Month: January 2026

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Authorities say that an Arkansas mother staged a fake kidnapping of her developmentally disabled daughter.

She and three others were arrested for taking part in this chilling alleged conspiracy.

Tamara Hamby’s daughter is now in the care of the state after escaping from the traumatic setup and calling 911.

There is a weird twist … because Country star Luke Bryan was not involved, but his name sure comes up in the story.

This Arkansas mom is facing numerous charges surrounding one criminal conspiracy

Authorities have charged Tamara “Tammi” Hamby with conspiring to kidnapping, first-degree false imprisonment, abuse of an endangered or impaired person, third-degree battery, and second-degree terroristic threatening.

She allegedly recruited three accomplices — Shannon Childers, David Quach, and Nico Austria.

All three of her alleged co-conspirators have also been arrested.

The victim was Hamby’s 22-year-old daughter, who has developmental disabilities. According to her father, this includes epilepsy and reactive attachment disorder.

Epilepsy is a condition in which a person experiences seizures. Reactive attachment disorder means, among other things, not responding to most social interactions in an appropriate manner. (Most famously, you see this with children who grow up in orphanages or in a series of foster homes)

Apparently, someone had been catfishing Hamby’s daughter.

She believed that she had been speaking to Luke Bryan, who is a Country music star who is more than twice the 22-year-old’s age.

Obviously, the actual musician was not in contact with the young woman. But her parents feared that this was a predator who hoped to abduct the young woman.

The Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette obtained an affidavit that lays out the description of the crime, according to prosecutors.

Hamby allegedly recruited one of her daughter’s caregivers, Shannon Childers, to engage in this criminal conspiracy. Childers then, according to the affidavit, included Quach and Austira.

It all comes down to the Luke Bryan catfisher

Per these documents, it was Austria who lured Hamby’s daughter out of her home, claiming to be able to introduce her to Luke Bryan.

“Luke sent us. It’s now or never,” Austria allegedly told her.

The co-conspirators reportedly took the young woman to a field, donned ski masks, demanded money from her, and zip-tied her hands before tying her to a tree.

This criminal scheme was supposed to end with Hamby coming to “rescue” her daughter.

Instead, her daughter broke free and was able to escape to a nearby home. Homeowners contacted authorities on behalf of the traumatized woman.

Jeffrey Hamby, who says that he had no knowledge of his wife’s alleged criminal conspiracy, spoke to 5NEWS about his wife’s arrest and her possible motive.

“She has a lot of needs,” he said of his daughter. “She is 22 and beautiful and has the mind of about an 11-year-old.”

He described: “The predator developed a relationship with her, and he said he was Luke Bryan, the singer. And my daughter adores him.” This led the Hambys to believe that this man planned to lure and abduct her.

“And so, my wife, without my knowledge, with her aide and a couple of their friends, tried to do an intervention,” he lamented. He added: “We wanted to show her that evil does exist.”

The “intervention” that he describes is of course a criminal act. “And now she’s in DHS custody, and my wife is facing jail time.”

The trial is set for August

Apparently, this traumatic crime took place in November of last year. All four suspects surrendered themselves to authorities.

At a December 10 hearing, they pleaded “not guilty” in the kidnapping case.

There will be a March 10 pretrial hearing. All four will go on to have a June 24 status hearing and then begin their jury trial (or at least, the voir dire to select the jury) on August 10.

With multiple Class D felonies and multiple Class A felonies (and misdemeanors sprinkled in), Hamby and her alleged co-conspirators could be facing decades in prison.

Our society (and legal system) often leave people with the impression that they can sort of do whatever they want with their children or any vulnerable person in their care. However, you are not allowed to kidnap people.

Tamara Hamby: Arkansas Mom Accused of Kidnapping Adult Daughter to ‘Save’ Her … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

​The Hollywood Gossip

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We have a shocking story to report out of the Bronx today.

A 29-year-old medical student named Anton Aleshin has been accused of pushing an elderly man in front of a moving train in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

The victim, 73-year-old Luis Figueroa, was knocked unconscious.

But miraculously, he managed to survive the alleged attack.

