A La Verne couple’s dream renovation has become a nightmare of unfinished construction, and they say their contractor is to blame.

The project started as an act of generosity by baby boomers Jim and Kim Howard, who find themselves in what’s becoming a familiar position for their generation: caretakers of their elderly parents.

"Three years ago my mother-in-law had a massive stroke and she’s paralyzed on her left side," Jim Howard said. To help out, the Howards refinanced their home to build an addition where Kim’s mom and dad could live in safe proximity, while still maintaining their privacy.

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"When it came to her parents, (I thought) you know what we can do this," Howard told NBC4 I-Team Consumer Investigator Randy Mac.

On a neighbor's recommendation, the Howards consulted with, and ultimately hired Finest Home Remodeling Inc., owned by Lanny Dugar, to do the job. In July of 2014, Dugar’s crews broke ground on the project.

"Three months into construction we could actually start to see things materialize," Howard said.

But the situation went downhill from there.

The original contract was for $160,000, with additions increasing estimated costs to $172,250. But Howard became increasingly concerned when he didn’t see specific materials he’d paid for being installed, including items like windows and a patio cover.

"Each time he started something, this is where he was asking for more money," said Howard, who asked Dugar to provide an itemized budget and payment schedule for the remainder of work.

Instead, Howard says he received an incoherent handwritten note.

"It just amounts to a bunch of jibberish," Howard recalled.

Howard showed the NBC4 I-Team documents and canceled checks that indicate they’ve paid Dugar $135,000.00. During a phone call with NBC4, Dugar did not dispute the figure. The last check the Howards wrote Dugar was on Oct. 9; two days later, Howard says the project ended abruptly.

"I got a text message from the owner of the company stating that he was off the job," Howard said

The I-Team has verified that text message, and has made numerous attempts for a face-to-face interview with Dugar, whose business address is a post office box at a Calabasas UPS Store.

Reached by phone, Dugar told NBC4 he "didn’t walk off the job," and that he "was locked out" by the Howards. He indicated the money dispute may end in litigation.

The Howards have filed a complaint against Dugar’s company. The resulting investigation by the Contractors State License Board found that the work on the Howard’s home "does not meet accepted trade standards for goods and workmanlike construction."

The investigator estimated the cost to fix what’s wrong at $173,874.24.

Howard’s reaction: stunned and furious.

"I don’t know if I can say how I feel," he said.

A tour of the property reveals why he’s so frustrated: NBC4 saw a skeleton of a frame of an addition, surrounded by dangerous 6-foot deep trenches; raccoons are living in the attic, because of easy access from the outdoors, and a colony of ants crawls along the woodwork.

"It’s a little frustrating to say the least," Howard said.

Dugar is scheduled to meet with the Contractors State License Board and address their investigators report this week, but what the Howards want is a date certain for the project’s completion: Howard’s elderly in-laws are still living on their own, and in need of help.

"I don’t get upset very easily but this is wrong," Howard said.

Four things to remember when hiring a contractor:

1. Beware the down payment: California law says contractors cannot collect more than 10 percent of the value of a contract up front.

2. Insist on paying "as you go," which is typical in major construction projects.

3. Always verify what you pay for: if you’ve handed over money for windows and concrete work, you should see it; if you don’t see it, report it.

4. If you have a complaint about a contractor, contact the Contractor State License Board (CSLB) at 800-321-2752.

If you have a tip on this story — or anything else — the I-Team wants to hear from you. Give us a call at 818-520-TIPS or email nbc4iteam@nbcuni.

A hydrant damaged in a car crash on a San Fernando Valley street described as a "drag strip" sent a geyser of water over a neighborhood Thursday morning.

The car struck the hydrant in the residential area near Oxnard Street and Hillview Park Avenue. No major injuries were reported.

Aerial video showed a damaged utility pole near a vehicle stopped in the middle of a street under the geyser. The street was closed as crews worked to shut off water Thursday morning.

