Celebrated female cop accused of 'grooming,' raping teen boy



A female cop in Massachusetts and her husband are facing serious allegations that they raped a boy for years, beginning when he was 14.

Around 6 a.m. on Thursday, Samantha Pelrine, a 31-year-old officer with the Plymouth Police Department, and husband Daniel Forand, 37, were arrested without incident in connection with the allegations.

'We hold our officers to the highest standards and expect them to uphold their sworn duty both on and off.'

Earlier this month, a 21-year-old male who previously lived with the couple claimed to Massachusetts State Police that they had repeatedly sexually assaulted him up until 2025. The man also submitted an affidavit with similar allegations, claiming that "both sexually assaulted me until 2025" and that Forand had physically assaulted him.

"They are looking for me and I am scared for my safety," the man wrote, seeking a restraining order. He said he moved out of the couple's home last month.

According to CBS News, Plymouth Assistant District Attorney Jim Duffy told the court, "The allegations are that the sexual abuse started when he was 14 years old and continued up until last year. Another term for that is 'grooming.'"

During the hearing, defense attorneys cast doubt on the credibility of the accuser. "He had accused someone falsely of sexually inappropriate behavior when he was in high school," claimed Joseph Krowski Jr.

Tamari Kovach added that "his stories are inconsistent."

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Reports say Pelrine has been charged with at least three counts of aggravated rape of a child, while Forand has been charged with assault and battery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon as well as multiple counts of indecent assault and battery and aggravated child rape. The charges related to alleged incidents that took place in 2019, CBS News reported, citing court records.

Pelrine and Forand both pled not guilty on Thursday afternoon and were released on bail. They are scheduled to return to court for a probable cause hearing on June 8.

Pelrine has since been placed on paid administrative leave, CBS News reported. On Thursday, the Plymouth Police Department issued a statement, claiming her "duty status is currently under review."

"We are appalled and deeply disturbed by the allegations. We hold our officers to the highest standards and expect them to uphold their sworn duty both on and off," the statement said in part.

"The conduct alleged is in violation of our values and of our basic principles as police officers, to serve and protect."

Three years earlier almost to the day, the department issued a statement about Pelrine of an entirely different sort, highlighting her service as part of National Women's Month 2023.

"We are so proud of our female Officers and the incredible job that they do under sometimes extraordinary circumstances," the department said.

In the post, Pelrine said she always dreamed of becoming a police officer and joined the force in April 2022.

"I believe I picked the right career for my personality and what I wanted from a job because while the range of emotions from this job can vary drastically, I know that in some instances I’m truly able to make a difference in someone’s life," she said.

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Spencer Pratt Drops Bomb On Karen Bass When Asked About Reality TV History

'Against my opponent, my background's pretty strong'

Veterans slam Democrat candidate for allegedly fudging military record



Veterans are speaking out against Democrat congressional candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar for using his military career to amplify his campaign.

Campa-Najjar allegedly referred to himself as a "Navy Officer" in his campaign materials, differing from his actual title of Navy Reserve officer. Because of this alleged discrepancy, Campa-Najjar's campaign has raised eyebrows, since Navy policy requires reservists running for office to accurately disclose their military status.

'Shame on Campa-Najjar and anyone who supported these cynical political stunts.'

The Navy later said officials will be "looking into" Campa-Najjar's campaign in light of the alleged violation of Pentagon policy.

“I supported Ammar in the past, but won’t again,” Elizabeth Perez-Rodriguez, a Navy combat veteran, told the New York Post.

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Campa-Najjar, who is notably dating billionaire heiress Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), also caused uproar after staging photo opportunities for his campaign website. The photo that caught the most attention was from the Massachusetts National Cemetery, depicting Campa-Najjar near the grave of a Korean War veteran whom he reportedly had no connection to.

"As a combat veteran," Perez-Rodriguez continued, "I can’t stand when political candidates exploit the uniform for politics, and using a veteran’s grave site in your campaign is toxic and disrespectful.”

“Our national cemeteries are sacred ground — not political backdrops," Marine Corps combat veteran Brian Van Riper told the Post. "Using a service member’s grave site at a VA cemetery for political campaign photos is among the most disrespectful, distasteful, and cynical political ploys I’ve ever seen."

"All these allegations are damning and show a complete disregard for what military service and wearing the uniform should mean," Michael Malach, an Army combat veteran, told the Post. "Shame on Campa-Najjar and anyone who supported these cynical political stunts, especially using posed portraits at a deceased veteran’s grave to try and boost his campaign.”

