This story continues below.

The finals are set to air on Thursday from 8 to 10 p.m. on ION. Viewers can also catch the event on various Scripps-owned platforms and services such as ION Plus, Bounce, Grit, Laff, The Spot, Bounce XL, Grit Xtra, Laff More, Scripps News, and Scripps Sports Network.

Who are the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee finalists?

What are the prizes for the Scripps National Spelling Bee champion?

As a Michigan teen enjoyed a peaceful walk in her serene Midwest neighborhood, an unexpected encounter with a stranger in a dark vehicle turned her day into a nightmare.

The 14-year-old was ambling along a Kentwood street—located about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Detroit—on May 12 when a car abruptly halted beside her, as reported by local authorities.

Captured by surveillance cameras, John Moore, aged 29, is seen swiftly emerging from the driver’s side and aggressively lunging at the young girl.

The released footage, which obscures the victim to safeguard her identity, ends just before Moore makes contact, leaving the attack unseen.

Police alleged that Moore ‘physically assaulted’ the girl and attempted to confine her as she strolled along the sidewalk, as stated in an official report.

The girl fought Moore off and gave him minor injuries before he fled in his car, law enforcement added.

Moore also allegedly attacked a 66-year-old woman within the previous hour and a half.

The senior citizen was working in her yard on Poinsettia Avenue SE when Moore stopped his vehicle and made ‘unwanted advances’ towards her before physically assaulting her, the Kentwood Police Department said.

Surveillance video showed how John Moore, 29, allegedly assaulted a 14-year-old girl in Kentwood, Michigan, about two and a half hours west of Detroit, on May 12

Moore has been charged with assault and battery and unlawful imprisonment in connection with the incident, as well as another that day

Detectives identified Moore as the suspect in the two alleged assaults after interviewing witnesses and reviewing surveillance footage.

He was arrested within 24 hours and taken to the Kent County Correctional Facility in Grand Rapids.

Moore has been charged with assault and battery, as well as unlawful imprisonment.

As of Wednesday evening, Moore was still in custody at the jail.

In addition to the two charges related to the alleged attacks on May 12, Kent County Sheriff’s Office records showed that Moore had also been charged with two probation violations.

His total bond for the four charges was set at $140,000.

Moore had been sentenced to probation last summer for recording upskirt videos in September 2023 and then grabbing women at Meijer stores about a year and a half later, according to WOODTV8.

In the first incident, a woman found out what Moore was doing when she looked up from the toilet and spotted him looking down at her from the next stall over, the outlet reported.

Moore had also apparently recorded an inappropriate video in the store’s common area, which was caught on surveillance footage.

The Kentwood Police Department claimed Peterson physically assaulted a 66-year-old woman in the hour and a half before he allegedly attacked the teenage girl

Moore was taken to the Kent County Correctional Facility, where he remains in custody

Last year, Moore was reported for walking around a Meijer store, telling female customers they had a spider on their backs, then grabbing their behinds.

His conduct was reported by three women, Kent County prosecutor Chris Becker told WOODTV8.

Moore was sentenced to time served for the six months of jail he had already done and given three years of probation last August.

He was also ordered to register as a sex offender, the outlet reported.

At his sentencing, Moore’s then-public defender, Laura Joyce, described him as kind, gentle and patient.

‘I don’t think these crimes are reflective of the person that he is,’ Joyce said. ‘I think that he’s had a reckoning while he’s been in jail regarding some potential substance abuse issues that he has to handle.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Kentwood Police Department for further comment.

It was not immediately clear if Moore had obtained representation to face his latest charges.

An ex-CIA official with access to top-secret information is facing serious allegations of stealing over $40 million worth of gold bars from the federal government, hiding them within his residence.

David Rush was taken into custody and formally charged with the criminal theft of public funds last week. This development was revealed through federal court documents filed in Virginia, where Rush resides.

According to an affidavit from an FBI agent, between November and March, Rush obtained a “significant quantity of foreign currency along with tens of millions of dollars in gold bars” for claimed work-related purposes.

The affidavit notes ambiguity surrounding Rush’s intended use for the funds, though a portion was discovered in a storage facility close to his workplace.

On May 18, federal officials executed a search of his home, confiscating over 300 gold bars valued at more than $40 million, as stated in the affidavit. Additionally, they seized approximately $2 million in cash and around 35 luxury watches, predominantly Rolexes. Rush was apprehended the following day, according to the FBI.

