Crime

Baby bottles, toys, and supplies were all missing when Stevannie Preite last opened her storage unit, but the two items she’ll never be able to replace are her children’s umbilical cords. Preite suspects that people she once took for friends are the culprits.

The annual World Report from Human Rights Watch lauded the US’ “vibrant civil society,” but found plenty of room for improvement as well, calling for further reform – especially in criminal justice, policing, and the detention of immigrants.

New York police found no connection between three knife attacks in subway stations this week where victims, one as old as 71, were lacerated on the hand, face, or buttocks. The rate of these types of assaults is up 15 percent from the same period in 2015.

A widow is suing Midland County, Michigan and numerous officers for causing the death of her husband. The primary complaint revolves around the use of a “spit hood” he was forced to wear that the sheriffs refused to remove, ending in his asphyxiation.

A Rochester, New York man has been arrested and charged with planning a terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve, the FBI said. The suspect was said to be plotting to attack a restaurant with a machete, on behalf of Islamic State.

Dozens of prisoners suspected of ingesting or concealing contraband in bodily cavities were shackled from behind to overhead wall brackets in a Los Angeles County jail for hours – often partially or totally naked – under an official “potty watch” policy.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens broke box office records and at least one friendship last week, when an 18-year-old sent a photo of himself holding a gun to a younger friend who ‘spoiled’ the flick. The boy’s school shut down, concerned for students’ safety.

On Thursday, 95 federal inmates received clemency orders from President Barack Obama. The single day total is more than half of all commutations by Obama to date, but criminal justice reform advocates have had mixed reactions to the president’s pace.

The availability of video evidence has contributed to a sharp rise in manslaughter and murder charges against cops involved in shootings this year, according to a criminologist. In 2015, 15 officers were charged, while from 2005 to 2014 the total was 47.