Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren said in a press conference Monday that nearly 70 protesters arrested earlier this month won’t be prosecuted after the State Attorney’s Office decided not to file charges. Warren spoke out about the 667 protesters arrested on the night of June 2 in the downtown areaContinue Reading
The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office had identified the man charged with murdering Florida Fish and Wildlife officer Julian Keen Jr. as Eliceo Hernandez. Hernandez, 20, was arrested and charged with negligent homicide and held in the county jail on $500,000 bond The sheriff’s office detailed that Keen, 30, who wasContinue Reading
Florida Wildlife Conservation officer Julian Keen Jr. was found fatally shot in Hendry County Sunday morning, shot and killed while off-duty trying to stop a hit-and-run driver. The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were dispatched to the area of Apache Circle and Nobles Road in Labelle after reports thatContinue Reading
Saturday saw more protests by Black Lives Matter members and supporters speaking out against police brutality and systematic racism. They were joined by a “Back the Blue” rally to support law enforcement after recent criticism took to the streets outside the Tampa Police Department’s District 1 building on W. TampaContinue Reading
Polk County schools are planning now for a fall reopening. Over 30,000 parents responded to a Polk County survey to integrate with the district’s task force. “We see a strong sense for students to return to some sense of normalcy,” said Michelle Townley, interim assistant superintendent of curriculum. “This hasContinue Reading
The Florida Department of Health (DOH) has reported as of this morning 73,552 total COVID-19 cases and 2,925 deaths. This is up more than 2,500 cases and 48 deaths since Friday’s released data. Nearly 1.4 million tests have been performed to date, according to DOH data. When asked about theContinue Reading
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office arrested a former probation officer, Rutherford Jean, charging him with two counts of sexual battery and blackmailing victims for sexual favors. An inmate at the Pinellas County Jail filed a complaint in October 14, 2019 to detention deputies that her probation officer had blackmailed herContinue Reading
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced that a Port Richey man, Angelo David Salvarezza, has been sentenced to federal prison on charges of drug dealing and firearm possession. Salvarezza, 38, of Port Richey, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for possessing with theContinue Reading
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a bill into law, which would allow college athletes in the state to earn money from endorsement deals. Effective in 2021, the restrictions on college athletes will be lifted to allow these student athletes to be paid for the use of their names, imagesContinue Reading
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office reported that a Temple Terrace fire inspector has been arrested and accused of possessing “thousands of images and videos of child pornography, ranging in ages from infants to young teenagers,” Casey Dwayne Hannah, 40, of Seminole, was charged with 20 counts of Possession of Child Pornography.Continue Reading
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said people armed with hammers and other blunt objects smashed their way into the Tampa Walmart on East Fletcher Avenue after 9 p.m. May 30 during a George Floyd protest. Detectives believe approximately 200 people entered the store and said most began looting the electronicsContinue Reading
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office reports an outbreak of COVID-19 at the Pinellas County Jail. Within the last couple of days there have been 13 staff members and five inmates test positive for COVID-19. The staff members are predominately from Inmate Records and deputies working in North Division. All fiveContinue Reading
Former Florida House Rep. Larry Ahern filed to run against Pinellas County Commissioner Janet Long Wednesday for the at-large District 1 seat representing northeast and mid-Pinellas. Ahern brings name recognition to the race to challenge the incumbent Democrat, serving Florida’s 66th District in northwestern Pinellas County from 2012 to 2018. He also served in Florida’sContinue Reading
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced the indictment of a two people from Clearwater, Courtney Marie Michaelis and Nicholas Andrew Ham, with the illegal distribution of fentanyl. Michaelis, 37, and Ham, 21, have been charged with distributing fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury to anContinue Reading
Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced plans for Florida’s K-12 public schools to reopen at full capacity in the fall. “Having a teacher there, there just isn’t going to be a substitute for that in-person instruction,” he said. Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said that’s the recommendation being made to local schoolContinue Reading
Major League Soccer will be back on the field next month, announcing yesterday that a World Cup-style tournament featuring all 26 clubs will be played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World. “The opportunity to have all 26 clubs in a controlled environment enables usContinue Reading
UPDATE: Busch Gardens and Adventure will open June 11. Guests will notice increased cleaning and safety protocols in addition to limits on the number of people who can be in the theme parks at once. A new online reservation system will help manage capacity. “Over the past two months, weContinue Reading
The Wagon Wheel and Mustang Flea Markets are closing their doors permanently after being shuttered due to coronavirus, ending their business after 55 years. According to their Facebook page Wednesday afternoon, the organization stated, “It is with a heavy-heart that we share with you the news that we will not beContinue Reading
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has arrested multiple teenagers seen on video engaging in a shootout on Monday morning in Tampa. At 10:54 a.m. on Monday, June 8, Marqueas Williams, 16, and Gregory Turner, 16, were seen riding a bicycle and a scooter past a group of eight other juvenilesContinue Reading
Tampa Police release footage of the incidents which resulted in the arrest of Marli Church and Stephanie Sanchez. In the footage below, Church, 17, was arrested for holding an umbrella during a march and then trying to jab a bicycle officer with the metal tip of the umbrella. The officerContinue Reading
United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the filing of a criminal complaint charging Ivan Jacob Zecher (27, Jacksonville) with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm. If convicted, Zecher faces up to 10 years in federal prison on each count. “The cooperationContinue Reading