Campa-Najjar's campaign website does list him as a U.S. Navy Reserve officer alongside a disclaimer saying, "Any references to his military rank, service, or photographs in uniform are for identification purposes only and do not imply endorsement by the Department of War or the Department of the Navy."

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Campa-Najjar's campaign manager, Andi McNew, pushed back against the allegations, saying the cemetery photo was taken while "participating in an official Memorial Day event where he, alongside his unit, honored fallen service members.”

“At no point did the campaign engage in political activity at a VA cemetery, and any suggestion otherwise is a misrepresentation of both the facts and the applicable rules,” Andi McNew told the Post.

This is Campa-Najjar's third congressional campaign. He is now running for California's newly redrawn 48th District against incumbent Republican Rep. Darrell Issa.

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Loud-mouthed former Democrat mayor tries to resurrect political career in a new state — and a new party



One of the most scandal-ridden former mayors in America is attempting to resurrect her political career, moving to a new state and a new party.

On March 11, Tiffany Henyard — the former Democratic mayor of Dolton, Illinois, and former supervisor of nearby Thornton Township — announced in a Facebook video that she had moved to Fulton County, Georgia.

'You can't expect change without making a change.'

"Y'all ain't ready," she says confidently in the video, claiming her political opponents and members of the media are "obsessed" with her and that "corruption" was rampant in Dolton and Thornton Township.

In the video, she also teases a "big announcement" that she would be making a couple of days later.

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To the surprise of very few, news soon broke that Henyard is running for political office yet again. This time, she is running to be a Fulton County commissioner — as a Republican, according to the Georgia secretary of state website.

The records indicate Henyard qualified to run on March 5. They also list her occupation as "business owner."

Four other candidates qualified to run for the District 5 commissioner's seat that same week, all as Democrats. The seat is currently held by Democrat Marvin Arrington Jr., who is running to be chair of the Board of Commissioners.

The 2026 Georgia primary election is scheduled for May 19.

Henyard claims in the video that change is needed in Fulton County. "The residents are tired," she says. "They're looking for a new leader. They're looking for new leadership."

Henyard also said she has a responsibility "to reach across the aisle, let alone walk across the aisle."

"You can't expect change without making a change," she notes in the video.

The Fulton County Republican Party did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

Henyard, whose official X handle is @tif4president, leaves a trail of scandals in her wake. Her tenure as Dolton mayor was plagued with slashed budgets, accusations of lavish spending and other misconduct, an FBI investigation, and even an all-out brawl at a public meeting.

She subsequently lost the Democratic mayoral primary in February 2025, receiving just 536 votes out of the 4,446 ballots cast.

Many of her constituents celebrated her loss:

  • "The Wicked Witch of the West is dead! It’s over," said one.
  • "I praise God. That’s all I have to say. Ding, dong, the witch is gone!" said another.
  • "If I can do a backwards hand flip right now — and I’m 67 years old next month — I would definitely do it," added yet another resident.

Earlier this month, a judge ordered Henyard to pay a former landlord $10,000 in connection with a rental dispute in Illinois after she failed to appear in court. Her attorney indicated to WGN that she missed the hearing because she was out of state and that she denies wrongdoing.

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Rand Paul says he's considering running for president in 2028 — as an alternative to populism



Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said he might run for president again in 2028 and provide an alternative for the populist wing of the Republican Party.

Paul said he would make a decision after the midterm elections in an interview with CBS News journalist Robert Costa.

'On many days, it's me in the Senate, the only one left for free trade. But I think there still is a desire among business for it.'

"There's used to be a free market/Libertarian wing of the party, and now there's not much left. In fact, on many days, it's me in the Senate, the only one left for free trade. But I think there still is a desire among business for it," the senator said in a snippet posted to Instagram.

"And it may make the so-called Libertarian vote, which might not be big enough to ever win anything," he added, "if you combine that with the Chamber of Commerce and the traditional business community that doesn't like protectionism, there may be a force out there for a different direction from the party other than being continued to be led by populism."

Costa directly asked him about a news headline opining that it appeared already that he was running for president.

"I don't know yet. So maybe they know something that I don't know," he joked.

"We're thinking about it,” he added. “I would say 50-50.”

