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Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Miami Herald
School teacher tries arranging sex acts with 9-year-old in Florida, feds say
A third grade teacher in the Tampa Bay area tried arranging sex acts with a 9-year-old girl while messaging someone he believed was their parent, according to federal prosecutors in Central Florida. When Lee Hughes, 45, of Pinellas Park, went to an 'agreed-upon location' on May 1 to meet with the child for sex acts, he was instead arrested as part of an undercover sting operation, prosecutors said. Hughes taught at Pinellas Preparatory Academy, WFLA-TV reported. The school announced on May 2 that Hughes was 'immediately terminated' in connection with his arrest. Before he was taken into custody, Hughes had been communicating with an undercover officer since June 2024 and repeatedly shared his desire to sexually abuse the undercover officer's 'purported' 9-year-old daughter, according to federal court filings. Now Hughes faces federal child exploitation charges. A superseding indictment charges Hughes with attempted transmission of harmful material to a minor, attempted enticement or coercion of a minor and receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida said in a June 9 news release. Hughes' court-appointed federal public defender, Regine Soraya Lauren Etienne, didn't immediately return McClatchy News' request for comment June 10. In a motion seeking Hughes' pretrial detention, prosecutors wrote 'Hughes is currently employed as a third-grade teacher, which is the same age of child as he was attempting to coerce and entice over the past ten months to engage in illicit sexual activity with him.' On May 9, Hughes was ordered detained ahead of trial by U.S. Magistrate Judge Amanda Arnold Sansone, court records show. While messaging the undercover officer, Hughes sent them about 10 sexually explicit photos and videos of himself and asked the officer to show the images to their decoy daughter, according to prosecutors. In videos Hughes shared, prosecutors wrote in court documents that he was heard speaking with a noticeable British accent. Though he now lives in Pinellas County, Hughes is initially from the United Kingdom, according to prosecutors. 'Hughes had ample opportunity to cease his communications with the undercover officer regarding his desired sexual abuse of a nine-year-old child; however, Hughes persisted,' court documents say. On Hughes' cell phone, law enforcement discovered he had exchanged child sexual abuse material, according to prosecutors. If Hughes is convicted of all charges, he would face a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to life in prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Concerns or suspicions about child sexual exploitation can be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline online or by calling 1-800-843-5678.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Farmers scramble to protect strawberry crops before Valentine's Day: 'It could take literally 30 minutes for you to have a catastrophic failure'
Surges of Arctic air that have pushed as far south as Florida have threatened an important fruit crop, and farmers in the Sunshine State have been on edge about recent cold conditions. Plant City, Florida, is the "Winter Strawberry Capital of the Nation," according to the Florida Strawberry Growers Association. The Plant City-Dover area grows over 13,000 acres of berries. Florida is a leading producer of the sweet, luscious fruit. The state produces nearly 15% of the country's strawberries, and almost all of the berries are grown during the winter season. Recent outbreaks of Arctic air have broken records as far south as Florida, putting their precious crops at risk. Matt Parke farms 300 acres of strawberries in Plant City and has had to take extra measures to protect his crops from frost and freeze damage. "Right now what we're trying to do is protect the Valentine's Day fruit that we're going to be picking here pretty soon," Parke told WFLA-TV prior to a recent cold snap. "It could take literally 30 minutes for you to have a catastrophic failure." "We'll start getting frost at about 33 degrees or 34 degrees but as soon as we get that real hard frost, dry frost we need to kick it on," Parke added, referring to his irrigation system. Parke, like many farmers, told the network he has to stay up all night to monitor temperatures in order to determine if and when he needs to turn on his pumps. The value of strawberries has more than tripled over the last two decades and is poised to possibly double in the next decade. The Florida farming community is proud to claim the title of the "Winter Strawberry Capital of the Nation." A healthy winter harvest can help Florida's growers gain a competitive edge by harvesting the season's first strawberries. Florida's cash receipts rose by just over 78.5% over the 10-year period ending in 2022, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services staffer Susie McKinley told The Packer. Farmers are hoping to play catch-up after devastating back-to-back hurricanes damaged their crops. Hurricanes Helene and Milton took a toll on strawberry crops in 2024. If you compost your food scraps, what's your primary motivation? Improving my garden's soil Saving money on fertilizer Helping the planet I don't compost Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Several dangerous surges of Arctic air have already entered the country this winter. We already know that our warming world is altering jet stream patterns, which can contribute to an increase in dangerous turbulence during airline flights. Even though it seems counterintuitive, our overheating planet is driving Arctic heat waves, which can temporarily displace cold air and increase the likelihood of bursts of bitterly cold temperatures moving southward into the U.S. Scientists have spotted "the fingerprint of climate change" on many of the most deadly extreme weather events of the past 20 years. This highlights the urgency of moving away from dirty energy sources and toward renewable options for our energy needs. Switching to solar energy and modernizing our homes can help reduce carbon pollution that is overheating our planet. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
