Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh AcresSchool District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for December 11, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for Wednesday, December 11, 2024.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for December 11, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for Wednesday, December 11, 2024.
FILE – This undated file photo provided by the Wyandotte County Detention Center shows Michael Jones. The Kansas man will be sentenced to life in prison Monday, May 8, 2017, for the killing of his 7-year-old son, who authorities say was subjected to horrific abuse and was “essentially starved to death” before his remains were found in the family’s pig sty. (Wyandotte County Detention Center via AP, File) KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) A former Kansas bail bondsman was sentenced to life in prison Monday for killing his 7-year-old son, who authorities say endured abuse and starvation before his remains were fed to pigs on the family’s rental property. Under the sentence, Michael Jones, 46, won’t be eligible for parole for at least 25 years. He pleaded guilty in March to first-degree murder in the 2015 death of Adrian Jones. Michael Jones turned his chair away from Adrian’s grandmother, mother and older sister, never making eye contact as they addressed the judge. They excoriated him during the sentencing hearing for a slaying authorities described as horrific, even haunting. “You do not deserve a second chance,” Keiona Doctor, the late boy’s 21-year-old sister, told Michael Jones, who declined the judge’s offer to make a statement. “You do not deserve sunlight as a free man.” The judge ordered Jones to spend the rest of his life on parole if he is ever released from prison. His attorney did not object in court Monday to the life sentence prosecutors sought. The boy’s stepmother, 31-year-old Heather Jones, pleaded guilty to the same charge in November and is serving a life sentence. She insisted that she felt helpless to protect Adrian and herself from her abusive husband, but investigators said she also abused the boy, drawing an additional five years and eight months in prison for that. Adrian died in September or October 2015, but his death wasn’t reported to authorities. His remains were found that November on the family’s Kansas City, Kansas, rental property after officers learned the boy was missing while they were responding to a report that Michael Jones had attacked his wife at their home. When the charges were filed, Wyandotte County’s district attorney at the time, Jerry Gorman, said it was one the worst cases investigators had seen. During Monday’s hearing, a police investigator — Detective Stuart Littlefield — confirmed publicly for the first time that “what was left of (Adrian’s body) was fed to his pigs.” Often choking back tears, Littlefield asked for a 20-second moment of silence, reflecting the length of time Adrian at one point was shocked by a stun gun during his “tortured young life.” Adrian’s biological mother, Dainna Pearce, lost custody of him and two of his siblings years ago. Her mother, Judy Conway, said last week that she finally brought herself to look at videos and digital photos from the Jones’ home that showed the abuse Adrian suffered in his life’s waning months, much of it chronicled by more than 30 security cameras set up throughout the home. Conway said the Joneses kept Adrian naked in a shower stall and modified it so that he couldn’t get out. She said they sometimes strapped her grandson to an inversion table and that they made him stand in a swimming pool overnight, up to his neck in stagnant water. Conway said the videos and photos show that Heather Jones sometimes beat Adrian with the end of a broom handle and kept alarms on the family’s food so that he couldn’t take any when he was hungry. “There’s no getting over it. There’s no fix, there’s no solution to our heartache. There is no glue for our broken hearts, no remedy for our pain,” Conway told Michael Jones in court Monday. “I pray you have a long, tortured life in prison,” added Pearce, Adrian’s mother. “I don’t know if I can forgive you, but I know you should suffer for what you did.” The Kansas Department for Children and Families’ chief, Phyllis Gilmore, said in a statement Friday that the agency “thoroughly investigated” each reported incident of alleged abuse or neglect involving Adrian, though she did not divulge the number of cases or their context. Gilmore added that although the family’s frequently alternating residency between Kansas and Missouri “greatly disrupted continuity of services and evaluation,” Kansas child-welfare officials often shared information about Adrian “when known” with their Missouri counterparts. Gilmore said her agency last had contact with the family in early 2012. The department’s records involving Adrian remain under court-ordered seal, though Gilmore said they will be released if a pending open-records request is granted.