STARKE

Despite recent allegations involving employees having inappropriate relationships with cadets, the Florida Youth Challenge Academy (FLYCA) at Camp Blanding in Starke is speaking out about its programming, success rates and the changes management made to better protect teen cadets.

Classes at Bradford Middle School will be canceled Tuesday and Wednesday due to water that entered the main building during a storm Sunday night, the school district said Monday.

A parent of one of the cadets at a youth academy in Bradford County is speaking out after accusations involving inappropriate behavior between her daughter and an employee.

Several law enforcement agencies are investigating allegations concerning inappropriate behavior involving a cadet and an employee at the Florida Youth Challenge Academy in Starke.

A man died Thursday night when the truck he was in was hit by a train on Market Street in Starke after trying to cross the railroad tracks while the warning arms were down, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

A video recording of a Bradford County preschool teacher using threatening language toward a student is shedding light on what led to an investigation that ultimately shut down the Starke school.

A Bradford County day care had its license suspended Friday after an ongoing investigation by the Starke Police Department, which has been working with the Department of Children and Families.

Three people were hurt, including a teenager, in a crash Friday morning involving a box truck and a semitruck in Starke, according to Bradford County Fire Rescue Chief Dylan Rodgers.

As detectives continue to investigate the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, many parents are asking about safety protocols in their children’s schools.

The family of a local soldier killed by a bear in Alaska invites people across Northeast Florida to come out Monday and pay their respects.

An investigation revealed Lumar had used her phone to take pictures and videos of customers’ cards at the drive-thru window.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants the state Legislature to revoke a provision that gives Walt Disney World autonomy in governing areas near its theme parks.

Students at the North Florida Technical College say they’ve just learned their cosmetology program is shutting down with little notice, and many are scrambling to figure out how they’ll complete their degrees.

One Bradford County high schooler is making a name for herself and other young girls who want to weightlift.

A 19-year-old man was hit by a car while pumping gas in Bradford county Monday evening, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

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.

A New York man died after a crash in Bradford County Thursday night, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

Fatal crash in Starke, Florida on US 301.

A rehabilitated bald eagle that was discovered just after Christmas hanging upside down in a tree, tangled in moss has been released back into the wild.

A woman was killed and a man was seriously injured in a head-on crash early Friday morning in Union County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

A neighborhood in Starke was cleaning up Thursday after a tornado tore through the area Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

The Starke Police Department said damage and debris was left behind following Wednesday’s afternoon storms.

A 20-year-old man accused of shooting and killing a man in Starke and stealing a vehicle was arrested Saturday in Columbia County, the Starke Police Department said.

A second employee of the Bradford County School District surrendered this week on felony charges related to sexually explicit communication with a student, according to the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office.

A second female employee of the Bradford County School District is expected to turn herself in on felony charges, the Sheriff’s Office told News4Jax on Tuesday night.

A coach at Bradford County High School turned herself in on felony charges Monday after sending explicit text messages to a student, authorities said.

Military bases statewide will receive a $3.4 million grant through multiple defense programs and local bases will receive roughly $1.9 million of that money.

A 25-year-old woman was critically injured in a knife attack Sunday in Starke, according to police.

A Starke man was seriously injured in a shooting Thursday afternoon, according to police.

One person died Friday from an early morning house fire in Starke, according to Bradford County Fire-Rescue.

Billy Wells, who earned the nickname “Monster of Mayport” after five bodies in varying states of decomposition were found in his Mayport mobile home in May 2003, was serving a life sentence at Florida State Prison when he killed again -- twice.

The man suspected in the Times Square shooting that injured two women and a 4-year-old girl is heading back to New York City to face charges in that case, authorities told News4Jax.

The man accused of shooting two women and a 4-year-old girl in Times Square over the weekend has seven days to consult with a public defender before he faces extradition to New York to face attempted murder charges against him, a Bradford County judge said Thursday after Farrakhan Muhammad’s first appearance in court.

A man identified by police as the suspected shooter in an incident in Times Square that wounded a 4-year-old girl and two women was arrested Wednesday in Starke, the Bradford County Sheriff's Office said.

