A DMV employee is accused of pocketing nearly $80,000 in state sales tax payments from registrant cash transactions, state police said. 

Kimberly Brown, of Bridgeport, is accused of first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community and forgery. 

On Aug. 8, 2017, Brown was assigned to work directly in front of the Bridgeport branch manager's desk and around 4:15 p.m., Brown requested a registration void for a large cash transaction with no customer standing at the counter. The branch manager asked Brown for the registration certificate in order to complete the void but Brown said she couldn't find it. Ultimately, the branch manager believed Brown was stealing the voided cash transactions and reported her suspicions to her manager.

Ten days later, police went to meet with DMV supervisors after a motor vehicle specialist, Brown, was suspected of stealing a large amount of cash as a result of voided sales tax transactions relating to filling vehicle registrations by private citizens at the Bridgeport DMV.

Brown, who worked 10 years for the DMV, exploited a loophole with the DMV registration process, according to police. When Brown was assigned to customer service, she would process a registration application through the DMV computerized database. If the customer paid in cash, Brown would process the transaction normally, however, at some point, she would alter the registrant's "Connecticut Registration and Title Application"- a state of Connecticut form provided to Brown by the registrant during the initial registration process- and/or the "Bill of Sale" form to reflect the vehicle had been purchased or gifted from an "Immediate Family Member", according to the arrest warrant provided by police. 

The DMV division branch manager told police that as part of the DMV registration process, the registrant of a motor vehicle is under no obligation to provide personnel with any type of documentation proving the vehicle in question qualifies for a sales tax exemption. Simply by signifying that the vehicle was given to the registrant by an immediate family member was sufficient proof, according to police documents. 

Brown would alter the forms to reflect the vehicle was gifted by a brother, mother, sister or father on the forms in order to obtain the sales tax exemption. Other times, Brown would not alter the forms but would falsify the Void Sheet Correction Form and present it to a supervisor in order to reprocess the transaction. Only DMV supervisors can grant a void and this would allow Brown to reprocess the transaction and remove the sales tax money. 

The police warrant said Brown would seek out one of the four different supervisors at various times to avoid her suspicious actions from being detected by management. 

Police were provided with 56 registration packets for 2016 that were flagged as having voided sales tax cash transactions in Brown's employee account. The discrepancy was discovered by Brown's immediate supervisor after an initial internal computerized Void and Audit report, which determined a large amount of voided cash transactions were completed. 

"It appeared that when Brown did the first transaction, she would collect all the necessary fees. Then she would have a member of the management team perform a void, when she did the transaction the second time, she would not charge sales tax, but would usually state that it was a transfer between family members, or other reason for tax exempt," the Bridgeport division branch manager told police on September 7, according to the arrest warrant. 

The branch manager also implemented a Void and Audit report for Brown's actions between May 1, 2015 and August 12, 2017. Police determined that Brown stole $79,907 in total. 

On Aug. 24, 2017, Brown was interviewed by police.  She said she was moved from the Norwalk branch to the Bridgeport branch in May 2015 and demoted from Head Motor Vehicle Examiner back to Motor Vehicle Specialist. She told police this was unfair and that the DMV constantly mishandled money. She said when the DMV revamped their entire computerized database, her job became more stressful and she wouldn't leave work sometimes until 11 p.m. When she had applied for short-term disability because of knee and stomach surgery, she was denied and told police she starting to fall behind on her bills, according to the arrest warrant. 

"I didn't want to do it but being in this depression and trying to commit suicide will make you desperate to try and survive when you get back up I know I was wrong and didn't realize then what my reactions would do to my life," she allegedly told police, according to the warrant. "Taking something that was not mine was wrong and I'm sorry I did it." 

Brown was arrested and arraigned on Thursday. Her bond was set at $80,000.

Cough medications that contain opioids like codeine should not ever be taken by kids and they’ll now need to be labeled to make that clear, the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.

The FDA will also carry bigger warning about their dangers to adults, NBC News reported.

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is requiring safety labeling changes for prescription cough and cold medicines containing codeine or hydrocodone to limit the use of these products to adults 18 years and older because the risks of these medicines outweigh their benefits in children younger than 18," it said in a statement.

