Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast UniversityMissing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres
Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
Cape Coral police investigating missing man. CREDIT: WINK News Missing man Barry James Schmalbach, 56, from Cape Coral, vanished without anyone seeing or hearing from him in a week, and now police are investigating his home for clues. Cape Coral Police detectives deemed Schmalbach’s disappearance considered suspicious on Wednesday. Thursday morning, investigators were seen searching Schmalbach’s home on Beach Parkway in Cape Coral for leads. Cape Coral detectives and the forensic investigators were walking in and out of the couple’s apartment. While Cape Coral police won’t say if Davis is a person of interest, neighbors told WINK News that investigators appear to be keeping a close eye on him. Lou Rozman, neighbor, said that he talked to Davis. “He was standing over there by the pool,” Rozman said. “All the cops are here. And I was like, ‘hey, man, what’s up?’ he’s like, ‘hey,’ and I’m like, ‘you know what’s going on?’ and he said, ‘yeah, they’re searching my condo.’ I was like, ‘oh, that’s no good.’ Yeah. And he said, ‘yeah, my boyfriend’s missing.’ I said, ‘oh.'” WINK News saw Davis by the same pool on Thursday. When approached, he yelled out “No. No. No. Don’t come over here,” and refused to speak. The police report said Schmalbach’s boyfriend, Christopher Davis, and Schmalbach got into an argument while at Cruiser’s Lounge a day before his disappearance. Then, Schmalbach’s friends went to check on him on Friday. The next day, police got involved. Schmalbach’s friends told WINK News that they believe he needed their help breaking up with his boyfriend and more specifically, kicking him out of Schmalbach’s apartment. “My concerns are in all honesty, if there’s foul play involved for him to be disappeared, you know, have disappeared this way,” said Tom Wilson, Schmalbach’s friend. Close, lifelong friends of Schmalbach revealed to WINK News that the 56-year-old has a serious heart condition after suffering a heart attack. They said that he recently spent 27 days in the hospital and depends on the heart medications he regularly takes. They said that if he doesn’t have them with him, they fear the worst. Cape Coral police didn’t take anything out of the home, but they were seen taking pictures of the scene. “There could be information on where he went,” said Rich Kolko, safety and security specialist. “Just looking at his computer, you know, what did he look up the last few days? Who did he call the last few days? So, certainly they want to find that information. We talked about him being sick and needing medicine. If he went on a planned trip, did he take that medicine?” WINK also reached out to Cape Coral police to see if they towed away Schmalbach’s car that wasn’t there Friday but was somehow returned on Saturday, covered in mud. They never responded, but the police report reveals that it was spotted in the Fort Myers area several times after Schmalbach was last seen. “Cars are able to be tracked,” Kolko said. “There’s license plate readers, there’s Sunpasses if you’re doing tolls. If you have a cell phone, you’re leaving a trail of pinging cell phone towers. So, what police want to do is, they know that car was away from the home a certain number of days. They want to try and track that car.” It was later discovered that Davis gave CCPD false information when identifying himself. Consequently, after investigating matters further, arrest warrants for Davis were discovered in South Carolina and Georgia. However, law enforcement says neither appears to be extraditable. WINK has also learned that the Marco Patriots, who sometimes perform search and rescue missions in the aftermath of disasters, searched the neighborhood on Tuesday, looking for signs of Schmalbach. They’d like Schmalbach’s family to reach out to them and let them know if there are any locations they’d like the group to search next. This is an active investigation, and WINK News will update this article with more information when it becomes available.