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A mother-and-son duo who carried zip ties as they searched for lawmakers after breaching the US Capitol were sentenced to federal prison for several felony and misdemeanor charges in connection with the riots. Eric Munchel, 32, dubbed “zip-tie guy” on social media, was sentenced to nearly five years in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release on 8 September. His mother Lisa Marie Eisenhart, 59, was sentenced to more than two years in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release. They each have been ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution. They were convicted earlier this year on obstruction and conspiracy charges, and Munchel – who was armed with a Taser – was additionally found guilty of disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon and unauthorised possession of a deadly or dangerous weapon on Capitol grounds. Photos and videos captured Munchel carrying plastic zip tie-style handcuffs they allegedly stole from inside a closet at the Capitol. “Zip ties! I need to get me some of them mother*******,” Munchel can be heard in video footage. As they made their way into the Senate Gallery, with Munchel shouting “I want that f****** gavel,” the pair wondered aloud where the “traitors” and “cowards” who evacuated the chamber had gone. The US Department of Justice said the pair were looking for “potential hostages”. Munchel’s cell phone, mounted to the outside of his tactical vest, recorded a nearly hour-long video of his approach and his time inside the Capitol, which prosecutors used as evidence against them. “We’re going straight to federal prison if we go in there with weapons,” Eisenhart told Munchel, according to court records. Eisenhart – who wore a Donald Trump-supporting “Keep America Great Again” beanie – and her son had “prepared for violence” on 6 January 2021, and “projected their willingness to engage in it” as lawmakers convened to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election that Mr Trump lost, according to prosecutors. They also “openly declared to a reporter that their intent in storming and entering the Capitol was to intimidate Congress,” prosecutors wrote in court filings. “What is America for?” Eisenhart told a reporter with The Times of London on 7 January 2021. “I’d rather die as a 57-year-old woman than live under oppression. I’d rather die and would rather fight.” “With the 2024 presidential election approaching, a rematch on the horizon, and many loud voices in the media and online continuing to sow discord and distrust, the potential for a repeat of January 6 looms ominously,” prosecutors wrote. The sentences imposed by US District Court Judge Royce C Lamberth came days after five members of the neo-fascist Proud Boys gang were handed down some of the longest prison terms to date among the hundreds of people charged in connection to the attack. Now-former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison after a jury found him and three other members of the group guilty of seditious conspiracy, among a number of other crimes connected to their planning and actions on January 6. The sentence is the longest yet among Capitol riot defendants. More than 1,100 people have been arrested and charged for crimes related to the assault on Congress. Read More Convicted Proud Boys turned down plea deals that could have halved their prison time, documents show ‘Donald Trump’s army’: Proud Boys members face decades in prison for January 6 sedition Meadows fails in bid to move Trump Georgia case as Graham and Flynn named in jury report – live Trump is notably absent from historic and urgent call to protect democracy by 13 former presidents Proud Boys ringleader Enrique Tarrio sentenced to 22 years in prison for Jan 6 attack

YouTube parenting influncer Ruby Franke and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, were supposed to appear in court in St George, Utah on Friday afternoon over child abuse charges, but the proceeding was delayed as tech issues plagued the virtual hearing. Both women were ordered to be held without bail; their bond hearings are slated for 21 September. Ms Franke has reportedly been relocated to the medical unit of the jail, but the reasons for her move are unclear. Over 1,000 people tuned into the hearing and after a cacophony of bizarre noises and pleas to be quiet, the court shut down public access. It transpired later the Zoom link had been shared on TikTok. The pair were arrested on 30 August after Ms Franke’s 12-year-old son climbed out of a window and pleaded for neighbors to give him food and water, court documents showed. After a neighbor noticed that duct tape covering the boy’s ankles and wrists, prompting the neighbor to notify law enforcement. In a chilling 911 call, the neighbor can be heard describing the boy: “He is emaciated. He’s got tape around his legs. He’s hungry and he’s thirsty.” Read More Ruby Franke virtual court hearing on child abuse charges is derailed by tech issues as over 1,000 people join Chilling 911 call that led to Ruby Franke’s arrest revealed Who is Ruby Franke? Everything we know about the family vlogger’s rise to fame before child abuse charges Influencer Ruby Franke is formally charged with felony child abuse

