16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier CountyNew bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
NORTH NAPLES Grant Thornton Invitational returns to Tiburon Golf Club Stars on the PGA and LPGA Tours are back in Southwest Florida for the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club.
FORT MYERS Black Flag brings classic punk energy to The Ranch in Fort Myers Legendary punk band Black Flag made their mark in Southwest Florida during the Fort Myers stop of their “First Four Years” tour.
Charlotte Technical College breaks ground on aviation facility The Charlotte County School District is flying high and keeping its “Space Academy” designation with a new aviation training facility for students.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested in connection with Cape Coral home invasion The Cape Coral Police Department has announced the arrest of one of three men suspected in a home invasion that took place earlier this month.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react to $100M North Cape land deal The city of Cape Coral is seeing two projects that will change the city. One is called one of the most lucrative deals in county history.
Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association breaks ground on new Fort Myers headquarters As Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association’s president pointed out, about 1,000 people are still moving to Florida every day, and many of them are finding their way to Southwest Florida.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years A Charlotte County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.
lehigh acres ‘How to sign away parental rights?’; Lehigh Acres woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby.
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
NORTH NAPLES Grant Thornton Invitational returns to Tiburon Golf Club Stars on the PGA and LPGA Tours are back in Southwest Florida for the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club.
FORT MYERS Black Flag brings classic punk energy to The Ranch in Fort Myers Legendary punk band Black Flag made their mark in Southwest Florida during the Fort Myers stop of their “First Four Years” tour.
Charlotte Technical College breaks ground on aviation facility The Charlotte County School District is flying high and keeping its “Space Academy” designation with a new aviation training facility for students.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested in connection with Cape Coral home invasion The Cape Coral Police Department has announced the arrest of one of three men suspected in a home invasion that took place earlier this month.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react to $100M North Cape land deal The city of Cape Coral is seeing two projects that will change the city. One is called one of the most lucrative deals in county history.
Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association breaks ground on new Fort Myers headquarters As Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association’s president pointed out, about 1,000 people are still moving to Florida every day, and many of them are finding their way to Southwest Florida.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years A Charlotte County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.
lehigh acres ‘How to sign away parental rights?’; Lehigh Acres woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby.
Elisa Godinez and Diego Alex Trevino Garza, arrested for neglecting a horse. CREDIT: Collier County Sheriff’s Office Warning: Images in this article may be disturbing to some readers A man and woman in Collier County have been arrested after they reportedly failed to provide proper nutrition, shelter and medical care to a horse they were caring for. Collier County Sheriff’s Office detectives with the Animal Cruelty Investigations Alliance arrested Diego Alex Trevino Garza, 43, and Elisa Godinez, 38, Wednesday. Monarcas, a brown and white male quarter horse roughly aged 20-25, was found severely emaciated when a Collier County Sheriff’s Officer deputy found the animal running loose in the middle of the night in Golden Gate Estates earlier in August. Malnourished horse found in Collier County. CREDIT: Collier County Sheriff’s Office The couple’s arrests come after CCSO was alerted to a horse running loose on 37th Avenue Northeast in Golden Gate Estates, around midnight on Aug. 11. “A CCSO Agriculture Unit deputy captured the extremely thin and severely malnourished horse and transported it to Collier County Domestic Animal Services [DAS] for evaluation and care,” CCSO stated in their Facebook post. Through their investigation, detectives tracked the horse to the couple, who live in a trailer on a property on 37th Avenue Northeast. The couple told detectives they’ve owned Monarcas since last August or September after the horse’s previous owners moved away. CCSO stated that the area where Monarcas was kept did not have any shelter, hay or roughage. All of which a horse needs to sustain its livelihood. The couple relinquished custody of Monarcas to the DAS. Recent photo of Monarcas. CREDIT: Collier County Sheriff’s Office “There is absolutely no reason a helpless animal should have been allowed to suffer and not receive proper care, especially with all of the resources in our community,” CCSO Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said. “Thanks to the efforts of our Animal Cruelty Investigations Alliance, Monarcas is now being properly cared for and is already showing signs of improvement. His now former owners are in my custody and will be held accountable for their criminal actions.” Dr. Darrell Harvey, a large animal veterinarian, evaluated Monarcas and stated that the horse was starving due to insufficient and improper food. Harvey said that a horse of Monarcas’ size should weigh 900 to 1,000 pounds. Monarcas weighed 670 pounds when he arrived at DAS. Harvey told detectives that without proper food and shelter, Monarcas would have likely died. Monarcas also suffered from rain rot on his back due to being outside without any shelter. Malnourished horse found in Collier County. CREDIT: Collier County Sheriff’s Office However, in the few weeks that Monarcas has been at DAS, the horse has been gaining weight and showing improvement with proper nutrition and shelter. WINK spoke with Track to Trail Thoroughbreds, which specializes in rescuing horses. President Cynthia Gilbert said she hasn’t seen a horse in that bad of condition before. We asked Lieutenant Chad Parker if the owners had any remorse towards the horse’s condition. “They were both remorseful and felt bad that it got to this level, but unfortunately there are things that they can do to get that horse taken care of and give it up for adoption,” he said. After Monarcas was taken to DAS, they called Track to Trail to help. “We needed long-term care, so we went down there really early on Sunday morning and met the horse and talked to the staff,” Gilbert said. Gilbert said that, unfortunately in the Collier estates area there are horses that are very thin and in poor condition. We asked why. “A problem mentally with a person that’s not able to cope. It could be they just aren’t financially or educated enough; rarely I think it’s abuse on purpose,” Gilbert said. The couple has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty.