>> live from the station taking action for you. this is abc action news. >> right now at 5:30, a pasco county man goes from watching inmates to being one. the heart breaking things that deputies say he did to a child and what triggered it all. good evening. thank you tore joining us. jamison is off tonight. >> i'm laura harris. investigators telling us that detention deputy ryan ferguson choked a little girl and blamed her injuries on a shopping cart accident. >> lauren rozyla is live outside the pasco county sheriff's office where she found out that he has had several complaints on the job before. lauren. >> reporter: that's right, guys. we looked into his work history and we found he has a past record of abandoning his post, leaving the building vulnerable and being late. no indication of child abuse

former pasco county sheriffs deputy ryan ferguson's life on facebook looks like that of a loving father and boyfriend. but sheriffs deputies say he beat a 7-year-old little girl so badly she could barely breath as her 4-year-old brother watched. a complaint affidavit says that he put liquid soap in her mouth as a punishment for lying and threw her on the couch and slapped her according to the report. investigators say he then hit her in the face repeatedly. the girl says he choked her, holding her down as she gasped for year. ferguson denied all of this saying that she was hurt after a shopping cart fell on her. the doctor told investigators there was no doubt that her injuries were from a violent and severe beating. >> justice needs to be done for the child he abused. >> reporter: as soon as the department found out, they arrested ferguson. >> this poor child, what they went through, we have no mercy for anybody whether they had been a former law enforcement officer or not.

>> reporter: they fired him and charged him with child abuse. and ferguson bonded out of the jail here yesterday afternoon. we did go by his home today but no one answered the door. live in new port richey tonight, lauren rozyla, abc action news. >> thank you, lauren. terrifying moments on an american airlines flight. a lightning strike hit the flight midair, forcing it to make an emergency landing. the flight with 55 passengers on board hit turbulence while driving to la guarda yesterday. a bolt of lightning struck, forcing it to make an emergency landing at jfk. you can look at burn marks with damage done to the wings, tail and body. passengers feared the worst. >> i never had this kind of experience. it was the first time for me. >> it was a flash of light and a big explosion. the plane dipped about 100 feet. >> now, lightning hitting

experts say there's nothing to fear. jets are designed to keep the electricity from penetrating the plane's interior. luckily no one was hurt in this case. now the most accurate weather team in florida. abc action weather. >> of course following up on that story, if there's nothing to fear, why did they have to make an emergency landing? that's another story, i suppose. you can see the northern gulf, there is plenty of rain out there. and that line slowly but surely is coming this way. at least for the time being things are quiet. mostly cloudy skies in the overnight. i think we will see a mixture of clouds and sun on saturday. for the river of green downtown, the dying of the river begins at 11:15. the weather looks okay. i mean, definitely some showers around. but not a washout. saturday night into sunday morning, that's when things go downhill. an update on that in a couple minutes.

tomorrow, why not try tampa bay air fest. a couple thousand people are expected to attend. we found the best places to watch the air show without having to go on base. the closest public place is gaston park off of south mcdill avenue. ballast point park and picnic island park is a great place, especially to take your dogs. we found people who have those plans. >> i think that would probably be the best bet so that we're not stuck in the traffic and, you know, having a hard time getting in and getting out. >> because no one likes traffic. for a complete list of show times and what you can bring into the base, head to our website at abcactionnews.com. and air fest not the only event going on in town this weekend. several tomorrow are going to have to impact that traffic. janelle martinez has the lowdown on the streets to avoid.

if you're heading to downtown tampa on saturday, you're not alone. several events happening all at the same time, including the river o'green and the gasparilla bike race that will close streets in downtown. we have bark in the park. now, streets will start closing around 6:00 in the morning. some of the streets, polk, zag and twigs will be closed. they're hoping to have them back open by 8:00 in the evening. also some construction going on at 275 and some of the entrances over in pinellas county. some possible road work happening overnight. this would affect a 54th avenue south and 26th avenue south overnight this weekend. for more on these and other projects happening, make sure that you check out my facebook page at abc action traffic. a nun in pennsylvania is facing shoplifting charges

that's right. she is in the black sweater. toiletries. they rushes out of the store without paying. least. i was shocked. i couldn't believe it, that a nun would do something like that. >> the woman is charged with a minor criminal offense. if she pleads guilty, she will face a fine. an american captured by forces this week earlier this week speaking out on tv recounting the time that he spent in isis control. this as u.s. officials attempt to get the young american back to the states. ray has the details from new york tonight. >> reporter: he said he made a huge mistake. >> i wasn't thinking straight. and on the way there, i regretted. >> reporter: month ham ed speaking out for the first time to television in an exclusive interview. >> where are you from?

