Author Archive

Newsday
By John Hildebrand and Jim Baumbach
1/14/25

NYS Board of Regents Reviews Plan to ‘Fast Track’ Teaching-License Suspensions Over Sex Abuse Accusations

Teachers accused of sexually abusing students could face “fast-track” license suspensions under a proposed rules change reviewed Monday by the state’s policymaking Board of Regents.

If approved at the Regents next meeting on May 5 in Albany, the new regulations could provide for speedier, temporary removal of accused teachers from their classrooms until all appeals in their cases are settled, state education officials said. However, those accused would be entitled to summary hearings before temporary license suspensions were imposed.

Decades of Allegations

The

News 12 Long Island
By Jonathon Gordon
1/08/25

Officials: Suffolk County Police Officer Charged with Child Sex Abuse, Suspended Without Pay

Suffolk County Police Officer Sean Mahony has been with the department for 22 years.

Law enforcement officials confirm Suffolk County Police Officer Sean Mahony has been suspended without pay following his arrest last month.

According to court records, Mahony pleaded not guilty on Monday to two counts of child sex abuse and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

According to defense attorney Anthony La Pinta, Mahony is accused of touching a young boy

News 12 Long Island
By News 12 Staff
1/09/25

Grand Jury Indictment Handed Down Against Man Accused of Abducting Patchogue Teen

Francis Buckheit pleaded not guilty to the charges he is facing. His attorney, Danielle Papa, said, “he’s emotional, he’s upset, maintains his innocence.”

A grand jury indictment was handed down Thursday against a man accused of abducting a Patchogue teen and restraining her on a boat.

Francis Buckheit, 64, was arrested on Jan. 3 and charged with kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child in connection to the 14-year-old girl who was missing for

NBC News 4 New York
By Tom Shea
1/08/25

Long Island Girl, 9, Punched and Slashed While Trying to Stop Attempted Murder: Police

A 9-year-old girl was punched in the head and slashed on her hands as she tried to break up a fight that escalated into an attempted murder inside a Long Island home, according to police.

The violence stemmed from an argument between Milton Mendez and a 39-year-old woman in the Uniondale home around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nassau County police said. As the fight intensified, the 45-year-old Mendez grabbed a kitchen knife and

LongIsland.com
By Chris Boyle
01/03/25

Suffolk DA Tierney: Kangal Shepherd  Puppies Rescued From Ronkonkoma House

Owner Munim Raghid charged with Animal Cruelty for the Second Time in 30 Days; Two Puppies Available for Adoption.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Munim Raghid, 26, of Ronkonkoma, was arrested on January 2, 2025, by members of the District Attorney’s Biological, Environmental, and Animal Safety Team (BEAST) and charged with one count of animal cruelty and four counts of criminal contempt in the second degree.  The defendant had been previously charged with animal cruelty, in December

Newsweek
By Newsweek’s network of contributors
1/09/25

Garth Brooks Delivers Tribute at Jimmy Carter’s Funeral Amid Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Garth Brooks and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, stepped out this week to honor their longtime friend, the late President Jimmy Carter, at his funeral in Washington, D.C. Their appearance comes amid the sexual assault lawsuit against the 62-year-old “Friends in Low Places” singer.

On Wednesday, January 9, the country music power couple performed an acoustic rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine” at the National Cathedral. Brooks strummed his guitar while harmonizing with Yearwood, 60, as a choir joined