Voters meet with Collier County candidatesTexas Roadhouse honors memory of five teenagers lost in tragic crash
NAPLES Voters meet with Collier County candidates It was a packed house at Seed to Table on Tuesday night as Collier County voters met with the candidates running to represent them.
FORT MYERS Texas Roadhouse honors memory of five teenagers lost in tragic crash It has been one year since the tragic crash that took the lives of five teenagers on Top Golf Way in Lee County.
CAPE CORAL Locals react to Wade Wilson jury recommendation Wade Wilson, the man found guilty of killing two innocent women, has his life in the hands of a jury and judge. In less than two hours on Tuesday – the jury came to their decision.
FORT MYERS Austan Cristiaan talks joining Bishop Verot and first D-1 offers Quarterback Austan Cristiaan talks about joining Bishop Verot for his freshman season and securing his first two D-1 offers.
FL researchers testing Zika virus to fight childhood brain cancer Neuroblastoma is one of the deadliest childhood cancers. Now, a team of researchers out of Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando are taking a novel approach to wipe out disease. Their studies involve the use of the Zika virus.
FORT MYERS Community Redevelopment Agency seeks public input for Cleveland Avenue project Mayor Kevin Anderson said Tuesday was an opportunity for the Community Redevelopment Agency and leaders to hear what the public thinks this redevelopment should look like.
FGCU professor agrees with US Surgeon General: gun violence is a public health crisis Gun violence: We’ve seen it here firsthand in southwest Florida. Many agree gun violence is a growing problem in the United States. Now, the U.S. Surgeon General is calling it a crisis.
Charlotte County Charlotte County now requiring condo and co-op inspections for building 25-years or older On the 3-year anniversary of the Champlain Towers South building collapse in Surfside, FL, many look to remember those lost and continue to learn from the tragedy.
FORT MYERS A third diamond interchange on its way to Southwest Florida The third iteration of a construction project that strikes fear into some drivers could be a tell-tell sign about the trends of Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples practice comes under fire from a former employee A Naples dermatology practice acknowledges it had issues when it first opened two years ago but says those issues are now behind them.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral hosts more FEMA hearings Red tags are rearing their ugly head. Cape Coral homeowners who were slapped with these tags and found non-compliant with city code permits are back to defend themselves.
4 local music shows to choose from in one day If you’re an indecisive local music fan, Friday will be a tough day for you.
FORT MYERS Walt Wesley Way unveiled in honor of local legend Take a drive down Lincoln Blvd. in Fort Myers and you will notice above the street sign is another that reads ‘Honorary Walt Wesley Way.’
LABELLE Man reunited with dog after she appears in LaBelle 2 years after disappearing in Maryland A man has been reunited with his dog after she went missing for two years and many states away.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Several brands of ice cream, a variety of products, recalled for possible Listeria contamination Several brands of ice cream sold at Southwest Florida grocery stores are part of a massive nationwide recall involving 14 brands.
NAPLES Voters meet with Collier County candidates It was a packed house at Seed to Table on Tuesday night as Collier County voters met with the candidates running to represent them.
FORT MYERS Texas Roadhouse honors memory of five teenagers lost in tragic crash It has been one year since the tragic crash that took the lives of five teenagers on Top Golf Way in Lee County.
CAPE CORAL Locals react to Wade Wilson jury recommendation Wade Wilson, the man found guilty of killing two innocent women, has his life in the hands of a jury and judge. In less than two hours on Tuesday – the jury came to their decision.
FORT MYERS Austan Cristiaan talks joining Bishop Verot and first D-1 offers Quarterback Austan Cristiaan talks about joining Bishop Verot for his freshman season and securing his first two D-1 offers.
FL researchers testing Zika virus to fight childhood brain cancer Neuroblastoma is one of the deadliest childhood cancers. Now, a team of researchers out of Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando are taking a novel approach to wipe out disease. Their studies involve the use of the Zika virus.
FORT MYERS Community Redevelopment Agency seeks public input for Cleveland Avenue project Mayor Kevin Anderson said Tuesday was an opportunity for the Community Redevelopment Agency and leaders to hear what the public thinks this redevelopment should look like.
FGCU professor agrees with US Surgeon General: gun violence is a public health crisis Gun violence: We’ve seen it here firsthand in southwest Florida. Many agree gun violence is a growing problem in the United States. Now, the U.S. Surgeon General is calling it a crisis.
Charlotte County Charlotte County now requiring condo and co-op inspections for building 25-years or older On the 3-year anniversary of the Champlain Towers South building collapse in Surfside, FL, many look to remember those lost and continue to learn from the tragedy.
FORT MYERS A third diamond interchange on its way to Southwest Florida The third iteration of a construction project that strikes fear into some drivers could be a tell-tell sign about the trends of Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples practice comes under fire from a former employee A Naples dermatology practice acknowledges it had issues when it first opened two years ago but says those issues are now behind them.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral hosts more FEMA hearings Red tags are rearing their ugly head. Cape Coral homeowners who were slapped with these tags and found non-compliant with city code permits are back to defend themselves.
4 local music shows to choose from in one day If you’re an indecisive local music fan, Friday will be a tough day for you.
FORT MYERS Walt Wesley Way unveiled in honor of local legend Take a drive down Lincoln Blvd. in Fort Myers and you will notice above the street sign is another that reads ‘Honorary Walt Wesley Way.’
