The Easter Bunny who hopped to the defense of a woman during a caught-on-camera brawl outside a Florida bar over the weekend is a 20-year-old man with a violent past who has an outstanding warrant out of New Jersey, officials say.

Footage of Antoine McDonald as a costumed vigilante jumping in to help a woman outside Orlando's Underground Public House Sunday night went viral when it was posted to Instagram. He is seen pummeling the man with his paws before an Orlando cop on patrol intervenes and breaks up the fight. 

It was not clear why the man and woman were fighting, but in the video someone is heard saying “he spit on me." No one was arrested in the case. The bar's night manager told NBC police shook the bunny's hand and let him go. 

If only they had known who he was. 

McDonald was most recently arrested in Pasco County, Florida, in January for alleged identity theft when officials say he tried to rent a Uhaul using a fake ID. He was a person of interest in a carjacking and two armed robberies in the Sunshine State, and has a "non-extraditable failure to appear warrant out of New Jersey," a spokesperson for the Pasco County Sheriff's office said.

Officials didn't immediately provide details on the New Jersey case, but the Tampa Bay Times reports he was wanted in a  September 2018 vehicle burglary in South Brunswick. He had been charged in the case and a warrant was issued for his arrest, but authorities believed he fled the state, possibly to Florida under a fake name. Earlier that year, he was arrested for allegedly harassing a man on social media and spitting at a 7-Eleven employee in South Brunswick as well.

McDonald also had been arrested with two others in two armed robberies within 12 hours in Delaware in 2017, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

His whereabouts weren't immediately clear as of late Tuesday morning. After the bunny brawl video surfaced on social media, he told several media outlets he was not a violent person. 

Alarming new claims have surfaced against the Boy Scouts of America, accusing thousands of leaders, who have since been removed from the organization, of abuse.

Though allegations came to light Monday night, a victims' rights attorney who compiled a list of former Boy Scout leaders accused of abuse in New York held a press conference Tuesday morning to discuss the alleged widespread pattern abuse within the scouting organization and to ask victims to come forward.

The victims’ rights attorney, Jeff Anderson, called it a system of denial and cover-ups. He claims the Boy Scouts have files on child abusers within their ranks dating back to the 1940s.

"For many, many years there's been an excavation of what are called the 'perversion files' — those are files held and hoardered at the Boy Scouts of America headquarters," Anderson said during Tuesday's press conference, adding that "those 'perversion files' that they've had reflect that they have removed thousands of offenders of childhood sexual abuse over the years and they've kept that in files secretly."

Anderson said the knowledge of the files themselves in not new, as publications and outlets have previously reported on them.

However, according to Anderson, citing testimony by a professional retained by the BSA to audit the files, the number of alleged perpetrators found in the files has been disclosed and it totals 7,819, while the number of victims total 12,254. 

"That is a number not known before today or ever revealed by the Boy Scouts of America," he said. 

Anderson said his law firm managed to identify 130 former BSA leaders in New York who are found in the files that have so far been made available. According to Anderson, the list of alleged abusers was compiled into what he called the "Anderson File," but said the list of names is incomplete.

The BSA never released the names of the alleged perpetrators to the public or authorities, Anderson claimed.

"The bad news is that this is far from a full disclosure," he said, adding "we had to sound the alarm."

According to Anderson, it is not clear at this point whether the accused are even alive, let alone where they might live, whether they are involved in activities with children or if they have criminal records.

Bridie Farrell, a survivor of abuse and co-founder of NY Loves Kids, an organization that aims to create a safer New York by speaking out about child sexual abuse, was also present at the press conference.

"As someone who has been talking about childhood sexual abuse, I've known of the 'perversion files' and the Boy Scouts of America problem for years now," she said. "But when I spoke with Jeff and he told me these numbers, numbers of 7,000 and 12,000, I was shocked."

Attorneys in New Jersey also scheduled a news conference Tuesday, where they plan to release the names of 50 Boy Scout leaders who worked in the state.

Anderson plans to file multiple lawsuits against the Boy Scouts on behalf of the victims and demands the organization hand over their files, including names of those accused of abuse.

Although Anderson must wait to file suit because the Child Victims Act is not effective until Aug. 14, he said he couldn't wait any longer and wanted to make the information he received public. The piece of legislation essentially erases the statute of limitations to report a crime of childhood sexual abuse.

The Boy Scouts of America told News 4 in a statement that they “care deeply about all victims of child sex abuse and sincerely apologize to anyone who was harmed during their time in Scouting.”

"We believe victims, we support them, and we have paid for unlimited counseling by a provider of their choice. Nothing is more important than the safety and protection of children in Scouting and we are outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our programs to abuse innocent children," the statement reads in part.

