policy

Chapin, SC (AP)-Rep. Nancy Mace from South Carolina used an almost one-hour speech on the US house floor on Monday to accuse her ex-fiancé of getting physically abused her and taking sex files along with her and others without her consent. And conspiracy with business partners in rape files and sexual misconduct.

Mace said she had an impact since the top prosecutor's office of her home state even after alerting the investigators. The same prosecutor will probably be Maces opponent if she runs for South Carolina's governor in 2026, which she is considering.

Mace said she “sank earth”, as Mace said in November 2023, she said that “accidentally presented some of the most hideous crimes against women. We speak of rape, not consensual photos, not mutually acceptable videos of women and underage girls as well as the intentional, calculated exploitation of women and girls in my district. “

Mace mentioned that 4 men were involved, including Charleston's businessman, Patrick Bryant, who was her fiance by 2023 and dulled for her during her re -election campaign.

The AP was able to examine the MACE claims independently. Bryant said to AP: “I categorically deny these allegations. I take this matter seriously and can work completely with all of the obligatory legal processes to eliminate my name. “

Mace accused the Attorney General of South Carolina, Alan Wilson, an investigation by Bryant and the opposite men after bringing the photos and videos to the state authorities.

“Has the Attorney General of South Carolina charged one of these predators after submitting clear evidence of video, photos and witnesses?” Asked Mace and located that her office had gotten a tip for everybody with information concerning the allegations.

In an announcement after Mace's speech, Wilson's office called her comments on the behavior of the general public prosecutor “Categorically wrong” and said that the office had “received no reports or inquiries to support law enforcement or public prosecutors in relation to these matters”.

Mace, a former member of the state of South Carolina State House, was the primary woman to finish the citadel, the state's military, college of the state, where her father then acted because the commander of the cadets. Shortly within the State House, she served as the primary Republican woman in 2020 to represent South Carolina within the congress and, after a single term, turned the first district with a democratic representative.

Her decision to disclose the accusations in a floor speech was unusual. In a press release, Mace emphasized that the statements of the members concerning the house soil are “included” legislative actions “and are therefore protected by the clause” speech or debate “, which generally protects the legislator from suing what they are saying.

“This is not a story about bitter ex-girlfriend or mutual sex straps-there are many of them. I don't care what two consent to adults agree, ”said Mace. She mentioned a dozen bills on which she had worked in the home, on topics that range from voyeurism to the ban on transgender women from using women's baths within the US capitol or house office buildings.

In 2019, Mace spoke publicly a couple of sexual assault for the primary time, of which she said Fetaler heartbeat.

On Monday, Mace said she was of several women she said of Bryant and the opposite men. Reps were among the many Republican legislators who were sitting behind Mace during their speech to point out their support. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla.

“Nancy Mace is our girlfriend and we wanted to support her and give her the encouragement she needed to get this message out,” said Boebert.

The 47 -year -old Mace won a 3rd term of the US house in November and said that “seriously about a 2026 run for South Carolina's governor”. When she enters into this race, she is going to probably compete within the Republican area code against Wilson – in his fourth term and likewise the son of Rep. Joe Wilson.

Mace has largely supported President Donald Trump, who worked for his campaign in 2016, but after January 6, 2021 raised criticism against him that violence within the US Capitol, criticizes that Trump supports a GOP challenger in her 2022 race. Mace defeated this opponent, won the re -election and was approved by Trump in her 2024 campaign.

Mace rejected additional comments within the Capitol after the speech. When asked how she felt now, she said: “I'm in peace.”

Today is Friday, September twenty seventh, the 271st day of 2024. There are 95 days left within the 12 months.

Today in history:

On September 27, 2018, during a daylong hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Christine Blasey Ford said she was “100 percent” certain that she was sexually abused as a young person by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and Kavanaugh then told it The senators said he was “100 percent sure” he did nothing of the type.

Also on this date:

In 1779, John Adams was commissioned by Congress to barter the terms of the Revolutionary War peace with Great Britain.

In 1939, Warsaw, Poland, surrendered after weeks of resistance to invading forces from Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union during World War II.

In 1940, Germany, Italy and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact, officially allying the Axis powers of World War II.

In 1964, the federal government publicly released the Warren Commission report, which concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone within the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

In 1979, Congress gave its final approval to the formation of the U.S. Department of Education.

In 1991, President George H. W. Bush announced in a nationally broadcast address that he would eliminate all U.S. nuclear weapons on the battlefield and called on the Soviet Union to follow this gesture.

In 1994, greater than 350 Republican congressional candidates gathered on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to sign the “Contract with America,” a 10-point program they hoped to enact if voters put a GOP majority within the House House of Representatives would send.

In Afghanistan in 1996, the Taliban, a bunch of former seminary students, drove President Burhanuddin Rabbani's government out of Kabul, captured the capital and executed former leader Najibullah.