The FDA will remind parents that most coughs and colds don’t need any treatment at all. Most upper respiratory infections are caused by viruses, and with the exception of influenza, there aren’t any drugs that work against viral respiratory infections.

“Given the epidemic of opioid addiction, we’re concerned about unnecessary exposure to opioids, especially in young children,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said in a statement.

The University of Maryland Medical System says it is investigating after video of a patient outside the hospital's Midtown campus wearing only a hospital gown and socks went viral. 

Imamu Baraka captured the incident on his cellphone Tuesday and later published it to his Facebook page. The video has been viewed over 1.5 million times. 

In the video, several people dressed in what appear to be security uniforms are seen walking away from a bus stop outside the hospital, and a disoriented woman dressed in a hospital gown and socks is seen standing by the stop.

"Wait, so y'all just going to leave this lady out here with no clothes on," Baraka, described on a professional website as a counselor, says in the video to the people. "That is not OK."

Baraka addresses the group several times, asking why the woman is being left outside. At one point, a man responds, "Due to the circumstances of what happened," before the group walks into the hospital.

The Medical System said in a statement that the woman had been discharged from the emergency department.

The woman appears to have a wound on her forehead and can be heard mumbling or screaming at times. At one point, she stumbles as her hospital gown drapes off her shoulder. Bags of clothes and belongings are seen on the ground at the bus stop.

"It's about 30 degrees," Baraka says. "Come on and sit down."

In subsequent videos posted by Baraka, an ambulance is seen arriving in front of the bus stop, and Baraka says the woman was taken away in the vehicle. It was unclear where the woman was taken.

Officials said they were in "shock and disappointment" by the video. 

"While there are many circumstances of this patient’s case that we cannot address publicly, in the end we clearly failed to fulfill our mission with this patient, no matter the circumstances of her case or the quality of the clinical care we provided in the hospital (which is not depicted in the video)," Medical System spokeswoman Kelly Swan said in a statement. 

The Medical System says it is doing a thorough review and evaluating the appropriate response. 

The combination of melting snow and heavy rain tomorrow might lead to flooding and there are precautions homeowners can take to protect their property. 

Fire officials in Colchester recommend that residents move the snow and water away from your house today to prevent flooding tomorrow. 

“If we have snow on the ground, the water can’t run. It’s going to run back toward your house, close to your home and your foundation,” Colchester deputy fire chief Don Lee said. “It’s going to come into your home.” 

If you have a sump pump, attach it and check it today. 

Residents should also check gutters and clear the area around downspouts so water can drain away from the foundation.

"Homeowners, get out there. Make sure your gutters are clear. Make sure your downspouts are clear,"Lee said. "We've got snow on the ground. Shovel out those downspouts."

He also recommended moving any electrical equipment off the basement floor in the event of a water problem.

Much effort and many dollars are being spent to try to lure Amazon to build its second headquarters in the state of Connecticut. Some city and state leaders believe landing that deal may be a long shot, but it may be a shot worth taking.

Amazon is planning to make a $5 billion investment and bring 50,000 new full-time employees to its desired location. The new headquarters will be called HQ2. There are 238 proposals across North America for Amazon to choose from, according to the company. Proposals have been submitted for Hartford, Stamford, Waterbury, Danbury and a joint bid for New Haven and Bridgeport.

"I would say it's akin to the Powerball," Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said. "But you can’t win it if you're not in it, right?"

Boughton is trying to get Amazon's attention with the city spending time and money on conceptualizing, printing and shipping its proposal, as well as creating social media advertising and producing a quirky video sales pitch.

In total, Danbury spent $2,813.28 on its bid for HQ2, according to documents obtained by the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters. Most of the spending was for promoting the pitch video online and using Facebook location targeting. The mayor had hoped that the clip would be in heavy rotation around Amazon's first headquarters in Seattle, Washington. The mayor even sent Danbury’s Key to the City to Amazon.

"It may not be enough. It may not be what they are looking for and I respect that," Boughton said.

