Latest news with #Butner
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Climate
- USA Today
Multiple fatalities reported in Tropical Storm Chantal flooding in North Carolina
Multiple people died in central North Carolina after Tropical Storm Chantal brought a deluge of rain and flooding to the area on July 6, according to state officials and local reports. The Raleigh-Durham area saw nearly 12 inches of rainfall in 24 hours, while neighboring areas reported at least nine inches, according to the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. The influx of rain caused flooding in several areas including Alamance, Chatham, Moore, Orange and Person counties, according to the Citizen Times. Chantal was downgraded to a tropical depression by July 7, but was still dumping rain across the mid-Atlantic. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said at a news conference on July 8 that officials from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services were still working to confirm the total number of fatalities from the flooding, but that there are "a handful of reported deaths to date." The NCDHHS said it does not currently have verified information on storm-related deaths but referred USA TODAY to local law enforcement. The North Carolina Department of Emergency Management told USA TODAY in a statement that the state's emergency response team "is aware of potential fatalities linked to Tropical Storm Chantal as reported by law enforcement" and is awaiting reviews from the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Here's what we know. 3 dead in Chatham County, NC, including missing boaters In Chatham County, which is just west of Raleigh, three people died in the floods, officials confirmed to USA TODAY. Sandra Portnoy Hirschman, 83, of Pittsboro, North Carolina, died around 11:30 p.m. local time on July 6 when her car became submerged in water, Steve Newton, Chatham County's emergency management director, told USA TODAY. Two individuals who went boating on Jordan Lake around 5 p.m. on July 6 also died, Newton said. One boater was recovered on July 8, while the second individual was found July 9 — both are awaiting positive identification from the medical examiner's office, Randall Rigsbee, Chatham County Sheriff's Office public information officer, told USA TODAY. Orange County, NC, woman died in floods while driving to work Monica Butner was driving to work in Hillsborough, North Carolina, on the evening of July 6 when her car got stuck in floodwater, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said in a release. The 58-year-old called 911 around 10:30 p.m. local time amid the heavy rainfall, but the call disconnected, OCSO said. Firefighters soon located her unoccupied car. First responders found Butner dead around 5 p.m. on July 7. Officials said she was "almost completely obscured by fallen trees and debris approximately 120 yards downstream from her vehicle." 'The devastating power of stormwater caused Ms. Butner's tragic death, despite the heroic efforts of searchers and the work of the top-notch professionals at Emergency Management who coordinated the incoming resources," Sheriff Charles Blackwood said in the release. "I am grateful to everyone who assisted with this search, and I offer my condolences to all affected by this tragedy.' Reports: More dead in NC floods At least two others reportedly died in the North Carolina flooding, according to multiple local reports. A man in Alamance County died after his vehicle was swept away by floodwaters on July 6, outlets including WGHP and WRAL reported. A 23-year-old woman in Graham was also found dead inside a car submerged in water, outlets including WGHP and WRAL reported. USA TODAY has reached out to the Alamance County Sheriff's Office and Gov. Stein's office for more information. Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at
Associated Press
20-06-2025
- Associated Press
R. Kelly claims prison officials plotted to kill him. Judge denies his release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A judge has denied singer R. Kelly 's request to be freed from prison, saying she lacks jurisdiction to consider the convicted sex offender's allegations that federal prison officials plotted to murder him. U.S. District Judge Martha M. Pacold canceled Friday's scheduled arguments in Chicago, and instead issued a five-page ruling denying his emergency request to serve his time on home detention during a temporary furlough. Born Robert Sylvester Kelly, the 58-year-old Grammy-winning R&B singer is serving sentences at a prison in Butner, North Carolina, for child sex crimes and racketeering. Pacold noted that federal courts have only limited power in such cases, and one by one she examined and rejected various ways Kelly's request could be considered. 'Jurisdictional limitations must be respected even where, as here, a litigant claims that the circumstances are extraordinary,' Pacold wrote. 'Kelly has not identified (nor is the court aware of) any statute or rule that authorizes the court to exercise jurisdiction. Thus, the court cannot award relief in this case.' Kelly claimed in a series of filings this month that prison officials solicited white supremacist leaders to kill him, to halt the disclosure of information damaging to prison officials. Kelly's attorney says he was then moved to solitary confinement and purposely given an overdose of medication, which required hospitalization and surgery for blood clots. Pacold noted that Kelly offers no evidence to back up his claims. Government lawyers suggested Kelly had spun a 'fanciful conspiracy.' Known for such hits as 'I Believe I Can Fly,' Kelly was found guilty in Chicago in 2022 of three charges of producing child sexual abuse images and three charges of enticement of minors for sex. In New York in 2021, he was found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking. He is serving most of his 20-year Chicago sentence and 30-year New York sentence simultaneously. His appeals have been unsuccessful, including to the U.S. Supreme Court. Kelly has also sought President Donald Trump's help.
