On November 22, 2024, St. Johns County Fire Rescue responded to a residential structure fire in the 9000 block of Ebert Avenue in Hastings, Florida, within Flagler Estates’ Zone 8. Upon arrival, crews encountered flames engulfing an abandoned double-wide mobile home. Firefighters promptly deployed hose lines to extinguish the fireContinue Reading
A 20-year-old Jacksonville man was killed early Saturday morning, November 30, 2024, after being struck by two vehicles on Philips Highway, according to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP). The incident occurred around 2:30 a.m. near Bowdendale Avenue, where the man was walking in the southbound lanes for an unknown reason.Continue Reading
During November 2024, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) Special Investigations Section conducted “Operation Cold Turkey,” an undercover initiative aimed at apprehending adults attempting to meet minors online for sexual encounters. Nine suspects—Domingo Sebastian, Joiarib Fernandez, Marquee Lewis, Sampson Graham, Edwin Huggins, Ancel Sterling, George Davis, Christian Reyes, and DonavonContinue Reading
Travis Morgan Slaughter, 45, and Tripp Charles Slaughter, 47, both of Jacksonville, Florida, pled guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit tax fraud related to their roofing business operations. The father-and-son duo operated businesses under the names Great White Construction, Florida RoofingContinue Reading
Julian Flores, 25, and his mother, Lourdes Diaz, 56, both of Naples, Florida, pled guilty to charges related to an armed robbery of $750,000 worth of gold jewelry in Hialeah, Florida, on November 26, 2024. The robbery occurred on September 16, 2023, when the victim, a business owner, was loadingContinue Reading
On June 5, 2022, at approximately 2:17 a.m., Alachua County deputies responded to a reported drive-by shooting at the Palms of Archer, located at 7117 SW Archer Road in Gainesville. The victim, 16-year-old Zhane’ Sanders, was shot during the incident. Sanders, who was in the area visiting family for aContinue Reading
State Attorney Melissa Nelson announced that a Duval County jury has found Issac Partridge guilty of Attempted Second-Degree Murder and Shooting or Throwing Deadly Missiles in connection with a 2022 road rage incident on Interstate 95. Partridge faces a sentence of 25 years to life in Florida State Prison, withContinue Reading
A two-day operation led by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), in partnership with the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) and Florida Department of Corrections Probation and Parole, resulted in nine arrests for violations of Florida’s sex offender registration laws. Dubbed “Operation Broken Crayon,” the initiative aimed to verifyContinue Reading
A substitute teacher, Joseph Prevatte, 39, has been arrested on charges related to inappropriate conduct with students in both Manatee and Hillsborough Counties. On October 31, 2024, a tip was submitted through FortifyFL alleging that Prevatte had been sending inappropriate Instagram messages to a high school student in Manatee County.Continue Reading
United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the arrest of 34-year-old Brandon Ejae Elliot of Tampa, who has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of his cellmate at the United States Penitentiary-II in the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County. If convicted, Elliot faces aContinue Reading