering after suffering a fall while on a family vacation to the Dominican Republic, a GoFundMe page said. (GoFundMe)
The circumstances of the fall were not immediately clear.
“University staff have been in touch with the family to offer support, and our thoughts are with Matthew and his loved ones during this time,” the University of Alabama told Fox News Digital in a statement.
The GoFundMe describes Polaski as a “hardworking, respectful young man with a deep passion for gymnastics.”
“He recently began his college journey at Alabama, joined Sigma Pi fraternity, and has his whole future ahead of him. Mike and Steph have always been unwavering in their support — traveling to countless meets, tournaments, and college visits to help Matthew pursue his dreams,” it added.
AMERICAN TOURIST ATTACKED BY SHARK IN VACATION HOT SPOT
Matthew Polaski was vacationing with his family in the Dominican Republic when he suffered the fall, the GoFundMe page said. (iStock)
An update posted Wednesday on the GoFundMe page described how Matthew Polaski suffered “skull fractures, fractured pelvis and lower back vertebrate fractures.”
“They reduced sedation and checked motor responses, both arms and legs responded on chest stimulation, another good early sign. Much is still being determined with mostly with the head injury for unknowns,” the update added. “Probably the most emotional update as a parent, Matthew started motion on his own, opened his mouth, and squeezed Steph’s hand in responses. I can’t imagine how many tears Steph had in that moment.”
The Robbinsville Police Department in New Jersey said Matthew’s father used to be its chief.
The GoFundMe page said Matthew Polaski’s medical bills in the Dominican Republic have reached nearly $75,000.
Polaski is a first-year student at the University of Alabama, according to the GoFundMe page. (Getty Images)
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“International medical transport costs alone are estimated between $35,000 and $55,000. Unfortunately, insurance provides very limited coverage for international medical care, and even with insurance, medical expenses in the U.S. add up quickly. This is only the beginning,” it said.
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