Southeast
TikTok star Ava Majury’s stalking case against schoolmate dismissed after dad shot another alleged stalker
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NAPLES, Fla. – A Florida choose on Monday dismissed a stalking case TikTok star Ava Majury introduced towards her juvenile schoolmate.
The 15-year-old lady testified in a Collier County, Florida, courtroom towards a boy from her highschool in a felony stalking case.
Her father, Rob Majury, filed the stalking grievance in January towards the juvenile from Naples, who was accused of intimidating and following Ava beginning in 2021 after a separate stalking incident.
Ava Majury in a Collier County courtroom on March 28, 2022. (Credit score: Fox Information/ Audrey Conklin)
Ava alleged that regardless of her college’s 2,300-student inhabitants, the juvenile “was at all times behind” her or in her basic neighborhood in school, “it doesn’t matter what,” through the fall 2022 semester. She accused the boy of going out of his method to comply with her round college for months and exhibiting as much as an October assembly for the ladies’ soccer workforce on which she performed regardless of not enjoying sports activities or having a connection to the workforce.
“I used to be terrified. I took myself out of many issues that I really like. … I took myself out of soccer once we have been headed to state mid-season,” Ava stated in her Monday testimony, including that she has “nightmares about every part” and feels “scared at evening.”
Ava has since been pulled out of college.
The case follows a separate stalking incident that led to chaos in July 2021 when an alleged 18-year-old stalker named Eric Rohan Justin from Maryland confirmed as much as her Florida house with a shotgun. Her father – a former New Jersey police officer — shot and killed Justin, who had been following Ava for months on social media and hounding her for footage.
FLORIDA TIKTOK STAR WHOSE DAD GUNNED DOWN ARMED HOME INVADER TO TESTIFY AGAINST ANOTHER ALLEGED STALKER
Majury and her attorneys argued that the accused juvenile had been in communication with Justin who, in Ava’s phrases, “tried to homicide” her household.
Ava says she had blocked Justin in response to inappropriate requests for “specific content material” and that he was harassing her and her pals. She additionally blocked the accused juvenile stalker, whom she stated started to comply with her in class after the taking pictures incident in her Monday testimony.
Ava Majury testifies in a Collier County courtroom on March 28, 2022. (Credit score: Fox Information/ Audrey Conklin)
Regardless of blocking the juvenile, she turned to him often for details about Justin as a result of she knew the 2 had been involved with one another. The juvenile despatched Ava photographs of his Snapchat conversations with Justin at her request. In a single such dialog, Justin despatched the juvenile a grape emoji with the phrase, “I wish to [grape emoji] her, bro,” which Ava defined throughout her testimony meant “rape.” Snapchat can detect written the phrase “rape” however not the grape emoji.
The boy took photographs of conversations with Justin on his telephone utilizing an iPad as a result of he did not wish to screenshot the conversations. When one Snapchat person screenshots a dialog, different customers concerned in that dialog get an alert notifying them of the screenshot.
The juvenile’s legal professional argued that he was voluntarily sending Ava details about Justin in an try to assist her and that Ava’s testimony didn’t represent the definition of stalking.
The choose deliberated for about 10 minutes after the hour-and-a-half-long listening to, finally deciding to dismiss the case.
Ava Majury in a Collier County courtroom on March 28, 2022. (Credit score: Fox Information/ Audrey Conklin)
The social media star stated in a February assertion posted to her Instagram that she and her household have suffered because the incident. She deleted her fundamental TikTok account, although her Instagram web page continues to be reside however inactive.
“I’m not going to let one damaging factor…cease me from doing what I really like,” she stated Monday.
The case has highlighted the hazards of social media stardom and the way it can take a toll on not solely youth psychological well being however bodily safety.
Rob Majury and Kim Majury stated all they’ve “ever wished is one of the best for Ava.”
Ava Majury in a Collier County courtroom on March 28, 2022. (Credit score: Fox Information/ Audrey Conklin)
“Whereas changing into social media well-known was not within the plan, we assist our daughter’s endeavors fully,” the pair stated in a February assertion. “By no means in our wildest desires did we predict a enjoyable pastime might result in a near-death expertise.”
