Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins is in jail on Saturday night in Broward County, Florida, after being arrested by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.

Jail records show the former Pike Road High School star faces one count – Florida Statute 784.03-1a1(HG), which deals with battery and felony battery. Jail records describe the charge as “touch or strike/battery/domestic violence.”

The Browns are “aware and gathering more details,” a team spokesperson told ESPN, which reported Judkins will make his first court appearance on Sunday. He is being held pending his bond hearing, jail records indicate.

Judkins joined Cleveland as the fourth pick in the second round of the NFL Draft on April 25. He has not signed his rookie contract and is scheduled to report to training camp with the Browns’ other rookies on Friday.

At Pike Road, Judkins earned All-State recognition in 2020 and 2021, when he ran for 3,016 yards and scored 51 touchdowns. The Patriots won the AHSAA Class 5A championship for the 2021 season, when Pike Road didn’t lose a game and won all but two of the 14 by at least 25 points.

In two seasons at Ole Miss, Judkins ran for 2,725 yards and 31 touchdowns before transferring to Ohio State. The Buckeyes won the CFP national championship with Judson running for 1,060 yards and scoring 16 touchdowns.

In the 34-23 title-game victory over Notre Dame, Judson ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries and caught two passes for 21 yards and one touchdown.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.

Auburn star point guard Tahaad Pettiford made headlines on Saturday, but not for anything basketball related.

He was arrested and charged with driving under the influence (alcohol) in Lee County early Saturday morning.

“We are aware of the situation and we will handle internally with Tahaad and his family,” head coach Bruce Pearl said in a statement to AL.com. “We take these matters seriously and will learn and grow from it moving forward.”

Pettiford took to social media to make his own statement Saturday night, apologizing for the arrest.

“Last night, I made a serious mistake and one that I take full responsibility for,” the post read. “My actions put myself and others at risk, and for that, I’m deeply sorry. There is no excuse.

“To my family, teammates, coaches, and fans, I know I’ve let you down. I understand the disappointment and concern that this has caused, and I want you to know that I’m taking this seriously. This is not who I am, and not who I will be.

“I’m committed to learning from this moment and making meaningful, positive changes in my life. I’m grateful for the support and accountability of those around me, and I will work to earn back the trust I’ve lost.”

During his breakout freshman season, Pettiford averaged 11.6 points and three assists per game, helping lead Auburn to the Final Four.

Pettiford was the only Auburn player to return for the 2025-2026 season. He announced his return in May after initially declaring for the NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m

Multiple shots rang out on Birmingham’s busy First Avenue North at a reunion picnic for Woodlawn High School evening.

A woman was seriously injured, and multiple cars were damaged by the gunfire.

The shooting happened shortly after 7 p.m. in the 5600 block of First Avenue.

Officer Truman Fitzgerald said East Precinct Officers received a call of multiple shots fired.

The city’s Shot Spotter gunfire detection picked up one incident of three shots fired, and then a second burst with 10 shots fired.

Officers arrived to find about seven vehicles damaged by the gunfire.

A young woman then showed up a short time later at UAB Hospital with gunshot injuries. She told staff she was shot at Woodlawn High School.

The school has had reunion activities all week, culminating Saturday with a picnic and other festivities at the school.

Fitzgerald said two groups of people who were in attendance at the function got into an argument. The argument was between one person from each group.

One of those involved retrieved a gun from a vehicle and a gunfight ensued.

“The next thing you know, multiple guys are shooting at each other in a crowded parking lot,” Fitzgerald said.

“We know these two groups were already here participating in the Woodlawn function,” he said.

“We know somebody knows at least one person from those groups. If you turn that information into Crime Stoppers, you can receive up to a $5,000 cash reward.”

Fitzgerald said those in attendance are the detectives’ greatest resource and police are asking those witnesses to come forward.

“It’s a scary thought to think multiple guys were shooting at one another in a crowded parking lot,” he said. “This could have been horrible.”

Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.

 

 

The National Weather Service issued a weather alert at 8:38 p.m. on Saturday for strong thunderstorms until 9:15 p.m. for Pickens and Greene counties.

Residents can look for wind gusts of up to 40 mph.

“At 8:37 p.m., Doppler radar tracked a cluster of strong thunderstorms along a line extending from 6 miles south of Columbus to near Union. Movement was northeast at 15 mph,” according to the weather service. “Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects.”

Locations impacted by the alert include Eutaw, Aliceville, Gordo, Reform, Carrollton, Pickensville, Union, Ethelsville, Memphis, McMullen, West Greene, Benevola, Johnston Lake, Bevill Lock And Dam, Garden, New West Greene, Mantua, Jena, Knoxville and Snoddy.

According to the weather service, “Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with these storms. Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe shelter inside a building or vehicle.”

Staying safe as lightning approaches: Expert advice

Lightning strikes the United States approximately 25 million times each year, with the bulk of these electrical discharges occurring during the summer months. Tragically, lightning claims the lives of about 20 individuals annually, as reported by the weather service. The risk of lightning-related incidents escalates as thunderstorms draw near, reaching its peak when the storm directly looms overhead. However, it gradually recedes as the tempest moves away.

To ensure your safety during a thunderstorm, keep these recommendations in mind:

Lightning safety plan:

• When venturing outdoors, it’s vital to establish a clear plan for seeking shelter in case of lightning.
• Monitor the sky for threatening signs and listen for the sound of thunder. If thunder is audible, it’s an indication that lightning is nearby.
• Seek shelter promptly in a safe location, preferably indoors.

Indoors safety measures:

• Once you’ve found shelter indoors, abstain from using corded phones, electrical appliances, or plumbing fixtures, and refrain from approaching windows and doors.
• These precautions help reduce the risk of electrical surges, as lightning can follow conductive pathways.

Wait for the all-clear:

• After the last lightning strike or thunderclap, wait at least 30 minutes before resuming outdoor activities.
• Lightning can strike even when a storm has seemingly passed, so exercise caution.

When indoor shelter isn’t available:

If you find yourself outdoors without access to indoor shelter during a thunderstorm, take these steps to maximize your safety:

• Avoid open fields, hilltops, or ridge crests, as they expose you to greater lightning risk.
• Steer clear of tall, isolated trees and other prominent objects. In forested areas, stay close to lower stands of trees.
• If you’re with a group, ensure individuals are spread out to prevent lightning current from transferring between people.
• Camping in an open setting during a thunderstorm is strongly discouraged. If you have no alternative, set up camp in a valley, ravine, or other low-lying areas. It’s crucial to note that a tent provides no protection against lightning.
• Do not approach water bodies, wet objects, or metal items. Although water and metal do not attract lightning, they conduct electricity effectively and can pose significant risks.

In summary, when facing the threat of lightning, vigilance and preparedness are your best allies. By following these guidelines, you can significantly reduce the chances of lightning-related accidents and prioritize your safety.

Mastering wet roads: Safety tips for heavy rainfall

When heavy rain sets in, the risk of flooding and hazardous driving conditions rises. Whether it’s prolonged rainfall or rapid runoff, being prepared is essential. Here are some valuable safety tips from the weather service to ensure you stay safe in heavy rain:

Beware of swollen waterways:

During heavy rain, avoid parking or walking near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a serious risk.

Maintain safe driving distances:

Use the two-second rule to maintain a safe distance from the car in front of you and allow an extra two seconds in heavy rain.

Slow down and drive with care:

On wet roads, reducing your speed is crucial. Ease off the gas pedal gradually and avoid abrupt braking to prevent skidding.

Choose your lane wisely:

Stick to the middle lanes on multi-lane roads to minimize the risk of hydroplaning, as water tends to accumulate in outer lanes.

