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A jury convicted a man of 31 offenses Friday for plotting to fly illegal drugs, a cellphone and other contraband aboard a drone into a maximum-security state prison. Thaddeus C. Shortz, 25, of Knoxville, could face more than 50 years in prison for crimes that include contraband, drug, conspiracy and firearm convictions. His sentencing wasn’t scheduled. The Allegany County Circuit Court jury deliberated about two hours and 15 minutes after two days of testimony. The panel of eight men and four women convicted Shortz on all but four of the charged offenses. He was acquitted on two counts each of...

Investigators spoke to the suspect’s mother who said she found Hodge sitting on the floor next to a small fire on the rug. She began yelling at Hodge who then picked up the burning rug and set it outside next to wood siding, which caused minor fire damage. Sitting in a patrol car outside Hodge told investigators he was inside his room when he began to get in a bad mood due to a program he was watching about politics. He then burned a Syria hat with a lighter and placed it on the rug, all the while recording the...

Did you know it’s perfectly legal in Texas for an adult to send sexually explicit communications to minors online, as long as there is no clear intent to harm the child? The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has just overturned the prison convictions of seven men who did just that. They were serving sentences of two years to life, and now many more are also expected to be freed. It’s because the courts overturned a 2005 law that jailed such people, and now local parents and lawmakers are scrambling to protect the kids. The courts say anyone convicted before 2015...

Sometimes you are so hungry you say could eat a horse. But a Swedish rider has caused furore on social media by doing just that when her favourite steed had to be put down after suffering serious injuries. Harness racer Helena Ståhl turned her one horse – named Iffy Mant - into one course and is now defending her decision to do so after a fierce backlash. The 24-year-old told Swedish paper The Local: “For me there were no alternatives … to eat an animal that had a good life felt right for me.

An iconic Parisian canal is being drained for the first time in 15 years and a whole host of bizarre and unexpected objects have already surfaced. The Canal Saint-Martin is at the heart of the French capital’s 10th arrondissement, one of the city’s most exclusive and fashionable districts. But in recent years the area has developed a reputation for its lively nightlife, and a magnet for tourists and locals alike. Residents blame this surge in popularity as the reason for some of the more bizarre objects that have been discovered lurking in the canal. The last time the three-mile stretch...

Police said they obtained an arrest warrant for Cpl. Eric Jamal Johnson, 20, in connection with the shooting death of Sara Mutschlechner on Jan. 1. U.S. Marshals found Johnson at the north gate of the Marine Corps air station in Yuma, Arizona on Tuesday morning and took him into custody. The U.S. Marine Corps released a statement that said Johnson is a Marine. He is currently being held on a murder warrant in Arizona.

California-based Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX), which has a major presence in Houston, joins the growing list of businesses opting out of Texas’ open carry law. The company sent an email to employees on Dec. 31 notifying them that, “based on existing laws and company policy, no firearms (handguns, rifles or shotguns) are permitted inside Chevron office buildings.”... Texas' open carry law goes into effect Jan. 1. The law allows Texans with a concealed handgun license to openly carry a gun in a belt or shoulder holster. Several grocery stores, Houston's Galleria mall, San Antonio-based Whataburger and Austin-based Torchy's Tacos are...

Couch and his 48-year-old mother disappeared earlier this month, prompting officials in Tarrant County, Texas, to issue a warrant for his arrest... Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said that when the Couches arrive back in the United States, the young man will appear in juvenile court and his mother will be arrested. The sheriff told a news conference that the two had had a going-away party before leaving the United States... The two were captured at the crossing of two streets near the popular Malecon, or boardwalk, in Puerto Vallarta. A police booking picture from Mexico showed the previously blond...

However, the exit month and date on Malik's passport was illegible, Goodlatte said, citing a translation provided by the Congressional Research Service. Furthermore, Malik had a visa that was valid for only 60 days, which showed her entering Saudi Arabia in early June 2013 while Farook's passport indicated he did not arrive until October 1, casting further doubt on whether they were in the country at the same time. "Even if Farook and Malik were in Saudi Arabia at the same time, this does not provide evidence that they met in person," Goodlatte said. The Republican congressman accused President Barack...