YouTuber Ruby Franke and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, are supposed to appear in court in St George, Utah on Friday afternoon over child abuse charges, but the proceeding has yet to officially begin as tech issues have plagued the virtual hearing. Over 1,000 people have tuned in — and have been told to quiet down numerous times — to see what happens to the women, who have both been charged with six counts of felony child abuse. Each of the child abuse counts carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years and a fine of up to $10,000 if convicted, according to the Washington County Attorney’s Office. “There are two juvenile victims in these cases, and each defendant is accused of causing or permitting serious physical injury to the victims in three different ways: (1) a combination of multiple physical injuries or torture, (2) starvation or malnutrition that jeopardizes life, and (3) causing severe emotional harm,” the county attorney said. The pair were arrested on 30 August after Ms Franke’s 12-year-old son climbed out of a window and pleaded for neighbors to give him food and water, court documents showed. After a neighbor noticed that duct tape covering the boy’s ankles and wrists, prompting the neighbor to notify law enforcement. In a chilling 911 call, the neighbor can be heard describing the boy: “He is emaciated. He’s got tape around his legs. He’s hungry and he’s thirsty.” His voice shaky, as if holding back tears, the neighbor told 911, “This kid has obviously... he’s been detained. He’s obviously covered in wounds.” Following the call, officials determined the 12-year-old to be severely malnourished, and transferred the child to a nearby hospital. The 12-year-old was placed on medical hold after it was discovered that he was also suffering from “deep lacerations” due to “being tied up with rope,” arrest records said. When police arrived at the home, they also found Ms Franke’s 10-year-old daughter who appeared to also be malnourished, authorities said. The two children were taken to a hospital for medical treatment, court documents said. The Utah Division of Child and Family Services had custody of four of Ms Franke’s children. According to theSalt Lake Tribune, police determined that Ms Franke’s two kids had been staying with Ms Hildebrandt, but it’s unclear for how long they had been there. An affidavit noted that “Ruby Franke was seen on a YouTube video filmed in Mr Hildebrandt’s downstairs” just two days prior to the incident, showcasing that the women were “present in the home and having knowledge of the abuse, malnourishment, and neglect.” When police arrived at the home to arrest Ms Franke, the influencer “requested a lawyer” and refused to speak with police, the affidavit stated. Ms Franke’s family has said that behind closed doors, they expressed their worries about her children. Since her arrest, Ms Franke’s family has not been shy about speaking out. Ms Franke’s estranged 20-year-old daughter, Shari, rejoiced at her mother’s arrest on social media, writing “finally” over a video capturing the arrest. “Today has been a big day,” she wrote in a separate post. “We’ve been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up.” Ms Franke’s three sisters have also come forward on social media in defence of her children. Bonnie Hoellein, Julie Griffiths Deru and Ellie Mecham posted a joint statement on Instagram, writing that although they haven’t posted publicly about their concern, in private, “we have done everything we could to try and make sure the kids were safe.” They added that they won’t be commenting on the arrest further. “Ruby was arrested which needed to happen. Jodi was arrested which needed to happen,” they wrote. “The kids are now safe, which is the number one priority.” Ms Franke’s claim to fame was her “8 Passengers“ YouTube channel, in which focused on her — and her now ex-husband’s — lives with their six children in Utah. Some viewers accused her of being too strict and controlling of her children. In one video Ms Franke said: “My kids are literally starving. I