In 2013, President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had a telephone conversation, the primary conversation between American and Iranian leaders in greater than 30 years.

In 2021, R&B singer R. Kelly was convicted in a sex trafficking trial in New York after a long time of evading criminal responsibility for varied allegations of misconduct against young women and youngsters.

Today's birthdays:

• Musician Randy Bachman (Bachman-Turner Overdrive) is 81.
• Actress Liz Torres is 77.
• Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt is 75.
• Singer and actor Shaun Cassidy is 66.
• Comedian Marc Maron is 61.
• Actress Gwyneth Paltrow is 52.
• Actress Indira Varma is 51.
• The musician and actress Carrie Brownstein is 50.
• Actress Anna Camp is 42.
• Rapper Lil Wayne is 42.
• The musician Avril Lavigne (AV'-rihl la-VEEN') is 40.
• Tennis player Simona Halep is 33.
• Actress Jenna Ortega is 22.

Today is Wednesday, September twenty fifth, the 269th day of the 12 months 2024. There are 97 days left within the 12 months.

Today in history:

On September 25, 2018, Bill Cosby was sentenced to 3 to 10 years in prison for drugging and sexually assaulting a girl in his suburban Philadelphia home. (After serving nearly three years, Cosby was released in June 2021 after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his conviction.)

Also on this date:

In 1513, the Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and saw the Pacific Ocean.

In 1956, the primary transatlantic telephone cable was officially inaugurated with a ceremonial three-way call between New York, Ottawa and London.

In 1957, nine black students who were forced to depart Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, due to unruly white crowds were escorted to class by members of the U.S. Army's one hundred and first Airborne Division and the National Guard.

In 1978, 144 people were killed when a Pacific Southwest Airlines Boeing 727 and a non-public plane collided over San Diego.

In 2005, within the presence of disarmament observers, the Irish Republican Army decommissioned its arsenal, officially ending its 36-year armed struggle for a united Irish state.

In 2012, President Barack Obama, in a speech to the UN General Assembly, promised American support to Syrians searching for to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, calling him “a dictator who is massacring his own people.”

In 2013, skipper Jimmy Spithill and Oracle Team USA won the America's Cup with one among the best comebacks in sporting history, overtaking Dean Barker and Emirates Team New Zealand within the all-important Race 19 on San Francisco Bay.

Today's birthdays:

• Hubie Brown, member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, is 91.
• Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is 81.
• Actor and producer Michael Douglas is 80.
• Model Cheryl Tiegs is 77.
• Actress Mimi Kennedy is 76.
• Film director Pedro Almodovar is 75.
• Actor and director Anson Williams is 75.
• Actor Mark Hamill is 73.
• Bob McAdoo, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, is 73.
• Actor Michael Madsen is 66.
• Actress Heather Locklear is 63.
• The actress Aida Turturro is 62.
• Actor Tate Donovan is 61.
• Actress Maria Doyle Kennedy is 60.
• Scottie Pippen, member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, is 59.
• Actor Will Smith is 56.
• Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones is 55.
• John Lynch, a member of the Football Hall of Fame, is 53.
• Chauncey Billups, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, is 48.
• Actress Clea DuVall is 47.
• Rapper TI is 44.
• The actor and rapper Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) is 41.
• Actor Zach Woods is 40.
• Actor Jordan Gavaris is 35.
• Actress Leah Jeffries is 15.

Officers were first called to the Palo Alto Transit Center at 95 University Ave. around 2:10 p.m. Sunday for a report of a fight between two men, Palo Alto police said in a news release. When they arrived, the boys were still in the realm.

According to police, the investigation revealed that a Latino man in his 20s was sitting on a bench on the bus stop when he heard the suspect “yelling derogatory things about people from Mexico.”

When the person stood up and told the suspect to stop yelling or get away from him, the suspect punched him within the face, police said.

The victim told officers he took a closed pocket knife out of his pocket and held it in his hand to scare the suspect away. However, the suspect challenged the victim to a fight and punched him within the face a second time, police said.

According to police, the victim dropped the pocket knife and hit the suspect within the face.

The perpetrator hit the victim within the face a 3rd time, in line with the police. Both men fell to the bottom and the victim was capable of escape.

The victim suffered minor injuries but refused medical attention on the scene, police said.

During the investigation, a person in his 70s told police that the suspect had recently asked him for a cigarette. When he refused, the suspect knocked a cigarette out of his hand, in line with police.

According to police, the suspect then turned his attention to the opposite man.

Officers charged the suspect with two counts of assault – one for every victim – and a hate crime.

Anyone with information in regards to the case can contact police at 650-329-2413; those wishing to stay anonymous can call 650-383-8984, text or email paloalto@tipnow.org.

REDWOOD CITY – A person on the state's sex offender registry was arrested late last month after a teenage girl accused him of sexually assaulting her after he offered her drugs in a parking garage, police said.