They continued: “We implore native authorities to take this horrifying ordeal significantly and oldsters to encourage their youngsters to report suspect exercise on social media and never be complacent or, worse, complicit in threatening habits that too usually results in tragedy.”
Majury downloaded TikTok when she was 13 and started posting movies of herself dancing. By the following 12 months, she had amassed 1,000,000 followers — three quarters of them male, in line with The New York Instances. Majury instructed the outlet that she was making upwards of $1,000 for a single promotional video because of her massive following.
In 2020, more than 30% of U.S. TikTok customers are between the ages of 10 and 29, in line with Taylor Cohen, international trade strategist for TikTok US. SEO (web optimization) professional Brian Dean marked the next quantity — 47.7% of U.S. customers between the ages of 10 and 29 — in a February weblog publish.
Eight attorneys basic are investigating TikTok’s impression on youth psychological well being as Congress cracks down on the damaging results of social media on youngsters.
Fox Information’ Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
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This year several crime victims took it upon themselves to fight back against their attackers, and videos captured the incidents. Here is a recap of some of 2024’s most notable examples.
ROAD RAGE RESPONSE
Back in March, a truck driver was attacked by a colleague on the road. Deputies were called to a Love’s Travel Stop for a report of shots fired during a road rage incident along Interstate 75 near Ocala, Florida, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) said.
The victim said he was driving a semi-truck southbound on Interstate 75 when Dylan Belleastin, 43, threw a water bottle at his truck.
FIERY CHAOS AT FLORIDA INTERSECTION HAS SHERIFF’S OFFICE SEARCHING FOR DOZENS OF SUSPECTS
“The footage clearly depicted him shooting at the victim at two separate times,” MCSO said. (Marion County Sheriff’s Office)
“The victim pulled over to confront Belleastin but decided against it and drove away,” MCSO said on Facebook. “Belleastin then continued to follow the victim and eventually pulled alongside him again, at which time he fired several shots toward the victim.”
Deputies say the victim decelerated in an attempt to avoid being struck before returning fire toward Belleastin “out of fear for his own life.”
Dash camera footage from Belleastin’s semi-truck cab “clearly depicted him shooting at the victim at two separate times,” MCSO said. The suspect was arrested days later, and charged with aggravated assault, criminal mischief, and displaying a firearm during the commission of a felony.
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BIKINI BARISTA STRIKES BACK
In June, the owner of a Seattle bikini espresso shop defended her decision to smash a customer’s windshield with a hammer after he threw coffee at her.
The incident at Taste of Heaven Espresso was caught on camera at 3 p.m. June 11 and shared in a now-viral social media video. Emma Lee, 23, told FOX 13 Seattle it was not the first time the customer had been disrespectful, and she wants him held accountable for his actions.
What transpired on video was the culmination of a 15-minute exchange over the price of a 32-ounce coffee and 24-ounce water, Lee said. The price tag was $22.
“You don’t get to name your own price,” Lee told FOX 13, adding the man screamed, spit and tried to pry open the business’ window. “It was a threat. I felt in danger. It’s OK for him to be outraged about the price of his drinks, enough to assault me, but it’s not appropriate for me to respond?”
Police can be seen at the espresso stand taking a report of the alleged assault. (FOX 13 Seattle)
CARJACKING THWARTED
In October, a D.C. bartender was attacked on video while at a gas station by three teenagers who tried to take off with his Jeep.
The suspect, Randy White, told FOX 5 DC the teens demanded his belongings. He instead fought back until the trio eventually gave up and left the gas station.
“Where I grew up, it’s just… I work too hard for what I have,” White told the local Fox station. “I can’t give up my property like that. It’s not in me. I wasn’t raised that way. I was just hoping that they would see that I am resisting them and they would’ve just given up or went off, but that wasn’t the case. I was able to keep them occupied and fight them off long enough that they ended up cutting their losses and hitting bricks.”
QUICK-THINKING CALLER
Not all who fought back did so physically.
Also in October, a Florida woman who was being held captive prior to an alleged attempted rape called 911 to order a “pizza.”