Residents told NBC4 they have seen other driver slam into utility poles on a street known for speeding vehicles. The section of road includes a rise on which speeding drivers lose control after the vehicle goes light due to weight transfer, said resident Christopher Alan.

"Oxnard is a constant drag stip," said Alan. "We've reported this regularly. We see it in the morning during rush hour. It's a constant problem."

The driver was identified as a college student who fell asleep at the wheel, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The driver suffered minor injuries and was not cited, police said.

A dog that was plucked from the rushing Los Angeles River in a dramatic helicopter rescue was adopted Thursday by the woman who first saw him in trouble.

Rachel Dalby spotted the animal, who has been named Lucky, being swept along by the current as she watched from a bridge near Burbank. She alerted the authorities and followed the Welsh corgi mix from her car before he was finally saved by a firefighter lowered down from a helicopter in Griffith Park Friday.

"The moment I saw him in the river I immediately wanted to take him home," Dalby said, "I think I mentioned it at one point to one of the dispatch officers, who said, 'Let's get him rescued first.'"

Since his rescue, she had been checking every day on the pooch, who is estimated to be between 6 or 7 years old, and was counting the days until she could take in the pet. There is a mandatory five-day waiting period so owners can claim lost animals before they are adopted.

Dalby said she spent a sleepless night before heading to the shelter Thursday morning.

"It's been a waiting game... (with) building excitement as the day comes closer," Darby said, "I'm looking forward to giving him a safe and loving home and getting him settled in."

Darby picked up Lucky at the shelter Thursday morning and said she plans to go on a shopping spree for toys and other items. She will be retaining his now famous moniker.

"He is doing great, he has bounced back from his ordeal," LA Animal Services Director Jan Selder said. "He is an awesome dog. He is potty trained, walks on a leash and puts his head on your lap when you pet his head, which means he had a home."

A female UCLA student was allegedly sexually assaulted by another student while she was incapacitated this weekend at a building off campus, the UCLA police department said Thursday.

Campus police detectives are investigating the attack, reported Sunday, which would have occurred between Saturday night at 11:15 p.m. and Sunday morning at 9 a.m. in a building just west of campus, police said.

Police logs place the alleged rape in the 500 block of Gayley Avenue. The campus newspaper, the Daily Bruin, said it allegedly took place in a fraternity -- there are several on that block.

The woman's alleged attacker is a male student about 20 years old, 5-foot-8 with dark hair and brown eyes, police said. Neither the victim nor her reported attacker were identified.

"I don't think a Bruin would do that to another Bruin," said student Ayla Olson, who was hoping to hear more information on the case.

Students who spoke with NBC4 said they feel safe but would like more training about how to act in scenarios involving alcohol and sex.

"The general feeling that I get from my peers is that it's not taken very seriously...I do think there should be more education about it," student Ashlyn Thomas said.

Police ask anyone with information on the investigation to call 310-825-9371, and mention case number 15-0216.

The San Francisco deputy public defender who was handcuffed  while she was trying to defend her client won't be charged with any crime, and on Thursday she criticized the officer who detained her by saying police often bully, intimidate and overreach in their power.

As the San Francisco Police Department decided not to pursue any resisting arrest charges against her, Jami Tillotson thanked the police chief for his apology, but stated in a release that she is "concerned that he continues to support Sgt. Brian Stansbury’s actions."

On Jan. 27, Stansbury detained the 50-year-old Tillotson, a veteran public defender of 18 years, as she objected to him and other officers trying to interview a client of hers outside a courtroom without her presence. A colleague videotaped the detention, which heightened the intensity and scrutiny of the issue.

"My client, a young African American man, was left without the benefit of advice of counsel," she stated. "The right to counsel is not a formality. It is a shield that protects ordinary people against intimidation, bullying, and overreach by law enforcement."

Stansbury was named in a pending federal lawsuit filed by a black San Francisco police officer claiming he was racially profiled during a traffic stop and then allegedly choked and tackled to the ground by officers in May 2013. Tillotson took aim at Stansbury's history, citing the suit against him, and filed an Office of Citizen Complaints against him.

