tonight, a story you will only see on fox 5. a dc police officer accused of sexually abusing a girl he met at a local church. >> plus rg iii's recovery his upcoming rehab and when we could see him back on the

field. >> cool outside but a winter warm up is on the way. we begin with a fox 5 exclusive a dc police officer under arrest tonight accused of having sex with an under aged girl he met in a church choir. >> sixth district patrol officer turned himself in late this afternoon. paul wag they are has the story. >> reporter: the court affidavit filed with a search warrant says the abuse began back in 2004 when officer palmer was the director of youth choir and the girl was a member of the choir. when the woman came forward back in march she told police the abuse began when she was 11 years old and continued for two years. the day after christmas dc police executed a search warrant at this church in southeast. the same church where officer palmer served as director of the choir and the victim attended service s with her

family. from 2004 to 2006 the choir director would sexually assault the girl during rehearsal breaks after sending the other children to the store. at the time, the alleged victim says she was 11 years old. the affidavit send when officers searched the church they took photodiagrammed the premises. the woman told detectives abuse began in the sixth grade and continued until she was 13 years old. officer palmer is 44. until recently when dell palmer was a patrol office inner the sixth district located east of the anacostia river his police powers were revoked some time ago but it is unclear when. the churches website does not list any information about a youth choir or name when dell palmer as director. based upon the affidavit it appears the woman making the accusations is now either 19 or 20 years old, palmer is facing

one count of first degree child sex abuse. law enforcement says the investigation is ongoing paul wagner fox 5 news. new at 10, dc police want to know if you can help them solve a carjacking happened in ken i don't know street area of northwest dc friday morning the man walking in the dark clothing is the suspect. video taken just before police believe he carjacked a cab driver. if you know anything call dc police. another big story robert griffin the third recovering from knee surgery performed earlier today. scott what do you know? how did the surgery go? >> reporter: recovery will be a long road but the procedure was a success it began 7:00 a.m. this morning lasted 5 hours. dr. andrews, repaired his lcl and reconstruction to the acl the same operation he had in

2009. estimated recovery is 6 to 8 months. griffin hopes to return for the start of the next season. he tweeted today, when adversity strikes you, you step aside and give in or step up and fight. he went on to win thize man in 2011 after his last surgery. dr. andrews released this statement saying he had successful knee surgery direct repair of his lcl and redo of his previous acl reconstruction we expect recovery

>> thank you scott. podiatrist eric, joins us with more on what lies ahead with rg iii. use your model if you would, to explain griffins injury, acl, lcl >> what we knew going into the surgery, was that the lcl was torn the lateral collateral ligament on the outside of the

knee here stabilizes the outside of the knee. what we were suspecting and what was confirmed is that the acl, deep in the joint, was torn. he already had this repaired while in college this prevent it is tibia, from moving forward. this was reconstructed today as well >> he has been out of surgery for several hours. what is he going through tonight. >> well t main goal right after surgery is certainly pain control. the earliest phases of recovery are controlling swelling, pain control, just starting to get him moving at the earliest stages. >> what would be next? is he supposed to stay in bed? off the leg? have him up and moving around >> they want him moving to some degree. really the first stage is pain control, working on that range of motion and as the range of motion improves they can work

on strength and eventually developing more functional tasks. >> as we learned, they used a graft from his other knee to fix the knee that was damaged. will that slow down the recovery process because both knees are operated on? >> it is extremely typical. he is recovering two knees so the first time he had his acl repaired they took that same ligament from the right tendon because that was already used in the first surgery they had to go to the other side. he had two knees operated on today. as far as orthopaedic surgeries go it is minor but still can cause spain effect recovery. >> we have seen other athletes, peterson came back, the number one running back in the nfl after acl surgery what are rg

iii's chances of coming back? >> it is unfair to compare this. this is a second surgery, he already had the acl repaired once and also had a second ligament involved as well. dr. andrews gave an encouraging report today, saying 6 to 8 months should be ready to start the season. there are many people think that may be too optimistic and we may be looking at a return at some point in the middle of the season. some people may say he may not be functioning at his previous level right away. it may be some time for him to be back, the old rg iii we knew. for washington dc the bigger issue is having him come back at full force and really hoping he has a great longevity to his career. >> all right. thanks so much for coming in. >> thank you. >> brian. >> not you yet brian. we will talk about what we asked our facebook friends

