Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Thursday asked Judge Brett Kavanaugh if he would be open to having the FBI investigate the allegation that he sexually assaulted Christine Blasey Ford in high school. Kavanaugh said he would be willing to do whatever it takes to clear his name.
Judge Brett Kavanaugh forcefully denied the allegations against him Thursday in his opening statement during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said the nomination process for Judge Brett Kavanaugh has been "the most unethical sham since I've been in politics," in an explosive attack on Democrats of the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday.
After Republicans ceded their questioning of Christine Blasey Ford to an outside counsel, a visibly angry Sen. Lindsey Graham claimed his time with Brett Kavanaugh and used it to attack his Democratic colleagues for wanting to "destroy this guy’s life."
Shouting from his seat at the front of the room, Graham accused Democrats of prioritizing the upcoming midterm elections, as well as the 2020 presidential election, over a fair proceeding for Kavanaugh, who is accused by Ford of sexually assaulting her when they were teens in the 1980s.
"This is the most unethical sham since I’ve been in politics," said Graham, his faced reddened. "If you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn’t have done what you’ve done to this guy!"
His outburst seemed to break from the measured tone set by the rest of the Judiciary Committee. As Graham raised his voice and widened his eyes, other senators looked seemingly surprised. Republican Sen. Jeff Flake looked down and Sen. Thom Tillis was wide-eyed.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who was the senator to receive the initial allegation from Ford in July and received backlash for not making the accusation public at the time, looked away. Other Democrats kept their eyes down and some looked directly at Graham.
Soon after his moment of fury, the White House praised Graham. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said he "has more decency and courage than every Democrat member of the committee combined. God bless him."
"You want this seat; I hope you never get it," Graham said to his colleagues across the aisle.
Graham occasionally spoke to Kavanaugh directly, at one point telling him, "You’ve got nothing to apologize for."
Graham continued: "This is going to destroy the ability of good people to come forward because of this crap. Your high school yearbook. You have interacted with professional women all your life. Not one accusation. You're supposed to be Bill Cosby when you're a junior and senior in high school. And all of a sudden, you got over it. It's been my understanding that if you drug women and rape them for two years in high school, you probably don't stop. Here's my understanding. If you lived a good life, people will recognize it."
At the closing of his time, Graham assured Kavanaugh that his mind had not been changed in regards to his vote, which was still planned for Friday.
"I wish you well. And I intend to vote for you," Graham said, adding later
How to know that it is currently the end of September in Southern California?
You can glance at a calendar. You can use an app. Or you can step out your front door, saunter by the nearest tree or shrub, and suddenly feel a sizable web brush against your arm.
That, right there, is nearly as telling as any time-keeper, as to the time of year here.
For when September arrives in our wild-meets-urban region, well, our natural world can seem downright webby.
So webby, in fact, that anyone walking a dog after sundown or arriving home late at night is probably doing a few reach-aheads, in the darkness, to make sure they're not going to disrupt any eight-legger's just-constructed abode.
Where to go, though, to see a glorious profusion of webs and the webs' itsy, bitsy engineers? A cool place that you can wander throughout without pulling strings of silk off of your face or a small spider from your hairdo?
Spider Pavilion at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles is the arachnid-tastic answer. And the spectacular silk is spinning now, through Nov. 25, 2018, so make a date to swing by and spy all of the busy orb weavers that have taken up residence.
Tarantulas, too, are making a fuzzy showing, in addition to the orb weavers. Ever seen a Pink Toe Tarantula? This could be your lucky day, if you like beasties with hard-to-forget names.
Also? There are jumping spiders to admire inside the walk-through space, those "nimble predators" that take prey-overpowering leaps in lickety-split fashion.
Er... goosebumps. Or, perhaps more accurately, spiderbumps? Those.
The NHMLA Spider Pavilion site understandably calls spiders "(o)ften misunderstood," and given the arachnids' prominent presence in loads of scary Halloween decorations and tales, a person can figure out how this reputation has continued to, well, spin out of control.
