Male drives 700 miles to set fire to home of man talking to ex-girlfriend; 6 escape by 'miracle,' but family dogs die: Cops



A male from Michigan drove more than 700 miles to set fire to the southeastern Pennsylvania home of a man who was having an online relationship with his ex-girlfriend, police said. The inferno nearly killed six people and left two family dogs dead.

Harrison Jones — a 21-year-old from Rockford, Michigan — has been charged with six counts of attempted criminal homicide, arson, risking catastrophe, and related offenses.

'As the suspect vehicle fled the area, smoke could be seen billowing up from the rear yard of the home, and within 30 seconds a large explosion was observed, and the house became engulfed in flames.'

Around 5:22 a.m. on Feb. 10, the Bensalem Township Police and the Bensalem Volunteer Fire Department responded to a fire at a two-story home. Bensalem is about a half hour northeast of Philadelphia.

Six adults were forced to flee from the burning home — some of whom had to jump out of windows on the second floor to escape the fire. All six residents were transported to a nearby hospital with injuries.

Two family dogs died in the fire.

Police said the fire resulted in a "total loss" of the home.

"It’s a miracle they all survived," Bensalem Public Safety Director William McVey said during a Monday press conference. "And we credit the mother of that house for taking the actions she did to protect her family and ensure that they all lived."

Authorities launched an investigation into the fire, which was believed to have been "intentionally set and incendiary in nature."

Detectives obtained surveillance footage from a camera at a nearby residence, which reportedly showed a black sedan in the area at 5:01 a.m.

The Bensalem Police Department said in a statement: "A subject exits the vehicle with an object and walks towards the residence. After approximately 15 minutes, the subject appears to run back to his waiting vehicle and departs the area" on Mallard Drive toward Portside Drive.

"As the suspect vehicle fled the area, smoke could be seen billowing up from the rear yard of the home, and within 30 seconds, a large explosion was observed, and the house became engulfed in flames," police stated.

Investigators utilized intersection surveillance cameras to identify the suspicious black sedan — a 2021 black Volkswagen Passat. An automated license plate reader revealed that the vehicle was registered in Michigan.

During interviews with the residents of the destroyed home, they discovered that a 21-year-old man was having an online relationship with a woman from Michigan. The man told detectives that the woman was supposed to come to Bensalem to meet in person this month.

Citing court documents, WTXF-TV reported that Jones was supposed to drive his ex-girlfriend to meet the Pennsylvania man. However, investigators said Jones drove to Bensalem on his own with "murderous intentions."

Harrison JonesImage source: Kent County (Mich.) Sheriff's Office

Detectives with the Bensalem Police Department contacted officers with the Kent County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan, who then obtained a search warrant for a local residence.

Police said they confronted Jones — who "had what appeared to be burns on his arm." There reportedly was a 2021 black Volkswagen Passat at the residence.

Investigators said Jones is the ex-boyfriend of the Michigan woman who had been talking to the Pennsylvania man.

The Kent County Sheriff’s Department arrested Jones on Feb. 12, according to jail records.

Jones is currently awaiting extradition back to Pennsylvania.

The Bensalem Police Department said Jones "traveled over 700 miles and 11+ hours each way to commit crimes that nearly cost six people their lives." Police labeled Jones' alleged actions as "heinous acts."

Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said, "This is a family’s worst nightmare to be asleep in their home, not knowing that a stranger broke into their home, and attempted to take their lives by setting their home on fire. This family suffered such inconceivable loss. This defendant’s actions are incomprehensible, and he will be held accountable."

You can view a video report here about the fire.

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Pennsylvania nurse linked to 17 deaths said diabetic patient was 'next to die' before giving him lethal insulin dose: Lawsuit



A former Pennsylvania nurse, who is already facing charges in connection with the deaths of 16 patients, is now accused of delivering a lethal insulin dose to a 43-year-old diabetic man, according to a new lawsuit.

Heather Pressdee is accused of mistreating 22 patients at five different care facilities between 2020 and her arrest last May, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

As Blaze News previously reported in November, the nurse allegedly administered excessive doses of insulin to 17 patients, who died.

According to a recent wrongful-death lawsuit, Pressdee subjected one of those patients, a 43-year-old diabetic patient named Nicholas Cymbol, to routine insults, berating, bullying, and abuse before providing him with a fatal dose of insulin last May at the Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The complaint claims Pressdee exhibited "troubling and erratic behavior" while working at the center, which enabled her abuse to "pervade throughout the facility."

The nurse allegedly prevented other staff members from feeding or providing water to Cymbol on several occasions.

Cymbol — who was described as a "brittle diabetic" — died at Sunnyview on May 1, 2023. Right before his death, Pressdee reportedly refused to call 911 for Cymbol's medical emergency until confronted by other staffers.

Prior to Cymbol's death, Pressdee allegedly told staff members that he was "going to be the next one to die anyway," according to NBC News.

His cause of death was initially said to be a myocardial infarction.

However, an investigation by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General found that Cymbol died because Pressdee administered a lethal dose of insulin.

The day Cymbol died, Pressdee was terminated by Sunnyview for abusive behavior toward patients and staff, according to the lawsuit.

After Cymbol’s death, Pressdee allegedly sent a sympathy card to his family saying, "Nick was one of a kind."

Staffers at Sunnyview started to notice patients tended by Pressdee "were passing away unexpectedly and/or under suspicious circumstances, causing the nursing staff to believe Pressdee had involvement in their deaths," the lawsuit states.