Waterbury, meanwhile, utilized staffers at the city's Development Corporation to formulate and ship the bid cross country with invoices totaling $610.60, according to documents provided through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

New Haven and Bridgeport are pursuing a joint application to Amazon together. Michael Piscitelli, the deputy of New Haven's Economic Development Corporation, said the Elm City's portion of the proposal used prior studies and research and translated to about $2,500 to $5,000 worth of work.

Documents from Bridgeport showed that city paid $8,000 for 3-D renderings.

In addition, Bridgeport officials said shared costs on a video, website and a consulting firm total $64,805 between the two cities.

The state, meanwhile, is supporting HQ2 coming to either Hartford or Stamford.

"Wow. It would be a huge shot in the arm," Catherine Smith, commissioner of the Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD), said "Connecticut is prime and we are ready."

The state-supported proposal includes sites in both greater Hartford and in greater Stamford.

Both metro areas have populations of about a million people. They are close to international airports and have quick access to mass transit and interstate highways. All of those attributes are among the characteristics Amazon desires in its HQ2 location. More of the company's desired criteria can be found here. 

"We think these were the very best that we had in the state and also the ones that really met the criteria," Smith said about the greater Hartford and greater Stamford proposals.

According to documents obtained from the DECD, the state paid $5,250 to design the website CTisPrime.com. An additional $3,000 was spent on drone footage and a promotional video narrated by Governor Dannel Malloy. Diagrams for the proposals were $2,000 more. But the renderings for both project sites were the largest expenditure at $30,000. In total, the Hartford and Stamford bids cost the state $40,250.

Smith said the materials can and will be used to attract future business to Connecticut.

"This is an effort I would repeat if we could," Smith said.

Amazon said it will make a decision about HQ2 in 2018.

Bridgeport FOI Documents

DECD FOI Documents

Waterbury FOI Documents

A power outage is affecting parts of the UConn campus in Storrs.

The outage is impacting buildings, which mostly dorms, in the central and western parts of the campus, a UConn representative told NBC Connecticut. 

The representative said there is no one in the dorms because the spring semester has not started yet. 

The school is building a new utility tunnel and a manhole in the construction area exploded. Two big circuits were knocked out as a result.

No injuries or damages to any buildings have been reported. 

It is not clear when the power will come back.

The school is still investigating and making a list of what buildings were impacted. 

A hand grenade was found at a Stratford waste management facility, police said. 

Statford police responded to the facility on Garfield Avenue on Thursday. The Connecticut State Police Bomb Squad was called in to disarm the explosive and remove it from the area. 

The grenade appeared to be from World War I or World War II and was apparently thrown out in the garbage that ended up at the facility. 

Employees were alerted.

The scene was cleared without incident. 

No other details were available. 

An Aeromexico plane nearly landed on the wrong runway at San Francisco International Airport, and the Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating the incident, officials confirmed Wednesday.

The incident was reported Tuesday when Aeromexico Flight 688 from Mexico City was given clearance to land on Runway 28R at SFO.

"Aeromexico Flight 668 was cleared to land on Runway 28R, and correctly read back that clearance. When the plane was about a mile from the airport, air traffic controllers noticed the aircraft was lined up for Runway 28L and instructed the crew to execute a missed approach. A Virgin America jet was on Runway 28L at the time," FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.

Aviation consultant Mike McCarron viewed the flight's track approaching SFO, saying air traffic controllers noticed the jet was headed for runway 28L, where the Virgin America airliner was set to take off for Kona, Hawaii.

McCarron said the jet was about 500 feet off the ground and a mile away from the other aircraft when it was diverted.

"You’re looking at about 20 seconds, 15 to 20 seconds, to cover a mile," McCarron said. "So it was close, but there was more than enough time."

Passengers on Flight 668 shared their thoughts on the close call.

"We almost landed then we had to go back up and go back around because the planes were too close," said Melanie MacDonald of San Francisco.

McCarron said passengers can take comfort in the fact that the system worked.

"All the backup systems kicked into place," he said. "The controllers watched, they saw he wasn’t lined up properly, they give the command to go around, he went around it and landed safely."

The FAA is investigating the incident.

