Two-vehicle crash causes rollover near Pine Ridge RoadLCSO investigates early morning shooting near Wawa on Alico Road
Two-vehicle crash causes rollover near Pine Ridge Road A two-vehicle crash occurred near Pine Ridge Road and Premiere Way late Friday morning, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
LCSO investigates early morning shooting near Wawa on Alico Road The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting that occurred early Saturday morning.
ENGLEWOOD Charlotte County deputies fatally shoot man in Englewood, investigation ongoing Deputies from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office shot and killed a man who was reportedly acting erratically.
the weather authority Warm weekend ahead with increased rain chances on the way The Weather Authority says a warm Saturday is on tap, with temperatures reaching the upper 70s into the afternoon.
Bodycam video shows warning signs from teen accused of killing mother In newly released body camera footage, a mother questions her son’s violence months before her murder.
Veteran injured in crash that killed wife WINK News has learned that a veteran’s wife was killed in a crash on Wednesday on State Road 82.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda to repair old city hall building The City of Punta Gorda is scrapping plans to build a new city hall.
SWFL teen injured in New Orleans terror attack released from hospital According to the mom of one of the teens injured in the New Orleans Terror attack on New Year’s Day, she has been released from the hospital.
NAPLES Jay Leno comedy show coming to Southwest Florida One of the most famous comedians in the world is coming to Southwest Florida.
SOUTH NAPLES Collier neighbors anticipating second Costco location Members of a community are waiting for one of the most popular wholesale stores, but there is something standing in the way.
AVE MARIA Caught on camera: Massive gator seen in front of Ave Maria home A massive alligator was seen using a walking path in front of an Ave Maria home, and it was all caught on camera.
NCAA approves plan to pay women’s basketball tournament teams In a historic unanimous vote, the NCAA approves of a plan to pay women’s basketball teams that compete in March Madness.
FORT MYERS City of Fort Myers announces Caloosahatchee Celtic Festival The City of Fort Myers invites the public to the 21st anniversary of the Caloosahatchee Celtic Festival in downtown Fort Myers.
MATLACHA Neighbors protest delay in repairs to Matlacha Pass Bridge People are set to take the streets and protest the delay in repairs to the Matlacha Pass Bridge.
Two-vehicle crash causes rollover near Pine Ridge Road A two-vehicle crash occurred near Pine Ridge Road and Premiere Way late Friday morning, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
LCSO investigates early morning shooting near Wawa on Alico Road The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting that occurred early Saturday morning.
ENGLEWOOD Charlotte County deputies fatally shoot man in Englewood, investigation ongoing Deputies from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office shot and killed a man who was reportedly acting erratically.
the weather authority Warm weekend ahead with increased rain chances on the way The Weather Authority says a warm Saturday is on tap, with temperatures reaching the upper 70s into the afternoon.
Bodycam video shows warning signs from teen accused of killing mother In newly released body camera footage, a mother questions her son’s violence months before her murder.
Veteran injured in crash that killed wife WINK News has learned that a veteran’s wife was killed in a crash on Wednesday on State Road 82.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda to repair old city hall building The City of Punta Gorda is scrapping plans to build a new city hall.
SWFL teen injured in New Orleans terror attack released from hospital According to the mom of one of the teens injured in the New Orleans Terror attack on New Year’s Day, she has been released from the hospital.
NAPLES Jay Leno comedy show coming to Southwest Florida One of the most famous comedians in the world is coming to Southwest Florida.
SOUTH NAPLES Collier neighbors anticipating second Costco location Members of a community are waiting for one of the most popular wholesale stores, but there is something standing in the way.
AVE MARIA Caught on camera: Massive gator seen in front of Ave Maria home A massive alligator was seen using a walking path in front of an Ave Maria home, and it was all caught on camera.
NCAA approves plan to pay women’s basketball tournament teams In a historic unanimous vote, the NCAA approves of a plan to pay women’s basketball teams that compete in March Madness.
FORT MYERS City of Fort Myers announces Caloosahatchee Celtic Festival The City of Fort Myers invites the public to the 21st anniversary of the Caloosahatchee Celtic Festival in downtown Fort Myers.
