A Polk County fentanyl dealer already facing multiple drug trafficking charges has now been indicted for first-degree murder in connection with a fatal overdose investigation. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, a grand jury indicted 39-year-old William Benjamin Newton Jr. of Dundee on May 14 for the death ofContinue Reading
TAMPA, Florida – A judge sentenced Alicia Andrews to 15 years in prison after a jury found her guilty of manslaughter in the killing of Jacksonville rapper Charles Jones, known professionally as Julio Foolio. The 15-year sentence was the maximum allowed under state law. Before sentencing, Jones’ mother, Sandrikas Mays,Continue Reading
TAMPA, Florida – A 24-year-old man was sentenced to 50 years in prison followed by lifetime probation after pleading guilty to multiple child sex crime charges in Hillsborough County. According to prosecutors, Christopher Jollimore pleaded guilty to six counts of attempted sexual battery involving a victim younger than 12, fourContinue Reading
ORMOND-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. — A man who admitted to fatally shooting an off-duty police officer inside a convenience store in 2025 has been sentenced to life in prison, according to prosecutors. During a hearing Monday, May 18, 2026, Eduardo Labrada Machado pleaded no contest to First-Degree Murder with a Firearm andContinue Reading
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that a man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl into the United States. Cesar Caldera-Garcia, 40, was convicted following an investigation into a drug trafficking organization operating out of Mexico. Authorities said he previously had aContinue Reading
MARION COUNTY, FL — A 43-year-old Ocala man will spend the rest of his life behind bars following a swift and evidence-heavy prosecution in the Fifth Judicial Circuit. State Attorney Bill Gladson announced that Donald Ronald Gates III was found guilty by a jury on April 9, 2026, and subsequentlyContinue Reading
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A Volusia County jury has found an inmate guilty of attempting to murder a correctional officer during a violent attack inside a state prison, officials said. After a three-day trial, Trevon Miller was convicted of attempted second-degree murder of a law enforcement officer and aggravated batteryContinue Reading
LAKE COUNTY, FL — A 43-year-old Clermont man will spend the next quarter-century in state prison following a conviction for the repeated sexual abuse of a minor. On Monday, April 3, 2026, Ivan Rodriguez Pagan was sentenced to 25 years in prison, to be followed by five years of intensiveContinue Reading
MARION COUNTY, Fla. — A jury has found a 32-year-old man guilty in a fatal crash that claimed the life of a 75-year-old woman and seriously injured two others. Jurors convicted Justin Cobb on all counts, including DUI Manslaughter and two counts of Driving Under the Influence with Serious BodilyContinue Reading
PANAMA CITY, Fla. — A woman has been found guilty of DUI manslaughter in a crash that killed a man on his way to work, State Attorney Larry Basford announced. Kourtney Sage Hofheinz, 33, of Bristol, was convicted Thursday in connection with the July 5, 2024 crash that claimed theContinue Reading