News Cast for September 7th:
Confidence in investigation
Okeechobee’s top prosecutor said he is in lock step with the sheriff working on collecting evidence and build a case against 17-year-old Sebastian Urbano.
Ashley Albright said they haven’t decided on whether to charge him as a juvenile or as an adult.
He talks about the many considerations they have when making the decision on charges.
“The (defendants) age, the seriousness of the crime, their criminal history and the overall nature of the crime, whether the charge is deserving or not.”
He said in all murder cases law enforcement is always looking for more and more evidence to build a stronger case and he’s not concerned about a perceived lack of willingness to cooperate from those that were there at the party.
“It is not Hollywood, they don’t drive hummers and they don’t solve a crime in an hour.”
A 16 year old was shot to death during some kind of incident at Scott Driver late on August 26th and early on the 27th.
In the courts, four battery cases were resolved from a brutal fight caught on cell phone at Chalo Nitka on March 6th.
Two teens from Palmdale and a mother from Sebring were all assaulted, the oldest teen kicked in the head 10 times and hospitalized.
Tanier Gore pled guilty to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and received 30 months probation and court costs.
Thomas Hovis had charges reduced to a misdemeanor and was sentenced to one year on probation.
Jacee Jumper entered a pre-trial diversion program and paid court costs.
Charges of felony battery against Todd Pierce were dropped
The two remaining suspects Trewston Pierce and Troy Faye have court dates on September 26th.
An Okeechobee woman is accused of collecting rent on property that she didn’t own and harassing a disabled tenant with prosthetic legs.
Okeechobee County Sheriff Deputies said Christine Adams allegedly threatened to physically throw the man off the property and had a man go to the property and threaten him.
She was also accused of threatening to burn the RV down the victim claimed she had sold him and burned fires at night near the trailer.
Charges include harassment and abuse of a disabled adult.
The Okeechobee Board of County Commissioners listed their priorities for state lawmakers in 2024.
They will request another $7.5 million for further expansions and improvements at the aging Okeechobee County jail.
They will request up to $3 million to improve drainage along Berman Road.
They also want the state to fund a $200,000 study for drainage in Fort Drum in the area of NE 342nd Trail.
The Indiantown Village Council still wanting to meet with Martin County Commissioners and resolve how much funding they will get from transportation impact or mobility fees.
Village Mayor Susan Gibbs Thomas said she’d like to see a consensus from the village on what percentage they want of those funds.
“When we talk to them one on one and have a unified voice. We need to have an idea about percentages. If we are asked and pushed, what does Stuart have and are we willing to mirror that.”
Some on council support asking for 80-90 percent of the revenue collected in Indiantown because the streets and sidewalks have been neglected for years.
Mayor Gibbs-Thomas would like to prioritize more sidewalks to make it safer for kids walking to local schools.
The county collects between $800 and $2,400 per home in impact fees.