GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Artavis Deontre Clark, 27, is facing eight counts of sexual battery involving a 14-year-old girl who told investigators he allegedly took her to an abandoned hotel and had sex with her nearly every day during an 11-day period in June.
The girl reported the allegations on September 9. She said she met Clark at the downtown Gainesville library around June 18 and initially told him she was 19 and homeless. According to her account, Clark invited her to stay with him at an abandoned hotel believed to be the former Wyndham Garden Hotel at 2900 SW 13th Street.
She said the two later went to a gym at a nearby apartment complex. While there, she told Clark that she was actually 14, but he allegedly still permitted her to return with him to the hotel.
The girl told investigators that the hotel had no electricity and that she was overheated when they returned. She said Clark told her she could remove her clothing, then undressed himself, kissed her and engaged in sexual intercourse with her.
She said she stayed with Clark for about 10 days and that they had sex each day except three. During that time, she said, she fell in love with him. The pair allegedly discussed moving to Albany, New York, selected an apartment and reviewed bus tickets. She also said they talked about changing her name to avoid detection and wanted to have a child, but planned to wait until she turned 18 because they believed a hospital would otherwise notify law enforcement.
According to the victim, Clark generally left the hotel only to donate plasma or visit a laundromat. She said he had “fixed up” the room and kept a grill inside for cooking. He also taught her how to prepare rice on the grill, she told authorities.
SEE ALSO: New Jersey Professor Called Student “Racist” Over Trump Flag in Bedroom, Lawsuit Alleges
Clark was arrested July 1 after an Alachua County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a trespassing complaint at Fresh Laundry and Cafe, located at 3830 SW 13th Street. The deputy said Clark became “inexplicably and increasingly angry” and yelled after being told that laundromat employees wanted him removed. Clark allegedly took a bladed stance and clenched his fist while facing the deputy, leading to an arrest on suspicion of assaulting a law enforcement officer. He was also charged with resisting an officer without violence after allegedly continuing to pull away from the deputy. Judge Joy Danne released him on his own recognizance.
At approximately 10:46 p.m. September 23, Gainesville Police Department and University of Florida Police Department officers were patrolling SW 13th Street near the edge of campus when they saw Clark cross against a “do not cross” sign. During the pedestrian stop, he reportedly identified himself as “Art Clark” and allegedly refused to provide his date of birth, despite being warned that he could be arrested. After repeatedly declining to give the information, Clark was arrested on suspicion of providing false identification information to a law enforcement officer. He has remained in the Alachua County Jail on $4,000 bail.
A Gainesville police officer later interviewed Clark at the jail. After being read his Miranda rights, Clark confirmed many details of the girl’s account, according to the report. He said he met her at the library and that she told him she was 19 and homeless, prompting him to invite her to stay at the abandoned hotel. He acknowledged teaching her to cook rice on the grill and buying her clothing to “help her not look homeless.” He also said he left the hotel to donate plasma and visit the laundromat, and confirmed that they had discussed moving to Albany. The officer said Clark provided lengthy, detailed responses until he was asked whether he had sex with the girl. Clark then reportedly looked down at the table and answered, “No.” The officer said Clark put his head on the table afterward and began giving brief responses. Clark denied any sexual contact with the victim but otherwise confirmed the remaining details of her account.
Clark now faces eight counts of sexual battery involving a victim between the ages of 12 and 18, in addition to the earlier charges of providing false identification information and resisting an officer without violence. The assault charge involving the officer was dropped. Clark has no prior criminal convictions. Judge Meshon Rawls ordered him held without bail while the court considers a motion by the State Attorney’s Office to keep him jailed without bail through trial. If the motion is denied, bail will be determined at that hearing.
Judge Temporarily Halts Border Wall Construction in Texas’ Big Bend Region
WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Texas on Friday temporarily halted the Trump administration’s plans to construct a border wall and related infrastructure through the state’s Big Bend region, handing opponents of President Donald Trump’s signature campaign promise a significant legal victory.
