Latest news with #NewsChannel8
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Lack of communication' led to unpermitted group home where murder occurred, Bartow official says
BARTOW, Fla. (WFLA) — 'Some chicken and rice,' said Eddrena Thornton, taking out a tray of food she has prepared for the five people who live with her in her home. 'I feel like I'm doing a mission that God wants me to do. It's my calling,' said Thornton. Since 2020, Thornton has run a state-licensed adult family care facility in her home with a focus on people with mental health issues. 'They don't have nowhere for them to go because they can't afford to go to assisted living because they may not have long-term care plus their income is low. They can't afford to live on their own. Their family's not taking them in so they go back to the street,' she said. In February, she opened – what the city of Bartow considers to be – a group home in a rental house across the street on Bluebird Avenue. Unlike with her adult family care home, she did not notify any governmental agencies. 'Because the people were living independently,' she said. 'I always heard that as long as you're not doing nothing for them, then you're OK. It's like they're just renting a room.' 'You're collecting money. You are engaging in a business where your sole goal is for people to live there as a group then that would be considered a group home,' said Tray Towles, director of code compliance and neighborhood services for the city of Bartow. Towles said group homes require an application and permit approval. 'It goes to our planning and zoning board who reviews that application, makes sure it fits within the scope of the ordinance,' said Towles. Towles said the violation was the result of a 'lack of communication.' 'When she actually opened her licensed facility, she reached out to the city of Bartow and made sure that she was in compliance with all of our codes at that time. She did not do that in this instance when she opened up the group home at 2226 Bluebird,' said Towles. The owner of the home, a Texas-based company, is in the process of evicting Thornton as a renter. All the residents have moved out. Towles said, because the residents are no longer there, there will be no further action or fines imposed on Thornton. 'The Bartow Chief of Police has been in touch with representatives of the Wind Meadows HOA to strengthen communication and a team approach to addressing safety concerns in the neighborhood,' said city manager Mike Herr in a statement. Towles said there are no other known group homes in the neighborhood. A neighbor tells News Channel 8 that many residents have concerns about who Thornton is housing in the neighborhood. The violation was discovered when, earlier this month, Thornton allowed an 18-year-old named Moses Ojeda to move in. Thornton said a placement agency and Ojeda's mother contacted her as Ojeda was being released from the hospital after being Baker Acted. 'I looked at the psychiatric evaluation. He had issues for him to get Baker Acted but the psychiatric evaluation said that he was calm and stable, normal, had good talk and he said he was ready to get discharged and go home with his mom,' said Thornton. Thornton said she was not able to meet him but allowed him to move in because of his mother's desperation. Later that night, Thornton saw Ojeda outside. She said she tried calling his mother to pick him up because of his strange behavior but she did not answer. Thornton said she slept on the sofa in the group home to keep an eye on Ojeda and talked to him that morning. 'He sat down and he was talking to us about God and about life and death and all this stuff…[while] the man in the room dead!' said Thornton. According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, Ojeda fatally stabbed an 81-year-old man more than 100 times in the night. 'This tragedy happened to me to not put my heart first but to always make sure I follow my steps – no matter if the person is gonna be homeless. That's not my problem. I'll see you tomorrow,' said Thornton. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Vehicle catches fire on Interstate 275
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A vehicle caught on fire Sunday causing traffic on Interstate 275. The incident happened near the Ashley ramp heading southbound. No further information is available at this time. This is a developing story. Stay up to date on the latest from News Channel 8 on-air and on the go with the free . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mirror
23-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Man 'murders' stepson after horror Fortnite argument with blood outside door
Kelly Agar Garcia, 43, was arrested after he allegedly shot his adult stepson several times - including twice in the back when he tried to escape the gunfire - after a row over Fortnite A man allegedly murdered his stepson in a row over punishment for another nine-year-old, who was caught playing Fortnite despite being banned. Kelly Agar Garcia, 43, was arrested after he allegedly shot his adult stepson several times - including twice in the back when he tried to escape the gunfire. A neighbour later said she could see blood outside the home's front entranceway. Police said Garcia and his wife were at their Davenport, Florida home on Wednesday night, with her three biological sons, 9, 11 and 26. The youngest boy was secretly playing Fortnite in his older brother's bedroom, despite his parents banning him from the game. After he was found to be playing it, his mum confiscated his phone as a punishment, which deeply upset the boy, police said. The nine-year-old then took a 9mm handgun out of his parents' bedroom drawers out of fury, before the parents wrestled with him to take the gun away. Garcia managed to get the handgun out of the boy's possession, when 26-year-old Azareel Martinez entered the room, the force added. Azareel noticed his younger brother was "in an agitated state" after the scuffle, according to the police report. Garcia and Azareel then started to argue after the dispute, before the stepdad shot his wife's son several times in the chest and abdomen, it