Visibility matters:

Enhance your visibility in heavy rain by activating your headlights. Be particularly vigilant for vehicles in blind spots, as rain-smeared windows can obscure them.

Watch out for slippery roads:

The first half-hour of rain is when roads are slickest due to a mix of rain, grime, and oil. Exercise heightened caution during this period.

Keep a safe distance from large vehicles:

Don’t follow large trucks or buses too closely. The spray created by their large tires reduces your vision. Take care when passing them as well; if you must pass, do so quickly and safely.

Mind your windshield wipers:

Overloaded wiper blades can hinder visibility. If rain severely impairs your vision, pull over and wait for conditions to improve. Seek refuge at rest areas or sheltered spots.

If the roadside is your only option, pull off as far as possible, preferably past the end of a guard rail, and wait until the storm passes. Keep your headlights on and turn on emergency flashers to alert other drivers of your position.

By following these safety measures, you can significantly reduce risks and ensure your well-being when heavy rain pours down. Stay informed about weather conditions and heed advice from local authorities to make your journey safe and sound.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.

The invasive Burmese pythons plaguing Florida have an almost supernatural ability to absorb skeletons and scientists say they have finally found out how it’s done.

Turns out the intimidating predators have “previously unknown cell type” in the walls of their intestines that completely dissolves skeletons, according to a study published June 25 in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

The revelation helps explain why the giant snakes — which can grow to 18 feet in Florida — are not afraid to swallow creatures that are nearly equal in size, experts say.

Professor Jehan-Hervé Lignot of the University of Montpellier in France is credited with making the discovery, using captive juvenile pythons as his test subjects.

It has long been known that bones went into pythons and never came out the other end, but the “mechanisms that enable them to do this have remained mysterious until now,” Lignot told Eureka Alert!

To solve the mystery, researchers fed three types of meals to young pythons: Whole rodents, rodents with no bones, and boneless rodents injected with calcium carbonate, the study reports.

It became clear that the intestines of the snakes reacted differently when they were fed whole rodents or rodents injected with calcium, the researchers said.

Not only were they able to completely dissolve the skeletons, but they also were able to excrete excess calcium in cases where too much bone was consumed, tests showed.

Not even fragments of bones showed up in their feces, the team found.

“This study revealed the presence of a new type of cell along the intestine that is involved in the production of large particles made from calcium, phosphorus and iron,” a July 9 news release says. “When fed with boneless prey, these calcium and phosphorus-rich particles were not produced.”

The newly discovered “bone-digesting cell” has since been found in other species of pythons and boas, along with venomous Gila monsters native to the Southwestern United States and Mexico, the study reports.

“Marine predators that eat bony fish or aquatic mammals must face the same problem,” Lignot said in the release. “Birds that eat mostly bones, such as the bearded vulture, would be fascinating candidates too.”

Native to Southeast Asia, burmese pythons were introduced to South Florida “due to accidental or intentional release of captive pet animals,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports.

The snakes have no natural enemies in Florida and they are creating havoc with the ecosystem by preying on native wildlife, including deer and alligators, experts say.

In 2022, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida discovered a 115-pound python in the process of swallowing a 77-pound deer, which amounted to 66.9% of the snake’s body mass, officials said.

A study published in 2024 also revealed the predators are capable of eating each other, McClatchy News reported.

_____

©2025 Miami Herald. Visit at miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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A 6-year-old child from Gaylesville was killed in a single-vehicle crash Saturday in Cherokee County.

The child was a passenger in a 1999 GMC C1500 pick-up truck that struck a culvert along Cherokee County Route 275, left the roadway and struck a tree. The child was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash occurred around at approximately 10:22 a.m. on Route 275 near Cherokee County Route 237, approximately 10 miles north of Leesburg.

The driver of the GMC, Brandon T. Cobb, 25, of Sand Rock, was also injured and transported to Floyd Atrium Hospital in Rome, Ga., for treatment.

No further information was available as Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Highway Patrol Division continue to investigate.

