Law and public safety

Fire and forestry officials are still on scene investigating the cause of the fire in Paynes Prairie that sparked Saturday. Wildfire Mitigation Specialist Ludie Bond says the cause of the fire is still unknown and although the it’s been extinguished on top of the prairie conditions are ripe for more …

  The Florida Highway Patrol has closed parts of Interstate 75 and U.S. 441 this morning because of low visibility in the same area where 10 people died in a multiple-vehicle crash early Sunday.  Drivers are encouraged to call 511 for highway information. In addition to the 10 fatalities on Sunday at least 18 …

At least nine people died in early morning crashes caused by smoke and fog on I-75 near Paynes Prairie.  Other crash victims were rushed to Shands Hospital: six to the trauma center and 12 more to the emergency room.  As you can see in morning helicopter video (courtesy Orlando NBC …

Efforts to keep students safe in light of a recent kidnapping at Santa Fe College may lead to permanent changes to safety procedures on campus. SFC General Counsel Patti Locascio says they are considering more lighting, as a start. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/news/files/2012/01/LOCASCIO6.mp3] She says they are currently supporting the Alachua County Sheriff’s …

A Marion County Sheriff’s deputy on off-duty patrol saved two lives early this morning. Sheriff’s Office Spokeswoman Jenifer Lowe says two intoxicated people drove on to railroad tracks at Highway 326 and NE 36th Avenue when the deputy and another Sergeant on-scene noticed a train approaching. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/news/files/2012/01/LOWE3.mp3] The deputies got …

The mother and aunt of a five-year-old Newberry boy who died late last month have been arrested. The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office says Valerie Sharonne Owens and Alice J. Owens are charged with Homicide and Child Neglect. Javarian Wallace was pronounced dead after deputies found the victim unresponsive at a …

At this hour the person who kidnapped an 18-year-old Santa Fe College student last week is still on the loose. Police handed out fliers this morning to students who might know the whereabouts of a man who, according to the victim, kidnapped her from a parking lot and drove around before she jumped …

Around the country, 159 law enforcement officers have been killed. That’s an 11% increase from last year. But as Florida’s 89.1, WUFT-FM’s Rodriguez reports, some sheriff’s deputies continue to take the risk, even if it means they may never come back home. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/JannyRodriguezFinalProjectDec2011.mp3]

  Santa Fe College Police today planned to lead student and community volunteers in canvassing the area where an 18-year-old Santa Fe College student was kidnapped on Thursday.   The volunteers were specifically looking for the victim’s backpack and cell phone that were dropped in the parking lot of 300 NW 83rd …

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and the Santa Fe College Police Department are working together to find a kidnapping suspect. Additional interviews with the victim have produced updated information on the suspect.  The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office reports the suspect is a male with a darker-skinned complexion of unknown race, …