News Update for 8/07/24
A 27-year-old man from Sebring was arrested recently after causing a traffic accident in South Lakeland, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. The incident occurred outside the southwest district station, where the suspect, identified as Marvin Jones, collided with a deputy’s car at a red light.
A witness reported that after the collision, Jones opened his car door and poured out an alcoholic beverage. Additionally, Jones was driving on a business only license and registered a blood alcohol level of .21, nearly three times the legal limit. Sheriff Grady Judd said Jones was cooperative as he was taken into custody.
A group of Central Florida first responders are helping communities impacted by Tropical Storm Debby. Task Force Four is made up of officials from Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties. They are currently conducting search and rescue operations on the state’s Gulf Coast, specifically in Sarasota County. Crews initially started their efforts in the Big Bend, where Debby made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane Monday morning. The region has been hit by hurricanes two years in a row.
A Flagler County teenager was sentenced to 5 years in prison followed by 15 years’ probation for brutally beating a teacher’s aide at a school last year. Brendan Depa was sentenced today after pleading no contest in connection to the incident at Matanzas High School in Palm Coast in February 2023, when he was 17 years old. The teen’s attorneys claim Depa is autistic and acted out after the employee took his Nintendo Switch. The victim explained in a previous court hearing how the attack left her with hearing loss, vision impairment, and broken ribs. Depa was charged as an adult and could spend as much as 30 years behind bar.
Tropical Storm Debby is on track to break rainfall records in both Georgia and South Carolina after first roaring ashore Monday morning in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 1 hurricane. The storm is now blamed for at least six deaths and it’s still on the move, although at a very slow pace. As of Tuesday night, Debby’s center had moved offshore after lingering over the Southeast. The National Hurricane Center put it roughly 70 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina with maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour. It’s forecast to gather more strength and make another landfall early Thursday over South Carolina.
The woman charged in the death of a Lake County deputy may be suicidal. Julie Sulpizio was in court yesterday and was wearing a strapless anti-suicide smock. The 48-year-old is charged with murder for the ambush that killed Deputy Bradley Link on Friday in Eustis. Two other deputies were hurt. Sulpizio’s husband and two daughters committed suicide during the attack. Sulpizio is due back in court next month. Former Chief Judge Belvin Perry says he expects Sulpizio to plead not guilty by reason of insanity.
Clearwater’s police chief is angry beyond belief at one of his officers. That’s what Chief Eric Gandy said yesterday after Detective Fredrick Lise [[ lease ]] was arrested for public corruption. The sheriff’s office says Lise informed two alleged drug traffickers they were being watched as part of an investigation called Operation Snow Cap. The men were the main suspects. Lise has been with the CPD for nine years, and he has been on the narcotics beat for the last two. He’s also president of the police union. Gandy accuses Lise of putting the interests of drug traffickers over those of his own officers. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri says Lise has betrayed everything that law enforcement officers stand for, and at the end of the day, he’s a corrupt cop that needs to go to prison.
A UCF faculty member is pushing back against new instructions issued by the head of the state university system. State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues sent an email Friday telling professors to review their course materials about Israel, Palestine and Zionism. He also asks for schools to report any cases of anti-Semitism to his office. Robert Cassanello is chair of the faculty union at the University of Central Florida. He tells the Orlando Sentinel this is insidious, and it could lead professors and other instructors to impose self-censorship.
The state of Florida is warning one of the world’s busiest cruise ports about a project that could impact its chance of future funding. The state’s Department of Commerce and Department of Transportation sent a letter to Port Canaveral leaders late last week, saying they don’t support current dock plans that appear to favor cruise terminals over the space industry. The state says if the project is not reversed, the port could lose millions of dollars in current and future investments. Port leaders are expected to take up the issue at its meeting later this month.