The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) arrested 34-year-old Warner Reid Smith of Leesburg, on three felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse (CSAM). The arrest is the result of FDLE’s statewide initiative to locate and arrest criminals sharing files depicting the sexual abuse of children. The investigation began inContinue Reading
Thomas Griffin, a 51-year-old middle school teacher at McLaughlin Middle School in Lake Wales, was arrested on December 17, 2024, following a violent attack on an adult male. Griffin faces charges of burglary with assault, false imprisonment, and battery by strangulation. On December 14, 2024, Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO)Continue Reading
Sarasota Police arrested two 15-year-old suspects in connection with a series of bicycle thefts reported across the city, recovering a stolen electric bike and a firearm during an undercover operation on Tuesday afternoon. Detectives conducted the operation in the 2700 block of Cocoanut Avenue to recover a stolen electric bicycle.Continue Reading
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office detectives are investigating the death of 27-year-old Jareesha Wilkerson, whose body was recovered from the St. Johns River a week after she was reported missing following a traffic crash on the Mathews Bridge on December 8. On the evening of the crash, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue andContinue Reading
On Tuesday morning, December 18, 2024, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters announced the results of a multi-agency investigation, Operation Fish and Chips, targeting illegal gaming operations in Jacksonville. Spanning from March 2023 to December 2024, the long-term undercover investigation led to the arrests of 12 individuals on charges including violations ofContinue Reading
U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger has sentenced William Earl Union, Jr., 32, of Jacksonville, to seven years in federal prison for possession of firearms by a convicted felon. The court also ordered Union to forfeit a Mossberg shotgun, a Smith and Wesson revolver, and all related ammunition. Union pleaded guiltyContinue Reading
U.S. District Judge Harvey Schlesinger has sentenced Yaquasia Delcarmen, 28, of Jacksonville, to eight years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute 50 kilograms or more of marijuana and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The court also ordered Delcarmen to forfeit $1,760,210, the proceeds from her involvement in the drugContinue Reading
United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that Donghui Liao, 32, of China, pleaded guilty to possessing 15 or more unauthorized access devices, specifically gift cards, as part of an ongoing organized fraud scheme. Liao faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, with sentencing yet to beContinue Reading
A Lakeland woman, 36-year-old Tiffany Shanta Simmons, was arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office on Monday, December 17, 2024, after leaving four young children unattended in an idling vehicle while she drank alcohol inside a Winter Haven lounge. At approximately 9:19 p.m., deputies responded to a call from anContinue Reading
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office, along with the North Florida INTERCEPT Task Force, is requesting the public’s assistance regarding information stemming from a recent child exploitation investigation and arrest. On October 18, 2024, the suspect, Evin Scott Young, of Orange Park, Florida, was arrested for multiple charges of production ofContinue Reading