Community rallies behind hate crime victims and cleans the homeFGCU community rallies to clean vandalized home after hate crime
CAPE CORAL Community rallies behind hate crime victims and cleans the home After Cape Coral homeowners fell victim to vandals who destroyed their home with racist and hateful slurs, the community is rallying together to get the home back to its original state. WINK News broke this story on Wednesday. RELATED: Cape Coral home vandalized; homeowner calls it a “hate crime” On Friday, Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony […]
CAPE CORAL FGCU community rallies to clean vandalized home after hate crime The FGCU community rallied together to restore the house to its original state on Saturday after a hate crime.
FGCU volleyball wins fourth straight ASUN Tournament title The FGCU volleyball team beat Lipscomb in three sets to claim the program’s fourth straight ASUN Tournament title.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers community comes together for Thanksgiving turkey giveaway This time of year is especially stressful for people who are struggling financially. Adding all the holiday expenses on top of rent, food and basic necessities can leave people feeling anxious and off balance.
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO: Shooting Investigation underway in North Fort Myers The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an incident in North Fort Myers on Saturday.
FORT MYERS Driver arrested after fleeing police, causing multi-car crash in Fort Myers The Fort Myers Police Department has arrested a man accused of causing a multi-car crash in Fort Myers.
Chilly morning and a cool Saturday afternoon with lots of sunshine The Weather Authority says the weekend is starting off nice and chilly, with temperatures in the 40s and 50s across Southwest Florida.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Regional Semifinals It’s the regional semifinal round of high school football in Southwest Florida. Check out the scores and highlights.
FORT MYERS BEACH New information on why FEMA put Fort Myers Beach on probation FEMA was sure to lay it out in a letter. Out of the five points listed, three areas need work on Fort Myers Beach to re-apply for the flood insurance discount.
CAPE CORAL Exclusive: Cape Coral Police Chief speaks out on hate crime incident New exclusive surveillance video shows the moment a Cape Coral home is vandalized. The suspects painted racial slurs on the wall in red paint. WINK News broke this story on Wednesday.
CAPE CORAL New police precincts coming to Cape Coral The Cape Coral Police Department is adding new precincts around the city. The reason? Growth.
Vietnam veteran’s unique service animal companion When we think of service animals, dogs usually come to mind, but it’s not just dogs that help people navigate through their challenges.
NAPLES Gulfshore Life’s Men and Women of the Year award honoree: John Cooney It’s one thing to be philanthropic and help our community. It’s another to provide so much help and want absolutely nothing in return, not even your name mentioned.
FORT MYERS Dunbar High principal named Lee County Principal of the Year Carl Burnside was the last to find out Friday morning that he was selected as Lee County Schools Principal of the Year for 2025.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach businesses excited for increased season traffic Those on Fort Myers Beach are excited for the town to return to normal. Businesses are ready to accept snowbirds and residents again.
CAPE CORAL Community rallies behind hate crime victims and cleans the home After Cape Coral homeowners fell victim to vandals who destroyed their home with racist and hateful slurs, the community is rallying together to get the home back to its original state. WINK News broke this story on Wednesday. RELATED: Cape Coral home vandalized; homeowner calls it a “hate crime” On Friday, Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony […]
CAPE CORAL FGCU community rallies to clean vandalized home after hate crime The FGCU community rallied together to restore the house to its original state on Saturday after a hate crime.
FGCU volleyball wins fourth straight ASUN Tournament title The FGCU volleyball team beat Lipscomb in three sets to claim the program’s fourth straight ASUN Tournament title.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers community comes together for Thanksgiving turkey giveaway This time of year is especially stressful for people who are struggling financially. Adding all the holiday expenses on top of rent, food and basic necessities can leave people feeling anxious and off balance.
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO: Shooting Investigation underway in North Fort Myers The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an incident in North Fort Myers on Saturday.
FORT MYERS Driver arrested after fleeing police, causing multi-car crash in Fort Myers The Fort Myers Police Department has arrested a man accused of causing a multi-car crash in Fort Myers.