Nearly 33,000 Florida inmates say they want a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Florida Department of Health. Public health officials say they intend to offer the vaccine to state prisoners within the next two weeks.

What is just a small podn looks like a big lake after all the rain in Starke Tuesday morning. The storms parked over Bradford county Tuesday morning with several rounds of heavy rain around Starke and Camp Blanding. Flooding hotspots picked up 2.5-3.5 inches of rain. Pictures from the rain in Starke show flooded pastures and water swelling beyond a pond into the surroundings on County Road 229. Bands of rain focused along a warm front pushing through North Central Florida, focusing the heaviest rain west of the St. Johns River.

Edward Waters College was founded in 1866 by members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church to educate freedmen. TV personality and now Edward Waters College professor Rahman Johnson is a notable EWC graduate. Less than 10 years later, it took on the name Edward Waters College with the support, once again, of the AME Church, named after the third bishop, Edward Waters. Eighty percent of the students at Edward Waters College are first-generation college students, so they’re establishing a new tradition. Even during a pandemic, Edward Waters College hit its highest enrollment in 15 years.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As the Weather Authority Alert continues Saturday, the National Weather continues to watch to severe storms track east northeast across Northeast Florida. A Tornado Watch is in effect for Union, Putnam, St. Johns and Flagler counties until midnight. For the differences between a Tornado Watch and a Tornado Warning, see the graphic below. Difference between a Tornado Watch and Tornado WarningThe Weather Authority Alert, which runs from 4-9 p.m., was triggered by heavy, disruptive rain and the potential for isolated severe thunderstorms. Those south of the I-10 corridor have an increased chance to see a strong to severe thunderstorm.

STARKE, Fla. – A man was arrested Tuesday after he tried to lure several children into his vehicle in Starke, police said. The Starke Police Department said Anthony Terry Jr., 40, was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon in the area of North Cherry Street and Jackson Street. According to the Police Department, numerous witnesses said they saw Terry try to entice several children, all under 13, into his gray SUV. Neighbors and parents confronted him at the scene and were able to keep him in the area until law enforcement arrived, according to the Police Department. Police said Terry is facing four counts of luring and enticing children under age 13, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, threats to kill law enforcement, disorderly intoxication, and loitering and prowling.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Today was lovely and warm, topping out at 80° at the airport, making it one of the top 10 warmest days on New Year’s Eve. Expect mild temperatures at midnight, with mid 60s expected. For perspective, our typical afternoon high this time of the year is in the mid 60s, so we are certainly warmer than normal. Expect Friday to be warm and breezy with partly cloudy skies and afternoon highs around 80°. Monday kicks off a chilly and sunny few days, waking up in the low 40s and warming into the mid to low 60s.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Thunderstorms that swept through Northeast Florida on Christmas Eve spawned a tornado in Starke that left two people injured, according to the National Weather Service Jacksonville. Crews surveyed the damage left in Bradford County in the wake of the strong storms and said it’s consistent with a tornado with maximum winds of 105 mph, classifying it an EF1. The NWS said the tornado developed just after 6 p.m. and left a damage path of about 4.13 miles. The tornado caused damage to trees, fences, and roofs on manufactured homes along its 4-mile path, NWS said. News4Jax saw damage along Highway 100 near Starke, where trees fell onto two homes and a car.

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.

Jamarion Smith, 18, tried to run over an officer and led police on a short chase Saturday night, according to Starke PD. STARKE, Fla. – An 18-year-old suspect led officers on a chase Saturday night, according to Starke Police. They say around 9:00 p.m., a Stark Police officer stopped Jamarion Smith for speeding at the intersection of Call Street and Water Street, but when the officer got out of their patrol car, they say Smith backed up toward the officer while speeding. Police say Smith then sped off, leading the officer on a high-speed chase for a few blocks before crashing on Oak Street and taking off on foot. While the K-9s were tracking, a nearby Starke police officer found Smith and arrested him.

