Body Found In Banana River ID'd (West Melbourne, FL) -- The death of a Brevard County man is considered suspicious. The body pulled this week from the Banana River was identified yesterday as West Melbourne 23-year-old John Romer. An autopsy is being done to determine the cause of death.
Man Hurt In Deputy Shooting In Stable Condition (Orlando, FL) -- A man shot by deputies in Orange County is in stable condition. The shooting happened this week in Taft during a traffic stop on Third Street. Deputies say 51-year-old James Johnson got out of his pickup truck and pointed a gun at deputies. Three deputies opened fire when they say Johnson refused to drop the gun. The deputies are all part of a special tactical unit, and there's no word on why they pulled over Johnson.
Teacher Arrested For Inappropriate Contact With Former Student (Lutz, FL) -- A teacher is facing charges for inappropriate contact with a former student in Hillsborough County. Learning Gate Community School teacher Scott Wilson was arrested yesterday for the text messages he apparently sent to a 14-year-old girl. Deputies say the 36-year-old Wilson admitted to sending the girl sexually explicit messages through Snapchat. They do not believe there are other victims.
Gymnastics Instructor Arrested For Molestation (Coral Springs, FL) -- A gymnastics instructor is accused of molesting underage girls. Coral Springs Police this week arrested Leonardo Antonio Suarez Alvarez for incidents involving five girls as young as seven. Police say all victims attend Twins Gymnastics where the 52-year-old is a volunteer. The incidents allegedly started two years ago and continued until just a day before his arrest.
Firefighters To Train On Electric Car Fires (Boca Raton, FL) -- New cars are bringing new challenges to firefighters. State CFO Jimmy Patronis announced yesterday in Boca Raton that firefighters will be trained on how to handle electric car fires. Patronis says the lithium-ion batteries in the cars are fantastic, but they also can reignite after a fire. That's what apparently happened in a Fort Lauderdale crash four months ago that killed two teenagers in a Tesla.
Thief Falls Asleep Inside Victim's Car (Cherokee County, GA) -- Investigators in Cherokee County, Georgia say a man was arrested after falling asleep in a car he was trying to burglarize. They say he had already stolen credit cards, cash and more from seven cars before a deputy caught him napping in the eighth car.
Theft Suspect Claims Reward For His Own Capture, Gets Captured (Palmview, TX) -- A suspected jewel thief is sitting in a Texas jail after trying to claim a Crimestoppers reward for his own arrest. Brandon Díaz was a wanted man for allegedly stealing jewelry from a family member but he then posted on the Palmview Crimestoppers Facebook page asking if he could get his own reward. He didn't stop there but instead placed several emojis of happy faces in the post. However, the 19-year-old ended up in jail anyway and was seen in a picture posted by Crimestoppers on Tuesday in handcuffs. He was sitting in a Hidalgo County Sheriff's vehicle and there was a message announcing that Díaz had officially been taken in to custody.
TODAY IN HISTORY
2015, NASA announced they have strong evidence to believe there's flowing salt water on Mars. NASA says it's a big step to determining whether there's life on Mars, and how that life may survive in the harsh conditions of that planet.
2005, a Texas grand jury handed up one charge of criminal conspiracy against House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. The charge stemmed from a probe into a political action committee founded by the Texas lawmaker.
1982, the first deaths in the Chicago area from Extra-strength Tylenol capsules laced with cyanide were reported. Seven people died. The case resulted in tamper-proof packaging for consumer products.
1955, NBC Television broadcast the World Series in color for the first time.
1920, eight members of baseball's Chicago White Sox were indicted for allegedly throwing the 1919 World Series.