Woman arrested, accused of faking cancer

  Matt Kozar, Eyewitness NewsDELRAN, N.J. (WABC) -- A woman in New Jersey is charged with faking cancer, and collecting thousands of dollars in donations for her "treatment."

Authorities say 40-year-old Lori Stilley from Delran, New Jersey played the part of a sick cancer patient and had everyone fooled, even her sister.

"She was good. She convinced a lot of people that she was sick," said Lisa DiGiovanni, Stilley's sister.

Lisa DiGiovanni says she was heartbroken when she heard the news.

So, she did what she could to help including fundraisers, T-shirt sales and raffles.

She even helped plan and pay for a wedding between her sister and her boyfriend to grant her dying wish.

"I just felt like I was doing something even though I couldn't help fix her. I tried to be there as much as I could," DiGiovanni said.

DiGiovanni says things just didn't add up.

Like when her sister was preparing for hospice care, but all of the sudden started feel better and canceled the care.

"She came to my daughter's playoff field hockey game and it was very dramatic, in a wheelchair and she was supposed to go in hospice the next day and I was staring at her saying, she doesn't look sick," DiGiovanni said.

She told her friends and family members she had stage three bladder cancer.

Investigators say Stilley even published an e-book about her struggle with the disease.

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Woman arrested for spray-painting 'Jihad' subway ad

  Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK -- An Egyptian-born U.S. columnist was arrested Tuesday for spray-painting an advertisement equating Muslim radicals with savages at a New York City subway station.

Mona Eltahawy, 45, of New York, was arrested on charges including criminal mischief and making graffiti, police said. Her arrest was captured on video by a New York Post camera crew and posted online.

Eltahawy is a women's rights defender and lecturer on the role of social media in the Arab world. She calls herself a liberal Muslim who's spoken publicly against violent Islamic groups. She's seen in the video spraying pink paint on the ad while another woman tries to block her.

"This is non-violent protest, see this America" Eltahawy said in the video as police officers were arresting her. "I'm an Egyptian-American and I refuse hate."

Eltahawy hasn't returned a phone message seeking comment on her arrest.

The ads - reading, "In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad." - went up in 10 stations across Manhattan after a court victory by a conservative commentator who once headed a campaign against an Islamic center near the World Trade Center site.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York initially refused to run blogger Pamela Geller's ad, saying it was "demeaning." But a federal judge ruled in July that it is protected speech under the First Amendment.

Geller, executive director of the American Freedom Defense Initiative and publisher of a blog called Atlas Shrugs, has said she's not concerned that her ad could spark protests like the ones against the depiction of Muslims in the video "Innocence of Muslims." Violence linked to the movie has left dozens in seven countries dead, including the American ambassador to Libya.

The ad was plastered on San Francisco city buses in recent weeks, prompting some people to deface the ads and remove some of the words, including "Jihad," or holy war.

Geller said the subway ads cost about $6,000. The MTA said they will be up for a month.

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NYPD: Suspect arrested in rape of Occupy protester

NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City police say a man suspected of raping a woman he met at Occupy Wall Street demonstrations has turned himself in - and now is also accused of raping a 14-year-old girl.

Jackie Barcliff was arrested Friday. Police say he's is homeless. It's unclear whether he has a lawyer.

Police say the 56-year-old woman was in Manhattan this week for the Occupy demonstrations' one-year anniversary.

Police say she recognized the 44-year-old Barcliff from other Occupy gatherings. They say he made her go to an elevated park at Pier 15 Monday, raped her and hurled her over a second-story railing.

The woman suffered a broken pelvis and other serious injuries.

An Occupy press liaison says it's a terrible incident that should be investigated thoroughly and handled fairly.

Police say Barcliff raped the 14-year-old girl Aug. 12, after offering her a place to stay for the night.

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Sally Struthers of 'All in the Family' arrested for OUI in Maine

Sally Struthers of "All in the Family" has been arrested on suspicion of driving drunk, a charge denied by her rep.

The 65-year-old actress was pulled over around 12:20 a.m. ET on Thursday in Ogunquit, Maine, a coastal town which is about 40 miles south of Struthers' native Portland, OTRC.com has confirmed.

Struthers was taken to the Ogunquit police station and charged with misdemeanor OUI, or operating under the influence. According to the Associated Press, she was released on $160 bail.

