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Prosecutor rules Fayetteville officers justified in fatal shooting of armed suspect Brandon Poulter

3Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Arkansas

Prosecutor rules Fayetteville officers justified in fatal shooting of armed suspect Brandon Poulter

FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. – The use of lethal force by two Fayetteville Police Department officers has been ruled justified in the September 2025 shooting death of 42-year-old Brandon Poulter. According to Fourth District Prosecuting Attorney Brandon Carter, the officers' actions were consistent with Arkansas law. On September 7, 2025, Fayetteville Police officers responded to reports of gunfire at an apartment complex in the 300 block of North Garnet Court. As officers attempted to make contact with individuals inside the apartment, additional gunshots were fired from within, targeting both the officers and an armored vehicle. The suspect, identified as Brandon Poulter, continued to engage officers with gunfire. Officers returned fire, striking Poulter. He was later found deceased i...

Former volunteer coach Alejandro Mendoza faces 24 felony charges involving child victims across four Arkansas counties

3Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Arkansas

Former volunteer coach Alejandro Mendoza faces 24 felony charges involving child victims across four Arkansas counties

PRESCOTT, ARK. – A Texarkana man is facing 24 felony charges following an ongoing investigation into sex crimes involving multiple juvenile victims across four Arkansas counties. File Photo (October 2024) According to the Arkansas State Police, Alejandro Mendoza, 35, was charged on October 1, 2025, in both Nevada and Hempstead Counties. The charges include rape, indecency with a child by exposure, sexual grooming of a child, internet stalking of a child, and multiple counts of engaging children in sexually explicit conduct. The investigation began in July 2024 when the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the Arkansas State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Mendoza was first arrested on September 11, 2024, and a $250,000 bond was set at...

St. Joe man sentenced to life without parole for killing wife and abusing her corpse

3Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Arkansas

St. Joe man sentenced to life without parole for killing wife and abusing her corpse

ST. JOE, ARK. – A St. Joe man has been sentenced to life without parole plus 10 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to Capital Murder and Abuse of a Corpse in the death of his wife. According to court records, Jeffery Stansbery, 76, pleaded guilty on Friday, October 3, 2025, in Searcy County Circuit Court to the charges stemming from the death of Amanda Stansbery, 43, also of St. Joe. On September 5, 2024, the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division assisted the Searcy County Sheriff’s Office after deputies discovered Amanda Stansbery deceased at her Chipley Road home. Deputies had been dispatched for a welfare check after Jeffery Stansbery reportedly told staff at Cox Medical Center in Branson, Missouri, that he had harmed his wife...

Braelin James, 17, charged with murder in shooting death of 15-year-old Kenneth Payne

3Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

Braelin James, 17, charged with murder in shooting death of 15-year-old Kenneth Payne

HOUSTON, TX – Charges have been filed against a 17-year-old suspect arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a juvenile male that occurred at a gas station in southwest Houston. According to Houston Police, the shooting occurred around 7:15 p.m. on September 19 at 5330 North Braeswood Boulevard. Witnesses told police that a disturbance broke out between two groups at the gas station. As the groups began to leave, shots were fired toward one of the vehicles, striking 15-year-old Kenneth Payne. HPD patrol officers later responded to a hospital at 7600 Beechnut Street around 7:50 p.m., where Payne had been transported. He was pronounced deceased by hospital staff. Through the course of the investigation, detectives identified Braelin James, 17, as the suspect. He was arr...

Judge Lina Hidalgo blames GOP for shutdown, warns of health care impact on Harris County

3Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

Judge Lina Hidalgo blames GOP for shutdown, warns of health care impact on Harris County

HARRIS COUNTY, TX – Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued a statement criticizing the federal government shutdown, attributing it to the administration’s refusal to address rising health care costs. File Photo (August 2025) “The government is closed because the administration refuses to protect American citizens from soaring healthcare costs,” said Judge Hidalgo. She warned that the shutdown could significantly impact local residents, stating that nearly 670,000 Harris County residents who access health care through the Affordable Care Act would face increased premiums. She also cautioned that the county’s public hospital system could become overburdened, placing strain on the local health care safety net. Judge Hidalgo called on Republicans to “come to the table and agree to...

