Southwest
Texas father detained in Russia sentenced to 21 years in penal colony despite 'almost no evidence'
A Russian court sentenced a Texas father to 21 years in a penal colony on charges of child abuse Tuesday, despite “almost no evidence” and multiple U.S. investigations that resulted in no charges.
David Barnes, 66, was accused of abusing his two sons in 2018 and 2014 by his then-wife, Russian Svetlana Koptyaeva. Police in Houston investigated both allegations at the time and found no reason to file charges.
“Frankly, I’m horrified,” Barnes’ defense attorney, Gleb Glinka, told ABC News outside the courthouse. “There was almost no evidence that the court could base that verdict on.”
Koptyaeva is alleged to have illegally taken her and Barnes’ children out of the U.S. in the midst of a custody dispute in 2019. Interpol then declared both sons missing, and the U.S. transferred custody rights to Barnes, though that could not be enforced because the children were taken to Russia.
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U.S. citizen David Barnes, 66, has been jailed for 21 years in a maximum security penal colony in Russia on child molestation charges originally investigated in the U.S., after being raised by his Russian ex-wife Svetlana Koptyaeva, when a decision was taken not to pursue criminal action. (East2West)
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Montgomery County prosecutors also charged Koptyaeva with felony interference with child custody and issued a warrant for her arrest.
“I do know that everyone that heard and investigated the child sexual abuse allegations raised by Mrs. Barnes during the child custody proceedings did not find them to be credible,” Kelly Blackburn of the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office told ABC News on Tuesday. “Mrs. Barnes’ interference with the child custody case is still pending, and the warrant for her is still active.”
David Barnes’ ex-wife, Svetlana Koptyaeva, is charged with interfering in a custody dispute by illegally taking her children from the U.S. to Russia. (East2West)
Barnes has been detained in Russia since January 2022, when his family said he traveled there to see his children and apply for visitation rights, according to ABC.
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Koptyaeva once again raised the abuse allegations soon after Barnes’ arrival. Russian authorities say they investigated the claims, though Montgomery authorities reportedly say they were never contacted by Russian officials about the issue.
David Barnes is one of several U.S. citizens being detained by Russia, including journalist Evan Gershkovich and U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. (East2West)
“I didn’t steal anyone,” Koptyaeva told ABC on Tuesday. “I was just protecting my kids.”
Barnes is one of several U.S. citizens currently being detained in Russia, alongside journalist Evan Gershkovich and U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. Unlike the latter two, however, President Biden’s administration at this point has not declared Barnes to be “wrongfully detained.”
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
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A man armed with a knife was shot by L.A. police officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call overnight, authorities said.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers with the Hollenbeck Division responded to an apartment complex in the 3000 block of Glenn Avenue in Boyle Heights at 1:45 a.m. Saturday after callers reported a male suspect was armed with a knife and had just assaulted someone in the complex.
Arriving officers found the suspect in front of the residence, but he did not comply with officers’ commands to drop the weapon. He then advanced toward the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred, LAPD confirmed.
“The suspect was struck by gunfire and remained non-compliant,” the LAPD Public Information Officer said on X early Saturday morning. “Officers deployed a 40mm foam round and ultimately took the suspect into custody.”
Video obtained by KTLA shows the man being loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital; officials said he was transported in stable condition, adding that his knife was recovered at the scene and booked as evidence.
No officers or community members were injured during the incident. The man’s name was not released.
Dangerous rip currents and high surf are forecast for Los Angeles County beaches, including the Malibu Coast this weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous beach statement, warning of the potentially deadly beach conditions. The dangerous conditions are forecast to last from Saturday evening to Monday morning.
“There is an increased risk of ocean drowning,” the NWS forecast reads. “Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats nearshore.”
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A guide to surviving rip currents from the National Weather Service (NWS)
Minor Beach erosion and coastal flooding is possible through the weekend. The flooding is most likely to occur during evening high tides from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Beachgoers are advised to stay out of the water and remain near lifeguard towers. Jetties and tidepools are also especially dangerous during the weekend forecast.
“Rock jetties can be deadly in such conditions, stay off the rocks,” the NWS forecast reads.
Similar hazardous beach conditions are also in the forecast for Santa Barbara County. A high surf advisory is also in effect for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties this weekend, where 10 to 15-foot waves will be possible.
If you live or want to live in Los Angeles, the city controller has released a new dashboard highlighting some of the city’s most notorious problem rental properties, a tool designed to help renters avoid future headaches.
“This project comes at a time when tenants are reporting harassment and illegal evictions violating the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance, Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance and Tenant Anti‑Harassment Ordinance, but very few of the complaints end up leading to strong enforcement or real accountability,” L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia said in a media release Thursday.
The new Top 100 Problem Rental Properties dashboard includes a searchable database of all residential addresses with reported housing violation cases within the city of Los Angeles, a ranked list of the 100 addresses with the most violations and an interactive map.
“There has never before been an uncomplicated way for anyone to look up years’ worth of violations by address,” Mejia said in the release.
Data for the dashboard was compiled from multiple sources, including the Los Angeles Housing Department, Los Angeles City Planning and the L.A. County Assessor’s Office, according to the controller’s office.
The release also identified the top three addresses with the highest number of reported housing violations:
1. 636 1/2 North Hill Place, Chinatown
192 housing violation cases
2. 11700 West Wilshire Boulevard, Sawtelle
166 housing violation cases
3. 6650 West Forest Lawn Drive, Hollywood Hills
113 housing violation cases
“Our new dashboard is an easy‑to‑understand public tool that we hope will help renters and organizers document patterns of harm, as well as put pressure on both landlords and the City to act,” Mejia said. “Everyone deserves safe, stable and dignified housing.”
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