Fred Couch, the father of "affluenza" teen Ethan Couch, will serve a year of probation after being found guilty of impersonating a police officer.

Couch, 51, was charged in September 2014 with falsely identifying himself as a reserve Lakeside police officer after he told a North Richland Hills police officer responding to a disturbance that he witnessed, "I have my Lakeside police stuff in the truck." He then displayed a shield-style badge.

Couch was sentenced Wednesday to 120 days in county jail, probated for one year, and a $260 fine plus court costs. The probated sentence means he will only serve the time behind bars if he is found guilty of another charge or if he violates the terms of his probation. Couch faced up to 180 days in jail and/or a $2,000 fine for the charge.

According to Keith Capo, Couch was armed with a gun when he showed up at his doorstep with a neighbor in August 2014 to discuss a squabble that took place days before.

When officers from the North Richland Hills Police Department arrived, Capo told NBC 5 that he told police he wanted to press charges but that they tried to talk him out of it after they talked with Couch.

Capo believed Couch presented himself as an officer and received special treatment from the police, a claim the North Richland Hills Police Department has denied.

Couch was later charged with impersonating a police officer, a Class B misdemeanor.

Couch's son, Ethan, was initially given probation in a drunken driving crash that killed four people after defense attorney's invoked the oft-referenced "affluenza" defense -- a claim that Ethan grew up spoiled and with a lack of good parenting.

Ethan is now serving nearly two years in a North Texas jail for the crash after his case was moved from juvenile court to adult court in early 2016. In September, his lawyers argued in a court filing that he should be released over a jurisdictional matter.

Tonya Couch, Ethan's 49-year-old mother and Fred's ex-wife, has been free on bond since being charged with hindering apprehension of a felon and money laundering in connection with the "affluenza" case.

A New York college student who said she was harassed on a subway train earlier this month has been arrested, law enforcement sources told NBC 4 New York. 

Yasmin Seweid, 18, was charged with filing a false report after she told authorities three men called her a terrorist and chanted "Donald Trump" at her aboard the 23rd Street 4/5/6 subway station on Dec. 1.

Now police sources have told NBC 4 New York that Seweid allegedly admitted to them she had been out drinking with friends, and made up the attack to distract her angry father.

She was arraigned at Manhattan Criminal Court and released Thursday morning. 

The Baruch College student originally said she told police she was approached by three men and told to "get out of this country," was called a terrorist aboard the train and told to "get the f****** hijab off your head!" She also alleged that one of the men grabbed her bag and broke the strap. 

Seweid posted to Facebook about the attack on Dec. 2, saying that "it breaks my heart that so many individuals chose to be bystanders while watching me get harassed verbally and physically by these disgusting pigs."

She called the incident "traumatizing" and spoke with multiple news organizations about it.

After Seweid made the allegations, she went missing from her home in New Hyde Park the following week. Her parents filed a missing persons report, but she turned up at her sister's house in Fishkill on Dec. 10, police sources said.

The student was also charged with obstructing government administration, meaning it is alleged police were kept from doing their work through investigating a potentially bogus crime.

Reacting to the news on Wednesday night, New Hyde Park resident Emily O'Hagan said people were upset to hear Seweid may have lied.

"Everyone's really feisty and angry about the Trump situation and everything he's done, and to make something up like that is just riling people up more for no reason," she said.

Attorney information for the woman wasn't immediately available. 

Retired Army Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, who is President-elect Donald Trump's pick for national security adviser, "inappropriately shared" classified information with foreign governments, a 2010 military investigation concluded.

The finding, first reported by The Washington Post, contradicts Flynn's previous account of the incident, in which he told the newspaper in August that he had permission to share the material related to CIA activities.

The documents, obtained by the Post under the Freedom of Information Act, do not describe what exactly Flynn shared or with whom while he was the top military intelligence officer in Afghanistan. 

Flynn told the Post he did nothing wrong but the Army documents say the investigation determined that Flynn did not have permission to share the secrets.

During the presidential campaign Flynn frequently attacked Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton, for mishandling classified material.

President Barack Obama says his nearly three-year-old program to help boys and young men of color "is just the beginning."

Addressing a daylong White House summit on the My Brother's Keeper program, Obama urged more people to become mentors and help create opportunities for young people to stay on the right path.

He says he'll be involved with the program for the rest of his life.

The president launched the program in February 2014 to address persistent opportunity gaps facing boys and young men of color.

Initiatives at the federal level could be undone by the Trump administration. But White House officials say much of the work will continue after Donald Trump takes office because more than 250 communities around the country are running their own My Brother's Keeper programs.

