FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT

A business owner and former Boy Scout leader in Fernandina Beach is facing 13 counts of child porn possession after an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

The alert for the missing child was issued Sunday evening.

Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested Kimberly Ann Kilpatrick, a former Port Orange Police Department captain, on charges of grand theft and exploitation of a disabled adult, according to a news release.

Orange County sheriff’s deputies said they were forced to shoot at a woman who opened fire inside a McDonald’s on Saturday night.

Authorities say three Florida correctional officers have been charged with murder in the fatal beating of a handcuffed prisoner who threw urine at one of the officers.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office refused to answer questions Thursday after deputies shot and killed someone Wednesday night in Orange Park following a car chase.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Wednesday canceled a Missing Child Alert for a 2-month-old who was reported missing out of Fort Pierce, and the FDLE confirmed the child was safe.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Wednesday canceled a Missing Child Alert for a 2-month-old who was reported missing out of Fort Pierce, and the FDLE confirmed the child was safe.

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams on Wednesday responded to reports that he could take over the Florida Department of Law Enforcement now that the current commissioner is resigning early.

The arrests come after an investigation by the Starke Police Department, with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Eighth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has developed training for 911 tele-communicators to help find children with autism who are reported missing, something that can go a long way for families who have children with autism, because every second counts when trying to find a child with autism that’s reported missing.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the death of an inmate at the Columbia County Jail, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will lead the investigation into a death that occurred Wednesday in a dorm at the Clay County Jail, according to a news release from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

Police officers in Jacksonville and Clay County are separately working on five new, unrelated cases involving violence, guns, at least one homicide, and a hostage situation that ended in an officer-involved shooting.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating a deputy-involved shooting that happened Saturday at a Green Cove Springs gas station in Clay County. The incident started with a hostage situation that shut down roads in the area for several hours, investigators said.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has issued a report for a missing adult, who was believed to be endangered.

A homicide investigation is underway in Fernandina Beach, authorities said Monday.

If you receive a text message asking to renew your driver's license to show your COVID-19 vaccination status - don't click on it. It's not what you think.

A U.S. appeals court ruling urges Congress to correct a disparity that doesn't allow members of the military convicted by a court-martial the same avenues as civilian prisoners to seek DNA testing that could exonerate them.

A Columbia County Sheriff's Office deputy has been arrested and placed on administrative leave after he was accused of stealing money during a call for service.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Sunday afternoon issued a Missing Child Alert for a teenage boy from Leon County.

A Jacksonville girl was found safe late Wednesday afternoon, less than an hour after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued a Missing Child Alert.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Sunday issued a Missing Child Alert for a 16-year-old boy from Lee County.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday announced that Florida is sending 50 state law enforcement officers to Texas to help enforce the U.S.-Mexico border, though it remains unclear exactly what their mission will be and who will be paying for the effort.

According to a new report from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, while the overall crime rate was down in Florida last year, violent crimes actually increased by more than 2%.

Property crimes dropped by 17% in Florida last year while violent crimes edged up 2.3% and Duval County continues to have the highest murder rate in the state.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Thursday issued an Amber Alert for a missing 6-year-old girl out of St. Augustine.

A man and woman who were still wanted as part of a police operation called “Thou Shalt Not Steal” have been taken into custody, according to a news release Thursday from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Investigators in Florida say a group of Romanian nationals stole $740,000 from hundreds of churches in the United States.

Former Jacksonville Sheriff Nathaniel “Nat” Glover was inducted on Saturday into the Florida Law Enforcement Officers’ Hall of Fame.

After a Florida Amber Alert was issued Wednesday evening for two children last seen in Lake City, authorities announced Thursday that the children had been found safe and their biological parents had been taken into custody.

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – The Crescent City Council voted 4-1 on Wednesday night to permanently disband the police department. Back in December, the entire department was placed on administrative leave amid an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement into training records and irregularities. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office took over jurisdiction. AdIn the report, the FDLE recommends one of the officers be fired because he didn’t complete mandatory training. The audit also revealed that training documents were never found for another officer, meaning that officer needs to be retrained.

