FDLE criminal probe of Starke Police: Guns, money, drugs among 2,500 pieces of missing evidence April 3rd, 2024 STARKE, Fla. — Action News Jax's Ben Becker is getting answers about a Northeast Florida police department now under a state criminal investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Bradford County Sheriff Gordon Smith informe...

Officials grapple with major shakeups of Starke's city government March 22nd, 2024 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As of March 1, the Starke Police Department has been absorbed by the Bradford County Sheriff's Office. This comes as part of a series of changes within Starke's government that included a resignation by the city clerk and a raid of City Hall by t...

Salary: $64,411.42 Annually Job Requirements: BA/BS degree from an accredited college or university is required. An associate's degree or 60+ hours from an accredited college or university and two (2) years of law enforcement or active military service may be considered in lieu of the BA/BS requirement. HighSchool Diploma and four (4) years of...

Sheriff's office identifies Flagler Beach cold case murder victim as investigation continues August 17th, 2023 Robert Bruce McPhail's body was found bound, shot and stabbed in the Intracoastal Waterway. A cold case is one step closer to being solved now that the body of a man found in the Intracoastal before the turn of the century has been identif...

Mills became Lakeland Police Department's main suspect in 2019 after DNA submitted through an online ancestry database  February 9, 2022 BARTOW, Fla. (WFLA) — Four decades of grief, pain and loss culminated in an emotional confrontation in a Polk County courtroom Wednesday between the family of a slain young mother and the man pleading guilty ...

Since sitting down with police, they began looking for missing evidence. In an email, the police department said they have now located fingerprints and the physical evidence that was sent for testing. February 04, 2022 WILTON MANORS, Fla. – After a Local 10 investigation into the handling of a 40-year-old cold case, detectives are one step closer t...

DNA Labs International, which specializes in forensic DNA analysis including forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) for law enforcement agencies January 26, 2022 DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. (PRWEB)  DNA Labs International, which specializes in forensic DNA analysis including forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) for law enforcement agencies, government forensi...

Arnold died in August 2021 in Fulton County, where both his accused crimes were committed.  January 4, 2022 ATLANTA - Atlanta police say detectives believe they have identified the man responsible for the 1995 cold case rape and murder of Nacole Smith and a 2004 East Point sexual assault. The suspect, 49-year-old Kevin Arnold, died of liver an...

Police found the body of Pompano Beach resident Carla Lowe, then 21, lying in the street near the Amtrak station on Nov. 13, 1983. December 6, 2021 DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Nearly four decades after a Florida woman was found beaten to death, her body run over near a Delray Beach train station, city police have arrested a man they believe was responsibl...

 Sheriff Wayne Ivey has a history of using social media in a humorous way October 10,2021 A Florida sheriff has advertised on social media some 700 pounds of marijuana that authorities wanted to "return" to its rightful owner. The tongue-in-cheek post on Facebook by the Brevard County Sheriff's office argued the office was just trying to ...

The suspect was sentenced to life in prison for a separate murder in 1999 and died in 2015 August 15, 2021 After 28-year-old Denise Marie Stafford was murdered in 1985 in Sarasota, Florida, the case went cold for decades despite investigators' best efforts at finding her killer. Now, thanks to advancements in DNA technology, the Sarasota Police Dep...

A tracking system will be made accessible to those who have been assaulted, and provide them updates on their kits and their case July 1, 2021 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Gail's Law, a bill that would ensure all sexual assault kits are tracked and recorded in Florida, is now law. The bill was named after longtime sexual assault advocate Gail Gardner...

Enter Headline here April 24, 2021 A Florida man has been charged with murder more than three decades after the brutal kidnapping and rape of an elderly woman who died several days after she was dumped on the side of a road. Richard Lange, 61, of Boynton Beach was taken into custody Thursday after cold case detectives with the Palm Beach County She...

All three deputies resigned following their arrests March 23, 2021 POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Three former Polk County deputies face charges after money went missing from an arrest in December, according to the sheriff's office. John Raczynski, Jamal Lawson and Garrett Cook were all arrested Friday, according to a news release, and each resigned upon bein...

The police department of Rochester said that by using 'FAMILIAL DNA TESTING' they got the right leads which made them reach out to Timothy Williams. October 16, 2020 With time going, we as humans have evolved and have created the best of the best technologies to make things simpler for us. With using such latest technology like "DNA Tracing Technol...

ECSO investigators contacted the Medical Examiner's office and used a sample of the tipster's DNA with DNA from John Doe October 15, 2020 ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) — Deputies now have a name for a man who was murdered 35 years ago in Escambia County. On Jan. 23rd 1985, a man's body was found in the area of west Klondike Road and Wild Lake Boulev...

An investigation into the possibility the materials were lost or stolen after they were subpoenaed by the board's Public Safety and Legal Affairs Committee September 30m 2020 Otsego County Sheriff Richard Devlin Jr. has requested an investigation into the Otsego County Attorney's Office, alleging it has withheld or lost material related to the 2017...

