Crime & Arrests

Pennsylvania state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle want to band together and close a legal loophole that allows child predators to become parents through surrogacy.

The issue has come under the spotlight after convicted child sex offender Brandon Keith Mitchell went viral for legally bringing a baby boy into his home through a surrogate mother he and his husband found.

Pennsylvania State Representative Aaron Bernstine is planning to introduce new legislation that would close the loophole and bar sex offenders from obtaining children through surrogacy. They can't do so through adoption or foster care but surrogacy is not in the law as currently written.

Residents of Arkansas were left reeling after reports emerged about the brutal murders of a married couple who were hiking with their young children at Devil's Den State Park in July 2025.

Within days, the state police force apprehended and arrested suspect Andrew James McGann, who has been charged with two counts of murder.

We're going to take a look into the background of the accused murderer and see what led up to the chilling incident.

The 28-year-old McGann was formerly a resident of Oklahoma, and he'd moved to Springdale, Arkansas in the months prior to the incident, according to the Associated Press.

The murder suspect had active teaching licenses in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas ... and he was set to begin working for the Springdale Public Schools district for the 2025-2026 school year, according to USA Today.

McGann was placed on administrative leave from the Donald Elementary School in Flower Mound, Texas, in the spring of 2023, after "concerns related to classroom management, professional judgment, and student favoritism" were raised.

He resigned from his position in Texas in May 2023, and he subsequently taught within a small district in Oklahoma from the summer of 2024 until May 2025.

The victims of the brutal attack -- 43-year-old Clinton David Brink and 41-year-old Cristen Amanda Brink -- were found dead on a walking trail at Devil's Den State Park on July 26.

The pair was hiking with their two daughters when the attack occurred in broad daylight, and officials stated Clinton was the first to be stabbed, followed by Cristen, who was stabbed after getting the two kids -- ages 7 and 9 -- to safety.

The pair's children weren't hurt in the attack, and they're currently in the care of family members.

A composite sketch of the suspect was released after the incident occurred, and tips about the identity of the murder suspect reportedly came in from across the country.

Arkansas State Police said they arrested McGann at a barbershop in Springdale on the afternoon of July 30, according to Today.

He's since been charged with two counts of capital murder.

Arkansas State Police Major Stacie Rhoads said investigators were "still exploring and determining exactly what that motive" for the attack was.

The Chrisley family's new Lifetime reality show is about to take you on an emotional rollercoaster -- at least, that’s what the first trailer promises -- and trust us, it’s a wild ride!

Catch the extended Lifetime clip -- "The Chrisleys: Back to Reality" follows Todd and Julie's journey from behind bars to their homecoming, with their determined daughter Savannah fighting for their pardons ... and even some jaw-dropping moments with President Trump pulling strings for their freedom.

Now, there was clearly a lot happening BTS before and after their pardons -- and it’s all captured on camera ... with the family also diving deep into how they were screwed over by relatives, and revealing there’s a score to settle.

One of the New York City "crypto bros" accused of kidnapping and torturing an Italian millionaire to extract his Bitcoin password is out of police custody ... and it's an expensive proposition.

John Woeltz posted $1 million bond Thursday ... and our photog got him walking out of the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse.

Celebrity bail bondsman Ira Judelson put together the bail package for Woeltz ... and Ira attached an electronic monitoring device to Woeltz's ankle before taking him to an undisclosed location in New York, where Woeltz will be under home confinement as the case plays out.

Garrett Rolfe -- the Georgia cop who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks in 2020 -- has been arrested after allegedly getting into a bar fight last month ... and, the 911 audio from the new arrest is explosive.

The Atlanta Police Department announced the news Wednesday ... stating that after a thorough investigation into a June 29 incident, law enforcement found probable cause to arrest Officer Rolfe for simple assault.

Rolfe -- who was placed on administrative leave after the alleged brawl -- was booked and his mug shot was released ... and, he's still smiling in the pic despite his arrest. He was released on $2K bond.

Virginia Giuffre's family is calling into question whether President Donald Trump really didn't know anything about Jeffrey Epstein's crimes ... after his comment claiming Epstein "stole" Virginia from Mar-a-Lago.

Here's the deal ... Trump was speaking to reporters Tuesday when his relationship with Epstein came up again -- and, he talked about a falling out he said they had when Epstein kept poaching his employees.

When asked if Virginia was one of the Mar-a-Lago employees -- who was working at Trump's private club in Florida when she was 16 -- the prez replied, "I think she worked at the spa. I think so. I think that was one of the people. He stole her, and by the way, she had no complaints about us, as you know, none whatsoever."

Surveillance video taken from inside Jeffrey Epstein's NYC prison has sparked a ton of new questions instead of answers ... like, what in the world is that orange blob heading toward the notorious pedophile's jail cell???

The video is already under intense scrutiny for allegedly being edited ... and CBS News launched a full investigation into the footage -- which includes a shadowy shape on the right side of the screen that appears at 10:39 PM.

Watch the vid ... there's a flash of orange that just peeks out from around the corner of the wall -- before disappearing once again.

