Police

Takeoff's alleged murderer, Patrick Xavier Clark, is asking a judge for money ... because he says he can't afford a private investigator, but needs one to build his defense.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Clark's asking for an initial sum of $5,000 to hire a P.I. ... adding he's financially unable to cover the costs on his own.

The docs say Clark's family has already spent all its money on his attorney who agreed to work at a reduced rate for him. He says it's necessary to add a private investigator to his defense in order to "properly investigate [Clark's] case and to prepare effectively for trial."

Clark says he's already identified a P.I. who will work on the case for the reduced rate of $85/hour.

As we reported, Houston PD announced last week Clark had been arrested and charged with the murder of the rapper. He's currently being held on a $2 million bond.

The docs say Clark will be put under house arrest if released ... and he'll be prohibited from possessing firearms or any deadly weapons, and must refrain from using marijuana or any controlled substance without a prescription.

A woman apparently wasn't taking any crap from a police department in Texas, she was allegedly dropping it off ... in buckets.

46-year-old Mindy Stephens, the wife of an assistant fire chief, is allegedly the stinky delivery woman in question ... according to KAXN, she pulled up in front of the Electra Police Department last month and made the drop-off.

Cops say an officer went out front to investigate, and found 3 5-gallon buckets -- weighing a total of 50 pounds -- filled with what appeared to be feces. He also observed Stephens in a hazmat suit walking towards an SUV with a trailer attached.

The officer reportedly asked her what she was doing ... and she allegedly told the cop she was dropping off the buckets of "human s***," and then drove off. A Lieutenant reportedly reviewed security footage and recognized Stephens' voice as the suspect.

Police say they contacted city officials about the issue, and said they'd call Stephens about picking the buckets up, but she allegedly refused -- telling officials it wasn't her problem.

Stephens was then charged with illegal dumping -- a Class B misdemeanor ... as well as a violation of the Texas health safety code. She was booked last week and was released the following day, after posting her $2K bond.

Believe it or not, this isn't Stephens' first run-in with the law, she reportedly got charged with aggravated assault back in 2020 after allegedly puncturing a man's hand and arm with a set of keys.

Idaho police have looked into a popular theory one of the victims had a stalker ... and while the department thinks it found the person in question, it's saying the incidents don't seem to be connected.

Moscow PD says they investigated and identified an incident from mid-October where Kaylee Goncalves told friends and family about a potential "stalker" in her life.

Cops reportedly say Kaylee went to into a local business, where 2 men were inside. The authorities believe 1 of them may have continued to follow her around the business, and as she headed back to her car -- although they don't think he made any contact with her.

Detectives say they've contacted both men, who told them they were trying to meet women at the business ... but the PD is now saying there's no evidence that points to them as being involved in the gruesome murders.

Kelly Clarkson says a strange person is showing up to her house, trespassing on her property and leaving her unwanted gifts ... so, now she's getting the police involved.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... for the past month, the same person's been popping up at Kelly's L.A. area home, going up to her porch and dropping things off for her.

We're told they're leaving behind cards, plants and other random items for Kelly ... even though she told cops she's never met them before, and doesn't know who the stranger is.

Our sources say Kelly has yet to come face-to-face with the intruder, but we're told her security was concerned enough to call LAPD to file a report ... and now LAPD Threat Management is investigating.

Cops see the person's alleged behavior as very troubling -- they don't know yet if it's a fan who means no harm, or a situation that could escalate into something far more sinister.

Our sources say Kelly's got surveillance footage of the person dropping stuff off on her porch ... and LAPD is trying to identify them for a background check, and to assess potential threats.

It's a horrifying video ... someone is walking down an NYC street, minding his own business, when an attacker pulls a bat out of his pants and clobbers the victim in the back of the head.

It seems like this may have been a targeted attack. You see the attacker train his eyes on the victim before pulling the bat out and swinging. The attacker is clearly enraged ... screaming at the 47-year-old victim as he lay on the ground.

Before the attack, it seems the assailant -- who attempted to disguise himself with a hooded sweatshirt -- was tailing the victim.

What's more ... as the attacker sets his sights on the victim, another pedestrian appears and the attacker turns away. It seems he waits for the bystander to leave the area, and when that happens the assailant makes his move.

