Florida

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Judge: Florida's Updated 'Stand Your Ground' Law Unconstitutional

Other courts can still follow new version of law

(Newser) - Florida lawmakers modified the state's "Stand Your Ground" self-defense law this year, and a Miami judge ruled Monday that the updated version of the law is unconstitutional, the Bradenton Herald reports. The new version of the law requires prosecutors to disprove a defendant's claim of self-defense at...

Woman Killed After Going From Homeless to Six Figures

Makeva Jenkins was shot by a home invader Thursday in Florida

(Newser) - “We overcame being homeless in 2013/2014 ... to now making multi six figures," Makeva Jenkins posted Wednesday night on Facebook . Less than three hours later, the Florida mother of three was dead, People reports. According to the Palm Beach Post , a masked man entered Jenkins' home early Thursday and...

Athletes (Dogs) Test Positive for Drugs (Cocaine) in Florida

The greyhounds' trainer has had his license suspended

(Newser) - At least 12 greyhound racing dogs in Florida have tested positive for cocaine, and their trainer has had his license suspended, the AP reports. It's at least the second instance this year of racing greyhounds testing positive for cocaine. The dogs raced at Bestbet Orange Park near Jacksonville. The...

Florida City Under Siege by 'Butt Graffiti'

'It's not very creative'

(Newser) - "It is clearly an image of a butt," a coffee shop employee tells Fox 13 regarding a piece of graffiti that recently appeared in their bathroom. But police have a different view. "What it looks like to us is vandalism," Assistant Police Chief Jim Previterra says....

Venus Williams Sued for Wrongful Death

Lawsuit accuses her of running red light, causing fatal car crash

(Newser) - Venus Williams is being sued for wrongful death over the fatal car crash she was involved in earlier this month. A police report states Williams was at fault when she entered a Florida intersection June 9 and was T-boned by another vehicle that had the right of way; the couple...

Police Fault Venus Williams in Fatal Florida Car Crash

Though an investigation is ongoing

(Newser) - Police say tennis star Venus Williams was at fault in a traffic accident that resulted in the death of a 78-year-old man, TMZ reports, citing a police report from the June 9 incident in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. According to ESPN , Williams told police she was trying to get through...

At 'Rogue' Clinic, Requests for Poop Milkshakes Are Normal

At least they're not taken orally

(Newser) - Preparing the sample takes about 45 minutes. A little water is added to the frozen brown mass and blended with a hand mixer until the substance is just thicker than a milkshake. The next part takes less than five minutes: A syringe collects the slurry, then puts it into a...

Cops: Woman Raped, Had Baby With 11-Year-Old Boy

Marissa Mowry charged with sexual assault and sexual battery

(Newser) - A 25-year-old Florida woman was arrested Tuesday for allegedly having sex—and a baby—with an 11-year-old boy, WFLA reports. According to Fox 13 , police say Marissa Mowry started a sexual relationship with the victim in January 2014. Police aren't saying how Mowry and the victim were connected in...

Man Held for 90 Days After Cops Confuse Drywall for Coke

'I know for a fact it’s drywall because I’m a handyman'

(Newser) - A Florida handyman was held in jail for three months because police mistook drywall powder for cocaine, WFTV reports. Karlos Cashe was pulled over in March in Oviedo for driving with his headlights off. An officer noticed white powder on Cashe's seats and floorboards, and officials say a field...

Dad 'Wanted to Kill' Man Who Found His Lost Toddler

Father believed stranger was child predator, cops say

(Newser) - A Good Samaritan was branded a child predator and had his photo plastered across social media over the weekend, all because he tried to help a lost child. A man was visiting with friends at a softball game in Lakeland, Fla., on Saturday when he noticed a toddler looking lost,...

No One Knows Why Trump Owns Mystery Florida Plot

Quarter-acre lot in Sebring is covered in protected grass, worth less than $5K

(Newser) - Donald Trump owns property around the globe, but his oddest piece of land apparently sits just 120 miles from his Mar-a-Lago estate. In one of Florida's poorest counties is an inaccessible quarter-acre plot Trump purchased for $1 in 2005 and has maintained ever since. The wooded lot in Sebring,...

