(Image Credit: Midwest City Police/ABC News)

Police have released surveillance video from an Oklahoma Walmart of a man who allegedly took a 2-year-old girl from a mother’s shopping cart and held a knife to the child’s throat.

Surveillance cameras at the Midwest City, Okla., Walmart were rolling June 17 when police shot and killed the suspect, Sammie Wallace, in the head at point-blank range and safely returned the toddler to her mother.

In the dramatic video, Wallace, 37, takes the toddler hostage while her mother, Alicia Keating, had her back to the shopping cart. Keating began to scream and pleaded with the suspect to return her daughter.

Keating’s older daughter was also present as the incident unfolded in front of panicked shoppers.

Law enforcement quickly moved in and evacuated the store. Police began more than 30 minutes of negotiations with Wallace and, at one point, even offered him a chair.

“He had a weapon in his hand. A knife-type weapon holding up against the child, threatening the child’s life,” Midwest City Assistant Police Chief Sid Porter said.

Police say Wallace was uncooperative and the situation quickly deteriorated, with the suspect making odd demands. The tipping point came when Wallace started an ominous 60-second countdown with the knife still close to the toddler’s neck.

“When a subject starts telling you that in 60 seconds he’s going to kill a hostage, that’s going to move you right up to the point that you will shoot him and that’s what occurred in this case,” ABC News consultant and former FBI agent Brad Garrett said.

With the situation growing intense, an officer distracted Wallace as Capt. David Huff moved in and fired a single deadly shot at his head.

“Obviously, our goal was to talk him down to get him to release the child,” Midwest City Police Chief Brandon Clabes said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t successful but we were successful in saving this child and the fact is that Capt. Huff’s actions were extremely heroic and he waited till the very last moment.”

The toddler was uninjured in the incident and returned to her mother, who was waiting for her at the front of the store.

A high-wire performer with Cirque du Soleil was killed after she fell 50 feet during a performance of “KA” at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Acrobat Sarah Guyard, 31, who was an original member of the “KA” cast, fell after a wire suspending her reportedly snapped Saturday night and she died on the way to the hospital.

Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte issued a statement saying he was heartbroken by the death, and performances of the show have been canceled indefinitely.

“I am heartbroken. I wish to extend my sincerest sympathies to the family. We are all completely devastated,” Laliberte said. “We are reminded with great humility and respect how extraordinary our artists are each and every night. Our focus now is to support each other as a family.”

Cirque du Soleil, one of the most revered acrobatic companies in the world, renowned for its mix of astonishing mid-air feats, fantastic costuming and stage design and mesmerizing music, had never had a performer die in its 30-year history.

An audience member tweeted that a “wire snapped” during the final scene of the show. “Performers were at the highest point on the vertical wall,” the tweeter said.

“Other actors were visibly upset & horrified. Crew members were calm & one by one got the other performers off stage,” the audience member tweeted. “The performer’s screams and groans could be heard from below the stage.”

MGM Resorts International offered its condolences to Guyard and Cirque.

“Our company is deeply saddened by the loss of one of the talented KA artists Saturday night. The thoughts and prayers of our employees are with the performer’s family, the cast of KA, and the entire Cirque family during this difficult time.”

Cecile and Victor Stanton, of Jericho, N.Y., filed a lawsuit against Beverly Jeffries of Pasadena, Calif., on June 26 in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Calif., claiming she refuses to return their dog. In a contract between the two parties signed in February and included in the lawsuit, the Stantons agreed to give temporary physical custody of the AKC-registered Grand Champion to Jeffries while they retained ownership.

The Stantons bought the dog, which answers to the name Justin, in 2006, according to a certificate issued by the American Kennel Club.  When the Stantons asked for Justin to be returned in May, Jeffries refused, the suit states.

In their lawsuit the Stantons  maintain that Jeffries neutered Justin without their permission in April. The dog, a stud used for breeding, is worth an estimated $250,000, according to the suit.

In the lawsuit the Stantons estimate that they have lost $100,000 in breeding value, now that the dog has been neutered.

The Stantons are suing Jeffries for $350,000, citing breach of contract, promissory fraud, and intentional infliction of severe emotional distress.

It is unclear if Jeffries has an attorney. She  could not be reached for comment.

The Stantons and their attorney did not return ABC News’ request for comment.

After spending four days trapped in a storm drain at a remote Sacramento intersection, a calico kitten was rescued thanks to a few teenagers who responded to its frantic and frightened meows.

The teenagers tried to pull the kitten out using a rope and when that failed, the teenagers called the fire department. Fire authorities responded and discovered that the kitten was located 50 to 60 feet down a pipe in the storm drain.

“There was no way for us to access the animal,” Fire Capt. Todd Filbrun told ABC News.