“I would like to order a pizza,” a 911 call shared by Volusia Sheriff’s Office on social media starts out. “I’m so stuck in here.”
The suspect is caught by deputies on top of the victim in a field in Volusia County, Florida, on Oct. 19, 2024. (Volusia Sheriff’s Office)
“OK. Are you aware you’re calling 911?” the dispatcher asks the female caller, who responds, “Yes, I’m sure I’m calling to that number.”
Dispatchers were able to “triangulate her phone,” Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood said, explaining that the victim did not know her location. The victim was able to tell the dispatcher she was being held by an unarmed man. Once her location was determined, deputies were sent out.
The victim can be heard screaming for help in shared body camera footage.
“He’s trying to rape me. Can you help me?” she asked.
“Thank you, Lord!” she repeatedly said while crying, after being rescued. “Thank you, Jesus.”
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Southeast
Two Hurricane Helene victims, a family of four and a Vietnam veteran, gifted campers on Christmas Day
Two families in North Carolina who were impacted by Hurricane Helene received the gifts of a lifetime on Christmas Day – a new place to call home.
The first recipient was the Penley family, of Boone, North Carolina, who lost everything during the storm.
The family of four was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday following the birth of their second child and was planning on moving into a homeless shelter until EmergencyRV stepped in.
“We weren’t gonna have that at EmergencyRV. We got this trailer here for them and it’s going to be a great place for them to stay now,” the company said in a video posted on X.
PUPPIES RESCUED FROM HURRICANE HELENE TO BE REHOMED WITH MILITARY VETERANS, FIRST RESPONDERS
The Penley family (pictured with EmergencyRV founder Woody Faircloth and his daughter on the far right), of North Carolina, was gifted a camper from EmergencyRV on Christmas Day after losing their home to Hurricane Helene. (EmergencyRV/X)
The RV gifted to the Penleys will comfortably fit their family, which consists of two adults, a toddler and a newborn. It has a bedroom on one side of the camper and two sleeping areas on the other side, along with a nice-sized bathroom and a large kitchen area with seating at a table and a couch.
The second recipient was Timothy McCord, a 70-year-old Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam. Helene tore the roof off of his camper, where he continued to live despite experiencing leaks and other damage.
EmergencyRV traveled to Canton, North Carolina, to gift him a brand-new camper after McCord’s daughter contacted the company explaining that he needed help.
“You helped me turn my life around and I appreciate it,” McCord said when his new home was delivered.
Timothy McCord, 70, was gifted a brand-new camper by EmergencyRV after Hurricane Helene ripped the roof off the camper he was living in. (EmergencyRV/X)
HURRICANE HELENE VICTIM GIFTED A TINY HOME JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS AFTER HELPING STORM-RAVAGED COMMUNITY
EmergencyRV is a non-profit organization that provides housing to displaced survivors of natural disasters and has gifted 77 campers to people impacted by Helene since the storm wreaked havoc in the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee at the end of September. The RVs are gifted completely free with a clean title in the recipient’s name.
The organization said it has 700 families on its waiting list who have been fully vetted and are truly in need of help following a natural disaster.
The brand-new camper that was donated and delivered to Timothy McCord through EmergencyRV. (EmergencyRV/X)
“We take this seriously as we have limited resources,” the organization said on X. “We also ensure that the family has a legal and safe place to park an RV before we will gift it and deliver to them.”
Though they prioritize veterans and first responders, EmergencyRV said they have helped families and singles who lost their home or suffered serious damage in Helene.
EmergencyRV was established by Woody Faircloth and his then 6-year-old daughter in 2018 in response to the deadly Camp Fire in Paradise, California.
Their goal was to raise enough money to bless one family impacted by the fire with a RV. They were able to do that and have since donated hundreds of RVs to victims of wildfires and other natural disasters.
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A Florida man was arrested for his 35th time right before Christmas, after stealing a car and attempting to escape authorities.
Kevin Campana, 31, was taken into custody on Monday after allegedly breaking into a local auto repair shop in Edgewater, Florida and stealing a customer’s car while wearing no shoes, according to the Edgewater Police Department.
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