In 2019, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office DNA lab was able to get a match from the lip of the beer can. August 14, 2020 Leo Beauregard was found dead June 29, 1990, in his North Palm Beach apartment. More than 30 years later, village police say they know a man who may have been involved in his murder. NORTH PALM BEACH — When police went into ...

July 4, 2020 A Florida man has been accused of killing a convenience store owner 21 years ago in a home invasion robbery that took place when the suspect was working as a detective for the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and knew the victim from surveilling him for a drug investigation. William Robert Baer Jr., 64, and his ex-wife Melissa Schafer, 50...

DNA was recently compared to DNA from the Tarrant County, Texas, scene where he was killed and determined to be a match. June 17, 2020 MONROE COUNTY, Fla. – It became known as the "Valentine Jane Doe Homicide" and was chronicled on "Unsolved Mysteries" and other shows. Three decades later, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office says it has cracked the ...

DNA evidence was collected on scene, but lack of technology made it impossible to use for an arrest. June 11, 2020 On April 7, 1978, the body of 47-year-old Carolyn Cox Rose was discovered in a house in the Pine Forest Hills subdivision off Highway 297A. Rose, who was vice president of Better Homes Realty, received a call to show the empty home. Wh...

Outraged to learn that despite a recent evidence room scandal, the BPD was storing evidence in a room adjacent to the city auditorium. May 18, 2020 BRADENTON — Tensions erupted during Wednesday's Bradenton City Council meeting when the council returned to the subject of a proposed charter referendum to remove mayoral oversight of the city's police ...

Sheriff Rick Wells did the honor in presenting the award to Kaczmarek. March 26, 2020 Manatee When Renee Kaczmarek left her position at the Manatee County jail two years ago to serve as a property and evidence processor for the sheriff's office, she didn't realize the surprises her new job would throw her way. After all, what could one possibly see...

  Daniel Wells was arrested on Wednesday and charged with sexual battery and the murder of 23-year-old Tonya McKinley, who was found dead on New Year's Day 35 years ago. March 20, 2020 The DNA evidence found on a discarded cigarette has allowed authorities in Florida to arrest the suspected killer in a decades-old cold case. Daniel Wells was a...

DNA sample obtained from the scene of the crime through an open-source genealogy database and identified several different people believed to be distant cousins of the suspect. March 22, 2020 PENSACOLA, Fla. – Tonya Ethridge McKinley was 23 years old and had an 18-month-old son waiting for her at home when she was killed in the early-morning hours ...

Prosecutors dropped charges; the suspect was recently sentenced to 25 years for a separate crime. March 19, 2020 SARASOTA — An antiquated policy led a Sarasota County Sheriff's Office lieutenant to destroy DNA evidence in two unsolved felony cases in the mid-2000s to make room in evidence storage, Sheriff Tom Knight said in a candid admission Wedne...

Pensacola Police Headquarters is currently on lockdown March 10, 2020 PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) – Pensacola Public Information Officer Mike Wood said three officers were working in an evidence room when one officer became lightheaded. He said the officers may have been exposed to fentanyl. All three officers were taken to the hospital, and the lobby o...

Investigators determined nothing had been turned into the agency's property evidence room. January 11, 2020 A Margate police officer has been fired after falling under suspicion of taking a man's cocaine and later testing positive for drugs, according to newly released police records. An anonymous police employee tipped off the police department ab...

He lived about two blocks away from Bobrick and was tied to these crimes with a few key pieces of evidence; including one of his hairs found in her home. December 27, 2019 ASCO COUNTY, Fla. — A more than 14-year-old cold case murder investigation was heating up in Pasco County on Friday. Brian Stoll, 34, was arrested and accused of beating to death...

"We believe the practices we have in place will prevent any problems in the future," November 20, 2019 When Hollywood police failed to keep track of their evidence room — losing $137,609 in cash and 1,096 pills — they got a sharp rebuke from a county watchdog agency for not catching the colossal error. The missing evidence cost the police departmen...

How much work should police do to return stolen merchandise to the rightful owner? September 7, 2019 OUR POSITION: Perhaps a better policy could be hammered out on how to return stolen property to victims. Experiencing a theft is surely an unpleasant, sometimes scary and always inconvenient event. But, having your property recovered and not being a...

Police seized 800 boxes of diapers. July 26, 2019 man accused of repeatedly stealing diapers from stores across Florida for several years has been arrested again. Vincent Pirozzi, 27, also known as the "Diaper Bandit" was arrested by West Palm Beach Police Department after allegedly stealing the items. "The 'diaper bandit' was captured again, but t...

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement says it has cleared a backlog of nearly 13,000 untested rape kits. July 5, 2019 Cute and Paste Content Here FDLE says Florida’s rape kit backlog cleared “for all intents and purposes" | wtsp.com In July 2015, 10Investigates exposed evidence collected from sexual assault victims had gone unprocessed for...

During treatment, the fire crew became exposed to a powdered substance and had to be transported to the hospital for examination. July 1, 2019 The Cape Coral firefighters who were exposed to fentanyl on Tuesday were cleared to return to work. The incident happened on Tuesday, when four Cape Coral firefighters were exposed to lethal opioid, fentanyl...

