MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – A reputed drug kingpin accused of escaping from the Clarke County Jail was scheduled to plead guilty to a federal escape charge Friday but changed his mind.
Darrin Jamark Southall appeared at the U.S. District Courthouse in Mobile for the plea hearing but decided not to admit guilt.
Now, a trial will be set. That’s in addition to the trial set for November on charges that he oversaw a large drug enterprise operating along the Gulf Coast.
Southall also has been named as a “person of interest” in the killings of Tony and Leila Lewis in Mobile’s Happy Hill community in February. They were the grandparents of Mobile rapper HoneyKomb Brazy.
Authorities say Southall took advantage of a shift change to slip out of the jail in Grove Hill in May. U.S. marshals quickly recapture him and then transferred him to the Baldwin County Corrections Center.
"Quick story about the Creation of this song. I was outta town in las vegas, went to a jamaican restaurant but they didnt have outsoor seating so i stopped by this spanish food truck ordered some drinks and ate at the tables outside. So eating and kickin it on the phone with my Dad and the food truck is playing music so this spanish song comes and i say to my Dad this is fire then I ask him who Is this because hes from Panama and he says Oscar Deleon, I Immediately call my producer Robbie Nova and the rest Is history." - Troy Ave
In this clip, Gene Deal spoke about the Wolf situation with BMF which resulted in his murder during a shootout with the crew outside of an Atlanta nightclub. Elsewhere in the clip, Gene detailed why he believes Biggie is the root of the Bad Boy empire and brand, but credits Craig Mack with being the seed.
The new drama BMF is inspired by two real-life Detroit brothers: Demetrius Big Meech and Terry Flenory, who created one of the biggest drug rings in the country.
Reggie Wright Jr details who really put up the money to bail Tupac out of prison. Reggie Wright Jr also details the reason behind Tupac and LL Cool J beef and addresses the Suge Knight and Halle Berry rumor.
Kanye West appeared to dox Drake as their long-standing feud reignites, but Drake doesn't seem to give an f.
Ye took to Instagram to share the location of Drake's Toronto, Ontario property, but later deleted it. This came shortly after Kanye wiped his IG clean, leaving a lone photo of his childhood home ... but he's now posted a few more pics.
Drake's response was telling ... he laughed it off on his own IG Story ... with a video of him on a joyride.
Of course, all of this weekend drama is the result of Drake's diss at Kanye on a song he just dropped with Trippie Redd ... in which he acknowledges their beef and calls Ye "burned out."
Kanye fired back by posting a group chat -- in which he added another old nemesis, Pusha T, to the mix -- which included an ominous 'Joker' text, along with the message ... "I live for this. I've been f***ed with by nerd ass jock n***** like you my whole life. You will never recover. I promise you."
Ye also deleted this post as well, but the bell can't be unrung ... and the feud is undeniably escalating.
CREOLA, Ala. (WALA)-- A bizarre story unfolding in Creola when a shootout happened Sunday night, involving a woman, her husband, and her lover.
Frank and Tracy Reeves live on Skidmore Road in Creola. Neighbors said they keep to themselves and things are normally quiet, until Sunday night when shots rang out.
Deputies said Frank Reeves got into a gun battle inside the home with a man he thought was an intruder, but investigators said that man, Michael Amacker, is Tracy Reeves's boyfriend.
According to deputies, Tracy was letting Amacker live inside the home for more than a year, and her husband never had a clue.
But Sunday night, that secret began to unravel.
"My wife and I have lived here for 13 years, never ever seen anything go on like this," said Kenneth Wilson.
Investigators said both men shot each other. Frank was hit in the chest. Amacker was shot in the leg and elbow, and both were taken to the hospital.
Mobile County Sheriff's Captain Paul Burch said Amacker and Tracy Reeves were high on methamphetamines, calling this one of the most bizarre cases he’s ever seen.
"It was just a very odd scene to work," said Captain Burch. "It's something that I haven't seen in 30 plus years."
Amacker is charged with attempted murder, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of a firearm with an altered serial number.
Deputies said Amacker apparently limited his trips to the bathroom to stay hidden, because they found bottles in his room full of urine.
The one and only Boosie Badazz stopped by New York City radio Power 105.1 to chop it up with The Breakfast Club crew Charlamagne Tha God, Angela Yee and DJ Envy about anything and everything.
Things just got a little more interesting in the battle between Royce Da 5'9 vs Lupe Fiasco and Mickey Factz and Royce's younger brother, Kid Vishis, has jumped into the lyrical fray with a new diss song ainmed at Mickey and Lupe titled "2 Snaps in a Circle."
