TAMPA, Fla. – Who was pretending to be Kelvin Johnson, for more than three decades? Even serving 25 years in a New York prison for murder under what prosecutors say was a stolen identity? The mystery of the bizarre identity case that spanned the Eastern seaboard is a step closer …
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Patrick Walsh, the brother-in-law of indicted former Florida State Rep. Joe Harding, was sentenced to five and a half years in federal prison Tuesday for defrauding the federal government of $7.8 million in COVID-19 aid in 2020.
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Editor’s note: This is the final of five articles this week that explore the consequences of unintended shootings in Florida. Click the links here to access the series intro, Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV. Bradley Hulett’s father considers himself a Second Amendment guy. Adam Van Allen …
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A Gainesville man accused of soliciting minors for nude photos and videos was apprehended in the Dominican Republic by U.S. Marshals and transported back to Alachua County early last week after violating the conditions of his bond by allegedly fleeing the country for the Caribbean, court records show. The Gainesville …
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The University of Florida’s backup quarterback played his whole season in the shadows of struggling starter Anthony Richardson — and now, it turns out, a sensational child pornography investigation, too. The criminal investigation, which began in June and unfolded slowly over five months during a disappointing 6-6 season, has redirected national attention on the Florida Gators – under new head coach Billy Napier – and quarterback Jalen Kitna, 19, of Burleson, Texas. Kitna was released from jail on an $80,000 bond late Thursday, after his first court appearance in a case involving five felony counts of possessing and distributing child pornography online.
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Two children were reported missing by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Twelve-year-old Arissa Johnson and 11-year-old Nariah Johnson were last seen Monday at 18722 Southeast 93rd Place, according to the media release. The Department of Children and Families said it believes the children were picked up by their biological mother, Amanda Via. The 38-year-old is court-ordered to have no unsupervised contact with the children, according to police. She has a criminal record and spent time in jail for multiple theft convictions. She was most recently arrested on a battery charge in 2020, which violated her probation, but the charge was later dropped. Arissa is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds, and Nariah is 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds. Anyone with information regarding their location should call 911.
Read More »Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Law enforcement face community members calling to abolish K9 unit at Gainesville City Commission meeting. “The Gainesville City Commission’s special meeting on Wednesday about the K9 unit largely pitted law …
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Florida’s outgoing Democratic agricultural commissioner, Nikki Fried, is asking the Justice Department to knock down former President Donald Trump’s claims that he used the FBI to help Gov. Ron DeSantis win the gubernatorial race in 2018. Last week, Trump said in an online post without citing any evidence that he …
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The State Attorney’s office has dropped its criminal investigation of employees of a prominent commercial real estate firm whose offices were stormed by an armed SWAT team last year. Around the same time prosecutors abandoned their criminal case, on Nov. 1, at least three related civil lawsuits and countersuits in …
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Ed Book is headed for a seat on the Gainesville City Commission after a tight race concluded Tuesday night.
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WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville