instructor. >> that's right. duane adrian johnson is charged with killing trisha mccauley. prosecutors reveal in court she was sexually assaulted right before her murder. >> news 4's mark segraves spoke to a friend of the victim of an emotional hearing today. mark? >> reporter: good evening, jim, yeah, i have to tell you that this was one of the most emotional moments in a courtroom that i have ever witnessed in all the years i've been covering crime in this city. when the prosecutor and the defense attorney were going back and forth before the judge, at one moment it all became too much for one of mccauley's friends. greg and marcella have lost one of their best friends in trisha mccauley. when the defense attorney asked the judge to release duane johnson, greg yelled out "no, he's an animal. he stole our friend." >> i was overcome because if there's any possibility that this guy gets released again, i can't live with it, i'll tell you that

>> reporter: it began christmas day, tricia mccauley didn't show up for dinner, ended 36 hours later we police found the popular actress and yoga instructor's body inside her car. johnson is now charged with mccauley's murder. police say during the more than 24 hours mccauley was missing, johnson was driving around in the victim's car. stopping at several locations, including at least four cvs stores. at this cvs on 14th street, johnson assaulted an employee as he was trying to load up a cart with handsoap. court records show johnson has a long history of petty mosts and assaults and had been arrested as recently as one week before christmas for an incident inside another cvs store. in that case, a judge released him but ordered him to wear a gps device and undergo a mental health evaluation. johnson did not comply with that order and was not wearing a gps device when he was r

system is broken in this case and that we pray to gods that our loss is not something that anyone else will ever have to go through again. >> reporter: as for mccauley, she was remembered last night by her friends at a vigil outside the yoga studio where she worked. today her friends are pointing at the criminal justice system that released johnson back into the public time and time again. >> we can't get her back, and that's the reality and that's where we stand. >> reporter: now, it was also revealed in court today that johnson not only drove around in her car for hours with her body in the back seat, but during that time, at some point, he was also driving around with a prostitute in the car and using mccauley's credit card. he told police that she killed herself. prosecutors disputed that allegation. jim, susan, back to you. >> all right. a lot of disturbing new details tonight.

>> thanks, mark. developing now in montgomery county, police want you to take a good look at this surveillance video. they say this woman used a credit card of a missing man to make more than $700 in purchases. the woman shopped at a hyattsville target and a beauty supply store. 36-year-old john donahoe was last seen december 13th at his auburn avenue home in bethesda. news 4's derrick ward talked to his father today about the desperate search for his son. we'll have that part of his story ahead at 5:30. he's coming for cigarettes and cash and police say they want him off the street. news 4's chris gordon has our story tonight from alexandria. >> reporter: this is the picture of the robber police sent us. he entered the 7-eleven in alexandria at about 3:00 in the morning. brandishing a handgun. demanding cash. just an hour earlier in clinton,

robbed a 7-eleven there. >> as our detectives got further into the investigation, they talked to their contacts in other jurisdictions, and found out that a suspect matching this description has robbed six similar convenience stores in p.g. county. >> reporter: prince george's county police just sent us this surveillance camera video of the robber. he's 5'6" tall, about 130 pounds. he carries a revolver-style handgun and wears black and ddi pants, takes cash and cigarettes then leaves. so far no one has been hurt in any of these robberies. this 7-eleven in lanham, maryland, was the first location he hit. on december 21st at 2:00 a.m. since then, he's robbed 7-elevens in buoy, beltsville, temple hills and clinton and a dunkin' donuts store in morningside. police are circulating these still photos of the robber. showing his black pants with three white stripes along the sides. and his handgun.

old. >> he is wearing a mask in these images, but if you recognize characteristics of him, you know, the pants that he's wearing or someone that may fit the general description that may also drive a chrysler 300. >> reporter: police say that's his getaway vehicle. a silver chrysler 300. now, ahead on news 4 at 6:00, we'll tell you how this recent string of 7-eleven robberies relates to a federal investigation of serial 7-eleven robberies that go back to the year 2015. that's the latest live in alexandria, chris gordon, news 4. back to you, susan. >> okay. thanks, chris. a former youth soccer coach is under arrest following sex abuse allegations in maryland. anne arundel county police say this man, 55-year-old eris murray turned himself in last week, accused of sexually assaulting a former player on