Tuesday's close call follows a pair of SFO incidents involving Air Canada flights that made headlines last year.

In October, a pilot for Air Canada Flight 781, an Airbus 320, failed to respond to air traffic control's warning not to land on the runway because it was not clear whether another jet was still on that runway.

In July, the FAA said an Air Canada pilot almost landed on the taxiway instead of the runway at SFO. In response to the close call, the FAA issued new rules for nighttime landings and control-tower staffing at SFO.

NBC Bay Area's Terry McSweeney contributed to this report.

A Northford man was charged with a felony offense after hacking more than 250 Apple iCloud accounts, including many accounts belonging to celebrities in September 2014, known as "Celebgate".

George Garofano, 26, charged in federal court on Thursday with a felony computer hacking offense related to the phishing scheme and accused of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

The "Celebgate" hack resulted in almost 500 purported photos of Hollywood stars, models and other celebrities — including Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, Kirsten Dunst, Kaley Cuoco and U.S. soccer star Hope Solo — to the internet forum 4chan, NBC News reported. 

In a plea agreement file in the United States District Court in Los Angeles, Garofano agreed to plead guilty to one count of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, according to the U.S. attorney's office in California. 

From April 2013 through October 2014, Garofano was part of a phishing scheme to obtain hundreds of iCloud account usernames and passwords. Garofano admitted to sending the victims emails that appeared to be from Apple's security accounts and encouraged the recipients to send their usernames and passwords or enter them into a third-party website, prosecutors said. 

Many of Garofano's victims were members of the entertainment industry located in Los Angeles, however, many non-celebrity Connecticut residents were also hacked, the U.S. attorney's office in California said. 

After obtaining the login information, Garofano stole sensitive and private photographs and videos. In some cases, he would exchange the victim's materials, according to the plea agreement. 

The case will be transferred to the District of Connecticut for Garofano's sentencing. When Garofano enters his guilty plea in Connecticut, he will face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. 

The case against Garofano is the fourth case stemming from the "Celebgate" investigation.

The investigation into the hacking continues to be conducted by the FBI. 

The Town of Lebanon filed a lawsuit to settle a town green ownership dispute.

The Lebanon Historical Society said the lawsuit stems from a decision made three years ago to renovate the town’s library located on the Lebanon Green but it was later discovered the town actually didn't own the property it had managed for years.

"It's uncertain how to proceed at this point," president of the Lebanon Historical Society, Rick Kane, said.

Technically, the heirs of the original signees from centuries ago are the original proprietors, but it's not clear who those heirs may be today. 

"Who are they? Where are they? The number could be in the tens of thousands and how do you find them and is there a paper trail to support any claim they might have?” Kane asked.

While the historical society is listed as one of about a half-dozen defendants filed in the lawsuit by the town, Kane said it's more of a way for the town to get some clarification.

Steve Bannon, President Donald Trump's former top adviser, will testify before the House Intelligence Committee next week, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.

Bannon is scheduled to testify in closed session on Tuesday. He has hired Washington lawyer Bill Burck, from the firm Quinn Emanuel, to represent him before the committee. 

The committee is probing possible Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether the Trump campaign was involved.

The flu is considered "widespread" in the state this season, according to the Connecticut Department of Health.

There are confirmed cases in all eight counties and flu-related emergency room visits continue to increase.

"At the moment, we are asking visitors to refrain from visiting if they have any of the common signs or symptoms of influenza," Waterbury Hospital spokesperson Patty Charvat said in a statement to NBC Connecticut. "These include fever, chills, cough, sore throat, vomiting, stuffy nose, body aches, diarrhea. We have not yet restricted visitation, but may in the future based on the assessment of our infectious disease/infection prevention team."

"The flu is wicked this year," Suzanne Reilly from Middlebury said. "Very, very bad."

Reilly would know because right now she’s fighting the flu after her son had it.

"Sinus pressure, headache, body aches, you name it I’ve got it," she said outside a Waterbury CVS. "I just actually went in there to go get more Advil and Sudafed for pain, for my head."

Brittany Sauers stopped by the CVS Minute Clinic for a check-up on Thursday.

