Crime & Arrests

Miya Ponsetto, infamously known as "SoHo Karen," is off the hook for one of her arrests last year -- the one at the Peninsula Hotel in Bev Hills ... before she made national headlines.

The 22-year-old caught a break during her hearing Thursday in L.A. County Court, when her case was dismissed. Prosecutors decided to drop the charge against her after Miya's attorney argued it was an isolated incident and claimed she had no criminal history in California at the time of that arrest.

Miya's lawyer also told the judge her client would not go back to the hotel. Now, Miya's mother, Nicole, was also in court for her arrest in the same incident ... but she didn't get off as easy.

Nicole pled no contest to battery on a police officer, and was given 100 hours of community service and entered into a 12-month diversion program. If she puts in her hours and stays out of trouble for a year, her case will also be dismissed.

Remember, long before Miya's SoHo hotel incident ... she and her mom were arrested last February at the Peninsula. They were allegedly drunk and belligerent, refusing to leave when asked by hotel staff. Cops say they both threw tantrums when officers responded.

Earlier, we erroneously reported the judge had given Miya the same 100 hours community service that her mom got.

Of course, Miya's had several other legal issues since then ... in California and New York.

Most recently, the Manhattan D.A. slapped her with a string of charges -- and extradited her -- for the December incident at the Arlo Hotel in SoHo. She tried to snatch a phone from a Black teen she falsely accused of stealing hers.

Before that, she was busted for DUI this past October in Ventura County -- which came 5 months after another DUI in Los Angeles. And you thought you had a bad 2020.

Seattle Seahawks OL Chad Wheeler was arrested over the weekend after he allegedly got in a "physical fight" with his girlfriend ... and the allegations against the NFL player are disturbing.

Wheeler -- a 27-year-old who was a star at USC before his pro career began in 2017 -- was involved in an altercation with his GF in Kent, Wash. late Friday night, according to a police report obtained by The Seattle Times.

In the report, officers say they responded to a call that a woman had locked herself in a bathroom and called 911 claiming she was being "killed" following a fight with her BF.

The woman reportedly told cops that she was bleeding and had suffered a dislocated arm.

When cops arrived, they said in the report they heard screaming coming from the residence. When they entered the home, they said they continued to hear screaming coming from the bathroom -- where they say they found Wheeler standing next to the woman.

Cops in the report say they were told the altercation began after the woman refused to bow to the NFL player. Cops say that's when Wheeler allegedly grabbed the woman, threw her on the bed, and choked her until she was unconscious.

According to the report, when the woman regained consciousness, Wheeler said, "Wow you're alive?"

Cops say that's when the woman locked herself into the bathroom to call for help.

FYI -- in the report, officers say Wheeler is 6'7", 310 pounds. They say the woman is 5'9", 145 pounds.

Wheeler -- who was described in the report as uncooperative with officers -- was arrested and eventually booked on a domestic violence charge.

Jail records show Wheeler was booked at 1:19 A.M. on Saturday ... and released at 9:18 A.M. on Tuesday.

The Seahawks released a statement on the incident on Monday night, saying, "We are aware of the situation and still gathering information."

Wheeler went undrafted in 2017 but was signed by the NY Giants after the draft ... and went on to start 19 games for the team in '17 and '18.

A new angle capturing the Trey Songz fight at the Chiefs game shows a long discussion with the cop ... and it looks like the singer threw the first punch.

Kansas City Police posted the footage, apparently from a security camera, which they say shows Trey and a few of his buddies in the stands being approached by stadium security 3 different times ... before the KCPD officer was called to intervene.

Check out the clip, they arrow Trey each time -- pointing to the guy in the black hoodie and black hat ... which Trey was wearing in the close-up footage we have of the fight.

You see Arrowhead security come over to talk to him, and the first guard even looks like he's flashing a mask gesture to the group ... presumably telling them that they gotta mask up. A couple other guards come by to talk to them, but the group doesn't appear to follow orders.

Finally, when the KCPD officer shows, he talks to Trey for about 90 seconds ... and then walks around to try escorting Trey out of the section. The singer backed away down the row, before swinging or shoving the cop ... and then it was total mayhem.

You've seen the rest ... Trey and the officer wrestled in the seats, and Trey even had him in a headlock for a bit. Finally, as backup arrived to assist, Trey was arrested and hauled off to jail. He was booked on a handful of charges, including assaulting a police officer.

