Clint Eastwood Drops Off Mystery Woman at LAX Post-Split—So Who Is She?

by Jenny Chao Tue., Sep. 3, 2013 5:01 PM PDT

On Tuesday's edition of Live From E!, Catt Sadler, Ken Baker, Ali Fedotowsky and Melanie Bromley discussed the mystery blonde that Clint Eastwood was seen dropping off at LAX recently.

Who is she? Some speculators say it is his new girlfriend, and some say it is his daughter Alison Eastwood. Apparently his manager knows nothing about the mystery gal, stating, "Clint is shooting a picture right now, unavailable to reach, he doesn't have a press agent and that's all I can tell you."

One person who won't be saying negative comments about the famous actor-director (and any of his possible new girlfriends) is his estranged wife, Dina, who took to twitter on Monday, writing, "I don't like reading negative things about Clint. He is a wonderful, good natured, brilliant person. No matter what, I attest to that."

PHOTOS: Hollywood's most surprising breakups

Bauer-Griffin

Also on today's show, the roundtable talked about One Direction's new hit movie, This Is Us.

The film, which follows the lives of the five members of the boy band, has grossed $18 million and is currently the No. 1 movie in theatres.

PHOTOS: Here are the top photos of One Direction

Finally, the panel shared their opinions on the revelation of the biggest mystery of the summer: Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson will be playing Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades of Grey movie.

Surprised? Excited? Apparently, Johnson's mom, actress Melanie Griffith, is ecstatic. On Monday, Griffith tweeted, "My beautiful child Dakota has been chosen to play Anna Steele in 50 Shades!!! Look out world! Here she comes!!! #proudmama."

Be sure to check us out Live From E! every day at 12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT! And don't forget to follow us on Twitter @LiveFromE and hit us with your questions using the #LiveFromE hashtag.

PHOTOS: Surprising casting choices

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"Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis sentenced for assaulting woman

LOS ANGELES "Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis was sentenced Tuesday to 270 days in jail and three years' probation for choking a woman and repeatedly slamming her head to the ground at his Los Angeles mansion in 2011.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Nancy L. Newman also ordered the 40-year-old Francis to complete an anger management course and attend 52 sessions of psychological counseling, according to Deputy City Attorney Mitchell Fox.

"Mr. Francis is really a danger to the community," Fox said, according to CBS Los Angeles. "He's had his way with ability to force people to comply with his wishes, he physically has been violent with people."

A jury in May convicted Francis of five misdemeanor charges — three counts of false imprisonment, one count of assault by means likely to cause great bodily injury, and one count of dissuading a witness from reporting a crime.

Francis' attorney Steve Levine said key details of the case were proven to be false in court, and he is appealing the decision.

"Joe has always maintained his innocence," Levine said. He added that the judge "still came to a very fair and measured decision."

He told TMZ he thought the sentence was "absurd" and will do everything he can to make sure it's thrown out.

"I'm confident the legal system will course-correct and I am 100 percent innocent. There's no way I ever forced anyone to get into this car," he told news cameras as he went back into his black SUV outside the courthouse.

According to Fox, Francis met three women on Jan. 29, 2011, at a college graduation party at the Supper Club in Hollywood. He grabbed the arm of one of the girls and took her to his limo, and the two others followed, believing they'd be taken to their car. Instead, they ended up in a gated area of Francis' Bel Air home.

Francis appeared to be interested in one of the women and tried to lead her away, but her friend pulled back, Fox said.

Francis then "jumped on the friend, took her to the ground, choked her, slammed her head against the ground, dragged her across the ground, and when she got back up, did it several more times," Fox said.

He then apparently told the women they were trespassing and had to leave. The women said they were going to call the police, and Francis yelled to "go ahead and call the police," the prosecutor said.

Francis told the girls he "owns the police" and that officers wouldn't arrest him, Fox added.