But getting to know the important roles that these eight-legged earthlings play in our ecosystem is a big part of not getting spun-out but spidery misinformation.
A trip to the Exposition Park science museum, and a solid amount of time among the webs 'n wonders of Spider Pavilion, should help any visitor further comprehend why this silk-spinning ilk is so extraordinary.
And, truly, consider how strange it is to unknowingly walk into any critter's handy device for finding its next meal. We don't regularly disrupt the dining process of bears, or eagles, or even our pets.
Sorry, spiders, for sometimes accidentally bungling into your carefully constructed webs.
An adult ticket to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles and Spider Pavilion is $19.
Robbery suspects have been arrested following a series of grab-and-go thefts at Apple stores in California that spanned across 19 counties, including many in the Bay Area, officials announced Thursday.
Seven people were arrested in Oakland Tuesday night for alledgedly entering Apple retail stores in hoodies and grabbing products on display before fleeing. The losses totaled more than $1 million, according to the California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
The suspects were booked in the Alameda County Jail and another suspect was take into custody in Sonoma County. Nine other arrest warrants were issued to the rest of the suspect and the investigation is ongoing, Becerra said.
"Organized retail thefts cost California business owners millions and expose them to copycat criminals. Ultimately, consumers pay the cost of this merchandise hijacking," said Becerra.
Becerra filed charges for conspiracy to commit grand theft against the individuals in Fresno, Santa Clara, and Alameda Counties.
The thefts occurred in Alameda County, Butte County, Contra Costa County, Fresno County, Kern County, Los Angeles County, Marin County, Monterey County, Orange County, Placer County, Riverside County, Sacramento County, San Bernardino County, San Diego County, San Francisco County, San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, Sonoma County and Ventura County, according to the attorney general.
The latest Apple store theft occurred Tuesday afternoon in Emeryville, according to police. A group of roughly six to eight people swarmed the store and grabbed an unknown amount of Apple products before taking off from the scene.
Tuesday's theft comes on the heels of similar crimes that have taken place recently at Apple Stores located in Bay Area cities such as Santa Rosa, Walnut Creek, Corte Madera and Burlingame.
Channing Tatum once again lends his voice to the big screen, but this time he's animated. Tatum plays Migo in the new film "Smallfoot" from the Warner Animation Group. He tells me it took some convincing from director Karey Kirkpatrick to saddle up and sing but says it was worth it for this movie.
"I'm very proud and I'm happy I did it. It was one of those things where I had to make him promise he would never make me to do it live." Tatum said.
"Smallfoot" is about a community of Yetis who live a secret existence, hidden by the clouds, in a mountain top above humans. But these aren't your average Yetis. They are scared of humans, or smallfoots, as they call them. In fact, they've been taught their whole lives that smallfoots are dangerous and deadly, not unlike what humans have always thought of Yetis.
Common plays the Stonekeeper and said he loved that the music helped tell the story and that story involves questioning the powers that be. His big song called "Let it Lie" serves as a warning to the curious Migo not to go poking around asking questions about smallfoots because it could unravel the entire fabric of their community.
There is a message here that seems timely giving all of the political debates happening online and by the coffee pod machine. Should you question the rules that have always been in place and risk forcing people out of their comfort zone? Or let it lie, and continue blindly toward the future. Watch the interview with Tatum and Common to hear what they think the message of this film is about and much the music affected their performance.
"Smallfoot" opens nationwide on September 28th and stars Channing Tatum as the yeti, Migo, and James Corden as the smallfoot, Percy. Also starring are Zendaya, Common, LeBron James, Danny DeVito, Gina Rodriguez, Yara Shahidi, Ely Henry, and Jimmy Tatro.
"Smallfoot" was directed by Karey Kirkpatrick, Annie Award-winning director of "Over the Hedge" and Annie nominee for the screenplays for "Chicken Run" and "James and the Giant Peach."