The reported victim, a 14-year-old, went to an unspecified parking garage with a 13-year-old friend to drink alcohol around 10 p.m. on the evening of July 31, in accordance with a Redwood City police news release.

Once there, the 2 children were approached by a person walking a dog, who “encouraged” them to drink and gave them marijuana, police reported.

At some point, the 13-year-old went home and the person later sexually abused the girl, as she told police. The girl reported that she stopped the assault by distracting her and that in some unspecified time in the future the person also offered her cocaine.

The police were called after receiving a call a few house where the 14-year-old was allegedly drunk. She then described the alleged assault, the press release states.

Based on an outline of the girl, officers identified 32-year-old George Bautista Zarate as a suspect and served a search warrant for his residence. During the search, they reportedly found “several pieces of evidence linking him to the sexual assault.”

Bautista Zarate was found and arrested after the search was conducted, police said. Jail records show he’s being held at Maguire Correctional Facility despite failing to post $250,000 bail. He was arrested on suspicion of 4 sex crimes, enticement of minors to commit crimes and delivery of marijuana to minors.

In the news release, police said Bautista Zarate is a registered sex offender. Details concerning the crime that put him on the state registry weren’t immediately available Wednesday. He is just not on Megan's Law's online sex offender list, which excludes certain people based on aspects resembling the severity of their crime and their parole status.

RICHMOND – A former volunteer at a Richmond church was arrested and charged with sexually abusing a music student over several years, police said Friday.

Police imagine the suspect, Miguel Angel Villalobos-Ramirez, 37, of Richmond, could also be accountable for similar attacks at other churches within the Bay Area.

He has thus far been charged by the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office with two counts of rape and two counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object.

He was arrested on June 21 and stays within the West County Detention Facility pending $400,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 8.

Police said Friday that they were contacted on March 21 of this 12 months by a lady who reported that as a young woman she had been sexually abused by Villalobos-Ramirez during her music lessons at St. Cornelius Catholic Church, 205 twenty eighth St. Church officials said he was a volunteer within the music ministry.

The woman told police that the abuse lasted from 2010 to 2022, starting when she was a minor and continuing until she reached maturity.

Police launched an in depth investigation that culminated in Villalobos' arrest and formal charges on Tuesday. According to court documents, the confirmed alleged assaults occurred between January 2019 and January 2023.

According to police, Villalobos has worked as a volunteer at several churches throughout the Bay Area since 2010, including St. Cornelius, St. Clement's Catholic Church in Hayward and most recently, until his arrest, Queen of all Saints Church in Concord. Church officials said he also volunteered within the music ministry at the opposite two churches.

Police said that based on information gained throughout the investigation, it’s believed there are additional victims who haven’t yet come forward. Police are urging anyone who has had inappropriate contact with Villalobos or knows of such incidents to instantly contact Detective Terry Thomas at 510-621-1746 or via email at Terry.Thomas@RichmondPD.net.

The statement said Villalobos-Ramirez was given the volunteer work on the churches “after completing safe work training and a background check.”

“We know how important it is for us to honor the trust you place in us to care for your loved ones, and we continue to do everything we can every day to provide a safe, healthy and sacred environment here in our community,” the statement continued. “Thank you for doing your part in our shared responsibility.”

Anyone with information regarding an allegation of sexual misconduct by a clergy member or a diocese worker or volunteer is asked to contact their local police department.

PITTSBURG – A former Pittsburg police officer was sentenced to 6 months' probation after pleading guilty to 2 misdemeanors as a part of an agreement that required prosecutors to drop 4 serious weapons charges against him, records show.

Armando Montalvo, 29, pleaded no contest to 2 counts of obstruction of justice in March. In exchange, prosecutors dropped 4 charges related to possession and sale of assault rifles, records show.

Montalvo was sentenced to a brief term of probation that ends in September, based on court records. Montalvo joined the Pittsburg Police Department in 2015 and resigned in 2022 when the investigation got here to light. He was charged two years ago.

Montalvo was the primary of 14 Pittsburg and Antioch law enforcement officials charged as a part of a sprawling corruption investigation by the FBI and Contra Costa District Attorney's Office, but his case was only tangentially related to the much larger scandal. Prosecutors said on the time that they found evidence that he had illegally possessed assault rifles and sold them to another person while examining other officers' phones.

The other 13 East Contra Costa officers were charged with, amongst other things, bribes in the shape of alcohol to get out of traffic tickets, wire fraud, violent civil rights violations and drug trafficking.

The FBI also uncovered a parallel scandal still unfolding in Contra Costa. After seizing Antioch officers' phones, agents found quite a few racist, sexist and homophobic texts and memes in chats involving dozens of officers. This has to date led to firings and disciplinary actions against officers, the dismissal of dozens of charges and a rise in special circumstances in a multi-defendant gang case that was dismissed by a judge.