Diddy wants his conviction on 2 counts of the Mann Act overturned, and if not, he's demanding a whole new trial on those charges ... according to new docs filed late Wednesday night.

It's pretty stunning, but in the docs, obtained by TMZ, Diddy and his defense team make the case for Judge Arun Subramanian changing the Mann Act conviction to an acquittal. Here's why ... the Mann Act involves transporting someone across state lines for the purpose of sex.

But, Diddy's team says they believe he's the only person ever convicted under this statute who did not make money off prostitution, did not have sex with an alleged prostitute and did not arrange the prostitute's transportation.

Gilbert Arenas was one happy camper leaving jail Wednesday after his arrest for allegedly hosting high-stakes illegal poker games.

Video posted to X shows the former NBA star dancing and pumping his fists in the air, while making his way down flights of stairs outside what appears to be a detention facility in Los Angeles.

The camerawoman filming Arenas -- dressed in a t-shirt and shorts -- playfully says "Free" and "you better not" as Arenas draws closer to her.

A man revealed to be a convicted child sex offender is causing outrage because he's got a baby boy at home ... and we've learned there was nothing to block him from bringing the child into his family under Pennsylvania law -- but now prosecutors say the best solution is changing the law through the legislature.

Here's the deal ... a Pennsylvania man named Brandon Keith Mitchell went viral this month over videos he shared on social media showing him and his husband kissing a baby boy and blowing out a candle every month through the child's first birthday.

The couple got ripped by some right-wing activists -- and then folks discovered Mitchell is a registered sex offender who was convicted of child sex abuse and possession of child pornography back in 2016.

Diddy's got a mountain of civil lawsuits to fight now that his criminal case is over, and he's getting started while he sits in a federal detention center ... and one of them is a suit involving his son Christian "King" Combs and a yacht party.

The Bad Boy founder is a codefendant in a civil suit accusing King of forcing himself on a woman on a yacht Diddy allegedly chartered.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Diddy is arguing the case, filed in California, should be tossed because the court has no jurisdiction over him ... he says he's been a Florida resident for more than 5 years and points out he's been incarcerated in a Brooklyn jail since his September 2024 arrest.

3:34 PM PT -- Federal prosecutors say Gilbert Arenas pleaded not guilty to the charges during his arraignment on Wednesday afternoon and was released on $50,000 bond.

A trial date was set for late September.

Former NBA superstar Gilbert Arenas was arrested in Southern California on Wednesday after authorities say he ran an illegal gambling business.

Federal prosecutors claim the ex-Washington Wizards guard, along with five others, rented out his Encino mansion to hold high-stakes card games from September 2021 to July 2022.

Donald Trump's White House has been in communication with Diddy's legal team about a potential pardon for the music mogul, and we've learned the decision may be determined by the judge's ruling on bail.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Donald Trump is "more than open" to pardoning Diddy, but he wants to wait to see what Judge Arun Subramanian does with Diddy's latest bail petition. We're told if Diddy is granted bail, Trump will not make a decision on a pardon until Diddy is sentenced. If the judge denies bail, a decision will be made immediately.

As you know, Diddy was acquitted on the 3 major charges, and convicted on 2 counts of violating the Mann Act, which prohibits the interstate transportation of prostitutes. The Mann Act is rarely used by federal prosecutors as a singular charge. Most legal experts agree ... if Diddy's case only involved the Mann Act, no charges would have been filed against him.

Bryan Kohberger was captured on police body cam footage during a routine traffic stop in 2022, just a couple months before he murdered four University of Idaho students ... and he's recorded insisting he's a super honest guy.

New video -- which prosecutors planned to present at trial -- has now been released after Kohberger has already pled guilty to his brutal killings ... and, it starts when a cop stops him for allegedly going 43 mph in an area with a 35 mph speed limit.

The Latah County sheriff's deputy pulls up to the window in the August 2022 stop ... and notices Kohberger isn't wearing his seat belt. He asks if Kohberger was wearing his seat belt while he was driving, and BK admits he wasn't.

The assault and battery charge against "Empire" star Bryshere Gray has been dismissed ... TMZ has learned.

The Chesapeake General District Court confirms Dustin "Chosen" Wilkins -- Bryshere's friend -- asked the court to dismiss the misdemeanor charge filed against the actor last month in Chesapeake, Virginia ... and the judge went ahead and did so Wednesday morning.

A rep for Bryshere says Chosen was motivated to drop the charge after the actor's sister, Brianna, intervened.

We reported it first -- Bryshere was put behind bars after his friend and collaborator filed a criminal complaint against Bryshere, claiming the actor physically attacked him at a Homewood Suites hotel. A warrant was issued for his arrest ... and Bryshere turned himself in on June 15.

Keanu Reeves must be singing the praises of the Chilean authorities ... 'cause they're returning his expensive watches stolen from his Los Angeles home years ago.

Officials in Santiago, Chile, made the big announcement about Keanu's 6 watches, including a Rolex worth $9,500, after the timepieces were swiped from his Hollywood Hills estate in December 2023.

The officials said they turned over the $125,000 worth of jewelry to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is now making arrangements to give the items back to the actor.