Struthers is currently starring in a stage adaptation of the 1980 film, "9 to 5." She stars as Roz Keith, a character portrayed by Elizabeth Wilson in the original film. The Ogunquit Playhouse production will run through September 15.

Her spokesperson later issued a statement about the incident, saying: "Sally is working and she is fine and she loves The Ogunquit Playhouse and her yearly time in Ogunquit. We deny these charges."

The actress, who is best for her role as Gloria Bunker-Stivic in the "All in the Family," also appeared in the spin-off series "Archie Bunker's Place" and "Gloria."

She also appeared in the series "Nine to Five," "TaleSpin," "Still Standing," "Gilmore Girls" and voiced the character of Charlene Sinclair in "Dinosaurs."

The actress is also known for her activism for ChildFund International. She has appeared in several commercials for the organization, which advocates on behalf of impoverished children in developing countries.

Struthers' court date was set for December.

UPDATE: Struthers' rep told OTRC.com in a statement, "Sally is working and she is fine and she loves The Ogunquit Playhouse and her yearly time in Ogunquit. We deny these charges."

(Copyright ©2012 OnTheRedCarpet.com. All Rights Reserved.)

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Suspect arrested in Central Park rape, robbery

Web produced by Jennifer Matarese, Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- Police have arrested a man in the alleged rape of a 73-year-old woman in Central Park.

Police sources in the case tell Eyewitness News the victim picked the suspect, identified as 42-year-old David Albert Mitchell out of a lineup.

"It's majestic, it's very soothing, I'm not going to stop, nobody is going to take that pleasure away from me. This was just one animal," the rape and robbery survivor said.

42-year-old David Mitchell acted like an animal, by spitting at reporters when he walked out to an SUV Thursday evening.

Police say he maliciously targeted a 73-year-old soft spoken birdwatcher. Eyewitness News is concealing her identity.

"He flipped me over and raped me, thoroughly," she said, "Sometimes I can feel what he was doing. It's a kinetic memory."

This savage attack happened in broad daylight Wednesday around noon near Strawberry Fields in Central Park.

Investigators say Mitchell was mad that the 73-year-old photographer took a picture of him during a lewd act almost two weeks ago.

"This is a revenge attack. He remembered me," she said.

During the sexual assault, she suffered two black eyes, bruises arms and legs, and a broken finger.

"Were you able to scream or anything, or were you just silent?" Eyewitness News reporter Darla Miles asked.

"When he finished beating the *expletive* out of me, he said, he pushed me into the dirt on my face and he said, "You stay there, you count to 100,'" the woman described.

Hours after the attack, the NYPD released a surveillance video of the suspect.

Three rookie cops spotted him and took him into custody.

He's no stranger to police in Virginia where his criminal history includes kidnapping and dates back to 1978.

"All I was doing was praying to stay alive," she said.

Sources say Mitchell is homeless.

He faces multiple charges including Predatory Sex Act and Rape.

The victim says she knows this was an act of power and that she's not going to give her attacker.

So, she plans to continue bird watching as soon as she walks out of her front door, without two black eyes.

"Am I freaking out? No. Something bad happened, my bruises will eventually go away and I'm still alive," she said.

She's been a professional photographer for almost 50 years, and a birdwatcher for 30.

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Twin brothers arrested in pair of bank robberies

  Eyewitness NewsCENTEREACH (WABC) -- A pair of twin brothers was arrested in a pair of bank robberies on Long Island.

Suffolk County police say 21-year-old Daniel Amorosa walked into a Chase Bank in Centereach Wednesday afternoon with a note demanding money.

Investigators say he left with cash, along with his brother Cory.

Both were arrested a short time later.

The duo is also charged with a robbery at another bank in Centereach a week ago.

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Jenna Jameson, former porn star, arrested for DUI - see mug shot

Retired porn star Jenna Jameson was arrested in Southern California early Friday morning for driving under the influence.

According to the 911 call obtained by OnTheRedCarpet.com, Jameson drove her white Range Rover crashed into a light pole in Westminster, Calif. and the cops arrived after a witness made the call.

The Associated Press reports that Jameson suffered minor injuries but refused medical treatment. A field sobriety test showed signs of intoxication and Jameson was booked and later cited and released.

The 38-year-old former adult star's website issued a statement which said Jameson is home and well but has no immediate comment on the incident.

