thomas sr. represented ward 5 for three terms. harry thomas jr., ward 5 councilmember since 2006. here now from councilwoman alexander. >> my thoughts are with ward 5. you know, let's hope they get their representation. we are going to move forward. >> reporter: ward 5 is one of the largest in the city with 74,000 people. it's bounded on the north by eastern avenue, on the south by florida avenue, on the west by north capital street and on the east by the anacostia river. vincent used to represent ward 5. he's at large now. he says he'll act as a foster councilman for that ward. >> it's my intention to call a meeting of the ward 5 leadership and see how we move forward. >> reporter: let me correct something i said. it came as a result of information not indictment. that means a plea agreement would be forthcoming. this is uncharted waters for the city. it's unclear what impact this will be on the people of ward 5, what impact it will have on the people of our city. back to you. >> pat collins reporting. thank you, pat. >>> the thomas investigation is one of three major scandals be

i. >> thomas cleaned out his offices over the weekend. the wardtheast washington. the special election could draw a dozen candidates or more. all vying to fill the final three years of thomas' term. local residents are anxious to vote. >> it's for the people. hopefully we get a better leader for this ward. >> reporter: tom sherwood, news 4 washington. >>> still to come, some doctors say the joke about being addicted to the internet may be truer than we know. >> i think it's wonderful, because these are stories that should be known, they should be heard. >>> the widow of a tuskegee airman >>> two local elementary schools are among six in maryland being honored. the rachel carson school has made significant advancements in school assessments. 98% are efficient or advanced in reading and math. the second school is whitehall in buoy. parents are also commended for their involvement in the school and activities. >>> you hear about people who can't live without their smart phones. there may be some truth to people being addicted to the internet. a study

they were made by thomas ward. he came to jamestown in 1619. we have historical documentation for that. and hiss kiln site was found in the 1950s by john cotter on the national park service property. and these are some of hiss products that -- i'm trying to do minimum object counts. i do shard counts, that is, i count all the fragments of this pottery type, and i also do minimum object counts. and i do that by isolating rooms and bases that belong together. and i can tell if i'm looking at these, different vessels that are represented in this layer from the well, it's layer "d." we've got milk cans represented and a jug here with a nice little spread foot, a little turned up on the edge there. very well made. a little drinking cup here. very thin. the fabric is identifiable because it is chalky and buff colored. it's james river clay. you can see there's quite a bit of variety in the colors of the glazes. much is dependent upon the kiln conditions. a typical day here at jamestown consists of sorting and identifying objects and entering them int

swift. >> a very difficult day for the council, for the government, i'm sure for the thomas family and the residents of ward> i'm extremely sad and actually devastated by this turn of events. even though i had asked for councilmember thomas to resign months ago when he agreed to pay back the money that he took, i had this feeling now because the reality is crashing in on me, that there really is no explanation. >> reporter: that stolen money was meant for youth sports programs in the district. thomas is accused of spending it on his own personal luxuries and suv and a motorcycle. he is due in court at 11:15 this morning for that plea hearing. meanwhile, the city is preparing to hold a special election to fill his ward 5 council seat. that will cost the city $300,000. that is the late here from federal court. back to you. >> thank you. >>> in the meantime, d.c. council chair kwame brown spoke to fox 5 saying several times it is time for the healing process to begin. but wtop political analyst mark plotkin says brown all has his own ethics allegations to think about. >> time to resister to sister trust and we

thomas sr. represented ward 5 for three terms. harry thomas jr., ward 5 councilmember since 2006. here now from councilwoman alexander. >> my thoughts are with ward 5. they, you know, let's hope they get their representation and we are going to move forward. >> reporter: it's one of the largest wards in the city with 74,000 people. it's bounded on the north by eastern avenue on the south by florida avenue, west north capital street and on the east the anacostia river. vincent used to represent ward 5. he's at large now. he says he will act as a foster councilman for the ward. >> it's my intention to call a meeting for the ward 5 leadership and talk through this matter and see how we move forward pursuant to the law. >> reporter: this is unchartered territory for the city. it's unclear how deep the impact will be for the people of ward 5. the people of our city. back to you. >> pat collins, thank you, pat. >>> the harry thomas case is one of three scandals investigated by prosecutors right now. mayor gray's campaign is under investigation for corruption allegations. his campaign st

the thomas family has been very influential in ward five for decades now. since his father first held the council seat. so, as you can imagine, the corruption conviction is a huge blow and has divided the ward but at least one community member that i spoke with yesterday is calling for unity and a fresh start. >> it needs a serious leadership on all levels. we do need to have a way to bring the community together to say ok, this has happened. it is something that i know it is hurtful. but we can get beyond this and we can really move on. >> reporter: it is really the goal for everyone involved. getting beyond this corruption scandal. moving on as a ward and as a stronger ward. but i also asked debbie steiner, a long-time activist and she says you know, we can't really make it happen in the short time period, in the four months we have before the special election. so, while she is calling on a vigil or she's calling on some kind of unity formation for all of the members of the ward to get together and say we need to move on as a unit at this point. the proce