It continues: "At no time have we ever knowingly allowed a sexual predator to work with youth, and we mandate that all leaders, volunteers and staff members nationwide immediately report any abuse allegation to law enforcement."

The former CEO of a major drug distribution company is the first to face criminal charges related to America's opioid crisis, NBC News reported. 

Laurence Doud III, the former CEO of Rochester Drug Co-Operative, was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury in Manhattan on charges of narcotics conspiracy and conspiracy to defraud the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

He is accused of distributing tens of millions of oxycodone, fentanyl, and other opioids that Rochester's own compliance department allegedly found had no legitimate need for them.

Former Vice President Joe Biden is expected to announce his candidacy for president Thursday morning with a video online, sources with direct knowledge of the planning confirmed to NBC News.

Biden is scheduled to appear with union workers in Pittsburgh Monday, a spokesman for the Allegheny Council Labor Council said. Biden is expected to follow that up by traveling to all four early-voting states: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

He will enter an already-crowded field running of Democrats running for president.

Connecticut state police will hold a news conference on Tuesday afternoon about the officer-involved shooting involving Hamden and Yale police officers in New Haven that injured a 22-year-old woman last week and prompted nearly a week of protests.

Hamden Police Officer Devin Eaton and Yale Officer Terrance Pollack opened fire on a car at the intersection of Dixwell Avenue and Argyle Street early on the morning of Tuesday, April 16 and the passenger, 22-year-old Stephanie Washington, was injured, according to police. Both officers have been placed on leave. No New Haven police were involved in the shooting.

The shooting led to several protests from people calling for city leaders to release body camera footage from the incident and to fire the officers involved.

State police said Hamden police had received a report of an attempted armed robbery of a newspaper deliveryman around 4 a.m. that morning at a Hamden gas station on Arch Street near the New Haven line, about a mile away from the shooting scene.

According to state police, "the suspected party exited the vehicle in an abrupt manner and turned toward officers" and both officers opened fire.

Surveillance video that apparently captured the incident does not show those movements. Witnesses said they saw police ordering both the man and woman to get out after they stopped shooting. State police said no weapon was found in the car.

The driver of the vehicle has been identified as 21-year-old Paul Witherspoon and he was not shot. 

Witherspoon's uncle, Rodney Williams, said his nephew got into an argument but he was not carrying a gun, nor was he committing a crime. 

The news conference planned for this afternoon comes a day after New Haven state’s attorney’s office announced it had “authorized the release of body camera footage” and said it would be available this week.”

Warning: These images may be disturbing to some viewers. 

Thirty-eight dogs were confiscated Monday evening from a suspected puppy dumper's home in Riverside County, animal services said.

The discovery of dozens of dogs living in a "state of disrepair" comes after 54-year-old Deborah Sue Culwell was arrested Monday on animal abuse charges after allegedly leaving seven puppies in a dumpster in the Southern California heat. 

Culwell stayed silent as officers led her away from her Coachella home in handcuffs. She faces seven counts of felony animal abuse.

Deputies say she's the suspect seen in surveillance video shoving seven newborn puppies that were only days old into a dumpster behind an auto-parts store on April 18 in Coachella in 90-degree heat. Investigators said they identified her through a license plate number on her white Jeep also seen in the surveillance video.

Fortunately, good Samaritans came to the rescue after a homeless man heard the puppies crying.

The puppies, so young they have to be bottle fed, are being cared for at a foster home.

"You can clearly see the bag of puppies being dumped into the dumpster," said John Welsh, the chief of the Riverside County Department of Animal Services. "There's clearly not a level of intelligence that's going to be used if you're going to toss animals."

Animal control officers worked until past 8 p.m. on Monday because Culwell's "house was overrun with other dogs," according to animal services officials. Thirty-eight dogs were confiscated from the home and taken to the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms.

"Most of the dogs appeared to be in somewhat healthy condition, but some were aggressive or fearful," animal services said in a news release. 

The dogs are not available for adoption at this time. Animal services is looking into whether a reunion can be coordinated because the mother dog of the dumped puppies may be among the dogs impounded. 

Animal services is planning to submit a felony case to the Riverside County district attorney's office. 

A teen charged with arson after fire destroyed Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford in January has also been arrested in connection with two fires in West Haven, according to West Haven police.

Chris Sakowicz, 18, of Stratford, and a juvenile have been arrested in connection with structure fires at Bilco, at 37 Water St. in West Haven on Feb. 17, and a vacant home on Richards Place in West Haven on Feb. 8.

Sakowicz was served while at Milford Superior Court on an outstanding arrest warrant in connection with the Water Street fire and charged with conspiracy to commit/criminal trespass in the second degree, criminal trespass in the second degree, arson in the first degree, conspiracy to commit arson in the first degree, criminal mischief in the first degree and conspiracy to commit/ criminal mischief in the first degree.

