5 00, police have arrested an elementary schoolteacher and basketball coach on disturbing charges. Christopher speights is accused of distributing and possessing child pornography. Investigators found it in his home this morning. Hes been a substitute teacher and coach at brad bury heights in Prince Georges County. He also coached at south county sports academy, Prince Georges CountySchool District is contacting parents right now. Now to the first part of what is being called a congressional joint session. Police arrested several people during a free cannibis giveaway today on capitol hill. This happened as they were handing out joints to Congressional Staff members. Mark segraves shows you the arrests live on facebook this afternoon. Hes still on the hill with a look at what led to these arrests. Mark . Reporter good afternoon, wendy. The organizers thought they were safe here on this they researched it and thought this was a safe place to have this event. What started out as a peaceful protest quickly ended up with multiple arrests. Volunteers spent days rolling more than a thousand joints for todays giveaway. Organizers believed they were not breaking the law, because its legal to possess and giveaway marijuana in the district, but not on federal land. Organizers believe this corner across from the u. S. Capitol is local land. But soon after the giveaway began, u. S. Capitol police swept in and arrested two of the people handing out joints. I dont understand why im getting arrested. I believe i was within my rights. We were on d. C. Land. Im a medical marijuana patient. Reporter minutes later more volunteers started handing out more joints. Again, u. S. Capitol police made more arrests. Its my patriotic right to give away cannibis to the people. Reporter us he feared more people would be arrested. Even after the arrests, the staff took joints. So that shows people are not going to be easily deterred. Reporter minutes after that interview, he was also arrested. When you give away cannibis in the district of columbia, on a d. C. Sidewalk, its a hundred percent legal. Reporter despite about a thousand joints confiscated they were able to hand out free marijuana cigarettes to about 50 federal employees. Most of them wanted the joints but not to talk to reporters. Can we talk to you about the giveaway . No thank you, sir. Reporter while the Police Arrested the people who were giving away the joints, they did not arrest the people who were smoking the joints in front of Police Officers. This is an example of what happens when local laws conflict with federal laws. While this sidewalk government, if a federal Police Officer sees you breaking a federal law, theyre going to arrest you no matter where you are, and thats what happened today. Three of the people arrested today were charged with intent to distribute. The other four were charged with possession. Thats the latest, live on capitol hill. Mark segraves, news4. Thank you, mark. This is one of several propot events in the next few days. On saturday, there will be a festival outside rfk and on monday, activists are planning a smokein at the capital. Well explain why april 20th, 420, became synonymous with marijuana. And new today, a federal judge says a mechanic fired by metro in connection with that deadly smoke incident two years ago, must be rehired. Our partners at wtop report the judge is upholding an punishment to a sixmonth suspension. That mechanic was fired for falsifying records. But the panel blamed in part lacks oversight by supervisors. Passenger carol glover died. Dozens became sick when smoke filled the metro tunnel in 2015. Metros general manager is laying out a plan to make the rail service reliable and safe for you, but it comes at a cost. Over the next ten years, metro wants 15. 5 billion and they want dedicated funding to the tune of 500 million every year from d. C. , maryland, and virginia. News4s Meagan Fitzgerald is live, gotta ask where all that money is coming from. Reporter the short answer is the taxpayers. So whether it will be a sales tax or gas tax, thats up to the legislators. Metro realizes its a nothing to fix metro, it will only get worse. For months safe track has been used to fix troubled spots along the rail. But metros general manager says while its been helpful, its not ideal. We dont ever want to do a safe track again. Reporter the new focus is preventive maintenance, so the Transit System can avoid major problems. Thats why hes asking for 500 million annually from dmv taxpayers. That would put annual spending at 1. 5 billion over ten years. This is a tenyear plan, and the reality is, equipment, material, facilities, they wear out. And the amount of incidents, i think, will go down dramatically. Reporter weed feld is looking to cut internally as well. He said metro employees wouldnt receive the same benefit and pensions as workers do now. Im suggesting that we go to defined Contribution Program for new employees currently have. Reporter that proposal doesnt sit well with the workers union. They released a statement, saying, instead of offering real proposals to improve the system and win riders back, weed feld has, once again, pitted riders against workers in an attempt to balance the agents budget on the back of the hardworking employees. Weed feld said hell be Holding Meetings with metro workers starting next week, but insists that his proposal is the best way to move forward. Weve gotta get this right, the future of this region is dependent upon it, and we have to do what it takes to get there. Reporter and coming up at 6 00, well tell you about one proposal that would possibaffec than just metro riders and it will hopefully get them to the 500 million. Thanks, meagan. In politics, President Trump says he believes