harry thomas was a no show at yesterday's council hearing. the ward five council member has never been convicted but accused of taking $300,000 in city money to pay for luxury vehicles and vacations. sources tell us thomas will plead guilty to at least one felony charge and could do up to three years in jail. according to reports, thomas met with friends last week to apologize about the situation. the mayor says he hasn't heard from thomas in some time. >> the justice system has been given an opportunity to work and i think that's the fair way to do this. and if council member thomas chooses to resign, he is then taking that action. what we hope is to be able to hope the residents of ward five are well-represented. >> reporter: speaking of representation for the residents of ward five, council members' ward, of course, i spoke to councilperson kwame brown. he told me if this resignation does take place, the city will hold a special election and they will have to refill that seat. harry thomas' ward five council seat within 114 days. we'll have much mo

but he says if indeed this is true, that there will be a special election to replace harry thomas on that ward five council seat. that special election will take place soon after the resignation which we're told will happen in the next coming days. they have to replace harry thomas jr. within 114 days after he resigns. j.c., that's the very latest. back to you. >> delia, thank you very much. >>> d.c. mayor vincent gray and some council members will go to new hampshire to make their case that the district should become the nation's 51st state. it is part of a new outreach effort in which statehood advocates will be asking state legislatures to pass resolutions supporting that cause. >>> the chair of the d.c. city council wants every high school student to take a college entrance examination. even if it means forcing them. kwame brown is proposing that each student be required to take either the s.a.t. or the a.c.t. before graduation. and to apply to at least one vocational school or college. brown's proposal would create a workshop to teach students how to apply to schools and also how to get f

accused of and has admitted to, i was personally hurt and devastated. >> reporter: with thomas' resignation, ward 5 residents will go without a council member until a special election can be held. that has to be done within 114 days. harry thomas jr. due in court later this morning at 11:15. back to you in the studio. >> megan mcgrath live in northwest this morning. megan, thank you. stay with news 4 and nbcwashington.com for continuing coverage of the harry thomas case. we'll have full coverage leading up to his plea hearing later this morning. >>> right now montgomery county police are looking for a missing teenager. police are asking for your help in finding a teen who was last seen yesterday in rockville. 14-year-old anthony alexander escobar was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and tan sweat pants. he's about 5'5" and weighs 140 pounds. anyone with information is asked to call montgomery county police at 301-279-8000. >>> crews will be fixing tracks on four of the five metro lines. as a result, trains will be single traging. on the red line, trains will single track between dupont

there will be a special election held for replacement for former council member harry thomas for ward five. we're going to take a break. when we come back, howard will have the weekend forecast. >> j.c., what a weekend. some folks are going golfing here! golfable weather through the weekend. we'll talk about that. is there a cold front on the way. it is all coming up when 9news now returns. i just had it with cable. it just got more frustrating and frustrating. a lot of times, the picture would break up. for the amount of money that i am paying, my cable company should take care of me. [ male announcer ] stop paying for second best. move up to verizon fios tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years. first time we saw tv on fios was amazing! i was just in a trance watching it. i'm discovering new channels every day. [ male announcer ] and here's a special bonus: sign up now and get $300 back with a two-year contract. fios internet -- the speed, you can't compare. i'm able to take care of things much faster now. [ male announcer ] st

thomas. with the councilmember increasingly distracted from representing his northeast ward 5. d.c. council chairman kwame brown was asked tuesday if thomas could still be a productive member of the council. brown responded in a way that suggests he is preparing for thomas' legal battle to continue, or his resignation. >> we'll do everything we can to make sure the residents of ward 5 continue to have things move forward. whether the economic development projects, sure that we have a stand alone middle school in ward 5 ready to go. whether we make sure that any of the services are taken care of. we'll continue to make sure that the residents of ward 5 are well represented. >> thomas has denied any legal wrongdoing but increasingly has with drawn from council debates and other activities as he struggled with his legal troubles. in addition to thomas, chairman brown himself and mayor vincent gray also under separate investigations into possible wrongdoing, raising questions about the entire city government. >> until the investigation by the u.s. attorney are resolved, involving the may

i. >> reporter: thomas cleaned out his offices over the weekend. the wardive seat is largely located in northeast washington. the special election could draw a dozen candidates or more. all vying to fill the final three years of thomas's term. local residents are anxious to vote. >> it's the sort of people. hopefully we get a better leader for this ward. >> prosecutors say they're continuing the investigation into who else may have helped thomas steal government money. >>> the d.c. council passed an emergency bill today limiting where medical marijuana can be grown and sold in the city. to grow it, organizations must contain a cultivation center license. a news 4 investigation found the vast majority of cultivation centers applied to set up in ward five because of its available warehouse space. residents who live near the proposed locations say they don't want to become ground zero for the program. vincent orange introduced the bill which ultimately limited the number of cultivation centers to six per ward. if a ward has five or more, then only one dispensa