Property owners, local businesses and environmental groups have joined forces against the proposed construction. The projects form part of a $46 billion initiative to reinforce the southern border with 30-foot steel barriers, vehicle restrictions, access roads and surveillance equipment.
In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone wrote that the plaintiffs were “likely to succeed on the merits of at least one of the claims in suit,” faced a substantial risk of irreparable harm without an injunction, and that both the equities and the public interest favored their position.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection defended the planned work in a statement issued Friday.
“We stand by our assessment and remain confident in our legal authorities to secure the border while preserving the unique landscape of the Big Bend region,” the agency said. “We are working with the Department of Justice on next steps.”
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately answer a request for comment.
Cardone’s order covers Big Bend National Park, a focal point of the fight over the border wall and a site where construction was briefly suspended after intense opposition.
Critics say the roughly 500-mile Big Bend region is so isolated and rugged that its terrain already discourages illegal immigration. They also contend that the administration broke the law by issuing broad waivers that allowed border construction to bypass numerous environmental and other regulatory requirements.
The lawsuit was filed by an environmental organization, supporters of a historic church in Ruidosa and a river guide. They argued that the Department of Homeland Security improperly sidestepped safeguards intended to protect the area’s environment, cultural heritage and archaeological resources.
Laiken Jordahl of the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups behind the case, described the decision as a “total victory.”
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Entire Town Built on Top of a Gold Mine Is Up for Sale
“The bulldozers are going to be sent packing until she rules on the merits,” Jordahl said. “This is such a historic day for Big Bend and for Texas and the Constitution.”
The ruling came only weeks after the administration installed the first border wall panels in the Big Bend sector in mid-September.
Plans for the sector have drawn opposition from both Republicans and Democrats.
The strongest criticism has focused on CBP’s proposal to build inside Big Bend National Park, known for its dramatic scenery, limestone cliffs and exceptionally clear night skies.
The sight of bulldozers clearing land in the park in August triggered a broad backlash, prompting lawmakers from both parties to demand a halt. CBP later suspended the work, but that pause expired earlier this week. The administration says it is reconsidering its plans for the park, though it has not announced a final course of action.
Park advocates welcomed Friday’s decision while urging the administration to repair the damage already caused at Big Bend National Park and pursue alternatives to the proposed construction.
The injunction also applies to territory upriver and downriver from the national park, where CBP has proposed multiple border projects that would largely cross privately owned property.
The government has been seeking permission from landowners to conduct surveys and begin construction. In a recent court filing, however, officials said they were ready to send some unresolved cases to the Justice Department after failing to obtain consent.
Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
New Footage Shows Luigi Mangione’s Arrest and Strip Search in Full
Newly released bodycam footage captures the moment Luigi Mangione was questioned inside a Pennsylvania McDonald’s and later strip-searched following the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan.
In one clip, officers ask Mangione to pull down the face mask he was using to conceal his identity.
“That’s 100 percent him,” one officer says excitedly after stepping outside to speak out of Mangione’s earshot.
“I told you, man,” another officer replies off camera.
In another scene, an officer searches Mangione’s belongings and breaks into a broad smile after finding a gun cartridge, apparently reinforcing the belief that they had located their suspect.
The collection of videos documents Mangione’s arrest on December 9, 2024, in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days after Thompson, a 50-year-old Minnesota executive, was shot as he walked toward a midtown Manhattan hotel for his company’s annual investor conference.
A Manhattan judge unsealed the recordings on Friday after CNN petitioned the court for their release.
Portions of the footage were played at a December court hearing, where Mangione’s lawyers unsuccessfully argued that key evidence—including his initial statements to police and items taken during his arrest—should be excluded.
Luigi Mangione, 28, pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges in August and faces life in prison when he is sentenced in December
New bodycam footage shows Mangione being searched by police in Pennsylvania
Mangione pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges in August and could receive a life sentence when he is sentenced in December.
He is also facing murder charges in New York state court, although those proceedings have been postponed indefinitely while his lawyers seek to have the case dismissed.