OCHOPEE, Fla. — Democratic lawmakers condemned Florida’s new Everglades immigration detention center after visiting Saturday, describing it as crowded, unsanitary and bug-infested. Republicans on the same tour said they saw nothing of the sort at the remote facility that officials have dubbed “ Alligator Alcatraz.”

The state-arranged tour came after some Democrats were blocked earlier from viewing the 3,000-bed detention center that the state rapidly built on an isolated airstrip surrounded by swampland. So many state legislators and members of Congress turned up Saturday that they were split into multiple groups.

“There are really disturbing, vile conditions and this place needs to be shut the hell down,” Rep. U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat, told reporters after visiting the agglomeration of tents, trailers and temporary buildings. “This place is a stunt, and they’re abusing human beings here.”

Cage-style units of 32 men share three combination toilet-sink devices, the visitors measured the temperature at 83 degrees (28 degrees Celsius) in a housing area entranceway and 85 (29 Celsius) in a medical intake area, and grasshoppers and other insects abound, she and her fellow Florida Democrats said.

Although the visitors said they weren’t able to speak with the detainees, Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a Democrat, said one called out “I’m an American citizen!” and others chanted “Libertad!,” a Spanish word for “freedom.”

State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a Republican from Florida, countered that he had seen a well-run, safe facility where the living quarters were clean and the air conditioning worked well.

“The rhetoric coming out of the Democrats does not match the reality,” said Ingoglia, who said he toured in the same group as Wasserman Schultz. Ingoglia recalled that a handful of detainees became “a little raucous” when the visitors appeared but said he didn’t make out what they were saying.

State Sen. Jay Collins said he was in another group and also found the detention center clean and well functioning: “No squalor.”

Collins, a Republican, said he noticed backup generators, a tracking system for dietary restrictions and military-style bunks with good mattresses. The sanitation devices struck him as appropriate, if basic.

“Would I want that toilet-and-sink combination at my bathroom at the house? Probably not, but this is a transitional holding facility,” Collins said by phone.

Journalists weren’t allowed on the tour, and lawmakers were instructed not to bring phones or cameras inside.

Messages seeking comment were sent to the state Division of Emergency Management, which built the facility, and to representatives for Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican. DeSantis spokesperson Molly Best highlighted one of Ingoglia’s upbeat readouts on social media.

Across the state in Tampa, federal Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that “any issues that were there have been addressed” at the Everglades detention center. She added that she had been talking with five other Republican governors, whom she didn’t identify, about modeling other facilities on it.

DeSantis and fellow Republicans have touted the makeshift detention center, constructed in a matter of days, as an efficient and get-tough response to President Donald Trump’s call for mass deportations. The first detainees arrived July 3, after Trump toured and praised the facility.

Described as temporary, the detention center is meant to help the Republican president’s administration reach its goal of boosting the United States’ migrant detention capacity from 41,000 people to at least 100,000. The Florida facility’s remote location and its name — a nod to the notorious Alcatraz prison that once housed federal inmates in California — are meant to underscore a message of deterring illegal immigration.

Ahead of the facility’s opening, state officials said detainees would have access to medical care, consistent air conditioning, a recreation yard, attorneys and clergy members.

But detainees and their relatives and advocates have told The Associated Press that conditions are awful, with worm-infested food, toilets overflowing onto floors, mosquitoes buzzing around the fenced bunks, and air conditioners that sometimes shut off in the oppressive South Florida summer heat. One man told his wife that detainees go days without getting showers.

Florida Division of Emergency Management spokesperson Stephanie Hartman called those descriptions “completely false,” saying detainees always get three meals a day, unlimited drinking water, showers and other necessities.

“The facility meets all required standards and is in good working order,” she said.

Five Democratic state lawmakers tried to visit the site on July 3 but said they were denied access. The state subsequently arranged Saturday’s tour.