reporter: the fbi raided thomas' home in northeast december 2nd investigating allegations the ward 5 council member stole $300,000 in city grant moneys meant for children's programs and bought himself a car, motorcycle and trips to play golf. >> apparently what the feds are looking at is that there was an effort to launder this money and hide it. reporter: joe degeneva is a former u.s. attorney through the district of columbia and says if thomas resigns, it will be of his rosen making. >> there are dog guide -- of his own making. >> there are dog guidelines that have -- doj guidelines that have permitted his resignation to be offered freely and without coercion as part of a deal in order to encourage a prosecutor to either reduce the charges or to reduce the fine or something. reporter: thomas was not home when we stopped by late this afternoon. his wife later told me off camera she had nothing to say about her husband's possible resignation which ward 1 council member jim graham says saddens him greatly. >> it was all there. he had important committees. he had an important future. h

thomas jr. did. he was a ward five council member for three full terms before he passed in 1999. the charges against him carry 13 years behind bars. he's likely to serve about three. harry thomas jr. in court. mike? >> stay tuned. a lot more to come on that. delia gonsalves is live outside federal court. we have more on the case against harry thomas at wusa9.com. you can read his entire statement about his resignation. you can check out the charging documents against him all on the front page of wusa9.com. >>> a d.c. health department report on the conditions at the occupy protest sites hits the mayor's desk. the city's health director turned up at mcpherson square encampment. there have been complaints the garbage is creating a rodent problem. some protestors deny the claims. the health department will likely make additional recommendations after thursday's inspection. >>> the grandmother convicted of throwing her 2-year-old granddaughter to her death will be sentenced later today. a jury convicted carmella de la rosa in october of first-degree murder. the jury rejected the defen

ward 5 city councilman harry thomas jr. tells abc 7 news that he will not confirm or deny reports that he is stepping down. noticeably absent from this morning's monthly d.c. council breakfast, ward 5 city councilman harry thomas. news broke last night that he will resign amid a growing scandal. he did not talk to us this morning. >> it private property. >> the rest of city council did not have a lot to say about their colleague and his impending resignation. >> i don't really have a comment. >> it residents watched last month as fbi agents raided his house on 17th street after prosecutors accused him of diverting $300,000 in taxpayer funds to himself to pay for golf trips and a luxury-car among other things off. as part of a plea agreement wtop reports in battled council and has agreed to resign from his position, but what is uncertain is when he will leave office. >> it is only reports at this stage. >> that's not all. as part of the deal struck with pete hoekstra with prosecutors in which he did not admit guilt he was sup

thomas sr. who represented the residents of ward 5 on the d.c. council over a decade. back there is the councilman's office. he hasn't shown up for work today and word ask harry thomas jr. has given his staff permission to find work elsewhere. >> there is hurt and disappointment, but we will get passed. this. reporter: sources say thomas is now telling close associates as part of a plea deal offered by prosecutors he would resign from office, pleaded guilty to at least one felony tax evasion charge, maybe more and the councilman says he would be facing two to three years in prison. >> the justice system has been given an opportunity to work and i think that's the fair way to do this. if council member thomas chooses to resign, he is taking that action and what we hope is to be able to make sure the residents of ward 5 are well represented. reporter: thomas' legal team and federal prosecutors are set to meet again tomorrow. bruce johnson, 9 news now. >>> voters in new hampshire will have one less republican to choose from next tuesday in the primary. minnesota congresswo

thomas is planning to resign? >> reporter: the charging documents lay out the case federal prosecutors have against ward five council member harry thomas. two felony counts here. the first count, prosecutors say thomas embezzled, stole, obtained by fraud more than $353,000 in district of columbia funds. officials believe it took place from april 2007, to february 2009. and count two has to deal with federal income taxes. the court papers laid out how much he slipped -- claimed on his taxes for the years 2007, '8, and '9. the government claims over the years, thomas failed to report nearly $350,000 in income. prosecutors also outlined the efforts to go after thomass personal property he took from the district of columbia and i will remember when they raided his home, they took his 2008 chevy tahoe and victory motorcycle. the court papers indicate those items were purchased with funds taken from the district of columbia. if thomas does resign, we're told a special elect will be held in ward 5. i talked to the board of elections and they say they have been planning and preparing the last week or so, expecting some type

thomas resigned his ward 5 seat and pled guilty last friday. he admitted that he embezzled more than $350,000. the charge that banks faces carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison. >>> the wind could be a problem today. >> yeah, winds are howling out there. it could be worse later this afternoon. the weather service posted a wind advisory all the counties in orange until 6:00 p.m.. so those gusts 45, maybe even 50, 55 out to the west in the higher elevations. not for the district of prince george's county or fairfax but you go to howard, montgomery, out toward loudoun, northern fauquier, points north and west of there. this is where we have the wind advisory and in the mountains as well. the snow thefullying on west side -- is flying on the west side of the divide. we have some gusts of 35 down south of pax river and easton as well. 32 in gaithersburg and even martinsburg mid 30s and again considering these could get bigger. temperatures now barely got into 39. touching 40 in annapolis but still in the 20s out west. and when you fact