The footage released Friday opens with officers arriving at the McDonald’s in central Pennsylvania, nearly 300 miles from Manhattan.
They find Mangione, an Ivy League-educated heir to a wealthy Maryland family, sitting at a table in a ski hat, surgical mask and winter coat. The officers say they are responding to a report of a suspicious person before asking for his name and identification.
“You’re a little nervous right now. Why are you nervous?” one officer asks.
Officers instruct him to place his hands on his head and question him about whether he has recently been in New York. They also challenge him over a fake New Jersey driver’s license he produced in the name of Mark Rosario.
“You’re under official police investigation right now,” one officer warns. “You give a false name to us again, you’re gonna be arrested for false ID.”
After Mangione eventually admitted his real identity, officers asked him why he had lied.
The young man was later seen in handcuffs inside a police station
“That’s 100 percent him,” one officer said after Mangione was found inside the McDonald’s
‘I clearly shouldn’t have,’ he responded as he was asked to write his real name and spell it aloud.
SEE ALSO: 17-Year-Old Learns Fate in Case Involving Teen Shot in the Face
Other videos show officers patting Mangione down, reading him his rights, placing him in cuffs and taking him to the police station.
As an officer searched him more thoroughly at the station, another officer went through his backpack.
The officer found the 9mm handgun authorities would later confirm was used in the killing, as well as a silencer and another ammo magazine.
They also recovered the journal that prosecutors would later say revealed Mangione’s intent to ‘whack’ a health insurance executive, as well as his other handwritten notes.
‘He has a checklist for today,’ another officer said, ticking off the seized items to someone on the phone. ‘Tomorrow he’s supposed to do an intel check-in and get a survival kit.’
In August, the 28-year-old admitted why he killed the healthcare CEO.
The killer claimed ‘severe’ back pain drove him to pose as an investor with over $50 billion and shoot the CEO dead.
Footage also showed him arrest inside a Pennsylvania McDonald’s after he gave them a fake ID
Mangione said in court in August that he killed Brian Thompson after years of severe backpain
‘I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan and he died,’ Mangione testified in August
As he spoke in Manhattan Federal Court, Mangione laid bare his plan to target Thompson.
He told the court: ‘After years of enduring severe pain from a broken back, navigating the obstacles of the health insurance system and witnessing similar experiences of countless others, I learned that UnitedHealthcare would be holding its annual investor conference in New York City on December 4, 2024, although the specific location was not publicly disclosed.
‘I then searched the event online. I observed that the annual conference of America’s largest health care organization and the stated mission to make health – excuse me – with the stated mission to make the health system work better for everyone, would be attended by company executives, the board of directors, and hundreds of investors, not doctors, nurses, and patients.’
Mangione went on to reveal how he got Thompson’s location and acquired the murder weapon.
He said: ‘In November of 2024, I traveled from outside of New York State to Manhattan. I then emailed UnitedHealthcare leadership posing as an investor at a firm managing over $50 billion in assets and requesting information about the conference.
‘Unlike my previous interactions with insurers, I received an immediate response within an hour. Before traveling to New York, I used a 3D printer to make part of a gun, and I equipped the gun with the silencer and magazine. My travel to New York and email to UnitedHealthcare was with the intent to shoot Brian Thompson.’
Mangione concluded: ‘On the morning of December 4, 2024, I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan and he died. When I did so, I understood that my actions would place him in fear of death or serious bodily injury. I knew what I was doing was illegal.’
The federal stalking charges he admitted to carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for December 18.
The Daily Mail reached out to Mangione’s attorney for comment.
Best Free Horror Movies to Stream Online This October
One of the great pleasures of spooky season is settling onto the couch and working through the flood of horror programming available across movie libraries and TV channels. There is no need to pay for endless rentals or add more subscriptions, either: free services such as PlutoTV and Tubi offer plenty of genre classics from across film history. You just have to accept the occasional commercial—or, as we like to call it, a convenient candy break.
