Charlotte County drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years‘How to sign away parental rights?’; Lehigh Acres woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years A Charlotte County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.
lehigh acres ‘How to sign away parental rights?’; Lehigh Acres woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby.
Punta Gorda Man accused of indecent exposure at school bus stop in Punta Gorda The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of indecent exposure at a school bus stop in Punta Gorda.
estero Firefighters to perform 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park San Carlos Park Fire Protection & Rescue Service District performs a 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park today.
Tim Aten Knows: 2 new eateries coming to East Naples After operating La Rosa Pizzeria for more than 15 years, owners Bill and Alda Rosa decided to sell their local business and restaurant space.
the weather authority Warmer with sun and clouds for your Friday plans The Weather Authority is tracking a warmer day ahead, with a mixture of sun and clouds expected this Friday afternoon.
FDOT to open all lanes of Caloosahatchee Bridge year ahead of construction schedule The Florida Department of Transportation announced it will open all lanes of the Caloosahatchee Bridge a year ahead of its pedestrian sidewalk project.
NAPLES 12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidays A 12-year-old Naples boy isn’t worried about what he’s getting for Christmas. Instead, he’s working on his 6th annual “Holiday Sock Drive.”
Fort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays A 75-year-old man is on the brink of homelessness despite working over 80 hours a week.
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years A Charlotte County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.
lehigh acres ‘How to sign away parental rights?’; Lehigh Acres woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby.
Punta Gorda Man accused of indecent exposure at school bus stop in Punta Gorda The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of indecent exposure at a school bus stop in Punta Gorda.
estero Firefighters to perform 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park San Carlos Park Fire Protection & Rescue Service District performs a 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park today.
Tim Aten Knows: 2 new eateries coming to East Naples After operating La Rosa Pizzeria for more than 15 years, owners Bill and Alda Rosa decided to sell their local business and restaurant space.
the weather authority Warmer with sun and clouds for your Friday plans The Weather Authority is tracking a warmer day ahead, with a mixture of sun and clouds expected this Friday afternoon.
FDOT to open all lanes of Caloosahatchee Bridge year ahead of construction schedule The Florida Department of Transportation announced it will open all lanes of the Caloosahatchee Bridge a year ahead of its pedestrian sidewalk project.
NAPLES 12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidays A 12-year-old Naples boy isn’t worried about what he’s getting for Christmas. Instead, he’s working on his 6th annual “Holiday Sock Drive.”
Fort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays A 75-year-old man is on the brink of homelessness despite working over 80 hours a week.
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
Harvey Weinstein leaves State Supreme Court in New York, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. The disgraced movie mogul faces allegations of rape and sexual assault. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison Wednesday on his rape and criminal sex act convictions following an emotional trial that was a landmark moment in the #MeToo era. Weinstein was convicted Feb. 24 of rape in the third degree for assaulting aspiring actress Jessica Mann in a New York City hotel room in 2013, and of committing a criminal sex act for forcing oral sex on former production assistant Mimi Haley in 2006. Weinstein arrived in a wheelchair Wednesday morning to the Manhattan courthouse. He faced a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 25 years in prison on the criminal sex act count. The third-degree rape count carried a maximum penalty of four years, meaning Weinstein faced a maximum possible sentence of 29 years. Prosecutor Joan Illuzzi thanked the six women who testified against Weinstein, all of whom were in the courtroom gallery. “Without these women and others who were willing to come forward,” Illuzzi said, “this matter would never have been able to be taken, it never would have been successful, and the defendant would never have been able to stop hurting or destroying other people’s lives.” Illuzzi said Weinstein “got drunk on power.” “He could take what he wanted knowing there was very little anyone could do about it,” Illuzzi said. Mann and Haley both also addressed the court, describing the impact of the assaults on the lives. “I believe that when he attacked me that evening with physical force with no regard for anything I said,” Haley said, “what he did… stripped me of my dignity as a woman.” Haley