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    In this Dec. 29, 2017, photo, marijuana plants are shown at the KindPeoples dispensary in Santa Cruz, Calif.

    Medical marijuana patient number tops 100,000

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    This December 2016 photo provided by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, a dead shearwater bird rests on a table next to a plastic straw and pieces of a red balloon found inside of it on North Stradbroke Island, off the coast of Brisbane, Australia. Australian scientists Hardesty and Chris Wilcox estimate, using trash collected on U.S. coastlines during clean ups over five years, that there are nearly 7.5 million plastic straws lying around America’s shorelines. They then figure that means for the entire world there are between 437 million and 8.3 billion plastic straws on the world’s coastlines.

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      This Feb. 27, 2018 file photo shows a branch of Toys R Us at St Andrews Retail Park in Birmingham, central England.

      Smyths Toys to take over Toys R Us stores in Germany

      In this April 11, 2018 photo, Brett Smith, CEO of Propeller Airports, left, talks with project engineer Todd Raynes, right, inside the privately-run commercial U.S. airport terminal Smith's company is building at Paine Field in Everett, Wash.

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      Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (98) celebrates after his goal against the New Jersey Devils with teammates, including Alex Killorn (17) and center Anthony Cirelli (71) during the first period of Game 5 of an NHL first-round hockey playoff series Saturday, April 21, 2018, in Tampa, Fla

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      In this June 11, 2008 file photo, actor Verne Troyer poses on the press line at the premiere of the feature film "The Love Guru" in Los Angeles

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      This Dec. 17, 1997, file photo, lettuce is harvested at a farm in Wellton, Ariz., east of Yuma.

      CDC expands romaine lettuce warning after E. coli cases rise

      Mike Cossey, of Bureau Veritas, uses an air monitor to check the quality of air at a police roadblock marking the 1.5-mile perimeter of the evacuation area around the Arkema Inc. chemical plant Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, in Crosby, Texas.

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      In this May 16, 2012, file photo, the Facebook logo is displayed on an iPad in Philadelphia.

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      In this Feb. 26, 2014, file photo, a sign for the ZTE booth is seen at the Mobile World Congress, the world's largest mobile phone trade show in Barcelona, Spain.

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      This June 21, 2017, file photo shows the building that houses the headquarters of Uber, in San Francisco.

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      In this Dec. 29, 2017, photo, marijuana plants are shown at the KindPeoples dispensary in Santa Cruz, Calif.

      Medical marijuana patient number tops 100,000

      LCSO: Shooting in Bonita Springs left one dead

      LCSO: Shooting in Bonita Springs left one dead

      This December 2016 photo provided by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, a dead shearwater bird rests on a table next to a plastic straw and pieces of a red balloon found inside of it on North Stradbroke Island, off the coast of Brisbane, Australia. Australian scientists Hardesty and Chris Wilcox estimate, using trash collected on U.S. coastlines during clean ups over five years, that there are nearly 7.5 million plastic straws lying around America’s shorelines. They then figure that means for the entire world there are between 437 million and 8.3 billion plastic straws on the world’s coastlines.

      Science Says: Amount of straws, plastic pollution is huge

      Law enforcement officials work the scene of a fatal shooting at a Waffle House in the Antioch neighborhood of Nashville, Sunday, April 22, 2018.

      4 dead in Nashville Waffle House shooting; suspect sought

      This Feb. 27, 2018 file photo shows a branch of Toys R Us at St Andrews Retail Park in Birmingham, central England.

      Smyths Toys to take over Toys R Us stores in Germany

      In this April 11, 2018 photo, Brett Smith, CEO of Propeller Airports, left, talks with project engineer Todd Raynes, right, inside the privately-run commercial U.S. airport terminal Smith's company is building at Paine Field in Everett, Wash.

      Suburban Seattle getting rare, private US airport terminal

      Trending Tags

      • Politics
        Utah U.S. Senator Orin Hatch speaks at the Utah Republican 2018 nominating convention Saturday, April 21, 2018, in West Valley City, Utah.

        Retiring Sen. Hatch bids farewell to Utah Republicans

        In this April 21, 2018 file photo, people watch a TV screen showing an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea.

        Road to N. Korea’s denuclearization is littered with failure

        Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin speaks during a news conference at World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, in Washington, Saturday, April 21, 2018.

        Mnuchin expresses optimism trade standoffs can be resolved

      • Business
        This Feb. 27, 2018 file photo shows a branch of Toys R Us at St Andrews Retail Park in Birmingham, central England.

        Smyths Toys to take over Toys R Us stores in Germany

        In this April 11, 2018 photo, Brett Smith, CEO of Propeller Airports, left, talks with project engineer Todd Raynes, right, inside the privately-run commercial U.S. airport terminal Smith's company is building at Paine Field in Everett, Wash.

