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Investigators say a father did not attempt to save his two sons after he crashed into a canal while driving drunk.

Cape Coral Police Department arrested Kenneth Lawson, 29, for DUI manslaughter recently for the crash that killed his two sons, 10-year-old John Wayne and 7-year-old Titus. He also faces two counts for driving with a suspended license when operating a motor vehicle that causes death or serious injury.

Brothers John Wayne and Titus. Credit: via WINK News.

Julia Drudy, 31, was in the passenger seat during the crash, but the vehicle belonged to her, so police arrested her for permitting an unauthorized operator to drive. She told police she wanted to turn herself in after CCPD announced the arrest of Lawson during a press conference.

According to the CCPD report, Lawson and Drudy spent most of the evening of the crash drinking together with Lawson’s children also present.

Police say both Lawson and Drudy were drunk, and Lawson’s blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit to drive.

Lawson initially denied he was driving when the car went into the canal.

Crash investigators say the car went airborne and landed 78 feet from the shore, and Lawson was driving at that time. According to the report, forensics prove Lawson was behind the wheel during the crash based on his injuries and evidence found in the car.

Both Lawson and Drudy told detectives several stories including being carjacked, robbed and being chased by another car that crashed into their own and forcing them into the canal.

Prior to the crash, Lawson, Drudy, John Wayne and Titus were reportedly spending time searching canals for alligators.

Detectives say Lawson and Drudy both escaped the car by kicking out the front window and say Lawson never indicated to police he tried to save his two boys.

Drudy admitted to detectives she knew Lawson did not have a license to drive, had a lot to drink and still allowed him to drive.

Lawson told the court in writing he is not guilty.

Both Lawson and Drudy remain in Lee County Jail because neither of the two have been able to post bond.

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will decide whether to grant approval this week for a COVID-19 vaccine, but one big thing: You’ll need to get two doses in order for the vaccine to work.

With every day seeming to break new records for hospitalizations and deaths, COVID-19 is now the No. 1 killer in the U.S, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

“These are really very, very disturbing numbers. That’s not the time to throw our hands up and say, well, you know, we’re helpless. We’re not.” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Fauci says help is just around the corner.

“We’re going to start distributing vaccine doses to health care providers and people in nursing homes and other facilities literally within a week or two. It will be in the middle or end of December and then as we get into January, there will be more doses for more people.”

While highly effective, both vaccines – from Pfizer and Moderna – up for emergency authorization require two doses given weeks apart.

“The only way that we have been able to demonstrate that these are effective is if two shots are taken,” said Dr. Marissa Levine.

Levine, director of the Center for Leadership in Public Health Practice at USF, says that’s because of how our bodies react to foreign substances, like vaccines.

“When we first see something that’s foreign to our body, we kind of prime our system, if you will. The second time we see it is when we actually get that boost of immunity.”

But if you skip – or forget – to get your second dose, are you worse off than if you hadn’t gotten vaccinated at all?

“The worst thing is you might think you’re protected when you’re not, and you might let your guard down,” which means you could let the virus in.

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It was 79 years ago today, that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The attack, which pushed the United States into joining WWII, killed 2,400 Americans and left another 1,100 injured. For the first time, many who served, including those in Southwest Florida, will not get to honor those who died because of the pandemic.

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States was suddenly and deliberately attacked,” said President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, during his address at the time.

Those words have become famous, now. And after the attack, Arnett Terrill was one of many who enlisted. He was only a teenager at the time.

“I only had a mother and dad. I was a momma’s boy… eighteen. I hadn’t been out of the cradle very long,” said Terrill, a WWII Naval veteran.

Terrill describes how he saw nothing but seas and ships, skies and planes for months at a time. “I had the submarines under me, aircraft above,” he said.

He became one of the young men who had the world on their shoulders. “I was awful busy,” said Terrill.

But, he is proud, too. “Here’s the type of navy I served in: We were there to win the war, we weren’t there to wear white hats and shiny boots, that’s the kind of people I served with,” Terrill said.

His youngest daughter, Darlene Kennedy, likes to reminisce with her dad about what it was like for him on the ship. “Wasn’t there a dog and monkey on the ship?” she asked. He responds, “I don’t know what happened to the monkey. He and I didn’t get along very well.”