The media storm surrounding the sexual assault allegations by Christine Blasey Ford against Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court nomination process has become a spectacle with 24/7 news coverage. To some survivors of sexual assault and victims of abuse, the hearings and testimony may trigger trauma.
“People who have been sexually traumatized will try to avoid anything that will be a trigger to the trauma. This is something that’s pretty hard to avoid. It’s not like you cannot elect to go to this ‘movie.’ It’s on the internet. It’s on the television. It’s on 24/7,” said John E. Jannes, PhD., associate executive director of NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island.
“This is about a 17-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl 36 years ago and this may stimulate conversations between parents and their adolescents…and that is a good thing. Adolescent girls who are empowered and adolescent boys who are mindful how they behave.”
Sexual assault is a topic that remains taboo, but it's also not uncommon.
Every 98 seconds, another person experiences sexual assault, according to Rape Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization that oversees the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.
RAINN spokeswoman Sara McGovern said the National Sexual Assault Hotline saw a 147% increase above normal volume on the day of the Kavanaugh and Ford testimony.
RAINN tweeted the organization also experienced unprecedented wait times for its online chat.
“We are angry about the things that have happened to us. We’re angry that it happens to other people. We’re angry that, for a long time, we weren’t able to talk about it,” sexual assault survivor Aminatou Sow told The New York Times earlier this week.
Vow went on to say the way the news media reports about sexual violence can often cause harm.
After 35 years of experience treating victims of sexual trauma, Jannes said Ford’s testimony and courage to come forward may have a positive impact and helps victims.
“Both young men and young women who have had experiences that meet the definition of sexual trauma and who were afraid to report may now be empowered to report it,” said Jannes.
The nation is watching closely following Ford's testimony in which she alleged with “100 percent” certainty that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her while in high school. The historic hearing is a rare occurrence, and pre-dated only by Anita Hill’s testimony in 1991 when she accused then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual assault. Ford was described as “credible” by Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.). Both Ford and Kavanaugh were questioned by senators and Rachel Mitchell, a former sex crimes prosecutor from Maricopa County, Arizona.
Ford specifically accused Kavanaugh, a United States Circuit Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, of sexual violence at a party in the 1980s. Since Ford surfaced her allegation on July 30, three more women have come forward to also allege sexual assault by Kavanaugh.
Some Democrats have called for an FBI investigation into the allegations noting that Kavanaugh’s nomination process should be delayed, while Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) has rebuked the request for an investigation as politically motivated and put his full support behind Kavanaugh.
#MeToo founder Tarana Burke sat behind Ford during her testimony and tweeted: “These men are wholly uninterested and unmoved by this woman’s words...Dr. Ford has to talk about the worst trauma of her life in front of them. This is the reality of being survivor of sexual assault in this country. #WeBelieveDrFord #WeBelieveSurvivors #metooMVMT”
The #MeToo movement has been at the forefront of the nation’s conscious following allegations of sexual violence by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein last year.
Just this week, entertainer Bill Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison for aggravated indecent assault.
“More than 60 women have self-identified as sexual assault victims of Bill Cosby,” wrote sex assault survivor Andrea Constand in a victim impact statement made public ahead of Cosby’s sentencing.
“When the sexual assault happened, I was a young woman brimming with confidence and looking forward to a future bright with possibilities. Now, almost 15 years later, I'm a middle-aged woman who's been stuck in a holding pattern for most of her adult life, unable to heal fully or to move forward.”
During his emotional and at times tearful testimony, Kavanaugh, who was described as angry, called the events surrounding his nomination a “national disgrace” and a “media circus.”
But it was during Kavanaugh’s testimony that strong reactions were seen on social media regarding the definition of sex assault after he stated he never had sex in high school.
“Sexual assault isn’t about sex, it’s about power,” tweeted Nick Murrow, of the Human Rights Campaign southern states.
Sex assault resources are available at the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673. Since it was first created in 1994, the National Sexual Assault Hotline has helped more than two million people, according to its website.