Detectives said they were able to match crime scene evidence to Emitt's DNA, through a national data base. June 14, 2019 LAKE MARY, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - An over three-decades-long homicide cold case out of Florida has been put to rest, after authorities said DNA evidence recently led investigators to a suspect in Tennessee. The Seminole County S...

The chief said there was no evidence the officers were using, selling, or planting the drugs, June 11, 2019 TAMPA, Fla. (FOX 13) - Disgraced Tampa police officer Mark Landry was fired Thursday for what the chief of police called "egregious actions. " Officers John Laratta and Algenius Maceo were fired, too. Chief Brian Dugan did not hide his anger ...

Florida sheriff deputy revived with Narcan, 3 others recovering after exposure to drugs May 8, 2019 A traffic stop in Florida came close to being deadly. A Florida sheriff's deputy was revived with Narcan and at least one firefighter was given the overdose reversal drug on Tuesday after exposure to what officials believe to be fentanyl during a tra...

Using a public database, he said, investigators matched DNA found on Cahanes' body to Thomas Lewis Garner, a 59-year-old dental hygienist from Jacksonville. March 14, 2019 In the summer of 1984, Pamela Cahanes' body was found in an overgrown lot in unincorporated Sanford. The 25-year-old had graduated from boot camp at the Orlando Naval Training Ce...

Bartow Police Department detectives arrested Stacey Lee Schaufler of Eagle Lake after it was discovered that money was missing from department evidence envelopes, and computer records had been altered, according to the BPD. March 6, 2019 BARTOW — A former Bartow Police Department evidence custodian is being accused of stealing cash seized by the de...

Officer was arrested  and is facing charges of grand theft, official misconduct, and possession of a controlled substance.​ December 1, 2018 WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A West Palm Beach Police officer is accused of stealing more than $1,000 from a suspect she arrested in October. Officer Nicole Palladino was arrested Thursday and is facing charge...

The case file on the shooting contains Florida Department of Law Enforcement documents that link a DNA profile matching Sangster to swabs of the interior of the vehicle in which Allen was found, according to the report. Enter Article DATE HERE Two men argued in a vehicle. A gun went off. Then the passenger pushed the victim's body aside and to...

This was police 'property' that was slated to be destroyed," - "no actual case evidence was tainted or stolen" September 12, 2018 Two civilian employees of the Miami Police Department were quietly fired this week after they were caught taking police "property" from storage lockers and placing it inside their own cars, a Miami Police spokesperson co...

Enter Headline here August 24, 2018 Joshua Vann Harrell, 26, pleaded no contest to grand theft of a controlled substance and destroying evidence. He was sentenced to five days in the county jail and 36 months probation for stealing "K2″ synthetic marijuana from an evidence locker. Officers reported finding a chain of custody form on the seat of the...

The pungent odor that sometimes hangs in the lobby of the Tampa Police Department headquarters August 16, 2018 TAMPA — For the uninitiated, the pungent odor that sometimes hangs in the lobby of the Tampa Police Department headquarters likely goes unidentified. For those with experienced noses, however, the skunky aroma at One Police Center has an u...

As the years went by and scientific advancements were developed in DNA analysis, a DNA profile of the suspect, August 16, 2018 MIAMI (CBS12) — A 50-year-old man was arrested in connection to a cold case murder from 1990, Miami-Dade police said. Lucio Leon, of Hialeah, was shot and killed Mar. 2, 1990 while walking near his restaurant, "Tuyo y Mio" ...

A veteran Miami Beach crime scene technician was suspended with pay last week as investigators sift through dozens of past cases to find out whether they've been tainted. July 22, 2018 A veteran Miami Beach crime scene technician was suspended with pay last week as investigators sift through dozens of past cases to find out whether they've been tai...

DNA evidence led investigators to an arrest in a St. Pete rape case from 1986. June 15, 2018 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — 9AM JUNE 16 UPDATE | A Pinellas County judge set a $250,000 bond Saturday for Anthony Stokes, who was arrested Friday for a 1986 rape in St. Petersburg. At a first appearance Saturday morning, the judge also said should Stokes bond ou...

There was [an] evidence room deputy who had breathing problems while working in that room. June 22, 2018 The scientist Flagler County government hired to further and more broadly analyze air, soil ceiling and wall samples at the Sheriff's potentially sick Operations Center in Bunnell told the county today the gathering of samples was completed in o...

"The suspect said he believed because of the 'violent reaction' he had after smoking the drug, he was sold the wrong narcotic" June 14, 2018 A Florida man was arrested this week after asking a sheriff's office to test his drugs, authorities said. The Putnam County Sheriff's Office said Douglas Peter Kelly, 49, of Hawthorne, told officers he suffere...

"This situation came to light through routine procedures, spot checks, and internal controls, August 29, 2917 OKALOOSA CO. (WTVY) — The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office today charged an OCSO civilian employee with grand theft of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. 40-year old Deidra Rezzarday, a P...