PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — A 38-year-old Punta Gorda woman has been arrested on a second-degree felony charge after home surveillance footage captured her engaging in a sexual act with a family dog, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office announced. Malia Elizabeth Nummerdor, 38, was taken into custody following an investigation initiatedContinue Reading
PUNTA GORDA, Fla. – A Punta Gorda man is being held without bond after investigators obtained videos that authorities say show him repeatedly abusing a 6-week-old puppy until the animal died. Neil R. Puterbaugh, 53, was arrested Sept. 15 on a felony aggravated animal cruelty charge and a probation violation,Continue Reading
LAKE WALES, Fla. – A traffic stop over broken tail lights ended with the arrest of a Lake Wales man who had been wanted since 2023 on charges including armed kidnapping and aggravated assault, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Thomas Kenneth James, 42, was driving a white FordContinue Reading
LAKELAND, Fla. – A Polk County Tax Collector’s Office IT manager was found dead in a wooded area of Colt Creek State Park after investigators identified him as the suspect accused of secretly recording women inside an employee restroom. Polk County sheriff’s deputies found the body of Sean Michael Krause,Continue Reading
LAKELAND, Fla. – A Lakeland woman has been arrested after a 3-month-old boy died from multiple head injuries that a medical examiner determined were consistent with being struck by a large ring she was wearing, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Jessica Vlasac, 42, was arrested Sept. 10 andContinue Reading
ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida is moving ahead with a more than $20 billion effort to widen the entire 320-mile Florida’s Turnpike mainline, a project state officials say is now about 55% complete. Gov. Ron DeSantis highlighted the Turnpike expansion Sept. 29 in Orlando, along with nearly $8.5 million for improvementsContinue Reading
MARIANNA, Fla. – A three-day enforcement operation targeting registered sex offenders and predators in Jackson County ended with 21 arrests and the seizure of 18 cellphones, including one that authorities said contained more than 1,500 files of child sexual abuse material. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Missing Persons andContinue Reading
CANTONMENT, Fla. – A cybertip about files uploaded to a social media account led Florida investigators to a Cantonment home, where a 30-year-old man was arrested on 20 felony charges involving child sexual abuse material. Michael Hall Jr. was arrested Sept. 10 after Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents executedContinue Reading
MILTON, Fla. – A 64-year-old Milton man was arrested after investigators said he spent weeks communicating online with undercover agents posing as a juvenile girl and offered money for a sexually explicit video. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested Kenneth Daughtery on Sept. 10 following an investigation that beganContinue Reading
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A message demanding immediate payment for a missed jury duty notice, a suspicious “security alert” in an inbox or an investment promising profits from artificial intelligence could all be signs of an online scam. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is using Cybersecurity Awareness Month to warnContinue Reading