The FBI affidavit concludes that there’s probable cause to believe that Rush “knowingly embezzled, stole, purloined, or knowingly converted a thing of value of the United States” for his personal use.

The FBI said it was working with the CIA and Department of Justice in its investigation.

Rush’s lawyer declined to comment Wednesday.

It’s not clear what role Rush had at the CIA or when he left the agency. He’s described in court filings simply as a “former senior executive service-level employee at a United States government agency.” Spokespersons for the FBI declined to comment further, and the CIA didn’t respond to an email.

The FBI affidavit also notes that Rush appears to have lied for years about his education and military background. The bureau’s investigation found he had falsely claimed to be a Navy pilot and that he’d graduated from Clemson University in South Carolina and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York.

Instead, they found he had enlisted in the Navy in 1997 and then served in the U.S. Navy Reserves from 2004 until 2015, when he was honorably discharged as a lieutenant. The affidavit states he does not appear to have underwent any evaluations as a pilot during that time, and he did not attend either college.

Rush is being held in custody pending a hearing Friday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.

The details surrounding the incident, which took the life of an Auburn University graduate at her boyfriend’s family home shortly after she began her dream career, remain undisclosed by Alabama prosecutors. Meanwhile, an experienced trial attorney suggests that the lawsuit against the gun manufacturer might already have hurdles to overcome.

Jeffrey Towers, a 54-year-old resident of Trussville, stands accused of “accidentally” shooting his son’s 22-year-old girlfriend, Whitney Robeson. Robeson, a proud Auburn alumna, had just embarked on her career in interior design weeks before the tragic event.

The lawsuit claims Robeson succumbed to her injuries in March, roughly an hour after being struck in the chest by a bullet from an antique .22-caliber revolver, allegedly discharged by Towers.

AUBURN GRADUATE WHO RECENTLY SECURED HER DREAM JOB ALLEGEDLY SHOT AND KILLED BY BOYFRIEND’S FATHER IN ALABAMA

Brandon Towers and Whitney Robeson in an undated family photo. Towers’ father, Jeffrey Towers, is accused of “inadvertently” discharging an antique firearm, which fatally wounded his son’s girlfriend, Robeson, a 22-year-old recent graduate of Auburn University who had just started a career in interior design. (Brandon Towers/Instagram)

Jefferson County prosecutors filed manslaughter charges earlier this month, shortly before Robeson’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Towers and 15 unnamed entities, including the gunmaker.

“Regardless of what side you’re on, when you file a lawsuit like this, you are going to have all major firearm manufacturer and lobbying groups making darn certain that the Second Amendment is not infringed upon,” said Paul Calli, a trial attorney and expert on constitutional law. “There’ll be friends of the court briefed and pleadings, petitions to appear, and so the one exception around that federal law that preempts liability at the state level against firearm manufacturers is defective manufacturing.”

SUPREME COURT APPEARS SKEPTICAL OF MEXICO’S LAWSUIT AGAINST AMERICAN GUNMAKERS

Whitney Robeson, a 22-year-old Auburn University graduate from Richmond, Virginia, was shot and killed on March 7 at a home in Trussville, Alabama. (Instagram/@whitneyharlowdesign)

He told Fox News Digital that the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act of 2005 could prove to be a major obstacle in going after the firearm’s manufacturer with the lawsuit.

The law protects firearms manufacturers from certain lawsuits but has an exception for defective products, which Calli said may be hard to prove since the case involves an antique revolver.

“How do you analyze the manufacturing safety of an antique firearm?” Calli asked. “That’s going to be a hurdle over which they’re going to have a difficult time getting over.”

The lawsuit alleges that Towers not only handled the weapon negligently, but also that the gunmaker produced the revolver with inherent design flaws.

WATCH: Attorney for Alabama dad weighs in on shooting that left son’s girlfriend dead

Robeson’s parents, Carin and Matthew Robeson, are relying on the Alabama Extended Manufacturer’s Liability Doctrine to additionally allege that the firearm was defectively designed, “unfit for its ordinary purpose,” and lacked adequate safety features “as to prevent inadvertent discharge.”

SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER

“At its core, this matter involves the tragic and unnecessary death of a 22-year-old young woman whose life was cut short far too soon,” their attorney, Andrew Moak, said in a statement. “Whitney was a daughter, loved one, and member of her community, and that should never be lost in the discussion surrounding this case.”

