ALBUQUERQUE, NM - 40-year-old New Mexico man has been charged over arson attacks that targeted the headquarters of the Republican Party and a Tesla showroom in Albuquerque, the Justice Department announced.
The DOJ said Monday that 40-year-old Jamison Wagner had been arrested by the FBI over the attacks, which burned out two Teslas and left significant damage to the GOP headquarters in Albuquerque. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the DOJ would be seeking 40 years in prison for Wagner if he is convicted.
Wagner was charged with two counts of malicious damage or destruction of property by fire or explosive.
“Let this be the final lesson to those taking part in this ongoing wave of political violence,” Bondi said. “We will arrest you, we will prosecute you, and we will not negotiate. Crimes have consequences.”
The DOJ said that it had identified Wagner through evidence left at the scene of the attacks and surveillance footage. Click here to read more.
MONTGOMERY, AL - An illegal alien from China who was sentenced last year for setting fire to a historic Alabama church in 2021 is now accused of escaping the federal prison where she was serving her sentence.
On September 30, 2021, 31-year-old Xiaoquin Yan of China set four fires in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church Montgomery in Montgomery, Alabama. Yan caused tens of thousands of dollars of damage to the church, which was founded in 1829; its existing sanctuary has been around since 1916.
Yan had been scoping the church out for months prior to the fire and had referred to the church’s pastors as “rich white men.”
After her conviction, Yan was sentenced to serve 102 months at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, in March of last year. Yan first arrived in the United States on an F-1 student visa but overstayed her visa and had been living as an illegal alien.
This month, a federal grand jury in New Haven, Connecticut, indicted Yan for allegedly escaping the federal prison. According to the indictment, Yan fled the prison on Dec. 10, 2024, but was arrested by agents later that day. Click here to read more.
NORTHERN MICHIGAN - A northern Michigan family now has food and clothes thanks to Michigan State Police who purchased these resources after responding to an eight-year-old grocery shopping for their family alone.
In early March, a concerned cashier contacted MSP, and they decided to do a welfare check at the local grocery store.
During the investigation, troopers found the family was going through a difficult time, and decided to help them, according to MSP.
Troopers contacted the Traverse City Post victim advocate who utilized funds from the MSP-DHHS Safety Net Partnership to purchase food, clothes, and diapers for the family, according to MSP. Click here to read more.
ST. LOUIS, MO - A Missouri man who survived being shot in the head on a first date has released a memoir about the fateful evening and his road to recovery.
Chris Smith, now 52, was shot in the head in November 2021 while on a first date with 45-year-old Leslie Reeves, a woman he’d met online. The two had just returned to Smith’s home when they were both shot, leaving Reeves dead and Smith in a coma.
Investigators would later learn Reeves’ ex-boyfriend, Robert Tarr, followed the two to the home before breaking in and shooting them. Last year, Tarr was sentenced to 85 years in prison by a judge in Montgomery County, Illinois.
After the shooting, Smith’s life changed forever. He was in a coma for nearly two months, suffered two strokes and needed six brain surgeries. The bullet is still lodged in his brain. Click here to read more. Click here to read more.
KALAMAZOO, Mich - Pfizer has halted the development of its experimental weight loss pill, danuglipron, following a report of a liver injury potentially linked to the drug during trials.
The pharmaceutical giant announced the decision on Monday, citing concerns over patient safety.
In a statement, the company said, "The patient's liver enzymes recovered rapidly after they stopped taking the pill." Danuglipron is an oral GLP-1 medication designed to control appetite and regulate blood sugar, offering a more convenient alternative to the current injectable treatments.
Pfizer is among several companies striving to innovate in the weight loss medication market, which Wall Street analysts predict could exceed $150 billion by 2030.
