Family and NAACP continue fighting for justice for Christopher JordanFGCU softball players ready for NCAA Tournament debut
FORT MYERS Family and NAACP continue fighting for justice for Christopher Jordan The NAACP and Jordan’s family said this isn’t the end for them
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball players ready for NCAA Tournament debut FGCU softball players are ready to play in their first NCAA Tournament game against No. 4 Florida.
FORT MYERS Expert weighs in on ‘justified’ police shooting of Christopher Jordan We spoke with Dr. David Thomas – a forensic studies professor from FGCU and a former officer – who supports the idea of officer-involved shooting investigations going to a grand jury.
West Palm Beach 360-degree storm documentation: A closer look at Hurricane Ian’s aftermath At the Governor’s Conference exhibit hall, Dylan Faraone, Regional Director of Mosaic, showcased his work using a 360-degree camera mounted on his car to document the aftermath of major storms, including Hurricane Ian’s impact on southwest Florida.
GAINESVILLE FGCU catcher Neely Peterson returns to Gainesville for NCAA Tournament FGCU catcher Neely Peterson returns to Gainesville, where she fell in love with the sport again playing for Santa Fe College.
CAPE CORAL Do we need a federal gun database for mental illness? One family says yes One family is on a mission to create a new national gun database. It would require medical professionals to enter mental health information.
CAPE CORAL Suspect in custody after a North Fort Myers family loses everything in a fire Their investigation led them to the area of Hancock Bridge Parkway in Cape Coral. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a suspect from the Bogart Drive incident is in custody.
FORT MYERS Deadly motorcycle crash shuts down roads on Fowler and Winkler Ave. Fort Myers Police Department has confirmed that a motorcyclist has died in a crash on Fowler and Winkler Avenue on Thursday.
Sarasota How well does a diverging diamond really work? The Sarasota diverging diamond is located at Interstate 75 and University Parkway. It was put in to alleviate heavy traffic.
FORT MYERS RSW experiencing terminal expansion delay Lee County commissioners gave us an update on the RSW terminal expansion project, which is long overdue. Now we know why.
IMMOKALEE National Weather Service surveys storm damage in Immokalee The National Weather Service in Miami concluded after a survey the damage wasn’t from a tornado. It was from a downburst of straight-line wind between 60 – 70 mph.
SANIBEL Sanibel considering e-bike changes Biking is almost as common as driving on Sanibel, and the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee wants to keep that trend going.
CAPE CORAL Family of victim sues Lee County School District, claiming it failed to protect student Family sued Lee County School District for failing to keep their student safe.
CAPE CORAL Former Cape Coral teacher who sent inappropriate pictures to student reaches plea deal Reynolds’ plea agreement includes 12 years in prison followed by an additional 96 months of probation.
BONITA SPRINGS 12 vehicle crash shuts down all lanes of I-75 near MM 116 Bonita Springs firefighters are working the scene. Tow trucks are helping to get the affected vehicles off the road.
FORT MYERS Family and NAACP continue fighting for justice for Christopher Jordan The NAACP and Jordan’s family said this isn’t the end for them
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball players ready for NCAA Tournament debut FGCU softball players are ready to play in their first NCAA Tournament game against No. 4 Florida.
FORT MYERS Expert weighs in on ‘justified’ police shooting of Christopher Jordan We spoke with Dr. David Thomas – a forensic studies professor from FGCU and a former officer – who supports the idea of officer-involved shooting investigations going to a grand jury.
West Palm Beach 360-degree storm documentation: A closer look at Hurricane Ian’s aftermath At the Governor’s Conference exhibit hall, Dylan Faraone, Regional Director of Mosaic, showcased his work using a 360-degree camera mounted on his car to document the aftermath of major storms, including Hurricane Ian’s impact on southwest Florida.
GAINESVILLE FGCU catcher Neely Peterson returns to Gainesville for NCAA Tournament FGCU catcher Neely Peterson returns to Gainesville, where she fell in love with the sport again playing for Santa Fe College.
CAPE CORAL Do we need a federal gun database for mental illness? One family says yes One family is on a mission to create a new national gun database. It would require medical professionals to enter mental health information.
CAPE CORAL Suspect in custody after a North Fort Myers family loses everything in a fire Their investigation led them to the area of Hancock Bridge Parkway in Cape Coral. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a suspect from the Bogart Drive incident is in custody.
FORT MYERS Deadly motorcycle crash shuts down roads on Fowler and Winkler Ave. Fort Myers Police Department has confirmed that a motorcyclist has died in a crash on Fowler and Winkler Avenue on Thursday.
Sarasota How well does a diverging diamond really work? The Sarasota diverging diamond is located at Interstate 75 and University Parkway. It was put in to alleviate heavy traffic.
FORT MYERS RSW experiencing terminal expansion delay Lee County commissioners gave us an update on the RSW terminal expansion project, which is long overdue. Now we know why.