Charges connected to the Richards Place fire include conspiracy to commit/criminal trespass in the second degree, criminal trespass in the second degree, arson in the first degree, conspiracy to commit/arson in the first degree, criminal mischief in the first degree and conspiracy to commit/criminal mischief in the first degree.

Sakowicz was held on a bond.

He was also previously charged with arson in the first degree, burglary in the first degree, criminal trespass in the second degree and reckless endangerment in the first degree in connection with the fire at the Shakespeare Theatre early on the morning of Jan. 13 and pleaded not guilty to those charges on Tuesday.

He was also charged with arson in the third degree, burglary in the third degree, criminal mischief in the third degree and criminal trespass in the third degree in connection with a fire at Good Earth at 540 Longbrook Ave. in Stratford on March 4. He also pleaded not guilty Tuesday to those charges.  

Sakowicz was also charged in connection with vandalism at construction trailers at Milford's Silver Sands State Park on March 24.

When the Milford Fire Department and EnCon police responded, they found fire in two metal storage containers at the park. Firefighters put out the flames and discovered vandalism.

Sakowicz was charged with criminal trespass, criminal mischief, larceny and criminal attempt to commit criminal mischief in that case, as well as removing and/or obliterating manufactures serial numbers.

He is also accused of setting a fire at an abandoned building in Southbury.

Police have not identified the other suspect in the West Haven cases because of his age.

An officer injured in a shootout with the Boston Marathon bombers six years ago responded to Bernie Sanders on Twitter following the presidential candidate's controversial remark during a CNN town hall in New Hampshire on Monday night.

Sanders said Monday night that even "terrible people" like Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should have the right to vote while they are behind bars.

Former Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Officer Dic Donohue responded to Sanders' comments on Twitter Tuesday, saying "All I have to say today is that it would be nice to talk to @BernieSanders in person since he'll be in my home state. We can talk about his comments from last night and more. I don't live too far from Cambridge."

The Vermont senator is scheduled to meet with local organizers at Cambridge's Club Passim at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Donohue was shot in the early morning shootout between bombers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and police in Watertown on April 19, 2013. Tamerlan was killed and a jury is currently weighing whether Dzhokhar should get the death penalty or life in prison.

The bullet that struck Donohue severed a major artery and he lost most of his blood and nearly died. He also suffered nerve damage.

NBC10 Boston is attempting to reach out to Donohue. An email to the Sanders campaign was not immediately returned Tuesday.

During Monday's town hall, Harvard University student Anne Carlstein asked Sanders to clarify his position that convicted felons should be able to vote while serving time in prison.

"Does this mean that you would support enfranchising people like the Boston Marathon bomber, a convicted terrorist and murderer?" Carlstein asked. "Do you think that those convicted of sexual assault should have the opportunity to vote for politicians who could have a direct impact on women's rights?"

"Here is my view: If somebody commits a serious crime — sexual assault, murder — they're going to be punished. They may be in jail for 10 years, 20 years, 50 years, their whole lives. That's what happens when you commit a serious crime," Sanders said. "But I think the right to vote is inherent to our democracy — yes, even for terrible people. Because once you start chipping away ... you're running down a slippery slope."

Tsarnaev resides at the federal supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. His attorneys argued in December that his death sentence, which he received for his role in the bombings that left three dead and hundreds wounded at the 2013 Boston Marathon, should be tossed.

"I do believe that even if they are in jail, they're paying their price to society, but that should not take away their inherent American right to participate in our democracy," Sanders said.

The senator's remarks drew applause from the crowd that had gathered, but also a critique from moderator Chris Cuomo.

"You're writing an opposition ad against you by saying you think the Boston Marathon bomber should vote not after he pays his debt to society, but while he's in jail," Cuomo remarked. "You're sure about that?"

"I think I have written many 30-second opposition ads throughout my life. This will be just another one," Sanders said. "This is what I believe. You believe in democracy, you believe that every single American 18 years of age or older, who is an American citizen, has the right to vote."

The Republican National Committee issued a statement Tuesday saying Sanders "seems to get more radical by the week."

"With calls to eliminate private health insurance, give health care to illegal immigrants, allow for the government-takeover of key industries and even give terrorists and sex offenders the right to vote, Sanders’ socialist schemes would bankrupt America, turn back the clock on progress, and are far out of the mainstream," RNC Spokesperson Mandi Merritt said.

Acting Homeland Security chief Kevin McAleenan told NBC News that separating migrant families at the U.S. southern border is "not on the table," and the policy was "not worth it" from an enforcement perspective.

