Ventura county home invaded by robbers

An attempted home-invasion robbery in Port Hueneme was foiled when a resident confronted the suspected gunman, who fled to another home and was arrested, Ventura County authorities said on Dec. 6.

According to the Ventura County Star, the incident began shortly before 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 5, when the occupants of a home in the 2500 block of Seashore Court heard the front door being forced open and saw the suspect enter while carrying a handgun.

Port Hueneme police stated two of the home’s occupants escaped through a sliding back door and found shelter at a neighbor’s house where they called authorities. A third occupant confronted the suspect who surrendered the handgun and fled.

Jerrit Rodriguez, 29, of Huntington Beach, was arrested on suspicion of two counts of residential burglary,  home-invasion robbery, possession of narcotics and other charges, according to police.

14 lives lost in Southern California tragedy

On Dec. 5 ISIS hailed that two people who massacred 14 people in Southern California this week are “supporters” of the terror group. A message came after United States investigators said they suspect one of the shooters “professed loyalty to the Islamist network,” according to an article by CNN.

American citizen Syed Farook, 28, and his wife Tashfeen Malik, 29, sprayed bullets at a holiday banquet for county workers at the Inland Regional Center, reported ABC 7, before being killed in a shootout with authorities.

Three U.S. officials familiar with the investigation told CNN on Dec. 4 that Malik posted a pledge of allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Facebook. But ISIS’ acknowledgement of Malik and Farook as supporters does not mean they were members or that someone from the group ordered it, said retired Air Force Lt. Col. Rick Francona, a CNN military analyst and  former intelligence officer.

“What they’re calling these two are supporters, which is kind of a lesser level,” Francona said.

According to CNN, ISIS, when claiming responsibility for other terrorist attacks, would call attackers “knights” or “soldiers,” rather than supporters. It has, however, urged sympathizers to carry out attacks on their own, the news source stated.

Former president Carter is cancer-free

Jimmy Carter’s cancer is gone, the former president announced on Dec. 6.

According to CNN, Carter, 91, first revealed the news in front of a Sunday School class he was teaching at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia.

“My most recent MRI brain scan did not reveal any signs of the original spots or any new ones,” Carter said in a statement.

Carter announced in August that doctors told him that four spots of cancer had spread to his brain, the news source explained.

“It was found that I had cancer, so they removed part of my liver,” Carter said. “But then we had another MRI and it showed I had four in my brain.”

In November, Carter’s doctors at Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta said his treatment had gone well, with no signs the cancer had spread, CNN reported.

Man arrested for lighting two men on fire

Cell phone video will be used as evidence in an attempted murder case against Maryland resident Christopher Harrison who was arrested on suspicion of setting two men on fire, reported CNN.

Baltimore County authorities said four coworkers traveling in two cars walked to a gas station after one car ran out of gas. CNN affiliate WBAL reported that when they returned to their cars, an argument erupted and a fight ensued. Investigators told WBAL that Harrison doused two coworkers with gas before setting them ablaze. Flames forced one victim to run up an embankment and the other to bolt across the highway screaming for help, stated CNN.

According to the news source, one of the men suffered burns over 90 percent of his body. The other had burns over 50 percent of his body.

Kristen Hansen
Staff Writer
Published December 9th, 2015