WOKC Local News – May 19, 2026, 7:40 AM
Transcript
WOKC News. UTV crash claims life. With WOKC News, I’m Charles Murphy. A fatal crash on private property in Ukechobee. It happens in the 21,000 block, Northwest 240th Street, Saturday afternoon, just before 4 p.m. The Florida Highway Patrol says a 2026 Can-Am Maverick X3 side-by-side UTV was the vehicle involved. It was operated by a 25-year-old Vero Beach woman. The report said the UTV was traveling eastbound when it accelerated and tried to make a left turn and lost control. The UTV overturned, killing a 34-year-old woman from Port St. Lucie. They tried to save her, flying her out to Lawnwood, but it was in vain. Also injured was the driver, a 33-year-old woman from Homestead, a passenger, and a 24-year-old woman from Vero Beach. The South Florida Water Management District Quarterly Recreation Forum, focusing again on Lake Ukechobee, Facilitator Newton Cook says the dilemma is how to clean up Lake Ukechobee while they can. Most important thing about Lake Ukechobee is water level. Number one. When it’s low, it’s great. When it’s high, it’s horrible. They’ve been working on muck removal, planting vegetation, and prescribed burns with the low water levels. Ukechobee County will go before the OUA board tomorrow to discuss the fire station land. They wanted originally five acres, but the OUA is looking at donating three acres off of Feral Road. Commission Chair David Haisley says he’s disappointed. He says he knew nothing about this change. It was presented back to the board to recommend it to change it down to three acres. And like I said, we were not aware that was coming. Martin County Sheriff John Bootenseeg updating the Indian Town Village Council on 7-10. He’s pushing to get it widened from Ukechobee to Indian Town. He says it remains the most dangerous road in Martin County and unless the road is widened, fatalities will not stop. On average, one person has been killed on this section of the roadway approximately every three months. Every three months, somebody’s dying on this road right here. He says most of the crashes involve people speeding and many of the crashes involve large trucks against smaller vehicles. Bootenseeg says nobody is going the speed limit in many of these crashes. Ukechobee County voiced concerns about the lack of maintenance at red lights, which have improved in recent months on 441 South, specifically the red lights at Walmart and Southwest 28th Street. They were constantly not working this summer and winter due to power surges and rainstorms. In one incident, a deputy was directing traffic and was struck and seriously injured because the red light was not working. An Ukechobee woman suffered a broken finger in a domestic. The suspect, Dylan Wagner, allegedly presented a firearm in the domestic squabble. He did not point it at anyone, pointing it at the ground. He’s facing charges that include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Ukechobee police say his bond was 20,000. I’m Charles Murphy, WKC News.
Recorded from the WOKC daily newscast (Glades Media).