In his first network interview as acting DHS secretary to broadcast, McAleenan told NBC News' Lester Holt on Tuesday, "We're not pursuing that approach."

Of the children separated from their families at the border, "they were always intended to be reunited," McAleenan said.

"Really a better system, as I've said many times, would allow us to detain families together during fair and expeditious immigration proceedings and getting actual immigration results from courts, so that’s what’s missing from the current situation," he added in an interview from DHS's offices in the World Trade Center.

The State of Connecticut will not be moving forward with plans to build a Connecticut State Police gun range in Griswold, according to the governor’s office.

The issue of the gun range goes back for years as the Connecticut State Police have been looking for a new location for the site. The current facility in Simsbury dates back to the 1940s, and was badly damaged by floods in 2007. The agency has been searching for a new site ever since, and at one point settled on the Griswold site, adjacent to Pachaug State Forest, as the best location due to its rural location, and minimal impact on residents, relative to other proposed locations in the state.

Many residents in the area spoke out against the plan, citing environmental and noise concerns.

On Friday Gov. Ned Lamont announced that the state terminated the purchase and sale agreement for the 113-acre piece of land. Lamont did not seek bonding for the property, and the Department of Administrative Services notified the property owner that they no longer plan to make the purchase in a letter.

“We will no longer be placing the state gun range in Griswold. The state will do a complete analysis of the project and search for viable alternate locations, while ensuring the overall project is cost-efficient and produces the best results for the needs of the State Police,” Lamont wrote in a statement.

Coventry police officers rescued a man who they say jumped into the Willimantic River Monday.

Police said they were called to search for the man after he ran out of his home upon learning of his wife’s death. Officers Robert Dexter and Olivia Beausoleil spotted the man hanging onto a log in the river, fighting the current.

The two officers crossed the rushing river on foot and were able to pull the man out of the water to safety.

Officer Robert Dexter said this was not a normal call.

“I’ve had calls that are critical or stressful but nothing like this," he said.

The man who was rescued had a limited swimming ability at best, and would have had a tough time making it out of the river on his own power.

The man, who was not publicly identified, was taken to Manchester Hospital for treatment.

“He kind of broke down when we got him out. but, other than that, health wise he was OK," Dexter said.

The side of the river where the man was rescued was not accessible by vehicle, so much so that rescuers had to take the man back to the other side of the river before putting him in the ambulance to head to the hospital.

One of the first lines in the sand has been drawn between Gov. Ned Lamont and members of his own party in the House and Senate.

Top Democrats in the House and Senate want to close the state’s budget hole by increasing the rate on capital gains taxes, taxes levied on stocks, bonds, and real estate.

Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz (D – Berlin) said House Democrats are not enamored with the governor’s budget that would enforce the sales tax on hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of goods and services.

“A lot of our caucus members have told us that they’re frustrated at the lack of rhyme and reason at the sales tax exemptions and I think the governor was trying to get at that but a lot of the issues in the areas are tough,” Aresimowicz told reporters Tuesday morning.

He said they favor raising taxes on some of the wealthiest Connecticut residents, specifically increasing the tax on capital gains for individuals or couples making more than $500,000 per year.

“We believe those that are doing very well are obligated to pay their fair share,” he said.

Lamont’s budget did not include any specific tax rate increases. The administration has argued that expanding the sales tax would simply mean enforcing the sales tax on goods and services that have previously not been taxed. Specifically, the administration proposed applying the sales tax to digital streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, legal and accounting services, and on products like child car seats which have been exempt from the sales tax.

Lamont favors his approach to increasing rates.

“I’ve been pretty tough. I want to draw the line,” Lamont said Tuesday. “I don’t want to increase tax rates on income tax, capital gains tax rates and corporate. I’m trying to get this state to live within its means.”

Connecticut’s top rate on capital gains taxes is 8.99 percent, slightly higher than the highest rate on standard income, 6.99 percent.

Republican Rep. Vincent Candelora (R – North Branford) said the GOP would likely be against any tax proposal to begin with, but so far is siding with the governor, because he has discussed the state tightening its belt and reducing spending more than members of the General Assembly have.

Candelora also said the budget crafted by Democrats and Republicans under Gov. Dannel Malloy is a better blueprint than starting from scratch.

“Our bipartisan budget created a surplus for the state of Connecticut,” he said. “We started to see economic recovery and now the Democrats are trying to go it alone and they can’t help themselves and items like expansion of the sales tax, a capital gains tax, it’s just going to constrict our economy.”

Lamont says he fears for the kind of message another tax increase like a capital gains adjustment would send to residents and the rest of the country.

“It would be what, our fifth tax increase in fifteen years? It’s a trend. It puts us a little out of step with our neighbors so I don’t think it’s the right way to go.”