Tubi’s catalog is especially wide-ranging, mixing recent releases with classics and cult favorites that regularly rotate on and off the service. Like every streaming platform, it also contains its share of forgettable filler. To help you navigate spooky season ’26, Decider has assembled this countdown of the best horror movies currently available to stream for free. The lineup includes classic monsters, daring reimaginings, and indie originals spanning decades. Happy Halloween streaming—or screaming, as the Crypt Keeper might say! (Tales from the Crypt is on Tubi, too.)
RATING: R
DIRECTOR: Chuck Russell
CAST: Madison Iseman, Aaron Dominguez, Melanie Jarnson
Pay tribute to the late Chuck Russell, who died this year, with his little-seen remake of an ’80s cult favorite. Russell was already making an impact in that decade, directing the terrific 1988 remake of The Blob and the acclaimed third Nightmare on Elm Street. His Witchboard, however, feels more like a lost—and unexpectedly effective—supernatural horror film from the mid-2000s. Madison Iseman stars as a recovering addict whose fragile mental state begins to unravel after she forms an unlikely bond with a spirit board and starts experiencing visions connected to its creator.
RATING: R
DIRECTOR: George Romero
CAST: Jan White, Raymond Laine
Several years after making history with Night of the Living Dead, George Romero blended domestic drama with occult horror. The result, sometimes released under the titles Hungry Wives and Jack’s Wife, is not his most frightening film, but it remains a compelling time capsule of the second-wave feminist era and the suburban dissatisfaction that accompanied it.
RATING: R
DIRECTOR: Carter Smith
CAST: Jena Malone, Jonathan Tucker, Shawn Ashmore
Scott B. Smith—who is not related to director Carter Smith—adapted his own acclaimed bestselling horror novel about carnivorous vines discovered at a Mayan ruins site. The film did not earn the same praise as the book, but The Ruins delivers far more effective creepy-plant horror than that year’s The Happening, complete with memorably visceral visual effects.
RATING: TV-PG
DIRECTOR: Terence Fisher
CAST: Peter Cushing, Robert Urquhart, Hazel Court, Christopher Lee
Despite its title, this is not a late entry in Universal’s Frankenstein series, which began in 1932. Instead, The Curse of Frankenstein launched a separate Hammer Films cycle inspired by Mary Shelley’s novel, loosely adapting the story for the studio’s first major horror hit. Its success ushered in a new era of monster movies, using vivid color and relaxed content restrictions to showcase bright-red blood, gruesome experiments, and inventive fates for the dead and undead.
RATING: R
DIRECTOR: Rob Zombie
CAST: Scout Taylor-Compton, Malcolm McDowell, Danielle Harris
This is not the Halloween II starring Jamie Lee Curtis—or the other one starring Jamie Lee Curtis. Rob Zombie’s sequel to his own remake is a different beast, although its opening pays tribute to the hospital setting of the “original” 1981 sequel. From there, Zombie takes Michael Myers into a stranger, darker, and more daring place than either his first film or most of the Halloween sequels that came before it. Audiences largely stayed away, but admirers of Zombie’s distinctive style often rank it among his finest movies.
RATING: TV-PG
DIRECTOR: Robert Siodmak
CAST: Lon Chaney Jr., Louise Allbritton, Robert Paige
Robert Siodmak was one of his era’s most underrated filmmakers, later directing a series of superb film noirs and psychological thrillers, including several works with proto-horror elements. Son of Dracula arrived before that peak period. While Siodmak’s Universal Monsters entry does not match his later achievements, it is an entertaining showcase of his versatility. Lon Chaney Jr. plays the mysterious Count Alucard—spell the name backward—who arrives at a New Orleans plantation after being invited by Katherine Caldwell, played by Louise Allbritton. She may be seeking something only this enigmatic stranger can provide. The film is more pulpy than elegant, and Chaney is no Bela Lugosi, but Siodmak’s stylish direction makes Son of Dracula an enjoyable detour into classic horror.