Frontline Money and Frontline Carter are playing no games. Their new EP ""Pull Ya Drawstrings" is now in stores and the Frontline Universal co-CEOs are cranking up promotion for the project by releasing it's 2nd official music video, "Intro." Peep game. This is what Brooklyn, New York sounds like.
CHICAGO (AP) — The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a famed civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate, and his wife, Jacqueline, have been hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19, according to a statement Saturday.
Jesse Jackson, 79, is vaccinated against the virus and received his first dose in January during a publicized event as he urged others to receive the inoculation as soon as possible. He and his wife, 77, are being treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
“Doctors are currently monitoring the condition of both,” according to the statement from Jesse Jackson’s nonprofit, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.
“There are no further updates at this time,” the statement said. “We will provide updates as they become available.”
A protégé of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson was key in guiding the modern civil rights movement on numerous issues, including voting rights.
Despite having been diagnosed for Parkinson’s disease, Jackson has remained active, and has advocated for COVID-19 vaccines for Black people, who lag behind white people in the United States’ vaccination drive. Earlier this month, he was arrested outside the U.S. Capitol during a demonstration calling for Congress to end the filibuster in order to support voting rights.
PENSACOLA, Fla. (WEAR) — Police say a 34-year-old woman killed her 14-year-old special needs daughter inside a Pensacola, Fla. hospital room in July.
Pensacola police announced Tuesday morning that Jessica Bortle, 34, of Bonifay, Fla. was arrested Monday on a manslaughter charge. She's being held in Escambia County Jail without bond.
The fatal victim is 14-year-old Jasmine Singletary.
Police say Singletary — who was a special needs person with a neuromuscular disorder — was admitted to Ascension Sacred Heart in Pensacola July 8 for an infection. The fatal incident then happened July 13 while she was alone in her hospital room with her mother, Bortle, and her grandmother.
According to police, Singletary lost consciousness while in her hospital bed and died despite life-saving measures taken by hospital staff. An autopsy July 21 showed she suffered massive internal injuries to her ribs and liver while in the bed — injuries that weren't present when she was admitted to the hospital.
Police say an investigation determined that Bortle caused the fatal injuries to her daughter. The arrest report states doctors said the injuries were "similar to those found on traffic crash victims." It adds that the injuries happened through "blunt force trauma."
The Medical Examiner indicated that the injuries were so severe that Jasmine would have died only minutes after receiving them," police said in a press release. "They had to have occurred while Jasmine was confined to her hospital bed.
According to the report, video footage from outside the room showed Bortle exiting the room just before hospital staff discovered Singletary unconscious. Bortle was seen on camera "shaking and flexing her hand as if in pain."
The report states Bortle initially lied to police, saying nothing had occurred to explain her daughter's injuries. She then later changed her story, telling police that she "slammed the hospital table into Singletary's abdomen and then leaned onto the table with her weight." Bortle said she did so because she became angry after Singletary cussed at her about color crayons, according to the report.
The report states the grandmother's statement about the incident was similar to Bortle's.
Final Level Music Artist MDot Taylor releases "Ain't Going Broke No Mo" featuring Fedie Demarco and Payroll Giovanni
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Hip-Hop artist and entrepreneur M Dot Taylor relocates to Los Angeles and earns a reputation as one of the most prolific rappers and songwriters of his generation in Hip-Hop music. Often many people who wish to pursue a rap career aren't able to due to their circumstances. M Dot's goal when he moved there was to pursue his dream of becoming one of the best in his era, and it appears that he is doing just that.
At the age of 12, M Dot Taylor experiences the woes of life. It all begins with the loss of his mother and then his father at the age of 23. It was difficult for the young artist, so he begins to write music to help him overcome his circumstances. Moving forward, M Dot Taylor decides to enlist in the navy and gives five years of his life to serve his country. While some would consider this lost time, M Dot Taylor progressed as a rapper even further from it.
“After serving five years of my life, I realize the music industry is dominated by the artists that work the hardest. So I use that as fuel to go hard in every aspect in life, not just music.”
With this experience, M Dot Taylor comes back even harder and now surpasses other artists due to his strict work ethic learned in the service. He is killing the game since working with Ice T and Hen Gee. He has collaborations with Jim Jones, IceWear Vezzo, Sada Baby, FMB+DZ, and Payroll Giovanni-just to name a few. Throughout his career, MDot has released several singles such as "Runnin Up A Bag, Stylin, Smoke That Good, and Tap In." Recently, M Dot Taylor and his team are working on new projects which include his latest single, "Ain't Going Broke No Mo" featuring Fedie Demarco and Payroll Giovanni. Also, "Let Me Know Sumn" featuring Fedie Demarco and the Hip-Hop legend Jim Jones.
