Boyfriend Accused Of Harboring Missing Brevard County Teen
(Satellite Beach, FL) -- A missing teenager is safe after she disappeared out of Brevard County last week. Police say the boyfriend of 13-year-old Avery Rice is accused of harboring her at his Melbourne home without his parents knowing. The girl was discovered by police yesterday, nearly five days after she went missing out of Satellite Beach. At one point, the victim's family offered a 20-thousand-dollar cash reward for information about their child's whereabouts. The boyfriend has been charged with aiding a juvenile runaway.
Man Sentenced For Brevard County Murder
(Viera, FL) -- A man will spend decades behind bars for a murder in Brevard County. The state attorney announced yesterday Merritt Island's Philip Keller was sentenced to 50 years for shooting Alicia 'Red' Campitelli to death four years ago. The two lived together. The prosecutor says Keller killed Campitelli while they were arguing about his drug use. Keller pled guilty to charges that include second-degree murder and grand theft. He's required to serve 25 years before he's eligible for good behavior or parole.
FHP Wants More Funding For Increased Immigration Enforcement
(Tallahassee, FL) -- The Florida Highway Patrol is getting ready to take on more responsibility as part of the state's efforts to increase immigration enforcement. Governor Ron DeSantis talked last week about how the state signed an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, giving troopers authority to exercise immigration power. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles told lawmakers this week that the highway patrol needs an additional 30-million dollars each year to increase troopers' salaries to ensure they carry out the additional duties. The agency is still waiting on more information about the enforcement procedures. There are currently 150 vacancies within the FHP.
Indian River Lagoon Cleanup Efforts Move Forward
(Titusville, FL) -- Cleanup efforts are underway to remove pollution in a large body of water in Central Florida. Crews with the "Save our Indian River Lagoon" project poured about 100-thousand clams into the waterway from the Max Brewer Bridge in Titusville over the weekend. The shellfish will help filter the water over the next decade. Officials are planning to conduct more than four-hundred projects along the Brevard County lagoon after voters approved a half-cent sales tax to fund the improvements.
Judge Rejects Shooting Suspects Plea Deal
(Miami, FL) -- A shooting victim's emotional appeal appears to have swayed a judge in Miami-Dade County. Gayle Blount was in court yesterday after he reached a plea deal last week that would have given him a 20-year sentence for attempted murder. He's accused of shooting his girlfriend, Bridget Knighton, in 2021 in Miami Gardens. Knighton went to the courtroom, though, to ask the judge to reject the plea deal. She says if she has to endure the pain she's in for the rest of her life, then Blount should not be spared a similar fate. The judge decided to reject the plea deal. Knighton tells NBC 6 that Blount violated a restraining order, shot her eight times and should take responsibility for what he did.
Man Who Posed As Another For 35 Years Sentenced To Prison
(Cedar Rapids, IA)-- A former University of Iowa Healthcare employee, who stole the identity of a co-worker in the 1980s so convincingly that the victim was medicated and jailed for a year for impersonating himself, is heading to prison. Fifty-nine-year-old Matthew David Keirans of Wisconsin is being sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to living as William Woods for 35 years, getting married, and fathering kids under his identity.
Today in History
2016,"Playboy" magazine's first non-nude issue hit newsstands.
1974, newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army.
1789, presidential electors met and chose George Washington as America's first president.