WINK Neighborhood Watch: Animal abuse, grand theft auto and spousal murder

This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features animal abuse, grand theft auto and a man accused of murdering his wife.

Ry’Quell Bell, a 21-year-old man, has been arrested after allegedly kicking and hitting two dogs that were left in his care in Cape Coral this week.

According to the Cape Coral Police Department, on Tuesday at around 9:10 p.m., officers were called to an apartment on Steeple Circle.

A resident reported they had video recordings of 21-year-old Ry’Quell Bell abusing two dogs.

One video showed Bell letting the dogs into an apartment and then forcefully kicking a dog. The dog fell on its side and was heard yelping and crying.

Another video showed Bell letting the dogs out of an apartment and then hitting one with a bottle. The dog was heard yelping. 

The investigation revealed Bell was not the owner of the dogs.

Bell is being charged with animal cruelty.

• RELATED: Man accused of kicking and hitting 2 dogs in Cape Coral

Robert Edward Kennedy, a 44-year-old man, has been arrested after allegedly breaking into a Cape Coral home and stealing multiple items, including a car.

According to the Cape Coral Police Department, on Sept. 9, at around 9:20 p.m., the Florida Highway Patrol asked officers to check a home on Southeast 36th Terrace for a missing car.

A trooper found the abandoned, broken-down silver Chrysler 200 on the Midpoint Bridge and requested officers check the home where the car was registered to see if there were signs of forced entry.

The registered owner of a silver Chrysler 200 had told the trooper the car should have been at their home.

Officers looked through the garage windows and saw no Chrysler 200 inside. They then walked around the home and noticed hurricane shutters on all of the windows except for one that appeared to be forced completely open.

A screwdriver reportedly near the window appeared to have been used to take the shutter down.

Nobody was found inside, but the home looked ransacked. Several items, including a TV, soundbar and tablet, were taken.

The CCPD’s Property Crimes Unit had been called to this same area a few days earlier after a man burglarized cars and residents’ lanais.

Detectives found several items inside the stolen vehicle, including a TV and soundbar.

The Forensics Unit checked areas of the home and vehicle for suspect fingerprints, leading to the arrest of 44-year-old Robert Edward Kennedy.

The homeowner said they didn’t know Kennedy, and he had no reason to be in the home.

Detectives also discovered that Kennedy was in custody at the Lee County Jail on unrelated charges.

Kennedy is being charged with burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, grand theft of $750 or more but less than $5,000, grand theft of a motor vehicle, and criminal mischief of over $200 and under $1,000.

• RELATED: Man accused of breaking into Cape Coral home, stealing car

Richard Scharf, an 80-year-old man, has been arrested in North Fort Myers after allegedly murdering his wife.

According to the Lee County arrest reports, on Sunday, at approximately 1:25 p.m., the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received a call from neighbors about a suicide threat on Kaidon Lane.

Before deputies arrived, it was relayed that someone had killed another person and was threatening to take his own life.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said through their investigation, they learned Richard Scharf intended to “put the victim out of suffering” and suffocated her while she was asleep.

Detectives learned the couple was going through financial and medical hardships.

Deputies responding to the scene found a man seated in the driver’s seat of a silver Honda SUV. Deputies detained him when he exited the SUV.

The man, later identified as Scharf, was transported to Cape Coral Hospital for treatment.

WINK News captured a video of a man on a stretcher who appeared to be Scharf in handcuffs, talking with deputies and paramedics before he was taken to Cape Coral Hospital for treatment.

At the home, deputies found a woman in the master bedroom, lying unresponsive on the bed. Deputies and EMS attempted life-saving measures.

At 2:02 p.m., the woman was pronounced deceased.

Once Scharf was medically released, he was transported to the Lee County Sheriff’s Headquarters building for an interview.

During the investigation, detectives believe there was probable cause to arrest Scharf.

Scharf has been charged with second-degree murder.

• RELATED: 80-year-old North Fort Myers man accused of killing wife