The attacker walks away, then comes back and begins screaming at the victim and it looks like he stomps on him, then leaves.

The victim was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital with a laceration and bruises. He's in stable condition, according to cops.

San Francisco is heading down a dangerous, slippery slope with its proposal to deploy robots that can use lethal force ... that's according to the President of the city's board of supervisors.

Shamann Walton joined us Friday on "TMZ Live," and ran down a list of ways he feels the armed police robots could backfire, and he says hacking is a huge concern.

In case you missed it, San Fran's board of supervisors approved the robots in an 8-3 vote ... with Shamann being one of the few opposing. After the approval, he said voting against the policy didn't make him anti-cop, just pro-people of color.

Critics are concerned innocent POC could be disproportionately harmed when these robots are deployed at city crime scenes.

To be clear, San Fran's not talking about "Robocop"-like androids -- they're talking about remote-controlled machines, similar to ones already used by bomb squads. The difference is these would be armed with bullets and explosives.

Shamann says the department's reasons for using robots just don't track for him, and he gives several examples where they wouldn't be practical.

Proponents say the robots could be valuable in mass shooter situations -- like Uvalde, TX, for instance -- but Shamman says he, and many parents, wouldn't be comfortable sending in a robot when kids could be hurt or killed.

Survivors of the Ulvade school shooting claim the school district, law enforcement and first responders didn't act fast enough during the massacre, and now they're suing for $27 billion.

The class-action lawsuit was filed, Tuesday -- in federal court in Austin, TX -- by parents, teachers and students who say they were present the day of the shooting and are seeking damages for "the indelible and forever-lasting trauma" endured from the horrific shooting ... this according to multiple reports.

In the documents, the survivors say, "Law enforcement took seventy-seven minutes to accomplish what they were duty bound to expeditiously perform."

According to the lawsuit, the survivors claim that "[i]nstead of swiftly implementing an organized and concerted response to an active school shooter who had breached the otherwise 'secured' school buildings at Robb Elementary school, the conduct of the three hundred and seventy-six (376) law enforcement officials who were on hand for the exhaustively torturous seventy-seven minutes of law enforcement  indecision, dysfunction, and harm, fell exceedingly short of their duty bound standards."

As we've reported, 19 children and 2 teachers were gunned down on May 24 at Robb Elementary, in Uvalde, Texas.

You'll recall, video showing police retreat from the gunman sparked outrage from families and school staffed. One teacher, who lost 11 students, blames first responders for not acting fast enough.

Florida Gators quarterback Jalen Kitna shared an image on a popular social media messaging platform of an adult male having sex with a pre-pubescent female ... this according to cops.

The Gainesville Police Department spelled out the highly disturbing allegations in an arrest report, obtained by TMZ Sports, on Thursday.

In the docs, cops say they received a tip back on June 23, claiming that a Discord user with the account name "jjkit7#8147" had uploaded the image just two days prior, on June 21.

Cops say after launching a thorough investigation, they found out the account belonged to Kitna -- and claim he had also shared another image on June 21 of a pubescent juvenile female exposing herself as well.

According to the docs, Kitna shared the photos during a chat with two separate Discord users.

During one of the alleged conversations, after sharing the image, the person on the receiving end wrote to Kitna, "Wait what. Dude. Are they under 18. Bruh. Nooo."

The docs do not say whether or not Kitna replied.

Police say they eventually executed a search warrant over it all at Kitna's Florida residence on Wednesday ... and seized his phone. According to the documents, an ensuing search of the device revealed he was in possession of three more child sexual abuse images, depicting two nude pubescent juveniles in different poses.

As we reported, Kitna was arrested and booked on five separate child pornography charges. He was granted bail on Thursday at a hearing, after his famous father -- former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna -- testified in court.

The Univ. of Florida, meanwhile, has suspended the 19-year-old from the football team in wake of the arrest, calling the allegations "extremely serious" and ones that the school has "zero tolerance" for.

Idaho authorities seem to be back to square one ... they just reversed a key finding in their investigation into the slaughter of four college students.