Norwich police are trying to identify the suspect in an armed robbery at a local Subway Restaurant.

Police said the suspect entered the store at 77 Salem Turnpike around 10:30 p.m. Monday and showed a gun, demanding money. The clerk handed over cash from the register and the suspect fled.

Anyone who recognizes the suspect in the surveillance footage should contact Norwich Police Detective Christopher Chastang at 860-886-5561 ext. 3159.

Connecticut could end up ending one of the most heated political debates in Washington, or it could end up leaving President Donald Trump off of the 2020 ballot altogether.

Connecticut is one of 18 states with a proposal to mandate that anyone running for president has to disclose their federal tax returns in order for that person to appear on the state ballot. In Connecticut, the proposal also extends to candidates running for governor.

Sen. Mae Flexer, (D – Killingly), who chairs the Government and Elections Administration Committee in the Connecticut General Assembly, acknowledges that the bill exists because President Donald Trump broke the norm of providing several years of tax returns in the lead up to the 2016 election.

"I think there's a recognition from my colleagues and from the American people and the people of Connecticut that they need to understand the full breadth of the president's financial interests and to do that we need to see the president's tax returns,” she said.

The proposal, which passed the GAE Committee earlier in April, would require gubernatorial and presidential candidates wishing to appear on the ballot to disclose three years of federal tax returns.

The issue is significant, because it could set up a scenario where if the General Assembly passes it, and then Gov. Ned Lamont signs it into law, then it would set up a choice for the president. He could sue to block the law, cooperate and provide his tax returns going back three years, or he could settle with being a write-in candidate only.

On Monday, the president sued to block his financial records from being disclosed to Rep. Elijah Cummings, the Democratic chairman of the House Oversight Committee.

Republicans in Connecticut describe the measure as a political cheap shot aimed at the president.

"It's simply here for political purposes and I think that's unfortunate,” said Sen. Rob Sampson, (R – Wolcott), who is the ranking member on the GAE Committee. He said he believes the proposal is unconstitutional.

"There is a very clear requirement in the United States Constitution about what is required to be an eligible candidate for president and I believe that supersedes any Connecticut law that would say because a presidential candidate doesn't disclose their tax returns that they would not be allowed,” he said.

Flexer said she thinks it’s possible that lawmakers approve the measure this year. She said voters have a right to know what financial interests candidates have.

“Obviously President Trump is a strong case why the American people need to understand the financial interests of their president but we're looking actually at a proposal that would do the same thing for gubernatorial candidates in our state as well,” she said.

Chances are you’ve never had a school project like the ones some University of Connecticut students took on this year.

As part of the Mechanical Engineering School’s Senior Design Program, a team of three seniors were asked to renovate a Hartford landmark. Together, with the help of sponsors “Friends of Keney Park and the Keney Park Sustainability Project,” along with the City of Hartford, these students were a success.

It was a sound not heard in Hartford in nearly five years - Hartford’s historic Keney Memorial Clock Tower returned to glory Tuesday. A restoration project, spearheaded by three UConn mechanical engineering students, helped this 111-year-old clock battle father time.

“The whole task was a bit daunting. There were a lot of pieces that were gone completely. A lot of things that were broken. We weren’t entirely sure how everything worked,” explained UConn student Henry Courchaine.

The two-semester project required ingenuity and a quite bit of reverse engineering.

“There are a lot of parts up there that are original. There a lot of parts that are from sometime we don’t know when. There are a lot of parts we had to make That are in there now,” Spencer Padget, a UConn senior, explained.

“It was difficult because they weren’t there...when we got there, there was just a bunch of missing components that we had to design from scratch,” Garrett Murphy added.

With these students completing a task, seemingly as tall as the 130-foot tower itself, there comes great satisfaction.

“To hear those bells chime and people turn and look, you know you’re bringing back history, and it’s really great to give it back,” UConn Adjunct Professor Tom Mealy said.

Like all senior college projects, these students will be graded. Before providing an official score, Mealy said he was waiting to see how today went. By all estimations it appears this is A-plus level work.

A network of more than 5,000 pro-Trump Twitter bots railed against the “Russiagate hoax” shortly after the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report last week, according to data gathered by a prominent disinformation researcher and analyzed by NBC News. The network illustrates the ongoing challenge Twitter faces in persistent efforts to manipulate its platform.

These bots did not appear to come from Russia. Instead, the bots had ties to a social media operation that previously pushed messages backing the government of Saudi Arabia and were connected to a person who claimed to be a private social media consultant, according to internet domain and account registration records.

The bots, which were created last November and December, were pulled down by Twitter on Sunday night for breaking the social network’s rules against “manipulation,” the company said.