eight years ago. the victim came forward in october. murray coached the maryland city mustangs. he's charged with multiple counts of sex abuse, assault and sodomy. we have new video tonight of a terrifying few minutes at a fairfax county hotel. take a look. two masked men walked into the quality inn on richmond highway, one jumps over the counter there. another points what looks like a gun at the person behind it. fairfax county police tell us this happened back on december 15th just before 11:00 in the evening. there's no word on what these guys got away with, but police want to find them. a man who had to be restrained by air marshals on a christmas eve flight has now pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge. >> that man has learned he's also been banned from flying on united airlines for life. the news 4 i-team learned that marshals had to cuff and restrain maren seaver on a flight from switzerland to dulles. according to court filings, he'd be

during the flight and allegedly assaulted a flight attendance after the attendant took alcohol from him. his lawyer admits his client was drunk and planned to catch another flight back to cancun. right now tracking what was a very nice day, even though temperatures today were 20 degrees colder than we were yesterday, it was still nice out there. hit a high today of 51 degrees. yesterday 68. near 20 degrees colder. current temperature right now, though, down to 45. take a look at the rest of the area. 51 down toward richmond. 42 in hagerstown. 44 in state college. there's colder air to the north. that's not what's really coming our way. what is coming our way is some rain. we are going to have that rain in here by early tomorrow morning so watch out for the morning rain. it will coincide with the morning rush. then turning windy tomorrow evening into tomorrow afternoon. so much colder tomorrow night. windchills are going to become a factor tomorrow night into the day on friday. and then, of course, we're tracking a new year's forecast.

amelia draper and i are in today watching the forecast for you. i'll have the latest for you coming up in about 10 to 15 minutes. >> all right. see you then, doug. thank you. strong words and warnings tonight from both the u.s. and israel. prime minister benjamin netanyahu slammed a speech from secretary of state john kerry who warned israel is heading in the wrong direction and against peace. nbc's bill knenealy has more one growing tension now. bill? >> reporter: yes, hello, well today we heard two very candid speeches, the first from john kerry, and then in reply, one from israel's prim minister, benjamin netanyahu. it was a plea, really, to israelis and palestinians to begin new talks, but it was also a warning. firing a flair across israel to alert it to the jewish settlements he believes contribute nothing to israel's society and only isolate it further globally. >> if the choice is one state

israel can either be jewish or democratic. it can nnot be both and it won' ever really be at peace. >> john kerry said he would be candid in his speech, that's exactly what israel's prime minister was. he said the kerry speech was deeply disappointing, a shame, unbalanced, biased against israel and most of it, he said, was about blaming israel. >> but now i must express my deep disappointment with the speech today of john kerry. a speech that was almost as unbalanced as the anti-israel resolution passed at the u.n. last week. >> he said he had proof that the u.s. was, in fact, behind the u.n. resolution last week against israel. very strong speeches, a legacy speech by kerry, but donald trump is likely to take the relationship with israel in a very different direction starting in three weeks'

he said tonight, we cannot allow israel to be treated with disdain. back to you. >> all right, bill, thank you. now to montgomery county and a suspected robbery at a church. a woman says she was in the courtyard of our lady of sorrow church on large avenue around 9:30 last night. she told tacoma park police two men robbed her and ran off. officers used a police dog to try to track the men down but police were not able to find them. the search is on in prince george's county for whoever vandalized dozens of parked cars. >> happened at a metro station. a short time ago, transit released images of persons of interest. they want to talk to the people in these surveillance photos. investigators say sometime in the overnight hours, someone went into the green belt station's parking lot and smashed out windows on about four dozen vehicles. >> we had our car parked here overnight from holidays

the passenger side window was smashed. it's a mess in there. >> investigators say they don't have any reports of items taken from the vehicles. again, if you recognize the people in these surveillance pictures, give police a call. he's repeatedly praised president obama's efforts to ensure a smooth transition, well now president-elect donald trump is reversing course. i'm adam tuss. have you noticed how high the tolls have gotten here along the express lanes in northern virginia? i'll explain the reason why coming up. well, the redskins know if they win, they're in, but there is just one little wrinkle. from redskins park, that story coming up next. and christmas is over, when is it time to take down your christmas tree? it's our nbc washington flash survey, so just log on to our facebook and tell us, do you take it down after christmas, after 12 days, when you get around to

that's me. or maybe you didn't put it up at all. most of you are saying you will take it down when you get around to it. we're taking a short break for you right now, so go to our facebook page and let us know.