Jameson has 3-year-old twin sons, Jesse Jameson and Journey Jette with her boyfriend, mixed martial arts star Tito Ortiz. In 2010, Ortiz was arrested for felony domestic abuse and claimed that Jameson was addicted to the painkiller Oxycontin. Both parties have since withdrawn their charges and allegations.

Jameson is one of the world's most well-known pornographic actresses. She worked in the industry from 1993 until 2007, when she announced that she would no longer appear in pornographic films.

She continued running ClubJenna, the adult entertainment company she founded with her now ex-husband Jay Grdina, which is said to gross $30 million a year.

Jameson also appeared in Howard Stern's 1997 film "Private Parts" and her 2004 autobiography, "How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale" spend six weeks on the New York Times best seller list.

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Artist arrested in 'I Love NY' bomb scare released

NEW YORK (WABC) -- A Brooklyn artist is out of jail Thursaday after police confused his art installation with a bomb.

Takeshi Miyakawa says he was doing as he always as has an artist - spreading a message of love and joy.

The problem is that his art, in this case, an "I love New York" logo on a plastic bag, had wires coming out of it. When he hung it in Williamsburg without a permit, some wondered if it might be a bomb.

"I thought it was beautiful," he said. "I didn't think of that at all."

The wires led to a battery that powered some LED lights that illuminated the bag. Police caught him hanging the display early Saturday morning and shut down and evacuated the nearby area. They then arrested Miyakawa, and the bomb squad was called in.

Miyakawa was charged with planting a fake bomb and reckless endangerment. Attorney Deborah Blum is very hopeful of a positive outcome.

Miyakawa is an artist with a large following and has no discernable radical views.

However if artists must suffer for their art, after four days in jail, Miyakawa qualifies.

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Artist arrested in bomb scare over 'I Love NY' work

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Driver arrested after allegedly dragging officer

William Quinn, 60, of Island Park (WABC Photo / (Nassau Police))

  Eyewitness NewsISLAND PARK (WABC) -- Police in Nassau County have arrested an Island Park man after he allegedly dragged a police officer with his car.

The incident happened around 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.

According to investigators, William Quinn, 60, was stopped by a Fourth Precinct police officer at Island Parkway and Southard Drive for operating a 2005 Toyota with excessively tinted windows.

After being handed the traffic summons, police say Quinn became agitated and accelerated the vehicle, dragging the officer approximately 20 feet eventually knocking him to the ground.

The officer was able to enter his police vehicle and follow Quinn, stopping him at Island Parkway and Suffolk Road.

Quinn then placed his vehicle into reverse and fled westbound on Island Parkway.

The officer called for help and other officers then stopped Quinn at Long Beach Road and Island Parkway.

Police say he refused to be handcuffed, flailing his arms and attempted to pull away from officers. He was eventually placed into custody.

The injured officer was taken to a hospital where he was treated and released for abrasions and contusions to his arms, shoulders and legs.

Quinn is facing charges of assault, resisting arrest and numerous traffic violations.

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Five arrested by FBI in Ohio bridge bomb plot

  Eyewitness NewsCLEVELAND -- Federal authorities say five men have been arrested in an alleged plot to blow up a bridge near Cleveland.

The FBI said Tuesday there was no danger to the public because the explosive devices were inoperable and were controlled by an undercover FBI employee.

The men were arrested Monday on charges of conspiracy and trying to use explosive to damage property affecting interstate commerce. They range in age from 20 and 35. Authorities say at least three of the men are self-described anarchists and are not tied to international terrorism.

The FBI says the target of the plot was a bridge over the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in the Brecksville area, roughly 15 miles south of downtown Cleveland.

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Former Miss New Hampshire Arrested

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Tigers OF Delmon Young arrested at NYC hotel

  COLLEEN LONGNEW YORK -- Detroit Tigers left fielder Delmon Young was arrested Friday on a hate crime harassment charge after police said he got into a fight with a group of men and yelled anti-Semitic epithets.

Young was standing outside of the Hilton New York at about 1:30 a.m., where he was staying ahead of a series with the New York Yankees that starts Friday night. Nearby, a group of about four Chicago tourists staying at the hotel were approached by a panhandler wearing a yarmulke and a Star of David around his neck. After, as the group walked up to the hotel doors, Young started yelling anti-Semitic epithets, police said.

It was not clear whom Young was yelling at, but he got into a tussle with the Chicago group, and a 32-year-old man sustained scratches to his elbows, according to police.

