A youth pastor in Odessa has been arrested for having sex with a member of his youth group. 26-year-old Samuel Sutter of Tampa is facing 5 counts of Lewd and Lascivious behavior with a victim age 12 to 16 and 5 counts of Sexual Battery. Sutter who is the youth minister at Openwater Church in Odessa he allegedly began a sexual relationship with the female victim in October of 2015. Most of the encounters took place at Sutter’s home but also happened twice in the ladies restroom at Openwater Church.
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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Federal investigators promised to provide more insight as to what was happening inside the Pulse nightclub after a gunman started a deadly assault that was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The FBI was releasing on Monday a printed, partial transcript of the conversations between the gunman within the Pulse gay nightclub and Orlando police negotiators. The release is coming a day after tens of thousands of residents held a candlelight vigil for the 49 victims.
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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Church bells rang in Orlando to mark the shooting deaths of 49 victims at the Pulse gay nightclub a week ago. At church services and at a vigil planned around Lake Eola in the heart of downtown Orlando, residents remembered the victims of the worse mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
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CHICAGO (AP) – The music is thumping and crowds are dancing at gay pride events around the country, with some revelers saying the partying is proof that people won’t give in to fear after the Orlando attack. Festivals and parades went ahead under increased security around the country over the weekend, a week after a gunman fired on a crowd at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
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UNDATED (AP) – Gay community leaders have been turning to an old nemesis, police departments, to ensure safety at bars, clubs and pride parades after Sunday’s attack at an Orlando nightclub. The irony hasn’t been lost on the gay community that used to see police as the oppressor and counts the 1969 Stonewall Inn raid as the start of their movement.
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(Tallahassee, FL) – Orlando shooter tried and failed to start a career in Florida corrections. Records released by the Florida Department of Corrections show Omar Mateen was hired in 2006 as a probationary officer. Six months later he was dismissed. Florida Police Benevolent Association Executive Director Matt Puckett says it could have been for any number of reasons. Mateen’s official file says it wasn’t due to misconduct.
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WASHINGTON (AP) – The congressional stalemate on guns is unlikely to budge despite a push by Democrats in the wake of a mass shooting in Orlando and four scheduled Senate votes on gun control amendments Monday. Democrats are expected to vote to block two Republican amendments, saying they don’t do enough; Republicans are expected block two Democratic amendments, saying they threaten the rights of gun owners.
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(Tallahassee, FL) – Blood donations are returning to normal. People turned out in droves to donate blood following the Orlando mass shooting. Pat Michaels with One Blood said more than 21 thousand people showed up to donate. Red blood cells have a shelf life of about 40 days, platelets just five days, so the agency says it is always in need .
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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – The parents of a Nebraska toddler killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World say they are overwhelmed by the support they have received since the death of their son. Matt and Melissa Graves of Omaha, Nebraska, said in a statement Saturday they appreciate the support and love from friends in their community and around the country. The Graves also asked for privacy as they lay their son to rest.