LAKE CITY, Fla. – A month-long investigation into digital child exploitation has led to the arrest of a registered sexual offender in Columbia County. Craig Cleveland Taylor, 52, was taken into custody on December 19, 2025, following a multi-agency operation that uncovered both illegal imagery and significant quantities of narcotics.Continue Reading
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – 24-year-old Eric Joel Valdez of Clay County has pleaded guilty to theft of a firearm from a federal firearms licensee (FFL), officials announced. Valdez faces up to 10 years in federal prison and restitution to the victim, with sentencing scheduled for March 18, 2026. Valdez, who isContinue Reading
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – John Kuhlmann, 79, of Daytona Beach, has been sentenced to pay $1,005,313 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business tied to a nationwide computer tech support fraud scheme that targeted over 300 elderly victims. According to court records,Continue Reading
Polk County Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crimes detectives arrested 39-year-old Andrew “Drew” McGaffigan of Auburndale on December 17, 2025, and charged him with 30 counts of child pornography. After further investigation of his electronic devices, 46 more counts were added on December 23rd. He has been incarcerated since his original arrestContinue Reading
Highland City, Fla. – Polk County deputies are investigating a tragic murder-suicide that occurred Monday night, December 22, 2025, leaving a mother dead, her daughter critically injured, and a father deceased. Just before 11:00 p.m., a 12-year-old boy ran to a neighbor’s house on Lemon Avenue, reporting that his motherContinue Reading
Bartow, Fla. – Polk County deputies arrested 64-year-old Stephen J. Phillips of Mulberry following a road rage incident on Sunday, December 14, 2025, that involved a firearm and left a family, including a 3-year-old child, in fear for their lives. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the victims wereContinue Reading
Davenport, Fla. – Polk County Sheriff’s Office homicide detectives have arrested 19-year-old Julian Andre Trevino in connection with the murder of 67-year-old John Joseph Torneo in the Polo Park neighborhood. Torneo was found dead in his bathroom on Sunday, December 14, by a friend who had not heard from himContinue Reading
Port Charlotte, Fla. – A woman was arrested after allegedly cutting a man’s arm with a knife during an argument at a homeless camp on December 21, 2025. Just after noon, Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of a physical altercation at the intersection of Kenesaw StreetContinue Reading
Port Charlotte, Fla. – A 25-year-old man was arrested after fatally shooting his father and later returning to the scene to surrender to authorities. Just after 7 p.m. on Monday, December 8, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office responded to multiple 911 calls reporting gunshots near Abscott Street. Deputies arrived toContinue Reading
Tallahassee, Fla. – The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) recently highlighted its major accomplishments in 2025 while outlining plans for continued investments in 2026 to enhance safety, mobility, and economic growth across the state. In 2025, FDOT responded swiftly to severe weather events, including Winter Storm Enzo in North FloridaContinue Reading