        Suburban Seattle getting rare, private US airport terminal

        Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin speaks during a news conference at World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, in Washington, Saturday, April 21, 2018.

        Mnuchin expresses optimism trade standoffs can be resolved

      • Food
      • Sports
        • All
        • Baseball
        • Basketball
        • Boxing
        • Football
        • Golf
        • Hockey

        LEADING OFF: Farquhar status, Yanks add top prospect Torres

        Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (98) celebrates after his goal against the New Jersey Devils with teammates, including Alex Killorn (17) and center Anthony Cirelli (71) during the first period of Game 5 of an NHL first-round hockey playoff series Saturday, April 21, 2018, in Tampa, Fla

        High-scoring Lightning showing they play defense, too

        Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea throws to a Boston Red Sox batter during the first inning of a baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, April 21, 2018.

        A’s lefty Manaea pitches no-hitter vs streaking Red Sox

        Edson Barboza, bottom, tries to protect himself as Kevin Lee hits him during the second round of their mixed martial arts lightweight bout, early Sunday, April 22, 2018, in Atlantic City, N.J. Lee won the bout

        Lee bloodies, beats Barboza by TKO in UFC lightweight bout

        Washington Nationals starting pitcher A.J. Cole, right, looks to the outfield as New York Mets' Yoenis Cespedes, left, runs the bases after hitting a grand slam in the eighth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, April 18, 2018, in New York.

        LEADING OFF: White Sox check Farquhar, Ohtani’s blister

        New York Mets' Amed Rosario drives in a run with a triple in the third inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, April 20, 2018, in Atlanta.

        Cespedes has go-ahead single as Mets top Braves in 12th

      • Entertainment
        • All
        • Celebrity
        • Movies
        • Music
        • TV
        In this June 11, 2008 file photo, actor Verne Troyer poses on the press line at the premiere of the feature film "The Love Guru" in Los Angeles

        Verne Troyer, Mini-Me from ‘Austin Powers’ films, has died

        In this December 2017 file photo, singer Taylor Swift performs at Z100's iHeartRadio Jingle Ball at Madison Square Garden on in New York.

        Police: Stalker broke into Taylor Swift’s NYC home, took nap

        Britain's Queen Elizabeth raises her glass during speeches at The Queen's Dinner, during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at Buckingham Palace in London, Thursday, April 19, 2018

        Queen Elizabeth II turns 92, to attend star-studded concert

        In this Nov. 24, 2013 file photo, Avicii accepts the award for favorite artist - electronic dance music at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles.

        Avicii, DJ-producer who performed around the world, dies

        In this April 16, 2018, file photo, porn actress Stormy Daniels, accompanied by her attorney, Michael Avenatti, left, leaves federal court, in New York.

        Judge to hear arguments about delaying Stormy Daniels case

        In this June 21, 2008, file photo, Susette Kelo, left, former owner of the controversial little pink house, stands in front of her old home at its new location in New London, Conn.

        Mom who lost pink house, court case hopes for box office win

      • Lifestyle
        • All
        • Arts
        • Culture
        • Fashion
        • Food & Drink
        • Health
        • Nightlife
        • Real Estate
        • Shopping
        This Dec. 17, 1997, file photo, lettuce is harvested at a farm in Wellton, Ariz., east of Yuma.

        CDC expands romaine lettuce warning after E. coli cases rise

        Mike Cossey, of Bureau Veritas, uses an air monitor to check the quality of air at a police roadblock marking the 1.5-mile perimeter of the evacuation area around the Arkema Inc. chemical plant Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, in Crosby, Texas.

        Air quality improving in SWFL, new report says

        This Dec. 17, 1997, file photo, lettuce is harvested at a farm in Wellton, Ariz., east of Yuma.

        Americans told to toss romaine lettuce over E. coli fears

      • Tech
        In this April 19, 2018, photo, workers remove the veil from the Infiniti electric concept sedan at a showroom ahead of the Auto China 2018 to be held in Beijing, China.

        China auto show highlights industry’s electric ambitions

        In this May 16, 2012, file photo, the Facebook logo is displayed on an iPad in Philadelphia.

        Facebook adds privacy settings to comply with European rules

        This Oct. 15, 2014 photo made available by The Reykjavík Metropolitan Police shows Sindri Thor Stefansson.

        Iceland: Bitcoin heist suspect has likely fled to Sweden

        In this Feb. 26, 2014, file photo, a sign for the ZTE booth is seen at the Mobile World Congress, the world's largest mobile phone trade show in Barcelona, Spain.

        US bars China’s telecom giant ZTE from buying US components

        In this Jan. 10, 2017 file photo Backpage.com CEO Carl Ferrer appears before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent subcommittee on Investigations looking into Backpage.com.