RATING: R
DIRECTOR: Jonathan Levine
CAST: Amber Heard, Whitney Able, Michael Welch
The release history of All the Boys Love Mandy Lane shows how dramatically the horror business has changed over the past two decades. Despite being a sharp, beautifully shot slasher, the film remained in release limbo for seven years after premiering at Toronto, at least in the United States; some international markets received it sooner. By the time it finally arrived in 2013, the long mystery may have raised expectations too high. Viewed today, however, it is easy to admire the evocative cinematography, strong performances—particularly from a young Amber Heard—and clever sociological twist. Director Jonathan Levine later built a Hollywood career helming several Seth Rogen comedies and the horror romance Warm Bodies; he was recently chosen to direct the Tom Cruise sequel Days of Thunder. It may not be the most frightening film here, but his feature debut remains one of his strongest.
RATING: R
DIRECTOR: Tom Holland
CAST: William Ragsdale, Chris Sarandon, Roddy McDowall
No, the director isn’t the Spider-Man who’s married to Zendaya. This Tom Holland has horror bona fides: He co-wrote and directed the original Child’s Play, wrote Psycho II, and made this suburbs-set horror movie about a teenage boy who realizes his new neighbor is a vampire – and enlists the help of an only-on-TV vampire hunter to try and stop the creature’s killing spree. It’s not the most intense vampire movie you can watch, but it’s one of the most fun, playfully injecting vamp mythology into a culture that presumes familiarity with it already.
STREAM ON: August 27 Photo: Everett Collection
RATING: R
DIRECTOR: Neil Jordan
CAST: Gemma Arterton, Saoirse Ronan
Neil Jordan’s best-known horror movie is Interview with the Vampire. But honestly, his other, far lesser-known, female-driven vampire film featuring heavy backstory is the more consistently entertaining of the two. It may not have Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise, but Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan are sensational as a mother-daughter pair of vampires forced to relocate to a small coastal town in England, a location that gives way to surprising amounts of gothic atmosphere.
EXPLORE MORE: ‘Israeli Predator hackers’ cripple Iran as 23,000 petrol stations are knocked out of service in revenge attack – NewsFinale
RATING: R
DIRECTOR: Neil Marshall
CAST: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid
Initially enough of an obscurity that its sequel never even came out in theaters in the U.S., The Descent has grown in reputation over the past 20 years, to the point where it’s now considered one of the best and most intense horror movies of the 2000s. It helps that it will freak some viewers out before it even gets to the creature-feature or the gore; scenes of a group of spelunkers exploring cramped underground graves are enough to induce nightmares in anyone with even a hint of claustrophobia. On top of that, the mutated bat-people emerge! The attempts at trauma-mining setup may be a little hackneyed, but as far as gnarly creature horror goes, it’s hard to beat The Descent.
RATING: R
DIRECTOR: Mitchell Lichtenstein
CAST: Jess Weixler, John Hensley, Josh Pais
There are, unavoidably, a great many horror movies about vampires, zombies, slashers, and creatures, some of which appear on this very list. There are vanishingly few, however, about the idea of vagina dentata – women’s genitalia lined with, yes, teeth. That’s precisely what this darkly funny indie horror is about, featuring a command performance by Jess Weixler as a teenage girl whose sexual awakening has some bloodier-than-usual results.
RATING: R
DIRECTOR: Clive Barker
CAST: Andrew Robinson, Claire Higgins, Ashley Laurence
Clive Barker’s adaptation of his own novel won’t be to all tastes. But it’s a fantastical horror movie unlike any other, standing head and shoulders above the many sequels it spawned. Barker’s mythology involves a mysterious box that summons Cenobites, creatures from another dimension that blur together pain and pleasure, making this one of the more perverse and sexually charged of the famous 1980s horror pictures.
RATING: PG-13
DIRECTOR: Stephen Sommers
CAST: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Oded Fehr
Stephen Sommers reinvigorated the creakiest of Universal’s original monsters by making, essentially, Indiana Jones with more supernatural monsters (instead of nazi-style human ones). It’s not exactly wall-to-wall scares, but it’s a perfect transition from one throwback (two-fisted action-adventure) to another (monster horror!) for younger movie fans.