Donald Trump has selected Ronna Romney McDaniel to lead the Republican National Committee in 2017, the RNC announced in a statement Wednesday, NBC News reported.

McDaniel, who currently chairs the Michigan Republican Party, is the niece of 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney. She will serve as deputy co-chair with Trump's Ohio State Director Bob Paduchik before taking the reins from current RNC Chair Reince Priebus. Trump named Priebus his chief of staff shortly after last month's election.

"Ronna has been extremely loyal to our movement and her efforts were critical to our tremendous victory in Michigan, and I know she will bring the same passion to the Republican National Committee," Trump said in a statement.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is fining American Airlines $1.6 million for holding domestic flights on the tarmac for more than three hours without allowing passengers to deplane.

The penalty, announced Wednesday afternoon, matches one levied against Southwest Airlines last year as the highest amounts ever imposed by the DOT for violating the so-called "Tarmac Delay Rule."

“Our tarmac rule is meant to prevent passengers from being trapped in aircraft on the ground for hours on end,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

According to the rule, U.S. flights with 30 or more passengers have to let people deplane after they've sat on the tarmac for three hours. Airlines also have to provide food, water and working bathrooms during delays.

DOT referenced an incident at DFW International Airport where they said American Airlines didn't properly prepare for heavy snow and rain--resulting in long delays.

In March 2015, passengers on a 30-minute American Airlines flight to Oklahoma City waited more than nine hours. The airline apologized for the delay.

American Airlines provided a statement in response to the DOT announcement.

“We are pleased to have this matter resolved," the statement said. "It’s worth noting that a large portion of the settlement is related to a winter weather event that occurred nearly four years ago in Charlotte."

"Regardless, every situation is a learning opportunity and we remain committed to taking care of our customers,” the statement said.

Of the $1.6 million fine, about $602,000 will be credited back to the airline for compensation it has already paid passengers on affected flights. The DOT also agreed to waive $303,000 of the fine to reimburse the airline for better equipment to help avoid such problems in the future, the agency said in the release.

A strain of pineapple genetically engineered to be pink instead of yellow got the go-ahead from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday, NBC News reported. 

The pink pineapple, made by Del Monte Fresh Produce, simply has some genes toned down to keep the flesh of the fruit pinker and sweeter, the FDA said. 

"(Del Monte's) new pineapple has been genetically engineered to produce lower levels of the enzymes already in conventional pineapple that convert the pink pigment lycopene to the yellow pigment beta carotene. Lycopene is the pigment that makes tomatoes red and watermelons pink, so it is commonly and safely consumed."

The pineapple will be grown in Costa Rica. The company will label it "extra sweet pink flesh pineapple."

Francisco Serna, the 73-year-old man with dementia who was killed by California police this week, was carrying a crucifix, not a gun, NBC News reported police said Wednesday.

Bakersfield Police Chief Lyle Martin said Serna, who a neighbor described as roaming the neighborhood with a revolver, failed to comply with officers' orders to stop and show his hands. Officer Regan Selman fired seven shots. Serna then died at the scene. Selman is on administrative leave pending an investigation, along with six other responding officers.

A group gathered outside the family home late Tuesday, with one person holding a sign that read "Justice for Francisco Serna." A candlelight vigil was held in his honor.

Police confirmed to NBC affiliate KGET on Wednesday that a crucifix was later found on Serna's body — not a gun. The finding was first reported Wednesday by the Los Angeles Times.

U.S. intelligence officials believe with "a high level of confidence" that Russian President Vladimir Putin became personally involved in the covert Russian campaign to interfere in the U.S. presidential election, senior U.S. intelligence officials told NBC News.

Two senior officials with direct access to the information say new intelligence shows that Putin personally directed how hacked material from Democrats was leaked and otherwise used. The intelligence came from diplomatic sources and spies working for U.S. allies, the officials said.

Putin's objectives were multifaceted, a high-level intelligence source told NBC News. What began as a "vendetta" against Hillary Clinton morphed into an effort to show corruption in American politics and to "split off key American allies by creating the image that [other countries] couldn't depend on the U.S. to be a credible global leader anymore," the official said.

Guns fell almost silent in Aleppo early Thursday as aid workers prepared to evacuate some of the wounded — but the White Helmets said a volunteer had been shot in a rebel-held area of the devastated city.

An official with an Aleppo rebel group said a cease-fire had taken hold overnight, and buses lined up at dawn to assist in an evacuation from the eastern districts, NBC News reported. 

The Red Cross said it had been asked to take some of the injured from the area after days of intense fighting as Syria government forces retook the city.