Cannabis cultivators, entrepreneurs, investors and people who believe California will be a mecca for the marijuana market -- plus a handful of men sporting bushy white beards and marijuana-patterned Hawaiian shirts -- drifted into downtown Los Angeles Thursday for a weed expo.
The Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center where Cannabis-related business owners, health care workers, animal-care workers, budding entrepreneurs, and the cannabis-curious were among the patrons walking around and networking.
The event organizers said they believed California is poised to be one of the biggest global cannabis markets due to the recent legalization of recreational adult use.
The exposition opens to the public Thursday and runs until Saturday, Sept. 29.
In addition to booths that show off different businesses, services, and products, the exposition will also hold panels featuring keynote speakers who they have identified as trailblazers and industry experts.
You can get more information here.
Judge Brett Kavanaugh testified before a Senate committee Thursday to answer an allegation that he sexually assaulted Christine Blasey Ford during a high school party 36 years ago. Here are key moments from his testimony.
Telling a coworker that you need to go get your steps in for the day?
This might be an occurrence that happens each morning, before your break, if you check your tracker or counter and find you've still got a ways to go to hit your daily goal.
Telling someone that you need to get your steps in on Friday, Sept. 28? While standing outside the US Bank Tower in downtown Los Angeles?
Chances are as high as a skyscraper is tall that you're participating in the annual KD Stair Climb for Los Angeles, an on-the-move fundraiser that helps support the community programs of the Ketchum-Downtown YMCA.
But the steps being pursued on Sept. 28 won't be of the strolling-down-the-sidewalk assortment; participants will be heading up, up, up, up the stairs of the 73-story building, and several more "ups" after those, if you count each step as an individual "up."
For the total number of ups, er, steps, in all? Prepare to ascend 1,664 steps as you move skyward inside "the tallest stairwell west of the Mississippi."
A handful of participants have made the stair-packed journey in just under or a bit over ten minutes in recent years.
In a word? Wowza.
If you do join the 25th anniversary of this popular stair climb, there is same-day registration, so read all.
And, of course, you should go at the pace that suits you and is safe. And, of course, you'll want to take the elevator back down once you're done, and not the stairs, which all stair-climbers are invited to do.
And, of course, think about making time to join the Block Party that'll be happening down at street level, where all the steps you take in the direction of the food trucks and beer garden will mostly be of the flat variety.
All of the give-back, step-awesome, DTLA-fun details? Tie the laces of your go-to workout shoes and take a step in this direction.
The tight housing market and outrageous offers are pricing out many seemingly well-qualified buyers. Randy Mac reports for NBC4 News on Sept. 26, 2018.
Do not turn Kiké down, just turn him up.
Los Angeles Dodgers super-utility player Enrique "Kiké" Hernandez has a new walk up song courtesy of LA-based rapper, YG.
Keenon Daequan Ray Jackson, a Compton native who goes by "YG," sat down with Hernandez recently to help him record a new walk-up song entitled "Turn Me Up."
The compilation was created courtesy of Bleacher Report and Adidas, and Hernandez himself sings on the track.
YG is a sports enthusiast who loves his Los Angeles area teams and was spotted recently at LA Rams practice in Thousand Oaks, CA hanging out with Todd Gurley and Aaron Donald.
YG is also performing live at halftime of the Minnesota Vikings and LA Rams game at the Coliseum on Thursday Night Football.
Hernandez is no stranger to the spotlight in Los Angeles, and is known as a jokester and prankster inside the Dodgers clubhouse.
Recently, during the Dodgers three-game series in Arizona against the Diamondbacks, Hernandez did an interview in which he said he's currently playing a prank on new teammate Ryan Madson whose locker is close to Hernandez's in the clubhouse.
Hernandez said that he once pulled a prank on a former minor league manager, convincing him for over a month that he doesn't speak English. He admitted in the interview with ESPN, that he is currently playing the same prank on Madson.
You can hear Hernandez's new walk-up song in the video below which includes footage of Hernandez and YG playing baseball at a local field.