Almost all of the since-removed accounts, most of which only posted about 30 times each, attacked the press and lamented how the “Russiagate hoax” affected Trump’s presidency. Many of the accounts copied verbatim tweets from other pro-Trump accounts without attributing those tweets to the original poster.

It’s the perfect time of year to enjoy the outdoors, but experts are warning Connecticut residents to do so with caution as mosquito season begins.

Last year, there were 23 cases of the West Nile virus reported in Connecticut. One of them was fatal.

“It is real, and it’s here. West Nile is here it’s been here for 20 years now,” says Roger Wolfe, who is the mosquito management coordinator at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Last year, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station found mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus in over 60 Connecticut cities and towns.

“Last year was a record year for the West Nile virus activity in the state,” said John Shepard, a biologist at the Agricultural Experiment Station. “Both in the number of virus isolations obtained in our program and in human cases reported.”

The city of Milford is leading the way when it comes to preventing mosquitoes and the diseases they carry from spreading.

“Our goal is really to reduce the mosquito population to reduce breeding, and ultimately protect our residents from mosquitoes,” said Deepa Joseph, the city’s director of health.

The comprehensive program has been around for over 15 years, and works with the Agricultural Experiment Station to treat storm drains and catch basins across the city to prevent mosquito breeding, among other techniques.

Wolfe from the DEEP says Milford’s program, which runs from April to October, should be replicated across the state.

“We need individuals and municipalities to work together to really tackle this problem.” Wolfe said.

Meriden was another city where mosquitoes tested positive for the virus last year.

Meriden Director of Health and Human Services Lea Crown says they want people to be active, but take the necessary precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

After a wet few weeks, she’s expecting a robust mosquito population in the coming months.

“We’re recommending people take a walk around their yard dump out any standing water that might be there—flower pots, bird baths, old tires etc.,” said Crown.

Crown also recommends people avoid being out at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active. And if you do go outside, to wear mosquito repellent.

Meriden mom Tiffany Myers knows about the dangers of mosquito-borne diseases. When it comes to her 6-year-old son Aiden, she isn’t willing to take any risks.

“It’s definitely scary to think that something could hurt your child, like that they could like easily just be gone within the blink of an eye,” said Myers. “I always put the spray on him, the clip on, I do the little wrist band things.”

Meriden PE teacher Arthur Canova says the risk won’t stop his students from enjoying the good weather.

“It was just a really nice day, and I wanted to get them outside just to get some fresh air,” he said, “I want them to have fun but be cautious and wear their bug spray.”

Three classmates accused of burning down the Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford entered not guilty pleas in court Tuesday.

This is the first time we’re seeing the Stratford teens, now that they’re facing charges as adults.

Eighteen-year-old Christopher Sakowicz, 18-year-old Vincent Keller, 17-year-old Logan Caraballo denied all charges against them.

According to arresting documents, Keller texted Sakowicz “My brother are (sic) work has made the national news,” after news of the fire broke.

Keller’s lawyer Frank Riccio has said his client is a smart kid, who associated himself with Sakowicz, a troubled young man.

Sakowicz’ lawyer says he has no comment at this time.

Arresting warrants say the third teen, Caraballo, drove the boys to the theatre. His lawyer says he doesn’t believe the state’s evidence will match charges filed against his client.

“It’s been a very long process to date and we’re still just getting started. We’ll let the process work itself out. All the evidence has to be provided now. That will take a number of court dates and a number of months and ultimately we will see some resolution. We just don’t know when,” said Riccio.

Two of the three teens, Sakowicz and Keller, are accused of setting a handful of fires.

They were also arraigned for another fire in Stratford Tuesday. The two 18-year-olds denied burning a mulch hauling truck in March. One of the owners of the Good Earth Tree Care Company in Stratford says the loss has set them back about two months, a hardship at the start of their busy spring season.

Also Tuesday, the West Haven Police Department accused Sakowicz and an unnamed teen for two structure fires there in February. Keller’s lawyer says that unnamed teen is his client.

Monday, EnCon police announced Sakowicz and Keller face charges of vandalism and arson for setting fire to two metal storage containers at Silver Sands State Park in Milford last month.

“The most serious of the charges that stem from every incident is an arson first degree charge. If convicted of that charge, there’s a mandatory minimum ten year jail sentence, so yes, we’re talking extraordinarily serious charges and the family and Mr. Keller is taking it very seriously,” Riccio said.

Jorge was driving a friend’s car in December 2017 when a police officer in Long Island stopped him. Because the car’s registration had expired, and because Jorge was driving without a license, the officer slapped him with a $300 fine. 

“Thank god he only gave me a ticket,” Jorge, 49, told NBC in Spanish.