Remember, KCPD says the whole thing started because fans were asking Trey and co. to put on their masks -- something Trey actually did at one point while he was in the facility, next to security no less -- but it looks like it eventually came off.

Trey Songz found himself in the middle of a physical altercation with a police officer during the KC Chiefs' game, and fans who witnessed it say the cop was way out of line.

We've obtained this video from Arrowhead Stadium Sunday, which -- at first -- shows Trey and the officer in a struggle. Trey connects a punch with the officer's head, and gets him in a headlock, but then the officer pins Trey to a seat.

A witness tells us the whole thing started when Trey was being heckled by some fans a few rows behind him and he asked them to chill out. We're told the officer approached Trey, and without warning, went after him. The witness says Trey was totally caught off guard when the officer got physical, and started to defend himself.

You can hear fans throughout the video shout at the officer, telling him to get off Songz until additional officers arrived. Fans were yelling for the officer to be arrested.

Once backup got there, they were able to separate Trey and the cop ... and they put Trey in handcuffs.

We're told Trey is currently in custody, but it's unclear if he's being booked for anything ... or simply detained.

We've reached out to his reps ... so far, no word back.

Chico DeBarge is famous for making hits with his family members in the '80s ... but cops say he tried to throw one of them under the bus during his latest arrest.

The DeBarge singer got busted in Burbank when he was pulled over near a shopping center on January 13. Cops say he was driving without his headlights on at night and didn't have license plates.

Burbank PD tells us ... Chico didn't have ID, but identified himself as James ... his older brother, who was also in the family singing group back in the day.

According to police ... Chico was driving with 2 female passengers, and cops found methamphetamines and heroin on him during a search. He was arrested, and we're told he was properly ID'd during the booking process.

Chico's been charged with drug possession, DUI and yes ... cops hit him with a false impersonation charge for the alleged brother act.

After nearly 10 days in jail, Chico finally made bail on Friday.

After feeling spurned by Donald Trump, Joe Exotic's officially moving on to the next POTUS ... and keeping the faith that President Biden will grant his freedom.

TMZ's obtained emails Joe's sent out to his team from prison, in which he expresses hopefulness that the new administration will come through with a pardon ... after failing to make Trump's last-minute list.

Exotic says he has more confidence in Biden regarding criminal justice and prison reform, and claims he watched a TV special on VP Kamala Harris ... leading him to believe she can "help clean up the corruption in the DOJ and other agencies."

As for his feelings about Trump ... Exotic says he always looked up to him for being a straight-shooter and never backing down, but that all changed after January 6.

Exotic feels disdain for Trump, he says partly because 45 ended up just hiding out in the White House after the riot ... never saying a word about the people who died.

Long story short ... it seems Joe is all pro-Joe now, and even claims in his emails to have new evidence in his case that he hopes the Biden administration will consider.

Three grand jurors in the Breonna Taylor case filed a petition with Kentucky officials, imploring the State Legislature to impeach Attorney General Daniel Cameron, claiming he's a liar who shoveled b.s. about the case to the media to make himself look better.

The 3 grand jurors zeroed in on Cameron's public pronouncement he put possible homicide charges on the table for the Grand Jury, but they didn't bite. Not true, say the 3 grand jurors. They say Cameron NEVER even mentioned homicide charges were an option.

The only charge that was on the table was wanton endangerment against Brett Hankison, for firing his weapon into a nearby apartment. As you know, no charges were filed for the killing of Breonna.

The petition says the grand jurors were used by Cameron as “a shield to deflect accountability and responsibility.”

The Capitol rioter caught on camera dragging a cop down a set of stairs confessed in court, and he's just been denied bail after prosecutors say he tried to flee the country.

Jeffrey Sabol, a geophysicist from Colorado, admitted assaulting an officer during the insurrection, reportedly explaining it away as a "fit of rage" ... Friday in federal court in New York.

After the failed coup, prosecutors claim Sabol traveled to NY and bought a plane ticket from Boston to Switzerland -- a non-extradition country -- in hopes of not being shipped home to face the music.

The FBI arrested Sabol Friday morning at a medical facility just outside NYC, where prosecutors say he was being held in a psychiatric center following a suicide attempt.

Sabol, a father of 3 who grew up in upstate New York, was also captured on camera holding a police baton against a cop's neck during the riots ... according to prosecutors.

Sen. Raphael Warnock's come a long way since he was last at the U.S. Capitol  ... and he's letting everyone know he's there to stay a bit longer this time.