So they figured out how to make the kitten come to them.

“There was a manhole on the opposite side of the animal,” Filbrun said. “They blew compressed oxygen in the hole, which created a loud noise and it scared the cat towards me. That’s essentially how we got him out.”

But after the kitten was safe, no one offered to take the animal home, according to Filbrun.

“There weren’t many people anyway,”  Dave Marquis, a reporter with ABC affiliate KXTV, said. “It was in a very remote area and no one was willing to take her.”

“At the end of the whole thing we said, ‘What’s gonna happen with the kitty?’” Marquis said.

So Marquis and the KXTV team decided to care for the kitten. The station is trying to find the original owner before they proceed to find her a home.

“We don’t just wanna hand her off,” Marquis said. “We wanna make sure someone wonderful gets her.”

According to animal care services officer Gina Knepp, animal control typically responds to calls or requests concerning animal rescues, but in this case the fire department initially called animal control then canceled the request.

“For example, when we get a report of a dog in a hot car, it’s our job to respond to that. The fire department will go if we don’t respond,” she said. “The cat was not injured and it was a happy ending.”

For Filbrun, the rescue is a task he is glad to have been a part of.

“It’s always a good feeling to help out whether it’s a citizen or distressed animal,” he said. “We’re happy that we were actually able to help out. There’s no question he would have died in there if we weren’t able to get [her].”

Investigators believe Brian Brimager, 43, disposed of Yvonne Baldelli’s body, her small dog, and other belongings in November 2011 before tricking her family into believing she was still alive with phony emails and withdrawals from her bank account.

Brimager was arrested Thursday north of San Diego after being indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of obstruction of justice and making false statements.

According to the unsealed indictment, Brimager, 37, and Baldelli moved together to the small island of Isla Carenero in Panama in September 2011.  Prosecutors say within a month Brimager was sending emails to another girlfriend referred to as “K.W.” discussing moving back to California to live with her and their young daughter.

The indictment alleges Brimager soon began fighting with Baldelli, leaving her with bruises around her eyes and on her arms.  The couple was last seen together at a restaurant November 26, 2011.  Investigators believe he killed Baldelli that night; the next morning used her laptop computer to search for information on how to remove blood from a mattress.

Baldelli’s body has never been found, but the indictment suggests some of her belongings were recovered.  Prosecutors say Baldelli “disposed of physical evidence of his crime, including putting personal items belonging to Baldelli in approximately 10 large trash bags.” The bags containing her clothing, make-up, and jewelry were left on a dock for disposal near the hostel where the couple were living, according to the indictment.

“Brimager engaged in a pattern of conduct designed to corruptly obstruct, influence and impede investigation into her disappearance,” the indictment alleges.

Prosecutors say on November 29 Brimager began using Badelli’s email account to send messages to friends and family stating she was leaving the small Panamanian island to move to Costa Rica with another man.  They say Brimager made a stop-over in Costa Rica on his way back to California to withdraw $200 from her bank account to make it appear she was there.

According to the indictment, Brimager’s other girlfriend “K.W.” picked him up at the airport in San Diego on December 12, 2011.   ”He proposed to her two days later and they married shortly thereafter,” said prosecutors in the indictment.

Brimager is schedule to return to U.S. District Court for a detention hearing on Friday at which prosecutors will ask that bail be denied.  Badelli’s family released a statement Thursday on a Facebook page dedicated to finding her.

“We sorely miss Yvonne’s melodious laugh, contagious smile, and her kind heart,” said the statement.  “Yvonne did not deserve to be ripped from our family. We will never recover from her absence. We are confident in the U.S. government’s case against Brimager.”

A call to a lawyer for Brimager wasn’t returned.

Courtesy Dori Rhoades

Dori Rhoades, a working mother of two, was having an especially busy week.  Between her son’s 9^th birthday, her own anniversary, organizing teacher appreciation week and volunteering at her children’s school, she was exhausted and admittedly a bit scatter-brained.

On top of everything else, her community had planned to have a garage sale on Saturday, May 18, which Rhoades, 38, didn’t originally plan to attend. However she decided to opt in last minute at the urging of her excited 6-year-old daughter, who pleaded to participate. Rhoades had no idea that would be a decision she would drastically regret.

In the sale, she accidentally sold her $18,000 diamond earrings, which hold immense sentimental value, along with $1,500 she was saving for a family vacation and a ring her husband had given her,  for $20.

The items had been tucked into the pocket of an old jean jacket she hid in her closet for “safe keeping.”

“I fell asleep with the kids and then woke up around 2 a.m. in the morning and was gathering things for this garage sale,” Rhoades told GoodMorningAmerica.com. “And I grabbed the denim jacket thinking, ‘Oh yeah, I don’t even wear this.’ I sold the jacket probably about 9 a.m. in the morning. It never even occurred to me what I was doing.”

