NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO searching for missing endangered adult Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a missing person.
The Weather Authority: Scattered storms for your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking afternoon scattered storms for Saturday this Labor Day weekend.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 2 The Golden Eagles took down the Cougars 64-7 to win the Crosstown Showdown for the 26th year in a row.
NAPLES Naples mayor speaks out after DUI arrest Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann has sent a statement to WINK News after being charged with a DUI.
FORT MYERS Woman stabbed at Fort Myers gas station Authorities responded to an active scene at a 7-eleven in Fort Myers after a woman was stabbed early Friday evening.
FORT MYERS FMPD investigating a van that followed a student from bus stop Police said a suspicious van followed a middle school student home from the bus stop on Thursday and yelled, “Get in the van.”
CAPE CORAL Report: Teen was on crosswalk when she was hit The driver of the box truck told officers he didn’t see Kendra as she rode in front of him, and he started to go.
FORT MYERS BEACH Celebration of Jimmy Buffet Day at Margaritaville Friday was Jimmy Buffett Day at Margaritaville and Fort Myers Beach is gearing up for a fun party all weekend long.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County deputies hold training for mental health encounters Charlotte County deputies are entering the community equipped with a new tool for handling mental health: the crisis initiative training.
Neighbors worried about flooding in Rotonda Heights Neighbors in Rotonda Heights are fed up with the flooding and they want to see it fixed.
ORLANDO Smart living moms reclaim their careers Betsy Gardner president and CEO of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce started Relaunch, a program to help stay-at-home moms.
FORT MYERS BEACH A closer look at the gas leak that killed 2 men at Fort Myers Beach home A closer look at the gas leak that killed two men in Fort Myers Beach has revealed some new details leading up to the deaths.
SANIBEL Sanibel CVS Pharmacy reopening after Hurricane Ian The CVS Pharmacy in Sanibel is reopening nearly two years after Hurricane Ian caused severe damage to it.
FORT MYERS Woman transported after boat hits large wake under Midpoint Bridge A woman had to be transported to the hospital after suffering an injury when the boat she was in struck the wake of a yacht.
NEW YORK (AP) Trump has history sparking outrage for incidents around veterans even as military voters backed him The reported altercation at Arlington National Cemetery involving Donald Trump’s staff was far from the first time that veterans or the families of service members have criticized the former president for words or behavior they saw as disparaging.
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO searching for missing endangered adult Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a missing person.
The Weather Authority: Scattered storms for your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking afternoon scattered storms for Saturday this Labor Day weekend.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 2 The Golden Eagles took down the Cougars 64-7 to win the Crosstown Showdown for the 26th year in a row.
NAPLES Naples mayor speaks out after DUI arrest Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann has sent a statement to WINK News after being charged with a DUI.
FORT MYERS Woman stabbed at Fort Myers gas station Authorities responded to an active scene at a 7-eleven in Fort Myers after a woman was stabbed early Friday evening.
FORT MYERS FMPD investigating a van that followed a student from bus stop Police said a suspicious van followed a middle school student home from the bus stop on Thursday and yelled, “Get in the van.”
CAPE CORAL Report: Teen was on crosswalk when she was hit The driver of the box truck told officers he didn’t see Kendra as she rode in front of him, and he started to go.
FORT MYERS BEACH Celebration of Jimmy Buffet Day at Margaritaville Friday was Jimmy Buffett Day at Margaritaville and Fort Myers Beach is gearing up for a fun party all weekend long.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County deputies hold training for mental health encounters Charlotte County deputies are entering the community equipped with a new tool for handling mental health: the crisis initiative training.
Neighbors worried about flooding in Rotonda Heights Neighbors in Rotonda Heights are fed up with the flooding and they want to see it fixed.
ORLANDO Smart living moms reclaim their careers Betsy Gardner president and CEO of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce started Relaunch, a program to help stay-at-home moms.
FORT MYERS BEACH A closer look at the gas leak that killed 2 men at Fort Myers Beach home A closer look at the gas leak that killed two men in Fort Myers Beach has revealed some new details leading up to the deaths.
SANIBEL Sanibel CVS Pharmacy reopening after Hurricane Ian The CVS Pharmacy in Sanibel is reopening nearly two years after Hurricane Ian caused severe damage to it.
FORT MYERS Woman transported after boat hits large wake under Midpoint Bridge A woman had to be transported to the hospital after suffering an injury when the boat she was in struck the wake of a yacht.
NEW YORK (AP) Trump has history sparking outrage for incidents around veterans even as military voters backed him The reported altercation at Arlington National Cemetery involving Donald Trump’s staff was far from the first time that veterans or the families of service members have criticized the former president for words or behavior they saw as disparaging.
Robert Ward (Credit: LCSO booking photo) A recent court conviction might be the key in exonerating a Fort Myers police officer fired for alleged misconduct and illegal contact with criminals. Robert Ward, of Fort Myers, was recently found guilty of drug trafficking and killing an FBI informant who formed with the Fort Myers Police Department. The murder happened almost a decade ago, but Ward’s conviction last week could finally open up secret information related to the police department. Jason Jackson and three other officers were suspended just before the Freeh report, a critical audit of the department, came out in Feb. 2017. “They did nothing wrong. Period,” said Gulf Coast Police Benevolent Association President Matt Sellers. Sellers said, finally, there is clarity in a case that spanned almost a decade. “The conviction of Robert Ward is the biggest exoneration for not only Jason Jackson but all four officers in their accusations of misconduct,” Sellers said. Officer Jason Jackson (CREDIT: WINK News) Jackson remained on leave for four years while the FBI investigated claims of police corruption. He never faced any criminal charges. But in 2021, Fort Myers police launched an internal affairs investigation into Jackson, speaking with 27 members of the community. One person claimed Jackson warned Ward the police were watching him. The person also claims Ward paid Jackson for information. “There’s never been any evidence, there were never any indictments,” Sellers said. Ward was convicted of orchestrating the death of Kristopher Smith, a Fort Myers man and confidential informant, who was gunned down after dropping off his child at school in 2013. Sellers said Ward’s conviction and Jackson’s complete absence from the trial erased doubt about the former officer. “I testified at the trial. I was never asked any questions under direct or cross-examination about these officers’ involvements. There’s never been a shred of evidence,” Sellers said, adding that, “There was someone that was convicted of this. These officers had no involvement.” Sellers is also in a unique position to say that because he was the lead investigator into Smith’s murder from 2013 to 2016 until he retired. “I was assigned to the case, never once was there an officer’s name or any officer ever came up,” Sellers said. Now that Smith’s murder has been solved, there is hope that the entire Freeh report and all related investigations will be made public. “There’s been a long history here with a lack of transparency. Now we’re here today, there’s still no transparency. We just want to get to the bottom of the truth. Who made these false accusations and what’s going to be done about them,” Sellers said. WINK News reached out to Fort Myers City Councilman Johnny Streets, a former FMPD officer and a family friend of the Jackson family. He said he didn’t know enough of the latest information to do an interview, but then expressed his frustration at the most recent city council meeting. “I can’t answer them because I don’t have the report,” Streets said. “I think it’s incumbent that this council needs the full report, or whatever can be given out. But we haven’t gotten that.” The Fort Myers Police Department continues to decline our request to release the redacted sections of the Freeh report or to talk on camera. Jackson is still appealing FMPD’s decision to terminate his job. He declined a request for an interview. We reached out to the other three officers and did not hear back. As for Ward, his attorney said he cannot comment.