Judge Newman denied Francis' request for a new trial Tuesday, but sentenced him to less than the four years in county jail urged by prosecutors.

Levine said Francis would be released from custody soon after posting a $250,000 bond Tuesday. He'll remain free pending the outcome of the appeal.

The day after Francis was convicted in Los Angeles, he told The Hollywood Reporter that members of the jury were " be shot.? and up lined all should ?they said retarded,?>

Francis later apologized for his comments.

"This is one of those cases where being a celebrity did not help him at all," Levine said.

Francis has had a number of past legal troubles. Last year, a jury found him guilty of defaming casino mogul Steve Wynn on multiple occasions, including on ABC's national morning show. Francis claimed the creator of some of Las Vegas' most upscale resorts threatened to kill him over a gambling debt.

Dozens of other lawsuits have targeted Francis, who built a porn empire producing and marketing videos of young women exposing themselves on camera.

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Beecher woman among 4-H stars at Will County Fair

Linda Scharnhorst, a couple generations of offspring, and young Beecher neighbors were gathered at the west end of the horse barn at the Will County Fairgrounds on Wednesday, talking about hay making.

Then, the subject of her induction into the Illinois 4-H Hall of Fame at the recent Illinois State Fair came up.

She's been described as a long-time leader of the Prairie 4-H Club in the Beecher area. "Thirty-one years," she recalls.

"It's longer than that, Mom," said daughter, Courtney Selucky, "Thirty-three."

Maybe so, Scharnhorst admits. "I went through it with all my kids and started on the grandkids."

"I was shocked to get the award," she said of the honor. "I never thought about that. I just enjoy working with kids and their projects. I believe there is a project for every kid and most of them succeed."

She, her husband, Don, and their daughters have helped those kids succeed and that's a major part of what county fairs are all about.

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Beecher woman among 4-H stars at Will County Fair

Linda Scharnhorst, a couple generations of offspring, and young Beecher neighbors were gathered at the west end of the horse barn at the Will County Fairgrounds on Wednesday, talking about hay making.

Then, the subject of her induction into the Illinois 4-H Hall of Fame at the recent Illinois State Fair came up.

She's been described as a long-time leader of the Prairie 4-H Club in the Beecher area. "Thirty-one years," she recalls.

"It's longer than that, Mom," said daughter, Courtney Selucky, "Thirty-three."

Maybe so, Scharnhorst admits. "I went through it with all my kids and started on the grandkids."

"I was shocked to get the award," she said of the honor. "I never thought about that. I just enjoy working with kids and their projects. I believe there is a project for every kid and most of them succeed."

She, her husband, Don, and their daughters have helped those kids succeed and that's a major part of what county fairs are all about.

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Reddick woman relishes chance to study in China

The number of neighbors in Brittany Ashburn's world is about to rise by the millions.

Brittany, a Reddick resident, Herscher High School graduate and student at North Central College in Naperville, is about to embark on a journey to China to study at Shanghai University as part of her pursuit of a degree in international business.

Brittany will be moving into a dorm with an English-speaking Chinese student, who requested to live with an international student. Campus enrollment tops 41,000, with 3,000 from outside the country. The university is a modern consolidation of several colleges. It's set in China's largest city: population 23 million.

"Yes, that's a long way from Reddick [population: 163], but we have at least three field trips, so we will get out in rural areas. I want to see the farms there," she said.

Brittany will take five classes — all with instructors who speak English.

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Reddick woman, 21, going to college in China

There'll be no homecoming football game. And no coming home for laundry.

College life is definitely going to change this semester for Reddick's Brittany Ashburn. The 21-year-old international business major is leaving Aug. 27 to study at Shanghai University in China.

"Yes, I'm excited and anxious," said Ashburn, a senior at North Central College in Naperville. "And, no, I can't speak Chinese, yet. I'll be taking classes in Mandarin four hours a day when I get there."

Obviously, Brittany, the daughter of James and Dawn Ashburn, has been thinking about this 7,000-mile adventure for quite awhile.