The Moscow Police Department released a "clarification" on Facebook Wednesday night, saying they are now UNSURE if the victims or the murder house were targeted by the killer or killers.

The statement read ... "We have spoken with the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office and identified this was a miscommunication. Detectives do not currently know if the residence or any occupants were specifically targeted but continue to investigate."

Latah County prosecutor Bill Thompson sparked confusion during a recent interview with NewsNation, stating the assailant/assailants were "specifically looking at this particular residence." He added the use of the term "targeted" was likely a mistake because it implied one or more of the victims were in the killer/killers' crosshairs.

Thompson's words muddled the message from Moscow Police Chief James Fry, who has been adamant since the beginning of the probe that it was a "targeted attack," but he never explained why. Police have not identified the suspect/suspects or released a motive. Few details about the crimes are publicly known.

Four University of Idaho students were discovered fatally stabbed inside an off-campus home on November 13. Investigators believe the murder weapon was a combat knife similar to the one used by the Rambo character in the '80s film, 'First Blood.' But, the weapon has not been found.

With the killer/killers at large and little if no answers from police ... many university students -- out of fear -- have opted to attend classes remotely.

We're learning more about the sickening triple murder of a 15-year-old girl's family and the possible fate she faced if her abductor would have gotten her back to his home across the country.

Real estate records reveal Austin Lee Edwards paid $80,000 for a 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom house in Saltville, VA on November 14 ... just 11 days before killing 3 people in Riverside, CA.

We spoke with neighbors who tell us Edwards almost immediately blacked out the windows of the home with car tint ... we've obtained photos showing it was next to impossible to see inside the home.

One of the neighbors tells us they had a brief conversation with Edwards, who said he chose to move there to get out of Richmond, VA. They also say Edwards wore a trench coat when he went to the water department to turn on his utilities, which they thought was odd.

As for his possessions ... we're told Edwards didn't appear to have much -- barely any furniture. We know cops have been active on the property over the last few days, removing evidence bags as they searched his home.

Cops say Edwards killed the 15-year-old girl's mother and grandparents before setting their house on fire, and then abducted the young girl. He was later caught in a police chase -- after one of the grandparents' neighbors called 911 -- which ended in a shoot-out where Edwards was killed. Cops say Edwards connected with the girl after catfishing her, pretending to be a 17-year-old boy.

Jason David Frank's wife is sharing stories about what led up to his suicide ... but she's telling a very different story than what our law enforcement sources say happened the night of his death.

Tammie Frank told "People" the "Power Rangers" star struggled with mental health issues and depression before, but she had no idea he was thinking about taking his own life.

She talked about the tragic day ... "It was meant to be a fun weekend getaway, and instead, I lost the love of my life. Jason was a good man, but he was not without his demons. He was human, just like the rest of us."

Although Tammie and Jason were in the middle of a divorce, she says they were trying to reconcile and decided to take a weekend trip. She says they got separate rooms because he snored. Tammie disputes what law enforcement told TMZ ... that the 2 had argued so loudly hotel management had to come up and calm things down. She says they weren't arguing ... just having a good time.

As we reported, our law enforcement sources say they got in a second argument and he locked her out of his room. At some point she called police and they did a welfare check because Jason wasn't answering the door ... and found him hanging in the bathroom.

Tammie says she simply left his room to get him some snacks to help him sober up and was only gone 10 minutes.

She went on to blast people who she says have been harassing her online, "slandering" her husband's name and mischaracterizing their relationship.

The "Power Rangers" star died at age 49.

Afroman says he's hundreds of dollars short after cops returned the cash they seized during a raid of his home ... and he believes it's the cops who may have their hands on his missing dough.

Afroman joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday, telling us after he counted the returned money from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio on Tuesday, he realized he was $400 short.

He believes either someone swiped the cash from the evidence lockup, or they took it from his pad during the raid. Either way, he tells us he's gearin' up for legal action.

As we reported, the rapper's home was raided back in August ... and he told us at the time they were in search of narcotics but came up empty-handed.

Afroman mentions a kidnapping charge against him regarding the raid -- and law enforcement tells TMZ someone called the cops in August, saying there was a person being held in his home against their will.