A humanitarian group said a volunteer had been shot by a Syrian government sniper while clearing an ambulance route. And an ambulance official said a convoy was fired at as it prepared to leave rebel-held eastern Aleppo, wounding three people, but it was not clear he was referring to the same incident.

A small fleet of delivery robots gave a futuristic salute to late astronaut and U.S. Sen. John Glenn at the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. Wednesday.

The bots, created by Starship Technologies, rode around the monument in a kind of parade. Glenn died Thursday, Dec. 8, at the age of 95.

A representative of Starship Technologies said the robots' design was created as part of a NASA competition to build devices that can collect rock samples on Mars and the moon. Co-founder and CEO Ahti Heinla later realized the robot could change the delivery industry.

"Starship wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the accomplishments of men like John Glenn who made NASA what it is today," the representative said. "That’s why we took time out of our regularly scheduled mapping in preparation for the Starship delivery testing program to bring our robots together for a tribute parade to the amazing John Glenn."

In 1962, Glenn became the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth. Before he was an astronaut, he was a fighter pilot in two wars, and as a test pilot, he set a transcontinental speed record. He later served 24 years in the Senate, representing Ohio.

Starship said it is building a fleet of robots designed to deliver goods in 15 to 30 minutes within a 2 to 3 mile radius. It has launched commercial delivery pilot programs in the U.K., Germany, Switzerland and Estonia.

The seismology department at the University of Maryland is trying to help a Maryland town identify the source of mysterious, loud booms, which have been jolting residents from their sleep and damaging their homes for decades.

Cheverly resident Nikki Greco keeps track of the booms in a calendar. She described one as sounding like a Mack truck ramming into the house.

The booms caused cracks in her basement requiring a $50,000 loan to fix, she said.

Mayor Mike Callahan's been trying to figure it out ever since he took office.

“The booms are one of our amazing little mysteries that drive us closer together,” he said. “You know, every community has its lore, has its myths.”

For the Cheverly booms, there are many theories.

“I think the craziest one I've heard is the escape tunnel that's from Washington, D.C., and that they're building a highway underneath Cheverly,” Callahan said.

“I wonder about the underground digging, what's going on there,” Greco said.

They hope with the University of Maryland's help, they finally can solve this mystery.

The Nevada student critically wounded by a school district police officer took butter knives to school to protect himself against bullies who targeted him regularly, his father told NBC News.

The officer shot 14-year-old Logan Clark during a confrontation witnessed by more than 40 classmates Dec. 7 at Hug High School in Reno, authorities said. They said Logan got into an altercation with a classmate and began threatening other students with a knife. The officer shot him when Logan disregarded commands to drop the knife, they said.

Logan suffered a stroke the day after the shooting and is not responsive, his father, Justin Clark, told the "Today" show Thursday.

NBC News has previously not used Logan's name because he is a minor. Clark approved NBC News' use of his son's name.

Bogus stories about paid protesters and presidential endorsements made by the Vatican, among many other clickable tales, were not uncommon in the run-up to the general election this year, spreading like wildfire through social media. In the media's soul-searching following the election, unsubstantiated stories and their purveyors were singled out, dissected and lumped together under the umbrella of "fake news."

Now, some of the more artistic and comedic creators among the pure click-baiters are speaking out against the "fake" label and calling for a more nuanced approach. Many say they aren't doing fake news — they're doing satire, NBC News reported.

"We get our news from Facebook, but we don't fact-check what we're reading, we don't look into what we're reading," said John Egan, who runs The Burrard Street Journal out of Vancouver, Canada, and has published stories with headlines like "President Obama Confirms He Will Refuse to Leave Office if Trump Is Elected."

Egan said his content is entirely satirical, but he is aware some people will share a story after reading only the headline.

Jadon and Anias McDonald, born conjoined at the head, were once unable to look at each other. Now, the twins lay side by side as they prepare for the next chapter in their extraordinary story: post-surgery rehab. 

The boys will receive specialized rehabilitation care at Blythedale Children's Hospital in Westchester, just nine weeks after they endured over 20 hours of surgery to be separated at a hospital in the Bronx.

Although there were setbacks during the final separation, such as seizures and scalp infections, their recovery has been nothing short of remarkable, according to their medical team.

"Jadon and Anias continue to surprise us every day," said Dr. James Goodrich, who led the operation, in a statement. "We knew recovery would take time, but we are all amazed by how well the boys are bouncing back."

Now 15 months old, the twins will return to the Children's Hospital at Montefiore for follow-up appointments. 

One in two-and-a-half million live births are craniopagus, or conjoined at the head, and without separation, craniopagus twins typically do not survive past their second birthday, according to Montefiore Hospital. 

