Shell Factory & Nature Park announces online auction liquidation of remaining inventoryLee County officials share progress on post-Milton debris cleanup
FORT MYERS Shell Factory & Nature Park announces online auction liquidation of remaining inventory Fans of the now-closed Shell Factory & Nature Park will have a final chance to own a piece of nostalgia with two virtual auctions.
Lee County officials share progress on post-Milton debris cleanup Lee County has announced it has collected 200,000 cubic yards of storm debris in unincorporated areas post-Hurricane Milton.
Man accused of fleeing from Charlotte deputies through drainage pipe The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man who tried to flee from deputies during a traffic stop through a drainage pipe.
FORT MYERS Man wanted for stealing money from tip jar at Fort Myers establishment Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is seeking information on a man wanted for stealing from a tip jar at a Fort Myers establishment.
Matlacha Man accused of driving into That BBQ Place on Matlacha asks for new attorney Cody Curtis, the man accused of driving drunk and crashing his car into That BBQ Place on Matlacha, killing a patron, is asking for a new attorney.
Mostly sunny and seasonably high temps Monday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a mostly sunny Monday with temperatures matching seasonable highs this afternoon.
north fort myers Deputy presence reported in front of North Fort Myers laundromat The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is responding to a scene located on Pine Island Road in North Fort Myers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral hurricane debris drop-off sites closed Two hurricane debris drop-off sites have closed in Cape Coral.
FORT MYERS Former NFL star Tre Boston gives back to hometown of Fort Myers for Thanksgiving Boston was joined by members of the Lehigh Senior High School Football team to help deliver 800 turkeys to those in need.
WINK NEWS Holiday Cheer: Send letters to Santa at Sunshine Ace Hardware Sunshine Ace Hardware will be serving as a drop-off location for any children looking to mail their holiday wish lists to the North Pole.
FORT MYERS BEACH Sand, sweat, and precision: Final day of sculpting on Fort Myers Beach Sunday was the final day of the 34th annual American Sand Sculpting Championship, hosted on Fort Myers Beach.
WINK Neighborhood Watch: Illegal gun possession, Kate Spade theft and deadly crash This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a gun possessed by a person with felony convictions, a Kate Spade thief and a man arrested for causing a crash that killed a man on Alligator Alley.
NORTH FORT MYERS 1 dead, 1 critically injured in North Fort Myers shooting The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported shooting in North Fort Myers on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral looking to increase their FEMA flood insurance discount The City of Cape Coral got good news from FEMA; the 25% flood insurance discount is staying in place for the next three years.
Cool start, mild afternoon with lots of sunshine on this Sunday The Weather Authority says Sunday started off even slightly cooler than Saturday morning, with temperatures in the 40s and 50s across the area.
FORT MYERS Shell Factory & Nature Park announces online auction liquidation of remaining inventory Fans of the now-closed Shell Factory & Nature Park will have a final chance to own a piece of nostalgia with two virtual auctions.
Lee County officials share progress on post-Milton debris cleanup Lee County has announced it has collected 200,000 cubic yards of storm debris in unincorporated areas post-Hurricane Milton.
Man accused of fleeing from Charlotte deputies through drainage pipe The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man who tried to flee from deputies during a traffic stop through a drainage pipe.
FORT MYERS Man wanted for stealing money from tip jar at Fort Myers establishment Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is seeking information on a man wanted for stealing from a tip jar at a Fort Myers establishment.
Matlacha Man accused of driving into That BBQ Place on Matlacha asks for new attorney Cody Curtis, the man accused of driving drunk and crashing his car into That BBQ Place on Matlacha, killing a patron, is asking for a new attorney.
Mostly sunny and seasonably high temps Monday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a mostly sunny Monday with temperatures matching seasonable highs this afternoon.
north fort myers Deputy presence reported in front of North Fort Myers laundromat The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is responding to a scene located on Pine Island Road in North Fort Myers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral hurricane debris drop-off sites closed Two hurricane debris drop-off sites have closed in Cape Coral.
FORT MYERS Former NFL star Tre Boston gives back to hometown of Fort Myers for Thanksgiving Boston was joined by members of the Lehigh Senior High School Football team to help deliver 800 turkeys to those in need.
WINK NEWS Holiday Cheer: Send letters to Santa at Sunshine Ace Hardware Sunshine Ace Hardware will be serving as a drop-off location for any children looking to mail their holiday wish lists to the North Pole.