hesitate to say this because this is going to sound like I’m a mean barbarian, but I told the kids, I said, ‘I’m not even going to let you eat breakfast until you get your chores done.’” But now all of Ms Franke’s videos have been removed from Youtube. Ms Hildebrandt invited Ms Franke to join her Connexions life counseling service, where they gave daily advice to viewers. According to The DailyMail, Ms Franke appeared in juvenile court on Thursday via video call regarding a shelter hearing for four of her children, who are minors. At the hearing, she made a shocking allegation: the influencer said said that one of her children had been sexually abusing a younger sibling for years. Ms Franke added that her child, according to the Mail, confessed to sexually abusing 20 people in May. In response, the judge said the alleged abusive child “will then need to be placed in a home with no other children.” Read More Parenting advice YouTuber Ruby Franke and business partner due in court on child abuse charges Chilling 911 call that led to Ruby Franke’s arrest revealed Influencer Ruby Franke is formally charged with felony child abuse

Danny Masterson received letters of support from Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher ahead of his sentencing, it has been revealed. Masterson, 47, was given a sentence of 30 years to life in a Los Angeles court on Thursday for the rapes of two women two decades ago. It has since emerged that his That 70’s Show costars Kunis and Kutcher were among 50 people who wrote letters of support before the sentencing. In their letters, published by Los Angeles-based court reporter Meghann Cuniff, the couple vouched for Masterson’s “exceptional character” and pleaded for Judge Charlaine Olmedo’s leniency. A jury found Masterson guilty of two counts in May after seven days of deliberations. Both attacks took place in Masterson’s Hollywood Hills home in 2003, when he was at the height of his fame on the Fox network sitcom. The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count, an allegation that Masterson also raped a longtime girlfriend. Prosecutors alleged that Masterson used his prominence in the Church of Scientology — where all three women were also members at the time — to avoid consequences for decades after the attacks. Read More ‘You’ll be caught:’ Resurfaced Danny Masterson chat show clip takes on chilling light after rape sentencing Leah Remini hits out at Church of Scientology following Danny Masterson rape sentencing That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rapes

One person was shot and critically wounded at a concert headlined by rapper Lil Baby in Memphis, Tennessee, on Thursday night, police and local media said. The Memphis Police Department posted on social media that officers responded to a report of a shooting at 10:23 p.m. at 191 Beale Street, which is the address of FedEx Forum. A male victim was transported to Regional One Health Medical Center in critical condition and no other injuries were reported, police said. The identity of the shooter was not known, the police statement said. Lil Baby was rushed off the stage when shots were fired inside the venue, WREG-TV reported. A representative for the rapper did not immediately respond to a request for more information from The Associated Press.

When police arrived at his house to investigate a hit-and-run, Joseph Ruddy, one of the nation’s most prolific federal narcotics prosecutors, looked so drunk he could barely stand up straight, leaning on the tailgate of his pickup to keep his balance. But he apparently was under control enough to be waiting with his U.S. Justice Department business card in hand. “What are you trying to hand me?” an officer asked. “You realize when they pull my body-worn camera footage and they see this, this is going to go really bad." That footage obtained by The Associated Press showed Ruddy apparently attempting to leverage his position to blunt the fallout from a Fourth of July crash in which he is accused of drunkenly striking another vehicle and leaving the scene. But despite being charged, the 59-year-old Ruddy remained on the job for two months, representing the United States in court as recently as last week to notch another win for the sprawling task force he helped create two decades ago targeting cocaine smuggling at sea. On Wednesday, a day after the AP asked the Justice Department about Ruddy's status, the veteran prosecutor was pulled off three pending criminal cases. A Justice Department spokesman would not say whether he had been suspended but said that Ruddy, while still employed, had been removed from his supervisory role at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tampa. The