Latest news with #Mudd
South Wales Argus
19-07-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Initiative aims to boost Gwent residents' influence on policing
Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Mudd has introduced a scheme to ensure that Gwent's residents are heard by top decision-makers at Gwent Police. The Public Accountability Forum, established by Commissioner Mudd, will spotlight key issues and concerns from across the region, bringing them directly to Gwent Police Chief Constable Mark Hobrough's attention. The first forum was recorded at Tredegar Medical Aid Society Heritage Centre, with plans for further sessions in Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen. Commissioner Mudd said: "I was elected to hold the Chief Constable to account on behalf of the people of Gwent, and that means listening to what matters most to our communities. "The Public Accountability Forum is a platform for raising the real issues people are facing and ensuring they are addressed at the highest level. "This is about more than just asking questions. "It is about building trust, improving transparency, and making sure that policing in Gwent reflects the needs and expectations of the people it serves." Each forum will be made available online to ensure transparency and accessibility. This initiative is part of Commissioner Mudd's commitment to shaping local policing priorities.
Newsweek
09-07-2025
- Newsweek
70-Year-Old Man Charged in 1999 Murder Case
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Washington, D.C., police arrested a 70-year-old man on Tuesday in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 24-year-old woman in 1999. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced the arrest of George Mudd, who is charged with first-degree murder while armed (premeditated), in a news release on Wednesday. The Context Susan Cvengros was found suffering from stab wounds at a residence in Northeast Washington, D.C., on May 21, 1999. Police said she was pronounced dead after lifesaving efforts failed. Investigators determined that DNA found on the victim came from a single source and the profile developed from the samples matched Mudd in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database, according to an affidavit obtained by Newsweek. The breakthrough highlights how DNA testing can assist in cold-case investigations. The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., announced an arrest in connection with the fatal stabbing of Susan Cvengros in 1999. The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., announced an arrest in connection with the fatal stabbing of Susan Cvengros in 1999. Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia What To Know An autopsy report said that Cvengros' cause of death was incised and stab wounds of neck and torso, and the manner of death was a homicide. DNA samples from a sexual assault kit, the victim's nightgown, a comforter, fingernail clippings and multiple cigarette butts were sent to the FBI for forensic examination. In 2012, the FBI determined that the DNA on swabs from the sexual assault kit were consistent with Mudd. Multiple samples were sent to DNA analysis company Bode Technology for further testing in 2013 and 2014. In 2005, Mudd was convicted of assault with intent to commit kidnapping while armed, carrying a dangerous weapon and unlawful entry in an unrelated case. During an interview with detectives in 2012, Mudd said the victim in that case was lying and had stabbed herself while high on Ecstasy, according to the affidavit. Mudd was questioned about Cvengros' death by detectives in 2023. He said he did not recognize the victim or the house where she was killed. He denied ever committing murder or rape. Newsweek reached out to the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia for comment. What People Are Saying MPD Detective Todd Williams, in an affidavit: "Based on the aforementioned facts and circumstances, your affiant submits that there is probable cause to believe that George Mudd committed the sexual assault and murder of Susan Cvengros." MPD Lieutenant Keith Batton, told WUSA9: "Our technology has grown so much from 1999 to now. It's really grown. So we're able to utilize some of the new technologies to get us to where we're at." What Happens Next A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for July 30. Mudd is being held without bond, according to court records. Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@
South Wales Argus
30-06-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Jane Mudd responds to Gwent Police inspection report
Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Mudd, who was elected to the post last year, said the report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Service, has recognised improvements since the force's last inspection in 2021/22. The inspector's latest report, covering the period 2023 to 2025, found Gwent Police needs to improve how it investigates crime and protects vulnerable people. It has also laid out pressures on the service with police sergeants having high case loads of ongoing investigations, leads in criminal inquiries being missed and PCSOs being sent to deal with incidents they aren't trained for. Ms Mudd said she was also confident Chief Constable Mark Hobrough's reforms, implemented from January after he took over last December, to move away from a local area approach to a leadership model based on the police's functions will prove successful. The inspectors said it is too early to judge the outcomes of the reform but also said the force leadership needs to improve how it communicates those changes to officers. Ms Mudd said: 'As the report points out, Gwent Police's senior leadership team has changed substantially over the last year. I appointed Chief Constable Hobrough in December 2024 and he has implemented a new operating model for Gwent Police which I am confident is driving improvements across the force. 'I am seeing positive progress made against the priorities in my Police, Crime and Justice Plan, and a greater emphasis on putting victims first, which I know is incredibly important for our residents. 'To ensure continued improvement I have increased and strengthened the scrutiny work that my office and I undertake. This is driving greater accountability, improved transparency and provides me with continued assurance and confidence that Gwent Police is improving its response to the issues that matter most to our residents.' The report stated Gwent Police's external scrutiny panels for stop and search and use of force, run in partnership with the commissioner's office, hadn't met often enough and there was no clear plan to increase frequency of meetings. It was also noted the panel isn't mentioned on the force website. Panels include representatives of the commissioner's office, senior Gwent police leaders, independent advisory group members and partner agencies, such as the Youth Offending Service, but inspectors said meetings don't include any lay members of the public or those with 'lived experience of being searched or of having force used upon them, such as young people'. Chief Constable Hobrough said the force has, over the past six months, put in place steps to address the areas highlighted as requiring improvement in the report which isn't directly comparable to the 2021//22 publication due to changes in performance measures.
South Wales Argus
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Newport: National Children's Day celebrated at Cathedral
The event, attended by Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Mudd, saw the youngsters perform songs and poems, tackling subjects such as racism in communities. Commissioner Mudd and Chief Constable Mark Hobrough also hosted a group of Heddlu Bach from Nant Celyn Primary School at Gwent Police headquarters. The children toured the building, visited the control room, and had the opportunity to question the Commissioner and Chief Constable. They also received a talk from the dog handling team and a special demonstration from police dog Ruby. Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Mudd said: "National Children's Day celebrates the importance of healthy childhoods and protecting the rights and freedoms of children and young people. "One of my commitments as Police and Crime Commissioner is that I will do all that I can to ensure that children and young people are listened to and that what they are telling us shapes the way we deliver services. "I am working on a Children's Charter which will set out the way my office will work with children and young people going forward".
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
KY still pays price for one of nation's highest rates of opioid use disorder, says new report
A Narcan vending machine in the exit lobby of the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Sarah Ladd) Kentuckians living with addiction can call Kentucky's help line at 833-859-4357. Narcan, which can help reverse overdoses, is available at pharmacies for sale and through some health departments and outreach programs for free. Even though overdose deaths have declined over the last three years, Kentucky still has one of the highest rates of opioid use disorder (OUD) in the United States, according to a national report released Tuesday. 'The cost of addiction: Opioid use disorder in the United States' shows Kentucky is one of four states where the rate of opioid use disorder is higher than 2.5% of the population aged 12 or older. The others are New Hampshire, Nevada and Massachusetts. Margaret Scott, an author of the study from Avalere Health, said the estimate is based on the National Survey on Drug Use. The report doesn't look at factors that might lead to higher or lower rates of cases. 'We did rely on the national figures from the national survey, but this is self reported cases of opioid use disorder, so it is possible that individuals in those states are more likely to self report,' she said. In 2024, 1,410 Kentuckians died from an overdose, according to the 2024 Drug Overdose Fatality Report. In 2023, there were 1,984 overdose deaths, which was a decrease from the 2,135 lost in 2022. 'It is encouraging to see the number of overdose deaths decreasing,' Scott said. 'We're still seeing 80,000 overdose deaths in the country. It's hard to say what is contributing to that decline (in Kentucky), but we do know that OUD is still a significant problem.' Ben Mudd, the executive director of the Kentucky Pharmacists Association, said Kentucky does a lot right when it comes to diagnosing and treating addiction. 'There's been a huge focus on harm reduction and naloxone distribution and I think that is why we've seen the decrease in overdose deaths,' Mudd told the Lantern. But that intervention, which can reverse an overdose, 'doesn't necessarily stop new cases.' 