Audit Finds 'Significant Deficiencies' in Witness Protection Program

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- As far back as the first World Trade Center bombing two decades ago, authorities have hidden cooperative witnesses in terror cases -- even those who were terrorists themselves.

But a U.S. Justice Department audit finds "significant deficiencies" that allowed terrorists in the witness protection program to get on planes, when their real identities were on the no-fly list.  

The audit finds that the government even at one point lost track of two terror suspects who were in the witness protection program.

The Justice Department insists that that flaw has been corrected, and stresses everyone in the program has first been helpful, and then thoroughly vetted.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

'F***' America,' Boston Bomb Suspect Wrote in Boat: Officials

FBI(NEW YORK) -- As police searched for him, and as he lay bleeding in his boat hideout, Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev wrote "F*** America" on the side panel of the boat, police in Massachusetts told ABC News.

Officers said they also discovered the phrase "Praise Allah" on the boat's side panels and several anti-American screeds, including references to Iraq, Afghanistan and "the infidels."

A Massachusetts official showed ABC News what he said was a cell phone picture of the phrase "Praise Allah," written in black ink, with a bullet hole above it, believed to have been written by Dzhokhar during the 18 hours he hid inside the boat in Watertown, Mass.

Also seen in the picture was the faintly written word "brother," which the official said was part of a reference by the younger Tsarnaev "that was something about his brother is lucky to be with Allah first."

Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed hours earlier during a shootout with police several blocks away from the location of the boat.

Spokespeople for the Massachusetts State Police and the Watertown police had denied the existence of the writings when first asked about them by ABC News two weeks ago.

On Thursday, both departments referred reporters to the FBI. A federal law enforcement official confirmed reports first broadcast by CBS News that writings had been discovered inside the boat.

The discovery of writings intensified tensions between the FBI and local police when FBI agents believed some Boston officers and state police had taken cell phone pictures of the writing. Agents demanded the phones of all officers at the scene the night of the capture of Dzhokhar be confiscated to avoid the photos becoming public before being used as evidence at trial, according to two law enforcement officials.

An FBI spokesperson said agents cannot confiscate phones without a warrant and officials said none of the police approached would agree to turn over their phones to the FBI.

Dhzokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev are accused of setting off a pair of bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon April 15, killing three people, including an 8-year-old boy, and injuring more than 260 others. Tamerlan was killed in a shootout with police days after the attack, while Dhzokhar was wounded and later captured in a boat.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

McDonald’s Employee Spots Her Stolen Car in Drive-Thru

Tim Boyle/Getty Images(KENNEWICK, Wash.) -- A McDonald’s employee in Washington state got the surprise of a lifetime when her stolen SUV rolled up to her drive-thru window and the alleged car thief placed an order.

Virginia Maiden awoke Tuesday morning to start her typical weekday. As she left her apartment, however, Maiden noticed that her SUV that had been parked outside her window was gone and nowhere in sight.

“She was so confused, didn’t know what was going on, it was just gone,” Rebecca Guerrero, second assistant manager at the McDonald’s in Kennewick, Wash., said.

Maiden continued her day and hitched a ride to work, where she later noticed a familiar car coming through the drive-thru and then spotted her McDonald’s visor in the dashboard, confirming that it was her vehicle.

“You would think whoever stole the car would say, ‘I’m not going to go to McDonald’s because the owner works there,’” Guerrero said.

The suspect attempted to order ice cream, among other items, but the quick-thinking Maiden came up with a plan. She told the woman that the ice cream machine was broken and to pull up to the next window and wait.

“Obviously, the machine wasn’t broken. It was a decoy to stall them till the cops came,” Guerrero said.

As Maiden had hoped, the decoy worked. She immediately called 911 and officers made it in time to arrest the suspect. Among the items in the car were clothes allegedly stolen from JC Penney and Sears, according to the Kennewick Police Department. The woman has yet to be charged, officials said.

“What if she [Maiden] was off? What if she was on a break and not at the window? What if she looked away…It was meant to be,” Guerrero said.  "It was at the right time and the right moment.”

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Susan Powell Tip Renews Search for Her Body

Lui Kit Wong-Pool/Getty Images(SALEM, Ore.) -- Cadaver dogs and cops searched an Oregon farm for a third day Thursday on a tip that they might find the remains of missing Utah mom Susan Powell.

So far the search has failed to turn up any signs of the woman who disappeared from her home in West Valley, Utah, in December 2009.

The disappearance of Susan Powell triggered a massive investigation that focused on her husband Josh Powell and ended when Josh Powell killed himself and his two sons in a fiery explosion.

The latest search began when Susan Powell's father, Chuck Cox, received a call saying that Josh Powell's aunt and uncle had lived on an 180 acre farm in a remote area of Oregon. Because they were sympathetic to Josh Powell, the tipster told Cox, they may have hidden Susan's body there.

Police responded to the tip and searched the area with cadaver dogs for seven hours on Tuesday, and for 8-10 hours on Wednesday. No human remains were found, only deer bones and some other non-human bones turned up on the property. Police said that they are continuing the search Thursday and are interviewing neighbors in the area.