today, what impact will rg iii's injury have in future. >> he will be back by week one and better than ever. >> with this type of injury i feel even when it heals that knee will limit his ability to be top of his game. i am praying after the surgery he will come back strong lycopodder son. >> hopefully it is not like -- strong like peterson. >> hopefully it is not like manning. the difference is manning is a lot older. >> we invite you to share your thoughts log on to the my fox dc facebook page. doesn't feel like january. getting a dose of springtime weather. temperatures mild, cloudy, sue to tell us how it will continue that way. >> yeah, i think we will hit a crescendo in time for the weekend. snow lovers will be saying get it out of here we would like cold weather. even tonight it is nwhaoti thou

start with, january 9th, the coldest part of our winter for the next couple weeks high, 50 degrees. that is more typical of later march. now there were some spots that did not get out of the 40s but also a few spots just south, that were up and over 60 degrees today, including fredericksburg. charlottesville, cincinnati, so a nice warm up going on and it will continue. we have affluent slipping through tonight it will -- we have a front slipping through tonight it will cool off. not that cold fredericksburg still 59, dc 46 when you think about the fact that it is 46 at 10:00 p.m. and our average high for the day is 43 we are still in bonus territory. gaithersburg, 48 degrees. winchester 50, leonard town 54 and annapolis 53. we look up to the north and west not that cold there either we will keep unbelievably mild temperatures for january going.

chilly not cold overnight probably 38 in the district to about 34 and maybe 32 in our colder spots you can thank that big area of high pressure off the southeastern u.s. that will keep that warm upcoming and i will let you know just how high we think those temperatures will get as we get closer to the end of the week. brian. >> thank you. news alert from washington, more changes ahead for president obama's cabinet. secretary of labor announced today she is resigning. she is one of the highest ranking hispanics in the administration. she plans to return to california where she is expected to run for a seat on the los angeles board of supervisors. president obama expected to nominate jacob lou for treasury secretary. he is currently chief of staff he would replace tim geithner. jeff session said if lou is nominated he will try to block

his nomination saying he mislead congress ability the obama -- about the obama plans to reduce the national debt. national cathedral will host, same-sex marriages. they decided the new policy when the marriages became legal in dc and maryland. >> i think there is a pretty good consensus in the church about same sex blessing and in places where same-sex marriage is legal. because of our stature goes beyond the episcopal church we are trying to speak out to the christian and interfaith community around the country we stand for marriage equality and with lgbt people. >> individual priests can decide whether they want to officiate. health alert. at a local er one of the

hospitals where flu case have taken a dramatic spike. a frightening ferry crash in new york city into a manhattan dock. >> more than 30 children found in one home day care, that wasn't the only problem police found. disturbing charges at 11:00 p.m. 

this year's flu season is rapidly spreading across the country. it has gotten so bad in boston the city declared a public health emergency. the virus is proving deadly in arkansas at least 7 flu related deaths less than half of arkansas residents got flu shot this is year. health officials believe they could be facing the worst flu season in a decade hospitals in maryland also seeing a huge increase in sick people crowding the er. fox 5s audrey barnes is on the story. >> reporter: as you said the flu is hitting people earlier and harder and spreading faster

than ever. maryland so far this season more than 2300 people have tested positive for the flu. county hospitals are feeling the strain. 6-year-old andrew tucker is finally going home. he was rushed by ambulance to emergency room at shady grove hospital after being diagnosed with the flu at his pediatrician's office. >> coughing, i was sneezing and i was throwing up two times. >> reporter: you knew you had the flu right? it could be days before he is better. >> mild case of the flu right now, obviously, plenty of prescriptions, popsicles and rest and watch and monitor him. we broke the fever so that is a good thing. >> reporter: emergency room visits at maryland hospitals are steadily increasing this flu season. in shady grove's pediatric er they are up 25%. adult emergency room visits