"We have to study abroad in this major and there's a class that prepares international students. I also have two mentors I've been talking to for awhile," she explained. "There is a lot to learn before you go."

Some of the "Don'ts" on her list:

• Don't talk about the American government or politics at all.

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Eatontown woman strikes boyfriend with machete, flees, police say

EATONTOWN — A woman struck her live-in boyfriend in the back of the neck with a machete during a domestic dispute and then fled, police said Friday.

The man was taken to Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch with superficial injuries, police Sgt. Troy Fowlkes said. Police would not identify either person involved.

The incident happened around 8 p.m. Friday inside the apartment the two share on Eatoncrest Drive, Fowlkes said. After the woman struck the man once with the serrated edge of the machete, she left in a white Mercedes E 350 with Florida plates, he said.

Police were still looking for her Friday night. Police would not say if she left the machete or took it with her.

She is described as being 5-foot, 3-inches tall, about 160 pounds with brown hair, Fowlkes said.

The woman faces charges of aggravated assault, possession of an unlawful weapon for an unlawful purpose and domestic charges, Fowlkes said.

Anyone with information that could help police should call the department at 732-542-0100.

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Dump truck hits, kills elderly woman at NJ complex

LODI — Authorities say an elderly woman taking out her trash was struck and killed by a dump truck at a senior citizen apartment complex in northern New Jersey.

Lodi police tell The Record that the woman was walking to a trash bin when she was hit Wednesday morning. The truck was backing up at the time and the woman, who was hard of hearing, apparently didn?t hear the vehicle approach.

The name of the woman and the truck driver were not released. No charges were expected to be filed, but an investigation is ongoing.

The complex is run by the Lodi Housing Authority, and officials there said the truck driver was longtime authority employee. Witnesses said the man was ?screaming and distraught? after the accident.

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Death of 18-year-old Brick woman in Toms River motel under investigation, police say

TOMS RIVER — The death of an 18-year-old Brick woman found dead this week at a township motel has been labeled suspicious, investigators said Wednesday.

The woman?s lifeless body was found in a room at the Red Roof Inn on Water Street on Tuesday morning, but investigators still don?t know what caused her death, said Capt. Jack Sramaty, a spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor?s Office.

The woman?s identity has been withheld by police.

Sramaty said the woman?s death is ?considered suspicious? and investigators with the prosecutor?s Major Crimes Unit are trying to find out all of the circumstances surrounding how she died.

?Anytime someone that young dies, the death is labeled as suspicious,? Sramaty said.

An autopsy was performed on the woman later Tuesday, Sramaty said.

He said the exact cause of her death won?t be determined until investigators get back toxicology results.

?It could take as long as two weeks,? Sramaty said.

He declined to discuss whether the death may have been drug-related.

?We don?t know what this is right now,? Sramaty said.

The woman was found by township police after they received a call to check on the woman?s well-being at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Inn on Water Street, according to Police Chief Michael G. Mastronardy.

?Police got a call from someone who was concerned and asked us to go check on her,? Mastronardy said.

Mastronardy said the Prosecutor?s Office and Toms River Police are continuing to investigate the death along with the Ocean County Sheriff?s Department and Detective Randy Petrick.

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Woman arrested in Wall faces multiple drug charges

WALL — A Moorestown woman arrested here on a warrant Wednesday is now facing multiple drug charges, according to Sgt. Joseph Wilbert.

Colleen I. Begley, 32, was arrested Wednesday following a motor vehicle stop on Route 138 in the township. Officer Ian Hatch arrested her on a no-bail warrant for violation of probation, Wilbert said.

Authorities turned her over to the Camden County Sheriff?s Department and transported to the Camden County Jail.

Wall police seized Begley?s 2001 Chevy Trailblazer for further investigation and on Thursday, Hatch executed a search warrant on the vehicle, Wilbert said. Begley was then charged with possession of marijuana over 50 grams, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of crystal meth, he said.

