Latest news with #FloridaDepartmentofCorrections
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Florida law enforcement officials express concern about scams on seniors, but offer few details
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister in Tampa on June 2, 2025. (Photo by Mitch Perry/ Florida Phoenix) A host of top law enforcement officers briefed reporters in Tampa on Monday about their concerns about senior citizens in Florida being scammed by prisoners — alhough they offered few details. They did say that the culprits exploiting older Florida residents are state prisoners whose weapons in these cases are contraband phones, cryptocurrency, and drone devices. According to Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, a 92-year-old man has been robbed of more $800,000 over a two-year period and one of the perpetrators is an incarcerated individual. He added that more information would come later. 'We will have formal charges, but it got to the point where we started connecting the dots and realized we need to put the public on notice that a lot of these calls and outreach to seniors, it could very much be a scam,' said Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Ricky Dixon announced that in conjunction with the attorney general's office and other agencies, 'Operation Triple Threat' took place last week in three correction facilities containing approximately 3,000 inmates to search for illegal cellphones. All told, he said, officers captured 400 phones. He did not name the prisons. Nor did the Department of Corrections respond immediately to an inquiry. When asked asked how many cases involve prison inmates taking financial advantage of seniors, Uthmeier said 'at least three known cases,' although he added that no formal charges have been brought to date. 'We're still expanding to see how far it goes, but at least a few different perpetrators and likely several more than that as far as victims,' he said. Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey and Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass also appeared at the media availability. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
CBS News
22-05-2025
- CBS News
Head of Miami-based Cuban nationals theft ring convicted, faces jail time and deportation
The head of a Miami-based theft ring has been convicted of grand theft and dealing in stolen property, and now faces jail time and deportation. Oscar Guerra operated a ring composed of Cuban nationals that stole trailers, RVs, boats, campers, and other large vehicles, resulting in a total loss of more than half a million dollars, according to the state's attorney general's office. Guerra and members of the ring rented cars and then traveled upstate to commit at least 10 thefts in the Ocala area, according to state prosecutors. In one theft, Guerra's group stole a travel trailer from an 80-year-old victim and then sold the trailer in Flagler County. A jury found Guerra guilty of one count of grand theft of more than $20,000 and one count of dealing in stolen property, both are second-degree felonies. "This criminal alien took advantage of Floridians and our nation, and his behavior earned him some time with the Florida Department of Corrections," Florida's Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a statement. "He'll pay his debt to the people of Florida, and then we'll punch his ticket out of here." Guerra faces up to 60 years in prison and will be deported after his sentence is complete.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Convicted felon behind bars after stabbing that left 1 seriously injured: Deputies
The Brief A convicted felon is back behind bars after a stabbing that left one person seriously injured earlier this month in Tampa. He is now facing an attempted first-degree murder charge. Five months before his recent arrest, he had been released from the Florida Department of Corrections after serving three years on two charges. TAMPA, Fla. - A convicted felon is back behind bars after a stabbing that left someone seriously injured earlier this month in Tampa, according to deputies. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said Curtez Frazier, 22, is now facing an attempted first-degree murder charge. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The backstory Deputies said they responded to a call about a possible altercation just after 7 p.m. on May 9 in the 12000 block of University Club Drive. When they arrived at the scene, deputies said they found a victim who had been stabbed in the "upper body." The victim was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, according to officials. Big picture view Detectives said they were able to identify Frazier as their suspect during their investigation. He was arrested on Tuesday. READ: Administrators take action after teacher arrested at Pinellas Preparatory Academy What they're saying "This was a violent and deliberate act, and there is no place for that in our community," said Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister. Dig deeper Five months before his recent arrest, Frazier had been released from the Florida Department of Corrections after serving three years for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and felon in possession of a firearm charges. The Source The information in this story was released by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app:Apple |Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Toronto Sun
15-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