became emotional, describing how she felt “trapped” and unable to go to officials. “At the time all of this happened I thought I was alone in this, I had no idea there were others, I didn’t realize the extent of Harvey Weinstein’s manipulative and calculated predatory behavior,” Haley said. She asked Burke to impose “whatever sentence is long enough for Harvey Weinstein to acknowledge what he’s done to me and to others and to be truly sorry.” Haley, speaking with “CBS This Morning” after the trial, said hearing the guilty verdict was a “huge relief.” “I felt just very grateful that they — that I’d been heard and believed,” Haley said. In her impact statement on Wednesday, Mann asked the judge to “please understand” as she couldn’t fight back during the assault. “My spirit and my emotions are the last things I have to control,” Mann said. “I want to remind you that I told Harvey no.” Mann also emphasized the lasting impact on victims. “Rape is not just the moment of penetration, it is forever,” she said. The sentencing comes after documents were unsealed in the case Monday that revealed correspondence from Weinstein in 2017 as the public allegations against him mounted. In one October 2017 email, Weinstein responded to an inquiry from The National Enquirer about an allegation that he had groped Jennifer Aniston by saying, “Jen Aniston should be killed.” A spokesperson for Aniston told media outlets Tuesday the claim Weinstein groped the actress was unfounded. The correspondence also revealed that Weinstein reached out to about two dozen high-profile figures to ask for help that same month, including Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos and Michael Bloomberg. “My board is thinking of firing me,” Weinstein wrote to Bloomberg. “All I’m asking for is, let me take a leave of absence and get into heavy therapy and counseling whether it be in a facility or somewhere else, and allow me to resurrect myself with a second chance.” In December 2017, in an unpublished response to the allegations, Weinstein calls himself a sex addict and an anger addict and says he is “suicidal.” And correspondence from the previous month shows his brother Bob Weinstein denounced the disgraced producer as a liar, writing to him: “U deserve a lifetime achievement award for the sheer savagery and immorality and inhumanness, for the acts u have perpetrated. Oh I forgot. They were all consensual.” In a letter delivered to Judge James Burke on Monday, Weinstein’s defense asked Burke to sentence Weinstein to the minimum term of five years, arguing the trial “did not fairly portray who he is as a person.” “His life story, his accomplishments, and struggles are simply remarkable and should not be disregarded in total because of the jury’s verdict,” the letter read. Defense attorneys cited his age — 67 — and health issues, saying that even the shortest term could be “a de facto life sentence.” Weinstein was hospitalized due to concerns about high blood pressure and heart palpitations for more than a week after his conviction, reports the Associated Press. He was reportedly transferred to the infirmary at New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex late last week. Weinstein used a walker during his trial, and his lawyers have said he had an unsuccessful back surgery following a car crash. The defense also cited the intense media coverage of the case and said his life has been “destroyed” since allegations were first published about him in the media in 2017: “…Simply put, his fall from grace has been historic, perhaps unmatched in the age of social media,” his attorneys wrote. Weinstein was not convicted of more serious charges of predatory sexual assault, and the jury did not find that he used force against Mann, defense attorneys stressed. But in their own letter, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office asked Burke to sentence Weinstein to a term “that reflects the seriousness of the defendant’s conduct, his total lack of remorse for the harm he has caused, and the need to deter him and others from engaging in further criminal conduct.” Prosecutors cited a series of allegations spanning decades from women who said Weinstein assaulted them, describing what they called “a lifetime of abuse toward others, sexual and otherwise.” The claims dated back to 1978, when prosecutors said Weinstein told an employee of his music company there was “only one room left” at a New York hotel. She agreed to share a room with him but later awoke to find him sexually assaulting her, according to the letter. At Weinstein’s trial, too, prosecutors sought to prove Weinstein had a pattern of assaulting women by calling accusers whose claims could not be prosecuted under state statutes of limitations. Weinstein will also be offered the chance to speak at Wednesday’s hearing. Following the sentencing, Weinstein is expected to undergo a medical evaluation before he is transferred from the city jail system to the state prison system, the AP reports. Weinstein’s lawyers have said he will appeal the verdict. CBS News’ Cassandra Gauthier contributed reporting. First published on March 11, 2020 / 6:18 AM © 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.