Both Young and the group went inside the hotel, and at some point, police were called, and Young was arrested, police said. He was arrested on a charge of aggravated harassment as a hate crime.

Young was first taken to a hospital because he was believed to be intoxicated, police said. He was at a police precinct and may be facing arraignment later.

Young says in a statement "I sincerely regret what happened last night." He apologizes to the Tigers owners and organization, his teammates, family and Detroit fans.

Young adds, "I take this matter very seriously and assure everyone that I will do everything I can to improve myself as a person and player."

Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski had no comment. The team said in a statement that it was aware of the incident. Because of a provision in baseball's labor contract, the team said any allegation involving alcohol is referred to baseball's employee assistance program.

"It would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time," the Tigers said.

It was not clear whether Young would play Friday at the 7:05 p.m. game. The Tigers were home Thursday afternoon, where Young went 0-for-3 with a walk in a 5-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners. Young is hitting .242 with one home run and five RBIs, is signed to a one-year contract for $6,725,000 and can become a free agent after the season.

In 2006, Young was suspended for 50 games without pay by the International League for throwing a bat that hit a replacement umpire in the chest. Young, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 amateur draft, was ejected in the first inning after taking a called third strike. He lingered in the batter's box, walked away and then threw his bat end over end at the umpire, hitting him in the chest.

Young has played for the Tigers since last season, spending two seasons before with the Minnesota Twins. He's the younger brother of former outfielder and first baseman Dmitri Young.

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68 Occupy protesters arrested in NYC

  Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK -- Authorities say dozens of Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested as they tore down the barricades surrounding New York City's Zuccotti Park just before midnight on New Year's Eve.

Police say 68 people were arrested during the scuffle. At least one person was accused of assaulting a police officer, who suffered cuts on one hand. Other charges include trespassing, disorderly conduct and reckless endangerment.

Protester Jason Amadi says he was pepper-sprayed when police tried to prevent the crowd of about 500 demonstrators from taking down the barricades. Amadi says the crowd piled the barricade pieces in the center of the park and stood on top of them, chanting and singing. Police are still processing arrests but say some protesters have been released. No other details were available Sunday.

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Suspect arrested in Sunset Park sex assault

Web produced by Jennifer Matarese, Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- A man authorities suspect of posing as a cop and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy has been arrested and charged in the crime.

The incident happened in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, last week.

Steven Pappas was taken into custody Thursday morning, following a brief police pursuit through Sunset Park.

Pappas was charged with: Criminal Sex Act, Sex Abuse, Criminal Possession of Stolen property, Criminal Impersonation, Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

"He looked at this individual, how close his picture was to the sketch. The sketch is a very good likeness. They saw that the individual rearrested was arrested essentially for the same act in 1999." said Commissioner Ray Kelly.

Detectives from the Special Victims Unit first spotted the suspect near Seventh Avenue and 53rd Street just after 8:15 a.m. Pappas was captured after the chase at 50th Street and Fort Hamilton Parkway.

Authorities took the suspect into custody in the general vicinity of the attack.

"He did have, in fact in his possession, a police badge, a police shield of an active duty police officer. That's under investigation," Kelly adds.

They were still searching for a white blue or gray minivan in the area of Fort Hamilton Parkway and 68th Street in Dyker Heights.

Police say Pappas is a career criminal whose checkered past is dotted with a burglary and sex crimes arrests.

In fact, he's on parole after a stint behind bars that began in '09.

A review of similar cases led detective to that case from February 4, 2009 case. In that case, the suspect approached the victim, a 12-year-old boy, on the 53 Street and 4 Avenue subway platform and displayed a gold shield.

The suspect identified himself as a Police Officer and escorted the victim into a blue sedan.

Once inside the sedan, the suspect drove to 97 Street and Fort Hamilton Parkway where he Sexually Assaulted the victim.

The suspect then drove the victim to 87 Street and 4 Avenue where he released him.

It has been determined that the suspect was also responsible for that incident. His charges are as follows: Criminal Sex Act, Sex Abuse, Criminal Impersonation, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

Brooklyn State Senator Martin Golden says Pappas shouldn't have been on the streets in the first place, and at the very least, he believes the level 3 sex offender should have been monitored.

"Where were the parole officers who were supposed to be on top of him the day he left that prison," State Sen. Martin Golden said.

Golden says Pappas fell through the cracks of a corrections and parole system that has been shrinking under the weight of state budget cuts.

Taxpayer savings, he alleges, may be compromising public safety.