On Thursday, San Francisco police spokesman Albie Esparza had no comment other than to say anyone has the right to file a citizens complaint.

The San Francisco Public Defender's Office run by Jeff Adachi, who launched a change.org petition to dismiss the case against Tillotson,  also on Thursday released new video of the day in question. In it, the video taken by an unknown person shows Tillotson being led downstairs with her hands cuffed behind her back as a police officer escorted her through the Hall of Justice. Throughout, Tillotson remained calm. The video shows the police officer walking slowly through the halls, and asking the videographer to shut off the camera. But in Tillotson's complaint, she said the officer's "treatment of me while in handcuffs was unreasonablly rough." She said he shouted at her and "gripped my arm in an overly aggressive manner."

Moments before she was detained, Tillotson said she was in Department 17 as she usually is,  representing her clients when she was informed that police in the hallway outside of the courtroom were trying to question one of her clients and another person.

She left the courtroom and found both men being questioned without representation.

In the videos released by the public defender's office, police Inspector Brian Stansbury is seen telling the two men that he needs to take their photographs. In the video, Tillotson repeatedly tells Stansbury and other officers, "I am representing my client here."

Stansbury warns Tillotson that if she doesn't step aside she will be arrested, to which she replies "Please do." Stansbury then handcuffs Tillotson and she is then led away from her client. She was held in a cell for about an hour before being let go.

Last week, Esparza said Tillotson was detained by Stansbury for allegedly resisting, delaying or obstructing an officer trying to perform an investigation. And that Stansbury noticed the two men in court that day who he thought might be related to a burglary. The public defender's office noted Tillotson's client was never arrested.

The 2013 civil rights lawsuit still pending against Stansbury, the city of San Francisco, police Chief Greg Suhr and Officers Daniel Dudley and Christopher O'Brien. It was filed by San Francisco police Officer Lorenzo Adamson, who was out of work at the time because of a back injury.

Adamson alleges that he was pulled over because the license plate on his Honda Accord was not visible. Instead of asking him for his license and registration, the lawsuit alleges, Stansbury asked him whether he was on parole or probation. 

As Adamson got out of his car and tried to explain that he was a police officer on disability leave, Dudley allegedly began applying a chokehold on him and tackled him to the ground, the lawsuit claims. The officers allegedly then grabbed Adamson's police gun, handcuffed him, and held him face down on the ground until backup officers arrived and identified him as a member of the police force, according to the lawsuit. The suit alleges that the officers' treatment caused Adamson severe pain and aggravated his back injury.

Bay City News contributed to this report.

Los Angeles immigrants looking for help becoming legal citizens were being taken advantage of by a scam artist posing as an immigration lawyer, according to LA City Attorney Mike Feuer.

Feuer filed charges against San Fernando Valley resident Jesus Luna Lozano, 52, saying he's acting as an immigration attorney despite being prevented from practicing law in 2003. It's part of Feuer's crackdown on immigration fraud in the city, the first of its kind since new federal rules on immigration were announced in November, he said.

"The family that has invested all of their savings not only loses the money, but they're gone," Feuer said of Lozano's alleged scheme at a news conference Thursday.

Lozano was investigated after Feuer's office received a complaint that he was still giving legal advice, Feuer's office said. Undercover investigators received legal advice on immigration issues from Lozano twice, Feuer alleges.

The city filed six counts against Lozano and is asking him to appear in court Feb. 27. If convicted, he faces up to five years and six months in prison, a city official said.

Feuer, the California Department of Consumer Affairs and legal aid organizations are working to stop immigration scams ahead of the enactment of President Barack Obama's executive orders on immigration, a Feuer spokesman said.

"This collaboration should send a shiver through those who would perpetrate immigration fraud because the Department of Consumer Affairs is out there conducting these operations," Feuer said.

NBC4 confronted a man with a driver's license that read "Jesus Lorenzo Lozano" in his office on Van Nuys Boulevard. Lozano said his services included translations and filling out immigration paperwork, but denied claiming to be a notary or an attorney.

