News Cast for June 13th:
Martin County Sheriff’s Deputies released more details on the fatal stabbing on Martin Grade May 31.
The 911 calls made by the victim and other witnesses who tried to help him were released to the media.
Richard Francis Vincent Pepe, 35, of Vero Beach was found unresponsive and covered in blook on the shoulder of the road.
He told the dispatchers he had been stabbed and had fired his gun in self-defense.
Major Ruben Romero said Pepe got into an argument with his ex or current girlfriend and decided to walk out of the Mud Fest at Plant Bamboo. He called a friend for a ride back to Vero Beach.
The girlfriend allegedly called the suspects who live in Fort Drum. They drove to the event, found Pepe walking east bound, stopped the vehicle and confronted him.
Jacob Robert Stevens, 34, was charged with first-degree premeditated murder.
Meagon Nicole Brown, 39, was charged with first-degree murder accessory after the fact.
Okeechobee authorities helped Martin County arrest the couple.
Major Romero said the support was appreciated and the couple complied during the arrests.
A special magistrate upheld the trespass order against two first-amendment advocates Michael Taylor and George Nathensen.
Both can not enter the county court house until after May 7th, 2026.
James Landingham heard evidence in the trespass appeals in late May, the 27th, and 29th.
The county attorney and both men had opportunities to present evidence and witness related to the trespass.
The county argued policies were violated by the men who have attended several meetings while making lewd gestures, being argumentative, raising their voice and disrupting the proceedings.
John Felix said he felt the ejections from the commission meeting were unwarranted.
“We’ve all been forced out of there by threat under of arrest and threat of violence by the gunmen they have in there, the county sheriff’s.”
County Attorney Gemma Torcivia said there were more than enough grounds to trespass the pair.
“His conduct was disruptive. It interrupted the peace and quiet of the people in the audience who witnessed his conduct. We show in video clearly that Mr. Nathensen shooting the middle finger of the board in a public meeting is a corruption of public morals and an outrage to the sense of public decency.”
Mr. Taylor said he was upset when the county prevent any public comment at the May 7th meeting.
“I’m trying to fight this. From here, there is an appeal process, I just want to get it away from Okeechobee maybe I’ll get a fair trial.”
Landingham said this was not the hearing to be arguing first amendment rights as that is better suited to a higher court.
‘If you believe the BOCC has violated your constitutional rights, you should take action to have those violations remedied.”
The uncle of a small child is credited with saving his life Wednesday.
An incident report from Okeechobee County Sheriff Deputies said the child was playing around the pool at Log Harbor at 8374 highway 441 SE.
Deputy Joe Benjamin said the relatives told him the child slipped and hit his head on the edge of the pool and fell into the pool.
Luis Reynaldo Morales heard the splash and jumped into the pool and grabbed him out of the water.
The child was unresponsive but the uncle slapped him in the chest, he threw up water and began to cry.
The report said the child was transported by fire-rescue to HCA/Raulerson hospital and was listed in stable condition.
Benjamin’s report said the child was expected to make a full recovery.
A 42 year old Okeechobee man faces drug and other charges after being stopped by deputies on his bicycle in Sebring.
Highlands County Sheriff Deputies said Dennis Whitaker is charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession with the intent to sell methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, battery on law enforcement, and resisting arrest with violence.
Whitaker was stopped for riding the bicycle on the wrong side of the road and failed to signal as he made a right turn.
Whitaker ignored the red and blue lights and rode the bike onto private property.
“Its not a traffic stop,” he told the deputy, the arrest report said.
As Whitaker continued to walk away, the deputy tackled him.
Whitaker grabbed the deputy and prevented him from handcuffing him.
The deputy tased him under the right shoulder blade.
He later kicked the deputy in the leg.
Deputies seized 12.8 grams of methamphetamine and $894 in cash.
Whitaker was out on bond on a recent charge for a traffic stop on the Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation.
An Okeechobee man was charged in Indian River County with stealing a vehicle from a hospital parking lot.
Thomas Fralix, 36, was also charged with driving on a suspended license, and leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage.
An arrest report from Indian River County Sheriff Deputies said the victim was working for Door Dash and was delivering food to the Cleveland Clinic Indian River hospital emergency room. He left the vehicle running in the parking lot as he entered the hospital.
The victim said as he was exiting the hospital he saw Fralix enter his vehicle and flee the area.
There was also security footage of Fralix committing the crime.
Fellsmere Police located the stolen vehicle on US 1 near State Road 510. The police said Fralix crashed into a Toyota pickup truck that totaled the stolen vehicle.
Fralix told the deputy he was not in the right state of mind when he stole the vehicle and that he only wanted to drive back to Okeechobee to visit his friends.