The suit accuses the Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center of negligence and of "consistently fail[ing]" to train staff to recognize and report the abuse of residents.

The lawsuit questions the hiring practices of the center, noting that Pressdee worked at 10 medical facilities from 2018 to December 2022, and she was forced to resign or was terminated from each of those jobs due to "abusive tendencies and behavior toward residents and staff."

The lawsuit was filed by the victim's sister, Melinda Brown, who is the administrator of Cymbol's estate. The suit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages and demands a jury trial.

Last May, Pressdee was charged with the mistreatment of three patients.

In November, she was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, 17 counts of attempted murder, and 19 counts of neglect of a care-dependent person.

Pressdee remains in custody without bail. She is scheduled to appear in court on May 2.

Another wrongful death lawsuit filed in connection with nurse accused of killing patients www.youtube.com

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Biological male killed 12-year-old girl who he had alleged sexual relationship with, transitioned to transgender after arrest



A biological male from Pennsylvania confessed to killing a 12-year-old girl who he allegedly had a sexual relationship with. However, after the male was arrested, the suspect transitioned to a transgender individual.

Ash Cooper, a transgender individual who previously went by the name of Joshua Cooper before being arrested, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence on Thursday. The judge sentenced the 18-year-old Cooper to 15 to 40 years in prison.

Cooper, who was 16 at the time of the murder, admitted to killing 12-year-old Morgan Connors at a trailer park in Bensalem Township on Nov. 25, 2022.

However, Cooper allegedly showed a female friend the bloody body of the deceased 12-year-old girl on an Instagram video chat. Cooper then attempted to convince the friend to help dispose of Morgan's body, according to court documents.

The friend allegedly informed her mother, who then contacted the police.

When law enforcement arrived at the crime scene, they saw a teen "running out of the back of the trailer."

The Bucks County Courier Times reported, "Inside the home police found the body of a girl with her pants around her ankles on the bathroom floor. It appeared she had been shot, police said. The officers also saw towels drenched in blood, cleaning supplies, and the strong odor of bleach."

"Officers entered the residence and observed a deceased juvenile female, later identified as Connors, on the floor of the bathroom with an apparent gunshot wound," the Bucks County District Attorney's Office stated.

Morgan's cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the neck and upper chest area.

Police noticed that there was an attempt to clean up the gruesome murder scene.

"There were also indications that substantial steps were taken to clean up the crime scene," police said.

Cooper later admitted to using the father's gun to shoot Connors, which had been stored in a safe.

According to an affidavit of probable cause, Cooper told police that the murder "was an accident ... '[he's] sorry' and that he's 'going to jail for the rest of his life.'"

WPVI-TV reported, "The affidavit also states that during an interview with Cooper's mother and police, Cooper claimed at one time he was in a sexual relationship with the victim."

The Daily Mail reported, "During the investigation, officials discovered Cooper was accused of sexual assault in a previous unrelated case. She was found guilty in juvenile court."

Cooper was initially charged as Joshua Cooper, but began transitioning to a transgender individual after the arrest. During the trial, Cooper's lawyer asked the court to identify Joshua as Ash.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Kristin M. McElroy read a statement from Connors' grandfather during the sentencing that stated: "The human heart is not built for such heartbreak."

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Ash Cooper sentenced in murder of 12-year-old girl in Pennsylvania trailer park www.youtube.com

Pennsylvania middle school teacher's assistant charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with boy, photos shared to 'unknown number' of students



A Pennsylvania teacher's assistant has been fired after she was accused of sending explicit photos and having an illegal sexual relationship with a student.

Megan Carlisle, a paraprofessional at the Elizabethtown Area Middle School, was arrested on May 25. Carlisle was charged with one count each of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, institutional sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, statutory sexual assault, and dissemination of sexual materials to a minor.

Carlisle was booked into the Lancaster County Prison on $200,000 bail.

The Elizabethtown Area School District announced that Carlisle is no longer employed.

“The Elizabethtown Area School District is aware of the charges filed against Megan Carlisle, former paraprofessional at the high school, for alleged sexual misconduct,” the school district said. “While we do not generally make it our practice to comment on personnel or legal matters, we believe this situation necessitates a statement."

“As such, we are sharing the following information: Ms. Carlisle is no longer employed by the school," the statement added. "The District fully cooperated with local law enforcement on their investigation. We will have no further comments on this matter as it will be adjudicated in the courts."

Carlisle allegedly contacted a 15-year-old male student on the Snapchat app. The 37-year-old middle school monitor sent explicit images to the boy and his 16-year-old friend.

On April 28, Carlisle reportedly "touched and caressed" the genital area of the student during in-school suspension, according to police. Later that night, Carlisle picked up the boy and engaged in sexual activity in her car at an empty parking lot, police said.

WPMT reported, "An affidavit of probable cause alleges that after Carlisle left the parking lot, the 15-year-old victim texted her and asked for money to get food. The paraprofessional allegedly sent him $20 via Cash App."

The day after the alleged sexual encounter, the boy reportedly texted Carlisle requesting vape pods. The in-school-suspension monitor purchased four vape pods for the student, according to the affidavit.

Northwest Regional Police Department said in a press statement, "The investigation also discovered the images and videos made by Carlisle have been sent and shared to an unknown number of other students in Elizabethtown School."

An investigation into the alleged sex scandal involving the teacher's assistant has been launched.

Elizabethtown School District employee arrested for alleged sexual conduct with students www.youtube.com

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