Her bail was set at $12,000 by Wall Township Municipal Court Judge Joseph Defino, Wilbert said.

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Woman gives birth in Subway restaurant restroom

RENO, NEV. — It was just another day at work for Flora Vargas until a screaming woman burst into her Subway sandwich shop in Nevada on Friday and announced she was in labor.

After the pregnant woman raced for the women?s restroom, assistant manager Vargas and her boss sprang into action, placing sandwich wrappers and trash bags on the floor for sanitation.

With Vargas? help, the mother gave birth on the restroom floor in Minden, 40 miles south of Reno, a couple minutes later.

?It was a boy. A beautiful boy,? Vargas told The Associated Press. ?He didn?t cry when he came out. Then he cried, and I breathed easier knowing he was alive.?

No customers were in the restaurant at the time of the 9:30 a.m. birth, but the restaurant was open. The only employees inside were Vargas and the manager.

Vargas helped calm down the mother and get her on the restroom floor, she said, and it was ?a blessing? that paramedics from the East Fork Fire and Paramedic District arrived in time to assist in the delivery.

?The head of the baby was already out when she went to the floor,? Vargas said. ?The baby came out really, really fast. Fortunately, the emergency service people got here really fast.?

Paramedics transported the mother and child to Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center, where hospital spokesman Jon Tyler said he could only disclose that both are healthy. Their names were not released.

Vargas said the mother told her that she was 21 and had three other children. The mother was accompanied by a sister at the time, she added.

East Fork Battalion Chief Ron Haskins said paramedics have delivered babies in odd places, but it?s the first birth on a restaurant restroom floor that he can recall during his 30 years with the district.

?We?ve delivered babies in cars and restrooms at home, but it?s all part of the job,? he said. ?It?s one of the most positive parts of our job.?

When she entered the business, Vargas said, the mother was ?screaming real bad, ?I?m in labor. I?m going to have it right now.? My manager said, ?What should we do?? I said, ?It?s an emergency and we have to do something.?

?He and I grabbed Subway wrappers and trash bags and rags that we use in here, and put them on the restroom floor so there was sanitation. Everything happened so fast,? she added.

After the birth, the 30-year-old Vargas held the mother?s hand and assured her the boy was healthy. The mother reacted by ?crying a bit but seemed to be OK,? she said.

Vargas said though she?s ?really happy? about how things turned out, she urged her boss to provide training to employees on how to deliver babies.

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Wallington woman convicted of stealing $1.3M

NEWARK — A former New York City bank employee who stole more than $1.3 million from a 98-year-old former managing partner of Salomon Brothers has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison.

Karen Febles of Wallington was also ordered Tuesday to surrender $38,000 in cash she had put toward her bail and pay $1,154,911 overall in restitution. She also will have to serve three years of supervised release once she?s freed from prison.

The 48-year-old Febles was convicted in January of wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering and tax evasion charges.

Febles worked as an executive assistant for Citibank, where she helped William Salomon with his personal and professional finances. During her trial, prosecutors said Febles used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle, which included luxury cars and vacations.

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Woman sexually assaulted in Wall hotel room where her child slept, cops say

WALL — A West Berlin man sexually assaulted a woman in a Wall hotel room where her child slept, police said.

James Dragani, 33, of West Berlin was charged with second-degree aggravated sexual assault and third-degree child endangerment by Detective Elio Scarpa, according to a news release from Chief Robert Brice.

?The victim?s child was in the room at the time, however investigators believe the child was asleep during the time of the assault and was not harmed,? Brice said in the news release.

Dragani is held in the Monmouth County Jail, Freehold Township, on $250,000 bail with no 10 percent option.

Wall police declined to release a photo of the suspect. State law allows authorities discretion in releasing suspect photos, but they often refuse to do so, saying they are prohibited by the county Prosecutor?s Office.

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Howell man and woman charged with the burglary of a home in Jackson

JACKSON — A Howell man and woman are facing burglary charges over a break-in at a Gibson Lane residence in the township, police said.

Christian Morales, 19, Howell, was charged with three counts of burglary, three counts of criminal mischief, two counts of theft and unlawful possession of a weapon, police said in a news release. Bail was set at $100,000 and he was being held in Ocean County jail as of Sunday.

Amanda Schneider, 20, Howell, was charged with three counts of burglary, two counts of theft and unlawful possession of a weapon. Bail was set at $100,000 and she was released after posting bond.

Police responded to a burglar alarm going off at a residence on Gibson lane at 9:58 a.m. Friday morning, police said. At the scene, police observed a broken rear window.

After checking the rest of the home, police were waved down by a neighbor. The neighbor was able to provide police with information about a suspicious car, police said.

The neighbor saw a car stopped on the corner of Monroe Lane and Stephanie Court, and made eye contact with the female driver as the car turned onto Stephanie Court, police said. The neighbor went into their home, retrieved a pair of binoculars and used them to get the license plate number of the car.

The car came to a stop on Gibson Lane and picked up a man, who walked across the front lawn of a residence wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, police said.

Police were able to use the information gathered from the identification of the license plate and discovered the car was a black 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe, police said. Howell Township police were able to locate the Santa Fe and they made a stop on Eagle Drive in Howell.

Morales and Schneider were arrested after the stop and were transported to the Jackson Township Police Department for questioning, police said.

The Ocean Conuty Sheriff?s Department Criminal Investigative Unit responded, police said. The homeowner had video surveillance set up, which captured the incident.

Detectives from the Jackson Township Police Department searched the Santa Fe and found a Glock hand gun, video games, numerous pieces of jewelry, iPods and other electronic items, police said. The gun was one of the items taken from the home in Jackson, police said.

It is believed Morales and Schneider are responsible for residential burglaries that took place on Hemlock Hill Road and East Connecticut Concourse in Jackson, police said. Additional charges out of Howell are pending at this time.

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No parole for Pussy Riot woman

24 July 2013 Last updated at 15:35 GMT Alyokhina has been in prison for more than a year Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina has lost a new bid for parole from her two-year prison sentence in Russia.

She had appealed to a regional court in Perm, in the Ural Mountains, after a district court denied the request.

Alyokhina, who has a young son, has served more than a year of her sentence for breaching public order during a protest in a Moscow cathedral.

Another member of the punk group remains in prison, while a third had her sentence suspended last year.

Supporters had hoped Alyokhina's new appeal would succeed, as she had been moved out of her prison colony in the Urals town of Berezniki to a jail closer to Perm, ahead of the hearing.

However, she was not brought to court in the city, more than 1,100km (680 miles) east of Moscow. She addressed the judge via a video link.

The jailing of Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich, who was freed in October, caused outrage worldwide.

Critics accused the Russian authorities of punishing the women for their boisterous protests against the policies of Vladimir Putin, in the run-up to his re-election as president.

They were convicted of a breach of public order motivated by religious hatred for performing a Punk Prayer in Christ The Saviour Cathedral in February of last year.

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Woman in Texas ricin case gives birth in custody

DALLAS The Texas woman accused of sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has given birth prematurely to a baby boy while in custody.

Attorneys for Shannon Guess Richardson and husband Nathan say she gave birth July 4 to a boy named Brody. Shannon Richardson's attorney, Tonda Curry, says the baby faces serious medical issues due to the premature birth and remains hospitalized.

John Delk, Nathan Richardson's attorney, says the boy weighed less than 2 pounds at birth and was four months premature.

A federal affidavit alleges Shannon Richardson contacted authorities to try to implicate her husband in the ricin letters, before being arrested herself on June 7.

She's accused of sending the letters to Obama, Bloomberg and a man who heads Bloomberg's gun-control organization.

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