FORT MYERS BEACH Sand, sweat, and precision: Final day of sculpting on Fort Myers Beach Sunday was the final day of the 34th annual American Sand Sculpting Championship, hosted on Fort Myers Beach.
WINK Neighborhood Watch: Illegal gun possession, Kate Spade theft and deadly crash This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a gun possessed by a person with felony convictions, a Kate Spade thief and a man arrested for causing a crash that killed a man on Alligator Alley.
NORTH FORT MYERS 1 dead, 1 critically injured in North Fort Myers shooting The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported shooting in North Fort Myers on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral looking to increase their FEMA flood insurance discount The City of Cape Coral got good news from FEMA; the 25% flood insurance discount is staying in place for the next three years.
Cool start, mild afternoon with lots of sunshine on this Sunday The Weather Authority says Sunday started off even slightly cooler than Saturday morning, with temperatures in the 40s and 50s across the area.
Roll of toilet paper. Stock photo by hermaion Florida police officers accused of twice putting their 3 1/2-year-old son in a jail cell to punish him for potty training accidents remain on the job while an investigation continues. Nearly nine months later, the Daytona Beach Shores Police Department is not talking about it, and most records related to the investigation have been sealed by a Volusia County judge. “The city strives to always be open and transparent, however due to the court order that was issued to the city, we are unable to comment at this time. If anything should change, we would be happy to discuss,” the city’s public information officer, Tammy Marzik, wrote in an email to The AP. The couple said they “jailed” their son twice — on Oct. 5 and 6, 2022. They were interviewed by a state child abuse investigator, who was escorted to their home by a Volusia County Sheriff’s deputy whose body camera recorded the conversation. The video was sent to the media this week by the sheriff’s office, which later asked to recall it, citing a court order restricting the release of information about the case. The Associated Press is not identifying the child nor the parents — the mother is a detective and the father is a lieutenant with the Daytona Beach Shores Police. Their attorney, Michael Lambert, did not respond to an email seeking comment. During the hour-long video, the child’s mother said she didn’t believe they did anything wrong, adding that “it’s just people getting it twisted.” She also called the investigation “the definition of insanity.” How the state learned about the boy’s treatment hasn’t been made public, but the father told the investigator, “It’s just disgusting that somebody would drag our family through the mud like this.” He explained that their day care center requires children to stop using diapers by age 3, but the boy was still having accidents, so while the school was being lenient, they were trying everything possible to get him potty trained. “We’ve tried books, we’ve tried run around without pants, you name it we’ve tried it,” the father told the investigator. So they confronted the boy, he said. “I said you know what I do for a living,” the father explained. “I said I’m a cop. I take bad boys to the jail that don’t follow the law. So that’s what I did. I said you know you aren’t following the rules, let’s go to jail.” The father said the cell “was nasty” so he checked it out for contraband before putting his son inside. He told investigators the boy was behind bars for about 13 minutes, and he “had eyes on him the entire time.” “He was crying,” the father said. “I was getting the response I expected from him.” The father said the boy’s mother had placed him in the cell the day before for about three minutes. The tactic worked: The child made good on his promise not to have any more accidents in potty training, the father told investigators. What’s more, he said he did it before with his older son, about nine years ago, when that child admitted to hitting a girl in preschool. He said he told his son that in his job, he puts people in jail when they hit others. “I took him to the jail and he sat there. And I watched him … and he was crying and everything, and to this day, if you mention, like, that incident, he’s just like, ‘I would never do that again.’ It was effective,” the father said. “So that’s why I did it with this. He didn’t hit anybody, but I figured the same thing, discipline.” Florida Department of Children and Families spokeswoman Tori Cuddy told The AP that the agency responds to all allegations of of abuse, neglect or abandonment, and that all information involving such cases is confidential. It’s not clear what repercussions the couple faces, if any, but they’ve gone to court, suing the state attorney’s office in March and separately suing State Attorney R.J. Larizza in May. Those court records are marked confidential and have been sealed by a judge, the city clerk’s office said. Lonnie Groot, a former city attorney for Daytona Beach Shores who now serves the community in more of a watchdog capacity, is looking for answers. Groot said he’s been unsuccessful in his attempts to get additional records involving the investigation. “The City is just patently trying to hide the matter and hopes now that it will go away and they can go back to their own ways,” Groot told The AP.