Sky News
18-06-2025
- Sky News
R Kelly rushed to hospital after prison 'overdose' plot, his lawyers say
R Kelly was hospitalised after prison officials gave him an overdose of medication, his lawyers have claimed – as part of what they say is an ongoing assassination plot. Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is currently serving time at the Federal Correctional Institute in Butner, North Carolina, after being convicted of sex trafficking and racketeering in 2021. A year later, he was found guilty on three charges of producing child sexual abuse images and three charges of enticement of minors for sex. The 58-year-old was taken to hospital on Friday after prison staff "administered an overdose of his medication", according to a court document filed by his lawyer. The document, filed on Tuesday, reads: "Mr. Kelly's life is in danger, and that danger is coming from Bureau of Prisons officials and their actions. "Mr. Kelly needs this Court's intervention. His life actually depends on it." Nicole Blank Becker, one of Kelly's lawyers, said he is in solitary confinement and that she spoke with him on Monday. "What is happening right now with him is insane," she said. "I hope that this really results in someone, somewhere, somehow getting ahold of him today and getting him back in the hospital." A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons said in a statement that "for privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not discuss the conditions of confinement for any incarcerated individual, including medical and health-related issues". "Additionally, the Bureau of Prisons does not comment on pending litigation or matters that are the subject of legal proceedings," they added. The allegation is the latest in a line of similar claims from the singer's legal team, who last week filed a motion accusing the Bureau of Prisons of instructing another inmate to kill Kelly. A motion filed by Kelly's legal team claimed Mikeal Glenn Stine, who is alleged to be a member of the Aryan Brotherhood gang and has a terminal cancer diagnosis, was given a chance to "to live out the last of those months as a free man" in exchange for killing the singer. The next day, his legal team filed additional material saying he had been moved to solitary confinement and denied access to his lawyer. Prosecutors rejected the claims as "repugnant". Their written response said: "Kelly has never taken responsibility for his years of sexually abusing children, and he probably never will. "Undeterred, Kelly now asks this Court to release him from incarceration indefinitely under the guise of a fanciful conspiracy."
CNN
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
R. Kelly hospitalized last week after drugging by prison staff, his attorneys claim
R. Kelly was recently taken to the hospital after allegedly being given too much medication by prison staff while in solitary confinement, according to a filing from the disgraced R&B singer's legal team. The 58-year-old, born Robert Kelly, is currently serving two federal sentences, one for sex trafficking and racketeering and another for child pornography, at Butner Correctional Facility in North Carolina. His current release date is listed as December 21, 2045, according to the Bureau of Prison's website. In court documents obtained by CNN, Kelly's legal team is again seeking an emergency release from prison, claiming that the 'Federal Bureau of Prisons is taking active steps to kill' him – an accusation the government calls 'fanciful.' The filing from Kelly's team alleges that he was placed in solitary confinement on June 10, hours after submitting a different emergency release request filing that separately alleged Bureau of Prisons officials had plotted to have another inmate kill Kelly. It goes on to state that Kelly took his regular dose of medication on June 12 but they claim was later instructed by prison staff to take additional medication. The filing then claims that Kelly awoke on July 13 feeling 'faint' and 'dizzy,' seeing 'black spots in his vision' before falling to the ground and losing consciousness. Kelly was taken by ambulance to Duke University Hospital, where the filing says he 'learned that he had been administered an overdose quantity of his medications that threatened his life.' Kelly was hospitalized for two days. The filing then claims that prison officials forced the singer to leave the hospital and return to prison 'against his will and against the directives of the doctors' before completing additional medical treatment for ongoing blood clot issues. In a response, federal prosecutors accused Kelly of asking for release 'under the guise of a fanciful conspiracy.' They added that the 'the deeply unserious and theatrical' motion, which they say was improperly filed, 'makes a mockery of the harm suffered by Kelly's victims.' 