Southwest
Texas officer sues former department after life 'crushed' by dropped rape charge
![Texas officer sues former department after life 'crushed' by dropped rape charge Texas officer sues former department after life 'crushed' by dropped rape charge](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/cop.jpg)
A Texas police officer is suing investigators for allegedly ignoring evidence that would have exonerated him from a rape accusation that he says ruined his life and took months to undo.
The officer, Freddie Douglas, was arrested in December after the girlfriend of one of his longtime friends accused both him and her boyfriend of raping her. The charges were eventually dropped, but Douglas’ lawsuit argues police were aware of evidence that would have exonerated the two men but refused to look into it and moved forward with the arrests regardless.
The girlfriend, identified in the complaint as Amanda Zawieruszynski, alleged that both Douglas and her boyfriend, John Marks, raped her at Marks’ home on Nov. 8, 2023. The complaint details that she “claimed that she tried to fight Marks off,” and that Marks then “pushed her over to Douglas who had sex with her while she was trying to fight him off.” Marks and Douglas were arrested in December and Marks immediately protested that surveillance footage from inside his home would contradict the accusation.
The lawsuit, filed by attorney Mike Kerensky, says both men did have sex with Zawieruszynski, but that it was entirely consensual.
TEXAS JUDGE SEEKS TO KEEP SUSPECTED SERIAL KILLER BEHIND BARS FOR LIFE: ‘HE NEVER, EVER HAD REMORSE’
Freddie Douglas, left, stands with attorney Mike Kerensky on Aug. 22 in front of Manvel City Hall. (Fox News)
“Douglas met AZ [Zawieruszynski] for the first time at the home of John Marks.… It was the day before Freddie Douglas’ birthday. He and John Marks had planned to go to a Rockets game that night,” the lawsuit says, adding that Zawieruszynski texted Marks several times to arrange plans for her to meet them at his house after the game.
The lawsuit goes on to say that Zawieruszynski came to the house and the three had a few drinks, but “no one became intoxicated.”
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“At some point, John Marks and AZ started having consensual sex in the pool. After that, AZ wanted to have sex with Freddie Douglas and did. This sexual activity was completely consensual on the part of all involved,” the lawsuit says.
Approximately a month later, the complaint states, Zawieruszynski went to the Manvel Police Department and claimed that the two men had raped her.
Fox News Digital’s efforts to reach Zawieruszynski, who is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, were unsuccessful.
Douglas worked with the El Campo Police Department, and his chief informed him on Dec. 7 that the MPD were arresting him. According to the complaint, Douglas immediately informed the arresting officers that the footage from inside Marks’ home would exonerate him, but they moved forward with the arrest anyway.
Subsequently, other MPD officers were recorded entering Marks’ home and discussing the footage, but they made no apparent effort to investigate it, the lawsuit claims.
![Freddie Douglas and his lawyer delivered the lawsuit to Manvel City Hall.](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1725314236_371_Texas-officer-sues-former-department-after-life-x27crushedx27-by-dropped.jpg)
Freddie Douglas and his lawyer delivered the lawsuit to Manvel City Hall. (Fox News)
Footage from Marks’ front door camera obtained by Fox News Digital shows police officers discussing the footage. One said Douglas and Marks had mentioned it during their arrests. Another officer pondered that perhaps Zawieruszynski “did consent.”
Footage shows that an officer noticed the door camera a few minutes later and they moved away, mentioning that it would be recording them.
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“Within minutes of Freddie Douglas’ arrest, the Manvel Police Department knew that there was objective evidence that would determine who was being truthful, AZ or Douglas and Marks,” Douglas’ lawsuit alleges.
The MPD contested the lawsuit’s version of events in a statement to Fox News Digital. MPD Chief Keith Taylor argued that “that there has been misinformation provided to the news outlets from these individuals and their attorneys representing them.”
He said he could not discuss the specifics of the case due to the pending litigation, however. He nevertheless said it was “false” that MPD investigators knowingly disregarded evidence that would have exonerated Marks and Douglas.
![Police discuss case](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1725314236_915_Texas-officer-sues-former-department-after-life-x27crushedx27-by-dropped.jpg)
Police officers with the Manvel Police Department discuss Freddie Douglas’ case outside John Marks’ home. (Fox News)
“This is a false claim as this evidence was presented to the district attorney’s office and the Grand Jury. This is required by law; all evidence including exculpatory evidence be presented. It will further be shown through the legal process these claims and allegations are false,” Taylor said.
The charges against Douglas and Marks were dropped after Douglas approached the Brazoria County district attorney. The DA’s office says Manvel police never approached them about the case and that if they had, the office would never have recommended charges.
When the MPD pressed on with the case regardless, the DA convened a grand jury. It ultimately threw out the charges.
Read the full article from Here
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Los Angeles, Ca
AAA offers tips to dodge peak traffic as travelers return from Labor Day trips
![AAA offers tips to dodge peak traffic as travelers return from Labor Day trips AAA offers tips to dodge peak traffic as travelers return from Labor Day trips](https://ktla.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/07/GettyImages-148421596-e1718230859335_cf22a7.jpg?w=800)
Whether you are returning from a weekend getaway or cross-country road trip, experts with AAA shared tips outlining when motorists should hit the road to avoid peak traffic as people return home from their Labor Day vacations.
For drivers planning to return home on Monday, AAA advised them to hit the road any time before 10 a.m. as 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. would be the “worst time to drive” home.
Motorists planning to return home on Tuesday should hit the road after 1 p.m. as 8 a.m. to noon are likely to be peak travel times for many commuters.