May (2003)
RATING: R
DIRECTOR: Lucky McKee
CAST: Angela Bettis, Anna Faris, Jeremy Sisto
An indie-horror cult classic that riffs on both Carrie and Frankenstein, Lucky McKee’s movie was barely released commercially back in 2003 but is well worth checking out. Angela Bettis gives a bravura nervous-loner performance as a vet tech who winds up building an unusual doll collection; Anna Faris in her pre-sitcom days provides killer comic support. May and May are macabre and heartbreaking in equal measure.
Rotten Tomatoes Score:
60%
The Addams family is so much more than inspo for this year’s Halloween costume. In the 1991 adaptation of the 1960s series, a con artist pretends to be Gomez Addams’ long lost brother Fester in order to gain access to the family’s wealth. Unaware of his scheme, Morticia, Wednesday, and Pugsley Addams grow close to Uncle Fester, forcing him to choose between his old and new family.
[Stream The Addams Family] ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
RATING: PG-13
DIRECTOR: Barry Sonnenfeld
CAST: Angelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christina Ricci, Christopher Lloyd
The Addams Family, a smash hit from the early ’90s, is easily the kid-friendliest movie on the list – nascent horror kids and even less spookily-inclined older elementary schoolers will enjoy it – while also having impeccable fall vibes, with stunning production design, great one-liners that outwit the beloved sitcom it’s partially based on, and note-perfect performances from every cast member. Oh, and get this: the sequel is even better.
RATING: R
DIRECTOR: Robert Eggers
CAST: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Black Philip
The movie that arguably established A24 as a horror-label force, and definitely established Robert Eggers as a major name in the genre, is short yet spookily immersive. Anya Taylor-Joy plays the daughter of a family too annoying even for the Puritans, exiled in the New England woods in the 17th century, and bedeviled by a witch – though it’s Taylor-Joy who shoulders the blame.
RATING: R
DIRECTOR: Dario Argento
CAST: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci
Forget Luca Guadagnino’s drab remake with Dakota Johnson and go straight for the visually arresting original, surely one of the medium’s greatest triumphs of shapes and colors. The story is pretty simple: Suzy (Jessica Harper) attends a German ballet school and discovers what any of us might have suspected: It’s run by a coven of murderous witches. The widely beloved film from Italian master Dario Argento became hugely influential with its eye-popping colors and ear-popping score from prog-rock act Goblin.
RATING: R
DIRECTOR: Bob Clark
CAST: Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, Keir Dullea
Man, 1974 was a hell of a year for the barely-existent slasher genre; it’s also when The Texas Chain Saw Massacre made its gnarly mark. That one is perpetually Tubi-available, but plenty of services have it on hand, and plenty of folks have seen it. So while it’s obviously more December than October, Black Christmas is equally worthwhile, as a mysterious creep terrorizes a sorority house with some of the most gorgeously lit and framed stalking the genre has ever seen. Two very different remakes couldn’t touch it.
RATING: R
DIRECTOR: Tobe Hooper
CAST: Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Gunnar Hansen
Like I said: A hell of a slasher year. Honestly, Texas Chain Saw is available all over the place, so it’s not necessarily imperative that you watch it on Tubi. But it’s probably one of the dozen or so best and most influential movies ever made, so if you haven’t seen it and don’t have any subscription services handy, don’t let that stop you! After all, it’s one of the scariest and most visually distinctive horror movies ever made, following a group of young people who stumble upon a family of cannibals. The old rumors about Tobe Hooper not actually directing his later (and less disturbing) horror film Poltergeist will seem particularly absurd once you’ve seen this singular horror masterpiece.