Cox, who accompanied some of the search dogs on the hunt, praised the West Valley Police on their continued work in the case.

"These people are dedicated, and I'm just heartened that they will never give up," he told ABC News.

The property, which is a 12.5 hour drive from where the Powell family lived in Utah, was the home of the aunt and uncle of Josh Powell, according to Cox. They no longer live at the property, ABC News affiliate KATU reported.

Susan Powell, 28, was last seen in December 2009 at the Utah home she shared with her husband and their two young sons. Josh Powell told authorities that he had decided take an impromptu midnight camping trip with the boys -- in the midst of a winter storm -- the night his wife vanished. Powell says that he returned home to find his wife gone and has claimed that his wife left on her own.

Josh Powell was named a "person of interest" in the investigation into his wife's disappearance, but was never charged. In January 2010 he moved with his sons into the home owned by his father, Steven Powell, in Puyallup, Wash.

Steven Powell was charged in September 2011 with using a telephoto lens to take photos of two young girls in the bathroom of a neighbor's house. He was charged with 14 counts of voyeurism and one count of child pornography and was held on $200,000 bail.

Josh Powell was named a "subject" in the child porn investigation, and the state removed Powell's two young sons from the home and from his custody cecause of the presence of child porn in the house.

On Feb. 5, 2012, during a supervised visit with his boys, Josh Powell locked a Child Protective Services worker out of his house, attacked the boys with a hatchet and set off an explosion that killed himself and his two sons.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Fire Chief Used Fire Engine as a Prom Limousine

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WEST NEWTON, Penn.) -- While many high school students roll up to their senior prom in a car or a chauffeured limousine, Dustin Sanner made his grand entrance at the Yough High School prom in a fire engine.

Now his father, Craig Sanner, the fire department chief in West Newton, Penn., is facing heat for allowing Dustin and his date to borrow the city-owned truck for a night of fun.

Dustin’s prom took place in April, but the controversy came to a head this week when West Newton’s Borough Council unanimously approved a resolution expressing “displeasure” with Chief Sanner’s decision.

“If true, we feel this is an inappropriate use of public monies,” the resolution stated, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Councilman Adam Paterline brought the issue before the council in the suburb of Pittsburgh after seeing a photo of Dustin, in a tux, and his date, in a purple, one-shoulder gown, standing in front of the fire engine, printed in a local newspaper.

Paterline contended the decision represented a public safety issue, saying the truck was essentially out of service for local residents while Chief Sanner escorted the couple to prom, and an insurance issue for the city if an accident were to happen.

The council’s resolution, sent to the fire department, will not result in disciplinary action for Sanner, who defended his decision to local reporters after the council meeting.

Sanner said the fire truck was never “out of service” while he escorted his son to the prom and that his wife was driving behind the truck so that it could be immediately deployed in an emergency, according to the Tribune-Review.

Sanner also said his son, Dustin, had been a member of the volunteer fire department for years, and that the fire engine did not stay at the prom, but was returned to West Newtown immediately.

Calls placed by ABC News to Sanner, the West Newton Fire Department and the Borough Council were not returned.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Severe Weather, Tornadoes Tear Through North Texas

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(GRANBURY, Texas) -- At least six people were killed and dozens more injured after a series of tornadoes ripped through parts of North Texas destroying homes, authorities said.

More than 100 homes were destroyed in the Rancho Brazos subdivision near Granbury, Texas, where the six people were killed, Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds said.

Deeds cautioned that the death toll could climb as parts of the subdivision are "heavily damaged" or "completely destroyed" after three tornadoes ripped through the area around 8 p.m. local time Wednesday.

The sheriff said officials were trying to account for 14 people, but it was not clear if they were missing or were away from the area for other reasons.  

Many of the homes in the subdivision were built by Habitat for Humanity, Deeds said.

Lake Granbury Medical Center received 48 patients, who were treated for lacerations, fractures and contusions, hospital spokeswoman Dixie Lee Hedgecock said.  Some have already been treated and released while others were moved to Fort Worth hospitals.

Granbury, a town of about 8,000 people, is 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth.

More than 100 residents have been bused to makeshift shelters at local churches where the Red Cross will tend to them with supplies and resources.

Rescue crews in Granbury continue to dig through the rubble of destroyed homes and buildings searching for survivors.

The region was hit hard by strong thunderstorms Wednesday that produced heavy rain and hail up to the size of a "softball."  

Deeds said the storm intensified around 7:30 p.m. local time.  About 40 minutes later, residents were alerted that there were reports of tornadoes in the area.  

Deeds revealed the situation may have been far worse if not for the emergency alert.

"We did use our Code Red Emergency Phone Notification System to alert the citizens of the county in the affected areas and in the areas that were going to be affected," he said.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

No Powerball Winner Means Jackpot Swells to $475M

William Thomas Cain/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The Powerball jackpot has soared to $475 million after no tickets matched Wednesday night's drawing.

The new jackpot ranks as the second-largest for Powerball and third biggest overall.  The cash option is an estimated $302.4 million and the next drawing is Saturday night.

