SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
New ovarian cancer treatments Ovarian cancer is a problematic disease because of symptoms such as nausea, bloating and diarrhea.
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Crash between RV and semi temporarily shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte A major collision near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County temporarily closed all northbound lanes of U.S. 41, according to the Charlotte County Sherriff’s Office.
FORT MYERS Apple AirPods lead LCSO to an arrest; over $100,000 worth of stolen items recovered Through the use of Apple Airpods, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate nearly $100,000 worth of stolen items, leading to an arrest.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral officials approve replacement funding for hurricane-damaged stop signs The Cape Coral City Council has approved funding to replace stop signs damaged during Hurricane Milton, resulting in an emergency purchase.
Holiday events happening in Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is embracing the holiday spirit with a variety of festive events this Christmas season.
Collier man accused of supplying fentanyl-laced pills, enough to kill 531,500 people The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of supplying more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription painkillers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
New ovarian cancer treatments Ovarian cancer is a problematic disease because of symptoms such as nausea, bloating and diarrhea.
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Crash between RV and semi temporarily shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte A major collision near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County temporarily closed all northbound lanes of U.S. 41, according to the Charlotte County Sherriff’s Office.
FORT MYERS Apple AirPods lead LCSO to an arrest; over $100,000 worth of stolen items recovered Through the use of Apple Airpods, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate nearly $100,000 worth of stolen items, leading to an arrest.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral officials approve replacement funding for hurricane-damaged stop signs The Cape Coral City Council has approved funding to replace stop signs damaged during Hurricane Milton, resulting in an emergency purchase.
Holiday events happening in Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is embracing the holiday spirit with a variety of festive events this Christmas season.
Collier man accused of supplying fentanyl-laced pills, enough to kill 531,500 people The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of supplying more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription painkillers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
Jeovanni Hildebrand Hechavarria in court as jury selection begins for the first of three trials. (WINK News) The trial began Tuesday for a former Cape Coral hospital nurse accused of raping patients. Investigators arrested Jeovanni Hildebrand Hechavarria, 35, of Fort Myers, in 2017. One of the victims, who we’re keeping anonymous, says Hechvarria attacked her while she was a patient at Cape Coral Hospital in 2015. Jeovanni Hechavarria is in court this morning. He is accused of raping and sexually assaulting multiple victims while working as a nurse at the Cape Coral Hospital. State says they believe trail will take longer than 4 days. @winknews pic.twitter.com/BsuCdkfx0e — Morgan Rynor (@Morgan_Rynor) January 7, 2020 Three years later, she told us, “I can’t sleep I constantly think that somethings going to happen when I lay down at night. I can’t sleep in my own bed at night. I can’t be alone anymore. I refuse to go to the hospital.” Hechavarria was fired on July 16, 2016, just one day after one of the rapes is claimed to have taken place. The former overnight nurse is accused of raping a patient under the influence of a sedative on July 16, 2016, at the Cape Coral Hospital, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. Hechavarria is also accused of threatening the victim that he would rape her again and warning her not to tell anyone what happened, according to Health Department documents. This trial, which is just for one of his three victims, is expected to last four days. Hechavarria denied a plea deal Tuesday. If he is found guilty, he faces a maximum of 30 years for this charge and up to 75 years for all three victims. Both the State and the defense came in heavy with last-minute motions. The State changed the charge to say the victim in this cas4e was “physically helpless to resist” as opposed to “physically incapacitated.” The defense then made sure witnesses in the case would not be allowed to discuss the charges against the other two women; one of whom we spoke to back in August 2018. “That’s not an experience that anybody wants to know,” she said. “They can’t say that. That’s the whole reason that you severed.” She called for pre-trial publicity, asking the judge to filter out jurors who already know about the case. Fifty potential jurors were brought into the courtroom and were asked questions, some of them very personal. These questions are personal. Several potential jurors said they’ve been victims of similar crimes to the ones Hechavarria is charged with. One woman said being in the same room as Hechavarria is hard for her. @winknews — Morgan Rynor (@Morgan_Rynor) January 7, 2020 So far, two jurors have been dismissed because they know too much about the case. The court is calling these potential jurors in one by one so that other jurors who don’t know anything don’t overhear information. Another juror was dismissed because she is related to Hechavarria through marriage and said she couldn’t be impartial. The hardest question for some jurors: Have you been a victim of a crime? Multiple men and women said they’d been raped or molested. One woman said it was too much to sit in the room with Hechavarria. She was dismissed. The court is picking a jury right now, but there are some concerns about reaching an agreed upon panel of 8 because of how many jurors say they’ve heard of this case before. @winknews — Morgan Rynor (@Morgan_Rynor) January 7, 2020 The six-person jury and two alternates were selected Tuesday evening and have been sworn in. Opening statements will begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday. CONTINUING COVERAGE Arrest made in 2016 Cape Coral Hospital rape case Victim allegedly raped by ex-nurse files lawsuit against Lee Health Ex-Cape nurse accused of raping woman in hospital bed Third victim accuses ex Cape Coral hospital nurse of sexual assault Woman says she was victimized by nurse inside Cape Coral hospital