He says the suspect, a level 3 sex offender, was living within a thousand feet of a school and playground.

Police say his most recent victim had thrown an empty bag of chips on the subway platform at the 53 Street and 4th Avenue on December 23 when the suspect displayed what appeared to be a police shield and told the victim to come with him.

The suspect drove the victim to the intersection of 92 Street and Dahlgren Place, where he allegedly sexually assaulted the boy.

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Man wrongly arrested for sex assault speaks out

NEW YORK (WABC) -- He was known as the Brooklyn groper but William Giraldo says it wasn't him.

Giraldo was captured on surveillence video as the suspect in a series of rapes.

After being jailed and sent to Rikers, DNA evidence later cleared him of the crimes.

"They ruined my life. I should have never been in jail," he said.

But his life, is in shambles.

He has no job, and money is quickly running out.

"If you google my name there's a lot of negativity."

In June Giraldo was wrongly arrested and charged in connection with the rape of a woman in Sunset Park. And police investigated whether he was tied to a series of sex assaults in Brooklyn, including a brazen attack caught on camera in Park Slope.

When investigators released video of a man in a Dunkin Donuts, Giraldo seeing himself on camera, walked in to a precinct to clear his name.

"I knew they were looking for me. Might as well go in and clear this up," he says.

And he tried without an attorney for 13 hours.

Giraldo says, "I told all of them throughout the day this was a mistake I didn't do this, I was crying throughout the day in that cell."

And numerous rounds of interrogations later he was charged, just hours before his wedding day.

"I had a small window in the cell I was in I thought I was never going to see the street again. It was terrifying."

He would spend a month and a half locked up. His then fiancee says she never lost faith.

While he was in custody, the Columbian immigrant was threatened with deportation, until the DNA cleared him and the charges went away.

But the stain of the arrest remains for now and perhaps forever.

"The least that they could do is an apology for what they have done to my life," adds Giraldo.

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Dozens of Wall Street protesters arrested

  By COLLEEN LONGNEW YORK -- Dozens of Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested Saturday after they scaled a chain-link fence or crawled under it to get to an Episcopal church-owned lot they want to use for a new camp site.

Protesters used a wooden ladder to scale the fence or lifted it from below while others cheered them on. A man wearing a Santa suit stood on the ladder among others, as they ignored red "Private Property" signs.

As officers made arrests, protesters shouted obscenities and hollered: "Make them catch you!" The group was inside the lot for a short time before being led out by police in single file through a space in the fence. About 50 people were arrested, police said.

"We're just trying to say that this country has gone in the wrong direction, and we need spaces that we can control and we can decide our future in, and that's what this is about," said David Suker, who was among those who scaled the fence.

Before the arrests, several hundred gathered in Duarte Square, a half-acre wedge of a park at the edge of Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood and across the street from the vacant lot. They gathered partly to mark the three-month anniversary of the Occupy movement and partly to demand use of the lot, owned by Trinity Church.

After police cleared the protesters from the lot, about 200 people regrouped for a march on Seventh Avenue. Police began making arrests, tackling at least two people in the street and handcuffing them. When the protesters cleared the avenue, the crowd continued to march to Times Square under a heavy police presence.

The original Occupy Wall Street camp in Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan was shut down last month. Trinity is a Zuccotti Park neighbor that helped demonstrators assemble, and provided them shelter in the three months since the movement began. The day after authorities moved in and cleaned out Zuccotti Park, about a dozen protesters went to the vacant lot, clipped the fence at the church-owned property and were arrested, along with some journalists.

Since then, some Occupy protesters have launched a bid to gain the church's consent for them to use the space. Trinity's Rev.

James H. Cooper said giving the protesters access to the lot would not be a safe or smart move.

"There are no facilities at the Canal Street lot. Demanding access and vandalizing the property by a determined few OWS protesters won't alter the fact that there are no basic elements to sustain an encampment," he wrote in a statement. "The health, safety and security problems posed by an encampment here, compounded by winter weather, would dwarf those experienced at Zuccotti Park."

On Friday, the top bishop of the Episcopal Church asked protesters not to trespass on the property. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori warned it could result in "legal and police action."

Trinity Church dates back to the colonial era and was a refuge for relief workers after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. A sculpture out front was made out of a giant sycamore tree destroyed on 9/11.