case also has been referred to the Office of Inspector General. Such an inspector general's probe would likely focus on whether Ruddy was trying to use his public office for private gain, said Kathleen Clark, a legal ethics professor at Washington University in St. Louis who reviewed the footage. “It’s hard to see what this could be other than an attempt to improperly influence the police officer to go easy on him,” Clark said. “What could possibly be his purpose in handing over his U.S. Attorney’s Office business card?” Ruddy, whose blood-alcohol level tested at 0.17%, twice the legal limit, was charged with driving under the influence with property damage — a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison. Despite his own admissions and witness testimony, he was not charged with leaving the scene of an accident. Neither Ruddy nor his attorney returned messages seeking comment. Ruddy is known in law enforcement circles as one of the architects of Operation Panama Express, or PANEX — a task force launched in 2000 to target cocaine smuggling at sea, combining resources from the U.S. Coast Guard, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Historically, PANEX-generated intelligence contributes to more than 90% of U.S. Coast Guard drug interdictions at sea. Between 2018 and 2022, the Coast Guard removed or destroyed 888 metric tons of cocaine worth an estimated $26 billion and detained 2,776 suspected smugglers, a senior Coast Guard official said in congressional testimony in March. The bulk of those cases were handled by Ruddy and his colleagues in Tampa, where PANEX is headquartered. A former Ironman triathlete, Ruddy enjoys a reputation among attorneys for hard work and toughness in the courtroom. Among his biggest cases were some of the early extraditions from Colombia of top smugglers for the feared Cali cartel. But the majority of cases handled out of his office involve mostly poor fishermen from Central and South America who make up the drug trade’s lowest rungs. Often, the drugs aren’t even bound for American shores and the constitutional guarantees of due process that normally apply in criminal cases inside the U.S. are only loosely observed. “Ruddy is at the heart of a costly and aggressive prosecutor-led dragnet that every year pulls hundreds of low-level cocaine traffickers off the oceans and incarcerates them in the U.S.,” said Kendra McSweeney, an Ohio State University geographer who is part of a team studying maritime interdiction policies. Research by Ohio State's Interdiction Lab found that between 2014 and 2020, the median sentence for smugglers picked up at sea and prosecuted in Tampa was 10 years — longer than any other court in the country and compared to seven years, six months in Miami, which handles the second-largest amount of such cases. Last Friday, nearly two months after his arrest, Ruddy was in court to ratify a plea deal in the case of a Brazilian man, Flavio Fontes Pereira, who in February was found by the U.S. Coast Guard with more than 3.3 tons of cocaine aboard a sailboat off Guinea, in West Africa. After two weeks aboard the U.S. Coast Guard vessel, Pereira made his initial court appearance in Tampa in March, charged under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, which gives the U.S. unique arrest powers anywhere on the high seas whenever it determines a vessel is “without nationality.” Ruddy is next due to appear in court in his own case Sept. 27. He's accused of sideswiping an SUV whose driver had been waiting to turn at a red light, clipping a side mirror and tearing off another piece of the vehicle that lodged in the fender of Ruddy’s pickup. “He never even hit brakes,” a witness told police. "He just kept going and he was swerving all the way up the road. I’m like, ‘No, he’s going to hurt somebody.’ So I just followed him until I got the tag number and just called and reported it.” When officers arrived at Ruddy’s home in the suburb of Temple Terrace, they found him hunched over his pickup, holding his keys and using the vehicle for support, the report said. Officers noted that he had urinated on himself, was unable to walk without help and failed a field sobriety test. “I understand we might be having a better night,” Tampa police patrolman Taylor Grant said before looking at the business card. “Why didn’t you stop?” the officer asked. “I didn’t realize it was that serious,” Ruddy said in a slurred response. “You hit a vehicle and you ran,” the officer said. “You ran because you’re drunk. You probably didn’t realize you hit the vehicle.” ___ Goodman reported from Miami. Contact AP’s global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org.