have spiked 10 to 20%. >> when you combine them the last week i have data for we saw 400 patients more per week. >> reporter: shady grove's pediatric er medical director says this year's flu is causing some severe symptoms. >> seeing people come in with high fevers, headaches, muscle aches, shortness of breath, bad cough and just feeling lousy. >> reporter: he said if you are lucky you will only be down for the count for 5 to 7 days. but some people will endure 2 to 3 weeks of feeling horrendous. it is not too late to protect yourself. >> the best thing to do is get your flu shot. it doesn't cause flu, it is still not too late to get your flu shot because the flu season goes until april. >> reporter: not everyone who gets sick needs to see a doctor in most cases follow mom's advice. rest, drink plenty of fluids, take tylenol or ibuprofen.

if your child experiences respiratory ailments head to er. >> flairing offense trails. --s in trails. retractions of the ribs, abdominal breathing their belly comes out and chest caves. if you notice those things, it is time to come to the emergency room. >> another bit of advice about that flu shot if you have gotten sick and recovered doctors say still go get one because it will protect you against all the other strains out there that you didn't have and shawn there are several strains out there. very scary. >> not too late people should get flu shots. >> absolutely. >> thank you. >> myfoxdc.com always on for you we have a complete coverage of everything you need to know about this year's flu strain from facts and common questions to symptoms and flu vaccine finder go to myfoxdc.com click

on web links. >> following two developing storys in new york city tonight. in queens seven people were injured after a crane collapsed at a construction site. at the dock a ferry slammed into a pier. 11 in serious condition tonight. >> reporter: a ferry carrying hundreds of commuters from new jersey to new york, crashing into a dock in lower manhattan during the morning rush hour. dozens of people sent to hospitals. >> you know just doing my usual morning routine sipping coffee when there was a tremendous impact my head slammed into the seat in front of me. and then i noticed there were many people down. >> reporter: witnesses say it happened while many passengers were standing, preparing to exit. >> no warning just coming in, in a normal way and instead of stopping we came right through >> it appears the boat missed,

hit slip d and continued on and hit slip b. >> reporter: it was recently fitted with a new propulsion system but it is too son to tell if it played -- too soon to tell if it played a role. >> they will look at operations, company management, regulatory compliance of the vessel, regulatory oversight of the vessel by the coast guard and that group will look at human performance. >> reporter: the chairman says the ship's captain was the most senior captain of the company and feels terrible >> jason is a fine captain, with us a long time. >> reporter: crew members passed alcohol breath tests, results of drug tests won't be vailable for a few -- won't be available for a few days. our other developing story in new york, seven people injuried in a crane collapse in queens.

happened near the east river, the seven are hurt, three in serious condition tonight. investigators are still trying to find the cause of the collapse. one witness said the arm seemed to fold on itself like an accordian. what was it like talk gun control with the president. a virginia tech survivor joins us next. >> who is on that super star performance list for the inaugural ceremony [ male announcer ]] verizon fios is the f fastest internet in america. jusust ask pc mag. [ man ] "cable can't touch fios upload speeds." "it's hard to imagine anyone ever beating fios." "there's no doubt fios is the fastest in the country." [ male announcer ] after 110,000 speed tests, nothing came close to fios. and with fios you get unlimited internet use. period.

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they know the destructive nature of gun violence first hand. vice president joe biden met with gun control advocacy groups. the meeting is part of a series biden is holding to come up with recommendations for the obama administration on gun policy, by the end of this

month. colin goddard spokesman for the brady campaign joins us. thanks for being here. >> thanks for having me. >> when we talked about the connecticut school shooting you said there is always a lot of talk after incidents like this but not enough action were you pleased with the outcome of today's meeting? >> absolutely. it was encouraging to see, serious commitment to a comprehensive look at our gun policy and violence in america how we can mitigate that through even changing the culture around violence and gun play in america. it was really really encouraging, motivational to see the administration talk seriously about this. >> i understand the vice president said it was critical to act, saying the administration is considering its own executive action as well as measures by congress. >> he likened it to the automobile accidents in the country and drinking and driving how after decades of