It wasn’t until later that afternoon when she was taking her kids swimming that she had realized her huge mistake.

“I went to take my watch off, and I went to put the watch in the jacket, and my heart just fell,” said Rhoades. “I realized what had happened. But I had my kids, and other kids were over for a play date, so I couldn’t just fall apart. I had to keep it together.”

$23K Wedding Ring Accidentally Sold for $5 Returned to Owner

Now that she’s had some time to let the situation sink in, Rhoades is devastated, not because of the monetary value of the earrings, but of their sentimental value as a family heirloom from her parents who immigrated to America from Vietnam in 1975 with nothing.

“It was from my parents,” she said. “My dad had given my mom a ring, and after he passed, my mom gave the ring to me. It was something I’d wanted pass along to my daughter. And I saved up for the other stone to make the earrings.”

Rhoades said her husband, Greg, has been comforting despite the loss.

“He’s been wonderful and said to me, ‘You know what, there’s nothing we can do. What’s done is done. Forgive yourself and move on.’ He reminds me that the most important thing is we have our kids and each other and we’re healthy,” she said.

“Through this, all I’ve always said that I have my family and my house and we’re together and that’s what matters, but what really eats me up is where that one particular stone had come from.”

She tried to retrieve her treasures.

“I posted signs all over the neighborhood and on Craigslist. I didn’t do it right away after it happened because I was kind of in shock of the whole thing. I told myself that I need to accept it and move on. Then I saw the article of the woman who got her ring back, and it sent me into a tailspin thinking I could find it, too. ”

She was referring to the California husband who inadvertently sold his wife’s $23,000 wedding for $5 at a garage sale on June 1. The ring was hidden in an unused watch box. After advertising their loss, the ring was returned to them on Good Morning America.

Rhoades says even if nothing comes from this, she at least knows she did everything within her power to get them back.

“What’s most heartbreaking for me is that my parents came over here with nothing,” she explained. “They raised their family and worked really hard and they saved. To me, the loss of those earrings, what they represent is what my parents sacrificed for their kids, and doing it responsibly.

“When they were older, my dad finally saying to my mom, ‘It’s time I can finally buy you a nice ring.’ That loss is never anything that can be replaced.”

So where could he be?

The small army of journalists camped outside the transit area hotel in Terminal E nearly 24/7 since Sunday has all but assured he isn’t in there. There’s no sign of anyone bringing food inside, for example. He hasn’t been seen in the business and VIP lounges, either, and it’s unlikely he’s shopping for bargains on booze and perfume at the duty free.

There are, of course, other options, including places that are not accessible to the public.

One option is that Snowden is squirreled away in an area only accessible to officials, such as the government-only Terminal A. Or perhaps he is in a diplomatic lounge. The Ecuadorian diplomats who are planning to escort him whenever he leaves can help him gain access.

And then there’s another intriguing option: what some passengers have called the Sheremetyevo Novotel “Prison” Hotel.

Passengers who arrive in Russia without a visa and have long layovers are able to book stays there in advance. They’re whisked away from the transit area, put on a special van, and driven out of the airport by a special gate off the tarmac. The Novotel is just a few hundred yards away.

There, they are kept in a special wing on the second floor under constant watch by Russian guards. They are confined to their rooms, except when they have to change money, but a guard comes with them for that as well. The only option for food is pricey room service.

One Norweigian passenger, who posted a review of the experience on TripAdvisor, described being on lockdown in the hotel.

“They take this responsibility very serious. The guards follows you everywhere,” the user Albo77 wrote, noting that while it sometimes feels like a “prison,” the hotel is equipped with wifi and international television channels, and breakfast is included.

When it’s time for the connecting flight, the process goes in reverse and the passengers are driven back by the guards.

There is no way to say for sure if Snowden is there, but it is perhaps one place that he could be hidden away from the press. Those who have visited the hotel to try and find that wing say they found no way to get in there.

But what about Putin’s comment that Snowden had not crossed the border? Technically, Snowden would not have actually crossed the border at passport control in order to go to the hotel, even though he is geographically outside the gates of the airport.

By all accounts of the hotel Snowden could theoretically stay there quite comfortably, though with a lot of restrictions, for a long time.

On the cover of next week’s issue of the magazine, the “Sesame Street” characters are drawn cozily sitting together in front of a TV with Bert’s arm around Ernie, and Ernie leaning on his shoulder. The TV shows an image of the Supreme Court justices in their black robes.

The artist behind the cover, called “Moment of Joy,” is Jack Hunter. He originally submitted the unsolicited image to a Tumblr page, according to the New Yorker’s website.