ground. >> reporter: when several council members held meetings following the resignation of ward 5's harry thomast week, they got an earful about all the proposed sites in ward 5 where medical marijuana will be grown. some say ward 5 has enough on its plate. >> then when we look at it overall, we have the problem of all the licenses from the strip clubs coming from the ballpark wanting to locate in ward 5. no once doing anything. then with you wh you look at the waste transfer stations, three of them. this is a serious bird on ward 5. are. >> reporter: on tuesday, councilmember vincent original introduced emergency legislation to limit the number of cultivation sites in ward 5, a move some feared would delay the medical marijuana program. >> mr. chairman, i've heard the concerns that this would somehow lead to greater crime, et cetera. i don't believe that is true. >> fay compromise, the council members agreed to limit the number of cultivation sites in all wards. still, those who live in ward 5 say they will continue to fight. >> as i said before, we want none. >> reporter: what happens scene of

board of elections has officially received a written letter of resignation from harry thomas, jr. the ward 5 democrat stepped down last week after pleading guilty to embezzling more than $350,000 in government funds. >>> back to business for virginia and maryland. both of the legislative sessions open today. stacy cohan has more. >> reporter: state lawmaker in both maryland and virginia have definitive, yet very different agendas today. in maryland, money woes top politician' to-do lists. ideas for creating cash include passing a nearly 16 cents a gallon increase on the gas tax and hiking fees on car registration, inspection and titling. but some worry that tax increases will hurt the state economy over time. >> it has made maryland less competitive economically to the neighboring states. inmaryland taxpayers will feel the brunt of that for decades if they do not resource course. >> reporter: in richmond, the virginia general assembly convenes with republicans hooking to make meaningful changes. the gop agenda includes tighter limits on abortion and immigrants and looser restrictions on gu

thomas jr.'s council seat is underway. the former ward 5 councilmember resigned two weeks ago, and pled guilty to tax fraud and embezzlement. delia tells us the challenge for the next congress person and council person is to bring that divided ward together. >> reporter: starting 8:30 this morning, folks can fill out paperwork for their bid for the ward 5 councilmember seat. so far, about 20 people are fighting for the job. 30 minutes after the doors opened, frank weil filled out his paperwork. each hopeful must gather 500 celts by february 15th. >> look up your voter registration. check to make sure your address on file is up-to-date. if you sign a petition with an address that does not match the address in our file, your signature will be invalid. >> the special election to replace harry thomas janet reno will be held may 15th. candidates already lining up to replace him including newcomer kenyan mcduffie say the ward needs a fresh start. >> it needs a serious leadership plan. >> i sat down with longtime ward 5 activist who is not runni

reporter: but the former district attorney said thomas could offer to resign, perhaps reduce the charges, possible fines and prison time the ward 5 council member is accused of stealing $300,000 in city grants and spending the money on himself. thomas has agreed to repay the city but degeneva said the feds could nail thomas on tax evasion charges. >> it makes sense that it unin mr. thomas' position would be negotiating -- that someone in mr. thomas' deposition would be negotiating the at this point for the simple reason when you reach a settlement with the city where you basically admit you shouldn't have taken the money, at this point wheey is t inevitably the federal government has to look at that and treat it as a criminal matter because it's simply too much money. reporter: we spoke to ward 1 council member jim graham tonight about harry thomas' possible resignation. >> there's a lot of complex emotions at a time like this, you know, but one thing i'm absolutely certain of is council member thomas is now going to do the right thing. he may have done the very wrong thing, but now he will do the right thing by the people of t

the thomas family though has been extremely influkessal in the board -- influential in the ward since harry thomas sr. held the council seat. the corruption conviction of his son is a huge blow and has divided the ward. one community activist is now calling for unity. >> we need serious leadership on all levels. we do need to have a vigil. we do need to have some type of way to bring the community together to say ok, this has happened. it is something that i know it is hurtful. but we can get beyond this. and we can really move on. >> reporter: the date to move on, may 15th. that's the date of the special election. now, even though there is no official council member right now for ward five, constituents services is still being handled and transferred over to a chairman, kwame brown's office. so, if you live in ward five, you have questions that need to be answered, give that council number a call and kwame brown's office will answer it. mike, back to you. >> thank you, delia live outside the wilson building this morning. >> well, u.s. conference of mayors is meeting here in washingto

>> reporter: just before court, thomas resigned as ward 5 council seat. now, he's a convicted felon. harry thomas jr. walked out of federal court friday a convicted felon. he pled guilty to stealing $350,000 in city funds intended for youth sports and spending it on his lavish lifestyle and filing three years of false income tax returns. >> i want to apologize to those i let down including my constituents, the mayor, councilmembers and others who serve the city tirelessly. >> reporter: his friends and lawyers ushered him to a waiting car. he could get prison time up to three or four years. in court at high noon, thomas firmly said guilty as charged in the plea agreement reached. >> to my family, who is with me today, i deeply regret the pain this has caused each of you. >> reporter: now the board of elections is expected to meet next wednesday and declare the seat vacant in ward 5. i'm tom sherwood live at the district court, back to you, jim. >> what was said in terms of getting some of the money, the taxpayers money back to d.c.? prosecutors are trying t

