News Cast for February 27th:
Fatal truck crash in Port Mayaca.
The Florida highway patrol said a box truck headed north bound slammed into the rear of a tractor trailer that was stopped in a construction zone on US 441 Monday.
The box truck driver, a 51 year old man from Okeechobee, died at the scene.
The driver of the tractor trailer, a 38 year old man from Stuart, suffered minor injury.
The accident occurred on 441 north of State Road 76.
A pedestrian was treated after a hit and run accident in Moore Haven.
Glades County Sheriff deputies said Angelica Neely is charged with fleeing the scene and resisting arrest.
The accident occurred Sunday at 250 10th Street.
Glades EMS transported the patient to Hendry Regional.
Circuit judge Laurie Buchanon refused a motion to make a state law unconstitutional.
36-year-old Donny Raney, a former chaplain at middle school coach, will continue to face one felony charge of having a romantic relationship with a student.
At issue was the girls age, who was 18, and the consensual nature of the activity.
The victim has also asked that charges be dropped.
Prosecutor Ashley Albright said it is clear there was a romantic relationship and that it began at school functions.
“There coming together it was described as they met somewhere out in public and they happened to go to the same school. No, they came together, through school, and her being in the athletics program.”
Defense attorney Robert Watson said the law invades a person’s privacy because they were both consenting adults.
“People who just happen to volunteer at a school, and students who just happen to be of consenting age, I can’t see how the state can interfere in that way.”
Judge Buchanon did find fault with the law, saying it is poorly written. She said it could lead to absurd and unintended results. Still she said the court could not rule it unconstitutional.
The Raney case was continued until March 13th.
Glades County agreed to ban all tobacco and vaping on county property including boat ramps.
County commissioner Hattie Taylor wondered how it would impact county employee smoke breaks.
Taylor said that might force county employees to drive off county property just to smoke and be off the job longer.
Glades County Commissioners also limited to 8, the number of farm animals you can have in certain residential areas. No roosters are allowed, up to six chickens, and you must have at least two acres to have large farm animals.
Commissioner Jerry Sapp said he didn’t want the county to prohibit the sale of farm fresh eggs in residential areas noting a woman in Palmdale does a nice job of selling eggs in her neighborhood.