(Credit: New Yorker)

“It’s amazing to witness how attitudes on gay rights have evolved in my lifetime,” Hunter said, as posted on the New Yorker’s website. “This is great for our kids, a moment we can all celebrate.”

There have long been rumors about the nature of Bert and Ernie’s relationship.

When same-sex marriage was legalized in the state of New York in July 2011, an online petition urged the fictional characters to tie the knot.

The petition gained so much buzz that the Children’s Television Workshop, which produces “Sesame Street,” released a statement saying that Bert and Ernie are “best friends.”

“They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves,” the 2011 statement said. “Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics (as most Sesame Street Muppets do), they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.”

The magazine refused an interview request but released a statement reading, “The New Yorker thinks the cover speaks for itself.”

“Sesame Street” producers have not commented on the cover, but the image drew a range of reactions online.

The online magazine Slate wrote, “it’s is a terrible way to commemorate a major civil-rights victory for gay and lesbian couples,” mirroring a number of media outlets that noted the production company’s repeated denials that the puppet buddies are intended to be seen as a gay couple.

Not all reaction was negative. The Huffington Post called the New Yorker cover “one of its most awesome covers of all time,” while others reported that the image has in fact been floating around the Web for more than a year.

In the past five hours, ABC News has measured more than 12,000 tweets about the Bert and Ernie cover.

All of the prisoners at Virginia’s Richmond City Jail admit they made poor choices, and could be better fathers.

“I am definitely failing as a parent right now, just by being out of her life,” Ronnell Glasgow said.

A few examples: Julian Edwards is serving four years for drug distribution, Joey Atkins is awaiting trial for illegal gun possession, and Glasgow is serving seven years for selling drugs.

Most of the men are in their 20s and 30s. Gerald Ward is awaiting trial for guns and drug charges. He told us his daughter is only four. “But it’s amazing what she understands. She understand that Daddy did something wrong, ” he says.

As these troubled men serve out their sentences, their children pay a price –  often spending the most important years of their lives without active father figures.

Regardless of the culture, there’s something special and valued about the father-daughter bond, yet when these daughters go to visit their fathers in jail, they can only speak to them through a thick glass or on the telephone.

“It is hard for her to release and talk to me behind the glass,” said Edwards.

In 2012, the father-daughter dance at the Richmond City Jail was born.

It was the brainchild of Angela Patton, who runs Camp Diva, a Richmond nonprofit aimed at empowering young girls. She had heard the concerns of a daughter who had a father in jail. The young girl wanted to attend an event where she could dance with her father too, like others girls and their fathers across the city.

Patton convinced Richmond City Sheriff C. T. Woody Jr. to host the dance inside the jail, and he agreed.

“They are not hard core criminals, they deserve a second chance,” Woody said. “And they can be very good citizens and the best way to make a good citizen is to make good fathers.”

                                                                               (ABC News)

Woody says he agreed because he feels that inmates who are allowed to dance with their daughters will be reminded why they should never return to jail once they’re released.

On Saturday, June 8, a dance was held with daughters ranging from age 4 to 16.

“I did this because I know how important family is.  Someone saved me.  I haven’t always been a law-abiding, law enforcement officer,” Woody said.

Hours before the dance, the men expected to meet their daughters are brought suits and dress shoes to their jail cells. Some of them are wearing a tie for the first time. Outside of their orange jumpsuits, they look like everyday men.

At home, 8-year-old A’maya Thomas was getting ready too. Her father, Antoine Thomas, is serving time for robbing a bank. “I get to touch him and I get to hug him and I get to kiss him,” she said.

When the big moment arrives,  the young girls in brightly colored dresses are escorted down the drab and dreary halls of the jail.  When they walk past the solid steel mechanical doors, the fathers waiting on the other side start to cry. The young girls bounce across the hall and into their fathers’ arms.

The dance itself only lasts for a few hours, but in that short time, the young girls have real moments with their fathers.

When the men do time, their daughters do time, and they told us they plan to never let that happen to the girls again.

Ronnell Glasgow, here for selling drugs, promised to do better.

“I thought I needed material things to make my daughter happy, when what I needed was right in front of my face,” he said.

ABC News’ Michael Koenigs and Bradley Blackburn contributed to this report.

Campbell believe that Stenzel wrongly does what teens themselves are often guilty of: “slut shaming,” teen vernacular for treating sex as not a normal part of teen development but something shameful that sexually active students should feel bad about. She shared her views with friends and classmates, and a local reporter, who wrote a story. Campbell was criticized by angry parents and fellow students for her objection to Stenzel.

The incident shows the volatile mix of religion, sex and sex education, bullying and social media that many families struggle with nowadays. Have you or has your family struggled with this issue? Chime in below, and watch the full story on “20/20: If These Halls Could Talk” Friday at 10 ET.

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