regulatory policy changes as well as changing the culture around drinking and driving and seat belt wearing we have greatly reduced the number of people injured from not wearing their seat belts. how we can save the greatest number of americans not just what happened at the last major shooting but the greatest number of americans. >> his task force will meet with the gun lobby what would you like to see come out of that meeting in >> i hope the nra leadership speaks on behalf of their membership. if they do that, we will be on the same page. the vast members we found support some of the same measures we talked about today, background checks on gun sales. >> what other measures would you like to see enacted? >> i think there was some common ground found on background checks on gun sales, assault weapons and high capacity magazines. these are area that is don't stop people from owning guns

but makes it more difficult for dangerous people to get their hands on a deadly lethal weapon and do great harm. >> a survivor of the virginia tech shooting and spokesman for the brady campaign thanks for coming in. new details about the inauguration and stars set to perform plus a special american idol event right here in dc. reaction to the kick off of season 12, wait until you hear what will thomas has to say about the show coming up on the news edge at 11 

they're back. maryland general assembly kicked off their session. one of the big issues transportation funding. mike miller said he might consider raising the state gas tax. republicans say they will fight that idea. >> this economy will get hurt.

it is still very fragile what maryland shouldn't be doing is raising the gas tax. >> general assembly expected to deal with several gun control bills and legislation aimed at repealing the death penalty. virginia gaveled into session, one day after mcdonald talked about raising the state's 5% sales tax by .08% phased in over the next 5 years with money going to transportation. governor mcdonald said gas tax isn't doing enough and phasing in more money from the sales tax is a common sense way to generate more money for infrastructure. >> if we cannot annually generate 3/10 of 1% we are not serious about fixing the

transportation problem. >> he said it will generate 3 .1 million dollars over 5 years if it passes virginia would be the first state in the country to eliminate gas tax. mark joins us to weigh in on both general assembly sessions. good to see you. >> good to be here. >> i spent a lot of time in annapolis sounds like the gas tax is a sure thing. >> the gas tax is 23.5¢, same as dc is and you know last time, brian, the governor, who has presidential ambitions we probably have to say this every single time and is term limited, wanted to raise the sales tax from 6 to 7%. they were unable to do this i guess he thinks this is the path of least resistance he is not going to run for governor again so he will try it. in terms of republicans in the house, they are so outnumbered they can say all they want but if the democratic speaker and

state senate president mike miller wants this to happen it will happen. >> what do you think about the different approach to the same issue in virginia. >> fascinating. bob mcdonald when he ran said i will never raise taxes now he too, one term, the only governor in the nation limited to one term, he cannot succeed himself, run again but in his last term, saying hey, we need a billion dollars a year in transportation, money is going to run out in 2017, i've got to do something dramatic. he has a republican controlledhouse of delegates all up for election this year. that will be tough for him to get that through even with republican members in house of delegates. both states tackling gun control seems like an easier issue in democratic controlled maryland, at least historically, pro gun state

like virginia. >> absolutely. you've outlined it perfectly. virginia they can talk about it but i don't think there will be any serious change in maryland, there surely is the numerical majority to put something through. the president talks about doing a lot of things by executive order, that wouldn't need congressional legislation maybe the governors will try to do somethings by executive order. i think you will see progress through background checks, with the gun show loophole, will be remedied maybe not virginia but definitely in maryland. >> lastly, quickly i haven't heard so much about the presidential inauguration about how it is impacting city council. they are concerned how they will get around on that day. how they want to go down on friday and deliver custom made license tags. >> that is constructive development, my true colors are

showing. mary che and a delegation will go to 1600 pennsylvania with 44 why? this is the 44th president and ask him to put this on the limousine bill clinton had it on, george bush took it off, obama never put it on it is in your face tactic by the dc council. they are going to try to do it on friday s whether they accept it or not, they will lay that plate there and give them the unanimous resolution, mr. president put this on the limousine for inauguration. the plans for inauguration are forming up we know more about the stars asked to perform. richard blanco will be the poet. he is a son of cuban exiles and

