Edgar Hurtado-Ramirez (52, Mexico) today pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder monetary instruments and engage in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. Hurtado-Ramirez faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. According to the plea agreement, Hurtado-RamirezContinue Reading

Kimberly Fleer (27, Seffner) has pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl to an individual, causing that individual’s death. Fleer faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years, and up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled. According to the plea agreement, on November 2, 2019,Continue Reading

U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton has sentenced Lascelles Peter Francis, III (30, Daytona) to 15 years and 10 months in federal prison for possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Francis had pleaded guilty on MarchContinue Reading

U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Edgar Vazquez (36, Fort Myers) to 11 years in federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. The court also ordered Vazquez to forfeit a firearm and ammunition that were involved in the offense. VazquezContinue Reading

U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell has sentenced Antonie Latimore (36, Winter Haven) to 10 years and 10 months years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine base. Latimore had pleaded guilty on March 6, 2020. According to court documents, the FBI received information that Latimore, spelled in someContinue Reading

crime

United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the return of an indictment charging Steven Michael Smith (35, Jacksonville) with possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, possessing a short-barreled shotgun in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime, possessing firearms as a convicted felon, and possessing an unregistered short-barreled shotgun andContinue 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

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) introduced legislation on Thursday to end no-knock warrants, a measure that appears to have bipartisan support as demand grows for police reform. Titled “Justice for Breonna Taylor Act,” the law would prohibit federal law enforcement from carrying out a warrant “until after the officer provides notice of hisContinue 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

The U.S. Department of Labor Friday announced the award of an opioid-crisis Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity for up to $2,500,000, with $833,333 released initially. This grant funding will address the workforce impacts of the opioid crisis by providing employment services to eligible individualsContinue Reading

A second person was arrested Friday in connection to a double shooting that happened earlier this week in St. Petersburg. Michael Murray has now been arrested by police in connection to the shooting at 9th Avenue N and 37th Street. Murray, 26, has been charged with first degree murder and attempted felonyContinue Reading

Police in Lakeland are looking for the murderer in the shooting death of Johnathan “Jay” Charles-Pierre, pronounced dead last night,  just before 11 p.m. Monday. Officers responded to the report of gun shots to find Charles-Pierre, 35, dead with gunshot wound to his chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The home, located at 940 CastleContinue Reading

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office, one of the country’s largest sheriff’s departments, is critically short on deputies, creating a major stress for coverage against threats of terrorism, drunk driving, and general public safety. “We do have a shortage, but I can tell you right now we have no shortage of dedicationContinue Reading

After a massive two-day manhunt which included helicopters, K-9s, and dozens of police, the 30-year-old Brandon Goggins finally was apprehended Friday morning. Goggins showed up on Jessica Weightman’s family farm right across from Safety Town, the area where deputies were focusing. He’d spent some of the night in the swamp across the road.Continue Reading

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is still searching for Brandon Goggins, described as a “dangerous suspect” will to engage law enforcement with gun fire, according to a witness.Deputies have reopened State Road 52, but the manhunt continues. The Global Dispatch summarized the early details surrounding the case and hunt forContinue Reading