Florida set to execute killer once eyed for possible link to OJ Simpson case
Published May 15, 2025 • 3 minute read This photo provided by Florida Department of Corrections shows death row inmate Glen Rogers. Photo by Florida Department of Corrections / AP STARKE, Fla. — A suspected serial killer once scrutinized for a possible link to the O.J. Simpson case that riveted the nation in the mid-1990s is scheduled to be executed Thursday in Florida for the murder of a woman in a Tampa motel room. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Glen Rogers, 62, is set to receive a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke, barring a last-day reprieve. He was convicted in Florida of the 1995 murder of Tina Marie Cribbs, a 34-year-old mother of two he had met at a bar. The U.S. Supreme Court denied Rogers' final appeals on Wednesday without comment. Rogers would be the fifth inmate put to death in Florida this year. As of May 1, 15 people have been executed this year in the U.S. in eight states, according to the Death Penalty Information Center's website. That compares with 25 people in all of 2024, the center reported. He also drew a separate death sentence in California for the 1995 strangulation killing of Sandra Gallagher, a mother of three whom he had met at a bar in Van Nuys in that state. That killing came weeks before the Cribbs murder. Rogers was stopped after a highway chase in Kentucky while driving Cribbs' car soon after her death. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Rogers was named as a suspect but never convicted in several other slayings around the country, once telling police he had killed about 70 people. He later recanted that statement, but had been the subject of documentaries including one from 2012 called 'My Brother the Serial Killer' that featured his brother Clay and a criminal profiler who had corresponded extensively with Rogers. The documentary raised questions about whether Rogers could have been responsible for the 1994 stabbing deaths of Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. RECOMMENDED VIDEO During a 1995 murder trial that drew intense media attention, the former football star and celebrity Simpson was acquitted of all charges. Los Angeles police and prosecutors subsequently said after the documentary's release that they didn't think Rogers had any involvement in the Simpson and Goldman killings. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We know who killed Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. We have no reason to believe that Mr. Rogers was involved,' the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement at the time. Simpson had always professed innocence but was later found liable for the deaths in a separate civil case, and then served nine years in prison on unrelated charges. The 76-year-old Simpson died in April 2024 after battling cancer. Rogers, originally from Hamilton, Ohio, has also been labeled the 'Casanova Killer' or 'Cross Country Killer' in various media reports. Some of his alleged and proven female victims had similar characteristics: ages in their 30s, a petite frame and red hair. Rogers' lawyers have filed several appeals with state and federal courts, none successful. One argument was that newly enacted state legislation authorizing the death penalty for trafficking in young children makes clear the abuse he suffered as a child is now taken seriously and should result in a life prison sentence for Rogers. That argument was rejected. Florida uses a three-drug cocktail for its lethal injection: a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Corrections Department. Anthony Wainwright is the next Florida inmate scheduled for execution — on June 10 — under a death warrant signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Wainwright, 54, was convicted of kidnapping a woman from a supermarket parking lot in Lake City in 1994 and raping and killing her.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Law enforcement officers run Special Olympics Florida torch through St. Lucie County
ST. LUCIE COUNTY − Law enforcement officers from over 300 Florida agencies — police departments, sheriff's offices, Florida Department of Corrections, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Customs, Air Force Police and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission — all participate in the statewide torch run to benefit the athletes of Special Olympics Florida. Each year, over 5,000 officers carry the torch on a 1,500-mile relay through 67 counties. Money is raised through contributions from individuals and businesses along the way and through sales of Torch Run T-shirts and caps. The torch made its way through St. Lucie County May 10 from Central High School in Fort Pierce to Publix on Northwest St. James Drive in Port Saint Lucie. The torch run passed through Indian River County April 9 in Sebastian, with a stop in Riverview Park and in Stuart May 2, traveling north along US 1 from its intersection on Cove Road. Relaxation: Staff pick: Visuals Journalist Eric Hasert likes to unwind in Jetty Park in Fort Pierce Helping a Hero: Severely injured U.S. Army veteran provided new home in Port St. Lucie through Helping a Hero, other organizations Eric Hasert is a visuals journalist for TCPalm/Treasure Coast Newspapers. To view some of his recent work, click here. He can be reached at 772-216-2342 or This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Video, Photos: Special Olympics torch passes through Treasure Coast