"He was actually practicing law and giving them legal advice, asking them questions and suggesting what their path might be to obtain legal citizenship," said deputy city attorney Onica Cole.

Nelson Castillo, who is an immigration attorney, said there are many legal ways to get inexpensive or free advice but his duties have increasingly involved fixing problems created by scammers. He thinks job descriptions may be getting lost in translation as well.

"A lot of people believe they're attorneys because they use the term 'notario,' notary -- in Latin America, the word means attorney," Castillo said. 

Officials such as Feuer and California Attorney General Kamala Harris warned that with the new regulation comes a new opportunity for con artists to take advantage of "vulnerable consumers seeking help with immigration services," as Harris said in a November statement, soon after the orders were announced.

"We clean up messes every day," Castillo said.

The body of the little boy who fell down a black water drain in Tijuana Sunday afternoon has been found.

According to Tijuana Fire Department Director Carlos Gopar Uribe, a call came in just after 1 p.m. Sunday that a child had fallen into the drain and needed emergency help.

The boy's mother said he was playing near the drain when he fell in, Uribe said. She apparently tried to save him, but was unsuccessful.

Using video cameras and fire crews, they attempted to go into the drain to save the boy. Uribe said the crews worked overnight and into Monday, but still had not found the toddler.

His body was discovered Wednesday afternoon, according to Secretaria de Seguridad Publica. Details on the discovery were not immediately available.

This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.

A San Diego woman was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of buying car insurance to cover a crash she caused hours before.

Tamickeua Jones, 30, rear-ended another vehicle last December while driving without insurance, according to the California Department of Insurance (CDI).

Just hours later, she is accused of rushing out to buy an insurance policy. Jones then reported the crash to her insurer minutes after the policy went into effect, the CDI says.

CDI officials believe Jones turned in the dishonest claim to get her company to pay for the crash damage to her car. She was booked into jail on three felony counts of insurance fraud for filing a fraudulent auto claim.

According to the CDI, the “crash and buy” scam is the most common type of insurance fraud in California. Last November, a CDI sweep for netted 35 people in San Diego and 195 across the state.

"People think that they won't get caught. They'll try to purchase insurance and try to file a claim later,” Fraud Investigator Sgt. Greg Lorek said.

Insurance officials estimate insurers lost more than $1 million because of November’s cases. When the companies lose the money, properly insured motorists are charged higher premiums.

“Insurers pass the cost on to consumers, so we all pay for this kind of crime,” Sgt. Lorek said.

Fraudulent claims are a crime but so is driving without insurance in California.

For more information about what the state offers low income drivers and others on a fixed budget, log on to MyLowCostAuto.com
 

The decommissioned ocean liner Queen Mary had a royal guest visiting her court in Long Beach for the very first time Thursday.

MS Queen Elizabeth docked in the berth next to the one Mary has occupied since 1967. It's the first time a modern Cunard line ship has stopped in Long Beach, according to the shipping line.

Several ocean liner officials joined Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia for a ribbon cutting Thursday, after Elizabeth docked in foggy conditions. Now a museum and event venue, the Queen Mary was open for free admission all day.

Together, the 80-year-old Queen Mary and her "neice" -- Elizabeth is a sister ship of the Queen Mary II -- have made over 2,000 trans-Atlantic voyages, according to a Cunard press release. Cunard ships' earlier visits to Long Beach have consisted of "floating salutes," but they didn't dock.

A fireworks show was scheduled for 6 p.m., around when Elizabeth was set to depart the port.

Thieves stole sleds from three children between the ages of 10 and 16, including a 12-year-old girl whom they punched in the face, in Central Park earlier this week, police say.

Police say the teenage thieves approached the kids in the park near West 86th Street around 5 p.m. Monday and asked to use their sleds. The kids agreed, and the suspects took the sleds and walked away.

When they tried to get the sleds back, one of the suspects punched the 12-year-old girl in the head. The suspects then fled the park with the sleds.

No arrests have been made in the robbery, which was first reported by the Central Park NYC Park Advocates.

