WOKC Local News – June 09, 2026, 7:40 AM
Transcript
WOKC News. Another chapter for boys school with WOKC News. I’m Charles Murphy. Three lawsuits filed in the last 10 days against the former operators of the Okeechobee School for Boys in Okeechobee Circuit Court. The lawsuits alleged that staff members sexually abused clients at the facility between 2000 and 2008. Attorney Christopher Klotz from Pensacola filed the lawsuit. He says while there are good people in juvenile corrections, some do want jobs in this career so that they can victimize vulnerable children. But there is, I do believe, a higher percentage of people who target these types of positions because they know that the threshold for screening for employment there is low. Because they know that they will have almost completely unfettered access to troubled youth. Klotz was asked are his victims testimony believable. You also have a population of vulnerable youth who because of the fact that they have gotten themselves into some trouble that has them arrive in a juvenile justice facility that sometimes grownups don’t take them seriously or don’t tend to believe them because they’ve been in a position where they’ve gotten in trouble before. The suits do not specify how much damages they are seeking. The jurisdiction of the court is 50,000 and above. They are requesting a jury trial. Klotz says he feels the boys’ school and his clients can both get a fair trial in Okeechobee despite the facility’s reputation. Okeechobee unemployment levels remained at 5.2% in April. The county had 15,739 people employed in March and 15,719 in April. Around the region Highlands County at 6.4%, Osceola County 4.7% and St. Lucie 5.3%. Democratic Congressman Darren Soto, who represents Osceola County, is asking the House Natural Resources Committee to prioritize the fight against invasive species. He also wants to get more protection for scrub jays as they are threatened by landowners. Someone come down from the north, buy a bunch of scrub jay habitat and then now wants to delist the scrub jay. That person has been highlighted in infamy on the internet for trying to do that in Florida. We welcome people in Florida, but we don’t like when people come to absolutely change our way of life for the worst. An Indian Town brush fire this weekend grew to 125 acres but is now contained. Martin County Fire Rescue, the Florida Forest Service and Martin County deputies all responded. It began on Friday afternoon around 3.30 p.m. Winds and the dense vegetation in Clemensville contributed to its rapid growth. Firefighters were able to protect nearby structures and there was no damage or injuries reported. A 21-year-old Ugachuy man got into a short chase with Daytona Beach Police, allegedly. Jose Velasquez Chavez reportedly was driving at high speed, drove through several red traffic signals and didn’t have his headlights on at 12.10 in the morning. They say he drove through a high pedestrian area due to recent high school graduation events. I’m Charles Murphy, WOKC News.
Recorded from the WOKC daily newscast (Glades Media).