Rare gold coin worth nearly $2K dropped into Salvation Army red kettle

Macomb County, Mich.

The Salvation Army says it has once again received a generous and unique donation through its Red Kettle Campaign.

Representatives with the organization said a secret Santa recently dropped a rare coin into a red kettle at a Kroger grocery store in St. Clair Shores.

According to a news release, the coin was a 1980 South African gold Krugerrand worth around $1,765.

The organization said this wasn’t the first time it has received such a donation. This year marks the 10th consecutive year a mysterious individual has deposited a Krugerrand coin into a red kettle in Macomb County.

The Salvation Army said donations go a long way. Last year, the organization was able to provide more than 2 million meals, more than 405,000 nights of shelter, and nearly 88,000 Christmas toys and gifts for children and seniors.

More information on the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign is also available online.

Disney-themed children’s clothing sets recalled due to lead poisoning hazard

Pieces of Disney-themed children’s clothing are being recalled due to the risk of lead poisoning.

The Bentex Group has issued a recall of about 87,000 units of children’s clothing, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Officials said the affected products were sold online at Amazon and several major retailers nationwide, including TJ Maxx, DD’s/Ross, Burlington, and others from November 2021 through August 2022.

According to the recall alert, the textile ink painted on the clothes contains levels of lead that exceed either the federal lead paint ban or the federal lead content ban, posing a lead poisoning hazard. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health issues.

Consumers can contact Bentex at 1-800-451-0285 or via email at recall@bentex.com or online. The company said it is offering a refund on the recalled items.

The recall involves nine different Disney-themed clothing sets.

Officers seize more than 400 counterfeit Super Bowl rings in shipment from China

Officials say border protection officers seized a shipment containing hundreds of fraudulent Super Bowl rings earlier this month.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency reports officers working at an express consignment operations hub in St. Louis seized the shipment on Nov. 11.

The shipment contained 422 Super Bowl championship rings bearing the image of the Lombardi Trophy.

“Counterfeit jewelry continues to flood the e-commerce market, and these rings were focused on a select group of sports collectors and their fans,” said Field Operations-Chicago Director LaFonda Sutton-Burke.

According to the agency, an import specialist determined the rings were not authentic and bore an infringing trademark owned by NFL Properties.

Authorities said the shipment was heading to a residence in Jerseyville, Illinois, from China. If the items were genuine, they would have been worth $300,000.

“Our officers are well-trained to find counterfeit merchandise like these in support of CBP’s mission of protecting the American public and the American economy,” Sutton-Burke said.

Border protection officials said jewelry was the third most popular counterfeited item in 2021, with officers seizing more than 375,000 items worth over $550 million at genuine value.

Abandoned child gets help at gas station after father kills mother, authorities say

San Bernardino County, Calif.

Authorities in California say a child alerted them to their mother’s murder after asking for help at a gas station.

According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office, a 12-year-old girl walked into a Shell gas station on Nov. 25 at about 11:45 p.m. saying her father had beat her mother.

Authorities said the girl told a highway patrol officer at the gas station that her father had beaten her mother and left her on the side of the road.

The department said the suspect, later identified as 37-year-old Jesus Jaimes-Rosas, dropped the girl off at the gas station located near Interstate 15 in the Mojave Desert before leaving.

At about 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 26 deputies said they ended up finding Jaimes-Rosas’ abandoned vehicle on a dirt road. A K-9 unit also responded to the area and found him with self-inflicted injuries.

The sheriff’s department said at about 11:45 a.m., the victim, identified as 31-year-old Sonia Flores, was found deceased.

According to San Bernardino authorities, Jaimes-Rosas was arrested for murder and booked at the High Desert Detention Center where he is currently being held without bail.

Anyone with further information regarding this incident was urged to contact homicide detectives at 909-890-4908.

Police: 15-year-old boy caught sleeping with loaded AR-15-style rifle taken into custody

Hyattsville, Md.

Maryland police say a teenager was taken into custody after he was found sleeping with a loaded rifle.

According to the Hyattsville Police Department, a person called authorities about an armed person at about 8 p.m. on Nov. 27.

When officers entered the home, the department said they found a 15-year-old boy sleeping in his room next to a loaded AR-15-style rifle.

Police said they used a rifle shield upon entering and retrieved the firearm.

According to authorities, the rifle was loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition.

Officers said they could not locate a serial number on the gun due to a black glue substance, but the boy was taken into custody without incident.