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CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Florida motorcyclists hospitalized after hitting gator in the middle of the road
Florida motorcyclists hospitalized after hitting gator in the middle of the road Florida motorcyclists hospitalized after hitting gator in the middle of the road Florida motorcyclists hospitalized after hitting gator in the middle of the road Two motorcyclists hit a 6-foot alligator in the middle of one of Florida's busiest highways, sending both bikers to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said. A 67-year-old man and 25-year-old woman were riding in a group of motorcyclists on Interstate 4 Saturday evening near Orange City when they struck the alligator, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Tara Crescenzi said Monday in an email. The impact caused both motorcyclists to veer off the highway, and the man's motorcycle crashed into a tree. Both riders were taken to a nearby hospital, Crescenzi said. "I'm blessed, I was protected," motorcyclist Cameron Gilmore told Orlando television station WKMG. "I just remember one of my friends swerving, and I'm looking at him swerving, and the gator's like 10 feet in front of me." Gilmore suffered road rash and some broken bones in a foot. Orange City is about 30 miles northeast of Orlando, and the speed limit on that stretch of highway is 60 mph. Florida wildlife officers were called to trap the injured alligator. A spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Monday didn't respond to an inquiry seeking information about the gator's condition. Alligators are found in all of Florida's 67 counties, and the state's population numbers around 1.3 million. Despite those numbers, injuries from alligators are rare, according to the Florida wildlife commission.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Motorcyclists strike gator on one of Florida's busiest highways
ORANGE CITY, Fla. (AP) — Two motorcyclists hit a 6-foot alligator in the middle of one of Florida's busiest highways, sending both bikers to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said. A 67-year-old man and 25-year-old woman riding in a group of motorcyclists on Interstate 4 Saturday evening near Orange City, Florida, struck the alligator, Lt. Tara Crescenzi, a spokeswoman for the Florida Highway Patrol, said Monday in an email. The impact caused both motorcyclists to veer off the highway, and the man's motorcycle crashed into a tree. Both riders were taken to a nearby hospital, Crescenzi said. 'I'm blessed, I was protected,' motorcyclist Cameron Gilmore told Orlando television station WKMG. 'I just remember one of my friends swerving, and I'm looking at him swerving, and the gator's like 10 feet in front of me.' Gilmore suffered road rash and some broken bones in a foot. Orange City is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Orlando, and the speed limit on that stretch of highway is 60 mph (96.5 kph). Interstate 4 stretches across central Florida from Tampa to Daytona Beach. Florida wildlife officers were called to trap the injured alligator. A spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Monday didn't respond to an inquiry seeking information about the gator's condition. Alligators are found in all of Florida's 67 counties, and the state's population numbers around 1.3 million. Despite those numbers, injuries from alligators are rare, according to the Florida wildlife commission.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Louisiana man arrested in Tulip Festival Takedown
ORANG CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — Police in Sioux County made an interesting announcement earlier Sunday evening about the Tulip Festival and it's not what you think. The Sioux County sheriff Office said in a press release, that on Saturday around 1:00 in the afternoon the Sioux County Sheriff's Office arrested 52-year-old Kyle Backhaus from Louisiana. Officials said, the arrest came from a tip that Backhaus who had a nationwide arrest warrant, multiple other arrest warrants, and had been evading law enforcement for 4 years would be working the carnival rides at the Tulip Festival in Orange City. Officials added, Backhaus was transported to the Sioux County Jail where we was held on the warrants. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Yahoo
8 suspects charged in international child pornography case, FDLE says: 'Truly heinous'
The Brief Several people face charges in a widespread child pornography case, according to Florida officials. Investigators say more than 1 million videos and photos were sold online, with the suspected mastermind living in Turkey. Seven suspects from Florida are among those facing charges. TAMPA, Fla. - Eight people, including seven from Florida, face charges in what state investigators call a "truly heinous" case of child sex abuse material sold online, officials announced on Monday. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass and FDLE Special Agent in Charge Mark Brutnell were among the officials who spoke at a news conference in Tampa. The backstory Brutnell says the investigation dates back to July 2024, when agents found a chat room in which they were directed to a website that sold child pornography. An agent bought 6.7 terabytes – or roughly 1.2 million videos and photos – from the website for $100, according to Brutnell. Investigators say the state was able to shut down the website within a week, and they soon uncovered that Krunalkumar Nareshbhai Modi from New Jersey served as a "money mole" for the site. Brutnell says a search warrant of Modi's home uncovered a "treasure trove" of child sex abuse content. Detectives say they later found that a woman living in Portland, Oregon, identified as Ximena Del Real Maqueda, facilitated the sale of the material. A warrant has been issued for her arrest on money laundering charges. READ: Several people knew missing Gulfport teen was being held captive before her murder: Documents Next came the discovery of a man who went by "John," who Brutnell says ran the operation and had more than 500 recorded transactions with Modi. Investigators later identified "John" as Mehmet Berk Bozuyuk, who lives in Turkey. An arrest warrant has been issued and state officials hope to extradite him to Florida so he can face charges. "Mr. Mehmet was very deliberate in hiding his identity," Brutnell said. "He utilized multiple layers of VPNs, money mules obviously, burner accounts, burner phones. He also used a lot of stolen personal identification information that he would steal off the web to send money to different channels." "He really, really believed that he could outsmart us," Brutnell continued. "At the end of the day, he didn't. He tried to profit off this horrific abuse of children, but we caught him." Dig deeper Investigators also announced the arrests of seven Florida residents suspected of buying child sex abuse material, saying many of the suspects found the material by gaining access to a portal through TikTok. They include: Brett Snodderly, Clearwater Israel Thompson, Lakeland Brett Moore, Orange City Frankie Pineiro, Jr., Groveland Michael Warden, Kissimmee Jacob Conly, Fern Park Kody Jordan-Muti, Palm Bay More suspects have been identified in Canada and Ireland, as well, according to officials. READ: Charter captain arrested following confrontation captured on viral video What they're saying Along with Brutnell, Uthmeier and Glass each had strong words for the suspects during Monday's news conference. "I can't tell you in words how gross this content is," Uthmeier said. "But it shows the dangers, the evil that is out there. It is truly evil." "This is evil and it will not be tolerated in the free state of Florida," Glass said. What's next The suspects face charges including RICO, money laundering and purchasing child pornography. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The Source This story was written with information from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Attorney General'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