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for your commute, something you may want to look at, timing. >> that's right. it turns out you could pay much less on the express lanes in northern virginia if you slightly shift when you commute. >> news 4 transportation reporter adam tuss is live along the beltway in mare are ymaryfi details for us. hi, adam. >> reporter: hey, jim. sounds easy enough, right? change your commute. around here you know that is a tough thing to do. you take a look at the express lanes tonight and the regular lanes of the beltway. see the traffic moving, but, hey, if you shifted your commute, it could mean some more money in your pocket. how much is too much when it comes to express lane tolls? >> i've seen them go 6 bucks or something like that to get to 395 south. that's a little high. >> reporter: 6 bucks is a deal when you consider at times recently the toll has gone close to $30 to travel the length of the beltway express lane. the lanes have seen an increase in traffic recently and with that, tolls rise as a way to

price some people out and keep the lanes flowing. but there's a way to get ahead of skyrocketing tolls by adjusting your travel time. express lane leaders have found the highest tolls are on the lanes between 7:00 and 8:00 in the morning and 5:00 and 6:00 at night. but if you travel outside those times, you can save between 33% and 60% on your trip. >> if you want to save a little bit of money on that toll, leave a little earlier, a little bit later and you're not traveling during that heavily congested period. >> reporter: some drivers say they don't care about the price of the toll. paying for the promise of a speedy commute even during rush hour is worth it. >> i really don't think of it in terms of money. i think of it in terms of what kind of traffic there is. >> reporter: well if you want to save money, a simple 15 minutes earlier or later could do the trick. guys, coming up next hour at 6:00, ll tell you why it's not just extra traffic that's actually hiking up the price of

lanes. jim, back to you. >> all right, see you then. adam, thanks. take a look at these pictures from prince william county. a car crashed into house on horner road near jefferson davis highway in woodbridge. no word yet on what caused the crash just after midnight. once the fire department removed the car, the scene was turned over to the building inspector. the people living there are not back in the home. a bomb threat sent to walmart in the dallas area into lockdown earlier today. police say they got the threat just before 11:00 this morning. after about a half an hour, they allowed customers and workers to move about as normal. this comes after a series of fights and shooting scares at malls all around the country. at least a dozen shopping centers reported issues on the day after christmas. it's unclear if the threat is any way related. the president-elect, himself, is now saying his transition has not been a smooth one. donald trump tweeted today, "doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory president o

thought it was going to be a smooth transition. not." in an interview published earlier this week, president obama suggested he could have beaten trump if he were allowed to run for a third term. despite today's tweets, the presidential transition is in full swing. trump has filled all but four cabinet-level positions. for the 15th year in a row, hillary clinton is the most admired woman in america. a new gallup poll out today shows first lady michelle obama isn't far behind. both women have been in the top ten for years. but clinton has been dominant winning the title of most admired woman 21 times. among men, president obama takes the top spot. it's his ninth consecutive title but also his narrowest victory yet coming in just ahead of donald trump. if you want u to see the entire list, we have a link in our nbc washington app. just open it up and search "most

admired." you, right? >> somehow missed this year. >> right. >> always next year. the redskins getting ready for their biggest game of the season. a must-win game against the giants. >> that's right. news 4 sports reporter sherry burris has more from redskins park. >> reporter: this redskins ball club knowing how serious of a matchup sunday's game against the giants is going to be. they're not taking it lightly. they get a second chance to be in control of their own playoff destiny and they say that they're going to take advantage of every opportunity on sunday. >> any time you get a second chance, it's good. you can't blow it twice. that's the biggest thing. we're in the situation before and we know we have to do, you s have to go out there, execute, be sharp. if you win, you're in. >> you can only ask for another chance and opportunity. we let one go. we know how that feels. definitely not trying to let this one go. >> throughout the course of the season, we had opportunities to put ourselves in better