"Everyone in my family actually is really sick," Sauers said. "We all have this nose thing going on and we all have the cough and like the headache and everything, so we’re all really just like hoping that it’s not the flu."

As an occupational therapist, Sauers said she can understand the Waterbury Hospital’s reasoning for asking people with flu symptoms to refrain from visiting patients.

"I used to do a clinical round actually down in Florida and there was a huge flu outbreak," Sauers said. "I was there and you’re scared just as much being in the healthcare field."

A week after her diagnosis, Reilly said she is feeling a little bit better, but she is still bothered by head congestion.

"I did not get the flu shot," Reilly said, adding she regrets that decision and plans to get one next year.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) strongly recommends that everyone gets the flu shot and it is still not too late for the current season that runs into may. It takes about two weeks for the antibodies to build up, so the sooner the better.

Connecticut and New England lawmakers are lighting up social media after President Donald Trump described Haiti and African nations as "s--thole countries" during a meeting on immigration. 

John Percy, the president of the Connecticut Haitian-American Organization, called the president's remarks insulting and racist. He said the Haitian community should not stand for it and the president should apologize. 

"We do not expect to be treated the way he's treating us using those foul words. It's very inappropriate," Percy said.

Governor Dannel Malloy released a statement on Thursday night that said he is sickened and appalled by the president's words but not surprised. 

"President Trump owes the people of America and those of any nation he crassly denigrated today, an apology," Malloy wrote in a statement. 

The White House released a statement that didn't deny the reported remarks.

"President Trump is fighting for permanent solutions that make our country stronger by welcoming those who can contribute to our society, grow our economy and assimilate into our great nation," the White House statement reads.

But other Connecticut lawmakers and New England leaders were angered by the vulgar language used towards several nations by the president. 

Leaders across the country chimed in on social media to voice their opinion on the president's comments. 

NBC Connecticut reached out to the Connecticut Republican party regarding the president's remarks but did not hear back at the time of post. 

A stabbing victim sustained non-life threatening injuries in New London on Thursday night. 

Police responded to Prest Street around 8:41 p.m. for a man who was stabbed. 

The man was transported to Lawerence + Memorial Hospital for medical care. 

The victim sustained non-life threatening injuries.

The investigation is ongoing. 

A fire broke out at a building in Hartford on Thursday night.

The first started sometime after 10 p.m. on Litchfield Street and it was under control around 11:30 p.m.

All occupants are out of the building and no injuries were reported. 

Two families have been displaced.

No other details have been provided.

Please check back for updates. 

President Donald Trump referred to a group of nations that included African countries and Haiti as "s--thole countries" during a meeting with a bipartisan group of senators Thursday at the White House, a Democratic aide briefed on the meeting told NBC News.

Trump's comments were first reported by the Washington Post, which said the group of nations referenced also included El Salvador.

The comments came as senators huddled in the Oval Office with the president to discuss the path forward on an immigration deal. Trump questioned why the United States would want people from nations such as Haiti, while being briefed on changes to the visa lottery system.

When the group discussed immigration from Africa, the aide said, Trump asked why we want all these people from "all these s--thole countries" and that the U.S. should have more people from places like Norway.

A spokesman for the White House did not deny the president's use of the vulgar word.

Late night hosts pulled no punches to blast President Donald Trump for referring to African nations and Haiti as "s--thole countries."

Trump's vulgar comments came during a meeting with a bipartisan group of senators Thursday at the White House, a Democratic aide briefed on the meeting told NBC News.

The news inspired "Late Night" host Seth Meyers to do a segment called "Seth Has to Walk Away for a Minute."

Meyers left his desk, and off camera could be heard muttering, "At what point, at what point, do you just have some common decency -- some, some human emotion?"

During Meyer's "Closer Look" segment, he speculated that maybe Trump meant the remark as a compliment.

"After all," he said, "Trump does all his best tweets when he's sitting on the s--thole."

On "The Daily Show," Trevor Noah, a South African native, started on the topic by calling the president a racist.

"Personally, as someone from South S--thole, I'm offended, Mr. President," Noah said. 

He joked that African countries will hear about the news in "a few weeks" but "as soon as the news donkey reaches our village, we'll be so mad."

