Latest news with #WOFL
Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Miami Herald
17-year-old calls mom for help as man he met on dating app kills him, FL cops say
A jealous 23-year-old shot and killed a 17-year-old he met on a dating app, Florida authorities said. Henry Jonathan Valencia is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Nosiah Santos on May 30, the Marion County Sheriff's Office announced July 14. Valencia met the teen on Grindr, an online dating app, about four months earlier, and they started talking and spending time together, deputies wrote in an arrest affidavit. A week before the fatal shooting, Valencia went through the teen's phone and found out he was talking to other men, and he became jealous, deputies said after viewing their text messages. The jealousy escalated the day of the shooting when Valencia found out Santos was with a friend Santos had initially met on Grindr, according to deputies and Santos' mom. Valencia went to the teen's family's apartment in Ocala and was upset to find the two together, then he and Santos left in Valencia's car and drove to a gas station, according to investigators. Lydia Albino said after her son left, she got a call from him asking her to come pick him up, saying he didn't want to 'deal' with Valencia anymore, deputies said. She started racing to the gas station about 15 miles away and overheard part of the altercation, she told WOFL. 'He's telling this man, who is older than him, 'I don't want to be with you no more. I'm only 17. This is too much emotional distress. And my mom's on her way to come get me,'' Albino told the outlet. 'And he just kept repetitively telling this man, and this man's like, 'Get in the car. Let's go.'' While they were on the phone, she heard him swear, then he stopped talking, she told investigators. Video surveillance from the gas station showed Valencia and Santos pull up to a pump and stop, then Santos popped the trunk and started taking his belongings out, according to the affidavit. Valencia drove to a different part of the gas station and parked the car, then walked back over to the pump and started getting 'aggressive' toward Santos as he was on the phone, deputies said. Valencia again walked away and came back, yelling at Santos as the teen turned his back on him, according to witnesses and surveillance footage. The teen sat down on the ground, and a witness told deputies he was shaking his head and covering his face as Valencia yelled at him, according to the affidavit. Then Valencia shot Santos in the upper torso, and the teen fell backward as people at the gas station ran for cover, deputies said. Valencia is then accused of repeatedly punching Santos in the head before running back to his car and driving away, according to investigators. By the time Santos' mom got to the gas station, her son had been shot. 'He was already laid out at the pump,' his mom told WOFL. 'I couldn't recognize his face. I started asking, 'Is he alive?' They wouldn't tell me anything.' Santos still had a pulse when fire rescue arrived, but he died at a hospital, deputies said. There was so much blood on his face, detectives said they couldn't tell if he had also been shot in the head. Valencia drove back home to Jacksonville, where law enforcement saw him loading belongings into his vehicle and his mom's vehicle, as if they were 'going to be gone for a significant amount of time,' investigators wrote in the report. Deputies said they stopped Valencia's vehicle once he left home and took him into custody, along with his mom. The mom told investigators her son called her the day before 'crying and upset,' and after their discussion, she told him he needed to contact law enforcement and an attorney, according to the affidavit. During his interview, Valencia said he wasn't the 'aggressor' the day Santos died, but he didn't provide additional details without an attorney present, deputies said. Albino told WOFL her son was fun and 'loved by so many people.' 'He was a very loving young man who had all this stuff he wanted to do,' she told the outlet. 'And smart like you wouldn't even believe.' Ocala is about an 80-mile drive northwest from Orlando.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Florida Surfer Recovering After Being Attacked by Shark in 'Shark Bite Capital of the World'
A Florida surfer is recovering at a local hospital after his left arm was bitten by a shark on Sunday, July 6 Matthew Bender told a local news outlet that it felt like "electricity" running through his body when the shark attacked him at New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County "I felt it clamp down like a bear trap out of nowhere," recalled the surfer, who still plans to return to the waterA Florida man has been hospitalized after he was attacked by a shark in what is known as the "shark bite capital of the world." Matthew Bender, of Winter Park, was bitten by a shark on Sunday, July 6 while surfing at New Smyrna Beach, according to FOX affiliate WOFL. Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue said the 40-year-old was bitten around 3 p.m. local time, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel and NBC affiliate WESH. Bender told WOFL he 'never saw the shark,' which bit his left arm 'forcefully,' leaving it severely injured from his thumb to his elbow. He said the bite 'felt like electricity.' "I felt it clamp down like a bear trap out of nowhere. By the time I looked down, it was already gone,' Bender recalled. He thought the shark 'shook its head' before letting go, adding, 'It was also fast." Nearby surfers and lifeguards rushed to Bender's aid, according to the surfer. He said one of the surfers used a surfboard leash to create a tourniquet. The surfer was transported to a hospital after the bite, according to WESH and the Sun Sentinel. Bender said he underwent emergency surgery to repair muscles, tendons, and nerves that were injured in the attack, WOFL reported. He said, "It's a miracle my hand is still working fine." "I think the Lord kept it from being serious. I mean, he works in mysterious ways,' the surfer told the news outlet. But Bender does not plan to let the shark attack stop him from getting back out in the water. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'For some reason, I got to take a little break, but I'll be back out there," he told WOFL. "I'm a New Smyrna surfer at heart, and it's not going to end now just because of this." Volusia County officials did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. Volusia County is considered the unofficial 'shark bite capital of the world,' according to the International Shark Attack File in Gainesville. There were eight shark bites reported in the county in 2024, more than half of the 14 reported in Florida that same year, according to statistics. Read the original article on People
Miami Herald