If you can not view the embedded tweets and videos, please scroll down and click "VIEW FULL MOBILE SITE" below.
The 2018 Los Angeles Dodgers are a flawed team.
One week ago, they were 2.5 games ahead of the Colorado Rockies for first place in the National League West, and they held their destiny in their own hands.
One week later, after going 3-3 to the already-eliminated Padres and Diamondbacks, the Dodgers find themselves one game behind the Rockies, and in second place in the NL West, needing help from the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs in order for them to make the postseason.
Before you scream and shout, and point the blame at the Phillies or D-Backs, or this game or that game, know that the Dodgers created this messy bed, and now they have to sleep in it.
The Dodgers got off to a sluggish start to the season, and were 10 games below .500 on May 16. They went 1-5 against the last-place Reds and Marlins. Their bullpen is fifth worst in the Major League with 26 blown saves and they have lost 22 games this season when tied entering the ninth inning. Needless to say, they have been inconsistent all year, and played well below their potential for most of the season.
Yes, they have beaten a lot of good teams this season, yes, they have one of the most talented and deepest lineups in all of baseball, but none of that will mean anything if they don't reach the postseason, a once foregone conclusion, that is now in jeopardy.
There are essentially four possible outcomes for the Dodgers over the next three games. One involves them missing the postseason entirely, the best-case scenario would see them win their sixth consecutive NL West division title. The other two scenarios are slightly more chaotic, and reside somewhere in-between.
Below are the pitching matchups for the final three games of the season in San Francisco at AT&T Park, as well as all of the potential outcomes for the Dodgers come Monday morning:
Friday: Hyun-Jin Ryu vs. Madison Bumgarner
Saturday: Clayton Kershaw vs. Dereck Rodriguez
Sunday: Walker Buehler vs. Andrew Suarez
Option One: Dodgers Miss the Postseason Entirely
A season full of ups and downs could come to the most disappointing end possible if the Dodgers fail to make the postseason entirely. While unlikely, this outcome is completely possible.
The Dodgers are 2-4 at AT&T Park this season and historically have a below .500 record in the house of their enemy. Despite San Francisco being eliminated from the playoffs, they would like nothing more than to spoil the fun for their rivals and eliminate them from the postseason.
Madison Bumgarner is one of the best pitchers in baseball, and he starts on Friday in a pitching matchup that should favor the Giants. On Saturday, Kershaw starts against Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez's son, Dereck, who has posted a 2.50 ERA in 18 starts this season. On Sunday, the Dodgers will face another left-hander, Andrew Suarez, and southpaws have been their Achilles heel for most of the season.
If the Dodgers get swept by San Francisco, and the St. Louis Cardinals win two of three from the Cubs, then the Dodgers will be eliminated from the postseason entirely.
If the Dodgers lose two of three games against the Giants, then the Rockies need to win just one game this weekend against Washington, and the Cardinals would have to sweep the Cubs in order to guarantee the Dodgers do not make the playoffs.
Option Two: Dodgers Win the NL West
The five-time NL west champions will need a lot of help in order for them to win their sixth consecutive division title. In this scenario, the Dodgers will look to the Washington Nationals for help in their pursuit of the West.
If the Dodgers sweep San Francisco, then LA needs Washington to win just one game in Denver this weekend to force a one-game playoff at Dodger Stadium on Monday night to decide the NL West division. In this scenario, both teams will have access to the entirety of their 40-man roster, as it is treated like a regular season game. If the Nationals can win two games or more, and the Dodgers sweep, then they win the division.
If the Dodgers win just two games against the Giants this weekend, then they will need Washington to win at least two games against the Rockies, and if they only win one game against San Francisco, then they would need the Nationals to sweep the Rockies in order to force the playoff for the division at Dodger Stadium on Monday.
Option Three: Dodgers Win the 2nd Wild Card Spot
This is the most likely of all of the scenarios available to the Boys in Blue. Los Angeles currently stands one game ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals for the second wild card spot in the National League, and both teams are playing in meaningful games this weekend.