them. and, you know, once again, we're back in the hunt where we can, you know, take advantage of the opportunity if we win a game. >> there's no release, there's no sigh, there's no breathing, nothing. you said, second chance at life. there's no relax. >> biggest game of the season. obviously. and we got to play our best football. you know, it's week 17. we should be mentally sound. we should be physically in good shape. and ready to roll. a lot to play for. so should be exciting for them. >> reporter: now the players know if they win, they're in when it comes to the postseason but there is this small caveat if the packers and lions tie, then the redskins are out. but the players tell me that they're not even taking that into consideration. at redskins park, sherree burruss, news 4 sports. the boy scouts of america appear to be emerging from controversy surrounding its acceptance of gay scouts and scout leaders. now the rejection of a transgender boy

troop is putting them back in the spotlight. serious health problems in a mold-infested house. how a local company is stepping

we cooled off a little bit but another nice, sunny day today. >> yeah.

and i think there's a change in the weather, though, doug's telling us. >> yeah, you know, the next couple days you have to pull some things out of the closet you haven't needed lately. the umbrellas for sure. the coats again. the gloves. the hats. yeah, they all need to come back out. tomorrow it is just the fact that we'll need the umbrella s t least early in the day. right now, nice conditions across our region. i love this shot, vantage point looking across from the airport as we look at a plane coming in to land from our southern points along the potomac, down toward the woodrow wilson, out toward national harbor. looking great this evening if you're out there, national harbor today, really a nice afternoon. current temperature sitting at 45 degrees under clear skies. dropping through the 40s into the upper 30s by 11:00. temperatures will stabilize as we see the clouds move in. the wind directions begin to shift a little bit. 41 right now in frederick. already down to 35 in thurmont. 33 at dulles. it's cool but not cold by any means. rain, not now but we will see the rain move in and it's moving back to the west right now.

except for way up toward the north. that's going to come in here during the day on friday. but tomorrow, it's a chance for rain. nothing right now. we're looking at the clear skies, but notice just back to our west, we are watching the clouds down to our southwest and this is the rain that's now developing. nothing here and then watch, the rain just starts to develop along this cold front, a little wave along the cold front moves in and that's going to give us our chance for rain during the day tomorrow morning. so let's time it out for you. future weather. taking us through the night tonight. here we are at 1 is 11:00. still on the dry side. for the most part fairly clear. temperatures will continue to drop. i'm not worried about ice in our area. the only exception up toward the mason-dixon line, maybe in some of the mountain areas. that's an bout it. everybody else just rain. 5:00, potentially heavy in parts of the area, at least steady. steady rain through 9:00 along the i-95 corridor. the morning rush definitely going to be a mess. give yourself extra time. take the umbrella.

way into work. any time the windshield wipers are on, remember to turn the lights on, too. by noon, it's out of here. your thursday afternoon gets better as far as the sky cover is concerned. we clear out. we see some sunshine, but the cold air comes in. cold enough for pretty good snows back here toward the west. back toward petersburg, west virginia, snow back there toward the mountains. for us, it just gets windy and cold tomorrow afternoon. high temperatures first off at 50 degrees. morning rain then afternoon winds and we see a little bit of sunshine in the afternoon but then the winds really pick up and gets cold. 42 for a high on friday. windchills only in the 20s and low 30s all day. so a cold day there. saturday, 46. sunday, 50 degrees. right now, new year's eve looking very, very good. amelia draper is going to be in in just a little bit. she'll take you through the new year's eve forecast. i'll be in at 6:00. talking cold and maybe even some snow. that's way off. yeah. way off. >> way. thank you, doug. ll

tonight. >> that's right. a man from a well-known local family is missing tonight. >> what police are telling us about clues that could answer some questions about his disappearance. you can hear the work going on behind this plastic curtain. we're in a spotsylvania county home where a family of three and one on the way recently discovered they had mold throughout. biggest issue, trying to figure out how to pay for the removal. ahead on news 4, we'll share who stepped in to help them out free of charge. and caffeine may be the drug of choice if many of us who don't get enough sleep. >> but in some places the stimulant could get you charged with driving under the influence. you're watching news 4 at 5:00.

retired. i'll take him over these fools playing today. aw come on, man. that's not how this game works. art monk! i want to change my name to hot mamma! lame. you're lame. no! i'm not writing down somebody who's retired! baby, i'm changing my name to hot momma.

the holiday sale is on now at havertys. life looks good.

