Neglected animals found after assault; $400k investment scam | Crime in the DMV

New tonight, a Maryland landlord is behind bars accused of assaulting his tenants and pointing a gun at them. Now, during that investigation, police say they discovered multiple neglected animals, including an alligator and an emu. Fox Hashemari Stone has the details. Tonight, Charles County Sheriff's deputies tell us that the landlord confronted the tenant, her 28-year-old son and his eight-month-old girlfriend, all renting a trailer on the Sheriff's deputy saying 57-year-old Sir Leander Evans Gamble physically assaults them, allegedly retrieves a gun and threatens to harm them around noon on July 3rd. Let's show you video of part of the encounter. The woman calls the Sheriff's deputies and they arrest Gamble. In a phone interview, she tells me she doesn't want to reveal her identity out of fear of retaliation. How are you feeling tonight? Disrupted and just devastated over the whole situation. Just being displaced and having somebody point a gun at you and threaten you definitely will shake somebody. And now having the burden of being displaced and financially shaken and not knowing what to do now. She also alleges that her dog Carter, shown in these photos, died because Gamble did not provide air conditioning in the trailer. Animal control is investigating and have not confirmed that the lack of AC is the dog's cause of death. And deputies say that they served a search warrant at Gamble's house, recovering six guns and some neglected animals, including a snake, a caiman, an emu, an alligator, pigs, cats and dogs. Animal control officers are investigating. Meanwhile, Gamble is in jail without bond tonight. Showing the moments after a Manassas man allegedly exposed himself to a group of children outside of a popular water park. Now the suspect is behind bars. Fox 5's Tisha Lewis joins us live from Manassas with more from a woman who tried to stop the suspect. Tisha. Well, that Manassas man now behind bars, as you mentioned, without bond after police say he apparently exposed himself to a group of people that were in this parking lot here outside the splash park. In fact, a quick thinking onlooker pulled out her phone, pushed record, and she began recording the suspect. Investigators telling Fox 5 that those recordings, along with those pictures, help police catch and track and arrest this man fairly quickly after this reported encounter. Take a look at your screen. This is the mugshot that police provided to Fox 5, identifying the suspect as Manassas resident, 30 year old Manuel de Jesus Alvaranga Espana. Police say he's charged with obscene sexual display, which is a misdemeanor. This is the video that one of those onlookers shared with Fox 5 saying it's the moments after the reported incident. Espana is charged with obscene sexual display. Again, meanwhile, we're told Espana walked up to a parked car filled with people, exposed himself and made obscene gestures. Police say this took place last night shortly before 6 30 in the parking lot of Splashdown Waterpark. We spoke with a witness who reported the incident to police. So I shouted at the man and then he looked in my direction. And once he saw me, he took off running down a gravel path that direction. Then I got in my car. Once I yelled to the kids in the car, I said, are you okay? Then I got in my car with our other head coach and we followed him as far as we could. And I started to video as well. There was a gate. So then at that point, I had to get out of the car and continue to follow him. And I started shouting at him, just making a scene, causing a scene as much as I could to get as many neighbors outside. We're told Espana could be seen by the car's occupants as well as onlookers. Serena Suflito, who you just heard from, posted these pictures and also about the incident to alert parents. Meanwhile, Fox 5 has learned that a trespassing order is now in place here at Splashdown Waterpark for Espana. That means if he comes on the premises here, he will be arrested. New tonight, a tire slasher targets cars and SUVs parked in a DC neighborhood. Fox 5's Shamari Stone is in Georgetown tonight after speaking with one of those victims. Well, tonight, this is very frustrating. Imagine walking up to your car or your SUV and you find out that your tires are flat. You're like, what is going on? You then discover that what happened was captured on surveillance video. Let's show it to you. You can hear the sound of the tires deflating on surveillance video after the suspect stabs them in an alley on the 1700 block of 35th Street Northwest in Georgetown Tuesday afternoon. And take a look at this video, DC police saying the same suspect puncturing this white Chevy Suburban's tires around the same time. And the one shown in this photo on the red Ford Escape, the suspect escaping, leaving the scene on this red bike dressed in red and black sneakers and a backwards cap after allegedly vandalizing the cars