The "Daily Show" host also criticized Trump for allegedly saying he wants more immigrants from Norway, which Noah called the "whitest country."

"He didn't even go with, like, a more subtle country that might leave it up in the air," he said. "Like, 'We need to let in more people from Portugal,' and you're like 'hmm, what does that mean?'"

Stephen Colbert opened "The Late Show" by calling Trump "unstable" and "reactionary," contrasting the president's assertion Saturday that he is a "stable genius."

"Sir, they're not s--thole countries," Colbert said. "For one, Donald Trump isn't their president."

Imitating Trump's voice, Colbert said, "You get what I'm saying, I'm saying I'm a racist."

Jimmy Kimmel called it "unfathomable" that Trump is "the guy running our country."

This was the latest political monologue by Kimmel in recent months. He's used the opening of "Jimmy Kimmel Live" to condemn Congress' attempt to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, talking in personal terms about his infant son Billy's health complications.

"Listen, I'm sure the fact that the countries he described as s--tholes are mostly populated by people of color and the immigrants he wants from Norway are not is a coincidence," Kimmel said. "Because, if it wasn't, it would mean we voted for a racist, like a real one and we'd have to get pitchforks and chase him out of the White House."

"What a s--thole," Kimmel concluded.

President Donald Trump torched himself and may have singed his immigration plans, NBC News reported.

That's because Trump sabotaged his own leverage in bipartisan negotiations over an immigration deal when he reportedly asked lawmakers why the U.S. accepts immigrants from "s--thole countries" — Haiti, El Salvador and nations in Africa — but doesn't take more from Norway.

Some members of Trump's party quickly condemned the remarks as insensitive, and many Democrats simply called them "racist."

If Trump wants a big immigration deal now, he'll have to "give a lot more to both Democrats and Republicans who want a more compassionate approach," said Ali Noorani, executive director of the advocacy group National Immigration Forum. "He's going to lose leverage in this negotiation."

For his part, Trump tweeted Friday that an emerging bipartisan DACA deal was "a big step backwards" and Democrats were "not interested in life and safety." 

Desionne Franklin described the moment he and his girlfriend were inside a Toyota Prius, trying to escape a powerful river of mud, rocks and water as something out of a movie.

"But it was my movie at the time," he said. "It was unbelievable. To feel that rush of water, mother nature pushing you like that, it was overwhelming."

When the storm came Tuesday, he and his girlfriend realized they needed to evacuate their friend's home on Country Club Drive in Burbank immediately.

"We all looked out the window and it was trees, rocks, boulders and an occasional car just flying by," said Ashanka Givens, his passenger.

They packed up their Prius and started driving.

"At first I was going slow and I could feel the rumble and I'm going to take my time, but then all of a sudden, you hear this loud rush of water at the back of the car," Franklin said.

That rush of water not only caught up to them but quickly reached the car windows.

"By that time my whole life was flashing before me, 'Oh, this is not about to happen right here,'" he said.

Givens said they were hydroplaning.

"The tires aren't even hitting the ground," she said.

Franklin couldn't control the brakes or the steering.

Incredibly, the couple made it safely down the hill, with no damage to the Prius, which Franklin admits wasn't his type of car, but thought it would be good for ride sharing.

"I got out, pat the bumper a little in the back, put it back in place and kept going," he said.

The transplant from Dallas, Texas, says he'll keep his Prius and stay in California, but the next time he's told to evacuate, he won't hesitate.

Two teens who were wanted for a murder on New Year’s Day in Texas were arrested in Ansonia last night.

Police said they took 19-year-old Giuseppe Briguglio, of Katy, Texas, and his 17-year-old female companion into custody on Beverly Drive at 9:52 p.m. as fugitives from justice. 

The Stafford, Texas Police Department has arrest warrants for Briguglio and the juvenile, charging each of them with murder and said the girl had been reported missing. 

Briguglio was charged with being a fugitive from justice and held on a $250,000 bond. He will be arraigned in court in Derby today. 

The 17 year-old female girl was taken to juvenile detention to be held for extradition to Texas.