was alleged. The stepson managed to turn away and retreat from the room after being shot, before Garcia shot him twice in the back, police claimed. Azareel then collapsed to the floor, authorities said. He was later taken to a hospital, but died from his injuries. Meanwhile, Garcia was arrested and taken to the Polk County jail. Police were initially called to the home at about 7pm, and spent four hours interviewing the family. The force later confirmed the suspect was detained, but it was still gathering information about what led to the shooting. A neighbour said at the time the incident was scary, and she could see blood outside the home. "It's a little disturbing when you don't know what's going on," she told News Channel 8. "It's a little nerve-wracking." In a separate case, a teenage boy confessed to stabbing his seven-year-old brother to death in a fit of rage after losing on a mobile phone video game. Russian 13-year-old Alexander allegedly trashed the family home and broke his phone before killing his unnamed brother over fears he would tell their mum what he'd done. The boys' mum Olga, 32, left them sleeping in the house in Dudinka in Russia's Krasnoyarsk Krai region on April 23 while she took her six-month-old daughter to the girl's grandparents' home. When Alexander woke up, he reportedly began playing a game on his phone, but flew into a fit of rage after losing a round. He reportedly began hitting furniture and turned everything upside down in the house before breaking his phone. The younger brother woke up from the noise and hid from his brother in the kitchen. The teenager was reportedly afraid his younger brother would tell everyone what happened in the house, and in a fit of anger, allegedly took a knife and stabbed the seven-year-old 15 times.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
VIDEO: Gator shows up at Oldsmar home in ‘Jurassic Park'-like moment
OLDSMAR, Fla. (WFLA) — An unexpected guest turned up at a home in the East Lake Woodland community of Oldsmar Thursday. News Channel 8 viewer Ron Weeden captured the moment on video as a large gator slowly made its way onto the home's front porch and began heading straight for the front door. WATCH: Fawn gets 'zoomies' during Southwest Florida rainstorm Someone in the background could be overheard saying it looked like something straight out of 'Jurassic Park.' The scaly creature is not the only one to be spotted at someone's doorstep recently. Many Florida residents have been getting visits from gators with the reptiles' mating season well underway. The Lee County Sheriff's Office shared a similar video of a gator 'knocking' at a resident's door in the Tortuga community last week. Deputies said the reptile also made visits to other homes in the area. Alligators tend to become more visible during their mating season, which lasts from May to June, as they wander in search of mates. While they can be intimidating, serious injuries by gators are rare in Florida, with an average of about eight unprovoked bites per year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Anyone who is concerned about an alligator can call the FWC's Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Independent consulting firm almost done investigating 2024 Hillsborough County flooding
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — An independent consulting firm is almost done investigating why so many areas in Hillsborough County flooded during last hurricane season. Consultants expect to provide county commissioners with a summary of their recommendations within the next month and a half. Thomas Goethe Jr. lives in Valrico, and as he heads into the next hurricane season, he has one question for the county. 'I'd like to know what are they going to do,' Goethe Jr. said. Sherri Allen's Forest Hills home, which is in flood zone X, flooded the morning after Hurricane Milton hit. Allen did not have flood insurance because of the flood zone. 300+ without power after car crashes into utility pole Independent consulting firm almost done investigating 2024 Hillsborough County flooding 'Not a good sign': Tampa Walmart customers react to possible price increases from tariffs Now, Allen is preparing for yet another hurricane season, this time with fear, uncertainty, and $50,000 in debt. 'I'm scared because I don't know that it's not going to happen again,' Allen said. 8 On Your Side brought her concerns directly to the county. News Channel 8 reporter Nicole Rogers asked Hillsborough County Flood Protection Engineering Manager Mikhal Moberg, 'What would your message be to residents who feel that we're 7 months after the storms and they don't have answers or really any tangible next steps?' 'We understand that there was a significant flooding that many people witnessed and they had to endure unjust hardships, but the reality is, this was a historical event,' said Moberg. 'We are doing the best we can, given the resources that we can.' Last year, Hillsborough County hired an independent consulting firm, Black & Veatch Corporation, to figure out why so many people flooded during last hurricane season. It's now up to them to get answers. 'How much rain fell, how high the rivers, ponds, and lakes came up, where it flooded, how deep it flooded,d and for how long,' Regional Water Resources Lead Jon Dinges said, listing off the areas he's looking into. 'What sort of timeline are we looking at for when the investigation will be complete?' News Channel 8 reporter Nicole Rogers asked. 'We started in December, the first couple of months, there was a lot of collecting data, and we're getting close to finishing our first high-level assessment, so in the month of June, we're planning to make recommendations to the county commission,' Dinges said. Dinges plans to update county commissioners on where the investigation stands Wednesday. He anticipates having a summary of his findings and recommendations ready for commissioners in mid-to-late June, and the full analysis completed by July or August. From there, it will be up to county commissioners to decide how much they want to spend. Residents can give their input by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
