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'Despicable': Woman accused of posing as grieving parent of dead Camp Mystic girl to bilk donors

3 days 23 hours ago


Deadly flash floods swept the Lone Star State's Hill Country region on July 4, killing at least 135 people, including 27 people at Camp Mystic.

Among those who perished at the Christian camp outside Hunt, Texas, was Chloe Childress, an 18-year-old counselor remembered by her family for her "contagious joy, countless friends, unending faith, and unimaginable energy."

While Wendie and Matthew Childress were dealing with the sudden loss of their daughter, a Florida woman was allegedly impersonating the bereaved parents online in an attempt to make a quick buck.

'This is bottom feeding.'

Maitlin White, a 28-year-old with ties to Crestview, Florida, has been charged with two felony counts of online impersonation. White allegedly pretended to be Matthew Childress and created SpotFund and GoFundMe pages where she solicited public donations to support the fallen teen's family.

"Using a young woman’s tragic death to scam people is despicable," wrote Harris County Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen.

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Maitlin White. Courtesy of the Office of Harris County Constable Pct 1 Alan Rosen.

Dane Schiller, a spokesman with the constable's office, told MySA that Childress' family reported the accounts, which first appeared on the crowdfunding platforms on July 8.

"Right out the gate, they [the family] called it to our attention and said, 'We have nothing to do with this,'" said Schiller.

Rosen announced on July 11 that his office had launched an investigation into a case where a scammer was pretending to be Matthew Childress. While the fraudulent pages were promptly shut down, Rosen indicated the GoFundMe donation page had already brought in approximately $1,500.

After shutting down the pages, authorities reportedly tracked banking and online records back to White, who Schiller indicated admitted to the fraud scheme on a phone call with officials.

"This is bottom feeding, seeking to exploit people’s emotions and abuse the memory of a young woman who died in such a horrific tragedy all to make a quick and illegal buck," stated Rosen. "Such cruelty to the family, as well as our entire community will not be tolerated."

GoFundMe said in a statement obtained by KRIV-TV that it has "zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform and bad actors who seek to take advantage of the generosity of others," adding that they "acted quickly to remove the fundraiser back in July, refund donors, and ban the account from future fundraising on GoFundMe."

The crowdfunding platform indicated that the alleged fraudster was unable to access the funds.

White, who is reportedly not yet in custody, is hardly the only person who allegedly exploited the tragic flood.

For instance, a number of liberals tried to put a political spin on the deaths of American children, in one case insinuating that the parents of the dead were racists.

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Joseph MacKinnon

Leavitt: No 'Timeline' for US to Acquire Greenland

3 days 23 hours ago
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday there is no definite date for the U.S. to acquire Greenland but emphasized it's crucial for President Donald Trump. "He has not set a timeline, but it's definitely a priority for him," Leavitt told reporters.

'Messed with the wrong mama': Male teacher allegedly slaps 4-year-old girl in face twice in class — and girl's mom is fuming

3 days 23 hours ago


The mother of a 4-year-old girl said a male substitute teacher slapped her daughter in the face twice inside a pre-K classroom at a Texas elementary school last week, KPRC-TV reported.

“Messed with the wrong mama, that’s all I gotta say," Marissa Braughton told the station. "I will not back down until this is figured out and until this is done."

'No child — especially my baby girl — should have to go through this.'

The Spring Independent School District is investigating the allegation, KPRC added. Spring is a little over 30 minutes north of Houston.

Braughton told the station the incident occurred Tuesday afternoon at Smith Elementary School and that her daughter was screaming and crying when she picked her up.

“I get down to her level. I’m like, 'Baby, what’s wrong? Tell Mama what happened.' And she immediately is like, 'The teacher hit me.' I said, 'The teacher hit you?' And she said, 'Yes, the boy teacher, the substitute teacher.' I said, 'The boy teacher?' And she’s like, 'Yes, Mama. He hit me twice. And I heard my neck make a sound,'" Braughton added to KPRC.

Braughton told the station she reported what her daughter told her to the school's assistant principal and that she was informed that it would be looked into the next day. Braughton added to KPRC that she also filed a police report.

But the mother believes more should be happening, the station said. “Why haven’t we talked to these students yet? We’re about to go into the weekend where these kids might forget what they saw. They’re 4-year-olds."

KPRC said it received the following statement from the school district:

Spring ISD was made aware of an allegation involving a substitute teacher and a student at Smith Elementary School on Tuesday evening. Campus and district administrators immediately began an investigation. The substitute teacher has been removed from the classroom pending the outcome of the investigation.

The safety and well-being of students remains our top priority. Due to the ongoing investigation, we are unable to share additional details at this time.

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“Every school district takes these types of allegations very seriously,” Spring ISD AFT union lawyer Chris Tritico told the station, while adding that federal law limits what school districts can publicly disclose.

“That does not mean they’re not doing anything," he noted to KPRC. "It just means they can’t tell them that they’ve interviewed these students, who they are, and what they’ve told them."

Tritico also told the station that state law mandates that school districts "investigate these things immediately. Within 24 hours of the allegation, whether they’ve done anything or not, they have to report it to the State Board for Educator Certification and the [Child Protective Services]. That report was made, and the state agencies are conducting their investigations."

KPRC asked Tritico what parents can do in situations like this.

“God bless her for wanting to take care of her child and being concerned,” he replied to the station. “But just because they can’t do it in the timeline the parent wants doesn’t mean it’s not being done."

Regardless, Braughton told KPRC her daughter is traumatized and she’ll remain resolute in her fight.

“She’s 4 years old," she added to the station. "No child — especially my baby girl — should have to go through this."

Braughton also told KPRC that she removed her daughter from the school and is homeschooling her.

The district confirmed to the station that the substitute teacher has been removed — but whether the teacher can return will depend on the investigation's outcome.

KPRC reported that in a letter sent to parents Friday — three days after the alleged incident — the school district said the substitute teacher "made inappropriate use of force on a student."

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Dave Urbanski