Kennedy believes her dad’s “spunk” is what got him through tough times then and continues to help him now. “I really appreciate my dad for what he did for our country. He tried to help protect us. Make a difference,” said Darlene.

So this week, The Red Cross, police officers and sheriff’s deputies all came by to thank him for his service. “That was amazing to see how much that meant to him,” said Kennedy.

Terrill said he couldn’t believe it! “I didn’t believe it was happening to me. I was just another guy. I wasn’t nobody special,” said Arnett.

We think Arnett shouldn’t sell himself short, he helped make a difference.

When Arnett Terrill returned from serving, he was blessed to marry the woman of his dreams. They’re still together 71 years later.

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Thieves in Cape Coral made off with more than a deal on seafood – they took the entire food trailer.

Joe Bean said he can’t believe someone could be as bold as to steal a huge food trailer and get away with it, but that’s what he says happened overnight Saturday into Sunday morning.

He describes his food trailer as a business saver of sorts. Without it, he might not have been able to make ends meet during the COVID-19 crisis.

“It came in big for us during the pandemic. Like I said, being able to guide some to-gos to it, making sure our guests felt safe.”

But someone stole the whole thing from the business’ parking lot at Del Prado Boulevard South and SE 14th Street.

“It’s 34 feet. It’s big and red. It had the Twisted Lobster emblem all over it,” Bean said.

“It has to be towed by a bigger vehicle. It’s about 9,000 to 12,000 pounds, so your regular truck like a Ford F150 can’t tow it, which is partly why it’s mindblowing that someone just took it.”

First, Bean called the Cape Coral Police Department. Then, he went to Facebook.

“Social media has been unbelievable. I think we’ve got almost 1,000 people, well over 1,000 people that have shared our post.”

Bean’s hopeful that with everyone looking for a trailer that’s hard to miss, someone will see it and call police.

The trailer and what it represents mean a lot to him.

“There’s definitely a lot of sentimental value. It cost us $100,000. We custom-built it over in Miami in 2014, so we handpicked everything that was in it, a lot of the equipment.”

Bean’s worst fear is that whoever stole it drove it somewhere to be stripped for parts. He said the crooks were good, with no witnesses or surveillance cameras to catch them and no evidence left behind.

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Florida Department of Health in Lee County is alerting the public Monday to a red tide bloom off the coast of the northern portion of Captiva. DOH-Lee reports the bloom was specifically found near South Seas Plantation Beach Access.

According to DOH-Lee, Some people could have mild and short-lived respiratory symptoms such as eye, nose and throat irritation similar to cold symptoms. Some with breathing problems such as asthma might experience more severe symptoms.

“Beachgoers and anybody that lives around the beach should keep up with reports of red tide just in case they are susceptible,” said Richard Bartleson, a research scientist with Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation.

We joined Bartleson as he reeled in a red tide sample from Gulfside City Park Beach on Sanibel Island.

“We had a really dense red tide out here yesterday, and it looks like that has at least calmed down or moved, gotten blown to the side or washed out with the tide,” Bartleson said.

That doesn’t mean it’s fallen off his radar. His sample had a red tide cell count of 200,000, which indicates a medium concentration.

“We still have plenty here to cause respiratory irritation and cause environmental problems for the benthos, the clams and the worms and such and the wildlife,” Bartleson explained.

Red tide can be patchy. If you start to experience any coughing or respiratory irritation, that doesn’t mean you’re going to have the same effects up and down the coast.

Usually, symptoms go away when a person leaves the area or goes indoors. Health officials recommend, for people experiencing these symptoms, stay away from beach areas or go into an air conditioned space.

If symptoms don’t subside, the health department recommends you contact your health care provider for evaluation.

