Insets: Tiffany West’s 12-year-old son who suffered second-degree burns on his face after an alleged prank went wrong during a sleepover (WALB/YouTube). Background: The apartment where Tiffany West’s son was burned (WALB/YouTube).

A group of young boys in Georgia, ages 12 to 15, are facing charges for allegedly dumping hot water on one of their “friends” in a sleepover prank gone wrong, according to police and the victim’s family.

“You got to be in shock to know your friends are capable of doing this to you,” the victim‘s aunt, Nachelle Austille, told local NBC and ABC affiliate WALB. “Like somebody you trusted. It’s just horrible. He never thought something like this would happen to him.”

Tiffany West, the victim’s mother, told the local station that her son, age 12, was at a sleepover at one of their neighbor’s apartments in Tifton — about 180 miles south of Atlanta — when his friends allegedly set upon him.  It’s unclear when the sleepover occurred as West is choosing to keep certain details private.

She says hearing about what happened to her son, who suffered second-degree burns on most of his face, upset her deeply.

Hundreds of people were sickened at a “Tough Mudder” event in California in 2023 (KTVU).

Hundreds of people were sickened with rashes, fevers, headaches, and swollen lymph nodes after crawling through mud pits contaminated with bacteria from untreated water at a so-called “Tough Mudder” obstacle course in California last year, a new lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit was filed by Evan Goldsmith, who was among hundreds of racers who took part in the event on Aug. 19 and 20, 2023, at the Sonoma Raceway and who reported rashes with fever, muscle pain, or nausea/vomiting from a bacterial infection called Aeromonas, typically found in freshwater, estuaries, marine environments and sludge. Participants flooded emergency rooms, a public health advisory was issued and an investigation was launched into the cause of the breakout in Sonoma County, about 45 miles north of San Francisco.

Tina M. Vaughn (Shelby County Jail)

A 42-year-old caregiver in Tennessee has been arrested for allegedly throwing boiling water on an elderly patient in her care, leaving the victim with second and third-degree burns on his face, neck, and back.

Tina M. Vaughn was taken into custody on Monday and charged with one felony count of aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult and one misdemeanor count of simple assault, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.

According to a probable cause affidavit, an officer with the Memphis Police Department at about 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 24, 2024, responded to a call at the Regional One Burn Center in the 800 block of Jefferson Avenue.

The patient suffered second and third-degree burns “to the right side of his face, shoulder, and right side of his back,” the affidavit states. The document notes that the victim — who is deaf — lives in a group home and has “intellectual and developmental disabilities,” which include schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, commonly referred to as ADHD.

A sign language interpreter was required for police to take the victim’s statement.

The victim told the officer that at about 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 21, he was at his group home in the 600 block of Gookin Place along with his caregiver, whom he identified as Tina Vaughn. According to the victim, Vaughn was “responsible” for his well-being.

RIDGECREST, Calif. – A proposed project to increase water supply in Kern County is now open for public comment.

The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority has proposed a water pipeline that would be partially located on Bureau of Land Management public lands in Kern County in order to provide additional water to the City of Ridgecrest and the Indian Wells Valley.

The Groundwater Authority originally identified this project in a Groundwater Sustainability Plan published in 2020 and approved by the California Department of Water Resources in 2022. The proposed pipeline would stretch between California City and Ridgecrest and include a right-of-way and authorization to construct a 50-mile buried pipeline up to 24-inches in diameter, of which 21 miles would pass through BLM-managed public lands.

If approved, the pipeline would originate at the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency located in California City and terminate at the Indian Wells Valley Water District’s Ridgecrest Heights Water Storage Tank southwest of Ridgecrest. The proposed project would also include the construction of three booster pump stations and a regulating station, which would be necessary to pump the water over the El Paso Mountains between California City and Ridgecrest.

The proposed project area is partly located within three Areas of Critical Environmental Concern: El Paso to Golden Valley, Western Rand Mountains and Fremont-Kramer. The project plan would include design features to mitigate potential conflict with the desert tortoise, Mohave ground squirrel, and other natural and cultural resources in these areas.

Release of the project documents begins a 30-day public scoping period, during which the public can identify issues, suggest alternatives or provide information for potential consideration. Substantive written comments must be received by November 4, 2023. Members of the public may review the documents and submit comments via the BLM NEPA Register website, by email at mwiegmann@blm.gov, by fax at 760-384-5499 or by mail to the BLM Ridgecrest Field Office, Attention: Paul Rodriquez, 300 S. Richmond Road, Ridgecrest, CA 93555.

For additional information, please contact BLM Realty Specialist Paul Rodriquez at prodriqu@blm.gov.