Florida's Recent News

PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — A teacher at a Christian school in New Port Richey was arrested Tuesday after he was accused of using yearbook photos of his students to create AI-generated child pornography. Steven Houser, 67, works as a third grade science teacher at Beacon Christian Academy in New Port Richey, according to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO). The sheriff’s office was tipped off to Houser and started investigating. In a news release, PCSO said Houser was in possession

Days after a Florida homeowner discovered “toes sticking out of the ground” in their backyard, police have revealed that the remains belonged to a man who was reported missing last month. The human remains were identified as 23-year-old Sabeion Dowell, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office confirmed to WFLA on Wednesday. According to Action News Jax, Dowell had been missing since February. The discovery came to light on the evening of March 14 when the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrived at a home on Sunny

A jury has decided in the case of a Central Florida man who raped a woman while taking pictures on his phone. After a two-day trial last week, a Volusia County jury found defendant Shawn Bradberry guilty as charged of three counts of Sexual Battery on person 18 years or older. Bradberry faces up to 45 years in prison for the crimes. The case was investigated by the Holly Hill Police Department. Assistant State Attorney Sarah Thomas successfully tried the

A man was captured on video attempting to break into a home, pulling out a gun and shooting into a house. Deputies from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene on Thursday, March 14, after receiving reports of shots fired at a residence on Wye Road. Upon arrival deputies found the suspect, identified as Hayward Biggins, lying in a road. Deputies say Biggins, 29, was taken into custody and faces charges of shooting into an occupied dwelling

St. Petersburg police sued for brutality in Federal court. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A federal lawsuit has been filed against the St. Petersburg Police Department, alleging officers used brutality in their treatment of a homeless man who was injured while being transported to jail. The complaint was filed at the U.S. District Courthouse in Tampa Monday morning. The lawsuit alleges that two officers violated Heriberto Sanchez-Mayen’s civil rights when they arrested him without cause and took him to jail for

A man is facing charges after police said he and another man stole around $1.8 million worth of designer handbags from a shop at a Miami Beach hotel. Eduardo Travieso Garcia, 45, was arrested Tuesday on charges of grand theft, masked burglary, and unlawful use of a communications device, an arrest report said. According to the report, officers responded to a burglary call just after 3 a.m. Tuesday at the Maison Wrist Aficionado store at the Setai Hotel at 2001 Collins Avenue. Officers found

STUART, Fla. — Stuart police have released the name of a man who was struck and killed in a hit-and-run while crossing the street Saturday night. Officials say 74-year-old Harry Maser was crossing Northwest Federal Highway at the intersection of Northwest Wright Boulevard in his motorized wheelchair around 9:50 p.m. A vehicle struck him and left the scene. It happened on the north side of the intersection. Maser, of Stuart, was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced

Local firefighters were called to a gas station in Ocala on Wednesday morning after receiving reports that a tractor-trailer caught on fire. At around 7:30 a.m., Marion County Fire Rescue units were dispatched to the BP gas station located at 7947 W Highway 40 in Ocala. According to MCFR, multiple 911 callers reported that a white tractor-trailer was on fire, and the vehicle was in the vicinity of the gas pumps. Within five minutes, MCFR’s Meadowood Farms Station #12 unit

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A 67-year-old man died Tuesday morning after he was hit by a car in Clearwater, according to Clearwater police. The man was on the Duke Energy Trail when he was hit by a pickup truck headed west on Druid Avenue, police said. He was taken to a hospital where he later died, according to police. The driver stayed at the location of the crash and cooperated with the investigation. No other details were immediately available. If

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced criminal charges against the leader of an organized crime ring for stealing approximately $500,000 in heavy equipment from Home Depot shops. Jereome Downing faces multiple felony counts for stealing heavy equipment such as stump grinders, trenchers, boom lifts, excavators, and more. Downing claimed to be a wholesaler and sold the equipment on Facebook Marketplace at a discount. Home Depot lost more than $460,000 as a result of the scheme, as did civilians who purchased

Photo by: abc-7 Southwest Florida is a hotspot for hit-and-run accidents, and officials say it needs to stop. It’s tough for Kristi Aldridge to move around, play with her daughter or drive to work right now. She is waiting to get an MRI after a car accident on March 8. Her car is totaled. “I had just picked my daughter up from school,” Aldridge said. “It was around 4 p.m., I think it’s Friday afternoon.” She was driving home along Kismet

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A Hillsborough County firefighter was taken to a hospital after battling a barn fire in Dover. Fire crews said they were called to a fire on Syndey Road early Wednesday after a barn caught fire. Firefighters said they could see a column of smoke from a distance as they approached a two-story house with an attached barn “fully involved.” The Hillsborough County Fire Rescue said they established a defensive attack on the blaze and battled