Crime and Public Safety

FULL PRESS CONFERENCE | In an undercover operation, 16 people accused of being child predators were arrested in Central Florida. All 16 people were taken into custody. However, Interim Sheriff Christopher Blackmon said, these 16 are not the last. 

According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Baby was shot with a pellet gun. Investigators are now working to determine whether the shooter was on foot or inside a vehicle. Deputies said there was a report of a suspicious car in the area around the time Baby was shot.

Following a DUI arrest on March 27 in Martin County, Florida, professional golfer Tiger Woods was seen leaving the jail in the passenger side of a black SUV about eight hours after he was arrested. 

After DNA evidence that could prove James Duckett's innocence was deemed inconclusive, Duckett's defense says it's possible another analysis may provide answers. 

Tiger Woods was arrested under suspicion of DUI in Florida after a rollover crash, Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said Friday. The crash happened shortly before 2 p.m. on a residential road on Jupiter Island. Officials said the golfer was not suspected of being impaired by alcohol, but potentially due to medication or drugs.

The Volusia County Sheriff's office arrested James Kleeman, 65, – a former part-time prisoner transport with the sheriff's office – after his ex-girlfriend reported Airtags being found in her and her daughter's vehicles. He's facing multiple charges, including stalking and unlawful installation of a tracking device. 

The Brevard County deputies arrested Theodore "Teddy" Gross on several charges, including: 3,787 counts of failure to obtain a certificate of destruction, 1,578 counts of violation of derelict motor vehicle regulations, grand theft, scheme to defraud, operating a chop shop, dealing in stolen property, conspiracy to racketeer, maintaining racketeering property and using proceeds from racketeering, the sheriff's office said.  Ivey said Gross wasn't properly vetting the vehicles and was creating fraudulent registrations.  Gross is being held without bond. 

The March 31 execution for James Duckett is currently on hold as the last bit of evidence is being tested. Duckett's attorney's are hoping the DNA tested will prove Duckett's innocence. 

The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) executed a search warrant at a local business on Thursday, March 26 leading to a massive seizure of property. The investigation centered on Scrappys Auto Salvage, located on Korbin Avenue in Rockledge. Immigration activists were tipped off the search could also have to do with immigration and showed up to document the large-scale operation.

Brevard County deputies arrived at a Rockledge salvage yard, March 26, to reportedly serve a search warrant for allegedly "violating state law," deputies said. 

A Florida man, Bryan Parker, 58, is accused of aircraft piracy, in addition to seven other charges, after Volusia County deputies said he crashed into a fence at the Daytona Beach Airport and attempted to board a plane. 

The Florida Supreme Court has halted the planned execution of James Duckett, the Mascotte Police officer who was convicted of the brutal rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in 1987. Duckett’s defense attorneys say DNA evidence being tested right now will prove his innocence. Results are expected back March 27th, days before his execution.

An intoxicated man was taken into custody after crashing his vehicle through a security gate at the Daytona Beach International Airport. Volusia County deputies said the man attempted to enter an occupied, running aircraft. The breach occurred at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University flight ramp, where university security and airport staff intervened to resolve the situation safely before the FBI and local deputies arrived.