WOKC Local News – November 21, 2025, 7:50 AM
Transcript
WOKC News. Deputies find sex offender. With WOKC News, I’m Charles Murphy. After about a week, Okeechobee authorities caught a sex offender who had cut off his ankle monitor while on probation. Jose Tagle was held in a $100,000 bond, charged with failure to report as a sex offender and tampering with an electronic monitoring device. Deputies checked on his address November 2nd, found he hadn’t been living there for at least two months. He came in to register a change at the jail on November 6th, but after an hour, cut off his ankle monitor. Deputies say he had asked them if he could live in his car. Glades County is focused on improving sewer service in northeast Glades County. They’re wanting $3 million from the state. They’re also asking for $5 million to upgrade Indian Prairie Canal. County Manager Paul Carlisle says that boat ramp there is in dire need. This is a crucial location for a boat ramp. It’s the direct access. There’s no loft you have to go through to get into the lake. The ramp is basically in disrepair, and if we don’t get some funding, the patches we’re going to do, we may eventually have to close it. Cyber criminals are preparing to exploit your festive spirit and take your identity and your money this year. The Better Business Bureau compiled a list of the top 12 holiday scams that range from gift card scams, employment scams, relationship scams, cybersecurity expert Jeff Veltri says be aware and not be so trusting. He says Florida ranks third in lost revenue due to scams. Scammers want to exploit folks that are typically not as computer savvy, so they will often target our elderly community for exploitation. He says even in small towns like Okeechobee, you’re not safe from the scammer. You can be in the country and still be susceptible to fraudulent schemes by threat actors on the other side of the planet, frankly. Okeechobee City Council praise Martha’s House for the good work they do fighting domestic violence in the community. Megan Osborne says there was over 650 calls of domestic violence and over 100 court injunctions filed last year. She points out that rural communities like ours tend to have more higher rates of domestic violence. In a rural community like Okeechobee, we are at a 7% higher risk for not only the frequency of domestic violence, but also the severity of it. And a lot of times in rural communities, there is no DV center. And so these survivors that unfortunately experience this are farther from resources. But that’s not the case here in Okeechobee because we’re here. U.S. Senator Ashley Moody will propose a new measure to protect federal immigration officers. Fox News Digital reported Wednesday Senator Moody will introduce the HALO Act. It would require everyone to stay at least 25 feet away from federal immigration officers while they’re doing their job. Violators could get five years in prison. Moody says she’s appalled at news reports of people harassing and targeting federal officers while they’re simply trying to do their job. And this practice must end. I’m Charles Murphy, WOKC News.
Recorded from the WOKC daily newscast (Glades Media).