16-year-old identified as victim in fatal stabbing near Katy Freeway

3Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

16-year-old identified as victim in fatal stabbing near Katy Freeway

HOUSTON, TX – Houston Police have identified the victim in a fatal stabbing that occurred around 7:50 a.m. on Tuesday, September 30, in the 4500 block of the Katy Freeway (West Interstate Highway 10) service road. The victim has been identified as 16-year-old Franklin Torres-Concho. He was found unresponsive in a vacant lot at the location, suffering from multiple stab wounds. Paramedics pronounced him deceased at the scene. According to the Houston Police Department, Torres-Concho was known to frequent the Katy Freeway area near Shepherd Drive, Yale Street, W. 11th Street, and Washington Avenue. At this time, there are no known suspects or motive in the case. Anyone with information is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or speak anonymously with Cri...

Rialto police respond to 911 text threat of armed individual at Joe Baca Middle School

3Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

California

Rialto police respond to 911 text threat of armed individual at Joe Baca Middle School

BLOOMINGTON, Calif. – October 3, 2025 – According to the Rialto Police Department, officers responded to Joe Baca Middle School in the 1600 block of S. Lilac Avenue at approximately 12:25 p.m. on October 2 after a text to 911 reported an armed individual on campus. The school was placed on lockdown while officers, assisted by surrounding agencies, conducted a systematic search. No armed individual was located, and the lockdown was lifted. Detectives traced the phone used in the report to the campus at the time of the notification. Subscriber information led investigators to an address in Bloomington, where they determined a minor student possessed the device and had made the false report. The student was released to family, and the phone was seized as evidence. The motive remains...

Florida man arrested in connection with Searcy County homicide of his sister

2Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Florida

Florida man arrested in connection with Searcy County homicide of his sister

DELAND, Fla. – October 2, 2025 – According to the Arkansas State Police Communications Division, a Florida man has been arrested in connection with the July homicide of his sister in Searcy County, Arkansas. On October 1, 2025, at approximately 3 p.m., the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office in DeLand, Florida, arrested Mark R. Brown, 68, on a charge of Capital Murder in the death of Mona Sloop, 69, of Leslie, Arkansas. Sloop was found deceased at her residence on Shady Grove Road in Searcy County on July 22, 2025. The arrest followed a joint investigation conducted by the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division, the Searcy County Sheriff’s Office, and the 20th Judicial District Drug Crimes Task Force. Arkansas State Police Special Agents and Searcy County investigat...

Explosion at downtown Houston high-rise injures six workers

2Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Houston

Explosion at downtown Houston high-rise injures six workers

HOUSTON, TX – Six construction workers were injured following an explosion at a high-rise hotel under construction in downtown Houston. https://youtu.be/cuQ5Qq8FRR4 According to the Houston Fire Department, firefighters were dispatched at 11:08 a.m. on October 2, 2025, to 1319 Texas Street. Upon arrival, responders found multiple injured individuals on the street in front of the 17-story building. A primary search of the structure revealed two additional individuals, who were guided to the triage area. In total, six workers sustained thermal burns and lacerations and were transported to the hospital. There were no reports of fire or smoke inside the building. The explosion caused several windows to blow out and parts of the building’s façade to detach, prompting the establishmen...

Study: Farm conservation most cost-effective method to save Colorado River water

1Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

California

Study: Farm conservation most cost-effective method to save Colorado River water

RIVERSIDE, CA – A new study from UC Riverside’s School of Public Policy concludes that agricultural conservation is the most economical strategy for preserving Colorado River water, outperforming infrastructure projects such as reservoirs, canals, and wells. File Photo (September 2025) The analysis, led by graduate student Paloma Avila and conducted in partnership with the Utah Rivers Council, evaluated 462 federally funded water conservation and supply projects from 2004 to 2024. The projects totaled roughly $1 billion in 2023 constant dollars, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The study found that agricultural conservation programs cost as little as $69.89 per acre-foot of water saved, while infrastructure supply efforts averaged more than $2,000 per acre-foot. ...