new Health Care Legislation could soon be passed by congress. The presids up with a new plan to repeal and replace obamacare. Cnbc is reporting that theyre making changes in order to woo some votes from the Freedom Caucus members who blocked the previous gop measure just last month. Two senior republican aides tell cnbc theres no vote scheduled now, but they expect a Conference Call this weekend. And in the meantime, President Trump is meeting with the italian Prime Minister at the white house. The two World Leaders expressed their condolences to the people of paris this afternoon during a joint news conference. The president also says he plans to talk to the Prime Minister about making more payment to nato. Mr. Trump also says he looked forward to meeting the pope when he traveled to italy next month. The white house says its going to reach out to the vatican to see if an audience with the pope is possible. Its like a vicious cycle. How people try to jump the white house fence and then the secret Service Tweaks its security measures around the just last month, a man spent more than 15 minutes on the grounds of the white house before being apprehended by secret service agents. Kristin wright tells us what tourists are saying about the most recent changes. Reporter not a day goes by that tourists dont stop and take pictures at the white house. The photo many hold on to and cherish forever. And i remember being, like, one foot from that fence and taking a picture with my daughters. We never forget that. Reporter but with more restrictions and more barricades, a good picture, much less, a selfie, is getting harder to come by. And now im a hundredsome feet away, trying to reach up high enough to take a photograph. Yeah, you can go up there. Reporter on their way to the white house, the harold family hit the secret services new security restriction at the south side fence. You cant walk up to the gate anymore. The sidewalk there now closed to the public. Its disturbing. I thought they had already had blockade to keep people away from it. Reporter the secret service turned others around too. Their first time in washington, the harolds didnt mine taking the longer walk around on a beautiful afternoon to get to the front of the white house where new security boundaries are also nothing new. The more unsafe you feel as a people and as a government, were moving back. Reporter mom and dad want these photos for your children. Its like so beautiful, i just want to live in there. Being able to see it, look at it, its very important to me. Reporter the view worth every extra step to the harolds. In washington, kristin wright, news4. A High School Teacher from tennessee who is accused of kidnapping a student is in custody in california tonight and the 15yearold student is safe. Still ahead, how police were able to bring their monthlong odyssey to an end. And from prisoner to law pr [doorbell] when you have doctors working as a team for your health, you get the care you need to help you thrive. Visit kp. Org to learn more. Kaiser permanente. Thrive. Hes 50, shes 15. If now hes under arrest, accused of kidnapping his former student from tennessee. Authorities caught up to this teacher in northern california. Elizabeth thomas has been found more than a month after she disappeared from her tennessee hometown. For her father Anthony Thomas elation and relief. Im overjoyed to have her home, that shes safe. Reporter after searching for the 15yearold and her 50yearold schoolteacher, police say it was one key tip which cracked the case. The caller indicated they had taken up residence in a cabin in a remote area in cecilville, california, within the last week and a half. Reporter police found kum inds rogue suv wednesday night in california. This morning, they found the pair living on a say he kidnapped her march 14th outside nashville. Police issued an amber alert. Since then, more than 1500 tippedz poured in, many false leads. The only confirmed sighting, they were caught on surveillance at an Oklahoma City walmart. Thomass father told how he believed her daughter was manipulated. He was molding her mind, convincing her. Reporter kum inds has been fired and hes being held without bond, facing charges of sexual contact with a minor and aggravated kidnapping. Police are working to reunite elizabeth with her family. Chris poll own, nbc news. Theres been a strange twist in the case surrounding the suicide of former nfl star aaron hernandez. His attorney said the massachusetts chief medical examiner is illegally holding his brain. The attorney said the hernandez faly university to study that brain as part of its concussion research. He said the body was released to a funeral home but the brain was not included. The medical Examiners Office is not commented. Police say he hanged himself in his prison cell where he was serving a life sentence for murder. From prisoner, to law professor, not to mention, author. One mans extraordinary journey. Chris . Reporter Shaun Hopwood said hes been a lawyer just two years and has already written about 250 briefs, most for fellow inmates when he was in prison. Now hes about to become a professor teaching law students. He said he wants them to know he has been on both sides of the law. Im incredibly grateful for this. Reporter 41yearold Shaun Hopwood says his reaction was utter shock when he was offered the job as full Georgetown University law center. I never thought i would go to law school. I never thought i would become a licensed attorney. Reporter he said he was a College Dropout living in a small nebraska town when he turned to robbing banks with a friend and a gun. He was caught by the fbi and pleaded guilty, serving 11 years in the federal penitentiary. He got a job in the law library and