LABELLE Man reunited with dog after she appears in LaBelle 2 years after disappearing in Maryland A man has been reunited with his dog after she went missing for two years and many states away.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Several brands of ice cream, a variety of products, recalled for possible Listeria contamination Several brands of ice cream sold at Southwest Florida grocery stores are part of a massive nationwide recall involving 14 brands.
Update: Investigative Reporter Peter Fleischer attended the Fort Myers Police Citizen’s Review Board meeting on Tuesday, April 11. The board is still re-evaluating materials related to Johanna Lagrange’s complaint, and the case was not addressed. WINK News will attend May’s review board meeting and provide any new information as it becomes available. Attacked in her own neighborhood, a Southwest Florida woman desperately dialed 911. But instead of feeling safe, her experience left her angry and scared. Johanna Lagrange has lived in her picturesque neighborhood in Fort Myers for 15 years, running the same route every morning. Nothing like this had ever happened. It was June 2022. Lagrange was out just after 5 a.m. when she jogged past a broken-down car with no lights on. Two people were sitting near the car. She says what happened next changed her life. “I said, ‘Your lights aren’t on,’ and kept running,” Lagrange explains. “I heard [the woman sitting near the car] screaming. I turned around, and she shoved me to the ground.” Lagrange called 911 at 5:18 a.m., and police arrived minutes later. Fort Myers police 911 audio, body camera footage and documents all tell the same story. Lagrange told officers she had been shoved down and pictures from that day show scrapes and scratches on her hands. It wasn’t a bloody, violent attack, but still an attack. “You never realize the terror and how scared you are when there’s someone in your face,” Lagrange admits. And yet, she feels it was what happened next that hurt worst of all. Fort Myers Police Department records show the first to respond to the scene were trainee Officer Cheyenne Krolczyk and training Officer Matthew Spencer. Their conduct, and the way they handled the case, left Lagrange appalled. Officer Cheyenne Krolczyk and training Officer Matthew Spencer. (CREDIT: Fort Myers Police Department) “It was one of the hardest moments of my life,” Lagrange admits. “[The two of them] were very rude to me, very short to me. I heard them laughing with my attacker.” According to body camera footage from the scene, less than a minute after approaching Lagrange, Officer Spencer appears to roll his eyes as she cries. At 5:30 a.m., just 12 minutes after Lagrange called for help, officers can be seen and heard on body camera footage laughing with the suspects. And that wasn’t all. At 5:33 a.m., body camera footage shows the following exchange: Suspect: “I’m not sorry. F*** that bitch.” Unknown FMPD officer: “I can’t disagree with you.” Less than 20 minutes later, a similar exchange can be seen and heard. Suspect: “That lady is a f***ng bitch and she can f*** off!” Unknown FMPD officer: “As much as I tend to agree with you…” Lagrange was hurt after watching the footage, shaking her head and admitting: “I’m devastated that Fort Myers police wasn’t there to protect me… Justice was just not done.” The issues didn’t stop with unprofessional conduct. Lagrange was forced to repeat her story numerous times at the scene, so she was shocked when Officers Spencer and Krolczyk published the offense report with several errors. The report claimed Lagrange told “conflicting stories” and said, “The suspects did not look like they belonged in this neighborhood…” “They actually put words into my mouth that I didn’t even closely say,” Lagrange says, frustrated. “But it helped their report.” Lagrange and her family—including multiple loved ones who work in law enforcement at a different agency—filed a complaint with FMPD, forcing the police to launch an internal investigation. Documents show Internal Affairs Commander Lesa Breneman found several issues in the initial report. Her review of the body camera footage showed “no evidence” that Lagrange told conflicting stories and “no evidence” that Lagrange made comments about the suspects “not belonging” in her neighborhood. “It helped them paint the picture that I was this person jogging and these poor people were broken down on the side of the road,” Lagrange says. “I just don’t know why.” She says discipline handed down from interim police Chief Randall Pepitone doesn’t reflect Lagrange’s frustration. Internal affairs paperwork shows Officer Spencer was reprimanded for “failure to conduct a proper preliminary investigation” and “failure to correct his trainee adequately.” As a result, he was ordered counseling. Krolczyk was also punished for “rude and unprofessional behavior,” “failure to activate body cam and microphone” and “failure to conduct a proper preliminary investigation.” She was given counseling and retraining. Lagrange and her family spoke at last month’s Fort Myers police citizen’s review board meeting, desperate for the board to reconsider harsher discipline. One family member with decades of law enforcement experience told the board angrily: “I don’t understand how this interim chief could think this was even close to adequate discipline for these officers… The reporting, and I’m sure you read them, are lies.” “They should not be police officers. They should not have that opportunity,” Lagrange tells WINK News. “That badge doesn’t give you honesty and integrity.” The citizen’s review board agreed to review the case’s facts and all body camera footage. Lagrange says she wants to prevent someone else from having the same experience. “You don’t attack my citizens. That’s how we need to feel in the city of Fort Myers,” she says. “It’s a great community! None of this should have happened.” WINK requested interviews with Fort Myers police and the officers involved. A department rep said they have no comment at this time. The suspect, in this case, was found not guilty by a jury—the family believes issues with FMPD contributed to that verdict. The next police citizen’s review board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 11. WINK News will have an update on this story after.