News Cast for April 30th:
Lawmen not giving up
Okeechobee sheriff Noel Stephen and his investigators recently presented a cold case homicide to the Florida Sheriffs Association Cold Case team.
They gave an hour-long presentation and got feedback from the veteran lawmen on how to generate more evidence or tips for a prosecution.
They also plan to take another unsolved homicide to a team of investigators in the 19th judicial circuit. The group also includes former State Attorney Bruce Colton.
Stephen did not disclose which cases were presented. He said they got some great input and some out of the box thinking that could help the investigations.
Sheriff Stephen said even after many years they don’t forget any cold case homicide.
“We live in an era where people don’t want to get involved. We continue to push the idea that if you see something say something. We are not giving up. A case might go quiet. I understand family members question if we have done enough, have we forgotten about it. We are constantly working it and kicking over rocks to get any information that we can.”
A smokey day in southeast Okeechobee after a mulch fire in Martin County.
The fire grew to 61 acres at an agriculture operation off Fox Brown Road.
The Florida Forest Service helped firemen out of Indiantown control and put out the blaze.
The National Marine Fisheries has filed a formal objection to the new lake Okeechobee regulation schedule, or LOSOM.
Okeechobee City Council discussed the current levels in the lake that remain high at 14 point 22 feet for this time of year.
Mayor Dowling Watford shares his concerns that if the lake remains high that will impact drainage if a large storm hits.
The objection from Marine Fisheries will likely mean the existing schedule will be used for the time being.
Glades County Commissioners voiced some concern about the high water levels in the lake.
They also protest their county being used as a reservoir for South Florida Water Management District and the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Commissioner Tony Whidden is willing to go to court to send a message that the county will stand up for itself and that they are tired of being flooded.
“If we don’t do something one day we will walk out our back door and be under water. I’m not worried about sea level rise. I’m worried about walking into a reservoir because we are flooding our county.”
He said he expects more reservoirs to come.