The Georgia Senator and Reverend just posted a powerful tweet reflecting on his journey -- which was capped off by winning a runoff election against Kelly Loeffler earlier this month.

Warnock shared a photo of himself arriving to work at the Capitol, saying ... "The last time I was here in 2017, Capitol police were escorting me to central booking for leading a non-violent protest of an immoral budget."

He adds ... "This time they just had to show me to my office."

It's true -- Warnock, along with other pastors -- got arrested in July 2017 in the Russell Senate Office building for leading a peaceful protest against the proposed budget and efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

He was handcuffed by Capitol Police as he and the others were singing and praying. Warnock said at the time it was a small price to pay to bring attention to those who would suffer.

The Reverend was booked, fined and released, but later added ... "As a pastor, I believe that the national budget is not just a fiscal document, but a moral document. It reflects what we believe and who we are for one another. And if this mean spirited budget were an EKG, it would indicate that America has a heart condition."

YFN Lucci's hoping to get out of lockup to take care of his kids and his mom ... even though he's facing some serious charges for his alleged role in a homicide.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... the rapper's asking the judge to set a reasonable bond because he has "four underaged children whom he financially supports."

YFN also claims to provide a home and money for his mother living in Fulton County, GA.

In addition, he says there's no risk of him fleeing his pending trial ... and claims he "poses no significant threat or danger to any person, to the community, or to any property in the community." He points out he has no felony criminal record either.

Of course, the rapper's facing very serious charges -- murder, aggravated assault and possibly gun and gang-related felonies -- which arguably make him sound like he’s very much a danger to society ... but it will be up to the judge to decide.

As we reported ... YFN turned himself into Atlanta police last week after an arrest warrant was issued for felony murder. The alleged murder victim is James Adams ... a member of YFN's own crew.

Kodak Black is getting out of federal prison thanks to Donald Trump, but prosecutors in South Carolina are still ready to aggressively pursue a sexual assault case against him.

The rapper was indicted in South Carolina on a felony charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct ... and prosecutors tell us they still plan on pressing the case against Kodak until he cops a plea deal or there's a trial.

Ed Clements, the 12th Circuit Solicitor in Florence County, tells TMZ ... their pending case against Kodak from 2016 has been disrupted by COVID -- jury trials are suspended and there's no court date scheduled -- but prosecutors still want to "aggressively" go after Kodak.

As we reported ... Trump commuted Kodak's 46-month sentence for making a false statement on a federal document, so he's getting out after serving half the time.

But, here's the catch for Kodak ... Trump commuting his sentence for a federal crime has NO impact on cases in state court, like the one he's facing in South Carolina, and Clements says it's full steam ahead.

Prosecutors in S.C. claim Kodak forced himself on an 18-year-old woman in a hotel room after a Feb. 2016 concert, allegedly raping her and biting her neck and right breast ... according to legal docs obtained by TMZ.

Kodak's attorney in S.C., Beattie Ashmore, tells us, "Aggressively prosecute? It’s been four years. That speaks volumes. Kodak was on bond and on tour for two years before his federal case even began. Ed’s a very fine and experienced prosecutor and I look forward to once again speaking with him about this case. It’s been awhile."

Donald Trump's final piece of Presidential biz has Detroit's imprisoned ex-Mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, enjoying his first taste of freedom in 7 years.

Kilpatrick got sprung from federal prison Wednesday and reunited with family members at Detroit's airport after Trump commuted his sentence. He had been serving a 28-year sentence for corruption crimes while he was Mayor.

Though he's a free man now, his 24 felony convictions still stand ... and he's still on the hook for $195,000 owed to the IRS and $1.5 million to Detroit.

If ya don't know ... Kilpatrick was dubbed the city's "Hip-Hop Mayor," but from his first term, he was dogged with scandals -- both accusations of misusing funds and a text-messaging sex scandal with his chief of staff.

Then, in 2013, he was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, fraud, extortion and tax crimes in a scheme the government called the "Kilpatrick enterprise."

Despite all of that, Kwame still had a slew of supporters in the D who felt his sentence was too harsh and pushed for a commutation. Trump came through for him, and in shortening his sentence noted ... "During his incarceration, Mr. Kilpatrick has taught public speaking classes and has led Bible Study groups with his fellow inmates."

President Trump came through for Lil Wayne with a full pardon that gets him off the hook for a gun charge that could've meant serious prison time, and rapper Kodak Black also got clemency with a commutation of his sentence.