The Cardinals are facing their rivals, the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field this weekend. Despite clinching at least a wild card spot, the Cubs need to beat the Cardinals in order to win the NL Central division, and avoid a one-game playoff to advance to the NLDS.
Plain and simply, if the Dodgers sweep San Francisco this weekend, then no matter what happens with the Rockies, they will be guaranteed at least the second wild card spot and a postseason birth. If they only win one-game against the Giants, then they would need the Cardinals to also only win one game against the Cubs in order to ensure they are seeded in the second wild card spot.
If the Dodgers win two games against the Giants this weekend, then the Cardinals would have to sweep the Cubs in order to force a one-game playoff to decide the second wild card game in St. Louis on Monday.
Option Four: Dodgers Are Tied With Rockies or Cardinals, or Both
We call this option the "chaos scenario," with a potential ultimate chaotic scenario in the case all three teams have identical records after Sunday's finales.
Firstly, if for some reason the Dodgers are tied with the Rockies, but the Cardinals have a better record than both teams, then the Dodgers would host Colorado at Dodger Stadium on Monday night to decide the NL West division and a potential NLDS matchup with the Atlanta Braves. The loser would be eliminated.
If the Rockies finish ahead of the Dodgers, but Los Angeles has an identical record as the Cardinals, then they will face St .Louis at Busch stadium in a Game 163 to decide the second wild card spot. The winner of that game would face either the Brewers or Cubs in a one-game Wild Card matchup, the loser would be eliminated.
If all three teams are tied at the end of the season, then the Dodgers would host the Rockies on Monday night at Dodger Stadium to decide the NL West. A victory would give Los Angeles their sixth consecutive division title, and a date with the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS. A loss, and they would travel to St. Louis on Tuesday to play the Cardinals in a one-game winner-take-all for the second wild card spot. A loss in that game, and their season is over. A win, and they would move on to either Milwaukee or Chicago for the wild-card game, on Wednesday, and a win in that game would mean they travel to the other team's city (either Milwaukee or Chicago) to face them in an NLDS matchup.
Are those enough scenarios for you?
Bottom line: it's going to be a stressful weekend for Dodgers fans as they watch not only the results of their games with the Giants, but the Rockies and Cardinals as well. Just remember to breathe.
A mother from Los Angeles says being at the wrong place at the wrong time has upended her life in unimaginable ways.
She claims she was falsely accused of murder after visiting the mall in Rolling Hills Estates earlier this year, the same day a retired nurse was found stabbed to death.
Cherie Townsend says since she was released from jail she's been trying to focus on being a mom to her college-age son and teenage daughter, but says the very public accusation that she was a killer hangs over everything she does, every day. Now she says she wants her story heard because she wants to clear her name.
"I was arrested for a murder I didn't commit," she told NBC4 in an interview this week. "It's important for my story to be out, because I was wrongly accused."
It was May 3 when the body of 66-year-old retired nurse Susan Leeds was found in the driver's seat of her Mercedes SUV, inside the parking structure at the Promenade on the Peninsula shopping center.
Detectives said Leeds' throat had been slashed, she'd been stabbed a dozen times, and things had been stolen. The next day, deputies arrested a homeless man who had been seen at the mall, but quickly released him.
Then LA County Sheriff Jim McDonnell announced another arrest: Townsend had been booked for murder and was being held on $1 million bail. Detectives tracked her to the Inland Empire, where she says she was pulled over by a half-dozen squad cars.
"They all had their guns drawn, like I'm a monster," she said. "They asked me to get out, put my hands up, and at this point, my life kinda flashed …"
Townsend confirms she was at the mall that day, shopping and passing time after dropping her daughter off at a friend's house in nearby Lomita. She says she knows nothing about the murder, and didn't see anything unusual while walking through the parking structure.
She drove out, her car was recorded by a security camera, but Townsend says she didn't realize she'd left something behind until later that day.