councilman vincent orange offed up his staff to work with ward 5 residents to work with questions and concerns physical a special election is held for thomas' replacement most likely in may. he made it clear he doesn't want the ward 5 seat and is up for reelection in april for his at large seat. his role in ward 5, peacemaker. >> many ward 5 residents believe we must reestablish a sense of out in our ward 5 community of. reporter: they're anxious to make sure the new ward 5 council member has priorities straight. >> better schools, no crime, good clean streets, economic development. so i'm just hopeful that someone welcome forth and give us some things that we need in ward 5. >> now once the board of elections gets an official resignation letter from harry thomas, jr. they have five days to declare a council vacancy and the process to schedule a special election can begin. that will take place 114 days after that letter is received. candidates from any party will have to collect 500 signatures from ward 5 residents to get on the ballot. >>> another big story we're working tonight, this former soldier is under arrest accused of trying to jo

scr >>> we are one stipulate closer to finding out who will fill harry thomas, jr.'s vacant ward five council seat. the d.c. board of elections has certified the seat and announceed a special election will take place may 15th. potential candidates will have to get some signatures from 500 registered voters who live in ward 5 before their name can be placed on the ballot. >>> charges have been filed against another man involved in the harry thomas, jr. scandal. james garvin seen here. the criminal complaint alleges that he failed to report thomas' felony crimes that, thomas stole more than $300,000 in city funds to his own personal use. a hearing has been set for 9:15 this morning. garvin's attorney has said his client is working on a plea deal. >>> new developments out of italy this morning after friday night's cruise ship disaster. the search is now on hold for the two dozen people who are still missing after that friday night disaster. because the rough water is causing the ship to move slightly. eleven people are confirmed dead after crews fond five more bodies yesterday. laur

thomas. he resigned his ward 5 council seat earlier this month. pleading guilty to embezzling more than $350,000 in government funds and filing false tax returns. he faces more than three years in prison. he'll be sentenced on may 3. >>> one of the country's deadliest outbreaks of tornados is now being used to stir up tourism. the joplin, missouri, tourism office is trying to lure new visitors with a free tornado travel map. it pinpoint areas and landmarks severely affected by last year's devastating ef5 tornado. city officials say the map is just a piece of information. but many of the city's residents are outraged. the tornado caused millions of dollars in damage and killed 161 people. >>> right now a major winter storm is hitting the pacific northwest. take a look at the radar. you see the storm covers oregon and washington pretty much. the forecast changed overnight, heavy snow staying south of the seattle area. seattle's new expected to get only six inches of snow, which is about a year's amount of snow for them, though. up to a foot of snow

thomas, jr. the former ward 5 council member resigned two weeks ago, part of a plea deal on charges of tax fraud and embezzlement. several candidates are lining up to replace him. we talked with a community activist who said whoever wins, they will have to work very hard to reunite the ward. >> right now where we currently are is that everybody is jockeying for their position to see how they can get this particular seat in order to be in control. >> those interested in run having to gather 500 signatures by february the 15th. the special election will be held may 15th, the last day to register to voted may 5th. >>> wolf trap is doing some damage control after its lawsuit against a small community arts center in barryville, virginia, started outrage on social media sites. the foundation is demanding that the barns of rose hill change its name because it sounds too much like the barns of wolf trap, but the barryville leaders say they had their names first. >> the two barns sat right where they are today and the house sat over closer to main street. >> chip shooty grew up in barryville and said the

thomas jr. stepped down from the d.c. council for wardohn gonzalez joins us with what is next for a city in scandal. good morning. >> good morning. what is next is that it could cost the city $300000 to replace councilman harry thomas, the now former councilman who resigned last night. in a few hours he faces two felony charges accused of embezzling and stealing $350,000 in city funds, money designated for youth programs allegedly used for personal use, such as an suv, motorcycle, and expensive trips. last night thomas resigned and release a statement apologizing and taking full accountability. council chairman kwame brown calls this a dark day in the district. the mayor, who urged thomas to resign earlier this week also released a statement saying the "to those who violate the public trust must be held accountable." thomas will be in federal court just after 11:00 this morning facing up to 13 years in prison. reporting live, john gonzalez abc 7 news. >>> looking at the day ahead, a -- the woman who grew her granddaughter to her death at

. >> reporter: when several council members held a meeting following the resignation of ward 5s harry thomas last week, they got an earful of all of the proposed sites where medical marijuana will be grown. some say ward 5 has enough on its place. >> -- plate. >> and when we look at it overall, we have the problem of all of the licenses from the strip clubs coming from the ball park and want to -- wanting to locate in ward 5. no one is doing anything. when you look at waste transfer stations, three of them and that is a serious burden of ward five. >> and on tuesday -- there was a move some fear would delay the medical marijuana program. >> i heard the concerns that this would lead to greater crime, et cetera. i don't believe that is true. >> in a compromise, the council members agreed to limit the number of cut vacation sites in all wards. -- cultivation sites in all wards. still, those in ward 5 will continue to fight. >> we want none. >> and what happens next now, neighborhood advisory commissioners will hold meetings in the area where marijuana is expected to be grown and sold. they will