Homeowners Sue Contractor Who Faked His Own Death

Contractor did shoddy work then claimed to die in a car wreck

(Newser) - A Florida contractor has apparently come up with a morbid way of getting out of reimbursing angry clients. Mark Anthony Perez, 52, is being accused of botching renovations on an 825-square-foot home in Seminole, Fla., and then faking his own death to avoid the disgruntled owners, reports the Tampa Bay ...

Florida Boy Can Hide From Mom But Not From News Chopper

11-year-old Angel Gort 'didn't mean to cause any trouble'

(Newser) - "I just do the most stupidest things sometimes," Angel Gort tells WSVN . The Florida 11-year-old was reported missing by his family around 10am Tuesday. As police were searching his Hialeah neighborhood with bloodhounds, WSVN's helicopter was flying over the scene. "We were just kind of searching...

Uber Driver Can't Speak English, Draws a Fine

'I felt discriminated against," says Carmen Hechevarria in Miami

(Newser) - An Uber driver is outraged after she received a ticket at Miami International Airport. Her crime: not speaking English. An airport security officer spoke in English to Spanish-speaking Uber driver Carmen Hechevarria as she dropped off passengers Sunday, but received no response, reports the Miami Herald . "She looked at...

Is Lightning Over Ocean Really More Powerful Than Over Land?

It sure is, according to a recent study

(Newser) - It's a popular myth that golfers account for most deaths from lightning strikes. In fact, the Palm Beach Post reports more than three times as many fishermen die from lightning strikes than golfers. A study published in Geophysical Research Letters in February and recently getting some attention may explain...

Cops: Florida Man Deflated Bounce House With Kids Inside

Charles Wotruba charged with trespassing, disturbing the peace

(Newser) - A Florida man is facing misdemeanor charges after he allegedly unplugged the fans inflating a birthday party bounce house, causing it to deflate on the children inside, the AP reports. Charles Wotruba of Port St. Lucie was arrested Friday, charged with disturbing the peace and trespassing.

Woman Stops Breathing During Plastic Surgery, Dies

She was visiting Florida from Chicago

(Newser) - A 30-year-old woman visited a Florida clinic for a cosmetic procedure and ended up dead, CBS News reports. Lattia Baumeister, who was visiting the Miami area from Chicago, stopped breathing on the surgical table at Seduction by Jardon's Medical Center in Doral, police say. She was taken to a...

Cops: 'Disgruntled' Fired Worker Kills 5, Then Himself

Police are investigating in Orlando

(Newser) - Six people are dead, including the gunman, after a former employee opened fire at a business in Orlando, Fla., reports WFTV . Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said during a briefing Monday that the gunman was a "disgruntled" ex-worker who was fired in April, per the AP . Demings said the...

12-Year-Old Fla. Girl Last Seen 5 Days Ago

A $20K reward is now up for grabs, as cops say they've exhausted all their leads

(Newser) - Hundreds of people have scoured Pensacola, Fla., in recent days in the hope of finding a missing 12-year-old girl. Now, they hope a $20,000 reward will lead to answers, as the local sheriff tells the Pensacola News Journal that "we have literally exhausted all" of their leads. The...

Girl Missing 33 Years Tweets via Sheriff&#39;s Account
Girl Missing 33 Years
Tweets via Sheriff's Account
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jun 4, 2017 9:06 AM CDT

Girl Missing 33 Years Tweets via Sheriff's Account

Fla. cops use 'eerily unorthodox campaign' to refocus attention on cold case

(Newser) - Florida authorities have let the imagined voice of an 8-year-old girl who went missing on Memorial Day Weekend in 1984 take over the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department Twitter account. Through a series of tweets with the hashtag #Justice4Luna, they led a social media campaign that included the tweets...

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