Christopher Cronkite, Author at The American Retiree

Chester County man pleads guilty in death of his 12-year-old daughter

Rendell Hoagland was sentenced to life without parole plus additional decades for the death of 12-year-old Malinda Hoagland. WEST CHESTER, Pa. — A Chester County man pleaded guilty Friday to first-degree murder and related charges in the 2024 death of his 12-year-old daughter, admitting a pattern of abuse inside the family’s West Caln Township home that ended when the child collapsed and died at a hospital. Prosecutors said Rendell Hoagland, 54, entered the plea during …

Shooting call at Memphis apartments leads to 90-pound marijuana bust

Officers said a man was taken into custody after a search at the Greenline Apartments uncovered marijuana, guns and cash. MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A shots-fired call at the Greenline Apartments on North Highland Street late Tuesday led the Memphis Safe Task Force to a unit where officers later seized about 90 pounds of marijuana and several firearms, and arrested a 29-year-old resident, authorities said. The case matters because it started as a routine response to …

DC judge gives 40-year term in Ivy City hotel killing

Family of 31-year-old Christy Bautista fills courtroom as George Sydnor receives maximum sentence. WASHINGTON — A District of Columbia judge on Fri., Jan. 16, sentenced George L. Sydnor Jr., 46, to 40 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of 31-year-old Christy Bautista inside an Ivy City hotel room in March 2023, closing a high-profile case that drew a packed gallery and sharp emotions. The sentence marks the maximum prison term allowed for the charge …

Police seek two in pre-dawn bat attack on pregnant worker

Gheonna Lacy, a third-shift caretaker, says she recognized a woman involved; Racine’s violent crimes unit is leading the case. RACINE, Wis. — Detectives are searching for two people who ambushed a pregnant caretaker with a baseball bat outside a group home early Thursday, an attack captured partly on a doorbell camera and reported near Golf Avenue and Windsor Drive. Investigators said the assault unfolded just before 7 a.m., minutes after the overnight shift ended. Lacy, …

Four charged in killing of missing D.C. 14-year-old in Maryland

Police say the teen was lured to a College Park park and killed on Aug. 2; his remains were found in November. COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Prince George’s County police said Saturday that three men and a 17-year-old have been arrested and charged in the killing of Jefferson Amaya-Ayala, a 14-year-old from Washington, D.C., whose remains were found last fall in Indian Creek Stream Valley Park. Investigators said the case began as a missing person …

Teens flee after car crashes into southwest Houston home

Investigators say several teens ran off on foot; no injuries reported. HOUSTON — Houston police are investigating after a car plowed into a house along Carnelian Drive on Wednesday morning, prompting a neighborhood search for several teenage boys who fled before officers arrived. The crash was called in around 8:15 a.m. near the Westpark Tollway and South Kirkwood Road. The collision left the home’s facade damaged and a section of lawn littered with broken plastic …

Fugitive with nine felony warrants arrested after Hill Country spree

Investigators say the 26-year-old suspect targeted storm-hit areas and stole equipment meant for flood rescues. SAN ANTONIO, Texas — A fugitive wanted on nine felony warrants was taken into custody Monday after a brief chase on San Antonio’s North Side, ending a months-long investigation into burglaries spanning Kerr County and the San Antonio area, authorities said. Officials said the arrest closes a case that had frustrated residents rebuilding from the July 4 Hill Country floods. …

Handcuffed suspect dies after gun fires in patrol car

Florida’s state police is reviewing how a concealed weapon ended up in the back of a Nassau County deputy’s vehicle. YULEE, Fla. — A man in Nassau County Sheriff’s Office custody died Thursday after a gun he had concealed discharged while he was handcuffed in the rear of a patrol vehicle outside a Culver’s restaurant along State Road 200 just after noon, the sheriff’s office said. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement opened an independent …

Lyric Woods, Devin Clark slain; bodies found off utility trail

The Orange County case over the 2022 killings of Lyric Woods and Devin Clark halted Friday for a defense-side family emergency. HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — A judge recessed the double murder trial of Issiah Mehki Ross on Friday after a family emergency arose within the defense team, delaying what would have been the fifth day of proceedings in Orange County Superior Court. Testimony is set to resume Tuesday after the Martin Luther King Jr. Day court …

Telford man charged in four break-ins, rape of woman in 90s

Prosecutors say the overnight attacks in Towamencin spanned from May to November 2025. NORRISTOWN, Pa. — Montgomery County authorities charged John Vernon Gray, 22, of Telford, with rape, attempted rape, sexual assault and burglary after four late-night break-ins that targeted women living alone in Towamencin Township. Gray was arrested Jan. 10 and remains jailed after a judge denied bail. Prosecutors said the case involves four incidents in 2025, including the rape of a woman in …