A white teenager was indicted on an attempted murder charge after he was alleged to have repeatedly held a Black boy — who thought they were friends — underwater while hurling racial abuse at him. The attack by the 14-year-old happened at Goose Pond in Chatham, Massachusetts, on 19 July, court records claim. The victim said in a written statement that he was continually pushed underwater until he started to feel lightheaded, police said. He also vomited and eventually screamed for help. A third teen at the Cape Cod pond, also white, laughed and called the victim “George Floyd,” police said, while the other continued to wrestle him underwater. George Floyd was a Black man who was brutally murdered by Derek Chauvin, a policeman, in Minneapolis in 2020. The cop kneeled on Floyd’s neck, eventually killing him. Authorities say the victim rode a bike to the pond for an outing he thought was with friends. But what should have been a safe trip to the pond with peers allegedly turned into an racist ordeal. According to police, the two teens started to throw stones at the victim after he refused the pair’s demand to ride his bike into the pond. And then, after the victim put on a life jacket — as he could not swim — and got into the pond, the pair persisted in throwing “stones at him and threatened to beat him up.” The indicted teen then picked up a larger stone, police said, threatening the victim with it while also calling him “boy” and the n-word. The racial and physical torment continued as the teen got into the pond with the victim, according to authorities. Despite the victim’s pleas, the teen pulled him by his life jacket and forced him under four or five times, according to the police narrative. The teen then also swam under the water and “attempted to grab his feet to again pull the victim underwater.” “Water went into my mouth and my nose and I could not breathe,” the victim wrote in a statement. “So I shouted out that I can’t breathe over and over and tried to get his hand off me.” While this was happening, he said the third teenager just stood and “started laughing and called me George Floyd, obviously making fun of me and showing NO remorse.” Fortunately, several people at the pond witnessed the incident and helped stop the racially charged attack. A person who helped the victim out of the water told police that he saw both teens “taking turns” submerging the victim under the water, according to court documents. One witness said they heard the “George Floyd” comment by the third juvenile and another witness also heard the victim screaming for them to stop. The Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office announced on 31 August that the incident was racially motivated and that the 14-year-old was to be indicted on charges of attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon. Also on 31 August, the teen was found to be dangerous after a hearing at the Barnstable Juvenile Court, meaning he can be held in custody without bail. It is not yet clear whether the other boy will also face charges. An attempted-murder sentence in Massachusetts can be up to 20 years. Assaulting with a dangerous weapon can bring up to five years. The Chatham Select Board issued a statement on 1 September about the attack, with officials offering support to the victim’s family and saying they will work with police and Monomoy school officials “proactively to deter events such as this from taking place in the future.” “We are disturbed and saddened to learn of the event that occurred earlier this summer between juveniles,” they said in the statement. “We do not believe that it reflects the true nature of our community, which is diverse and inclusive.” The teen is due to appear back in court on Wednesday for a pretrial conference. Read More Biden demands US do better on racism amid Jacksonville shooting: ‘Hate must have no safe harbor’ Video refutes white woman’s claim that she ‘feared for her life’ when she shot Black mother, sheriff says North Carolina Republican apologises for ‘thinly-veiled racial’ attack Tim Scott is the top Black Republican in the GOP presidential primary. Here's how he discusses race Denver to pay $4.7 million to settle claims it targeted George Floyd protesters for violating curfew Furious inquiry chair hits out at Post Office accused of trying to hide ‘n-word’

A Kentucky man has been charged in connection with the death of Crystal Rogers, a mother-of-five who vanished without a trace during the Fourth of July weekend in 2015. Joseph Lawson, 32, was arraigned in Nelson Circuit Court on Thursday where he pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal conspiracy to commit murder and complicity in tampering with physical evidence. His bond was set at $500,000 cash. The conspiracy to commit murder charge was filed 24 July and the charge of tampering with evidence was filed in June, according to Nelson County circuit court documents. Ms Rogers was not mentioned by name in the indictment, but Attorney Kevin Coleman, who represents Mr Lawson, acknowledged his client’s case is in relation to the mother’s death, according to WRDB. He declined to comment further. Mr Lawson has not been charged with Ms Rogers’ murder, but instead faces a conspiracy charge which means prosecutors believe he was involved in some way. The indictment states that on July 3, 2015, and/or July 4 2015, “the above-named Defendant, committed the offense of Criminal Conspiracy to Commit Murder, when, with the intention of promoting or facilitating the crime, when he agreed to aid one or more persons in the planning or commission of the crime or an attempt or solicitation to commit the crime, when he, and/or a co-conspirator, intentionally caused the death of another.” Ms Rogers has not been seen or heard from since the evening of 3 July 2015. Her red Chevrolet Impala was found