America Today Staff 
A quiet Thanksgiving in Mesa, Arizona, turned into a bloody crime scene after a woman allegedly called 911 to report she had just slashed her boyfriend’s throat, describing the attack as her personal “Independence Day.” Tamala Rudeseal, 52, is facing attempted murder charges following the incident, which occurred just after 8 p.m. Court documents state … Read more
Michigan City residents can now ride public transit for free. The Michigan City Zero-Fare Transit System began offering fare-free rides on Dec. 1, city officials announced. The Michigan City Board of Public Works & Safety approved the policy on Nov. 17, eliminating all passenger fares. Transit Director Robin Barzoni-Tillman said the initiative reflects Mayor Angie … Read more
A 26-year-old man was shot during an armed robbery Sunday afternoon in the South Shore neighborhood, police said. Chicago police reported that around 1:15 p.m., the victim was walking in the alley in the 2600 block of East 79th Street when two men approached him on foot and demanded his belongings. During the encounter, one … Read more
Chicago police have charged a man they say fatally shot and dismembered a 68-year-old man before setting a West Side residence on fire in March. Deparris Slaughter, 32, of Munster, Indiana, was arrested Saturday by the Area 4 Homicide Investigation Support Team in the 13800 block of South Brainard Avenue in Burnham, Illinois. Slaughter faces … Read more
Two Illinois men, Xu Zilong, 50, and Wu Chenguin, 51, were taken into federal custody after Schererville police caught them siphoning waste cooking oil behind Social 219 Bar & Grill in the early hours of November 13, 2025. Police reported that an officer first noticed a white box truck near U.S. Highway 30 around 12:05 … Read more
A Lake County jury has found Dennis Jelks, 60, guilty of murdering his domestic partner, the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday. Court evidence showed Jelks engaged in repeated acts of domestic battery that escalated with a deadly weapon, ultimately causing serious injury and death. The jury returned a guilty verdict for murder with a … Read more
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested 18-year-old Cordaryl Johnson Jr. in connection with the death of 17-year-old Trevaun Johnson in October. Johnson was taken into custody on the morning of Thursday, December 4, and faces second-degree murder, armed burglary of a conveyance with assault or battery, and robbery with a firearm involving the discharge of … Read more
Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) troopers are actively searching for a driver who struck a pedestrian on Boyette Road and fled the scene, leaving the man to die. Investigators say the incident occurred around 7 p.m. on Sunday, November 16, 2025, when a 39-year-old Wesley Chapel man was walking along the southbound edge of Boyette Road, … Read more
A Plattsburgh, New York, woman, Stacey Taylor, 42, appeared in federal court Monday, accused of running a human smuggling operation that brought migrants from India across the Canadian border into the U.S. Prosecutors say she continued her smuggling activities even after being caught with four foreign nationals during a freezing January night. Taylor faces charges … Read more
A federal judge has sentenced Paul Archer, 46, a former Maine resident now living in Florida, to two years in prison for tax evasion and bankruptcy fraud. Archer was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release. According to federal court records, Archer owed approximately $1 million in federal taxes following an IRS audit … Read more