you're watching news 4 at 5:00. >> the man accused in the murder of a local actress and yoga instructor is being held without bond following an emotional court hearing. duane adrian johnson sb charged with killing tricia mccauley after she disappeared on christmas day. prosecutors say she was victim to a violent sex assault just before she died. and caught in the act, prince george's county police say this surveillance video shows a serial robbery suspect, the man in the mask may be responsible for robbing six convenience stores in a week.

morning. montgomery county police hope new surveillance video leads them to a missing man. >> john donahoe was last seen two weeks ago in bethesda and recently someone started using his credit card. news 4's derrick ward talked to john's father today. he's live in bethesda with the new developments. derick? >> reporter: yeah, good evening. we are in the neighborhood where john was last seen, and people are very worried especially his family because they haven't seen him in over two weeks and they want to know, and this new information is also encouraging but troubling since he hasn't been seen since before christmas. this is a photo of 36-year-old john donahoe, about 145 pounds, 5'11", last seen they think driving his black 2011 chevy equinox, maryland tags 2ak8853. the big development in the surveillance video from thursday, december 22nd. that woman in very distinctive

she was seen in hyattsville at a target store, liquor store and other places using donahoe's credit card. that development makes montgomery county police very anxious to speak to her. >> it appears that she charged approximately $7 00 worth of items on his credit card. so today we're releasing the surveillance video of her using the card and asking for anybody out there who may recognize this individual, or who may know where mr. donahoe is, to please contact our detectives. >> the credit card has been used and john's not here. we don't know what the link is. we need to find john, find out what's going on. >> reporter: indeed, montgomery county police say anyone who has known the whereabouts of mr. donahoe should call them. the family issued an impassioned plea, if he's somewhere and happens to be listening to this, call home and let them know he's safe. live in bethesda, derek ford, news 4. >> thank you. chopper 4 was above the scene of a fire

montgomery county firefighters received a call about smoke coming from the roof of a commercial building here on neble road between old georgetown and randolph road. everyone inside that building was able to get out okay. chopper 4 also up over in northern virginia where a crash closed the eastbound lanes of i-66 for a while this morning. at least two cars collided at that ramp at nutley street, exit 62. it was pretty serious as you can see. see the front of the white van is pushed in. one of the doors is missing. no word on injuries at this time. a family in spotsylvania county is coping with serious health problems that could be linked to mold in their home. they're expecting their second child and with bills piling up, they're getting a generous helping hand tonight. bureau reporter david culver has more on the local company stepping in to help them. >> reporter: w

son, levi, and one on the way, alexis and ryan davis thought the house they bought two years ago was perfect for their growing family. until one by one, they started getting sick. >> the whole family has kind of had lots of upper respiratory issues since we moved in, he's gotten bronchitis several times, our son has had asthma issues. >> reporter: out of concern it was sting omething in the air, decided to call in an expert. >> microbial staining that's already started from the mold growing in that area. >> reporter: dan's alexandria-based franchise, advanaclean, did the inspection, found the basement covered in mold. >> the insulation actually absorbs many of the mold spores. so we'll pull down the insulation. that will expose the subfloor and floor joists. >> reporter: it cost the davises at least $2,000, if not more. >> that was heart pounding. i was breaking sweats. >> reporter: paying for this process, that was the struggle for the davis

about anything including their kid's own toys. >> we were trying to figure out every possible scenario by selling anything and everything that we could. >> reporter: alexis tried to work out a payment plan. >> okay, i said, you know, how much is it going to be? >> reporter: but dan wouldn't agree to that. wouldn't take their payments. >> no, sir, i'm not going to charge them anything. >> reporter: instead he told the davises he'd cover it all, his holiday gift to a family he didn't even know. the reason, he points to the family's financial hardships and ryan's work as a volunteer firefighter. his dream to become a full-time first responder one day. >> and i'm happy to give back to somebody who's giving back to the community as well. so i'm glad to participate in that. >> so right now, it's still kind of settling in that this is something that he is doing for us and i don't know how i will ever thank him. >> reporter: on news 4 at 6:00, if you've got mold concerns in your home, dan pl

