Federal Charges Issued In Connection To Polk County Mass Shooting
(Lakeland, FL) -- Two men are at the center of a mass shooting investigation in Polk County.Federal prosecutors charged Nicholas Hanson and Marcus Mobley in connection to the incident in Lakeland that injured eleven people late last month. A 15-year-old boy has also been arrested. During an update on the case yesterday, investigators explained how they believe the drive-by shooting may have been over a drug debt. Two more suspects are still on the run. The FBI and multiple agencies are planning to operate a joint task force to deal with local gang activity.
Over 40 Women Come Forward After Volusia County Teacher Is Accused Of Molesting Student
(DeLand, FL)-- More women are accusing a Volusia County teacher of inappropriate conduct. Port Orange Police arrested Ormond Beach's Arin Hankerd this week for allegedly molesting a 15-year-old student. The 42-year-old was a teacher at Atlantic High School at the time of his arrest, but he has since resigned. A detective testified yesterday that 40 more women have come forward since the arrest, and four of them say Hankerd sexually abused them, too. Hankerd's lawyer tells Channel 9 the claims lack sufficient evidence.
Brevard County Man Arrested For Sexually Battering Of Teen
(Melbourne, FL)-- A Marine from Brevard County is facing sex crime charges involving a teenage girl. Melbourne's Erick Zayas Navarro was released on bond yesterday after he was arrested for sexual battery. The alleged victim was between 16 and 17-years-old at the time of the alleged offenses. Investigators say the relationship began when the 31-year-old met the girl at her high school where he was part of a military recruiting event. The relationship lasted about six or seven months, but deputies didn't learn of the allegations until last week when her mother contacted Cocoa Beach Police.
Sharpton Attends Rally In Tallahassee
(Tallahassee, FL)-- Al Sharpton is promising to give the man he calls 'baby Trump' a real fight in 2024. Reverend Sharpton was in Tallahassee yesterday to protest the Florida Department of Education's rejection of an Advanced Placement African-American history course. Sharpton said Governor Ron DeSantis is pushing racist policies, and Sharpton wants to make sure Florida doesn't set a national standard. Sharpton also says yesterday's rally was just a sparring session, and he warned DeSantis that if he runs for president, what he'll face will be far worse.
HillsCo Commission Passes Transportation Tax Spending Plan
(Tampa, FL)-- There's a plan in place for how Hillsborough County will spend millions of dollars it got from a transportation tax. The county commission yesterday approved a proposal on how to distribute over 400 million dollars it collected from a one-cent sales tax that was in place for about two years. About 130 million dollars will go to repaving roads, another hundred million will go to reduce traffic, and the rest will go to sidewalks, bridges and dangerous intersections. The tax was in effect from 2019 to 2021 before it was ruled unconstitutional. The state legislature has to approve the commission's plan before it can take effect.
Threat Reported At MSD High School
(Parkland, FL) -- The Broward County sheriff's office says someone phoned in a threat yesterday to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Lockdowns were ordered there and at Westglades Middle School. No threat was found, and the lockdowns were lifted about 90 minutes after the threat was first made. The grandmother of one MSD student tells 7News she's done with children having to risk their lives just to go to school, and she's ready to homeschool.
BCPS Reviewing Book After Complaint From Parents
(Fort Lauderdale, FL) -- A book is no longer available in Broward County schools after a complaint from some parents. Moms for Liberty Broward County objected to a book called Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships and Being a Human. The publisher describes the book as a graphic novel meant for grades nine and up. A school district spokesman says the book was pulled off the shelves at three high schools and is being reviewed. There's no word on how long the review will take.
Never Before Seen Video Of The Titanic
(Woods Hole, MA) -- Some never before publicly seen video of the exploration of the wreckage of the Titanic is being released by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. In 1986, a three-person submarine and a remote-controlled exploration vehicle searched the ship at its final resting place over 12-thousand feet below the surface. The dive was the first time anyone had seen the ocean liner since it sank in the North Atlantic in April of 1912.
TODAY IN HISTORY
2016, a judge ordered Apple to help the FBI break into a phone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters that killed 14.Investigators haven't been able to unlock the phone of shooter Syed Farook because of encryption technology, and Apple previously declined to voluntarily help.
1959, Fidel Castro was sworn in as prime minister of Cuba after the overthrow of the government.
1948, NBC Television presented the first daily newsreel telecast.
600, Pope Gregory the Great issued a papal decree declaring "God Bless You" as the proper response to sneeze.