Husband Claims Infidelity Led To Shooting (Melbourne, FL) -- A man claims infidelity led him to shoot three people in Brevard County. The shooting happened New Year's Day in Melbourne at a home on Woodsmill Drive. According to details released yesterday, Satellite Beach's Brian Stillwell told police he was upset after seeing a video a few days earlier of his estranged wife having sex with his best friend. He's charged with attempted murder for shooting his wife and her parents, who are all in stable condition.
McDonald's Employee Hires Lawyer After Viral Incident (St. Petersburg, FL) -- A McDonald's employee in St. Petersburg is on leave after a viral video. The video shot on New Year's Eve shows a white male customer grab Yasmine James, who is black, before she punches him until the two are separated and he's arrested. The 20-year-old James has hired a lawyer, who believes race is a factor in McDonald's handling of the incident. Clearwater lawyer Michele Raynor-Goolsby calls the case a clear example of how white male privilege often leaves black women alone to defend themselves in the face of harm. McDonald's says it is firmly standing behind the employee. McDonald's' statement came after the company was criticized for remaining silent as a video of the incident went viral. The company says it shares the community's concern, and it's taking the incident very seriously.
Orange County Home To More Convicted Sex Offenders Than Any Other In Florida (Orange County, FL) -- Figures show Orange County is home to almost 23-hundred convicted sex offenders. More of them live in that county than anywhere else in Florida. After Orange is Duval County, with 21-hundred sex offenders. Hillsborough has about 18-hundred, and Miami-Dade has more than 17-hundred sexual predators.
Motorcycle Thief Wearing Catch Me If You Can Helmet Is Caught (Flagler County, FL) -- An accused motorcycle thief wearing a helmet saying "Catch Me If You Can" on it is finally caught. A Flagler County deputy in an unmarked car says he recognized Mark Cassin Junior and followed him to work this week after he previously escaped capture several times. When he got off the bike, Cassin was taken into custody.
'Move Over' Month In Florida (Tallahassee, FL) -- Police across Florida are putting a focus on the state's "Move Over" law. January is "Move Over Month" and drivers are reminded to give adequate space to law enforcement, tow truck drivers, utility service workers and other first responders that are stopped on the side of the road. Last year, there were more than 230 crashes involving drivers who failed to move over. Nearly 17-thousand tickets were issued to violators.
ISS Astronaut Accidentally Calls 911 From Space (Undated) -- It is surprisingly easy to dial into 911 from space, as one Dutch astronaut found out. Andre Kuipers [[ Ky-purs ]] told a public broadcaster in the Netherlands that while trying to respond to an important call aboard the International Space Station recently, he accidentally called the emergency service. He says to make a long-distance space call you dial a city number and then 011, for Houston it was 9. Kuipers forgot to include the zero and alarmed the Johnson Space Center when he keyed in 911. The Dutchman is surprisingly not the first to place a call from the ISS mistakenly. In 2015, British astronaut, Tim Peake, accidentally called a woman from space when he dialed the wrong phone number.
Robber Wears Ghost Get-Up (Wayne, NJ) -- A New Jersey man is in trouble with the law for allegedly robbing a hotel he was staying at while dressed like a Halloween ghost. Officials say Joseph Elder of Wayne Township is accused of wearing a bed sheet with eye-holes cut through as a disguise while sneaking into the Ramada's lobby and then taking off with a cash drawer. The robbery was last weekend and officials just announced the arrest. It also didn't take long for officials to figure out he was a guest at the place when he committed the crime and it's not clear if he was wearing a hotel-owned sheet.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
2016, General Motors invested 500-million dollars in Lyft to develop a network of self-driving cars.
1996, Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula announced his retirement following 26 seasons with the team.
1995, Newt Gingrich was formally elected Speaker of the House. He became the first Republican to hold the post in 40 years.
1896, Utah became the 45th state of the United States.