openly gay. maya angelou was the poet in 2009. ♪ [ music ] >> you are going to hear this voice again this year. they have announced the star studded performance list, beyonce will sing the national anthem, kelly clarkson and james taylor, it is january 21st. drunk drivers beware, crackdown in dc is under way. two new bills signed into law putting stricter penalties in place. matt has the story. >> long deep breath, long and steady into the tube. >> reporter: testing the equipment for all to see district officials, showed off their new and what they believe is an improved measure. >> i think we are clear. >> reporter: because of serious

issues uncovered dc police stopped using breath tests for those suspected of drinking and driving now the chief medical examiner stands behind the updated machines. >> this meets the requirement of the national standard, meets the objective and also meets the instrument requirement of the national highway traffic safety administration. >> having proper technology or proper calibration is very very critical, to make sure, that those who violate the public's trust and drive drunk are held accountable. >> so far there are three intoxi meters more expected to be put in soon. 31 officers have been trained to use this new technology and by the end of the summer, 100 officers will be trained. but dui defense attorney, isn't convinced the new meters are foolproof. >> i am always concerned when

law enforcement says they are confident something is going to work even though it didn't work before. >> reporter: mayor grey and police officials signed into law stricter dui penalties, for repeat offenders, taxi drivers, chauffeurs and impaired drivers with kids in the vehicle. >> there is nothing more heart breaking for a police officer to respond to the scene of a crash where there is an innocent child victim. >> reporter: they want to move towards an ignition interlock system, forcing those convicted of dui to blow into a device to start their cars. 15 states already require it. in the district, fox 5 news. still to come find out why donald trump is giving miss maryland the miss usa crown. incredible hot air balloon crash caught on camera. when we come back you're o on timeout leo!

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some things will. a man is dead another badly hurt after their ride in an inflatable ball went horribly wrong. they were riding it down the mountain when it bounced off the path and over a rocky ledge. both men were thrown out of the ball, one died. the manufacturer said the resort ignored safety guidelines. dramatic ending to a romantic wedding aboard this hot air balloon the bride and groom just finished exchanging vows when a strong gust of wind grabbed the balloon. they made a crash landing into a fence behind a home. one passenger suffered a minor back injury no one else was hurt.

tonight on news edge, dcs mayor has a message for the red skins. why the team would have to make major changes if they moved back to the district. >> stars excited about this year's talent on american idol.

group of budding writers hoping to be the next shakespeare or tennessee williams. a book party will be held to honor these newly published student authors. beth parker has their story. >> hello my name is thadius the fourth, i am, well, a very intellectually gifted. >> reporter: his real name is danny he and sarah are portraying children. >> you would be the captain and i would be on the lookout for the evil martian. >> reporter: they are both professional actors but the

play was written by a 8th grader. >> i got the idea for my play by reading a lot of books and eating a lot of bacon. >> reporter: once a week the nonprofits take over a student's english class. kids of all ages write their own plays. >> it was cool because it wasn't really about the grade, it was more about just creativity and having fun. >> reporter: young playwrights theatre was founded here in columbia heights 17 years ago they are in schools in dc, maryland and virginia. they have decided to publish a book. >> it is not every day you get to say you have your play in a book, and you know, you don't know who across the country will pick up the book and read it. >> reporter: there may be a will the of people reading write to dream, they have been getting a lot of requests from

schools around the country who want to replicate the program. >> within this book we are including not only plays but sample curriculum that a classroom teacher can take and implement in the classroom, that a student could follow and write their own play at moment we are hoping to inspire, young people around -- play at home. we are hoping to inspire young people around the country. >> reporter: they are not necessarily looking to train kids to be professional playwrights they want to create the next generation of great thinkers. >> reporter: in washington beth parker fox 5 news. maryland now home of an american beauty queen. she was the first runner up in the miss usa pageant but taking over for olivia copo named miss universe. she is thrilled to wear the crown. >> pretty unique i don't know how many -- i don't think any miss usas have been crowned by

trump. i am a middle child i never get this attention it is a crazy day for me. >> she was born in south africa, raised in potomac. she is 27 after she serves she may go to medical school. from time to time fox 5 has the pleasure of welcoming hollywood stars this morning our sister station in philadelphia got a special treat from actor/director, mark wahlburg. >> we are expecting on the east 76, you will have some serious problems. stop and get yourself a hogie. >> can you imagine? >> he was there to promote his new film broken city his sidekick is film director alan hughes. broken city premiered in philadelphia, last night. >> i think he is adorable. please come to dc. i am telling you. i would love to present him.