IMMOKALEE National Weather Service surveys storm damage in Immokalee The National Weather Service in Miami concluded after a survey the damage wasn’t from a tornado. It was from a downburst of straight-line wind between 60 – 70 mph.
SANIBEL Sanibel considering e-bike changes Biking is almost as common as driving on Sanibel, and the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee wants to keep that trend going.
CAPE CORAL Family of victim sues Lee County School District, claiming it failed to protect student Family sued Lee County School District for failing to keep their student safe.
CAPE CORAL Former Cape Coral teacher who sent inappropriate pictures to student reaches plea deal Reynolds’ plea agreement includes 12 years in prison followed by an additional 96 months of probation.
BONITA SPRINGS 12 vehicle crash shuts down all lanes of I-75 near MM 116 Bonita Springs firefighters are working the scene. Tow trucks are helping to get the affected vehicles off the road.
Dr. Teresa Sievers. Photo via WINK News. FORT MYERS, Fla. – Officials from the state Department of Children and Families announced Wednesday their involvement in the murder case of Dr. Teresa Sievers, less than 24 hours after released court documents show that detectives believe Sievers’ husband planned and helped execute her killing in a murder-for-hire plot. The couple has two daughters, ages 8 and 11. “We are involved with the family and are aware of the newly released documents,” the department said in a statement. “At this time, we do not have any information that can be released.” The documents, released late Tuesday afternoon, detail the evidence investigators with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office collected that led them to charge Curtis Wayne Wright and Jimmy Ray Rodgers in connection with the case. Text messages between Wright and Mark Sievers, GPS coordinates from the Sievers home to Wright’s Missouri residence and a statement from Rodgers’ girlfriend claiming he and Wright were hired by Mark Sievers to kill his wife were among the evidence collected by authorities. Wright, 47, is charged with second-degree murder. Rodgers, 25, was arrested in connection with killing and will be charged once completing a six month federal prison sentence for a probation violation in an unrelated gun case. “This murder was committed in expectation of Wright getting paid an undisclosed amount of money from Mark Sievers and then in turn, he was to pay Rodgers $10,000 for his involvement,” detectives said in court documents. Teresa Sievers, 46, was found bludgeoned to death inside the kitchen of her Bonita Springs home on June 29. Mark Sievers has not been charged in his wife’s killing, but investigators searched his condominium in Fenton, MO, believing there was evidence connecting him to her death. Sheriff Scott speaks “Just because Mark Sievers is not under arrest does not mean he’s not going to be arrested,” Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott said. “Our timeline is typically different from general curiosity and the general curiosity of the public and certainly any other deadlines assigned by media or otherwise.” Scott added there’s more to the case than what was presented in court documents. “Look how patient we’ve been thus far,” he said. “Look at how this thing unfolded and how methodical and patient we’ve been. All the while in the face of the community and media and others saying ‘OMG’ what’s taking so long?” Mark Sievers has always been in the “envelope of suspicion,” said Scott, who added that the case is not over. “So it’s an active and ongoing investigation and we’re not bashful about making an arrest,” he said. “We have no problem arresting people, but we do so when the time is right, particularly in a case like this. There’s a great deal at stake and we want to make sure everything is correct.” Scott Moorey, a local defense attorney not associated with the Sievers case, believes an arrest is imminent. “My assumption is we’re going to have an arrest very shortly,” he said. “The benefit of waiting is to see if he makes a mistake. What is his reaction going to be to this information that he has not been aware of. He doesn’t know exactly what the sheriff has.” Family, neighbors react Annie Lisa, Teresa Sievers’ sister, wants to focus beyond the details in the court documents. “The information coming out is very very upsetting,” she said. “Understandably, but our goal is to keep the story of Teresa in the forefront and let this investigation unfold, with as much expediency as possible so we can move forward and start to heal. We want to focus on the positive contributions Teresa has made in her life. And will continue to make in her death. ” Lisa last talked with her nieces right before Wright’s arrest. She believes the Sievers children have turned against her. “When I went to talk to the girls on the phone, I could tell that I had lost them, that he had started talking against me,” she said. “They weren’t acting the way they’d normally act.” Lisa said when Mark Sievers wouldn’t let her have a private conversation with his daughters, “I knew at that moment that I had lost them.” “We are worried about the girls,” she said. “They have no other contact in this world other than their father. And they are being kept from their mother’s family.” When Teresa Sievers’ brother visited the children in November, Lisa said he described the girls as “completely controlled.” “The girls didn’t want to hug the family, didn’t want to hug my mother,” she said. “They had to ask Mark, anything they wanted to say, they had to check with their dad, he would wink at them, or nod at them and let them know it’s okay.” Those who live near the Sievers’ Jarvis Road home were not shocked by the details in the court documents. “I don’t comprehend how her husband, supposedly he’s grieving you know, and he’s able to live in the house where his wife was brutally murdered, in and out, you know, like its nothing,” Anna Villareal said. “It’s a very quiet street. Obviously to me it’s an inside job and I think a lot of people feel that way you know.”