Police are looking into whether the sled theft is connected to another robbery in the same area of the park about three and a half hours later. In that case, a 38-year-old man was robbed by a masked man.

The man, who asked not to be identified, told NBC 4 New York he was walking near the 86th Street transverse when two masked men approached him.

"They punched me in my mouth twice, I felt one of my teeth fall out and another one broken," he said. "I still didn't know what they wanted and after that, they punched me again and I fell down into the snow."

The assailants kicked the man, emptied his pockets and showed two knives as they robbed him, the victim said. 

-- Roseanne Colletti contributed to this report. 

While much of the Chicago area spent this week digging out of the more than 19 inches of snow that fell over the weekend, one man instead used the blizzard to his advantage, building a snow maze for his pet pug to navigate.

Thomas McDermott, 46, of Skokie, said rather than get mad about all the shoveling, he spent the better part of his day Sunday building up the walls and digging out the snow in his backyard to create a dog run for his pug Wrinkles to have at.

“I’ve always been creative with snow,” McDermott said. “When I was younger I used to build massive snowmen up to nine feet tall and 250 pounds.”

McDermott said it took a while for his 2-year-old pooch Wrinkles to find her way out of the maze, and on her first few runs, he and his wife had to hop in and help her out. Once she got the hang of it, he posted a video on his YouTube page.

But now she can jet her way through the obstacles and dead-ends in nine seconds flat.

Nurses turned out in force Thursday in Los Angeles to hear officials discuss proposals for tough new rules aimed at preventing hospital violence, just two weeks after one of their own was shot at a local hospital.

California’s Department of Occupational Safety and Health is working to develop the new rules, which many think could have prevented the shooting of a nurse at a mental health clinic at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in South LA two weeks ago as well as other attacks across the state.

Nurses said the work is more dangerous than many people realize.

Rose Carcamo said she's been struck "many times" by patients. She said she's been spit on, slapped and kicked.

"How can they keep a drunk from hitting you? You know, you can't. We try to do the best we can," she said.

The nurses, and others represented by various health care unions around the California, are hoping Cal-OSHA can formulate a stricter policy, and want employers, including major hospitals, to protect them.

The nurse in the most recent incident was shot in the leg during a struggle with a patient. Other nurses said a metal detector might have prevented the man from bringing in a gun.

Last spring, two other nurses were seriously injured within hours of each other - one was stabbed at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar and the other was stabbed in the ear with a pencil at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance.

Both survived, but Cal-OSHA officials on-hand Thursday to discuss proposed tightened security in hospitals heard similarly disturbing accounts from dozens of other health care workers.

"There's three gang members standing right behind me while I'm working on their gang leader," said Scott Byington, a registered nurse.

Byington and others said the health care workers are basically sitting ducks when police officers are not around.

"Our security is not armed. We have no metal detectors. Nothing like that at our hospital," he said.

If approved, the proposal would be the first of its kind in the country, and healthcare workers said it needs to happen.

"So I'm holding a three month old baby and the man comes in and tries to attack me and lunge at me," said Rosa Carcamo, a registered nurse, outside of Thursday’s meeting, which was a first look at the proposed plans.

According to Cal-OSHA, nearly 5,000 incidents of workplace violence in healthcare settings were reported in California between 2010 and 2012. Many go unreported.

Three months after Sony Pictures Entertainment was the victim of a massive hack, studio co-chairman Amy Pascal is stepping down.

The studio said in a release Thursday Pascal will be launching a new venture at the studio.

Longtime studio head Pascal was heavily criticized after a cyber attack on the studio, allegedly by North Korea, which was angered by the Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy “The Interview,” which depicted the assassination of leader Kim Jong-Un.

The massive data breach revealed thousands of emails, including exchanges between Pascal and producer Scott Rudin that contained insensitive comments regarding President Barack Obama.

The studio also flip-flopped on what to do with the release of “The Interview” in the wake of the scandal after several large theater chains said it was too risky to show the film in the wake of threats against any venues that did so.