Aleshin was arrested at the scene and charged with attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment, and harassment.

According to a report from The New York Post, he told police that he was a doctor in his native Russia, and is currently halfway through a residency program at Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center.

The Post reports that Aleshin “may have been intoxicated” at the time of the attack.

He and Figueroa were not previously acquainted, and there seems to have been no provocation prior to the alleged attack.

Police say Aleshin pleaded not guilty during his Bronx Criminal Court arraignment.

Aleshin is currently being held without bail.

Figueroa, a grandfather of 17 is still recovering in the ICU at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx.

His niece Venis Falu said Figeroa was on his way home from a night at Empire City Casino in Yonkers.

“He doesn’t really remember what happened,” she told WKTV News.

“It’s crazy that this could happen to a person who normally goes out, doesn’t bother anybody,” Falu continued, adding:

“To me, it had to be either he was drunk or having a bad day, but that’s no excuse to hurt anybody. It made no sense.”

Aleshin’s attorney, who was reportedly appointed by the nonprofit organization Legal Aid, declined to comment on the situation.

We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.

Anton Aleshin: NYC Medical Student Accused of Pushing 73-Year-Old Man In Front of Moving … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

​The Hollywood Gossip

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Kody Brown refuses to let go of the past.

Or, to be more accurate, Kody Brown refuses to let go of his interpretation of the past.

In a trailer for the upcoming Sister Wives reunion special, the father of 18 once again blasts one of his ex-wives for supposedly cheating on him…

… despite this ex-wife never even having had any physical contact with the person she allegedly cheated with.

Back in 2015, Meri Brown corresponded online with a person she believe was a man amid her marriage to Kody.

As it turned out, the reality star had been duped… this individual was a female… and the scandal eventually led to the downfall of Meri and Kody’s relationship because Kody never really got over what he believed to have been a major transgression on his wife’s part.

Fast forward to this new preview and Kody bellowing for some reason:

“If your wife’s having an affair, that’s my business no matter what!”

This certainly isn’t the first time Kody has accused Meri of infidelity.

According to the reunion trailer, meanwhile, Meri also brings her BFF Jen to sit beside her and address her experiences with Kody and Robyn over the years.

Jen says she thinks that Robyn is “submissive,” telling host Sukanya Krishnan, “I feel like that works for Kody.”

The allegation takes Kody by surprise, as he claims Jen is “full of sh-t.”

What a shock, huh? Kody Brown having difficulty taking criticism.

Meri also has beef with Janelle in the official TLC promo.

Their drama stems from Meri revealing during the season 20 finale, which aired on Sunday, that it was “really hard” to have Janelle join her and Kody’s family shortly after Janelle divorced Meri’s brother Adam Barber.

“Meri was more than willing to kind of engage in, like, a heated conversation,” Janelle says in the reunion teaser.

Meri, for her part, points to their familial past as the catalyst for her early arguments with Janelle.

“Oh, there might have been some emotions involved with the fact that she used to be married to my brother,” Meri quips, referring to Janelle and Adam’s brief marriage in the early 1990s.

(Yes, Janelle and Adam attended Meri’s 1990 wedding to Kody as a couple. Once Janelle divorced Adam that same year, she became Kody’s second wife in 1993. Everyone following along?)

Finally, there appears to be remaining beef between Kody and Christine’s new husband, David Woolley.

“David’s a guy and guys think they’ve got things figured out. And plural marriage is the kind of thing that tells you you don’t know sh-t,” Kody says on camera in the video.

Christine, as you might expect, calls “bullsh-t” on Kody’s apology tour and supports her husband amid his and Kody’s feud.

The season 20 Sister Wives: 1-on-1 special kicks off on TLC Sunday, January 11 at 10/9c.

Sister Wives Reunion Trailer: Meri Had an Affair?!? was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

​The Hollywood Gossip

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On January 1, actor Tommy Lee Jones and his family suffered a tragedy.

Victoria Jones, his adult daughter, passed away. It was a suspected overdose.

Reports soon revealed that the actress had struggled with substance abuse over the years.

