WOKC Local News – April 07, 2026, 7:40 AM
Transcript
WOKC News. 42 years in prison. With WOKC News, I’m Charles Murphy. A convicted sex offender who violated his registration requirements 21 times in Okeechobee was sentenced last week. Kevin Blackman got more than four decades in prison. His first brush with the law was in 1998 in Broward County. He was convicted of raping an underage teenager in a vehicle in a McDonald’s parking lot. He later violated probation and served part of a 15-year sentence. In Okeechobee, Blackman had four trespass warnings at various businesses. He also set up a taxi service. Investigators say he offered to ride people around town, including teenagers. The sheriff’s office set up a undercover sting with a detective that posed as a 14-year-old girl. Blackman showed up at a medical facility to drive her home for free. Prosecutor Ashley Albright says you can’t expect safe taxis in Okeechobee, as this was not a regulated taxi. He was not in any way a registered taxi driver. He was just doing it on his own, volunteering, I guess, advertising it on some Facebook account. But in today’s world, you have to have your guard up and be looking out for potential danger anywhere you are. Lake Okeechobee burn drew attention to the dryness and the burn ban again the county supports, letting the state do as many burns this spring inside the levee that they want. They think it’ll help the health of the lake. An Okeechobee man was murdered while serving a prison term. State officials say 41-year-old Joshua Scott was strangled and beaten to death at the Santa Rosa Correctional Institution in Milton. That’s in the Panhandle. The murder occurred about two and a half years ago, but prosecutors this year have filed a secondary murder charge against his former cellmate, 35-year-old Nicholas O’Quinn. He pled not guilty at his arraignment. Scott died from multiple blunt force injuries. The black inmate reportedly said to guards, this guy is dead, get this cracker out of my cell. Scott was serving a 15-year prison term for some burglaries and thefts in the Larkey Lakes and Pioneer Estates area. O’Quinn was serving a 25-year sentence. He was convicted of manslaughter in Escambia County. An Indian town man that went around trying to lure middle school girls into his vehicle was sentenced to three years in prison. Martin County Court Records say Marcos Rodas Marcus pled no contest to five counts of interference with custody. Three girls came forward reporting suspicious activity. They’re all between the ages of 12 and 14. Court records say Rodas offered the girls cash, a new iPhone, and other gifts, simply if they would spend time with him and talk with him. Glades County firemen and volunteers put out a railroad bridge fire near Palmdale yesterday. It’s a popular route for the Sugar Express between Highlands and Hendry County, and also for agriculture use. I’m Charles Murphy, WOKC News.
Recorded from the WOKC daily newscast (Glades Media).