After an uproar and backlash against a decision to hold the film, it was released through independent theaters and through a multi-platform online campaign.

Pascal’s new role includes a 4-year agreement to launch her own company that will focus on movies, television and theater.

"I have spent almost my entire professional life at Sony Pictures and I am energized to be starting this new chapter based at the company I call home," said Pascal, in a statement released by Sony. "I have always wanted to be a producer."

Pascal joined the studio in 1988 and presided over a largely successful period for the studio.

"The studio’s legacy is due in large part to Amy’s passion for storytelling and love of this industry. I am delighted that Amy will be continuing her association with SPE through this new venture, which capitalizes on her extraordinary talents," Chief Executive Michael Lynton said in a statement.

"In recent months, SPE faced some unprecedented challenges, and I am grateful for Amy’s resilience and grace during this period. Amy has been a great partner to me in heading the studio and I am looking forward to a continued close working relationship with her in her new role on the lot."

Pascal will transition to the new role in May. The new venture will be based at Sony's Culver City studios.

The driver of a silver Toyota Scion surrendered after deputies spun the car out, ending a 45-minute pursuit in the High Desert on Thursday.

The pursuit, which took place mostly on side streets and didn't get over 50 mph, began in Lancaster on a report of reckless driving.

Deputies used spike strips and punctured the Scion's tires during the pursuit. At one point, the car was driving on at least one rim with sparks flying. It had flat tires.

The driver, followed by a line of patrol cars, occasionally went into opposing lanes of traffic and ran through at least one stop sign and ran a red light.

Nearly three years after a 14-year-old boy was gunned down outside his grandmother’s Riverside home, police said Thursday that two gang members have been arrested in connection with his murder.

The grandmother of Lareanz Simmons had only harsh words for the boy’s alleged killers, who police believe shot her grandson in what police believe was a racially motivated crime.

"It's been three years and I still see him everyday, I see him laying there,” Bernice Hobdy said from just outside the house where her grandson died, soon after the arrests were announced.

Outside the home, Hobdy has a memorial at the same spot where Simmons died, shot while returning home from a friend’s house.

"Almost made it to the driveway," she said. "Maybe if he had made it to the driveway he might still be alive today."

Simmons was a popular student at Riverside Poly High School, where he was an ROTC meeting. He was raised by his grandmother after the third grade. She considered him a son.

"It was really sad that he didn't get a chance to learn how to drive a car or have his first girlfriend," Hobdy said.

For nearly three years, Simmons’ murder remained a mystery, until the Riverside Police Department received some tips recently.

Those tips led them to Cristian Velasquez, 23, and Manuel Barbarin, 24. Both are documented gang members, detectives said.

"I don't understand how one person can take a gun and shoot someone in the head that you don't even know,” Hebdy said.

Simmons was not a gang member and investigators believe he was simply targeted because of his race, which is why there are special murder enhancement charges.

"The first one is hate crime murder, the second would be a gang murder circumstance," said Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin.

Investigators said that even there have been two arrests, they are still looking for a third man, who goes by the name of Ricardo or Richard.

For his grandmother, there isn’t enough punishment for the men who took her son.

"How could you do something… so evil?" she asked. When asked about the option of the death penalty for the men who allegedly killed her grandson, she said simply "Why keep them in jail for the taxpayer to take care of?"

A North Texas jury has acquitted a father of manslaughter in the death of his two-year-old son, who was found unresponsive in the family car on a summer day.

Joshua Cartee was acquitted Thursday of manslaughter and one count of criminally negligent homicide. The jury could not reach a verdict on a second count of criminally negligent homicide, forcing a mistrial.

Jurors told NBC 5 that the split in the jury room over whether to convict was 11 in favor of convicting to one holdout against.

Prosecutors say they'll pursue a new trial on the remaining count in April.

In September 2013, 2-year-old Jorden Cartee let himself of the family's Anna home while Joshua Cartee was asleep. Jorden crawled into the family's car parked in the driveway and was later found unconscious there. He died four days later.