'This Court should not allow Kelly to turn its docket into a grocery store checkout aisle tabloid,' the government's response said. When asked for comment, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons told CNN that due to 'privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not discuss the conditions of confinement for any incarcerated individual, including medical and health-related issues.' They added that the BOP does not comment on pending litigation or matters subject to legal proceedings. In 2023, Kelly was sentenced to 20 years in prison in a Chicago federal courtroom following his conviction last year on charges of child pornography and enticement of a minor. At the time, Kelly was already serving a 30-year prison term for his 2021 conviction on racketeering and sex trafficking charges in a New York federal court. Most of his sentences are being served concurrently. Kelly was one of the most successful R&B artists of the 1990s and 2000s, known for hit songs 'Bump N' Grind,' 'Ignition (Remix)' and 'I Believe I Can Fly,' which won him three Grammy Awards. He has been nominated for 26 Grammys, including as recently as 2015. CNN's Eric Levenson and Bill Kirkos contributed to this report.
CNN
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
R. Kelly hospitalized last week after drugging by prison staff, his attorneys claim
R. Kelly was recently taken to the hospital after allegedly being given too much medication by prison staff while in solitary confinement, according to a filing from the disgraced R&B singer's legal team. The 58-year-old, born Robert Kelly, is currently serving two federal sentences, one for sex trafficking and racketeering and another for child pornography, at Butner Correctional Facility in North Carolina. His current release date is listed as December 21, 2045, according to the Bureau of Prison's website. In court documents obtained by CNN, Kelly's legal team is again seeking an emergency release from prison, claiming that the 'Federal Bureau of Prisons is taking active steps to kill' him – an accusation the government calls 'fanciful.' The filing from Kelly's team alleges that he was placed in solitary confinement on June 10, hours after submitting a different emergency release request filing that separately alleged Bureau of Prisons officials had plotted to have another inmate kill Kelly. It goes on to state that Kelly took his regular dose of medication on June 12 but they claim was later instructed by prison staff to take additional medication. The filing then claims that Kelly awoke on July 13 feeling 'faint' and 'dizzy,' seeing 'black spots in his vision' before falling to the ground and losing consciousness. Kelly was taken by ambulance to Duke University Hospital, where the filing says he 'learned that he had been administered an overdose quantity of his medications that threatened his life.' Kelly was hospitalized for two days. The filing then claims that prison officials forced the singer to leave the hospital and return to prison 'against his will and against the directives of the doctors' before completing additional medical treatment for ongoing blood clot issues. In a response, federal prosecutors accused Kelly of asking for release 'under the guise of a fanciful conspiracy.' They added that the 'the deeply unserious and theatrical' motion, which they say was improperly filed, 'makes a mockery of the harm suffered by Kelly's victims.' 'This Court should not allow Kelly to turn its docket into a grocery store checkout aisle tabloid,' the government's response said. When asked for comment, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons told CNN that due to 'privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not discuss the conditions of confinement for any incarcerated individual, including medical and health-related issues.' They added that the BOP does not comment on pending litigation or matters subject to legal proceedings. In 2023, Kelly was sentenced to 20 years in prison in a Chicago federal courtroom following his conviction last year on charges of child pornography and enticement of a minor. At the time, Kelly was already serving a 30-year prison term for his 2021 conviction on racketeering and sex trafficking charges in a New York federal court. Most of his sentences are being served concurrently. Kelly was one of the most successful R&B artists of the 1990s and 2000s, known for hit songs 'Bump N' Grind,' 'Ignition (Remix)' and 'I Believe I Can Fly,' which won him three Grammy Awards. He has been nominated for 26 Grammys, including as recently as 2015. CNN's Eric Levenson and Bill Kirkos contributed to this report.