having it removed. in spotsylvania county, virginia, i'm david culver, news 4. 2016 hasn't just claimed the lives of celebrities and music legends. 74 journalists were killed this year. reporters without borders says the majority of them were targeted for their work. others died on the job. the group says the number of journalists killed is down this year, but it says fewer journalists are working in the most dangerous countries. it's the first time the group included citizen journalists in its report citing their growing contribution to the profession. many people plan to ring in the new year at a club or a bar and one organization wants to keep you safe while you're out. safe bars is training d.c.-area bartenders and staff to look out for warning signs of sexual assault and to stand up against sexual harassment. the program teaches them how to intervene in situations that they think go too far. they're trained to step in,

off drinks. >> some people go out, everybody wants to have fun. as soon as somebody starts imposing on somebody else and they're not having fun anymore, right? so we want our places to be warm and inviting for everybody. >> 20 d.c. bars have gone through the program and plans to expand other cities in the future. coming up, takata could be close to a settlement with the doj over its massive exploding airbag recall. an uber driver may have driven himself in the recordto with the xfinity tv app, anything with a screen is a tv. stream 130 live channels. plus 40,000 on demand tv shows and movies,

you can even download from your x1 dvr and watch it offline. only xfinity gives you more to stream to any screen. download the xfinity tv app today.

we're back now with an update on troubled airbag manufacturer, takata. >> the company could pay up to a billion dollars to settle a probe, between takata and the u.s. department of justice is expected soon. takata is at the center of the largest recall in u.s. history after its exploding airbags have led to hundreds of injuries and numerous deaths. the settlement would resolve allegations of criminal wrongdoing related to its faulty airbag inflaters, the "wall street journal" reported. both parties are discussing the possibility of takata pleading guilty to criminal misconduct as part of that settlement. well the holidays may have brought your child that new device they've been asking for, like most parents you might be wonderi

are up to on their devices. now there are three smartphone apps designed to help you monitor and keep your kids safe while they're glued to their phones. >> any mom who has a kid who drives. >> yes. >> you aren't aware, this app actually gives you the exact area of where he is. >> i see him there. i see him in the deli. >> nbc investigative correspondent jeff rossen shows us the new apps you can download to keep track of your kids' every digital news coming up on "nightly news" tonight. metro rail will stay open until 3:00 a.m. on new year's day to help you get home safely. even better, all rides after midnight are free. you still have to tap your smart chip card but won't be charged if you enter the station after midnight. bus rides are also free. up in new york they're getting the ball ready for times square. for all of you who can't wait for 2016

a second, to be exact. that's for what's called a leap second. according to science and research site, fizz.org, since 1972, we have added an extra second to the clock every 500 days. that's because earth's rotation is apparently irregular because of forces like the moon's gravitational impact on our ocean's tides. this leap second will happen just before 7:00 saturday evening. so -- >> who knew? >> if you're late or early, that may be the reason why. >> all right. well, hatchimals, for many they went from being the hottest toy this holiday season to being one of the most heartbreaking and annoying gifts under the tree. his attorney says she never has seen a case like this. never even heard of it. her client facing a dui charge but the only drug found in his system was caffeine. and take a look at tomorrow morning right around 6:00

when it ends, and what you can

it's probably part of your morning routine. you grab a cup of coffee before heading out the door, but as tom miller explains, what appears to be too much caffeine has one california man facing a dui charge. >> reporter: on a summer afternoon, 36-year-old joseph schwab was coming home in fairfield after a long day in august 2015. >> i deal with work, i'm a little tired, had a

this northern. >> reporter: suddenly an alcohol beverage control agent pulled him over on 680 near gold field road, claims he was weaving in and out of traffic and seriously under an influence of a drug. >> i was 100% confident i was not under the influence of anything. >> reporter: the solano county district toeattorney says insid schwab's car the agent found workout parties like these. >> the driver seemed amped up, agitated, very combative and she thought he was under the influence of something. >> reporter: the agent gave a field sobriety test and arrested schwab. then in jail, he agreed to a blood test but the results came back negative. except for one drug, caffeine. >> i didn't believe it. >> reporter: schwab's attorney, stacey barrett, doesn't understand why the dui charge stuck. >> i actually consulted with both of the other attorneys in my office to make sure that i wasn't missing something. >> reporter: we talked to a forensic toxicologist with

edwin smith believes if anything, the substance improves the ability of most drivers. >> very few, if any of those people, are actually having, you know, problems functioning in a task like driving. most are probably doing it as well and potentially even better than they would do without it. >> reporter: however, the d.a. is still moving forward with the dui charge. she believes it was not caffeine, but some other drug not on the test that influenced schwab. but she admits a conviction won't be easy. >> this is a case without a blood result, right, so it makes it a very difficult challenge to prove in court to not have the blood result. >> reporter: now 16 months later, the arrest has hurt schwab both financially and professionally. >> looked like i was undependable, and when you tell this type of story to somebody, they naturally are not going to believe it. >> reporter: he and his attorney want the charges dropped. insisting caffeine is not a crime. >> i certainly hope this isn't something that other drivers have to be concerned about.