Prosecutors charged that Cartee's negligence had led to his son's death, saying he had failed to lock the home's doors to prevent Jorden from leaving and had failed to call police for more than an hour after realizing he was missing, instead searching the acres around the rural home by himself.

Although locks had been installed less than two months earlier during a CPS investigation, and although the family had signed a safety plan with the agency promising to supervise the boy and lock the doors, the locks were not fastened when the boy left the home, prosecutors said.

The family has maintained the boy's death was a tragic accident. Cartee's defense attorney David Kleckner said his client was a “frantic parent,” not a reckless one.

Jennifer Kindle, Cartee’s wife and Jorden’s mother, said the family has not been able to fully mourn the loss of their son for a year and a half while going through the legal system.

“It is just great to tell the world that my son was so loved, and not a child that was abused or hurt,” Kindle said. “God took my son, not my husband, and it showed in the court today.”

Cartee’s lawyer, David Kleckner, said the acquittal of the manslaughter charge was a positive step.

“The fact that he was found not guilty of a second degree felony [where] he could have been facing two to 10 years in the penitentiary, that he is not a convicted felon -- that is a great day for him,” Kleckner said. “We’ll be ready for [the second trial].”

A court reissued a $100,000 bond for Cartee on Thursday following the verdict.

His family plans to bond him out of the Collin County as soon as possible.
 

They’re called designer drugs, implying they are stylish, cool, hip.

In fact they are either dangerous synthetic forms of illegal drugs or concoctions teens mix up on their own with household supplies.

Not only aren’t they cool, they are deadly - and use of them is on the rise.

Dr. Bardia Anvar, who has treated many teens for their reactions to these concoctions says they are hard to diagnose and to treat

"They have hallucinations that are very bizarre. They’re seeing… they’re having psychotic episodes that are bizarre or very scary for them, and we have to learn about these new drugs that are on the streets that you’ve – you know – you normally wouldn’t have heard of before," she said.

Breanna Phebus said she has taken the synthetic marijuana called spice.

"You can buy 'spice' at local smoke shops. I had no idea what I was getting into and as soon as I did it, I was hooked," she said.

Of the illicit drugs used by high school seniors, spice products are now second only to regular marijuana, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

As part of their appeal to teens, spice and other designer drugs are sold cheaply and because the ingredients can be bought legally.

"I did a lot of synthetic things because I didn’t like to deal with drug dealers," Phebus said.

"Lean" or "Dirty Sprite" is another popular designer drug among teens.

Dirty Sprite is a combination of Sprite, Jolly Ranchers candies, and over-the-counter medicines. In some cases, within minutes after drinking the mixture, teens can stop breathing, slip into a coma and die.

Teens are also mixing bath salts with rat poison and smoking it, often with violent reactions. Those reactions can can occur unexpectedly with any so-called designer drug.

Phebus describes one of her episodes.

"Oh my God, terrifying. People would tell you what you did and you’re like ‘No, I didn’t do that,’" she recalls.

"I’d wake up on the floor butt naked, holes on the wall. I flooded my house one day, had no idea how it happened. Bruises everywhere. It was just a rampage for days of not knowing what you’re doing. It’s something unexplainable…it was just the worst vicious cycle that took me to the depths of hell that I could never explain to anybody," Phebus says.

On one occasion, Phebus fell through a glass table and cut herself severely. She also once spent 19 days in an Intensive Care unit recovering.

Phebus says she was willing to talk about her experience to help other kids avoid what she went through.

"And I remember everything - the feeling of dying alone and in the dark and out of my mind. Take it from an addict, you don’t want to be me," she says. "But it’s never too late to quit."

NBC4’s Dr. Bruce says she’s right.

"I’ve seen this and the other mixtures kill. Here’s how to prevent it. Try to lock household cleaners, pest control products, and bath salts up. Same with over-the-counter drugs. Keep a record of how much you have. If your teen acts erratically check to see if any is missing; of course if behavior does change for any reason get them checked up; if they have used, the earlier we get to them the more likely we can help."