abandoned the same day at mile marker 14 on Bluegrass Parkway. The car had a flat tire and inside were her keys, phone and purse, according to the FBI’s office in Louisville. Her boyfriend at the time, Brooks Houck, who is also the father to her youngest child, was named a suspect just months after she went missing, but has never been charged. He’s considered to be the last person who saw her alive. Several homes in Bardstown, Kentucky have been searched over the years, including the homes of Houck family farm, the homes of Mr Houck and his brother, Nick, and a storage unit belonging to Ms Rogers. Her case was taken over by the FBI in 2020. The FBI is also investigating the death of her father, Tommy Ballard, who was shot and killed in 2016 while hunting on his own property more than a year after his daughter went missing. Read More Mother charged after New Jersey investigators solve 1984 ‘Baby Mary’ cold case DNA evidence links man to three sexual assaults over more than a decade Police name man who died in custody after being held for murder of missing woman

A rapper in Las Vegas has been charged with murder after police claim he "confessed to the murder in his lyrics." Kenjuan McDaniel — aka The Biggest Finn4800 — was arrested by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on 29 August. He faces a charge of murder with a deadly weapon. A court set Mr McDaniel's bail at $1m, and he has been ordered to wear an electronic monitoring device. The rapper was previously considered a "person of interest" in the death of Randall Wallace on 18 September, 2021. Police said Mr McDaniel was tied to a vehicle matching the description of the one used in Mr Wallace's murder, according to CNN. Mr McDaniel posted a music video to YouTube for his song "Fadee Free" in mid-July, prompting detectives to pour over the images and lyrics for clues. “Detectives noted the music video bore a sufficient level of similarity to the details of the murder," Mr McDaniel's arrest warrant said. "This includes the fact, that Kenjuan confessed to the murder in his lyrics. … Details provided by Kenjuan in his music video were not released to the public and would not be common knowledge." The arrest warrant includes a few of the lyrics investigators believe show Mr McDaniel's guilt. “I be the reason why he’s dead, we still taunt him when he die/ not the reason he’s dead, so celebrate the reason why his momma cry,” one of the lines included in the warrant states. Another line: “Parked the car, double back on feet, the smartest way to slide, drove in, double lock yo man, make sure you get yo bod’.” The lyrics reportedly revealed details about the murder that have not been made public, according to the investigators. The music video also reportedly featured the rapper re-enacting the murder in a way that is "consistent with evidence at the scene." “The facts gathered during the investigation were obtained separately from the music video. The music video further validated the results of the investigation,” the warrant says. Mr McDaniel has a preliminary hearing set for 14 September. Read More Governor declares New Mexico gun violence as a public health emergency Person shot and critically wounded at Lil Baby concert in Memphis, Tennessee, police say Charges dropped, Riquna Williams wants to rejoin Las Vegas Aces after domestic violence arrest

Danny Masterson, star of That ’70s Show, has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for the rapes of two women two decades ago. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo handed down the sentence to the 47-year-old actor after ruling on a defence motion for a new trial that she rejected, and having heard impact statements from the victims. A jury of seven women and five men found Masterson guilty of two counts on 31 May after seven days of deliberations. Both attacks took place in Masterson’s Hollywood Hills home in 2003, when he was at the height of his fame on the Fox network sitcom. The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count, an allegation that Masterson also raped a longtime girlfriend. The verdict came in a second trial after a jury failed to reach verdicts on three counts of forcible rape in December 2022 and a mistrial was declared. Prosecutors alleged that Masterson used his prominence in the Church of Scientology — where all three women were also members at the time — to avoid consequences for decades after the attacks. Read More ‘You’ll be caught:’ Resurfaced Danny Masterson chat show clip takes on chilling light after rape sentencing Leah Remini hits out at Church of Scientology following Danny Masterson rape sentencing That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rapes

Utah mother of six Ruby Franke who gave parenting advice via a once-popular YouTube channel called “8 Passengers” will make an initial virtual court appearance today on charges that she and the owner of a relationship counseling business abused and starved her two young children. Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were charged with six felony counts of aggravated child abuse after their arrests on 30 August at Ms Hildebrandt's house in the city of Ivins. Ms Franke's 12-year-old son escaped the house that morning and asked a neighbour to call police, according to the 911 call released by the St George Police Department. “I just had a 12-year-old boy show up here at my front door asking for help,” the neighbour says, according to a recording of the call obtained by ABC. “He is emaciated. He’s got tape around his legs. He’s hungry and he’s thirsty,” the neighbour told police, his voice shaky and distraught. “He has duct tape around each ankle. There’s sores around them. He has them around his wrists as well,” the neighbour continued: “This kid has obviously... he’s been detained. He’s obviously covered in wounds.”