. >>> we are one step closer to finding out who will fill, harry thomas junior's vacant, ward 5 seat. a special election will take place may 15th. potential candidates will have to get signatures from 500 registered voters who live in ward 5 before their name can be placed on the ballot. >> charges filed against another man involved in the harry thomas junior scandal. the criminal complaint alleged he failed to report thomas' felony crimes that he stole more than $300,000 in city funds for his own personal use a hearing has been set for 9:15 a.m. this morning his attorney says his client is working on a plea deal. >> it appears mitt romney is having a change of heart so to speak and now willing to release his tax returns, romney says he will probably release his tax records in april. the republican presidential front runner admitted he pays the lower tax rate of 15% because most of his income comes from investments, mitt romney is worth as much as $250 million. >>> virginians have a new option if they plan to file their taxes online the state department of taxation is offering free fi

. >> today is just a sad day for the city, for the thomas family, residents of ward 5, but at the same time, seems like it is a chapter that is on its way to closing and city needs closure, and for us to start the healing process and move forward. >>> a time to heal and a time to move forward first a time for harry thomas junior to plead guilty we now know that will happen, tomorrow morning anita. >> thanks for that part of the story. >> now on to another big event today president obama announced a restructuring of the american military, changing its focus in many ways and cutting the defense budget in today's move alone by 5% or half a trillion dollars over the next five years, it will effect washington area businesses that rely on spending. it is likely to mean job loss and potential job gains. >> reporter: the new direction for the military, and the 487 billion in cuts over the next ten years are a response to congressionally mandated spending reductions and draw down from iraq and afghanistan. >> now we are turning the page on a decade of war. >>> defense spending is our strength o

thomas? focus of a public meeting tonight. a former ward 5 council member invited people interested in seat to attend. thomas resigned last week after guilty to embezzling than $350,000 in government funds. a special election will likely held may 15. >>> coming up, a terror plot stopped in our area. and in florida. see what the suspect's planned to do. >> if you thought our snow was bad, we will should the weather this morning in texas. >> authorities and prince george's counties said they pot growing operation. ♪ i'm feelin' subway ♪ let's go [ male announcer ] hey, capital area! are you feelin' subway®? then heat up your day with the big hot pastrami melt! it's fresh toasted and piled-high with pastrami, then topped with pickles, mustard, and cheese. head into a subway® restaurant today for this melty, mouthwatering sub! ♪ let's go for this melty, mouthwatering sub! whee wheeeeeeeeeeeee! wheeeeeeeeeeee! whee whee wheeeeeeeeeeee-he-he-heeeeee! whee whee wheeeeeeeeeeee! pure adrenaline. whee whee wheeeeeeeeeeee! everything you love about ge

thomas, jr. resigned from the ward 5 council seat, then pleaded guilty to two felonies of stealing from youth programs. our sources say prosecutors still have cases against two people who are on harry thomas, jr.'s staff. their actions are detailed in court documents and there's somebody else who headed up one of those nonprofits, all three have lawyers. dorothy brizill, civic actor and founder of d.c. watch. >> we try to tell the kids to do the right thing, not lie, not steal and to go to school and here their role models are being indicted. reporter: harry thomas, jr. will be sentenced in may. bruce johnson, 9 news now. >> marshall banks who is also a professor at howard university has no comment following his guilty plea last week. their attorney is telling associates privately that neither he nor garvin stole money, but they did knowingly help harry thomas, jr. obtain city funds. >>> the state needs to close a $1.1 billion deficit. so martin o'malley has got a 15 point $3 billion budget that will generate $300 million in new revenue. where does that come from? more than half of it comes from $182

ward 5 d.c. councilman harry thomas jr. is telling associates he will resign from the council. he'll plead guilty to at least one federal tax charge. the legislator is telling friends he could face up to two to three years in prison. >> i've heard speculations. i have not spoken to councilman thomas. reporter: councilman harry thomas jr. was a. >> show today where the mayor and -- a no show today where the mayor and others gathered that they'll lobby for d.c. statehood. >> the justice department has given them a fair way to work and if councilman thomas chooses to resign, he is taking that action. we hope to make sure the residents of ward 5 are well represented. reporter: a check of his office found just a handful of people as the councilman has told his staff to look for new jobs. some have already been taken on by other council members. the plea agreement stems from allegations that thomas stole some $300,000 from a youth baseball program. that's public money he converted to his own use. >> there is hurt and disappointment, but we will get past this. we will come together as

earliest possible date dc can hold a special election to replace former councilmember harry thomas junior, leaving ward5 residents worried how to get back on track hundreds gathered at a meeting last night voicing concerns over recent events thomas e-mailed his resignation last week after pleading guilty to federal embezzlement charges but he has yet to hand in his official written letter of resignation board of elections can't legally declare thomas' council seat vacantuntil they get the letter. >>> a former ups worker, due to appear in u.s. district court in green belt this afternoon. now the jury found him guilty of carjacking and child porn he faces separate murder charges in the killing of a mother and daughter found in a burning car in largo. >>> maryland soldier accused of trying to join ap african based terror group. the 20-year-old is from laurel. federal investigators or prosecutors say he converted to islam before leaving the army and tried to join a somalian based military group he was arrested in kenya, brought back to the u.s. friday. he is facing 15 years in prison if convicted. >>> capt