"I feel it is very much in keeping with the tradition over the years of Trinity to work with poor people, to help poor people," said Stephen Chinlund, 77, a retired Episcopalian priest and one of several at the square Saturday.

Chinlund held a sign that read: Trinity, hero of 9/11, be a hero again!"

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Associated Press writer Cristian Salazar and broadcast newsperson Julie Walker contributed to this report.

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Rima Fakih, Miss USA 2010 winner arrested on DUI charges

Former Miss USA Rima Fakih, who won the pageant in 2010, was arrested on DUI charges in Highland Park, Michigan this weekend.

According to People magazine, Fakih Tweeted on Saturday, "Let's clear things up now. ... I'm NOT in Michigan and I'm NOT in jail! Wrong Fakih." But has since removed the post and her attorney Doraid Elder confirmed the arrest to the weekly on Sunday.

Elder told People that the beauty queen's record "has not a single blemish" and that she is "very saddened and very apologetic for the situation that she's in right now."

Fakih, who was the first Arab American and the first Miss Michigan since 1993 to win the pageant, surrendered her crown during the Miss USA pageant to the 2011 Miss USA winner Alyssa Campanella on June 19, 2011.

Fakih said she planned on "sleeping for a week" following the end of her reign but offered some words of advice for the next Miss USA.

"This is Miss USA, this is not just any beauty pageant - there are beauty pageants and then there's Miss USA," Fakih told OnTheRedCarpet.com. "What I would want [aspiring contestants] to know is to remember every year, have a scrapbook, know that the crown you're going to wear doesn't mean you're the most beautiful girl in the United States - you're an ambassador."

"You are someone who's going to give a lot of people a lot of hope," she added. "I didn't know I was going to be giving so many people hope - immigrants, Arabs, Muslims, you know. But everyone's looking up to you and it's not just saying 'Oh, I've got a pretty dress on.' Every time you take every step and every time you say any word, whether it's on Facebook or in person, you have to know that you're leading the United States of America."

UPDATE 12/06/2011: The 26-year-old was driving with a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit when she was arrested, according to a police report that AP obtained on Tuesday.

The report says that the former Miss USA was pulled over early Saturday going 60 mph, weaving in heavy traffic and changing lanes with a turn signal. The report also says that Fakih immediately "identified herself as Miss USA."

Officers said there was a half-full wine bottle on the floorboard behind the driver's seat, according to the report. Two breath tests showed Fakih was at 0.19 percent and 0.20 percent - Michigan law defines drunkenness at 0.08 percent.

(Copyright ©2011 OnTheRedCarpet.com. All Rights Reserved.)

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'Frosty the Snowman' arrested at Maryland parade

  CHESTERTOWN, Md. -- Who says "Frosty the Snowman" has to be jolly?

A man in a "Frosty the Snowman" costume was arrested Saturday during the annual Christmas parade in Chestertown, on Maryland's Eastern Shore. He's accused of scuffling with police and kicking at a police dog.

Sgt. John A. Dolgos tells The Star Democrat of Easton that 52-year-old Kevin Michael Walsh became agitated when a dog-handling officer tried to escort him away from the crowd.

Walsh told The Associated Press that he has dressed as Frosty in the parade for at least 10 years. He says he was wrongfully arrested. He says an officer hassled him after he remarked about the police dog's presence. He says he became agitated only after getting arrested.

Walsh was released on his own recognizance.

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Dancing champ, Steelers' Hines Ward arrested on DUI

  Eyewitness NewsDECATUR, Ga. -- Pittsburgh Steelers star wide receiver Hines Ward was arrested early Saturday in Georgia on a drunken driving charge, sheriff's officials said.

The former Super Bowl MVP and reigning "Dancing With the Stars" champ was booked into the DeKalb County jail just outside Atlanta at 3:41 a.m. and charged with driving under the influence.

He was released on $1,300 bond. The sheriff's office said it had turned over paperwork to the courts and couldn't release any further information about the player's arrest.

A Steelers spokesman did not immediately respond to a message, and it was not immediately clear if Ward had an attorney.

Since being drafted in the third round out of Georgia in 1998, the 35-year-old Ward has been a four-time Pro Bowl selection and won two Super Bowls.

Dancing with professional partner Kym Johnson, Ward in May became the second professional football player to win the "Dancing" crown after Emmitt Smith won in 2006. He bested actresses Kirstie Alley and Chelsea Kane to become the season 12 champion of the TV celebrity dance competition.

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