The lawmakers have sued over the denial, saying that DeSantis’ administration is impeding lawmakers’ oversight authority. A DeSantis spokesperson has called the lawsuit “dumb.”

____

Peltz reported from New York, and Rodriguez reported from Ochopee.

As threats against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents rise and fears over doxing grow, some officials say it’s safer for agents to keep their identities hidden.

Chris Cannon, an assistant field officer in ICE’s New Orleans office, said that while he personally believes in government transparency, the nature of the job makes anonymity a practical choice.

“Even though we are following a law codified and not generally changed since the Clinton administration, by enforcing those laws, we’re seen as imperial thugs,” Cannon said in an interview after speaking at the Alabama Sheriffs Association’s summer conference in Orange Beach on Tuesday.

“That impassions people,” he said. “They want to act because they feel there is an injustice. People get followed around. Now your kid cannot sit at the lunch table with other kids at school because of what I do for my job, which I think is very valuable.”

Unmasking efforts

Cannon’s comments come as lawmakers in several Democratic-run states are introducing legislation requiring ICE agents to remove their face coverings, called balaclavas. Bills for unmasking federal agents have been introduced in California, New York and Massachusetts.

In addition, California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla introduced federal legislation this week requiring that immigration enforcement officers be required to display “clearly visible identification” while engaging with the public.

The legislation, co-sponsored by 13 Democratic senators, is a reaction to reports in California in which immigration officials did not identify themselves as they went into neighborhoods searching for undocumented immigrants.

Similar masked scenes have played out during immigration raids nationwide, including in Alabama.

“All we are doing is arresting,” Cannon said during his stop in Alabama. “I am identifying and locating a fugitive alien in the United States … a final order is issued for removal. Either a government agency or judge said whatever path you are on, it’s over and you need to leave the country.”

Arrests have soared this year under Trump’s presidency, with numbers this fiscal year outpacing the arrests and deportations all of last year. The fiscal year runs until Sept. 30.

“You can see a significant uptick on what we are doing,” Cannon told the sheriffs.

Deputizing local officers

His presentation included a call for Alabama sheriffs to participate in the 287(g) programs, which creates agreements that allows local sheriffs’ deputies and police officers to be deputized to enforce federal immigration laws.

In Alabama, 13 counties have at least one agreement with ICE. They include Limestone, Franklin, Etowah, Lawrence, Lauderdale, Pike, Houston, Henry, Elmore, Crenshaw, Colbert, Cherokee and Marion counties.

The only municipality with 287(g) agreement is Level Plains in Dale County.

The 287(g) program allows local law enforcement agencies to partner with ICE and grants state and local officers the ability to perform immigration enforcement functions.

While the program has been around for years, it’s gotten renewed attention in recent months as the Trump administration has ramped up interest in a mass deportation program.

Cannon, during his presentation to the sheriffs, said his ICE office needs personnel assistance. His office covers five states but has only 16 ICE officers in the agency’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) office in Alabama.

The state has four ICE offices statewide.

“We want to make one of your deputies and maybe more of them, mini-immigration officers,” Cannon said.

He later told AL.com that ICE does not have a large footprint in Alabama, citing the four offices and 25 employees.

“We don’t have a ton of actual law enforcement officers qualified,” under the 287(g) program, Cannon said, adding it’s important to get more counties involved. “A local county employee who is identified to take on that action speeds up our ability to remove the individual, which decreases the burden on the taxpayer we have to pay on feeding, detainment and medical care.”

The surging interest to deputize local law enforcement as immigration enforcers comes as ICE prepares for an infusion of new federal funding to support Trump’s immigration agenda.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, otherwise known as HR1, was signed into law on the Fourth of July and includes $170 billion in new funding to implement Trump’s immigration agenda. The vast majority of the money will go to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security over four years.

The annual budget of Immigration and Customs Enforcement alone will spike from about $8 billion to roughly $28 billion, making it the highest funded law enforcement agency in the federal government.