Stem donor meets recipient at Florida Gulf Coast UniversityCCSO ‘Shop with a Cop’ event spreads holiday cheer
FORT MYERS Stem donor meets recipient at Florida Gulf Coast University An FGCU student is giving the gift of life this holiday season. FGCU senior Zoe Horowitz met the person who received her stem cell donation.
PORT CHARLOTTE CCSO ‘Shop with a Cop’ event spreads holiday cheer Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office deputies spent time helping kids pick out gifts for their families during the annual Shop with a Cop event.
CLEWISTON Caught on camera: Explosion in hotel parking lot in Clewiston There was an explosion in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn in Clewiston on Wednesday.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda leaders outline plans for Gilchrist Park repairs Gilchrist Park is closed, and Punta Gorda city leaders have been discussing possibly restoring the park.
NORTH NAPLES Airman surprises 6-year-old daughter at school for the holidays after ten months of service in Kuwait After almost a year of service in Kuwait, one airman came home for the holidays and surprised his daughter.
FORT MYERS Breaking down the Lee County Sheriff’s Office budget The Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Carmine Marceno have been under scrutiny since a federal investigation on potential money laundering began. Many have questioned LCSO’s spending, so we broke down the budget.
How to protect yourself from thieves this holiday season On Cyber Monday, Americans spent $13 billion, which will translate into many packages on doorsteps this holiday season.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot QB Carter Smith signs with Wisconsin Bishop Verot quarterback Carter Smith signs to play college football for the Wisconsin Badgers on early Signing Day.
WINK NEWS SWFL stars ink with Power 4 programs during Early Signing Period Several Southwest Florida football standouts are taking their talents to the Power 4 gridirons after signing during the Early Signing Period.
Beloved Charlotte County man killed outside home, investigation ongoing A man loved by his peers and his community was taken away from them in the middle of the night at his own home.
FORT MYERS BEACH The Lani Kai Resort reopens on Fort Myers Beach An iconic spot on Fort Myers Beach is back open and taking reservations for the first time since Hurricane Ian.
Gov. DeSantis being considered for defense secretary Will Ron DeSantis be your governor in 2025, or is he headed to Washington?
NAPLES Naples votes to remove fluoride from tap water The Naples City Council has voted to remove fluoride from its tap water.
Red meat linked to health complications Doctors with the Cleveland Clinic are researching a link between eating red meat and increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres man arrested on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has arrested a 71-year-old Lehigh Acres man on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material.
FORT MYERS Stem donor meets recipient at Florida Gulf Coast University An FGCU student is giving the gift of life this holiday season. FGCU senior Zoe Horowitz met the person who received her stem cell donation.
PORT CHARLOTTE CCSO ‘Shop with a Cop’ event spreads holiday cheer Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office deputies spent time helping kids pick out gifts for their families during the annual Shop with a Cop event.
CLEWISTON Caught on camera: Explosion in hotel parking lot in Clewiston There was an explosion in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn in Clewiston on Wednesday.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda leaders outline plans for Gilchrist Park repairs Gilchrist Park is closed, and Punta Gorda city leaders have been discussing possibly restoring the park.
NORTH NAPLES Airman surprises 6-year-old daughter at school for the holidays after ten months of service in Kuwait After almost a year of service in Kuwait, one airman came home for the holidays and surprised his daughter.
FORT MYERS Breaking down the Lee County Sheriff’s Office budget The Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Carmine Marceno have been under scrutiny since a federal investigation on potential money laundering began. Many have questioned LCSO’s spending, so we broke down the budget.
How to protect yourself from thieves this holiday season On Cyber Monday, Americans spent $13 billion, which will translate into many packages on doorsteps this holiday season.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot QB Carter Smith signs with Wisconsin Bishop Verot quarterback Carter Smith signs to play college football for the Wisconsin Badgers on early Signing Day.
WINK NEWS SWFL stars ink with Power 4 programs during Early Signing Period Several Southwest Florida football standouts are taking their talents to the Power 4 gridirons after signing during the Early Signing Period.
Beloved Charlotte County man killed outside home, investigation ongoing A man loved by his peers and his community was taken away from them in the middle of the night at his own home.
FORT MYERS BEACH The Lani Kai Resort reopens on Fort Myers Beach An iconic spot on Fort Myers Beach is back open and taking reservations for the first time since Hurricane Ian.
Gov. DeSantis being considered for defense secretary Will Ron DeSantis be your governor in 2025, or is he headed to Washington?
NAPLES Naples votes to remove fluoride from tap water The Naples City Council has voted to remove fluoride from its tap water.
Red meat linked to health complications Doctors with the Cleveland Clinic are researching a link between eating red meat and increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres man arrested on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has arrested a 71-year-old Lehigh Acres man on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material.
Fort Myers Police Department (CREDIT: WINK News) Recently released documents by the Fort Myers Police Department show allegations of police misconduct uncovered during an audit in 2017. The documents are two appendices part of an audit by the Freeh Group International Solutions that found alleged police corruption, allegations of favoritism and a lack of resources that kept the department from functioning. While the 72-page report was made public, two appendices were never disclosed by Chief Derrick Diggs. But the information in the documents led to four officers being placed in administrative leave in 2017. In April, Fort Myers police Officer Jason Jackson was allowed to return to the agency as an on-duty officer after a federal investigation failed to turn up criminal charges. The other three officers, Melvin Perry, Rick Notaro and Michael Forbes, retired from the agency while they were on administrative leave. Fort Myers police released the appendices but one of them remains heavily redacted due to it being part of an ongoing federal investigation. The Fort Myers Police Department declined to answer questions on Tuesday. One page starts out talking about an executive-level manager maintaining a personal record of events due to decisions by “the then Chief of Police concerning a significant internal affairs matter involving a Supervisor.” “I would say 100%, yes, they are talking about me,” said Dennis Eads. Eads was appointed interim chief after Chief Doug Baker was fired for lying during an internal affairs investigation into the wrongful arrest of NFL player Nate Allen. Eads retired in October of 2016. Eads was chief when the city decided to hire the Freeh Group to the tune of about $300,000 to look into the police department. The result was a new police chief and a lot of recommendations to improve the department. Eads said he was only ever provided with talk. “All I was ever provided with was what I just said, people saying it,” Eads said. “When I would ask for some sort of evidence or anything to corroborate it, I would always receive the same thing, which was nothing.” Allen’s arrest brought the agency a lot of notoriety. “At the time the agency was under a lot of scrutiny from the media, referencing racial tension within the agency, without the agency, and both of these individuals were African American,” Eads said. “I absolutely was not going to launch an investigation based on someone’s thought or opinion.” To Eads, it’s a lot of fabrication. “A lot of fairytale,” Eads said. The remaining documents still haven’t been released. Matt Sellers, president of the Gulf Coast Police Benevolent Association, said he believes the active investigation keeping the rest of the pages from being released is a federal murder case. “I’ll continue to fight until the full truth is out,” Sellers said. “It’s coming, I don’t know exactly when but I do know there will be an end to this.” MORE: To read about the federal murder case, click here: Is a 3-year police misconduct investigation connected to the murder of a federal drug informant?