26-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Teacher's husband discovers her sex acts with 14-year-old student, FL cops say
A man found out his wife — a middle school teacher — was engaging in sex acts with a 14-year-old student and threatened to report her, Florida news outlets reported from court documents. Now, 32-year-old Sarah Jacas is charged with statutory rape by an authority figure, two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation and two counts of lewd or lascivious battery, according to Orange County records. The Corner Lake Middle School directory shows Jacas taught math at the Orlando school. The school district did not respond to a June 26 request for comment. Investigators said the student came forward to report Jacas had sexually abused him when he was 14 during the 2022-23 school year, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by WESH. The teen used to eat lunch in the teacher's classroom because he struggled socially, WESH reported, and deputies said the teacher began taking advantage of him. The student said Jacas sexually abused him multiple times, including in her classroom during lunch, WOFL reported from law enforcement. The teacher's husband found out about her sex acts with the teen and threatened to report her, and the boy's parents also discovered their text messages, deputies said, according to WOFL. Investigators said Jacas moved their conversation to Instagram, where she texted the teen in strings of numbers that stood for affectionate messages, WKMG reported. The teen said 115 meant 'I miss you,' and 520 meant 'I love you,' according to the affidavit obtained by WKMG. Records show she was arrested by the Orange County Sheriff's Office on June 23 and posted bond two days later. The middle school's principal, Paul Browning, sent a message notifying students' families of 'allegations of misconduct' from two years ago, according to WKMG. 'Although I cannot discuss employee matters, please know this person will not be returning to campus pending the outcome of the investigation,' he wrote in the message obtained by WKMG.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Wildlife experts issue warning after making heartbreaking discovery at local park: 'You could tell she was malnourished and not doing well at all'
A recent rescue attempt highlighted the dangers of fishing lines and the importance of curbing pollution. According to a report by WOFL, a Floridian angler tried to rescue a heron trapped in a fishing line, but unfortunately, the bird succumbed to its injuries. At Herschel King Park in Flagler County, a great blue heron was entangled in a discarded fishing line. When David Clinard found the bird, the line was tightly wrapped around its neck and beak, preventing the bird from eating and drinking. As a result, the heron was severely malnourished. Clinard patiently gained the bird's trust over the course of three days. "She was pretty messed up," Clinard told Fox 35. "You could tell she was malnourished and not doing well at all." Each day, he visited the bird and offered her food and water. Eventually, Clinard was able to remove the fishing line from the bird's neck and bring it to the Flagler County Humane Society. From there, the injured heron was transported to St. Augustine, where it unfortunately died. Entanglement cases like this are, unfortunately, common. According to licensed rehabilitator Karen Ward-Lynch, about half of the birds she treats are due to injuries from entanglement, per Fox 35. Plastic waste not only pollutes natural landscapes but also directly threatens the health and safety of wildlife. Animals and birds can mistake pieces of debris for food and end up ingesting or getting caught in the trash. Properly discarding fishing gear and other plastic waste is a simple and easy way to prevent incidents like this from happening. In Flagler County, there is a monofilament recycling receptacle with an area specifically for discarding used fishing lines. However, despite these designated zones, used fishing equipment still ends up littering outdoor spaces. "I find hooks, all kinds of things out here all the time," Clinard told Fox 35. "I'm an avid angler; I love it. I do know that you can't always be perfect. … The fish can take your line, the hook, everything … but just be cognizant of what you're bringing to the field, then taking out what you're bringing in." As a result, it's essential to properly recycle your fishing equipment to prevent unnecessary wildlife injuries and deaths. Should the U.S. invest in building more wildlife overpasses? Absolutely Depends on how we do it Depends on where we do it Nope Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Florida motorcyclists injured after hitting six-foot alligator on highway
Two motorcyclists were hospitalized over the weekend after striking a six-foot alligator on a Florida highway, according to state Highway Patrol. The bizarre collision took place Saturday around 6:00pm on Interstate 4 in Volusia County, according to WOFL, an Orlando-based FOX affiliate that spoke exclusively with both bikers. Florida Doorbell Camera Captures Alligator Up On Hind Legs, 'Knocking' On Door 67-year-old Cameron Gilmore, who sustained a broken foot and toes after hitting the alligator, told WFOL that he and 25-year-old Brandi Gross were riding with a larger group when the former noticed a "big blob in the road." "I thought it was a semi-tire that came off the tread or something," Gilmore said. However, the "blob" in question wasn't a tire – it was an alligator that threw him off of his motorcycle after he hit it. Read On The Fox News App "I said, 'Uh, help me, Jesus'," Gilmore told WOFL. "And I, um, just kept flipping. I'm like, when is this going to stop?" He continued. "And then I started sliding, and I'm like, when is this gonna stop? Just sliding and sliding, and then it went off the road into the grass, and, um, couldn't move much." Florida Homeowner Finds 98 Iguana Eggs In Backyard: 'It's The Most We've Ever Removed From One Site' Gross, who was right behind Gilmore, suffered a similar fate. "I just seen something, and like, once I realized what it was, it was just too late," she told the network. "I was like, 'oh crap, you know, like,' and it just, the impact happened. I flipped over, and I just wasn't expecting a gator to be in the middle of the road right there." Gross reportedly sustained a concussion and cracked the bone on the side of her wrist. As for the alligator, the extent of its injuries remains unknown – and the crash is under investigation. Gilmore and Gross, however, remain upbeat despite their injuries. "They're calling me Gator Gilmore instead of Florida man," Gilmore said, before admitting that he is, indeed, "getting called Florida man, too."Original article source: Florida motorcyclists injured after hitting six-foot alligator on highway
