WOKC Local News – September 15, 2026, 7:40 AM
Transcript
WOKC News. Woman sentenced for killing son with WOKC News. I’m Charles Murphy. A convicted murderer once pulled over by the highway patrol with a dead body in the trunk of her car in Okeechobee County has been sentenced for a second murder. Jerrilyn Gaither pled guilty to shooting to death her son, 42-year-old John Gaither in Gulfport, Mississippi in January 2024. The Okeechobee case involved the shooting of an alleged drug dealer in Boca Raton, a 44-year-old Christina Racey. Gaither got 17 years for that. For her son, she’ll spend life in prison. Matthew Burrell explained what they found to WLOX News in Gulfport. They breached that wall at the front of the house, and inside the front area of the house was a box. And inside that box was the body of John Gaither. In both cases, the suspect threatened to shoot herself before being arrested. Insurance dispute continues to bother the vendor of the lock tenders around Lake Okeechobee for the South Florida Water Management District. Nicholas Francina is asking for mediation under terms of his contract and claims South Florida Water Management has not given him any input. And I guess you guys had a meeting, but I wasn’t invited to it, so you didn’t hear both sides of this argument. Islands County is adding two fire stations this year in their budget. They’re looking at a $152 bill for residential homes for fire assessment this year. Assistant Fire Chief Dustin Fitch says they’re looking at a 5% increase in both fire and EMS fees. So we came back and we started putting numbers to it on what would a six-minute response time look like throughout Highlands County. And at our current state, we recognize that it would be fiscally irresponsible to come and ask for that amount of money. The new Spring Lake Station will be a full service station and manned in the next year. Two men were spotted fighting in the middle of the street after the Cattlemen’s Rodeo last weekend, the fight on Northwest 16th Street. Both suspects stated they were in the military together, but did not give a clear reason as to why they were fighting, facing charge of Befray Isaias Tojan Velasquez of Indian Town and Matthew Kerr of Okeechobee. Two people wanted in Sarasota were arrested by Okeechobee police after they say they found an ATM card in a parking lot of a local business and then used it to purchase food, facing charges of fraud are Trashel Taylor and Tave Skinner. Skinner had some problems while being transported to the jail and was taken to Rollerson Hospital for treatment. A woman who hired a lawn care worker reported that the worker was upset she didn’t pay him what he thought he was worth. He then allegedly threatened and harassed her. He allegedly sent threatening messages via text saying he was going to destroy her property unless he was paid. He claimed there had been a verbal agreement to pay him $60 more than he was paid. He was trespassed from the property. I’m Charles Murphy, WOKC News.
Recorded from the WOKC daily newscast (Glades Media).