Paul had a dramatic break with the Republican Party when he berated Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, the president's nomination to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

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The senator objected to Mullin's quip that Paul's neighbor was justified when he assaulted him over a lawn dispute and broke several of his ribs in 2017. Paul was the lone Republican vote against Mullin, but Mullin was confirmed after Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (Penn.) crossed the aisle.

He has also been very critical of the administration's justification for the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

The entire interview airs on "CBS News Sunday Morning" on Sunday.

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'I can’t breathe': 'Trans' attorney caught throwing tantrum in wild courtroom video



An Oklahoma City attorney, who identifies as “transgender,” was arrested for contempt of court during an early February hearing after repeatedly interrupting the judge and resisting arrest, according to a video circulating on social media.

A clip of the video shared on X showed Hopkins Law and Associates attorney Rob Hopkins, a female who claims to identify as a man, shouting at the judge overseeing the hearing and another attorney involved in the case before being arrested by multiple officers.

'Wanted to be a "tough guy" and then started screaming for a female officer when officers treated him like a guy.'

Despite the judge instructing Hopkins to stop, the attorney continued to interrupt her.

“You interrupt me one more time, you are being held in direct contempt of court,” the judge remarked. “And you can wipe that smirk off your face.”

After the judge again accused Hopkins of interrupting her, the lawyer appeared to toss a phone on the ground in frustration.

When the judge scolded Hopkins for throwing the phone, the attorney responded, “I did not throw. It fell off the bench. Please stop stating things that are not true, ma'am.”

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Spencer Weiner-Pool/Getty Images

The judge instructed Hopkins to “settle down,” claiming the lawyer was “red in the face.”

Hopkins blamed the judge’s alleged targeting on the idea that it was “maybe because I’m a transgender attorney practicing all over the state.”

Hopkins began shouting at another attorney, claiming he was lying about the client Hopkins was representing in the case.

“Get out of my face, sir,” Hopkins yelled several times at the other attorney.

The chaos reached a fever pitch when two officers approached Hopkins and attempted to initiate the lawyer’s arrest for contempt of court. However, Hopkins resisted.

“Stop resisting,” one officer instructed.

“I’m not resisting,” Hopkins claimed, while refusing to be handcuffed by the officers.

After several failed attempts to put handcuffs on Hopkins, the officers began to wrestle the attorney to the ground before the incident devolved into a chaotic struggle.

“I can’t breathe,” Hopkins yelled multiple times. “Help! Somebody call 911.”

Two more officers entered the courtroom to assist in Hopkins’ arrest.

“Get a female officer, now!” Hopkins demanded.

RELATED: Olympic Committee adopts new policy on 'trans' athletes

Heather Diehl/Getty Images

Online commentators criticized Hopkins for demanding to be identified as male and then requesting a female police officer during the arrest.

“Totally unprofessional,” Collin Rugg wrote. “Wanted to be a ‘tough guy’ and then started screaming for a female officer when officers treated him like a guy.”

“How shallow the delusion is even for them. Their identity is constantly evolving depending on the victimhood quotient in any given moment,” one individual stated.

Hopkins shared a video on Facebook after the incident, announcing that Hopkins Law and Associates would be closed.

“We are closing our doors, but we would like to thank you all for your kindness, support, and most of all loyalty for the last 13 years! If your matter remains open no worries we will be wrapping it up with a nice bow before then! And if for any reason it remains outstanding we will get it to the end zone!” the firm wrote in a separate post.

Hopkins Law and Associates did not respond to a request for comment.

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Los Angeles area rallies around dad arrested for installing his own stop signs to make corner safer



A Los Angeles-area father fed up with his city's inaction apparently painted "stop" on a street and installed 30-inch reflective stop signs at his own cost. He has been arrested.

Joseph Brandlin said he had seen numerous near-crashes at the intersection outside his home in El Segundo, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The neighbors immediately organized and wrote 74 letters of support for Brandlin, who handed the letters over to city officials shortly after his arrest.

The 44-year-old has lived at the location for nearly four decades and said the city was ignoring complaints about the intersection of Loma Vista Street and Acacia Avenue.

"I care deeply about the safety of our neighborhood and the families that live here," Brandlin told the Times.

He got together with other residents and presented a petition with about 50 signatures asking the city to install additional stop signs. The city said its traffic analysis found insufficient reason to merit the signs, but residents said they saw no evidence of the survey.

"There’s a park right there, and it’s a magnet for children," said Gary Sanders, a 62-year-old resident of the neighborhood.

"A tragedy could occur," he added. "I wonder if a tragedy does have to occur for the city to do something about it."

