Florida toddler dies after babysitter left child in hot car

A toddler in Florida died after a babysitter reportedly left the child unattended in a hot vehicle, according to reporting by The Gainesville Sun. The incident, which involves a child victim of a fatal accident in a caregiver’s care, is under investigation.

Sources: The Gainesville Sun

Alachua County man charged with armed gas station robbery after separate arrest

Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies have charged 21-year-old Mikale Fuye with armed robbery in connection with a May 10 holdup at a Circle K on Southeast Hawthorne Road southeast of Gainesville. Investigators say Fuye and a second suspect entered the store, held employees at gunpoint, and fled with cash from the register. Fuye was already in custody on unrelated burglary charges stemming from a vehicle pursuit and crash when the robbery charge was added Monday.

Sources: WCJB TV20

Alachua County deputies issued nearly 900 speeding tickets in summer school zone

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office wrote close to 900 speeding citations last month in a summer school zone, with more than 200 issued in the first week alone near Wiles Elementary and Kanapaha Middle School. Citation numbers climbed over the following weeks, with 125 tickets handed out in just the final two days of summer school. The zone is among several where speed cameras were installed earlier this year; each violation carries a $100 fine.

Sources: WCJB TV20

Alachua County woman arrested after alleged hit attempt and chase with children in car

Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 26-year-old Michelle Bartholomew on Saturday after witnesses called 911 reporting she tried to strike a man with her vehicle on Southwest 21st Lane. She fled deputies with two young children inside her car before deputies called off the pursuit, and she was taken into custody after attempting to jump from a bridge. Bartholomew faces charges including two counts of aggravated battery, two counts of child abuse, aggravated assault on law enforcement, and aggravated fleeing and eluding.

Sources: WCJB TV20

Citra man sentenced to 30 years for fatally shooting grandfather

A Marion County man, Mike Anthony Jones Jr., 26, received the maximum 30-year prison sentence for the second-degree murder of his grandfather, William Pray, during a domestic dispute on Dec. 26, 2022. Jones argued he acted in self-defense after witnessing Pray strike his mother, but witnesses told investigators he was not present for the initial altercation and detectives found no justification for the shooting. A first trial ended without a verdict; a second jury returned a guilty finding.

Sources: WCJB TV20

Dance Alive National Ballet turns to community after DeSantis vetoes $1.7M studio grant

Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a $1.7 million state allocation that Dance Alive National Ballet had counted on to fund a new studio. Construction on the facility is already underway, and the organization now hopes local supporters will help fill the gap. Leaders expect the new space to be finished by next summer.

Sources: WCJB TV20

Florida court ruling lets 18- to 20-year-olds openly carry firearms

A Florida court decision has extended open carry rights to adults between the ages of 18 and 20, a change the ruling frames as necessary to align state law with Second Amendment protections. Previously, open carry in Florida was restricted to those 21 and older.

Read both sides →

Sources: The Independent Florida Alligator