Cops investigating the murder of a 15-year-old girl's grandparents and mother don't believe the teen was complicit in their killings in a stunning catfishing case ... and are urging other possible victims of the man responsible to come forward.

Riverside PD Officer Ryan Railsback tells TMZ his department has no reason to believe the publicly unidentified teen who came into contact with Austin Lee Edwards last week is anything other than a victim at this time given her age and the evidence they've gathered.

RPD won't yet say whether the teen was abducted or went voluntarily with Edwards, as they don't have enough information.

As for Edwards -- a cop from Virginia who's said to have driven cross-country to meet the girl -- Railsback doesn't believe it was his first time committing a catfishing-type crime.

We're told the cops think there could be some pattern of behavior from his past that could help explain things ... so they're investigating any digital fingerprints that he may have left on his phone, computer, or any social media sites he used.

At the moment, we're told cops don't know how Edwards first connected with the teen, or what may have caused him to kill her family and set their home on fire.

Edwards was involved in a shootout with cops Friday after a 911 call came in about a distressed teen in his car ... he was killed in the gunfire, and the teen was uninjured.

Autopsy results have not yet been released regarding the girl's mother's and grandparents' cause of death.

The mother of the alleged Club Q mass murderer was arrested just after the shooting ... for going ballistic in her apartment and then going off the rails with cops.

Laura Voepel was allegedly screaming at the top of her lungs at 3:30 AM ... 3 1/2 hours after authorities say her son took a rifle and killed 5 people at the LGBTQ nightclub and wounding 17 others.

According to official documents, cops were on scene at her apartment when she was "warned multiple times to stop yelling or she would be arrested for disorderly conduct."

Cops say she continued her rant, and when officers tried to arrest her she became combative and physically resisted them.

Voepel was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

Jay Leno's miraculous return to comedy -- just 2 weeks after getting severely burned -- is officially a smash hit ... just ask the cops whose car he clipped!

It's the kinda Murphy's Law moment ya just have to laugh off, and Jay did, but Sunday night, as he pulled up to the Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, CA ... he really did graze a cop car's tire with his Tesla.

Jay arrived with his wife, Mavis, and everyone -- HBPD included -- got past the near-fender bender quickly, and the comedian immediately made it clear he's ready and willing to joke about the garage fire.

Check out the video ... Jay dropped 2 or 3 one-liners at his own expense on his way into the club.

TMZ broke the story ... Leno was working on one of his vintage cars in his garage when the fuel line burst on him, and about half of Jay's upper body -- including his face -- caught on fire.

After suffering 2nd and 3rd-degree burns on his face, neck, arm and hands ... he went to the Grossman Burn Center, where he underwent skin grafts and got treatment in a hyperbaric chamber.

Just a few days after the accident, Jay told us he'd be back doing standup within a couple of weeks.

Very few people thought was realistic, but Sunday night he proved all the doubters wrong.

BTW, Jay's been doing Sunday nights at this club for decades, and it quickly sold out when he announced he'd be returning. Appropriately, there was a ton of media outlets outside, waiting to see his astounding comeback.

Odell Beckham Jr.'s free agency is off to a rocky start -- the guy was yanked from an airplane this weekend in Florida ... this after cops say he was passing out before takeoff.

The famed wide receiver was escorted off a flight Sunday that was leaving the Miami airport for L.A. ... but it never got off the runway, because law enforcement's saying they had to step in when OBJ was allegedly freaking out the flight crew with his loopy state of mind.

Miami-Dade PD says they were called to respond to an American Airlines flight, where attendants were apparently trying to get Odell to buckle up before they hit the skies. However, according to cops, the crew claims he was in and out of consciousness.

American called first responders, as they were worried for his health ... but when the cavalry arrived, Odell is alleged to have refused to get off the plane -- which forced everyone else to deplane, before OBJ finally walked off on his own with uniformed officers in tow.

Odell was quiet as he made his way through the airport ... with onlookers recognizing him immediately. Cops say he did all this without further incident and was able to make other arrangements in the end. Nothing else came of it ... including arrests/citations and the like.

The dude's supposed to start making visits all over the country in the coming days to see which teams might wanna try swooping him for their roster.