and SUVs. You're now going to hear from one of the owners on dress serving. This is your white Chevy SUV. You use it for work. How are you feeling right now that someone did this? It's a little frustrating when you feel like you're getting ready to go somewhere and then you find this is frustrating. Well, I would like them to be more conscientious of people that they have a life and they are really ruining their lives by doing this. Now, Andres Servin and the other people who live in this neighborhood tell me they can't understand why the suspect did this. What is the motive? Well, if you recognize him called DC police guilty. That's the verdict for a woman in her 70s after scamming a federal employee out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. And now she faces more than 20 years in prison. Fox five city person live tonight at the Montgomery County Circuit Court with new details. Cindy Jim and G prosecutors say this 72 year old woman met this guy on a dating app and then managed to scam him out of more than $400,000. They shared this photo with us that they say is 72 year old right next to her victim. A man only identified as a federal worker in his fifties. Prosecutors say Sears presented herself online as a Harvard educated businesswoman convinced that man, she should move into his house, then scammed him out of those hundreds of thousands of dollars between 2021 and 2023. They say she promised she'd invest his money in Pfizer stock. He sent checks, wire transfers and cash sums, but she took all of it. They say bought an alpha Romeo, gambled away more than a hundred thousand dollars of casinos, including MGM. She wove a web of lies for many, many years to this unsuspecting victim. Basically, she was living the high life on somebody else's money and not a penny of it ever went into any kind of an investment. We live here in Montgomery County. This is a target rich environment for a lot of retirees. Like these, these are people that a lot of federal workers, they're very good with their money. They invest and they are targeted. Now here's copies of two charts. Prosecutors showed this jury at trial, demonstrating flow of funds after 75 minutes of deliberation. Following that two day trial, this jury found Sears guilty yesterday of securities fraud, theft scheme over a hundred thousand dollars and misappropriation of funds. Retired FBI agent Richard Coco told me if a deal feels too good to be true, please understand that means it is. Nobody's gonna get you an instant return that's gonna be amazing without any risk. Nobody's gonna tell you that just sign this paperwork. You don't have to do any of the research. Nobody's gonna tell you to give over passwords, give access to bank accounts. All these things that when you look at what the scammers get very good at doing and convincing people to do, just stop. Just take your time. Best thing you can do, take a breath, do your research and make sure what you're investing in is legitimate. Sears now faces up to 23 years in prison, which means if she is sentenced to the maximum punishment, she would be in prison until she is 95 years old. Her sentencing right now is scheduled for August 28th. The county police arrest a man accused of breaking into homes and stealing a Jeep. Shamari Stone with the story from Burtonsville. Tonight, I'm in the garage where the suspect stole the Jeep. It's really hot in here. I'll you more about that theft in a minute. First, let me tell you, police say that he targeted this neighborhood in Burtonsville on Perrywood Court around 7.15 last night. He first went to a house and that is where he stole cash. The suspect dressed in dark pants and a gray t-shirt. He then walks across the street and that is where he finds another home, goes through the door that is attached to the garage. He walks into the house. The homeowner sees him. The suspect then grabs the keys, goes into the garage, jumps in the red Jeep Wrangler and drives off. That homeowner immediately calling Montgomery County police. They responded within minutes. The homeowner tells me that police told him today that they were able to catch that suspect. You're now going to hear from the Jeep owner. What was most disturbing is I have reason to believe that the guy that broke into the house may have come in prior because when I spoke with the police detectives today, they said it just didn't make sense that the guy would know exactly how to get into the house and then where the keys were. How does it make you feel knowing that this happened in your neighborhood? Terrifying. Now, we're waiting to get more information from Montgomery County police regarding how they were able to catch the suspect. Meanwhile, if you have any additional information, call Montgomery County police. As for the owner of the red Jeep, he tells me that police told him that they found the Jeep and it will be returned to him tomorrow. He's very pleased about that. I'm Shamari Stone here in Burdensville. Back to you.