thomas signed ape letter resigning from d.c. council. a special election likely held in may to fill the vacant ward 5 seat. with thomas' probe over, attention turns to the two other high profile criminal investigations. one into the mayor's 2010 campaign and possible illegal use of campaign fund. and the separate criminal probe into kwame brown's, 2008, council campaign spending. >> people are really concerned. now we are looking forward to two possibly elected officials under a similar cloud of doubt. >> the mayor and the chairman have each denied wrongdoing. prosecutors at this point aren't saying anything. jim. >> tom sherwood. thank you, tom. >> breaking news in fort washington, maryland. where a fight broke out at a high school basketball game. it happened at friendly high school. the scuffle in the stand. tonight, a student, assaulted an officer in the bleachers. they both fell. another officer tried to assist the first one. and deployed pepper spray. five students arrested. the officer who fell was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. >>> metro is trying desperately to figure out why parts of whe

reporter: in his statement tonight harry thomas says, "i want to apologize to those i have let down including my constituents, neighbors and friends in ward 5, the residents of this great city, the mayor, my fellow council members and the government officials that serve our city tirelessly." >> heart goes out to the thomas family, especially to his wife and children's and his mom and harry has now accepted responsibility. the process has played out. >> bob barnard, fox 5 news. >>> joining us now is kwame brown, chairman of the d.c. city council. thanks for coming in tonight. >> thank you for having me. >> have you heard from council member thomas? >> i did receive a text from him as it relates to his resignation. i saw the statement. i'm disappointed, very hurt. i've known him for a long time and what he did was wrong. it was absolutely wrong, unacceptable and he has now taken responsibility by saying that what he did was wrong and that he did actually do it and it's time for the healing process to begin. >> is that stunning as a friend of his to hear him admit to this, which he kind of all along said he didn't do but agreed to pay the mo

agents swarld over thomas's house in northeast washington, speck much of the day there hauling away accept thattive vehicles and other items. >> my integrity -- >> reporter: the ward five councilmember thomas has struggled to combat allegations he misspent more than $300,000 in city funds on his own lavish lifestyle. the investigation began earlier last year when d.c. attorney general irving nathan got thomas to agree to repay $300,000. without admitting legal wrongdoing. now several sources tell nbc 4, the federal authorities are nearing an end to their possible criminal case against thomas. with the councilmember increasingly distracted from representing his northeast ward 5. d.c. council chairman kwame brown was asked if he could still be a productive member of the council. brown suggested in a way that says he is expecting a resignation. >> we'll do everything we can to make sure the residents of ward 5 continue to have things move forward, whether it is the economic development projects, sure that we have a stand-alone middle school in ward 5 ready to go. whether we make sure that any of the constituents services and the issues are taken care of. we'll make s

wtop says ward 5 councilman harry thomas jr.ral investigation into allegations that he used city money for personal expenses. jennifer donelan is live in northwest d.c. with much more. good morning. >> good morning. so far this morning no official comment or reaction or message to voters from city councilman harry thomas. according to reports, this is not a question of whether he will resign, it is a question of when. his council seat may soon be vacant. city residents watched last month as fbi agents raided his home. he's accused of diverting $300,000 in taxpayer funds to himself. the money was supposed to go to youth sports programs. our sister station reports that he has agreed to resign. what is uncertain is when he will leave office. that's not all. as part of the deal struck with prosecutors, in which he does not admit guilt, he was supposed to begin paying the city back. the washington post reports the council and missed a deadline to deliver the second $50,000 installment last night. his lawyer told the post they are wor

thomas in 114 days when a special election is held. at-large councilman vincent orange was there along with party leader anita bonds and ward chairman robert branner. the special election is open to every persuasion. the winner fills the remaining three years of harry thomas' term. he could be getting out of prison about the same time that term on the council ends. joining us right now is tommy wells. we've invited you here because you were the one council member who stood alone voting on this ethics bill. first of all, where do you think the d.c. council is right now in terms of credibility and what people think of this legislative body? >> i think sadly, i don't think there's a lot of credibility. obviously, i just had a colleague that's pled guilty to stealing government money. i think that, um, i don't think my colleagues -- i mean, i tried to pass legislations and amendments around the ethics bill that would try to improve how much inflew thence is on council members and they all voted against it. >> let me ask you about this. harry thomas, jr., if he comes out of prison and seeks that seat again, he's well within his right. your reac

may 15th is the earliest possible date dc could hold a special election to replace harry thomas junior, leaving wardrried how to get back on track. hundreds of people met last night voicing concerns. former councilmember thomas e- mailed his resignation last week after pleading guilty but has yet to hand in his official letter of resignation. local residents are not happy the process is taking so long. >> i am a little bit disappointed we don't have a lot of answers. >> ward 5 for a long time has not been represented. >> board of elections cannot legally declare thomas' council seat vacant until they get an official letter. >>> the rat population in two occupy dc camps is getting worse on mopped, dc officials said -- monday, dc officials said there is a large concentration at freedom plaza and mcpherson square two locations of the occupy protestors, the reason unsanitary conditions as winter approaches officials are concerned about the possibility of hypothermia, there are no plans to evict demonstrators unless there is an outbreak of an illness or approaching snow storm. >>> 7:27 a.m., a lot of coo

