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Trial to start for woman who firefighters say never told them her baby was inside
The adoptive mother has been charged with child abuse. Firefighter say the mother never told them the baby was in the burning home - but she and another neighbor claim otherwise.
THURSDAY NEWS HIT - The trial is beginning for a woman accused of not telling Detroit firefighters that her baby was inside a burning home.
In April 2021, crews responded to a fire at the house in the 11800 block of Riad. According to firefighters, they were shocked to find Chantel Alexander's adopted 18-month-old baby girl in a crib because they were only told that there were dogs inside.
"We pulled nearly 20 puppies and or dogs out of the building. They never mentioned, never once mentioned, a child in the building," said now-retired firefighter Mike Nevin.
David Cripps, an attorney for Alexander says his client told firefighters about both the dogs and the baby, but it must have gotten missed in the commotion.
"There did appear to be quite a bit of chaos in terms of different people hearing different things in relation to what's being said - there's a fire in progress just concluding different officers and firefighters getting different information," Cripps said. "The prosecutor's office gotta prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt as to these arson and child abuse charges that my client is facing."
The trial is set for Thursday but could be rescheduled.
Man with filed-down teeth accused of kidnappings, sexually assaulting woman for weeks
A man is accused of kidnapping a woman and telling her he was going to "rip out her throat" if she didn't do what he told her to.
Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said Michael Barajas was arrested last week after the pregnant 20-year-old victim was able to escape after three weeks.
According to Swanson, the woman was walking down the street and was in need of a shower and shelter. Swanson said Barajas saw the woman and took advantage of her needs by offering her a shower, food, and shelter.
Michael Barajas, 36, had filed teeth and threatened to rip out a woman's throat as she was kept against her will in Genesee County, the sheriff says.
Swanson said the woman accepted the offer and Barajas took her to a dilapidated home where he locked her inside a room and tied her to a bed.
According to the sheriff, she tried to escape multiple times and got out of the room multiple times and had been even shot at once.
"This guy used the opportunity to not only sexually assault but have people come over and traffic her as she was tied forcibly to the bed while they assaulted her," Swanson said.
1 dead after workplace shooting
One person was shot and killed after a fight at a Highland Park plant Wednesday morning.
Police said multiple employees were fighting over tools inside the Faurecia Plant, so two people were sent home.
"Allegedly the fight was about some tools that were being used or not being allowed to be used," said Darrell Patterson, the deputy chief of Highland Park police. "The management of the company then sent people home."
After, the victim, a 40-year-old man, was sitting in his car when he was approached by the suspect, a 29-year-old man, and shot multiple times. The suspect, who was in a vehicle, then got out and shot the victim more, police said.
The victim died on the way to the hospital.
Detroit Dog Rescue says police aren't showing up after crimes at building
Early Wednesday, an alarm went off for an attempted break-in at Detroit Dog Rescue's Harper Avenue location on the city’s east side.
"Last night our alarms went off again," said Kristina Rinaldi, DDR's executive director. "When our alarm company called Detroit police, they were told, 'We are not showing up.' It’s not a big enough priority. So what is going on?"
The rescue also was broken into in October.
"The discouraging thing is that during that incident, police didn’t show up for three hours, and they only showed up because I made a special phone call," she said. "By the time they showed up, too much evidence had been tampered with. We will never know who broke into our building."
Rinaldi also said police didn't show up when a car was stolen from their property a while back.
A Detroit police source said that all break-ins are given a Priority One classification, meaning an immediate officer response will take place. But DPD could not say what exactly happened with DDR.
Woman flees Royal Oak police, loses tires in Troy, eventually crashes in Detroit
A Holly woman managed to drive from Troy to Detroit with missing tires after fleeing Royal Oak police early Thursday.
Royal Oak police tried to stop the vehicle for a traffic violation near 14 Mile and Crooks around 1:10 a.m., but the driver took off, leading them into Troy, where spike strips were deployed.
After hitting the sticks, police said she kept going, got on I-75, and drove to Detroit, where she got off the freeway and eventually hit another vehicle. Even after crashing, she tried to flee but was arrested down the street, police said.
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Daily Forecast
It was a wet start to the day, but it won't stick around.
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Rain coming to an end this morning
But remaining windy and cool through the afternoon
What else we're watching
- Detroit recording artist Electrifyin' Filthy Rockwell is making sure people in need can still enjoy the holiday season.
- A Redford Township woman was charged this week after allegedly stealing more than $176,600 from a Livingston County roofing company where she worked.
- Ferndale's Assaggi Bistro is closing after New Year's Eve. The closure was announced Wednesday on the Italian restaurant's Facebook page.
- The first person to be convicted in the Boy Scouts sexual abuse investigation is headed to prison.
- Residents of a Detroit senior apartment complex were forced to evacuate early Thursday after a fire on the 11th floor.
3 killed in Louisiana as severe storms tear across South
Officials said one person died Wednesday after a possible tornado tore through Killona, Louisiana. A mother and her 8-year-old son were killed when a powerful EF-2 tornado touched down in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, on Tuesday night.
The severe weather outbreak that began early Tuesday morning is expected to track across the U.S. through Thursday on the warm side of a coast-to-coast storm that is expected to spawn additional tornadoes, damaging wind and large hail.
Damaging storms raged through the night into Wednesday.