>> he was picked up monday by forces in northern iraq. >> when we began to learn about the religion, there was a man who taught us like the religion. >> reporter: he as discovered with his virginia driver's license. it's where he was born, raised and attended college. the young american giving extraordinary detail of the last month that he spent in isis control. >> we got to another house, a lot of foreigners were there. all of the foreigners had to give their ids and passports. >> reporter: he says his journey began in december. he traveled to europe and then head today turkey where he says he met an iraqi girl before arriving in iraq in january. outside his virginia home aggressively telling reporters that his son had nothing to do with isis.

how he lived a normal life. >> he wasn't violent or religious. we got in the same type of trouble. >> reporter: living there was horrific and those that control the iraqi city don't represent islam. abc news, new york. >> ray, thank you. after an out powering of support, an american woman held in mexico for years is now a free woman tonight. he will gat owe left washington to fight crime in mexico. her lawyer claims that mexican authorities arrested her for kidnapping and homicide to send a message to stop other activists like her. judges dismissed the charges against her citing a lack of evidence. a hillsborough county firefighter used to saving lives and helping others is now recovering from a serious accident himself. lieutenant eric valdez was hit by an uninsured driver while riding his motorcycle. a fundraiser will be held at

for the mounting medical bills. >> me and my wife have been doing everything out of our own expense, going back and forth to physical therapists and doctors. it's been a life-changer. >> if you would like to help, visit our website at abcactionnews.com to find out how you can donate to his recovery. still ahead, fighting back. a teacher fired after a student stole her phone and her dignity. the steps she is now taking to get her life back. and an important purchase for every parent. tonight we're looking at the safest strollers for your children that won't cost you a lot of money. and coming up at 6:00, turbulent history. the other flight disasters that have centered on davis islands long before today's deadly

>> new developments tonight in the case of that south carolina teacher who was fired after a student stole her phone and then posted her racy pictures. as abc's eva pilgrim, she is now fighting back in court. >> reporter: she is planning to sue the school district that asked for her resignation after a student stole and leaked partially nude photos of the teacher. >> i feel robbed, violated. it really -- it's something that i'm struggling with on a day-to-day basis. >> reporter: the unidentified 16-year-old student has since been charged with computer crimes and aggravated voirism for copying the photos from her phone. >> i left my phone. i did not knowingly leave my

did not think that a student would do that. >> reporter: union county superintendent david eubanks cesar their is deflecting responsibility for leaving the phone unprotected and her classroom unsupervised. >> teachers have a very strong responsibility to supervise students at all times. our information indicates that she was not where she should have been at the time this took place. >> reporter: arthur sharing with abc news a copy of the lawsuit she says she intends to file. the lawsuit would seek damages for defamation and breach of contract. >> i want to be able to hold my head up and say i did all that i can do to make sure that i'm getting my dignity back. >> reporter: some parents in the community are rallying to arthur's defense. an online petition demanding

a man in a rape case is heading back to jail. a judge revoking the bail late this afternoon. le bre had been free. curfew was part of the requirement but he violated it at least eight times. his lawyer acknowledged that his client tried admittedly to fly under the radar on three occasions. tragic details about a little girl who drowned in a south florida retention pond. rescue crews say the 11-year- old was trying to retrieve her sister's backpack that was thrown into the water. while trying to get it, she fell into the pond and drowned. a bystander pulled her out but not able to revive her. one of the most important things for a mother to get for her child is a safe stroller. you can find them in all different shapes, sizes and prices. we take a look at the latest models to find out which ones

>> reporter: this may look like a luxury vehicle. and it is for a baby. the price tag, $1,300. these new strollers are sure to stand out. with high-end finishes like leather and designer fabrics, they have price tags to match. lucky for us, consumer reports explains that style isn't everything. >> you can find a good stroller and a good looking stroller at almost every price point. >> reporter: consumer reports tests all strollers for safety. maneuverability, and for ease of use. it finds strollers that transition as your baby grows is a better value like this bravo stroller that first seats an infant seat with or without the stroller in place and pounds. >> it has a one hand fold which is easy and itself stands. it's not going to tip over. >> reporter: for similar

it's a consumer reports best buy at $230. if your child is a little older, you may appreciate the convenience of an umbrella stroller. >> it is very lightweight and it also has a very large canopy. it will keep the sun and wind out of your child's face and they can get a good nap in. >> reporter: folding is simple. and you can carry it with just one hand. and it's a best buy at $140. in you don't owe if you don't need all of the bells and whistles, check out this the light. it has the same features as the desire at $80. your child should be fully buckled into the harness at all times regardless what stroller you use. to see other stories from consumer reports go to abcactionnews.com. i'm deiah riley, taking action for you. now the most accurate weather team in florida, abc