here's a look at thomas' political career. he was elected to the ward5% of the vote. his father occupied the same seat from 1987 to 1999. in june, they released a report accusing thomas of misusing the funds on an suv, travel, and rounds of golf. in december fbi agents raided his home. thomas resigned just a few hours after prosecutors charged him. >>> this morning we're hearing from members of the city council, including council members who called on thomas to resign weeks ago. news 4's megan mcgrath is live outside the courthouse in northwest washington with more. >> reporter: good morning, eun. the federal investigation with harry thomas began back in june. as the months dragged on, several of his colleagues on the council began to call for his resignation. on thursday thomas did just that. he stepped down, his resignation effective immediately. we caught up with several council members, and they say this really was the only outcome that could happen given the seriousness of the allegations and given the plea, they say that thomas simply had to resig

ward 5 d.c. council leadership. >> thomas will be sentenced in may. he's facing up to four years in prison. >>> we're following a developing story out of west virginia. we just learned that three men who disappeared in a greenbriar, west virginia, cave, are safely out of that cave. they had plans to spend the night in the cave but when they didn't come home, their parents called police. details about what happened are still coming in. but earlier in the day, authorities thought the men had probably gotten lost since that cave stretches for more than 13 miles. >>> a police captain in fredericsburg, virginia, is an administrative leave after being arrested for having inappropriate contact with a teenage boy he met online. his name is brent taylor. he was arrested this weekend in stafford county after police picked up a 17-year-old walking along warrington road. police say the teenager told officers that taylor picked him up in fairfax county and took him to a hotel in stafford. taylor is in charge for detectives. >>> a local family is outraged after the

thomas, jr. tonight has done just that. reporter: he is now a former d.c. council member. his ward 5 seat now up for grabs in a special election that must be held in the next 114 days. in his statement released around 8:30 tonight thomas writes, "tomorrow morning i will plead guilty to committing two federal crimes. i am resigning my position as a member of the council effective immediately. i made some very serious mistakes and exhibited inadequate and flawed judgment. i take full responsibility for my actions. i am truly sorry." the feds say thomas stole $350,000 in federal grant moneys from the city and failed to report the income on his tax returns. d.c. council chairman kwame brown appeared on our newscast an hour ago. >> i'm disappointed, very hurt. i've known him for a long time and what he did was wrong. it was absolutely wrong, unacceptable and he has now taken responsibility by saying that what he did was wrong and that he did actually do it and it's time for the healing process to begin. reporter: one former u.s. attorney for the district of columbia says a prison senten

district court lay out the case federal prosecutors have against ward 5 council member harry thomas and two felony counts here. the first, prosecutors say thomas embezzled, stole, obtained by fraud more than $353,000 in district of columbia funds. and officials believe it took place from april 2007, to february 2009. and count 2 has to do with federal income taxes and lay out how much he claimed on his taxes for the years 2007, 8, and '9. the government claims over the year, thomas failed to report nearly $350,000 in income. prosecutors outlined its efforts to go after thomas' personal property to repay what they believe he took from the district of columbia. you will remember when the fbi raided his home, they took his 2008 chevy tahoe and his 2008 victory motorcycle. the court papers indicate those items were purchased with funds taken from the district of columbia. it's important to tell you that we have been trying to track down council member thomas all day long, as well as his attorney fred cook. we went to council member thomas' office and checked in there and went to fred cook's

revisit that loss. >> reporter: meanwhile 9 news now learned that ward 5 democratic leaders held their first meeting today to discuss the thomas scandal and map out a strategy to field a candidate to replace him in a special election to be held in 114 days. >> that special ward 5 election is open to all political persuasions. he will serve the final three years of harry thomas, jr.'s term. depending on the sentence, thomas could be getting out of prison in time to compete for his old seat. >>> returning to our friends and loved ones after couple killed by a hit-and-run driver. trying to make sense of this tragedy. tonight, as the person responsible remains on the loose, the victims are being remembered. ken molestina has the lightest. >> reporter: they were crossing this street yesterday before 7:00 a.m. right when they were hit by that car. now a makeshift memorial sits feet away from the scene. >> somebody did to my aunt. it's not right. [ crying ] >> reporter: emotions were raw as they gathered for a candlelight vigil. they said whoever ran the couple over early yesterday morning took off, leaving the husband and wife to di

countsman vincent orange had represented the -- councilman vincent orange had represented the same ward 5 area as thomas. he was in the courtroom today. >> harry said guilty as charged, i mean just, you know, the pain inside. reporter: romaine thomas, a long time democratic political activist and mother to harry thomas, jr., she was also in the courtroom today. >> they're my children and the lord right now, so i'm just blessed. reporter: harry thomas, jr. tonight is free on his own recognizance due back on may 3rd for sentencing. bruce johnson, 9 news now from downtown washington. >>> after today's hearing the council held a meeting about how to move forward. it set the date for a special election to fill thomas' seat. that will be may 5th. chairman kwame brown suggested getting rid of the youth investment trust, but other council members disagreed saying it still helps out d.c. kids. >>> a judge did not hesitate today to give a grandmother the full recommended sentence for killing her granddaughter. carmela dela rosa was convicted of throwing that little girl off a walkway at tysons corner. reporter: i