Brandlin said the last straw was when his son was nearly hit by a car at the intersection because of low visibility.

He began installing the stop signs on the early morning of March 14, according to the El Segundo Police Department.

While the city may not have made the requested safety changes at the intersection, the city rushed to prosecute Brandlin when he took matters into his own hands.

He was arrested at about 1:30 a.m.

Brandlin said the arrest was excessive, as he was charged with multiple felonies. Among the charges were interfering with a traffic control device, grand theft, and vandalism exceeding $400. He was released later that day and is scheduled for a court hearing in June.

The neighbors immediately organized and wrote 74 letters of support for Brandlin, who handed the letters over to city officials shortly after his arrest.

"I’m asking the council for a straightforward action to install stop signs on intersection of Loma Vista Street and Acacia Avenue or complete and transparent evaluation with the community," said Brandlin at a city council meeting days after his arrest.

The Times report noted that there have been other incidents in which residents have been arrested for their vigilante improvements to street safety.

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Brandlin says the city council has not responded to his requests.

The Times said the city council did not respond to request for comment.

"The city just wasn’t listening," Brandlin said.

The single dad told KCBS-TV that he would do it again to keep kids and families safe.

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LA school district ex-employee and vendor accused of $22 million taxpayer pay-to-play scheme



A former Los Angeles Unified School District employee and the owner of a technology vendor were charged Thursday for their alleged involvement in a $22 million kickback scheme that funneled taxpayer funds away from classrooms and into their own pockets.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced charges against Hong "Grace" Peng, 53, of Pasadena, and Gautham Sampath, 53, of Flower Mound, Texas.

'This case involves a blatant abuse of public trust — funneling taxpayer dollars intended for students into personal coffers.'

Peng previously worked as a technical project manager for LAUSD between 2018 and 2022. She was accused of illegally participating in the awarding of contracts. Peng allegedly unlawfully issued contracts totaling over $22 million to a company owned by Sampath.

Sampath was accused of laundering over $3 million to Peng.

Peng resigned from her position with LAUSD following a late-2022 search warrant related to an investigation into alleged illegal activity. Peng was charged with money laundering and one felony count of having a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity.

Sampath was charged with money laundering, having a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity, and aiding and abetting a government official to have a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity.

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Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

If convicted on all charges, they each face up to seven years in jail.

Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Peng and an extradition warrant for Sampath.

"Between 2018 and 2022, Peng was involved in signing, approving, or recommending over $22 million in funding from LAUSD to Innive through Change Orders, Work Orders, Invoices, and Contract recommendations," the felony complaint read. "Between 2017 and 2023, Innive received over $39 million in payments from LAUSD. Between 2018 and 2022, Peng received over $3 million in payments from Sampath, Sampath controlled companies, or Sampath connected third parties."

The complaint claimed that Sampath sent texts to Peng in February 2018 instructing her to "delete all" of their messages.

"If anyone sees the text about these internal things it will be a prb," Sampath allegedly wrote.

In June 2018, he allegedly wrote to Peng, "What r the other opportunities in Lausd. That we can exploit. Any other area."

According to the complaint, Peng responded by telling Sampath that there were "a lot" of proposal requests from the district.

"This case involves a blatant abuse of public trust — funneling taxpayer dollars intended for students into personal coffers," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated. "This vendor, working with an LAUSD project manager, allegedly carried out a multi-year, multi-contract pay-to-play arrangement that siphoned millions of dollars from our schools. We will not tolerate public officials who sell out their responsibilities or contractors who line their pockets by gaming the system. Both will be held fully accountable."

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PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP/Getty Images

LAUSD released a statement in response to the charges.

"Los Angeles Unified is aware of the charges filed by the District Attorney's office against an individual who worked for LAUSD as an information technology employee from 2018 to 2022. As recounted in the District Attorney's Felony Complaint, this former employee was referred to the Office of the Inspector General for investigation in April 2022, as soon as an LAUSD supervisor learned of a potential conflict of interest. LAUSD Office of the Inspector General then notified the District Attorney's office," the district wrote.

"LAUSD is committed to full compliance with all applicable laws, and we expect our employees and business partners to comply with the highest standards of ethics and integrity. The District will continue to cooperate fully with relevant authorities," the district continued. "We will not comment further on the specifics of the case while legal proceedings are ongoing."

Sampath, Innive, and Peng did not respond to a request for comment.

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