$1,300 for a stroller. >> yeah. >> and our producer just told us that aston martin makes one for $3,000. >> just a mere $3,000. >> and you're only going to use it for how long? more power to you if you've got it. >> you can get a good one for a couple hundred bucks. if you have the money, why not. >> why not. >> looking outside, we're looking at a lot of cloud cover out there. this is a word that i will keep using, expect an unsettled weekend. which means it will be overcast, cloudy, showery conditions and at other times sun. with that sunshine, we are bound to warm back up into the mid 80s tomorrow. even with more clouds than sun at times. and yes, a few showers will roll in. i think in terms of the heaviest rain and potentially stronger storms, that will hold off until late saturday night into sunday. now, there will still be rain around off and on saturday and saturday evening. if we're talking about a couple

that possibility is there, although not a huge deal, that would likely be overnight into first thing sunday morning. clouds and 78 right now in tampa. humidity 54%. topped out at 80 today. still above normal. notice the normal is creeping up. now it's up to 77. st. pete, sunny and 76. west and southwest winds coming in off of the gulf at 9 miles per hour. sarasota a good deal of sunshine. 77 and the dew point is 67. satellite picture today, definitely more cloud cover than the last couple of days. there are a few showers now cutting through northern pinellas county. most of it is so light that it's not making it down to the ground. there has been close to an inch of rain in citrus county in the past 24 hours. it can happen and it will happen later tonight and into saturday. so saturday, literally you can expect almost anything. you will have sun, you will have clouds and a few showers.

awful day. down south, a better chance of some more heavier afternoon rain, say, south of sarasota. saturday night into sunday morning and hopefully this will work out perfectly that the line comes through as most of us are sleeping. i do think that the overnight hours saturday night through first thing sunday morning potentially not only heavy rains but stronger thunderstorms. so by 7:00, 8:00, you're looking at a line that could conceivably get volatile. maybe even a couple of severe thunderstorms on a slight or a marginal risk of severe weather, especially north of i- 4. that's the latest storm prediction center update. by sunday morning, look how quickly things clear out. the clouds will linger in the morning. the winds will pick up. it will turn cooler. then it gets windy by sunday evening, as skies clear. and then on monday, you will not recognize the weather

instead of mid-80s for highs, we will see mid-60s for highs. that's on monday. it will feel chillier than that when you throw in the windchill. we're talking windchills. can you believe it. i'm not really all that concerned in terms of overall rainfall totals. i do think we will have to watch that severe threat first thing sunday morning. then things get back to normal by the middle of next week. here is a look at florida's most accurate 7-day. rain off and on saturday through midday sunday. we clear out and cool off. look at the high on monday. 65. but by wednesday, we're right back up to 80 degrees again. >> thank you, denis. still to come, arrested in the classroom. what a substitute teacher did in front of a roomful of children that landed him in handcuffs and a mother in

>> a mother is in tears tonight waiting to learn what will happen to a substitute teacher she says beat and choked her 12- year-old son in school. >> nicole brennan says the teacher got upset with her son who was playing with another child in the special needs class in massachusetts. she claims the teacher grabbed him and slammed him to the cement floor and began choking a school resource officer heard the commotion and ran into the classroom where he says he saw the teacher on top of the boy with his hands around his neck. now let's take a look at what is happening at 6:00. two people killed in a fiery plane crash. coming up at 6:00, why some believe a second plane was somehow involved. >> ihow viewers helped make

>> live from the station taking action for you. this is abc action news. >> we still have no answers. >> now on action news at 6:00, closure turns to mystery. >> a family once searching for their missing father is searching for what killed him 11 years later. first we continue to follow developments after a plane crash claims two lives. i'm laura harris. >> that small plane crash bursting into flames at the airport. >> ryan raiche is there live right now on davis islands. where is the investigation right now. >> reporter: the airport remains closed as investigators

happened. the runway and that is where the crash happened. if the plane did get airborne, it didn't get too high before it came crashing down, killing the two people on board. the plane was heading to pensacola but obviously did not get far. the plane crashed during takeoff, bursting into flames. there are early reports about a second plane somehow involved. but officials have not yet confirmed if that's true. >> there's a lot of different stories that are circulating right now. and right now it will be up to the f.a.a. to do that investigation. >> reporter: the plane is registered to a local company with ties to tampa pilot steven. we reached him by phone but he was too upset to speak about the crash. the names of the two victims have not yet been released. ryan raiche, abc action news. >> thank you, ryan. this is the latest plane crash at the same spot. >> the airport has been the