started writing briefs. His third appeal went all the way to the supreme court, which was decided unanimously and shaved four years off a friends sentence. When i started winning cases for other prisoners while i was still inside prison, i found that i really enjoyed helping other people with their legal problems, especially people that cant afford a good lawyer. Reporter when he was released, he was encouraged to go to law school. Hopwood wrote a book entitled law man, my story of robbing banks, Winning Supreme Court cases and finding redemption. He clerked for a judge and came to the law where hell teach criminal procedure and prisoners rights. You can never really overcome a felony conviction, but you can make that impact on your life a lot less the more education you receive. Ahead, how other professors at Georgetown University are reacteding reacting to the hiring of an excon to serve with them on the f faculty of this prestigious law school. A lot of us thought that was the most fascinating story of the day. Yep, it is. Another new development in the saga of the trailer park in manassas. A new potential buyer has emerged. A real estate lawyer who owns two other trailer parks. He wants to buy the property, fix the pipes and let the residents stay. Catholics for housing is the other Group Interested in buying the park. Last year, residents were told they have to move because the r citymandated repairs to his faulty sewer system. A different way to spend earth kay this weekend, check out the heron fest, an annual event near route 7 and 28 in ashburn. That development is home to one of the largest heron nesting spots in virginia. I did not know that. Kin cora is embracing this wildlife as a central part of its mixed use, walkable development. We celebrate and allow the public to come in and explore and learn more about the herons through handson activities and tours. This weekend at heron fest, well be bringing some really great, handson learning activities. Well be doing special handson activities about Earth Science and space science. Saturdays event runs from 1 00 to 5 00, there will be live music and directional signs along pacific boulevard, which is just west of the kin cora the heron is an amazingly beautiful bird and it has this sound that sounds like terra dactile. Not that ive heard a pterodactyl. But you can imagine. Just the squawking sound, its really a cool creature. Talk about recycling, a well known artist transformed a d. C. Metro car into something thats going to bring together retail, music and art. And doug is tracking storms in our area. Hes back next with aot more l stronger is blasting without risking her bones. Its training her good cells. To fight the bad guys. Stronger is less pain. New hope. More fight. Its doing everything in your power. And everything in ours. Stronger, is changing even faster than they do. Because we dont just want your kids to grow up. We want them to grow up stronger. Culleoka. Culleoka. That was a lovely rain this morning. I know people are trying to drive in it, but if you werent driving, it was nice and sweet and perfect. We could use more. Yes, we could. Were going to get a little more. Tonight we have storms, tomorrow slight chance, and this weekend, a stoking rain. Currently temperatures on the warm side and right now, this view kinda shows whats happening. We saw sun all day today. Cloud cover from the west, as a result of the storms to the west. 81 degrees, winds out of the south at 8 miles an hour. 81 now, 84, fredericksburg. 85 in manassas. Winchester, luray and stanton, only 65, because of the storms. Nothing around the d. C. Metro arnd last hour, the storms have had a tough time getting across the mountains and we see this every once in a while. Right now, were tracking storms around luray. New market battlefield. Luray, heads up there and this storm towards culpeper, fairly strong. Around front royal, storms in and around winchester. Im going to zoom in on this guy, its just now developing, lot of lightning. Just to the west of strasburg. Up 81, hit 66, its right there at that intersection. Watch out. These storms moving around. Best chance to see the rain will be out on 66. But more showers and thunderstorms developing and moving in. We do expect to see some this evening. Tomorrow, another chance. Nothing too organized so im not anticipating a ton of rain, but saturday and sunday are a little bit different. Showers this evening, theyre into northern virginia, so nothing too strong in the immediate metro. But keep the umbrella handy just in case. Chance tomorrow during the morning rush, but high tomorrow around 83. Warm, a bit humid, a few showers and storms, but most of us on the dry side. Lets talk about your weekend. Saturday, high of 64 degrees. Rain likely, especially during the evening hours. If you got some activities on saturday, you know what, this is not what i was looking for. Ill go back to this. On sunday, temperature around 60 degrees. Weve changed the forecast just a little bit. More rain now on saturday night into early sunday, most of sunday afternoon, though, may be on the dry side. So well be watching out for that for sure. And watching the storm system develop to the south and then move to the north on monday, good chance of rain. Temperature only 56 monday and tuesday. Possible noreaster this, 90. We got the first 90 on the map. Some warm air late next week. Amelia draper will have more on the weekend coming up. Football is a thanksgiving day tradition, and this year, it will have special meaning for the redskins. Also tonight, the Memorial Service plans for the Army Specialist killed in a Helicopter Crash earlier this week. And finding new life for an old metro car. 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