Three people were arrested over the weekend after staging a noisy disturbance outside Florida State Prison in Starke, authorities said Sunday. By the time deputies arrived, they found the group had vandalized the facility’s property and refused to leave, the Sheriff’s Office said. Deputies said they zeroed in on three people they determined were “inciting the illegal behavior” and, after encountering some resistance, placed them under arrest. “Bradford County has no qualms with anyone wanting to peacefully protest,” Sheriff Gordon Smith said. “However, we will act quickly and decisively when the line is crossed into disorder and criminal behavior.”

The results of the autopsy completed Thursday found the child died from an overdose of fentanyl -- a very powerful narcotic that has caused thousands of deaths throughout the country. King was arrested Friday by Starke offers and booked into the Bradford County Jail where she is being held on a $1 million bond. He was booked into the Alachua County Jail where he is also being held on a $1 million bond pending extradition to Bradford County. Medical experts say opioids, fentanyl, in particular, can pose an extreme danger of overdose, even in adults. “Even at the end of this, we pray for the family, we pray for that child, we pray for the extended family.

STARKE, Fla. – A Clay County deputy who died in September from complications of COVID-19 was honored Saturday at the Krawl’n for the Fallen event in Starke. The event was overshadowed by tragedy Friday night when a skydiver died after his parachute didn’t deploy properly during a fun jump after practice. Despite the tragic death, the event carried on as law enforcement agencies and families of fallen officers gathered to honor those who have been lost. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said it was honored that Sgt. He started with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in the 90s before joining the Clay County Sheriff’s Office in 1998.

STARKE, Fla. – A 38-year-old woman died Wednesday night on U.S. 301 near the intersection of County Road 200B in Starke. Florida Highway Patrol investigators said she was killed as she walked towards a vehicle traveling north on the highway in the right lane. All northbound lanes of U.S. 301 were blocked between County Road 233 and County Road 200B during the investigation. FHP did not provide further details. If more information becomes available, News4Jax will update the story.

STARKE, Fla. – An arrest report obtained by News4Jax shows a 41-year-old employee of the Bradford County School District is charged with three counts of lewd and lascivious behavior. The district confirmed Dustin Kelsay works as a paraprofessional at Southside Elementary School in Starke and that Kelsay is on administrative leave. According to the report, three girls told detectives Kelsay inappropriately touched them in their home four years prior. The children told detectives the incidents happened while Kelsay was drunk. The school district said it was not able to go into details about the investigation, but that it is taking the allegations seriously.

STARKE, Fla. – The superintendent of the Bradford County School District is facing a defamation lawsuit brought by an organizer for the local chapter of Special Olympics Florida. “The email did not give dates, times, or list a phone number for a return call,” the Facebook post said. Cooper approached the Superintendent and proceeded to rant about the district’s failure to respond to her request; repeatedly using profanity," the Facebook post said. Cooper’s behavior was unprofessional, unwarranted and highly inappropriate given the presence of parents, teachers and even students in close enough proximity to have overheard her profane diatribe,” the district’s Facebook post said. After doing that she created a false and libelous post on the school district’s official Facebook page.

First responders in Starke had their hands full with an unusual call Wednesday, even by 2020′s standards: a pumpkin packed with explosives was found behind a business. The Starke Police Department announced the discovery in a Facebook post about 1:30 p.m., saying the pyrotechnic pumpkin was found behind the Tractor Supply Co. located on Walnut Street. Police said the pumpkin, which was loaded with approximately two pounds of unidentified explosives, was found directly beneath some power lines. “Due to the substance being activated,” police said, fire and rescue crews were brought in case they were needed as the Alachua County bomb squad dealt with the explosives. Additional details about the discovery weren’t immediately available.

STARKE, Fla. – An organization in Starke that offers programs for disadvantaged children and young adults is in need of repairs to its nearly 60-year-old gym. Due to COVID-19, President Alicia McMillan says it lost $92,000 in state grant funding for a new roof and air conditioning for the gymnasium at the RJE Renaissance Center, a focal point in the community. sdf“Our services have expanded to offer our disadvantaged youth summer camps, basketball tournaments, math and reading programs, and computer labs to build character and confidence with the future citizens of our community,” said McMillan, who oversees Concerned Citizens of Bradford County. If you would like to donate towards the repairs, contact the Concerned Citizens of Bradford County at (904)-966-1100 or go to concernedcitizensofbradfordcounty.com.