VENICE, Fla. – A 19-year-old Venice man has been arrested after investigators say he planned to carry out a mass shooting at a local church and take hostages. According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Giovanni Pimienta, 19, was arrested on charges of: Investigation Began Through FBI Task ForceContinue Reading
NAPLES, Fla. – A Bonita Springs woman has been arrested after investigators say she falsely claimed to have cancer and accepted more than $40,000 in donations from residents who believed they were helping pay for her medical treatment. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of 51-year-old Maribeth EllenContinue Reading
FORT MYERS, Fla. – A Virginia woman has been extradited to Florida after investigators determined she authored threatening letters sent to a state lawmaker, a sheriff’s office employee and a judge, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Jasmyn Osborne, 27, of Petersburg, Virginia, is charged with three countsContinue Reading
SARASOTA, Fla. — Sarasota Police Department officers arrested a Sarasota man accused of attempting to lure two young girls into his truck Monday evening. According to investigators, 67-year-old Edward O’Neil Jr. of Sarasota is charged with two counts of attempting to lure or entice a child under the age ofContinue Reading
BRADENTON, Fla. — A Minnesota man arrested in connection with a romance scam targeting an elderly Florida resident has been convicted and ordered to pay restitution, according to the Bradenton Police Department. Benjamin Yakah was sentenced after pleading no contest to grand theft involving between $20,000 and $100,000. A judgeContinue Reading
PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — A man has been arrested after his vehicle crashed into a church playground while a toddler was inside, according to the Punta Gorda Police Department. Police said 29-year-old Nathan Faust III drove to the Church of the Good Shepherd, located at 1800 Shreve Street, on theContinue Reading
PUNTA GORDA, FL — The manager of a popular local restaurant is facing a second-degree felony charge following an investigation into the possession of illicit digital material. Ryan Scott Beagles, 28, was arrested by the Punta Gorda Police Department on Saturday, February 21, 2026. Beagles is the manager of theContinue Reading
COLLIER COUNTY, Florida – On Thursday, February 5, deputies with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office began investigating a suspicious incident reported near Lake Trafford Elementary School in Immokalee. Around 3:08 p.m., a group of children told deputies they were walking home along Lake Trafford Road, just outside the school, whenContinue Reading
NAPLES, Fla. – A Naples man was arrested Tuesday following a Collier County Sheriff’s Office investigation that determined he fatally shot his 13-year-old son last summer while handling a firearm under the influence of alcohol. According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, Gregory Anthony Zecca, 39, was arrested on aContinue Reading
Collier County, FL – More than two decades after a sexual battery in Golden Gate went unsolved, Collier County Sheriff’s Office detectives have arrested a suspect thanks to a DNA match and persistent investigative work. Rossel Moises Ponce Chirinos, 46, is currently in the Cocke County Jail in Tennessee awaitingContinue Reading