DOH-Lee Tips

  • Do not swim around dead fish at this location
  • If you have chronic respiratory problems, be careful and consider staying away from this location as red tide can affect your breathing
  • Do not harvest or eat molluscan shellfish and distressed or dead fish from this location. If fish are healthy, rinse fillets with tap or bottled water and throw out the guts
  • Keep pets and livestock away from water, sea foam and dead sea life
  • Residents living in beach areas are advised to close windows and run the air conditioner (making sure that the A/C filter is maintained according to manufacturer’s specifications)
  • If outdoors, residents may choose to wear paper filter masks, especially if onshore winds are blowing

Florida Poison Control Centers have a toll-free 24/7 Hotline for reporting of illnesses, including health effects from exposure to red tide at 800-222-1222.

Visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife research website for additional information on locations where red tide has been found.

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Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says armed protesters gathered outside her home on Saturday night, “shouting obscenities and chanting into bullhorns in the dark of night.” In a statement posted on Twitter, Benson said the protesters were “an extension of the noise and clouded efforts to spread false information about the security and accuracy of our elections that we’ve all endured in the month since the polls closed on November 3.”

Benson said the protesters arrived just after she and her 4-year-old son finished decorating for Christmas and were about to start a holiday movie. She said dozens of armed individuals stood outside of her home making “unambiguous, loud and threatening” demands.

“They targeted me in my role as Michigan’s Chief Election Officer. But the threats of those gathered weren’t actually aimed at me — or any other elected officials in this state,” her statement reads. “They were aimed at the voters.”

Benson said while she has advocated for peaceful protests, “there is a line crossed when gatherings are done with the primary purpose of intimidation of public officials who are carrying out the oath of office they solemnly took as elected officials.”

She also reiterated what leaders in Michigan as well as many other states have attested about the 2020 presidential election: there is no evidence of wrongdoing and “those unhappy with the results of this election have perpetuated an unprecedented, dangerous, egregious campaign to erode the public’s confidence in the results of one of the most secure, accessible and transparent elections in our state’s history.”

Last month, the Michigan Board of State Canvassers voted to certify the state’s election results, formalizing President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the state over President Trump by a margin of more than 154,000 votes.

“Through threats of violence, intimidation, and bullying, the armed people outside my home and their political allies seek to undermine and silence the will and voices of every voter in this state, no matter who they voted for,” Benson said in her statement. “Their goal is to overturn and upend the results of an election that are clear and unequivocal, and that 5.5 million Michigan citizens participated in.”

Benson said the will of the people is clear, Democracy is strong and that she will continue to stand up for all voters. “I will continue to guard every citizen’s vote because no matter how one voted or who they voted for, where they live, or what they look like, their vote is the lifeblood of our democracy,” she said.

Still, many protesters echoed the false and unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud promoted by the Trump campaign, which filed lawsuits in numerous states attempting to to stop vote counts or challenge the results. Most of the lawsuits have been dismissed, defeated or withdrawn. Last month, Benson told CBSN the suit filed in Michigan does not have merit and was confident in the process of counting all votes.

Despite Mr. Trump’s repeated claims that the election was “rigged,” and his refusal to concede his loss to President-elect Biden, Attorney General William Barr said last week the Justice Department has not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

Videos from outside of Benson’s home on Saturday night show protesters shouting, “Stop the steal.”

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy issued a joint statement condemning the crowd for “taunting and intimidating her family and neighbors.”

“In videos uploaded to social media, at least one individual could be heard shouting ‘you’re murderers’ within earshot of her child’s bedroom. This mob-like behavior is an affront to basic morality and decency,” they said.

“In a civil society, there are many ways to peaceably assemble and demonstrate. … Terrorizing children and families at their own homes is not activism. This disturbing behavior masquerading as protest should be called out for what it is and roundly condemned by citizens and public officials alike.”

Benson was not the only Michigan lawmaker targeted by such protesters. State Rep. Cynthia Johnson shared on Facebook several threatening voicemails she received, including some that said she would be lynched, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield, a Republican, put out a statement saying he and his family have been targeted too. “Violent threats against anyone are a stain on our society and unacceptable, especially when that person is just trying to do their job and help people,” Chatfield said. “I and my family have received numerous threats, along with members on both sides of the aisle.”

Similar threats against election workers, officials and their families in Georgia sparked an impassioned plea last week by one of that state’s top election managers, Gabriel Sterling, who is also a Republican.