it was so nice yesterday and it's a little bit less nice today. >> yeah. >> tomorrow. >> tomorrow even lesser. >> as we look to the holiday weekend, it's not going to be that bad. you're right, yesterday we were near 70 degrees, and numbers like that just aren't in the forecast. but we are talking about some cold air moving in toward the end of the ten-day. i'll make sure to point that out to you. first we're going to be tracking rain moving in between about 3:00 and 5:00 a.m. and showers continue for the morning hours coming to an end around lunchtime. as showers wind down, the winds pick up. windy later in the day tomorrow and throughout the day on friday. your second weather headline. new year's eve, whether you're outside or heading to a friend's house or out to dinner, it's looking dry but is looking kind of chilly, cold. what we would expect for the end of the year. currently we're in the 30s and 40s. 45 in washington. 41 in frederick. 45 degrees in lees bur s

clouds move in overnight tonight. rain moves in, again, between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m. want to point this out to you on future weather at 4:00 a.m. hagerstown, a little bit of blue and pink on the map. slight chance of an isolated wintery mix in far western maryland and panhandle of west virginia as rain moves in. for most of us, this is a rain-only event. there are going to be wet roads tomorrow morning. you want to keep that in mind. 6:00 a.m., light to moderate showers across the area. we continue to track train around 8:00 a.m., as we work our way to the mid and late morning hours. rain winds down by noon. well, the sunshine's coming out. and we're mainly dry then for the rest of the day. just a small chance for an isolated afternoon shower on your thursday. high tomorrow around 50, so similar to today, but remember, it is going it be blustery later in the day tomorrow, into the evening hours. that wind forecast during the morning hours, it's really not a problem, but notice as we head into the afternoon and evening hours, it's windy. then on friday, it stays windy. we're talking about winds ab

and with the winds on friday, it will feel like we're in the 20s and 30s. as we look to the holiday weekend, for new year's eve, we'll find temperatures in the 40s and 30s. so if you're going to be standing outside, you definitely want the hat, the gloves and the scarf. it's looking dry. good news there. now for the redskins game, i can't rule out some showers as the game's winding down. keep that in mind, maybe pack the poncho just in case. doug will continue to update the forecast on news 4 at 6:00. i'll be in tomorrow morning for chuck. if you're traveling over the holiday weekend, again, looking mainly dry. plenty of clouds. not a huge concern for sun glare. take a look at the next ten days. friday a high of 42. again, with the winds, it feels like we're in the 20s and 30s throughout the day. new year's eve day, a high of 46 degrees. so normal for this time of year. january 1st, plenty of clouds, a high around 50. then, guys, this is what i was talking about, notice next

highs only in the mid to low 30s. cold air moving in for the beginning of 2017. >> all right. thanks, amelia. well, one of the hottest holiday toys is disappointing even offending some parents. people say the furry little companion known as the hatchimal can actually curse. some parents say they had some awkward moments with their kids. >> what's it want me to do? >> i just turned it off, turn it off and lay there with it and we'll take care of it from there. >> other people have said the toy doesn't work as advertised. spin master, which makes the toy, the company says it's committed to resolving the issues. they're adding customer service representatives to help those unhappy customers. well, even if you've never been to new york, you're still familiar with the big apple's traffic reputations. check this out, an uber driver says he hit nearly 240 green lights in a row in manhattan. noah foreman posted this video