He said the family is seeking justice and accountability. The lawsuit does not specify monetary damages being sought.

A split image shows Auburn alumni Brandon Towers and Whitney Robeson on the left and Jeffrey Towers, Brandon’s father, on the right. The elder Towers is accused of “inadvertently” discharging a firearm, resulting in Robeson’s death in his Alabama home. (Brandon Towers/Instagram, Courtesy of the Amari Law Firm)

SEND US A TIP HERE

Calli said that it’s unusual for the civil suit to come so early in the criminal process, which proceeds separately, since the civil case would likely be stayed until after the state’s case is resolved. Also, without the gunmaker being publicly named, it’s not immediately clear that it’s still in business.

ALEC BALDWIN’S ‘RUST’ CREW QUIT ON CRUCIAL DAY BEFORE CINEMATOGRAPHER’S DEATH: DOC

For now, he said he still has more questions than answers.

Whitney Robeson, 22, studied interior design at Auburn before getting a job at RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware. (Instagram/@whitneyharlowdesign)

LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST

“I’m not sure how they know that their gun was loaded or a bullet wasn’t inserted while this alleged display was taking place in front of these three people,” he said. “That’s part of the questions that, I think when you read a civil complaint, you don’t wanna have those questions in the reader’s mind. You wanna answer them for the potential jurors.”

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X

Towers has not yet entered a plea. He was released on $30,000 bond, the highest amount for a Class B felony like manslaughter. He is due back in court on July 22 and additional information about the criminal case is expected to be given over to the defense through discovery before then.

Jeffrey Towers, left, is accused of “inadvertently” discharging an antique revolver, killing his son’s 22-year-old girlfriend Whitney Robeson in the process. (Courtesy of the Amari Law Firm)

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB

“Nothing that we do or say as a criminal defense team…diminishes the fact that a life was lost here — and a special life,” Johnny Amari, one of Towers’ criminal defense attorneys, told Fox News Digital previously. “This girl was special to my client, special to my client’s family.”

Amari’s law firm is not representing him in the civil case.

“Innocent until proven guilty is not just a sacred rule, it’s a legal standard,” Amari said. “Our position is he’s not guilty of the offense that he’s charged with.”

In an online obituary, Robeson’s family revealed she had wanted to work in interior design since her childhood, inspired by shows on HGTV. After graduating summa cum laude from Auburn’s interior design program, she got a job as a trade consultant for RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, doing just that.

Tom Hardy’s alleged “career suicide” has been attributed to his habitual lateness.

According to a source speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, the “Venom” star frequently delayed production during Season 2 by remaining in his trailer for extended periods.

“He kept the entire cast waiting, which is a display of power. Making stars like Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, and others wait could be seen as career sabotage,” the insider suggested.

The reasons behind Hardy’s reported trailer retreats remain unclear, as noted by the outlet.

Page Six has contacted Hardy’s representative for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.

Last week, it was reported that the “Peaky Blinders” alum, 48, had been fired from the Paramount+ series “MobLand” after two seasons.

Sources told Variety that the “Peaky Blinders” alum was let go from the show following “on-set issues” with executive producer Jez Butterworth, 101 Studios and others.

Hardy was also allegedly consistently late to production during Season 2, gave frequent script notes, changed dialogue and was upset about the ensemble cast, which included Mirren and Brosnan, per Puck News.

A source told the Daily Mail that Hardy allegedly enraged the “Queen” actress, 80, with his behavior on set.

“Tom’s character is charming. He’s the calm one but it is quite the opposite when the cameras stop. Dame Helen is a joy, she is a total pro and she has worked with so many people over the years,” an insider alleged.

The source claimed Mirren allegedly found the “Venom: The Last Dance” actor playing games on his phone when he was supposed to be somewhere else on set.

“She is getting increasingly frustrated with Tom and his attitude,” the insider alleged to the outlet. “He can be late to filming too and that is annoying for Dame Helen, who is extremely professional and disciplined. His tone is something Dame Helen doesn’t like, along with his lateness.”

The source claimed that the Oscar nominee “swaggers around like a king” while on set and is “very, very arrogant.”

Hardy has reportedly had several on-set clashes with co-stars, including Charlize Theron, Shia LeBeouf and Patrick Stewart.