He implored President Trump and his supporters to dial back the rhetoric. “Stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence. Someone is going to get hurt. Someone is going to get shot. Someone is going to get killed. And it’s not right.”

“This has to stop,” Sterling said. “This is elections. This is the backbone of democracy, and all of you who have not said a damn word are complicit in this. It’s too much. Yes, fight for every legal vote. Go through your due process. We encourage you. Use your First Amendment, that’s fine. Death threats, physical threats, intimidation, it’s not right.”

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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.

As of 2:30 p.m. Monday, there have been 1,065,785 positive cases of the coronavirus recorded in the state. The case count includes 1,048,264 Florida residents and 17,521 non-Florida residents. There are 19,282 Florida resident deaths reported, 247 non-resident deaths, and 56,607 hospitalizations at some point during illness, according to the Florida Department of Health.

*Numbers are released by the DOH every afternoon.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS

Total number of recorded cases: 1,065,785 (up from 1,058,074)
Florida resident deaths: 19,282 (up from 19,177)
Non-resident deaths: 247 (up from 246)
Total deaths in state (Fla./non-Fla. residents combined): 19,529 (up from 19,423)

  • 7,711 total new cases reported Monday
  • 105 new resident deaths reported Monday
  • 1 new non-resident death reported Monday
  • Percent positive for new cases in Fla. residents: 7.64%
    • This percent is the number of people who test PCR- or antigen-positive for the first time divided by all the people tested that day, excluding people who have previously tested positive. 

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA NUMBERS

Total recorded cases in SWFL: 62,940 (up from 62,468)
Deaths: 1,190 (up from 1,185)

  • 472 total new cases reported Monday
  • 5 new deaths reported Monday

Lee County: 32,476 cases (up from 32,209) – 599 deaths (1 new)
Collier County: 19,026 (up from 18,926) – 295 deaths (1 new)
Charlotte County: 5,593 (up from 5,527) – 203 deaths (3 new)
DeSoto County: 2,515 (up from 2,499) – 38 deaths
Glades County: 699 (up from 696) – 10 deaths
Hendry County: 2,631 (up from 2,611) – 45 deaths

Click HERE* for a case-by-case breakdown – updated daily.

*If not linked, the final report has not yet been made available.

TESTING DATA

Effective Oct. 27, the Florida Department of Health ceased releasing data showing overall testing numbers. Their statement: “The Florida Department of Health is making adjustments to the COVID-19 dashboard and daily report to provide clear, accurate information for Florida families. Moving forward, the daily report will focus on the number of tests reported to the state by day and the corresponding positivity rate by day. The previously reported cumulative number did not reflect the current status of the pandemic in Florida. This change is in line with the CDC recommendation that calculation of percent positivity [is] applied consistently and with clear communication, will allow public health officials to follow magnitude and trends effectively, and the trends will be useful for local public health decision making.”

RESOURCES

NOW HIRING: SWFL companies adding jobs

#GulfshoreStrong: Covering people making a difference in SWFL

FOOD PANTRIES: Harry Chapin mobile food pantry schedule, week of Dec. 7

REPORT COVID-19 DIAGNOSIS/TEST: International self-reporting system

IF YOU FEEL SICK:

The Florida Department of Health has a 24-hour COVID-19 Call Center at 1-866-779-6121. Questions may also be emailed to covid-19@flhealth.gov. Email responses will be sent during call center hours.

LINK: Florida Department of Health COVID-19 updates

*The map is best viewed on a desktop computer. If you don’t see the map above tap HERE for a fullscreen version.

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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.

Georgia’s top elections official on Monday recertified the state’s election results after a recount requested by President Donald Trump confirmed once again that Democrat Joe Biden won the state, his office said.

“We have now counted legally cast ballots three times, and the results remain unchanged,” Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said during a news conference at the state Capitol.

Georgia law allows a losing candidate to request a recount if the margin between the candidates is within 0.5%. Trump requested the recount after the results certified by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger showed that Biden led by a margin of 12,670 votes, or 0.25% of the roughly 5 million ballots cast.

During the recount, which was done using scanners that read and tally the votes, there were discrepancies in vote totals in some counties. Since the results of a recount become the official results, those counties had to recertify their results. Once that was done the secretary of state recertified the statewide results, his office said in a news release. Next, the governor will have to recertify the state’s slate of 16 presidential electors.