MATLACHA Neighbors protest delay in repairs to Matlacha Pass Bridge People are set to take the streets and protest the delay in repairs to the Matlacha Pass Bridge.
CAPE CORAL, Fla. – Sometimes the search for Mr., or Mrs. Right, can go horribly wrong. No one knows that better than Mia. Mia’s accused stalker is currently in Lee County jail and awaiting trial, after the two met online. Mia, 41, said she met the man on an online dating site. She said the relationship escalated quickly and she asked the man to move to Cape Coral from his home in Illinois. “In the beginning, he told me everything I wanted to hear,” Mia said. Do you really know who you’re dating? Mia (see below) didn’t. She met “Mr. Right,” online, but her fairy tale became a nightmare when she found out about his violent past. TONIGHT AT SIX, I show you the free steps you can take, to protect yourself.*NOTE: Mia has asked us to hide her face. Posted by Sam Smink WINK News on Thursday, February 11, 2016 Their relationship quickly took a turn for the worse shortly after the man moved in with Mia. The man was arrested for failing to register as a sex offender. She called it quits. “I was horrified and petrified,” Mia said. “I never expected that I would even be seeing him again. Before I knew it, he was back on the street and at my doorstep.” Mia said the man was released from jail and began to harass her. She got as many as 70 messages from the man daily. In those texts, he detailed how if he could not have her no one could. “His behavior was erratic and scary. Life was very scary. I was living in fear,” Mia said. “I was a prisoner in my own home.” Mia would discover more disturbing details about the man she once loved, at his court hearing for the stalking arrest. Turns out, the man had a long criminal past of domestic violence in Illinois. “The list continued and it continued and it continued. I wanted to vomit,” Mia said. Mia, a former law enforcement worker, said she had never thought to check into the man’s background. “It’s very easy, when you are single for so long, to want to trust your heart and believe in somebody. I went with my heart, instead of my head, and it was a huge mistake,” she said. In the United States, 25 percent of couples meet online, but many sites do not conduct background checks on their members. There are many free ways to get information about a person: the federal inmate locator, the Florida Department of Corrections website, and clerk of courts’websites, if the person’s first, last name and county of residence is known. Officials say, do not be afraid to ask for this information. The first two sites will bring up information about whether the person was ever in prison. On clerk of court websites, you can find things like criminal history and traffic tickets. Most states also have sex offender search websites. For more thorough and wider searches, hiring a private investigator is also an option. Keith Perry of ARQC Investigations said he can find out a lot of information about a person. “I get their background, vehicles, when they live, if they have foreclosures, judgments, liens, restraining orders, I get everything,” Perry said. Perry said he can get driver’s license information and even neighbor’s numbers. People use his services to check on people they meet online or in person, Perry said. He said for a small fee, people can avoid an experience like Mia’s. “For $45, it can save you a lot of trouble down the road,” Perry said. As For Mia, she said she won’t blindsided ever again. She plans on spending time and money looking into any future partner’s background. Dating sites like eHarmony, Match, JDate and Christian Mingle screen for sexual assault and identity theft conviction, but a lot of other states do not do background checks. Some states require a dating website to include that information so users know whether they will need to do their own homework. If you want to do your own homework, here’s a list of local/state websites that can help: Lee County Clerk of Courts, for criminal background, financials, etc. http://www.leeclerk.org/ Collier County Clerk of Courts: https://www.collierclerk.com/ Charlotte County Clerk of Courts: http://www.co.charlotte.fl.us/Default.aspx FDLE Florida Sex Offender Search: http://bit.ly/1o4j6F9 Federal Inmate Locator: http://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/ Google Image Search: https://images.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl Lee County Property Appraiser: http://www.leepa.org/ Florida Department of Corrections: http://www.dc.state.fl.us/ For background checks out of state, try to learn the city or county that person is from, and look up their county clerk’s site. A private investigator, like Keith Perry, can also get nationwide searches done easily. Keith Perry is at ARQC Investigations, and can be reached at 239-253-1180.