Free Republic

A New Mexico lawmaker whose son was murdered by a juvenile expressed outrage this week after her criminal justice bill was tanked in favor of what some on the right are calling a "homicide scholarship" program. State Rep. Nicole Chavez of Albuquerque said Thursday she is "sickened" by the developments. "New Mexico Democrats voted to hand offenders like my son’s killer $2,000 a month—some twisted reward for shattering my family," Chavez said of the "homicide scholarship" moniker first dubbed by state Rep. Rod Montoya, R-Farmington, earlier this month. That bill [HB-255] would provide a monthly stipend for certain former convicts...

Following Friday night’s reported mass shooting in Las Cruces, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham lambasted lawmakers for what she described as a failure to take action on juvenile crime during the 60-day session ending at noon on Saturday. Police are continuing to investigate Friday night’s shooting at approximately 10 p.m. at Young Park in Las Cruces that killed three and injured 14 others. The deceased are two 19-year-old men and one 16-year-old boy. The injured range in age from 16 years to 36 years. Police have not as of publication, released the names of any of the victims, not...

In a move that has sparked outrage among law enforcement, crime victims, and New Mexico residents, House Democrats in the state legislature voted on Saturday to pass House Bill 255 (HB 255), a controversial measure that includes a provision to give violent juvenile offenders up to $2,000 per month in taxpayer-funded stipends. At the same time, Democratic lawmakers killed House Bill 134 (HB 134), a bipartisan effort aimed at holding violent juvenile offenders accountable for their crimes. HB 255 ... is more about financial handouts than meaningful reform. Buried within the bill is a three-year pilot program that grants substantial...

Unaccompanied minors are now not allowed out and about at National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Maryland, from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays under a new county law created to help stop crime. National Harbor businesses and residents requested the area be designated a special curfew zone under county law, the Prince George’s County Police Department posted on X. That temporary curfew was imposed after around 800 juveniles wandered around the entertainment district smoking weed, fighting and shoplifting....

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson admitted that his government has lost control over a burgeoning wave of violence sweeping the country, amid escalating public concern. The acknowledgment came during an emergency meeting where Kristersson announced the acceleration of new legislation targeting juvenile involvement in criminal activities. The beginning of 2025 has seen bombings carried out at an average of one per day, leading to 27 bombings by January 27 – including several in residential communities, the Nordic Times reported. "Sweden is in the midst of a new wave of violence; it's primarily the bombings that are increasing, with almost one...

**SNIP** Police initially shut down the carnival in Chester County Saturday night after a group of juveniles created what officials described as an "unsafe environment" for those at the fair. Additional officers from agencies around the county were also called in to help with crowd control. While they didn't specify exactly what happened, police said the large crowd in the outer lot of the Exton Square Mall was creating a disturbance. **SNIP** Police are also investigating a fight that they say occurred inside the mall after the carnival was shut down. The department released surveillance footage captured by a business...

Two juveniles were arrested for allegedly vandalizing a Catholic church in Kentucky on April 9. The juveniles are accused of causing damages to St. Theresa of Avila Catholic Church “well over” $10,000, WDRB reported. “Sheriff Phillip Wimpee said his deputies responded to St. Theresa of Avila Catholic Church [on April 9] about a vandalism complaint,” according to the report. “When officers arrived, they saw extensive damage inside and outside the church and the Parish Hall on Rhodelia Road in Payneville, Kentucky.”

Miami cops swarmed Bayside Marketplace on Monday night following a fight between several juveniles, police said. Around 8:26 p.m., a large group of people — some possibly armed with sticks — were involved in a fight and later refused to leave the area of 401 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami police said in an email. Dozens of units rushed to the scene, temporarily shutting down Biscayne Boulevard between Second and Fourth streets. “Some businesses were temporarily closed to allow us to clear the area,” police said. “The juveniles have now scattered and we have cleared most of the units.” SNIP

A 12-year-old boy has been placed in juvenile detention after he stole a forklift truck and led police on an hourlong chase in Michigan. The boy, identified only as an Ann Harbor local due to his age, stole a Construction Genie GTH-636 Telehandler at Forsyth Middle School on Saturday, the Ann Arbor Police Department said in a release Monday. The authorities also stated that the boy hit ten parked vehicles during the pursuit, which happened after officers responded to a call reporting an attempt to steal the truck and found him driving the vehicle — which weighs up to 35,000...

