Southwest
Tennessee couple transporting $3M in suspected cocaine killed in shootout with authorities in Texas
A Tennessee couple found transporting millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine was killed in Texas on Thursday during a traffic stop shootout with law enforcement, authorities said.
Edward and Elizabeth Stevenson were first identified through undercover buys of illegal drugs, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
The undercover work allowed investigators to get a search warrant for the Stevensons’ home, where detectives uncovered nearly a pound of suspected methamphetamine, suspected fentanyl, multiple firearms, body armor and ammunition on Thursday, the sheriff’s office said.
During the search, detectives learned that the Stevensons were driving a semi-truck through Texas with illegal drugs and were armed.
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“Both Edward and Elizabeth had made previous statements that they would die by ‘suicide by cop’ if law enforcement attempted to stop them,” the sheriff’s office said.
Detectives immediately alerted the Donley County Sheriff’s Office in Texas and Texas Department of Public Safety about the couple.
When deputies in Donley County tried to pull over the semi-truck, the couple continued to drive for several miles before coming to a stop, officials said.
Edward and Elizabeth then exited the vehicle and opened fire on deputies and troopers, the sheriff’s office said. The Stevensons were killed in the ensuing shootout.
POLICE BUST FINDS OVER 700 POUNDS OF DRUGS INSIDE TRANSFORMERS STATUES
Authorities searched the couple’s vehicle and found about 64 pounds of suspected cocaine valued at an estimated $3.4 million. The sheriff’s office said the drugs appeared to be en route to Tennessee.
Putnam County Sheriff Eddie Farris blamed open border policies that are making it “much easier for Mexican cartel members and their associates” to traffic illegal drugs into smaller communities.
Farris said the cocaine seized from the Stevensons would likely have been mixed with fentanyl before being sold to individuals.
The sheriff thanked community members for calling in anonymous tips about the couple.
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“Anytime you see anything that you feel is suspicious, please call us and we will investigate it,” Farris said. “In this particular incident it most likely saved lives.”
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Southwest
Man dressed up as iconic Halloween villain scares drivers in standstill traffic: video
Arizonans stuck in standstill traffic were recently entertained — and terrified — by a costumed driver who went rogue this weekend.
Driver Ryan Blauvet posted the footage in a Facebook group for Prescott residents on Sunday. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, the dashcam video was filmed near Black Canyon City, which is located around 45 minutes north of downtown Phoenix.
In his social media post, Blauvet said that the incident took place on Interstate 17. Drivers were stuck in standstill traffic for hours.
The video shows a man in a Michael Myers-like mask holding a knife and creeping around the side of the road.
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Dressed in black clothing and resembling the “Halloween” character, the man appeared to gawk at the cars’ windows and license plates.
“This afternoon, traffic was parked on the 17 for 2+ hours,” Blauvet wrote on Facebook. “I saw Michael Myers running around and decided to blast the Halloween theme song.”
“He fell into character and made the wait more fun,” he added.
Blauvet also shared a video of him fist-bumping the man. In his Facebook post, the Arizonan said that he didn’t catch the man’s name.
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“If anyone knows who this was feel free to forward to him or tag him,” he wrote.
The video was met with amusement by local residents who enjoyed the video. The footage got over 1,000 likes in the local Facebook group.
“The world needs more of this kind of light hearted fun right now. Thanks for sharing,” one Facebook user wrote.
“That’s too cool!” another said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Blauvet for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
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Los Angeles, Ca
Tickets to World Series celebration at Dodger Stadium sell out
Tickets to the upcoming World Series celebration at Dodger Stadium have sold out, according to the ticket webpage.
Fans were able to purchase tickets beginning at noon. The event will include live entertainment, including parade coverage on Dodger Vision scoreboards, food and exclusive Dodgers merchandise.
Fans attending the stadium event can enter beginning at 9 a.m., with gates opening for parking at 8:30 a.m.
For fans who couldn’t score a ticket, the boys in blue will participate in a World Series parade on Friday starting at 11 a.m.
The parade will start at L.A. City Hall, then take a right-hand turn on 1st Street and travel down Grand Avenue. After driving down Grand, the team will turn again on 5th Street and wrap up near the L.A. Central Library.
The Los Angeles Dodgers won their 8th World Series title by beating the New York Yankees Wednesday night.
More information about the event at Dodger Stadium can be found here.
Southwest
Texas school system rocked by million-dollar teacher cheating scandal
A teacher certification scandal is rocking the Houston area, according to a statement by Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg on Monday.
The scheme involved hundreds of teachers taking false examinations, given out by the suspects who charged per certificate, with many being falsely certified.
The cheating ring unmasked at least five people allegedly involved in the million-dollar cheating scandal leading to fraudulently certified teachers working in the district. At least three of those charged were Houston Independent School District (HISD) employees, including two assistant principals and a high school basketball coach.
Officials believe the basketball coach at Booker T. Washington High School was the ringleader and that he made about $1 million from the scheme, charging $2,500 per certificate, although some paid more.
Ogg said the scheme goes back as far as May 2020, and it is believed that hundreds of tests have been faked and investigators say at this time approximately 20 teachers have come forward with confessions.
“The extent of this scheme will never be fully known, but we know that at least 400 tests were taken and at least 200 teachers falsely certified,” Ogg said.
Ogg also said at least two of those who paid to obtain the fake certification were charged with indecency with a child as well as online solicitation of a minor.
“It’s very troubling,” Mike Levine, a felony chief in the DA Office’s Public Corruption Division, said. “Because teachers — especially teachers and coaches who help influence children’s behavior — we count on them for their moral compass. A part of what they do goes beyond their mastery of their subject matter.”
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Chargers are pending for:
- Vincent Grayson, 57: Head boy’s basketball coach at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston ISD, Grayson is accused of organizing the scheme.
- Tywana Gilford Mason, 51: Former director and certifying official at the Houston Training and Education Center, Mason allegedly helped conceal the proxy scheme as a test proctor.
- Nicholas Newton, 35: Assistant principal at Booker T. Washington High School, Newton reportedly acted as a proxy test-taker in the cheating ring.
- Darian Nikole Wilhite, 22: Proctor at TACTIX, Wilhite is accused of taking bribes to allow proxy testing.
- LaShonda Roberts, 39: Assistant principal at Yates High School, Roberts is alleged to have recruited nearly 100 teachers to participate in the scheme.
Each defendant faces two counts of engaging in organized criminal activity.
“The most important thing to me is that the ringleaders have been identified and are being routed out of our home school district. The fact that they held positions of power there, where they were held in esteem by the children, is the very worst part of this crime,” Ogg said.
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A HISD spokesperson claims the district wasn’t aware of the scheme until right before the arrests and that all employees were immediately placed on leave.
“HISD was made aware of the investigation into an alleged cheating conspiracy shortly before arrests were made. Any educator who engages in conduct of this nature abdicates their responsibility to our students and to our staff and represents a complete betrayal of the public trust. HISD will cooperate fully with the Texas Education Agency and state and local law enforcement as the investigation progresses. All three of these employees have been arrested and will be receiving notifications relieving them of their duties effective immediately.
“Additionally, if it is determined that any teachers currently working in HISD participated in this scheme or passed their certification exams fraudulently, we will take swift action to terminate their employment with the District.”
The DA’s office urges anyone with information about these certifications to contact local police or Crime Stoppers.
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