CRESCENT CITY, Fla. – An intensified search for a missing 20-year-old Putnam County mother turned up human remains Saturday in a heavily wooded area outside Crescent City, investigators said. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office has called in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s mobile crime lab to help identify the remains, which were found about 8 a.m. Saturday. [Watch the full news conference update below:]Two days after Nelson’s family reported her missing to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the agency first asked the public for help Friday. AdRELATED: Putnam County ramps up search for possibly endangered 20-year-old womanCommunity members gathered off County Road 308 in Crescent City on Saturday to continue the search for Nelson. “If anybody’s seen my baby, can you call please contact the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office or me,” Nelson’s mother, Chasity Nelson, said at a Friday afternoon news conference.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Lawmakers shifted $4.34 million on Thursday to cover a projected deficit caused by an uptick in people applying for concealed-weapons licenses. Without comment, the Joint Legislative Budget Commission, made up of House and Senate members, approved the funding request from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Division of Licensing, which oversees permitting for concealed weapons. “This translates to an annual projected total of over 400,000 background checks to be processed through June 30, substantially above any prior fiscal year.”AdThe fiscal year began July 1 and will end June 30. The division had been authorized to spend up to $9.9 million for criminal history background checks for concealed-weapons license applicants, Poucher noted. In the two years that Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried has been in office, the number of concealed-weapons licenses issued by the state has grown from 1.95 million to 2.26 million.

SATSUMA, Fla. – The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and deputies with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office were searching Wednesday for a missing 11-year-old girl. At about midnight, investigators told News4Jax she was found. According to Col. Joseph Wells, she was located several miles from her house walking along a road. Because she is no longer missing, News4Jax has removed her name and photo from this article. Related social media posts have also been updated.

CRESCENT CITY, Fla. – The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s investigation into the Crescent City Police Department is complete, and News4Jax has obtained a copy of the audit. Back in December, the entire department was placed on administrative leave, and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office took over. He read the FDLE report and said the results are shocking. I’m surprised they didn’t come down on them any sooner than they did.”Jefferson says this creates credibility problems for the entire department. However, that may not matter if the City Council decides to abolish the department and allow the Sheriff’s Office to take over permanently.

ORANGE PARK, Fla. – The 13-year-old girl from Clay County who went missing last month has been found safe, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Thursday. The Florida Missing Child Alert for ALEYSHA HICKS has been cancelled. The child is safe. If you would like further information, please call the Orange Park Police Department at 904-264-5555. — FDLE (@fdlepio) January 21, 2021Police said the Aleysha Hicks has run away 14 times since November.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced the arrest of Rebekah Jones, 31, on Monday morning. The agency said she is charged with one count of offenses against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks and electronic devices. Court records show that Jones posted a $2,500 bond following an initial appearance hearing in Tallahassee on Monday morning. The message that led to the search warrant implored employees still at the Health Department “to speak up before another 17,000 people are dead. But the agency threatened to arrest her in Maryland if she did not turn herself in by Monday night, Dobson said.

Be a hero.”FDLE agents raided her home in December, seizing her computers and other data equipment. Ron DeSantis on social media and questioned the validity of the state's COVID data, said in a Twitter statement Saturday that she would surrender shortly. Jones said on Twitter that “the warrant was based on a lie” and noted a state agent told her the arrest warrant is unrelated to the December raid. Jones was fired from her post in May after she raised questions about Florida’s COVID-19 data. After the December raid, Jones filed a complaint in Leon County Circuit Court alleging state police violated her rights to free speech and due process.

Ron DeSantis on Friday evening activated the Florida National Guard to assist state and local law enforcement agencies, following FBI warnings of potentially violent protests in state capitals this weekend in advance of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. The governor’s executive order mobilizing the guard was issued “in response to reports of potential civil unrest,” DeSantis’ office said in a press release. It also came as authorities in Washington, D.C., Tallahassee and other state capitals prepare for potential protests this weekend or early next week. Local officials on Thursday ordered Tallahassee City Hall and the Leon County Courthouse, which are each across the street from the state Capitol, to close Tuesday and Wednesday in anticipation of possible protests. Asking DeSantis to mobilize troops in Tallahassee, Dailey on Friday pointed to National Guard members who will be in Washington to help with the inauguration.