With all of the previous setbacks, M Dot Taylor shows his resilience by sticking through and continuing his music even when things were difficult. On record and onstage, M Dot Taylor continues to prove that he is a contender in this industry. Be sure to connect with M Dot Taylor on his website, social media, and digital music platforms.
EUGENE, Oregon — Sha’Carri Richardson’s Tokyo Olympic summer didn’t unfold as she expected.
Neither did her return to the track.
The 2018 Carter graduate finished last in the women’s 100-meter dash at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday afternoon. Richardson crossed the line in 11.14 seconds, about half a second slower than her season-best (10.72 seconds), and 0.6 seconds behind winner Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica.
Thompson-Herah (10.54 seconds), Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (10.73) and Shericka Jackson (10.83 seconds) rounded out the all-Jamaica podium Saturday, just as they did July 31 in the Olympic final.
Richardson posted the slowest reaction time out of the blocks and never appeared to find her highest speed down the straightaway. She clapped when the stadium announcer highlighted Thompson-Herah’s time as the world’s best this season, but she didn’t break stride as she walked directly into the tunnel.
Richardson’s return to racing after her drug-related suspension marked the latest twist in a summer of upheaval for the Dallas native.
At the Olympic trials in mid-June, she dominated the 100-meter races and emerged as the U.S. team’s next great sprinting star. But she also tested positive for marijuana, which she said she ingested to cope with the “emotional panic” of learning her biological mother died just before the biggest race of her life.
About two weeks later, news of her suspension for a failed drug test — and disqualification from the Olympic team — became public and Richardson garnered national attention, support and criticism.
That meant she watched from Florida, where she trains year-round, as Thompson-Herah set a new Olympic record to win gold and Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson rounded out an all-Jamaica women’s 100-meter podium in Tokyo.
The cool weather conditions Saturday in Eugene, Oregon, and the roar from the Hayward Field crowd didn’t reflect the hot, humid, fan-free setting from Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium.
But Richardson’s company in her return offered a pseudo-second chance at Olympic-level competition.
Sha'carri Richardson after the race: “This is one race. I’m not done. Count me out if you want to ... Talk all the shit you want to! You know what I can do!" pic.twitter.com/xlmJzpDd2D
Billions of dollars of U.S. weapons are now in the hands of the Taliban following the quick collapse of Afghan security forces that were trained to use the military equipment.
Among the items seized by the Taliban are Black Hawk helicopters and A-29 Super Tucano attack aircraft.
Photos have also circulated of Taliban fighters clutching U.S.-made M4 carbines and M16 rifles instead of their iconic AK-47s. And the militants have been spotted with U.S. Humvees and mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles.
While it’s virtually impossible to operate advanced aircraft without training, seizing the hardware gives the militants a propaganda boost and underscores the amount of wasted funds on U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan over the last 20 years.
“When an armed group gets their hands on American-made weaponry, it's sort of a status symbol. It's a psychological win,” said Elias Yousif, deputy director of the Center for International Policy’s Security Assistance Monitor.
“Clearly, this is an indictment of the U.S. security cooperation enterprise broadly,” he added. “It really should raise a lot of concerns about what is the wider enterprise that is going on every single day, whether that's in the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia.”
The United States spent an estimated $83 billion training and equipping Afghan security forces over the last two decades.
Between 2003 and 2016, the United States transferred 75,898 vehicles, 599,690 weapons, 162,643 pieces of communications equipment, 208 aircraft, and 16,191 pieces of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment to Afghan forces, according to a 2017 Government Accountability Office report.
From 2017 to 2019, the United States also gave Afghan forces 7,035 machine guns, 4,702 Humvees, 20,040 hand grenades, 2,520 bombs and 1,394 grenade launchers, among other equipment, according to a report last year from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).
As of June 30, Afghan forces had 211 U.S.-supplied aircraft in their inventory, a separate SIGAR report said.
At least 46 of those aircraft are now in Uzbekistan after more than 500 Afghan troops used them to flee as the government in Kabul collapsed over the weekend.
It is unclear exactly how many weapons have fallen into the hands of the Taliban, but the Biden administration has acknowledged it’s a “fair amount.”
“We don't have a complete picture, obviously, of where every article of defense materials has gone, but certainly a fair amount of it has fallen into the hands of the Taliban,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday. “And obviously, we don't have a sense that they are going to readily hand it over to us at the airport.”