'Those cases still exist,' Mudd said. 'There's so much naloxone out there, people are educated, perhaps people aren't using alone, things like that. All of those programs that have been put in place have led to fewer overdoses, but not necessarily a reduced number of people with opioid use disorder.' Tuesday's report is mostly interested in the costs surrounding OUD and the economic impact of addiction. 'Some of the costs that we estimated included things like lost income taxes based on the lost productivity for businesses as well as employees' lost wages. We looked at property, client crime from OUD, as well as different types of costs to the state and local governments,' Scott said. 'Those costs included things like Medicaid direct costs for substance use treatment, as well as those lost income taxes and corporate taxes, and then, of course, the criminal justice costs, which would include police presence, courts, jails, all of those things.' In Kentucky, OUD costs big bucks, according to the report: Kentucky has one of the highest rates of opioid use disorder in the nation. Opioid use disorder costs Kentucky about $95 billion, with an average cost per case of $709,441. State and local governments bear more than $2 billion in costs, primarily driven by criminal justice expenses and lost tax revenue. The state/local per capita OUD cost is among the highest nationally, between $400-$500 per resident annually. OUD-related costs in Kentucky are more than 6% of the state's gross domestic product. 'Our study shows that barriers to care include physician stigmatizing and expressing reluctance to treat OUD patients, inadequate provider education and training, geographic distances to treatment locations, and social stigma,' Scott said. Medicine treatment pays off in the long run, the report says, as it 'has been shown to reduce cravings, increase abstinence from opioids and reduce morbidity and mortality, thereby making it a key component for addressing the economic and public health consequences of OUD.' Treatments can include medications and therapy. Methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone are treatments approved by the Food and Drug Administration for OUD management. 'As states and local governments explore new strategies to reduce healthcare costs, encouraging public health, governments and payers to prioritize OUD treatments can lead to greater savings,' Michael Ciarametaro, managing director at Avalere Health, said in a statement. This is especially true for the formerly incarcerated, who live 'opioid naive' behind bars and may, upon release, take the same dose they did before being incarcerated and not have the resistance to handle it, Mudd explained. 'If you're incarcerated, you hopefully don't have access to opioids. But when you leave that facility, many folks go back to the same routine that they were in before, the same environment they were in before,' he said. Kentucky has taken aggressive steps to treat and prevent addiction. The latest Drug Overdose Fatality Report showed that for 2024: $29.8 million was distributed in grant and pass-through funding from the state Office of Drug Control Policy. 170,000 doses of Narcan were distributed. 84 syringe exchange program sites served 27,799 unique participants. 142,312 Kentuckians received addiction services through Medicaid. 17,399 Kentuckians received treatment paid by the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort. 17,984 Kentuckians received recovery services like housing assistance, employment services, transportation and basic needs services in their community paid by the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort. 3,329 incoming calls were made to the KY HELP Call Center with 14,087 outgoing follow up calls. 21 counties are certified as Recovery Ready Communities representing 1,495,518 Kentuckians. There's still some stigma when it comes to seeking treatment, Mudd said. 'There are folks, even within my profession, that think that this is just a pill mill,' Mudd said. A 'constant turnover' of patients is a 'real thing' and 'a concern of health care providers across the state.' 'It's the nature of addiction and folks with OUD,' he said. 'It's hard to differentiate at the pharmacy counter: 'Is this patient truly in recovery, or is this patient seeking this product so that they can sell it or trade it or whatever for illicit drugs?' And that's tough for pharmacists to make that determination.' Some won't dispense the treatments, he said, while others say, ''Hey, I want to make sure, just like Naloxone (Narcan), that we see this as a vehicle to help people. Some will use it, some will misuse it, some will divert it.'' Meanwhile, he said, the pharmacist association is focused on making sure pharmacies are 'good access points' for treatments because, especially in rural areas, people may be able to access a pharmacy much easier than a doctor's office. 'If your prescriber, physician, nurse practitioner is 45 minutes an hour away, what we're trying to do is break down those barriers,' Mudd said. 'These products are not available at every drugstore in Kentucky. They're not stocked at Walgreens. They're not stocked at your local independent pharmacy. But we know those are good access points.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