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – Court documents filed last week revealed that embattled former Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels had senior staff solicit hefty campaign donations from members of the Sheriff’s Office as he ran for reelection last year. He also asked a Sheriff’s Office chief to help him fundraise within the department, according to the documents. Daniels then told Smith “I’m not leaving your side,” and said he would help her with her JSO case, documents show. She was taken to the sheriff’s office but released when senior staff refused to put her in jail. A day after Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels surrendered to law enforcement to face criminal charges stemming from a sex scandal investigation, Gov.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which is responsible for running firearms background checks, reports that in the first 10 days of 2021, background checks are up 71 percent. They were part of the 3.7 million in sales last year,” Mills said. According to the FBI:Federal background checks surged 40% to 39.7 million in 2020Smith and Wesson, and Ruger reported double-digit increases in sales. President-elect Joe Biden’s website states that he plans to enact legislation to prohibit all online sales of firearms, ammunition, kits and gun parts. The FBI reports that more than 39.5 million firearm background checks were conducted in 2020, which is the highest since the agency started tracking numbers.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An arrest was made in the brutal sexual assault of a child in 2015 in Arlington, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday. In August 2015, an 8-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in a wooded area off University Boulevard near Fort Caroline Road. The girl was badly beaten during the assault and was “left for dead,” Sheriff Mike Williams said at a news conference Wednesday announcing the arrest. An arrest warrant was obtained, and it turned out that Henry Williams, now 20, was already in custody. The sheriff said he thinks Henry Williams was familiar with the little girl and was believed to have lived in the Arlington area at the time.

A man in his 20s shot in a vehicle parked at an apartment complex on South Water Street just after midnight Thursday died at the scene, according to the Starke Police Department. Officers said the man was shot once outside the Whispering Oaks Apartments. The Bradford County Sheriff’s Office criminal investigators and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement also responded to assist Starke police. The victim was not identified and there was no word about any suspect information.

Former Florida health data manager sues Florida Department of Law Enforcement after officers raided her home Rebekah Jones was one of the people who helped create Florida's coronavirus dashboard. She was fired from her position in May after she says she refused to manipulate COVID-19 data. On December 7, her home was raided by officers from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) after a cyberbreach that sent messages to current health department employees. Jones joins CBSN's Lana Zak to discuss the lawsuit she has filed against the FDLE and why she says they violated her constitutional rights.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement served the search warrant earlier this month. "They were there to serve a search warrant for a computer. https://twitter.com/GeoRebekahThe message that led to the search warrant implored employees still at the Health Department "to speak up before another 17,000 people are dead. Jones has had several run-ins with law enforcement over personal issues, but has gained international attention by disputing Florida's COVID-19 statistics. The commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Rick Swearingen, said he was "proud of the professional" shown by his agents as they executed a legal search warrant at the home.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement served the search warrant earlier this month. "They were there to serve a search warrant for a computer. https://twitter.com/GeoRebekahThe message that led to the search warrant implored employees still at the Health Department "to speak up before another 17,000 people are dead. Jones has had several run-ins with law enforcement over personal issues, but has gained international attention by disputing Florida's COVID-19 statistics. The commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Rick Swearingen, said he was "proud of the professional" shown by his agents as they executed a legal search warrant at the home.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The former state data scientist whose home was recently searched by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now suing the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for damages. In the lawsuit, Rebekah Jones denies sending a message from a Florida Department of Health emergency alert system and instead suggests she was targeted by state law enforcement for political reasons. FDLE executed a search warrant on Jones’ home earlier this month and took her computer, hard drives and cell phone. Johnson said his client’s IP address could have easily been spoofed and the login credentials for the alert system were available online. The lawsuit also suggests FDLE had an incentive to target Jones because of disparaging comments Gov.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement defended his agents’ actions last week when they served a search warrant at the home of a woman fired earlier this year from her job as COVID-19 data curator. FDLE said its agents waited for more than 20 minutes before Rebekah Jones, suspected of sending an unauthorized message on a state platform, opened the door for officers to serve a search warrant. “During that 23 minutes, every hard drive in that apartment could have been wiped,” said Swearingen.“They could have been arming themselves. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who oversees FDLE as a Cabinet member, has doubts. FDLE would not comment on the specifics of the case, saying only the investigation is ongoing.