        Backpage.com CEO pleads guilty, will testify against others

        This June 21, 2017, file photo shows the building that houses the headquarters of Uber, in San Francisco.

        Uber to up its background checks for drivers

      • Obituaries
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      Naples Herald
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      Court documents: Mother had abused teen in kidnapping case

      by Associated Press
      April 26, 2017
      in National
      0
      In this April 20, 2017 photo released by the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office is Tad Cummins. (Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office via AP)

      In this April 20, 2017 photo released by the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office is Tad Cummins. (Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office via AP)

      AP LogoBY SHEILA BURKE

      COLUMBIA, Tenn. (AP) — A 15-year-old Tennessee girl who authorities say was kidnapped by her teacher had endured months of abuse at the hands of her mother, according to court documents, making her particularly vulnerable to an adult predator.

      The mother is scheduled to appear in court next month and has pleaded not guilty to five counts of abuse and neglect involving several of her children. The girl’s father filed for divorce Monday, citing the alleged abuse. His daughter was found safe with her teacher last week at a cabin in a remote part of Northern California.

      The girl’s father has said the 50-year-old teacher brainwashed his daughter. In divorce documents, he said the teacher used his position of authority to “prey upon her, groom her, and ultimately entice her into running away with him.”

      The Associated Press is not naming the student or any family members because the teen is an alleged victim of a sex crime.

      The teacher, Tad Cummins, faces federal charges of bringing a minor across state lines for sex and state charges of aggravated kidnapping and sexual contact with a minor. Cummins’ attorney has said the girl went with her teacher willingly, and was not forced, threatened or coerced.

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      1 year ago
      This undated photo released by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations shows Elizabeth Thomas in Tennessee. (Tennessee Bureau of Investigations via AP)

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      School records showed the girl often relied on Cummins “like a friend and a counselor” when she became upset or anxious at school.

      A history of abuse at home can make children particularly susceptible to manipulation disguised as help, said David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.

      “They’re very vulnerable to the grooming because this is an adult who seems to care about them and is interested in them, and that’s probably something they’re not getting elsewhere,” he said.

      Authorities said the mother physically abused several of her children for about a year, beginning in November 2014. The teen’s father was living at home during that time, but the couple separated in November 2015 and the father took sole custody of the children, according to the divorce filing. The parents have been married for 30 years and have 10 children together, though only four of them are still minors.

      The mother is accused of hitting her children until they bled, knocking a daughter unconscious with a wooden board and throwing a chair at another daughter, bruising her leg, court documents show. The mother also smacked a child in the head for injecting herself with her brother’s EpiPen.

      The mother said she can’t comment about the case. Her attorney has asked for more detail on the allegations and access to the children’s social media accounts.

      The mother has been ordered to stay away from the children, court records said.

      The mother is alleged to have banged the 15-year-old’s head on a washer, and at another point, she threw the girl down basement steps and locked her inside, the documents said.

      The children wrote letters to the Department of Children’s Services about the abuse before the mother was arrested, according to one of the teen’s relatives.

      Department spokesman Rob Johnson said he could not comment on the case.

      The girl’s relative said Cummins knew the girl had been abused and took advantage of that information.

      “We have a 15-year-old girl with a 50-year-old man and he obviously used his power, his authority to, whether it’s groom her or convince her, to do certain things,” the girl’s sister-in-law said.

      In January, another student reported seeing Cummins kissing the girl on the lips, setting off an investigation into their relationship. The teen and the teacher denied they had kissed, but the investigation found that the teen often relied on Cummins for support.

      “She looks at him like a friend and a counselor who knows how to calm her down when she is experiencing anxiety,” school records said.

      Cummins described the girl as “a really good friend” and told school officials the girl did leave her other classes to come see him “when she needs someone to calm her down.”

      School administrators told the girl she needed to go to a school counselor for anxiety issues and ordered the health science teacher to stay away from her. Cummins disobeyed that order a week later and was suspended, the records said.

      He wasn’t fired until about a month later — a day after the girl was reported missing March 13, when the case began to attract national attention.

      Federal court documents alleged the teacher had been plotting his escape with the girl after their relationship was discovered and planned to take her to Mexico, possibly by boat.

      Authorities credit the caretaker of the remote Northern California property for helping police find the girl. The caretaker will get a $10,000 reward Friday.

      Abused children are often exploited by teachers, coaches and other people in authority, but what makes the Tennessee case so unusual is that they left the area together, Finkelhor said.

      Still, he said, there’s a reason there are laws protecting children from statutory rape or abuse by authority figures.

      “And the reason why,” Finkelhor said, “is we want these people to be thinking about the welfare of children without having their own sexual gratification become part of the equation.”


      Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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