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was interrupted and heckled for five straight minutes during his speech in his home state at the St. Jerome Fancy Farm Picnic on Saturday, a premier political event in Kentucky. Instead of a respectful silence, the audience delivered a relentless, clear, and loud message for a full five minutes, drowning out his speech. Foot-stomping and chants echoed around the venue, making it abundantly clear that the senator’s reception was far from warm in his home state. He is done. The dissenting voices underscore the sentiment that McConnell, at 81 years old and with nearly four...

A shooting at an apartment complex in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Wednesday evening left five victims with injuries, including two juveniles and three adults, police said. Fort Lauderdale police said the shooting started shortly before 9 p.m. after an argument escalated between two groups of people in the courtyard of the complex, located at Northwest 29th Avenue and 19th Street, WSVN reported. “At approximately 8:40 p.m. this evening, at this apartment complex … we had a group of people gathered in the courtyard. A second group of people confronted them,” FLPD Chief Patrick Lynn said. “As a result, gunfire ensued.” The...

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — The Juvenile Justice Reform Act, known previously as House Bill 459, does not allow anyone under 13 to be charged with certain crimes. As juvenile crime has plagued Baltimore City, it is also happening in Harford County. Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler says in January alone, 18 juveniles, who fall under the law, can't be charged with crimes. Some of those crimes involved thefts, burglaries, and much more. "Someone sent some pictures that they shouldn't have sent, which is a crime," said Gahler. Gahler feels lawmakers in Annapolis were not considering the right factors when passing the...

A group of about 100 people ransacked a Wawa convenience store in Northeast Philadelphia on Saturday night, and the crimes were recorded and posted on social media, police said. Philadelphia Police say they’re reviewing the video of "juveniles" breaking and stealing items inside the store on Roosevelt Boulevard at Tyson Avenue around 8:30 p.m. Saturday. The mob of juveniles caused thousands of dollars’ worth of damage of to the Mayfair Wawa, according to PPD. Responding officers were able to disperse the teens, police said. No injuries were reported. As of Sunday night, tens of thousands of people had watched and...

On Sunday night, a gang of juveniles wreaked havoc by brazenly looting and destroying the Wawa Food Market in Northeast Philadephia’s Mayfair section. In a now-viral video posted by Tara Nicole on Facebook, the mob can be heard cheering as they deliberately destroyed the food market and looted. One woman urged a Wawa employee to stop recording so that he could prepare her sandwich as the store was being ransacked.

Two people were injured in a shooting in Uvalde, Texas, on Thursday evening, and authorities took four suspects into custody, police said. The Uvalde Police Department said the two injured are juveniles who were sent to San Antonio hospitals. Their conditions are unknown. The shooting occured in Uvalde Memorial Park, police said, which is located roughly a mile from where a gunman shot and killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School on May 24.

Teenagers in a Maryland county blighted by violence are to be banned from the streets between 10pm and 5am during the week, it was announced on Monday, in a bid to bring rocketing juvenile crime rates down. Angela Alsobrooks, executive for Prince George's County - which encompasses eastern Washington DC and the surrounding suburbs - said that parents could be fined up to $250 for repeated violations and children could be turned over to the Department of Social Services. 'I'm just going to put it very bluntly: Somebody has got to take responsibility for these armed and dangerous children. And...

Two of the seven juveniles who allegedly beat an elderly man to death with a traffic cone last month in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, turned themselves in on Monday to authorities. According to local media, two unidentified brothers, ages 14 and 10, turned themselves in to the Philadelphia Police Department’s Homicide Unit for their involvement in the murder of 73-year-old James “Simmie” Lambert. Currently, the suspects have not received formal charges. Authorities released security camera footage last week showing the group of teens violently beating Lambert with traffic cones. They described the suspects as “four black males and three black females who...

<p>ORLANDO, Fla. — A 12-year-old boy accused of joining a 14-year-old girl in a shootout with an assault weapon and shotgun against Florida deputies from a home they had broken into earlier this week will be held for 21 days at a secure detention facility pending a hearing, a judge ordered Thursday.</p>

The last time a juvenile was charged as an adult with carjacking in Cook County? February 2019. January 27, 2021 CWBChicago Citywide An alleged juvenile carjacker made a crucial mistake Saturday when he told arresting officers that he’d be out of jail in a day and would then track them down and shoot them: He wasn’t in Cook County anymore. Now, prosecutors in suburban DuPage County are asking a judge to transfer the teen’s case to adult court. Saturday night, the teen and two accomplices threatened to kill a 20-year-old woman as they robbed and carjacked her at gunpoint in...

My 8-year-old grandson plays with fire. On Sunday he set a tree on fire. I have NOT found any local programs to deal with this issue. Nor have I found any videos to show to children with this problem. His mother (my DIL) isn't interested in discipline. I would appreciate any suggestions.