Bodycam video released by a Florida law enforcement agency on Thursday shows that officers tried multiple times to contact a former Department of Health employee who the state says sent an unauthorized message about COVID-19 data. The more than 20 minutes of video released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows officers knocking on Rebekah Jones' door multiple times and attempting to call her before serving a search warrant Monday morning. Jones set up a video camera before letting officers in, and exclaimed that they were pointing guns at her children. But bodycam video shows her husband and children leaving the house peacefully without guns drawn. She told officers that her lawyer told her not to answer the door.

CRESCENT CITY, Fla. – A controversial proposal by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office to take over all law enforcement operations in Crescent City comes during a time when the entire city police department has been placed on administrative leave. During Thursday night’s City Council meeting, Crescent City Mayor Michelle Myers explained to a packed room why this was an issue of great concern. Putnam County Sheriff Gator Deloach was also at that meeting, where he proposed having the Sheriff’s Office permanently take over law enforcement operations in the city. The Sheriff’s Office and jail is a 30-minute drive from Crescent City, but the plan on the table is to use the existing police office as a Sheriff’s Office sub-station, so that deputies will always be near. Proposals by the Sheriff’s Office to take over policing in Crescent City are nothing new.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A raid at a former Florida Department of Health employee’s home is raising eyebrows after a viral video shows state investigators serving a search warrant on former COVID-19 data curator Rebekah Jones. On Tuesday, Jones responded to the warrant and criticized the way agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement entered her home. They pointed guns at my kids.. pic.twitter.com/DE2QfOmtPU — Rebekah Jones (@GeoRebekah) December 7, 2020“Police search warrant,” the agents said. She said Health Department managers urged her to manipulate information to paint a rosier picture and that she pushed back. State health officials deny any issue with the information’s accuracy.

TALLAHASSEE – Florida authorities investigating an alleged hack into the state’s emergency response system raided the home Monday of a woman fired earlier this year from her job as COVID-19 data curator. Jones was fired from her post in May after she raised questions about Florida’s COVID-19 data. She said Health Department managers urged her to manipulate information to paint a rosier picture and that she pushed back. Agents knocked and called Ms. Jones both announcing the search warrant and encouraging her to cooperate. Ms. Jones refused to come to the door for 20 minutes and hung-up on agents.

CRESCENT CITY, Fla. – The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office has taken over jurisdiction from the Crescent City Police Department while the entire department is under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. As of 5 p.m. on Friday, all Crescent City Police Department activities were forced to cease. The police building was forced to close and the five officers that make up the police force were all placed on administrative leave with pay. According to a news release from the Crescent City administration office, FDLE will be investigating irregularities that pertain to police officer training and certifications. This action is being taken to assure integrity in the City’s law enforcement services and is not a disciplinary act against any CCPD personnel.

Because the child is no longer missing, News4Jax has removed the names and photos from this article. An Amber Alert issued Sunday morning for a 2-year-old Broward County girl was canceled in the afternoon after she was found safe, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. FDLE issued the Amber Alert shortly after 10 a.m. for the girl, who authorities said had last been seen around 2 a.m. in Wilton Manors, Florida. According to Wilton Manors police, the mother does not have custody of the child. Just before 3 p.m., FDLE announced the Amber Alert had been resolved and the child is safe.

Because the child is no longer missing, News4Jax has removed his name and photo from this article. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 10-year-old Jacksonville boy reported missing on the city’s Northside was found safe Wednesday, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said. The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department assisted JSO in the search, and dozens of crews set up at a command center. Shortly 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, the Sheriff’s Office announced the child had been found safe. She said she just wanted her happy and friendly son back home safe.