It could have been much worse. Jorge, who asked to only be identified by his first name because of safety concerns related to his immigration status, knows that often when police stop drivers without a license, they contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Undocumented immigrants like Jorge are barred from getting driver’s licenses in most states, and routine stops or minor traffic offenses can escalate into detention or deportation.

According to advocates, that has become increasingly true under the Trump administration. Even in a left-leaning state with immigrant-friendly policies such as New York, there has been an uptick in arrests and deportations of undocumented residents for driving without a license, said Anu Joshi, senior director of immigrant rights policy at New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC).

“Since the Trump administration has come into power, what we’ve seen is that Border Patrol and ICE are really operating with impunity, and in a much more reckless and seemingly random fashion,” Joshi said.

An ICE spokesperson said "the agency focuses its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security" and "does not conduct sweeps or raids that target aliens indiscriminately." But, he continued, "those in violation of immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States." 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to request for comment on their operations. 

As states grapple with ramped up federal immigration enforcement, politicians and advocates are recommending safeguards for undocumented communities, including giving immigrants who are in the country illegally access to driver’s licenses. Already, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico have systems in place that let residents drive legally, regardless of their immigration status.

Lawmakers in a dozen other states have introduced legislation that would allow undocumented residents to apply for licenses; Democratic strongholds such as Massachusetts and New Jersey are among them, as are states such as Kansas, North Carolina, Minnesota, Texas and Florida. 

In New York, as in many other states, proposed legislation would represent a restoration of rights for undocumented residents, who lost their ability to drive legally because of measures that took effect after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Immigrant rights groups have been advocating for access to driver’s licenses for years, and former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer tried to reform the license policy more than a decade ago. When NYIC assesses priorities among its members through roundtables, one-on-one conversations, and surveys, this is the issue that rises to the top, Joshi said.

Beyond protecting undocumented immigrants from arrest and deportation, legislators and advocates in New York say their bill, the Driver’s License Access and Privacy Act, would improve public safety and contribute to state and local revenue. “It really is in the public’s interest, regardless of immigration status, to make sure that everybody who is already driving on the roads anyway is properly trained and licensed and is able to be held accountable for the way that they drive,” said New York Sen. Julia Salazar, who co-sponsored the bill.

In states that have already implemented such policies, research indicates that in some cases, uninsured rates, alcohol-involved crashes, and fatal crashes dropped after the law changed. In California, hit-and-runs decreased, “suggesting that the policy reduced fears of deportation and vehicle impoundment,” according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. One widely cited but contested statistic based on data from the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division showed that the uninsured rate in New Mexico plummeted from 33% in 2002 to 9.1% in 2011, coinciding with the change in law.

Port Chester, New York, Police Chief Richard Conway said licensing undocumented drivers would set a minimum standard of competency for people who will drive regardless. It would also save his department man hours. Whenever an officer catches a driver without a license, that usually results in impounding the vehicle, Conway said. If undocumented drivers were licensed, officers could spend that time more efficiently.

“I think it would be a big help to law enforcement, and I think it would make streets generally safer,” Conway said.

Fiscally, the New York bill that would license an estimated 265,000 people within three years would provide a one-time $26 million revenue bump as well as $57 million annually to the government, according to the Fiscal Policy Institute (FPI). The potential boon comes after Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in February that New York was hit with a $2.3 billion budget deficit thanks in part to federal tax reform from 2017.

It would also mean the purchase of an estimated 97,000 more cars at a time when auto sales are on the decline. And because undocumented immigrants would be able to legally obtain insurance, it would likely result in a modest drop in rates for all New Yorkers with an auto insurance policy, FPI found.

“I think on merits the driver’s license issue deserves a lot of support. There really is no doubt about it,” said Muzaffar Chishti, director of the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute’s (MPI) office at New York University School of Law.

But, Chishti countered, “Immigration is not ultimately about the merits of the argument.”

“When it comes to things like giving people privileges like driving, it sort of taps into the raw feelings about immigration,” he said.

The effort to license undocumented immigrants in New York has support from key players. The New York Times editorial board ran an opinion piece this month backing the measure, and Gov. Cuomo is among its advocates.

“As Attorney General, the governor was one of the few leaders willing to stick his neck out and stand up for this issue,” said Tyrone Stevens, spokesperson for the governor. “Now as Governor, he has repeatedly said that he supports legislative efforts to address this problem.”

An ICE spokesperson said that "a state’s decision on whether to allow an alien to obtain a driver’s license is not relevant to ICE operations." A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the record.

But among the wider public, support is lacking. A March Siena College poll of 700 New York registered voters found that 61% of people opposed allowing undocumented residents to get a New York driver’s license.

