ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
Video of the paddling was taken by the child’s mother. (Credit: Shared with WINK News) A review by the State Attorney’s Office has found that a Central Elementary School principal in Clewiston did not commit a crime when she paddled a 6-year-old in front of the child’s mother. Principal Melissa Carter and Cecilia Self, a clerk at the school, were recorded by the child’s mother as Carter spanked the child with a wooden paddle three times. The Office of the State Attorney’s Office for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit, which covers Hendry County, released a memo late Friday. The paddling occurred on April 13 after the child damaged a computer. MORE: Full video and transcription of the video According to the memo, the child’s mother gave an initial account of the incident to the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office on April 14. The memo called the child’s mother’s credibility into question after Carter and Self told authorities that the child’s mother said her daughter was damaging things at her home too, but she was afraid to discipline her because her daughter threatened to call police and the Department of Children and Families on her. Self said the child’s mother requested the school spank her daughter, but she was told she needed to be present for the spanking. According to both Carter and Self, the child’s mother went to the school and made the request. In a statement to WINK News, the family’s attorney Brent Probinksy said he was disappointed by the decision to not prosecute. “The family and I as their lawyer are very disappointed that the State Attorney, Amira Fox, did not criminally charge the school principal and her assistant who savagely beat this innocent 6-year-old with a paddle for merely scratching a computer,” Probinksy said. “The State Attorney, Ms. Fox, in our estimation failed to hold accountable those who violate their responsibility to educate and nurture school children under their care, and instead, physically and emotionally abuse them.” An interview of the child was redacted from the memo released by the state attorney’s office. The memo states the child’s mother told Hendry deputies that she went to the school to witness the discipline, but there was a language barrier that caused her to be “confused,” and that she “did not understand the process correctly.” The Clewiston Police Department attempted to speak with the child’s mother again, but she did not return phone calls. Her attorney, Brent Probinsky, returned calls instead. The State Attorney’s Office memo states the child’s mother’s statements to the media about “sacrificing” her daughter indicate that she knew the girl would be paddled. Additionally, “a parent has a right to use corporal punishment to discipline their children, and similarly has the right to consent that others do so on their behalf,” the State Attorney’s Office memo states. Corporal punishment is legal in Florida but is not allowed in Hendry County schools, so we asked an expert when corporal punishment becomes child abuse. Criminal Defense Attorney Robert Foley says the punishment established has to be reasonable to correct the behavior β in this case damaging a piece of computer equipment. Child abuse is an intentional injury on a child. “When they state attorney’s office was considering its filing decision that it reviewed the evidence that it had and that it was reasonable,β Foley said. βIt is authorized by law, and what happened, at least in my eyes in the video, was not a crime.” But Foley says, since the Hendry County District Schools, doesn’t allow what we’ve seen in the now viral video, the two school staff members could still face disciplinary action from the district. Probinsky told the State Attorney’s Office he believed the paddling to be aggravated battery, but prosecutors disagreed. “It is clear using a paddle to spank a child is not likely to cause death or great bodily harm,” the memo states. Additionally, the memo states Florida law is clear that spanking a child does not amount to child abuse. WINK News continues to reach out to both the school principal, the clerk and the school district for response and updates, but we did not hear back from either of the parties Friday.