RATING: R
DIRECTOR: Tim Burton
CAST: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Christopher Walken
Tim Burton is known for his spooky movies, yet he rarely puts out something violent enough for an R rating. His retelling of the Washington Irving story – this time with actual supernatural elements and a strong influence from the Hammer Studios films of the 1960s and 1970s – is bloody enough to serve as an exception. Johnny Depp plays an investigator version of Ichabod Crane, Christina Ricci plays his love interest, and none other than Christopher Walken (with stunt assistance from original Darth Maul actor Ray Park!) plays the horseman himself. It’s simply one of the most beautifully painterly atmospheric horror films.
New Jersey Professor Called Student “Racist” Over Trump Flag in Bedroom, Lawsuit Alleges
A New Jersey community college student says he was labeled a “racist” and forced to leave an online course after his professor noticed a “Trump 2020” flag behind him during a Zoom class.
Justin Caiazzo, 29, has sued Passaic County Community College, business professor Gladys Harris and dean Peter Hynes, alleging that the incident violated his First Amendment rights during a July 2021 class.
Caiazzo, who lives in Lake Hiawatha, said he was caught off guard when Harris allegedly interrupted her business statistics class after seeing the Trump banner in his background, according to a complaint filed Sept. 23 in New Jersey Superior Court.
The professor demanded that Caiazzo remove the flag immediately, bringing the class to a standstill, the court filing alleges.
Caiazzo, who maintains that he had not introduced politics into the lesson, asked why the flag was a problem. Harris reportedly called it “offensive,” according to the complaint.
The lawsuit alleges that Harris then called Caiazzo a “racist” in front of his classmates and removed him from the Zoom session after he declined to take down the pro-MAGA banner.
Caiazzo claims the confrontation changed how he was treated for the remainder of the course.
At the following class, Harris allegedly allowed other students to talk over him while preventing him from participating, the complaint states.
Afterward, Caiazzo said he asked Harris about tutoring options and whether they could discuss the confrontation.
Instead, Harris allegedly responded sarcastically that he should seek assistance through “tutor.com,” according to the lawsuit.
KEEP READING: New Footage Shows Men Accused of Stabbing NYPD Detective Fleeing in NYC
Concerned that the dispute could jeopardize his education, Caiazzo contacted other college officials, including Hynes, for help.
The college investigated the matter but ultimately sided with Harris, blaming Caiazzo and saying his “political expression was disfavored,” court documents allege.
Officials also allegedly failed to offer “meaningful relief,” such as permitting Caiazzo to transfer to another section or receive a “no credit” grade.
Caiazzo said he was left with no practical option but to continue under the circumstances, eventually withdrawing from the course because he believed the harm could not be repaired.
“[He] ultimately withdrew from the class at his own expense rather than continue under conditions regarded as hostile, unfair, unconstitutional and academically untenable,” the court papers state.
Caiazzo is seeking unspecified damages for alleged educational harm, emotional distress and humiliation.
“Our client was wronged on many levels,” his attorney, Marc Calello, told The Post.
Calello said Caiazzo was unable to graduate because he had to drop the course. He also argued that the case highlights what he described as a growing tendency among academic institutions, which are intended to encourage debate and discussion, to suppress certain viewpoints.
“There’s a difference between an opinion and a fact . . . regardless of what side you’re on,” Calello said.
The college, Hynes and Harris did not respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
What Middle-earth’s Other Wizards Were Doing During The Lord of the Rings Saga
Static Media
There are five Wizards in The Lord of the Rings, but Tolkien’s capitalized “Wizards” are far more than ordinary sorcerers. They are angelic beings sent to Middle-earth in the bodies of elderly men, tasked with helping the Free Peoples stand against the Dark Lord Sauron. But where are the five Istari when the War of the Ring begins? Gandalf is everywhere he needs to be, while Saruman famously abandons his mission. The whereabouts and loyalties of the remaining three—Radagast the Brown and the two Blue Wizards—are considerably less clear. Tolkien left only scattered clues, and some of his later writings even contradict his earlier ideas.
Radagast the Brown is still somewhere in Middle-earth during the story and briefly appears in the books, although he has little direct involvement in the conflict. By the time war erupts, he is effectively absent from the main action. The two Blue Wizards are known to have traveled into the eastern regions of Middle-earth, but Tolkien’s writings leave open the question of whether they opposed Sauron or ultimately aided his cause.
Gandalf, by contrast, devotes himself completely to the mission of the Istari—even after losing his physical body and returning in a new form. Saruman takes the opposite path, rejecting his purpose and aligning himself with Sauron before turning against the Dark Lord as well. That betrayal eventually brings him a fate worse than death. The roles of Radagast and the Blue Wizards are far more difficult to pin down, so the clues Tolkien left behind are essential to understanding what they may have been doing during the War of the Ring.
Where is Radagast the Brown during The Lord of the Rings?
Warner Bros.
Radagast’s movements during The Lord of the Rings are relatively easy to trace, yet his story remains frustratingly incomplete. The Brown Wizard does not appear in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy, but he has a brief role in Tolkien’s novel. Saruman sends him to find Gandalf and persuade him to come to Isengard, shortly before Saruman captures the Grey Wizard.
CONTINUE READING: Woman Whose Ovaries Were Frozen at 18 Becomes a Mother at 44
Radagast’s involvement does not make him evil. In the book, Gandalf says he does not believe Radagast intended to betray him. Rather, the trusting and uncomplicated Wizard appears to have been deceived by Saruman. That still leaves an important question: if Radagast remained loyal to the good cause, why did he not continue helping Gandalf? Tolkien never provides a clear answer.
Before the Fellowship leaves Rivendell, Elrond sends scouts ahead to gather information. Their report includes the news that some of the scouts eventually reached Radagast’s home at Rhosgobel, only to discover that “Radagast was not there.” The detail offers little explanation, except that Radagast is not playing an active role in the central events of the War of the Ring. His exact whereabouts remain unknown.
In Unfinished Tales, Tolkien offers a particularly troubling assessment: “Indeed, of all the Istari, one [Gandalf] only remained faithful … for Radagast, the fourth, became enamoured of the many beasts and birds that dwelt in Middle-earth, and forsook Elves and Men, and spent his days among the wild creatures.” The Lord of the Rings: A Reader’s Companion condenses this apparent shortcoming into two words, describing Radagast as seemingly “neglectful and easygoing.” He may have been protecting the birds and animals he cherished, but even that admirable work placed him far behind Gandalf’s efforts. At worst, his neglect of the wider mission makes him nearly as derelict as Saruman, though not openly treacherous. Either way, Radagast is nowhere to be found when Middle-earth needs its Wizards most.
Where are the Blue Wizards during The Lord of the Rings?
Amazon Studios
The remaining two Istari are Tolkien’s famously mysterious Blue Wizards. They travel eastward thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings, and the East remains their principal sphere of activity during the War of the Ring. Their location, therefore, is not especially difficult to establish. The real mystery is what they were doing there—and whether their work ultimately helped or harmed the fight against Sauron.
In Tolkien’s earlier conception, the Blue Wizards may have followed a path similar to Saruman’s. In Unfinished Tales, he suggests that they never returned from the East and may have become servants of Sauron. He expressed the same concern in a 1958 letter, writing: “What success they had I do not know; but I fear that they failed, as Saruman did, though doubtless in different ways; and I suspect they were founders or beginners of secret cults and ‘magic’ traditions that outlasted the fall of Sauron.” That idea appears to echo the storyline involving The Rings of Power’s Dark Wizard in the East.
Later in his life, however, Tolkien gave the Blue Wizards a much more heroic purpose. In The Peoples of Middle-earth, he revised their story, suggesting that they played a crucial role in resisting Sauron across the eastern lands. He wrote that they “must have had very great influence on the history of the Second Age and Third Age in weakening and disarraying the forces of East … who would both in the Second Age and Third Age otherwise have … outnumbered the West.” These two versions cannot easily be reconciled, and Tolkien never explains the Blue Wizards’ specific actions. Still, if one interpretation is to be favored, the later account presents them as powerful agents working in the East to weaken Sauron while the main War of the Ring unfolded in the West.