Still, Sullivan defended President Biden’s decision making in leaving the Afghan forces with high-end equipment.
Even as the U.S. military was withdrawing from Afghanistan, the United States kept aircraft flowing to the Afghans, in July touting plans to send 35 Black Hawk helicopters and three A-29s.
“Those Black Hawks were not given to the Taliban. They were given to the Afghan National Security Forces to be able to defend themselves at the specific request of [Afghan] President [Ashraf] Ghani, who came to the Oval Office and asked for additional air capability, among other things,” Sullivan said.
“So the president had a choice. He could not give it to them with the risk that it would fall into the Taliban's hands eventually, or he could give it to them with the hope that they could deploy it in service of defending their country,” Sullivan continued. “Both of those options had risks. He had to choose. And he made a choice.”
MIAMI (AP) — A former University of Miami football player was arrested Thursday in connection with the 2006 fatal shooting of his teammate Bryan Pata.
Rashaun Jones, 35, of Lake City, was arrested in Marion County on a first-degree murder warrant by Miami-Dade police and the U.S. Marshals Service, police spokesperson Alvaro Zabaleta said.
“The Pata family has waited a long time to see the individual they had believed involved in Brian’s death arrested and charged,” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. “While the time needed to build sufficient evidence to ethically charge in a homicide can sometimes feel endless, families should know that the passion and determination of police and prosecutors to resolve unsolved cases does not diminish.”
Pata was expected to be an early pick in the 2007 NFL Draft following his fourth and final season with the Hurricanes. The 22-year-old, 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive lineman was shot several times outside of his Kendall apartment the night of Nov. 7, 2006. Pata had been returning from campus in his black Infiniti. Some witnesses claimed to hear arguing and then gunshots. Despite having hundreds of dollars in his wallet, neither the car nor the cash were taken.
Investigators said they learned through numerous interviews that Pata and Jones, who played three seasons with the Hurricanes, had experienced confrontations before the shooting. Pata previously beat his teammate during a physical altercation, officials said. And Pata’s brother told investigators that Jones had threatened to shoot Pata two months before his death. Despite the urging of his brother, Pata never reported the threat.
During two interviews with detectives, Jones told investigators that he was at his own home and never left on the night of Pata’s death. But records show that Jones’ cellphone was using different cell towers around the time of the shooting, authorities said. And an eyewitness in the area at the time of the shooting identified Jones in a photo lineup, police said.
Jones was being held in Marion County, awaiting extradition to Miami-Dade. It was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney who could comment. Marion County is located about 70 miles (110 kilometers) northwest of Orlando.
GoFundMe is investigating a fundraiser set up by an Instagrammer who claims she was neurologically damaged by the Covid vaccine.
Dominique De Silva had managed to raise more than $17,500 of her $50k goal before the account was flagged & all contributors offered a refund.
The 23-year-old plucked heartstrings on July 17, when she posted a video of herself apparently suffering from dystonia, or involuntary muscle contractions:
"There are countless stories like mine," she wrote. "We trusted science & now live in a never ending nightmare."
Luckily, Dominique does appear to occasionally enjoy a reprieve from her symptoms... her Instagram page is filled with happy and carefree videos and photos — posted after she got the vaccine — such as her beautiful wedding day. Meanwhile she continues to document her ordeal on her blog.
While the majority of commenters send sympathies, condolences and prayers, not everyone was convinced her "condition" was vaccine related... or indeed even real.
"Can't believe people are falling for this," one top comment on TikTok read.
"But if you had underlying conditions... portraying yourself as a regular healthy person that got the vaccine is a lie," another insisted.
On Reddit, the commenters were even less merciful.
"Only side effect she's having from the vaccine is being a shitty actor," one wrote.
"She's channeling hard the Trump impersonation of the reporter with a disability," another jibed.
Real or not, GoFundMe told TooFab it was now investigating, having already taken down more than 250 fundraisers "attempting to promote misinformation related to vaccines."
"I can confirm that our Trust & Safety team is investigating and has reached out for more information," a spokesperson told TooFab. "If any donor would like to request a refund in the meantime, we will process it for them."
"Fundraisers raising money to promote misinformation about vaccines violate GoFundMe’s terms of service and will be removed from the platform. Over the last several years, we have removed over 250 fundraisers attempting to promote misinformation related to vaccines."
"It's important to know that the platform is backed by the GoFundMe Guarantee, which means funds are guaranteed to go to the right place or donors will get a refund."
As of Saturday morning, the GoFundMe was still active.
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