Chilly morning and a cool Saturday afternoon with lots of sunshine The Weather Authority says the weekend is starting off nice and chilly, with temperatures in the 40s and 50s across Southwest Florida.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Regional Semifinals It’s the regional semifinal round of high school football in Southwest Florida. Check out the scores and highlights.
FORT MYERS BEACH New information on why FEMA put Fort Myers Beach on probation FEMA was sure to lay it out in a letter. Out of the five points listed, three areas need work on Fort Myers Beach to re-apply for the flood insurance discount.
CAPE CORAL Exclusive: Cape Coral Police Chief speaks out on hate crime incident New exclusive surveillance video shows the moment a Cape Coral home is vandalized. The suspects painted racial slurs on the wall in red paint. WINK News broke this story on Wednesday.
CAPE CORAL New police precincts coming to Cape Coral The Cape Coral Police Department is adding new precincts around the city. The reason? Growth.
Vietnam veteran’s unique service animal companion When we think of service animals, dogs usually come to mind, but it’s not just dogs that help people navigate through their challenges.
NAPLES Gulfshore Life’s Men and Women of the Year award honoree: John Cooney It’s one thing to be philanthropic and help our community. It’s another to provide so much help and want absolutely nothing in return, not even your name mentioned.
FORT MYERS Dunbar High principal named Lee County Principal of the Year Carl Burnside was the last to find out Friday morning that he was selected as Lee County Schools Principal of the Year for 2025.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach businesses excited for increased season traffic Those on Fort Myers Beach are excited for the town to return to normal. Businesses are ready to accept snowbirds and residents again.
A Lee County Sheriff’s deputy has been arrested and is off the job for his involvement in a plot to plant drugs and put an innocent man behind bars. The attorney for that man is now sharing what he says is the motivation behind the plot. The victim’s attorney said the motivation is revenge. When Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno called reporters to his real-time crime center Friday, he didn’t mince words. “Those who engaged in this disgusting conduct are now in jail.” Under arrest was one of Marceno’s deputies, Niko Irizarry. Marceno said Irizarry helped to set someone up to take a fall. Attorney Donald Day represents that someone. Day said, “now, the thing that was very unusual, of course, my client calls me, and the case begins with his statement emphatically that he was not involved in drugs.” Day hired a private investigator to determine whether his client was telling the truth. Something he said he doesn’t do every day. “Lo and behold, we find out that he was, in fact, a witness for the prosecution in a case where a gentleman went to prison,” said Day. RELATED: Deputy accused of conspiring to frame someone could face legal issues The gentleman Day is referring to is Charles Custodio. Custodio was one of the men Marceno says was involved in the plot to set up Day’s client. WINK News found records from 2017 that show Custodio committed insurance fraud after Hurricane Irma. The document says he falsified documents for reimbursement and forged signatures, including the signature of his landlord, who is also Day’s client. “And when that gentleman went to prison, he had promised that he would somehow get this individual in the future,” said Day. And what did he get? Arrested for drugs. Drugs he claimed someone planted in his car. Day went to Sheriff Marceno, and on Friday, Marceno said that Day’s client’s story was true and revealed how one of his deputies was involved. Day said, “that is extremely troubling because, as you can imagine, my client was looking at a long mandatory prison sentence for this trafficking charge. So it was really, really serious.” In addition to Custodio, deputies arrested another man for a host of drug charges and conspiracy. A search warrant of both Custodio’s and Irizarry’s phones showed they set a place and a time for when the deputy would arrest their target. Day gave Sheriff Marceno credit for not ignoring his call for a second look at his client’s arrest. The sheriff said his team of investigators found evidence against his deputy and the others and nothing against Day’s client. “And I can’t imagine any worst-case scenario than someone sitting in a long-term prison sentence because they got the wrong person, or because they were set up unlawfully,” said Day. WINK News is not releasing the name of Day’s client because his attorney said there may be others involved in his client’s case. Submit Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.