A bizarre mystery where several swimming pools near Atlantic City in New Jersey suddenly turned green has apparently been solved. Patrick Spina IV, 45, was arrested last week when police tracked a drone dropping dye into pools in neighbourhoods in Absecon back to his business. He is facing multiple charges of criminal mischief. Mr Spina’s peculiar pastime was first spotted in late June by a local hotel manager who noticed the pool used by guests had turned a neon colour. "I saw it totally green and I was like, ‘Oh wow what is going on?’ So we saw a dye pack in the bottom of the pool and we didn’t know what it was," Sandra Woolstion, general manager of a Quality Inn in Galloway Township, told ABC. Ms Woolstion said she knew it was not green algae, but even after having the pool drained and cleaned, the dye kept being dropped by the drone bandit at least a dozen times over the summer. The pool was very expensive to clean every time, she said, costing tens of thousands of dollars in maintenance, and guests were often very disappointed by the closure of the pool. "The girls are standing here like, ‘Oh my God we want to go swim.’ Some of them were crying," Ms Woolstion said. "I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?!’ I myself cried. I went into my office and I had a meltdown." Not only were there bills for refurbishments to the pool, but she also took on losses because of pool closures and also had to give her staff overtime pay to monitor the pool. “It was just more than we bargained for,” she told The New York Times. “I was like, ‘I can’t deal with this anymore. This is crazy. This is costing me too much.’” Police also started to receive other calls that reported the same incident happening to their home pools. "We had a resident who was enjoying time in his pool and saw a drone over top and the drone actually dropped something in his pool and it turned green immediately," said Absecon Police Chief James Laughlin. However, Mr Spina’s drone had now been on too many outings for it to fly under the radar. When the drone holding the green dye was seen hovering over the Quality Inn again last Friday, the police brought in staff from the Federal Aviation Administration to track the drone back to a nearby business, Comfort Solutions Heating and Cooling. With this information, police arrested the business owner, Mr Spina. The green pigment turned out to be sea dye that is usually used by search and rescue teams, and which can have a damaging effect on pools. Police say they are still unsure of Mr Spina’s motive for dyeing the pools. Meanwhile, the FAA is investigating the crimes and said that people who use drones in an unsafe manner could face up to $30,000 in fines and have their drone license suspended or revoked. In a statement on Tuesday the agency warned: "FAA regulations prohibit the unsafe or unauthorized operation of any aircraft. We encourage the public to report unauthorized drone operations to local law enforcement to help discourage this dangerous illegal activity." Read More Drone helps ‘adventurous’ 93-year-old ‘go out in style’ Mother charged after New Jersey investigators solve 1984 ‘Baby Mary’ cold case New Jersey failed veterans in state-run homes hit by dozens of COVID-19 deaths, federal report says