Wayne's pardon announcement included a statement of support by Brett Berish of Sovereign Brands, who described him as "trustworthy, kind-hearted and generous." The pardon statement then reads, "Mr. Carter has exhibited this generosity through commitment to a variety of charities, including donations to research hospitals and a host of foodbanks."

Deion Sanders, also a supporter of the pardon, referred to Lil Wayne as "a provider for his family, a friend to many, a man of faith, a natural giver to the less fortunate, a waymaker [and] a game changer."

Weezy's pardon came just hours before the sun set on Trump's Presidency ... and it's just one of a stack of pardons, including Kodak Black. Black, who was sentenced to 46 months in prison for making a false statement on a Federal document, served nearly half his sentence.

The pardon statement notes he has been charitable in various ways, "such as providing educational resources to students and families of fallen law enforcement officers and the underprivileged." It goes on to note KB has provided funding to daycare centers, helped with food banks and worked with underprivileged children. And, the statement notes Kodak donated $50k to Dave Portnoy's Barstool Fund, which provides financial assistance to struggling businesses in the wake of COVID.

Wayne endorsed Trump in the final days of the 2020 election campaign -- posing for a photo, talking up Trump's criminal justice reform efforts and his proposed "platinum plan" to benefit the Black community.

With the pardon ... Weezy no longer has to worry about his federal gun case. As we reported ... he pled guilty in federal court last month to illegally possessing a loaded weapon while traveling to Miami on a private jet a year earlier.

He hadn't been sentenced, but faced the possibility of up to 10 years. That's all in Wayne's rearview mirror now.

The winner of season 20 of "Worst Cooks in America" has been arrested for allegedly killing a toddler.

Ariel Robinson and her husband, Jerry Robinson, have been charged with homicide by child abuse in South Carolina, according to police, and are being held at the Greenville County Detention Center without bond.

They're accused of inflicting multiple blunt force injuries on a 3-year-old girl named Victoria Rose Smith, resulting in her death.

Police say they responded to a call about an unresponsive juvenile victim last Thursday, and the child was pronounced dead after being transferred to the hospital.

Cops arrested the couple based on their investigation, which is ongoing.

After Kim Kardashian West was successful in lobbying President Trump to free Alice Marie Johnson, she went to work on doing the same for many others, including Chris Young ... and Trump delivered.

The Prez used his final day in office to grant pardons and commutations, and among the list of prisoners he commuted is Young ... who Kim began championing in 2018.

As you may recall ... Kim visited The White House in September 2018 -- a few months after Alice's release -- to continue to fight for criminal justice reform, and she lasered in on Young's case.

Much like Alice, Young was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2014 for non-violent drug offenses -- weed and cocaine possession -- as part of Tennessee's 3 strikes law. He was just 22 at the time.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Kim stayed involved with Young's legal team since her WH meeting and continued to bring attention to the case. We're told Alice was also involved helping Chris -- they share the same attorney, Brittany Barnett.

The announcement from The White House says, "Mr. Young's many supporters describe him as an intelligent, positive person who takes full responsibility for his actions ..." While Kim was not mentioned among the several names of criminal justice reform advocates who assisted Young, her amplification of the case on social media certainly brought it much needed attention.

The statement says Young "lacked a meaningful first chance in life due to what another Federal judge called an "undeniably tragic childhood." adding the commutation gives Young a second chance.

The alleged Capitol rioter accused of swiping Nancy Pelosi's laptop -- possibly intending to give it to Russia -- has turned herself in, but she's not facing theft charges ... yet.

Instead, the feds have booked Riley Williams for the same slew of charges as several other alleged insurrectionists -- basically, trespassing, violent entry and disorderly conduct. She was seen on video taking part in the Capitol attacks, and according to court docs ... appeared by a staircase near Pelosi's office.

In the docs, the feds say Williams' former partner contacted the FBI several times in the days after Jan. 6, claiming Williams planned to give Pelosi's laptop or hard drive to a friend ... who would turn it over to Russian intelligence.

The partner claimed she'd seen video of Williams swiping the laptop from Pelosi's office -- but the Russia plan fell through. The partner claims Williams still has the laptop or she destroyed it.

The FBI says the theft allegation's still under investigation.

As you know ... Pelosi's office was a hot spot for the insurrectionists, who included Richard Barnett, the man who was photographed with his foot up on her desk.

Barnett -- who left a "nasty note" behind for Pelosi and took a piece of her mail -- was arrested on multiple criminal charges.