Researchers have mapped out the particles found across the city’s subway system, and they found a range of DNA from mozzarella cheese to the Bubonic plague.

The “PathoMap,” created by Weill Cornell Medical College researchers, maps out microbes and pathogens found on hand rails, kiosks,  benches, turnstiles and passenger seats. The research team used nylon swabs to collect DNA in 24 subway lines in all five boroughs over a period of 17 months.

Researchers say most of the DNA found across the subway system is harmless, like the cheese DNA, but the study also found some drug-resistant, disease-causing bacteria, including some DNA fragments associated with anthrax and the Bubonic plague.

Other disease-causing bacteria found in the subway system include E. coli, staph infections, meningitis, sepsis and strep infections.

At the DeKalb Avenue station in Brooklyn, researchers found 52 different kinds of bacteria, including ones associated with urinary-tract infections, sauerkraut and oil cleanup. Bacteria associated with food poisoning and respiratory ailments was found at the Forest Hills-71st Av station in Queens, and samples associated with heart-valve infections and toxic cleanup were found on turnstiles and MetroCard vending machines at the Upper East Side's Lexington Avenue station.

The South Ferry station in lower Manhattan, which was flooded by Sandy, is a virtual marine environment, the researchers found. Each of the samples from the floors, walls and railings of the station were clustered with the dozen samples collected from the water and shores of the Gowanus Canal. 

The diversity of bacteria found by subway line reflects the diversity of the population in the borough through which it runs, the researchers said. The Bronx had the most number of different bacteria species, followed by Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens.  

For information by subway station or bacteria type, check out The Wall Street Journal's interactive based on the study. 

Of the known bacteria identified in the transit system, 57 percent have never been associated with human disease, the study found. Researchers say the results are mostly reassuring and there’s no need to avoid the subway system or wear protective gloves or masks. 

As Weill-Cornell University scientist Chris Mason, one of the authors of the study, told Gothamist, "You wouldn't want to lick all the poles, even though you'd probably be fine." 

The study can be used for long-term disease surveillance, bioterrorism threat mitigation and large-scale health management, according to researchers.

Researchers' complete analysis is available here. 

Aaron Hernandez's house in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, was one of the stops along the route Friday for jurors who visited key locations in the murder trial against the former New England Patriots tight end.

The jurors entered through the garage and route various rooms including the man cave, a bedroom, and great room. His house, less than a mile from the crime scene, was just one stop of many.

Under tight security, and personal police escort, a bus filled with jurors leaves the Fall River Court House.

"Your responsibility is to see each place," said Judge Susan Garsh. "To observe it carefully."

Per order of the judge, NECN is not showing the jurors, but they stopped at multiple places important to the case.

Stop one was a cell phone tower in Attleboro. Then, it was off to three more cell phone towers - one right near Gillette Stadium where the former New England Patriot played, and then to two more.

Prosecutors have suggested cell tower pings could possibly link Hernandez to victim Odin Lloyd's death.

NECN spoke to people along the route.

"I work in the wireless cell phone business, so it makes a lot of sense, if it helps them make a decision," said Victor Delacamara of Cranston, Rhode Island.

The next stop was Lloyds home in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood.

Prosecutors wanted jurors to zone in on where a home surveillance camera across the street from Lloyd's house, which allegedly caught Hernandez picking up Lloyd the night of the murder.

Prosecutors then allege Hernandez and two others drove Lloyd to a North Attleboro industrial park and killed him.

The gravel pit there was also on the tour.

Then it was to Hernandez's North Attleboro house.

Media was instructed by the judge to stay 25 yards away from the juror bus and jurors at all times.

Hernandez was not on board for the view, but the judge, prosecutors and defense team were along for the ride.

A bit of controversy to add to the mix: the judge requested Thursday that the defense remove sports and football memorabilia from the inside of Hernandez's house that prosecutors say weren't there back in 2013.

Also Friday, Hernandez's attorney apologized for making a joke about DeflateGate Thursday while questioning a state police trooper. The judge chastised him after he did so.