A 3-year-old boy battling a unique form of cancer got his wish Wednesday to join the ranks of the Chicago Police Department.

David Juarez, who has neuroblastoma, a cancer attacking his nervous system, got a CPD motorcycle escort and was sworn in as a Chicago police officer, thanks to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. He was even sworn in by Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson.

After reading David his responsibilities, Johnson asked “Do you accept?”

David paused for a moment before nodding in affirmation to the applause of his fellow officers. Johnson then bestowed upon the young officer his very own badge and certificate before they exchanged a vigorous salute.

His family says it's been David’s dream to become a cop, and the nonprofit helped make that dream come true for the day.

"He's met a lot of great officers and so many people are supporting him, and they are having a good time being a part of David's wish," Jessica Miller, of Make-a-Wish Illinois, told NBC 5.

David, diagnosed a year ago, got to trade in steroid shots and chemo for a badge and a day of activities fit for a courageous kid.

With some help from his squadmates, David chased around cartoonesque characters, like a kitty-cat burglar and a T-Rex, and placed them under arrest.

By the end of the day the pooped little patrolman took a nap — but was headed to more police training at McCormick Place when he awoke.

“Officer Juarez makes a number of arrests in his first day on the job. Great work!” the Chicago Police Department tweeted Wednesday afternoon.

Prosecutors charged a Milwaukee police officer Thursday with killing a black man in August, alleging the man had thrown his gun away and was unarmed when the officer fired the fatal shot.

Dominique Heaggan-Brown, who is also black, was charged with reckless homicide in the Aug. 13 death of Sylville Smith, which sparked two days of riots on Milwaukee's north side. In the days after the shooting, both the police chief and the mayor had said that police video clearly showed Smith had a gun and was turning toward officers when he was shot. Thursday's criminal complaint echoed that, but went on to describe a second shot, fired into Smith's chest after Smith no longer had his gun.

Heaggan-Brown, who was fired in October over an unrelated sexual assault case, shot Smith following a traffic stop. After fleeing police, Smith turned with a gun and was shot once in his bicep, according to the complaint. The second shot occurred less than two seconds later, after Smith was lying on the ground with his hands near his head, according to the complaint.

Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm said in the complaint that the video shows Smith throwing the gun over a fence. Heaggan-Brown told state agents that he believed Smith's gun "flew" out of his hand over a fence after the first shot. The officer said he thought Smith was reaching for another weapon in his waistband so he fired the second shot.

Chisholm's office said he would not hold any news conference or issue any statement Thursday on the charge and the video would not be released.

Heaggan-Brown was scheduled to make an initial court appearance Friday. His attorney, Jonathan Smith, said that he hasn't seen any of the state's evidence but a read of the criminal complaint raises "issues." He didn't elaborate but did promise a "vigorous" defense.

Smith's family issued a statement thanking Chisholm.

"We appreciate that the District Attorney has shown independence and sound judgment in prosecuting the officer who shot and killed Sylville," the statement said. "We also appreciate that this is but the first step in holding that officer accountable, but a necessary step in bringing some measure of justice."

His mother, Mildred Haynes, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the charge should have been tougher.

"He shot him in the arm and shot him again in the chest. To me, he shot to kill," she said.

Police Chief Ed Flynn said shortly after the shooting that Heaggan-Brown opened fire after Smith turned toward the officer and began to raise his gun despite Heaggan-Brown's warnings to drop it. The chief said then that he had seen the body camera video but did not mention that Smith was unarmed when the second shot was fired. Both Flynn and Mayor Tom Barrett planned news conferences Thursday afternoon.

The neighborhood where Smith was killed is predominantly black. Heaggan-Brown grew up there and has lived near the shooting scene since at least 2012. The night of the shooting, demonstrators burned six businesses and a police squad car and threw rocks and bottles at police. More violence broke out the next night, with one man being shot and injured and protesters again throwing rocks and bottles at officers. Police arrested about 40 people over the course of three nights. Flynn blamed protesters from outside of Milwaukee for much of the unrest.

The sexual assault case that led to Heaggan-Brown's firing stemmed from an incident the night of Aug. 14. According to a criminal complaint, Heaggan-Brown and another man went to a bar where they drank heavily and watched television coverage of the unrest. The man told investigators that Heaggan-Brown bragged that he could do anything he wanted without repercussions, and that he woke up to Heaggan-Brown sexually assaulting him.

Heaggan-Brown also was charged with soliciting two other people for sex several times since December 2015 and with sexually assaulting another unconscious person in July 2016 and photographing that victim naked. He faces two felony counts of second-degree sexual assault, two misdemeanor prostitution counts and one felony count of capturing an intimate representation of a person without consent.