How about a little "music" to help you get into the Christmas sprit! (sp)

The latest case involves two airmen who were last seen at Moody Air Force Base near Valdosta, Ga., on Dec. 4, two weeks before they were scheduled to graduate and return to duty in Afghanistan. They are still being sought...Most of the Afghan airmen now being trained at Moody Air Force Base are pilots and maintenance crews for 20 new Brazilian-made A-29 light attack planes, bought for the Afghans by the United States at a cost of $427 million...Colonel Lawhorn said a total of 80 Afghans were now being trained at eight American air bases. General Wardak gave a higher...

Mack Breed, the former assistant football coach for John Jay High School in San Antonio, pleaded guilty to assault for the hit on a referee by Jay players during a football game in September in Marble Falls... Breed was sentenced to 12 months in the Burnet County Jail and fined $3,500. The sentence was suspended, however, and Breed was placed on probation for 18 months. As part of the plea agreement, Breed was also required to permanently surrender his Texas teaching certificate, complete an anger management program, perform 120 hours of community service, and pay restitution to Watts.

A 72-year-old woman awoke from her slumber late Sunday morning to quite a surprise. She found a young woman in the guest bedroom, sleeping in her husband's pajamas. The homeowner initially thought her husband was having an affair with the female intruder, but that turned out not to be the case. She even ordered him home from the golf course for an explanation, and he told the truth.

A dozen Syrian refugees arrive in Texas today hoping to start a new life far from their war-torn homeland. But they're not being welcomed by the state. Six of the 12 refugees are members of one family. Two small children with their parents and grandparents will join relatives in Dallas. The other six refugees will be greeted by relatives in Houston. The Bayou city will get another nine refugees on Thursday.

7:43 - witnesses say 3 shooters with rifles, without a doubt, definitely 3. 27:00 - Tony, have you passed that information onto someone who can follow up on it?... The suspect info that you have... Gary says Donny is working on it... female dispatch confirms someone working that name up for something last week.

When Texas middle schooler Jordan Wooley recently highlighted a reading assignment that required students to deny God, school administrators, her teacher, and some students painted her as a liar. But a flood of support from residents across the state, including and Gov. Greg Abbott, is buoying her spirits as she heads to the Governor’s Mansion Saturday to share her story. Wooley, 12, testified before the Katy Independent School Board last Monday about a reading assignment at West Memorial Junior High in which her teacher instructed students to label statements as fact, opinion or commonplace assertion, which her teacher characterized as...

The journey comes with challenges big and small. Nabeel Hasan had to change his name, after officials spelled his name wrong on immigration documents. “It was double “s” but when they put it in the I-94, they put in one “s”. When I get the ID it must be the same,” he says. His three sons couldn’t join him today and remain in Iraq. With tensions high, he fears the worst. But he hopes one day they’ll join him in America. “This is my wish. Every day I ask God about that,” said Hasan. “We thank God and the United...

The friendly soccer game between Germany and the Netherlands was canceled at short notice after a suspicious object was found at the stadium on Tuesday. Policeman Joerg Hoffmeister told The Associated Press that everyone inside had to be evacuated after the as-yet unidentified object was found. Announcements at the stadium in northern Germany advised people to go home in a calm manner, and that there was no danger to fear. Most fans were still waiting outside when the order to evacuate came about an hour and a half before kickoff.

A special warfare exercise across parts of Texas and the nation will bring civilian role players acting as journalists, government officials and "guerrilla-chiefs." The U.S. Army Special Operations Command's Unconventional Warfare Exercise 16 (UWEX 16) is scheduled in at least three Texas counties for March through June 2016. It may take many readers back to Jade Helm 15, the SOC's seven-state realistic military training that riled some Texans' fears of federal preparations for martial law.

Police in Washington, D.C. are seeking the public's assistance in identifying 2 women accused of sexually assaulting a man. According to police, the women were "twerking" against a man in a convenience store in D.C. in the 1700 block of New York Avenue on Wednesday, October 7 at around 4:00 p.m. The incident was caught on surveillance video