“Drivers should expect the most severe traffic jams before the holiday weekend as commuters mix with travelers,” Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX, said in a statement. “Monitoring traffic apps, local news stations, and 511 traveler information services may help drivers navigate around congestion and reduce driver frustration this Labor Day.”
In the event of any car troubles, AAA recommends drivers to:
- Pull as far over on the shoulder as safely possible to create more distance between your vehicle and passing traffic.
- Turn your hazard lights on so other drivers know you are there.
- Get to the nearest exit or stopping point if possible.
- Call for assistance
- Remain with your vehicle as long as it’s safe.
- Watch out for oncoming traffic when exiting your vehicle and avoid turning your back to traffic when possible.
This year, AAA expected millions of Americans to take domestic or international vacations to celebrate the end of the summer travel season
Southwest
El Paso on high alert as dangerous Venezuelan gang described as 'MS-13 on steroids' surges into US
![El Paso on high alert as dangerous Venezuelan gang described as 'MS-13 on steroids' surges into US El Paso on high alert as dangerous Venezuelan gang described as 'MS-13 on steroids' surges into US](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GettyImages-2133578241.jpg)
The Mexican border state of Chihuahua is on alert for members of a violent Venezuelan gang called Tren de Aragua, or TdA, after receiving reports that members of the gang were moving through the state to cross into the U.S. near El Paso, Texas.
Chihuahua Secretary of Public Safety Gilberto Loya warned Monday that Mexican authorities have seen a large number of individuals they believe are members of TdA operating in the state and passing through to cross the U.S. border with Mexico near El Paso, according to a report from the Latin Times.
The report comes after the Treasury Department in July sanctioned TdA as a transnational criminal organization, noting that the gang has committed human trafficking, extortion, money laundering and drug trafficking that pose a “deadly criminal threat” across the Western Hemisphere.
VIDEO SHOWS ARMED GANG AT TROUBLED COLORADO APARTMENT BUILDING BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN TAKEN OVER BY MIGRANTS
A Texas National Guard soldier stands on patrol near the banks of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas, on April 2. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
“Tren de Aragua leverages its transnational networks to traffic people, especially migrant women and girls, across borders for sex trafficking and debt bondage,” the Treasury Department said in a statement at the time. “Tren de Aragua members often kill them and publicize their deaths as a threat to others.”
U.S. officials warned earlier this month that the gang, which originated in Aragua, Venezuela, is infiltrating the U.S., while Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas., has described TdA as “MS-13 on steroids.”
“They’re extremely aggressive. It’s not as if they’re a passive group, or they want to quietly go about things,” Gonzales said in a phone interview with Fox News Digital earlier this month. “They’re coming from Venezuela, one of the most war-torn countries over the last decade. So, they’re battle-hardened in many ways. And they’ve made this trek from there to here. But they are also becoming… more organized and more brazen.”
![floating buoy barrier in Rio Grande](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1725287656_703_El-Paso-on-high-alert-as-dangerous-Venezuelan-gang-described.jpg)
Migrants try to cross the border between Piedras Negras, Mexico, and Eagle Pass, Texas, on Aug. 4, 2023. (David Peinado Romero/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
VENEZUELAN GANG TREN DE ARAGUA GIVES ‘GREEN LIGHT’ TO MEMBERS TO ATTACK COPS: OFFICIALS
Members of the gang are suspected of being behind a recent video that captured a group of men armed with handguns and rifles bursting through the doors of an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, that residents say has been overrun by gang activity.
“This is organized. They patrol the property with guns visibly, like they’re not trying to hide them. There’s no repercussion. These are ghosts,” said one resident who spoke with Fox News Digital on the condition of anonymity.
The gang has been seen dealing drugs from the apartment building, another resident told Fox News Digital, while Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky told Fox News Digital that “without a doubt that there is sex trafficking now going on” when it comes to TdA’s activities in the city.
![Tren de Aragua gang members rush apartment door](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1725287656_665_El-Paso-on-high-alert-as-dangerous-Venezuelan-gang-described.jpg)
Alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang have overtaken an apartment building in Aurora, Colorado, charging rent in exchange for protection. (Edward Romero)
In Mexico, Loya said that the group has been responsible for multiple homicides in Central Mexico and that it is his hope the border state can get out in front of the problem.
“We have detected — thanks to collaboration with the United States — that a large number of people who belong to Tren de Aragua have passed through Chihuahua,” Loya said, according to a translation by Border Report. “Seeing what is going on in [Central Mexico], we want to be ahead of the curve here in Chihuahua.”
Neither the White House nor U.S. Customs and Border Patrol immediately responded to Fox News Digital requests for comment.
Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.
Read the full article from Here
Los Angeles, Ca
LAPD drug bust turns up 43 pounds of crystal meth, handgun, cash
![LAPD drug bust turns up 43 pounds of crystal meth, handgun, cash LAPD drug bust turns up 43 pounds of crystal meth, handgun, cash](https://ktla.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/09/Copy-of-mug-or-photo-crop-2024-09-02T060927.306.png?w=900)
The Los Angeles Police Department announced the arrest of a suspect and the seizure of 43 pounds of crystal meth during a drug bust.
According to LAPD Central Bureau Assistant Commanding Operations Officer Lillian L. Carranza, the Narcotics Enforcement Detail recovered the meth during a raid.
The exact date and location of the raid were not disclosed.
In addition to the drugs, police also recovered $11,000 in cash and a handgun.
“In the past, this [would] be a seizure by [Los Angeles County District Attorney’s] Major Narcotics Division,” Carranza said in a post to X. “These days, [it’s] so much more common…drug dealers come from other areas to [prey] on those addicted to drugs in Skid Row.”
The identity of the person taken into custody was not released.
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