The recount was the third tally of votes in the presidential race in the state. After the initial count following Election Day, Raffensperger selected the presidential race for an audit required by state law. The tight margin meant the audit required the roughly 5 million votes in that contest to be recounted by hand, he said. That count also affirmed Biden’s victory.

Also Monday, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed on behalf of would-be Republican presidential electors by former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell. The suit alleged widespread fraud and sought to decertify the results of the presidential race in Georgia, among other things.

In the lawsuit, “the plaintiffs essentially ask the court for perhaps the most extraordinary relief ever sought in any federal court in connection with an election. They want this court to substitute its judgment for that of 2 and a half million Georgia voters who voted for Joe Biden and this I am unwilling to do,” U.S. District Judge Timothy Batten as he dismissed the suit following a hearing.

Separately, an election challenge filed Friday by Trump, his campaign and Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer was rejected by the Fulton County Superior Court because the paperwork was improperly completed and it lacked the appropriate filing fees.

Even as lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies have been rejected around the country, the president has continued to make repeated baseless claims of widespread fraud. In Georgia, he has rained criticism on Raffensperger and Gov. Brian Kemp, both fellow Republicans. Raffensperger, meanwhile, has been steadfast in his defense of the integrity of the election in the state and Kemp has said he has no power to intervene in elections.

“I know there are people that are convinced the election was fraught with problems, but the evidence, the actual evidence, the facts tell us a different story,” Raffensperger said during the news conference Monday.

Hours before coming to Georgia for a rally Saturday night, Trump called Kemp and asked him to call a special legislative session. The governor declined.

In a tweet Sunday, Trump criticized Kemp and Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan for inaction and again called for a special session.

After four Republican state lawmakers on Sunday also requested a special session, Kemp and Duncan put out a statement saying that convening a special session to select a different slate of presidential electors would not be allowed under state or federal law.

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A Florida man is facing animal cruelty and child abuse charges after killing two of his fiancée’s dogs, Volusia County Sheriff’s officials said.

William Petty, 49, was arrested Sunday, a day after the incident occurred in DeLand, the news release said.

A 16-year-old boy told his mother that Petty had tried to make him shoot one of the dogs, the release said.

The teen’s mother called the sheriff’s office after he told her about the incident, officials said. The boy was at Petty’s home when the couple got into an argument, the release said.

The boy told investigators that Petty loaded up two of her dogs a female Catahoula mix and a male Dachshund — and drove them to a wooded area. He pulled out a revolver and shot the female dog in the head. He then handed the teen the gun and told him to shoot the other dog, the release said.

The teen said he shot into the ground and Petty took the gun back and shot the other dog. He then tossed both dogs into the woods, the release said.

Deputies found the dogs and consulted with Volusia County Animal Services officers, sheriff’s officials said. Animal control officials took both bodies.

The owner of the dogs confirmed that neither dog had an illness or ailment that would have called for them to be euthanized, the report said.

Petty was located in Port Orange on Sunday and arrested on two counts of felony cruelty to animals, two counts of unlawful disposal of a dead domestic animal, child abuse and carrying a concealed weapon in the commission of a felony.

Petty remained in jail on Monday. Jail records did not list a lawyer for Petty.

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UPDATE, Dec. 8, 2020: LCSO now says three people were found dead inside the home – a man and two women. Their deaths have been ruled a murder-suicide.

Read more here.

—–

Previous story:

Two people are dead inside a Bonita Springs home.

Bonita Springs Fire Control and Rescue District confirmed Monday they were called to a home on Harbor Cove Court inside the Bonita Bay community off US-41.

The scene near homes is not something those who have lived in the community more than seven years would have expected to see.

“Shocked, I mean, you wouldn’t think of something like that happening here, you know,” neighbor Peter Tinsman said.

With no other information, people wonder and worry about what happened in the home.

“I hope it wasn’t a homicide or anything like that,” neighbor Jana Thomas said. “But it’s tragic whatever. Super sad for the folks who lost their loved ones.”

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has not released any details, only confirming it’s an active investigation.

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