Punta Gorda, FL – A Charlotte County woman with a long criminal history has been sentenced to 15 years in prison as a Habitual Felony Offender (HFO) in connection with multiple drug trafficking cases. Samantha Jean James, 29, was adjudicated guilty after pleading straight to the court—meaning she waived herContinue Reading
A 31-year-old Collier County woman will spend the next decade in prison after pleading no contest to aggravated manslaughter of a child in the drowning death of an infant left unattended in a bathtub. Nicole Marie Laber entered her plea in Collier County Circuit Court today, following a Collier CountyContinue Reading
LEVY COUNTY, Fla.—A previously convicted sex offender who failed to register has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for communicating with a minor online and transmitting obscene material. Todd Thompson, 47, was arrested on March 11 after an investigation revealed he was communicating with a minor via a socialContinue Reading
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Diego Hernandez Martinez, 25, has been sentenced to 25 years in Florida State Prison for a DUI crash that killed two motorcyclists. The sentence, handed down by the Honorable Jonathan Sacks, also includes two and a half years of probation and a permanent driver’s license suspension. Hernandez Martinez pleadedContinue Reading
VOLUSIA COUNTY, FL—A Volusia County jury has convicted David Baker of robbery with a weapon and sexual battery following a two-day trial. The conviction stems from an incident on December 14, 2024, when Baker held a woman at gunpoint in the parking lot of a Daytona Beach motel. He thenContinue Reading
Jamal Moreland Jr. was found guilty by a Duval County jury of Attempted First-Degree Murder and Attempted Armed Robbery, State Attorney Melissa Nelson announced. Moreland faces up to life in Florida State Prison. Sentencing will be handled by the Honorable London Kite at a later date. The incident occurred onContinue Reading
This week, James Simmons entered a no-contest plea to Second-Degree Murder (Firearm) and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted In-State Felon, and was sentenced to life in prison. On July 9, 2021, Simmons was captured on video surveillance and seen by multiple witnesses lingering around a Daytona Beach apartmentContinue Reading
LEVY COUNTY, Fla. — Justin Bryant, 36, of Morriston, was sentenced to 40 years in the Florida Department of Corrections for a violent stabbing spree that left four people injured in a quiet neighborhood on May 30, 2024. Authorities say Bryant, under the influence of drugs, attacked four individuals inContinue Reading
A federal judge has sentenced Dustin Sean McCabe, the 50-year-old owner and captain of a scuba charter vessel, to 100 months in prison for seaman’s manslaughter, lying to the U.S. Coast Guard, and fraudulently obtaining federal pandemic relief funds. The sentence, which is above advisory guidelines, was handed down byContinue Reading
MIAMI, FL – A United Kingdom citizen has been sentenced to 188 months in federal prison for enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Jack Edward Coles, 40, was also ordered by Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga to serve 20 years of supervised release. According toContinue Reading