One commenter on the recent New York Times editorial wrote that "it is these types of ideas that turn an average Jane away from the Democrat Party," and that by giving undocumented residents access to licenses, "you have as well as legalized them." Another called the policy "a terrible idea," writing that "enabling criminals is akin to aiding and abetting." But in recent years, visa overstays — a civil offense — have far exceeded border crossings, meaning many of the people in the country illegally are not criminals simply by virtue of their immigration status. 

New York Republican Sen. Daphne Jordan, one of the bill’s vocal opponents, authored a petition in which she outlined her misgivings: it would “open the door to voter fraud, bank fraud and ID theft” and create “a loophole for underage children to obtain valid DMV-issued IDs to unlawfully buy alcohol, cigarettes, and quite possibly soon, marijuana,” she writes, among other concerns.

Jordan did not respond to NBC’s repeated requests for comment.

The bill actually requires all applicants for the license to furnish proof of age and identity, and the license itself would include a line saying that it was “not for federal purposes,” such as flying domestically or entering a federal building.

Already, noncitizens who are in the country legally can obtain a driver’s license. New York does not yet have automatic voter registration, there are serious immigration ramifications for noncitizens who vote, and there have not been reports of widespread voter fraud by noncitizens who do have licenses, according to Joshi.

Despite the realities of the bill, its sponsor, Sen. Luis R. Sepúlveda, said it suffers from “an education problem.” Once people begin to understand its benefits, he said, opposition dissipates.

Advocates and lawmakers said some people originally take issue with the measure because they believe it will provide a path to citizenship and give undocumented immigrants access to federal buildings for potential terrorism, none of which is accurate.

What the legislation does allow is for New York residents to use foreign-issued documents as proof of identity and sign an affidavit saying they have not been issued a social security number in order to obtain a standard license. For hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants, that will mean being able to go to work or take a sick child to the doctor without fear of arrest, proponents say.

That could significantly improve the lives of some U.S. citizens as well as undocumented residents. In the United States, most undocumented immigrants have been in the country for a while, and many have laid down roots. MPI estimated that in recent years, 62% of undocumented immigrants had lived in the U.S. for at least a decade; that number clocks in slightly lower at 55% in New York.

Jorge, for example, came to the U.S. 17 years ago. He has two children; his 16-year-old daughter is a U.S. citizen, and his son is covered by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

Like Jorge, one in four undocumented New Yorkers resides with at least one U.S. citizen child under 18. Through data collection and long interviews with immigrants in New York, Robert Smith, a professor of sociology, immigration studies and public affairs at Baruch College and CUNY’s Graduate Center, has identified preventable harms U.S. children with undocumented parents experience because their loved ones are unable to drive legally. Among them are fear and mistrust of the police and emotional harm.

“The kids are not kidding around. They see a police car and they immediately begin to cry,” Smith said.

He found that in three of the four New York counties where he’s conducting research, “no conviction” and “traffic offense” were among the top five reasons for deportation. Also in three of four counties, local authorities were responsible for turning over the highest number of immigrants to ICE, according to his databrief on the subject.

Nationally, ICE does not break down arrests and removals by whether an undocumented immigrant was stopped by local law enforcement for driving without a license, according to its spokesperson. But in fiscal year 2018, a traffic offense not involving driving under the influence was the third most cited reason for an administrative arrest, data from ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations show. 

Smith said the driving issue was an “unavoidable topic” among undocumented interviewees, and that increasingly, the people he spoke to would tell him police officers would pull them over and give them tickets for things they did not even do.

As to why U.S. citizen children fear law enforcement, Smith said, “Their parents are getting deported when they haven’t done anything wrong.”

“I don’t think that anyone wants to see families being separated,” Joshi said. “Parents, fathers being taken away from their kids. Mothers losing their partners. And that’s what’s happening. Every time someone is arrested by ICE or Border Patrol, that is a New York family that is being ripped apart.”

U.S. Border Patrol agents found a 3-year-old migrant alone in a cornfield at the border between Mexico and Texas on Tuesday morning, according to Customs and Border Protection officials.

The boy, who was in distress and crying when agents found him in the Rio Grande Valley near Brownsville, Texas, was identified only by a phone number and his name written on his shoes, the officials said and NBC News reported.

The agents have taken the boy to a U.S. border station and are attempting to find his parents using the number on his shoes, the officials said. So far, they have been unsuccessful and are in the process of transferring the boy to the care of Health and Human Services.

The incident marks a flashpoint in the rising number of families and children crossing the border in recent months. In March, a total of 8,975 children traveling without their parents, but most often in groups, were apprehended at the southern border. The number of families crossing has also climbed, with 53,077 parents and children crossing the border together last month.