journey. in it he goes from harlem to washington square park, downtown up to midtown then down to the lower east side. foreman says he hopes to one day double his luck and hit 500 consecutive greens. how come that never happens to me? >> because you have to be up at 4:00 in the morning. >> there you go. now to a birthday tribute for the only u.s. president to be buried right here in the district. the u.s. armed forces laid a wreath at the tomb of woodrow wilson in honor of what would be his 160th birthday today. the 28th president's grave site is located on main floor of the national cathedral here in northwest. >> president wilson was very important figure in our history, you know, led us into the first world war and then had a real vision for what the world might look like coming out of world war i and how he tried to shape a lasting peace which obviously didn't last, but he really tried hard to shape a lasting peace. >> now wilson's legacy has been

recently. this year, princeton university announced it would remove his mural from a dining hall following student protests. wilson, as you may know, supported racial segregation and removed black federal government employees from office back in 1913. if you're looking for something to do with the family on new year's day, we have an easy, free idea for you. take everyone to one of virginia's 37 state parks. admission won't cost you a thing. plus, if you take a family picture and most it on the virginia state park facebook page before midnight, you could win a $500 prize. not bad. to find the park closest to you, open our nbc washington app and search "virginia parks." coming up, the boy scouts of america is no stranger to controversy when it comes to membership rights. today it's facing tough questions after banning a child over his gender identity.

definitely let, you know, a different -- different -- any person in. all new at 6:00 tonight, despite her iconic role as princess leia, and her work as a screenwriter, carrie fisher does no have a star on the hollywood walk of fame. until now.

check this .

dozens of people out of their homes in bethlehem, pennsylvania. someone smelled a strong odor of natural gas early this morning. firefighters evacuated a four-block area due to the gas leak. about 30 people had to leave. some are sheltering now at a nearby school. 2016 could be the best holiday shopping season in a decade. the numbers are still coming in, but retailers pretty happy. this year, they saw a big boost in a last-minute shopping and a solid start to the post-christmas shopping period. one well-known retail analyst with customer growth partners expects holiday sales to increase by almost 5% this season. well, he is only 8 years old but he's taking on the boy scouts of america. joe says it's not fair he was asked to leave his cub scout pack because he is transgender. michael george with our sister station in new york has his story.

other 8-year-old boy, he loves his puppy, oreo. >> ouch. >> reporter: he loves playing with his toy drone. >> oh, no. >> reporter: he loves being a cub scout. what do you do in the cub scouts? >> do science experiments, do barbecues. technically we do stuff that's really natural. >> reporter: after just one month in the scouts, joe says he was told he couldn't come back. they kick you out of cub scouts. >> yes, because i was born a girl. >> reporter: joe's mother, christy, says since the age of 2 joe has identified as a boy. she claims a boy scouts official called her and said joe was no longer allowed in. >> i was in shock, upset. >> this is my room. >> the kids didn't have a problem. he's with all his friends. he was having fun. >> reporter: joe told me he doesn't understand why he can't be a scout. >> i really don't know. i don't know, it's just no fair. >> reporter: boy scouts tell news 4 membership is based on the gender listed on the child's birth certificate. in a statement they told us,

eligibility requirementses to participate in this program. so boy scouts of america leadership reached out to the family to inform them and share information on alternative programs." but joe says he just wants to be back with his friends in the scouts. do you want to go back? you want to do it again? >> absolutely. >> reporter: michael george, news 4, new york. now at 6:00, an emotional outburst in court. friends of a local actress and yoga instructor overcome by grief as her accused killer is charged with murder. outgoing secretary of state john kerry delivers his plan for peace in the middle east today, but israel's prime minister says he's ready to deal with president trump. and new concerns about a local man missing for more than two weeks now. now that someone else is using his credit card. news 4 at 6:00 starts now. >> and good evening, everybody, first up tonight at 6:00, an

courtroom today. friends of a popular local actress and yoga teacher came face to face with her accused killer. >> duane johnson made his first appearance before a judge in the murder of tricia mccauley. news 4's mark segraves joins us live from court with the grim new revelations in this case. mark? >> reporter: yeah, good evening. the hearing was short but as you said, it was very emotional. particularly for two of mccauley's friends who sat in the back row of the courtroom. as they listened to the prosecutor describe what happened to their good friend, it became just too much for them. afterwards, they said they're angry at the suspect, but they're also angry at the criminal justice system which released duane johnson time and time again. despite numerous arrests. >> we can't get her back, and that's -- that's the reality and that's where we stand. >> reporter: as tricia mccualey's good friends sat in the courtroom, they became overwhelmed with grief as the