The winning numbers for the $360 million jackpot were 2, 11, 26, 34, 41 and a Powerball of 32.  

But not everyone walked away from the drawing a loser.  Tickets in Delaware and Pennsylvania won $5 million and there were 16 states that had $1 million winners, according to Powerball's website.

Powerball's largest jackpot to date was $587.5 million.  It was awarded last November when a couple from Dearborn, Mo., and a man from Fountain Hills, Ariz., split the winnings.

The last big Powerball jackpot that made headlines was claimed in March when Pedro Quezada, 44, of New Jersey cashed his ticket worth a cool $338 million.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Jodi Arias' Lawyers Asked to Be Removed from Death Penalty Case

ABC News(PHOENIX) -- Jodi Arias' attorneys petitioned the judge overseeing her murder trial this week to be let off the case, a motion they've made at least once before during the five month trial in Arizona.

Arias, 32, was convicted of first degree murder last week for killing her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander during a bloody knife and gun attack in 2008. She is facing her sentencing phase this week in front of the same jury that convicted her, and who will decide whether she gets the death penalty.

Her defense team, attorneys Kirk Nurmi and Jennifer Willmott, met with Judge Sherry Stephens on Tuesday morning and asked to withdraw from the case, according to court minutes documenting the meeting.

The documents do not shed any light on why Nurmi and Willmott wanted to withdraw from the case.

The request came after Arias' conviction and a TV interview in which Arias said she would prefer death to life in prison. That created the irony of Nurmi and Willmott arguing on the next day for the jury to not sentence her to death.

Stephens denied their request and it was at least the second time she's denied Nurmi and Willmott the opportunity to walk away from Arias during the case. During the prior request, Arias and her mother wrote to the judge asking that Nurmi and Willmott be ordered to continue serving as her attorneys.

The attorneys have not publicly said why they want off the case. Nurmi made a half-joking comment during his closing argument about how unlikeable Arias seems. He conceded to jurors that they might not like Arias very much, and added, "Nine days out of ten I don't like her." Arias smiled at the comment.

On Thursday, Nurmi and Willmott will be back in court with Arias for the first day of the death penalty phase of her case. During this phase, both Arias and Alexander's survivors will have the opportunity to make statements to the jury.

The defense can also present witnesses to testify on Arias' behalf about why she should be spared the death penalty.

The jury will then deliberate and decide whether to condemn her to death row.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Pretzel Bag, Tip Help Locate Alleged Child Molester

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement(NEW YORK) -- Federal investigators have arrested a man accused of sexually molesting a young girl and distributing a pornographic video of the assault after officials made a public appeal partially guided by a bag of pretzels.

Old fashioned police work led investigators on two continents to file criminal charges this week against "John Doe," the man seen in the video, who authorities believed was living in the United States because the video contained a type of pretzels only sold there.

A phone line tip led to the man's arrest Wednesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after officials appealed to the public.

Officials did not identify the man or provide additional details about his arrest, pending the suspect's appearance in an unspecified federal court.  However, officials claimed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations rescued a child from "ongoing sexual abuse."

Two videos depicting the suspect -- described in a criminal complaint as a heavy set, bald male, aged 45 to 55, with a "beer gut" -- and a prepubescent girl aged 7 to 9, appeared on the Internet on May 2.

Both videos appeared to have been shot in the same location, a dimly lit room filled with musical instruments and equipment, as well as garbage, including empty beverage bottles and used snack bags.

The videos were discovered by the Danish National Police, which contacted U.S. authorities, believing the man in the video was American based on his appearance and items seen in the background of the videos.

Among those items was a bag of Rold Gold "Thins" pretzels.  The pretzels, made by Frito-Lay, are sold exclusively in Canada and the United States.  Investigators in both countries determined that the bag seen in the video, however, was only sold in the U.S.  Canadian pretzel bags include French-language text.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency leading the investigation, isolated still images of the man's face from the explicit video.

Investigators then circulated images of the man and the room in which the videos were made, hoping the public could help to identify him.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

California Tops List of States for Dog Bite Claims

Photodisc/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- State Farm Insurance says it received 3,670 dog bite claims in 2012, a slight decrease from the number of claims in 2011.

State Farm says it paid out more than $108 million in 2012 as a result dog bite claims.

California led all states in the number of claims the insurance company received. 

Here are the top 10 states for State Farm dog bite claims in 2012:

1. California
2. Illinois
3. Texas
4. Ohio
5. Pennsylvania
6. Michigan
7. Indiana
8. Florida
9. Georgia
10. New York

The Insurance Information Institute estimates that insurers across the country paid nearly $489 million in dog bite claims in 2012.

The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates there were approximately 70 million dogs in the U.S. at the end of 2011, down from approximately 72 million in 2006, but the number of dog bite incidents hasn’t decreased.

The American Academy of Pediatrics states that more than half of all dog bite victims are children.  The academy says approximately 400,000 kids receive medical attention for dog bites every year.

The United States Postal Service reports 5,879 postal carriers were bitten or attacked by dogs in 2012.  That is an increase of 274 dog bite incidents compared to 2011.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio