Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Woman Escapes Kidnapping Attempt by Former Housekeeper | Crime Alert 03.21.25

Episode Date: March 21, 2025

Woman lured into kidnapping manages to escape and is shocked by her attacker's identity. California driver caught monkeying around.  For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. Crime Alert, I'm Nancy Grace. Breaking crime news now. Eric Quinn, a do-gooder mother of two from California, attacked in Winchester after responding to an unsolicited text. The message, claiming to be from an elderly woman named Connie, offers items for a children's toy drive Aaron's organizing. Aaron the trigger several times. She then instructs Aaron to drive, threatening her family if she does not cooperate. Aaron blares her horn as she passes several construction workers, and the attacker tases her again, causing Aaron to crash into two parked cars.

Aaron takes the chance to fight back and pulls a wig off the attacker, revealing her former housekeeper, Olga Mendez. Aaron has no idea why Mendez would attack her. Their relationship ended on good terms. Mendez escapes the scene, their relationship ended on good terms. Mendez escapes the scene, but is arrested 10 days later. 44-year-old Mendez jailed, accused of kidnap and assault with a deadly weapon. A $400,000 Rolls-Royce Ghost speeding on a California highway reveals a bizarre passenger, the driver clutching a baby spider monkey wrapped in his jacket. California Highway Patrol stops Ali Mohammed, 27, and bust him for DUI and cannabis possession for sale.

In his jacket, the month-old monkey dressed in a pink polka dot onesie. Primates are illegal as pets in California, leading to a third criminal charge. The monkey, named Marcel, spends the night eating mashed bananas before being checked out at the Oakland Zoo. Muhammad watches as his supercar towed away. Monkey and Rolls-Royce all gone. More crime and justice news after this. Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news, Crime Online's John Limley. Prosecutors in Kentucky are pushing for a mental evaluation of a former sheriff accused of killing a judge inside a courthouse last autumn. Sheriff of Letcher County is charged with the September 19th shooting of District Judge Kevin Mullins in Whitesburg, a small Appalachian town where both men were well known. Prosecutors have presented video in court showing a man identified as Steins pulling a handgun and opening fire at

Mullins' desk. Investigators have not revealed a motive, but just hours before the attack, Stein and Mullins both had lunch together with others near the courthouse. Now Stein's attorneys say he was emotionally disturbed at the time of the shooting and plan to argue he suffered from insanity and, quote, extreme emotional disturbance. Prosecutors want a state doctor to evaluate those claims. Stein's remains in jail without bond. He has pleaded not guilty to murder and resigned from office days after the killing. A judge has not yet ruled on whether he will be granted bond. A former Texas megachurch pastor has been indicted on child sexual abuse charges in Oklahoma. As Crime Online's Sydney Sumner tells us,

Robert Morris, founder of Gateway Church, faces multiple felony counts. 63-year-old Robert Morris is charged with five counts of lewd acts with a child. Prosecutors say the abuse began in 1982 when Cindy Clemishire was 12. Morris, then a 21-year-old traveling evangelist, was staying with her family in Hominy, Oklahoma, where he regularly preached at their church. The abuse allegedly continued for four years. Clemishire, now 55, expressed gratitude to authorities, saying, quote, After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris. She hopes the legal system will hold him accountable.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gintner Drummond condemned Morris, stating, There can be no tolerance for those who prey on children, calling the case especially egregious because Morris allegedly used his pastoral role to gain trust. Morris went on to found a gateway church in 2000, which grew into one of the country's largest megachurches. He resigned last year after these allegations surfaced. The church, in a statement, acknowledged the legal process and expressed support for Clemishire and others affected. If convicted, Morris could face up to 20 years for each charge. Brandon Terrell Bankhead attends his great-grandfather's funeral, St. Louis. The 19-year-old spends the day at Life Center International Church with family and friends.

After the service, witnesses see him leave. He gets into a black four-door car with tinted windows and black rims with friends. That day is the last day anyone sees him. Not long after, his mom gets an alarming anonymous phone call. The voice on the line claims Brandon's being held in a vacant Walnut Park home, trapped in a closet. Despite the disturbing tip, searches reveal nothing. He never surfaces. Brandon, African-American, 5'2", 130 pounds, last wearing a red hoodie, a multicolored Burberry shirt, black pants, and blue and white shoes. He has a Mohawk-style fade haircut, both ears pierced. Anyone with info, please contact St. Louis PD, 314-231-1212.

For the latest crime and justice news, go to CrimeOnline.com. And please join us for our daily podcast, Crime Stories, where we do our best to find missing people, especially children, and solve unsolved homicides. With this crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace. You're listening to an iHeart Podcast.