Crime

Five members of an alleged retail theft crime ring are facing charges for thefts made at a number of retailers in 14 of Florida's 20 judicial districts, including the Twentieth, which covers Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Glades and Hendry counties.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a death warrant for a man convicted of brutally murdering a couple at a Charlotte County sod farm in 1997.James D. Ford, 64, is scheduled to be executed Feb. 13 at Florida State Prison in the murders of Greg and Kimberly Malnory. It would be the first execution this year in Florida and would come after one inmate was executed in 2024.

President-elect Donald Trump was formally sentenced Friday in his hush money case, but the judge declined to impose any punishment. The outcome cements Trump’s conviction while freeing him to return to the White House unencumbered by the threat of a jail term or a fine.

In what could be a first-of-its-kind ruling in Florida, an appeals court Tuesday said a drug-sniffing dog's alert did not justify police searching a car because the dog could not differentiate between medical marijuana and illegal pot.The ruling by a three-judge panel of the 5th District Court of Appeal in a Lake County case could add complexity to police searching vehicles without obtaining warrants.

Two of the more than 30 people injured in what is being termed as a terror attack in New Orleans Wednesday morning have been confirmed as former students from the Canterbury School in Fort Myers.Congressman Byron Donalds on Wednesday posted the names of the two injured students, Elle Eisele and Steele Idelson, both 2023 graduates of Canterbury. Social media posts say Eisele is studying at the University of Georgia while Idelson is attending San Diego State University.Further details on their injuries were not available.

The City of Marco Island has experienced several incidents of vandalism at Veterans Community Park over the past few months. More recently, there has been damage to public property at the Maple Avenue beach access point, and to public trash receptacles on Collier Boulevard.Damage has included ripping sinks off public restroom walls, dismantling public drinking fountains, knocking down the shower facilities at the beach, and pushing over trash cans.

The suspect in the 45-year-old homicide of a Punta Gorda store clerk has been identified as a then active-duty Charlotte County Sheriff's Office deputy who reported the killing.The case, investigated several times over the years, was picked up again after the county formed a cold case unit in 2009. New evidence and witnesses lead investigators to the suspect.The former deputy, John J. Greer, acknowledged his involvement a year before he passed away in 2024.

In southwest Florida, communities are fighting with the growing fentanyl crisis. The powerful synthetic opioid has become increasingly prevalent, leading to a surge in overdoses. In response, local organizations and law enforcement are increasing efforts to address the crisis and support affected individuals.

An Ohio prison inmate already convicted of rape and kidnapping pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to threatening to kill a Florida judge and sexually assault the judge’s wife and daughter.Inside the courtroom at his plea hearing, Wayne A. Miller, 41, of Alliance, Ohio, sat slumped in shackles with prominent tattoos across his throat visible at the defense table near his public defender.

Florida Highway Patrol investigators said two Cape Coral men face multiple charges for a road rage violence incident on I-75 Saturday that involved handguns and children in one of the vehicles.The FHP reported the incident happened shortly after 9:30 Saturday morning, starting on Colonial Boulevard and continuing on Interstate 75.