"At some point I dropped my phone and my phone was found in the parking lot."
Townsend says that phone is the only thing that connects her with the murder scene, and it's how detectives tracked her down days later.
"They had to blame somebody, and I was it. Because like they explained to me in interrogation, they told me I didn't have any business over there," she says. "I'm not rich enough to be there, or I didn't have the right car, or I didn't look the part."
Townsend was booked, her car seized. Investigators even searched the home of friend she'd been visiting. She sat in jail for four days. Then prosecutors reviewed the evidence and decided no murder charge could be filed. Cherie was released.
"It was a relief, but a nightmare."
Months have now passed. She says if there was any evidence that connected her with the crime she knows she'd have been charged.
"Like I already knew, I'm innocent, what I said from day one."
Townsend says her daily routine of being immersed in her kids' school and athletic lives ended with the arrest and accusation. She says she's been afraid to be out in public, and can panic when she sees a police car.
"It's fear, fear that I'm going to unjustly be taken from my children."
She says she used to work for the LA County Probation Department and planned to resume working full-time once her kids were in college.
"I still have this dark cloud over my head ... from the moment I was released, they still went on TV and said we think we have the right person. That's damaging to me, my family."
The Sheriff's Department detectives on the case declined to be interviewed. The department would not say if it still considers Townsend a suspect, but her name is not mentioned in a new written statement.
In that statement the department says the case "has proved to be a very complex, active investigation," and says "with the lack of eyewitnesses, the physical and forensic evidence collected is continually being re-evaluated."
"Investigators are still receiving tips from the public and are diligently following up on each and every lead," the statement says.
Susan Leeds' family says it has full confidence in the homicide detectives to find the person responsible for the crime. "We know that the Sheriff's Department is doing its best," Leeds' adult stepson Fred said Thursday. "We believe in the job they are doing, and we believe they're doing everything humanly possible."
"I knew Susie Leeds for 28 years," he said. "She never had a mean word to say to anyone. She showed kindness to everyone, We greatly miss her, especially my father."
Christine Blasey Ford has broken a "culture of silence" around other experiences of sexual assault that stemmed from alcohol-fueled parties in the 1980s among classmates that attended private schools in the Washington, D.C., area, NBC News reported.
A dozen women who attended Catholic and private prep schools in the Montgomery County area of Maryland decades ago when Brett Kavanaugh was a student at Georgetown Preparatory School spoke to NBC News this week, seven of them on the record. The women — most of whom signed an open letter saying they believed Ford’s allegation, and all but two of whom did not know her or Kavanaugh personally — shared their memories of kegs, bonfires and unsupervised beach houses where heavy drinking fueled sexually inappropriate comments and behavior and attacks that were never spoken of afterward.
“So many of us thought we were alone,” one graduate of the all-girls School of the Sacred Heart said. “But we weren’t. When we heard Christine’s story, we knew that story. We’d experienced it.”
A former church youth group leader has been arrested following accusations he sexually abused five girls who attended his youth group meetings in Maryland.
A Cecil County grand jury indicted Allen L. Price, 58, Thursday, and he was arrested the next morning at his Quarryville, Pennsylvania, home, Maryland State Police say. Price has been charged with five counts of felony second-degree child abuse, 41 counts of felony second-degree sex offense, three counts of felony third-degree sex offense, 49 counts of fourth-degree sex offense, a misdemeanor, and 11 counts of second-degree assault, also a misdemeanor.
The investigation into Price began last summer when police received information about him.
Police say Price volunteered as a youth group leader at Grace Bible Chapel in Rising Sun, Maryland, from 1987 until 2001. Police say Price assaulted and abused five girls who attended the youth group meetings. The victims were between 11 and 16 years old at the time of the assaults.
Police say their investigation indicates that Price still has ties to Quarryville and Lewes, Delaware, where he has been involved in youth activities.
Anyone who would like to speak to police about Price should call 410-996-7811.