>> let you hang out here. >> yeah, i like his philadelphia accent. pull over and get a hogie. >> very fun guy. >> weather wise, a little chilly tonight but getting better. >> yeah, really tonight is beginning to be chilly shawn but not as cold as it should be this time of year the high was 71 in wilmington. >> really? >> yeah, go to the beach. some people are complaining they don't like it this warm but we have to take the break while we can get it. i am sure there will be some cold stuff coming. a lot of chatter it will be getting cold inner the west over the weekend but as that cold air sinks through the west it will warm us up a little bit. today i did not expect those showers to come through they got squeezed out with the frontal boundary and the thick clouds prevented us from coming in, mid-50s. here in the district 50 degrees colder at dulles and bwi but i would also mention to you, all

those temperatures are still above average for january 9th, 46 here in the district at 10:00 p.m., 57 fredericksburg i don't know how winchester is doing, but since martins burg is 49 and hagerstown, 47 it probably is correct. a few down into the 30s but not a bitterly cold night. detroit 38, pittsburgh 40. not bad at all. overnight this is what we are thinking in terms of temperatures, definitely chilly not tropical 38 here in the city, some low 30s. up to our north and west mid- 40s down to our south. a few clouds coming through, clear skies, maybe some clouds in the morning a much sunnier day tomorrow. this system is really going to lose a lot of support it has

dropped very heavy rain across louisiana and texas it will move north might bring showers on friday. for tomorrow, it will be blocked by high pressure. that high will give us a cooler day our temperature only 50, 51 degrees then some time friday afternoon we have at least a chance for showers i don't think it looks like a lot of rain. the main system is going to go well to our west we will get showers probably in here, in the afternoon they are gone later friday night. we will check the timing on future cast. for the meantime tomorrow's temperatures coolest for the next several days friday near 50 degrees then bring in a taste of april for the weekend, check out this, future cast show this storm system heading on up to the north, 5:00 p.m. tomorrow still got clearer skies go through friday, clouds increase a couple showers around especially in the afternoon but notice how so many want to go north. maybe we sneak a few through

here 6, 7 but does not look like we will get a lot of rain out of that next system. weekend is really going to be quite spring like we are talking maybe low and mid-60s saturday, 62 degrees, nice warm up, sunday even warmer at 65, and has a lot to do with the fact all that cold air will be out in the west and that pumps up the warm stuff for us. 50s and 60s maybe 70s to our south. here is your accu weather seven- day forecast, a couple more days near 50 degrees, saturday we jump it up to 60 degrees. sunday 65, monday 63, a few more showers in the forecast, in the monday, tuesday, wednesday timeframe we will keep an eye on the cold air out west will it push east some models say yes but will take a long time. >> thank you sue. >> sure. coming up next the movie

award season kicking into high gear ability now. we are not -- gear about now. we are not just talking oscars and golden globes. the films up for worst of the year up next

awards shows typically hon morthe best in entertainment. -- honor the best in entertainment. one group is hoping to pull your attention into the worst films. adam has more from hollywood. >> reporter: the 33rd annual razzys are out and the final twilight film is sucking the blood out of all other films, it is up for 11 golden raspberries including worst leading picture and worst leading actors and supporting actors. the razzys are about having fun at the expension of hollywood

stars. frankly this was the best of all five of the movies. adam sander will's that's my boy. >> you are the worst parent ever. >> reporter: the actor seems to be a razzy favorite, jack and jill won ten. this year's awards will be handed out the day before the oscars. as hollywood celebrates the worst british theatre announces their version of the oscars. lincoln is leading the way, followed by les miserables and life of pii. >> this year's oscar nominations come out tomorrow before the golden globe ceremony this sunday. normally the golden globes comes before the oscars