A new report reveals that Victoria was facing drug-related charges — with a court date mere weeks after her death.

At the time of her tragic death, Victoria Jones was facing criminal charges

Early in the morning on Thursday, January 1, emergency responders pronounced Victoria Jones dead.

She had been found at Fairmont San Francisco.

Those responding to the emergency call suspected an overdose as the cause of death.

Her family — which includes famous actor Tommy Lee Jones, her father — put out a brief statement the following day.

“We appreciate all of the kind words, thoughts, and prayers,” the Jones family expressed. “Please respect our privacy during this difficult time. Thank you.”

Now, TMZ reports that Victoria had been facing criminal charges ahead of her tragic death.

Court documents reveal that authorities had accused the 34-year-old of being in a public place while under the influence of toluene.

(We will explain what that is momentarily)

On May 14, 2025, Victoria allegedly had her public intoxication incident — followed by a charge of resisting a peace officer.

One can only assume that these charges are related. The charges were active, with a pretrial conference scheduled for January 27 — just a few weeks from now.

What is toluene?

Toluene is a benzene derivative. It is a solvent.

Most people will only encounter toluene as it is in paint thinner and sometimes in permanent markers.

However, this chemical — which has been identified and in use for nearly 200 years — has unfortunately been used as a recreational euphorigenic.

To put this in the simplest and most familiar terms possible, it’s the chemical that makes glue-sniffing a thing.

Toluene has the potential to cause lasting neurological harm. It is horrifying to think of anyone subjecting themselves to this substance.

The incident in May of 2025 was not Victoria’s first run-in with law enforcement.

In April — just one month prior — authorities arrested her for possession of cocaine.

Prosecutors offered her a plea deal in that case.

The deal would have required her to get sober in order to avoid a harsher sentence.

However, the court date had not yet arrived when she passed away.

This is a tragedy

Victoria is one of two children whom Tommy Lee Jones shares with second wife Kimberlea Cloughley.

Like her father, she was an actress, though of less critical acclaim.

There is much that we do not yet know about her final hours, or about the months or years of struggles with substance abuse the apparently preceded her tragic death.

Our hearts go out to her family and loved ones at this time.

The world would be a better place with her in it. We’d all have loved to have seen her become sober and live a fulfilled life again.

Victoria Jones Had Active Drug-Related Criminal Charges When She Died was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

​The Hollywood Gossip

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The political world was stunned today by the news that Rep. Doug LaMalfa has passed away.

The longtime GOP congressman from California was 65 years old.

News of LaMalfa’s death comes courtesy of an announcement from his chief of staff, Mark Spannagel.

“Early this morning Congressman Doug LaMalfa returned home to the Lord. He leaves a lasting legacy of servant leadership kindness to the North State,” LaMalfa’s chief of staff, Mark Spannagel, said in a statement.

“Congressman LaMalfa cared deeply for the people he served and worked tirelessly to hold the government to its word to fix our failing forests, build water storage, and leave people to be free to choose what is best for themselves.”

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a close friend of the congressman, confirmed LaMalfa’s death in a statement Tuesday.

“Jacquie and I are devastated about the sudden loss of our friend, Congressman Doug LaMalfa,” Emmer wrote on X, adding:

“Doug was a loving father and husband, and staunch advocate for his constituents and rural America,” Emmer wrote in a post on X. “Our prayers are with Doug’s wife, Jill, and their children.”

LaMalfa’s death could wind up carrying political consequences for his Republican colleagues.

As CNBC reports, the House stood at 219 Republicans and 213 Democrats after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned on Monday.

Democrats are favored to pick up multiple seats from special elections in the coming months.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has 14 days to announce a special election to replace LaMalfa, and the outcome of that contest could potentially be enough to tip the scales in Congress.

Sources say LaMalfa suffered an aortic aneurysm and died during emergency surgery after being rushed to a hospital in Northern California.

He is survived by his wife, Jill, and their four children.

Our thoughts go out to Doug LaMalfa’s loved ones during this difficult time.

Doug LaMalfa Cause of Death: GOP Congressman Was 65 was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

​The Hollywood Gossip