Category: CNN Regional

By Edward Franco

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    LEE COUNTY, Florida (WBBH) — A chase in Fort Myers ended with the arrest of 34-year-old Jenny Fales, who reportedly asked state troopers for a hamburger and fries instead of a lawyer.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers spotted a white Honda Accord near State Road 82 and I-75 in Lee County on Wednesday night, driven by Fales, who is accused of not pulling over despite attempts to stop her.

She is also accused of driving under the influence, running stoplights and red lights until troopers said they performed a PIT maneuver on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Lee Street to halt the vehicle.

Basil Bentley, in downtown Fort Myers just minutes away from where troopers stopped the car, said, “Stealing a car and then driving drunk, like, that’s crazy! That’s pretty crazy, you know?”

After the car was stopped, a trooper shattered the front passenger window to remove Fales from the vehicle. FHP reported that Fales was accused of showing signs of impairment and refusing to perform field sobriety exercises and a breathalyzer test.

According to FHP, during her arrest, Fales repeatedly told the troopers, “Just let me go, let’s go chill, eat a hamburger and fries,” and questioned why they couldn’t just go out to eat. She also argued that she didn’t belong in jail and had done nothing wrong.

Bentley advised the community to “stay safe out there.”

Fales was taken to the Lee County Jail and has a suspended driver’s license from Georgia.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Carson Zorn

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    NAPLES, Florida (WBBH) — Surgeons at NCH are using a groundbreaking method combining robotics with bone grafting to treat pars fractures in young athletes, offering a faster recovery compared to traditional spinal fusion surgery.

Back pain in young athletes isn’t always due to growing pains; it can be linked to a tiny stress fracture in the lower vertebrae known as a pars injury. This condition, often found in young male athletes, may heal over time, but some cases require spinal fusion, a major surgery with a lengthy recovery period. Surgeons at NCH are now employing a groundbreaking method to address this issue, combining robotics with bone grafting.

Dr. Robert Palmer, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, explained, “It’s a thin area in the posterior part of the spine that’s predisposed to stress injuries, and you have to think in a young man that’s doing a lot of weight lifting and extending his back or twisting movements that really can have an effect.”

A pars fracture can lead to back pain and numbness in the leg. If these symptoms persist, spinal fusion might be considered. However, doctors at NCH have developed a new approach, utilizing the Globus robot to perform surgery without cutting open the back. This method provides super clear images and operates in small spaces in the spine.

Dr. Nick Clark, an orthopedic spine surgeon at HSS at NCH, demonstrated the procedure, saying, “You can see that little line right above my finger there. That’s it. That’s the fracture.” He added, “What we’re trying to do is squeeze that fracture together with this screw and stabilize it.”

After inserting hardware, the surgeons added another element, using the robot to insert bone material and growth factors to jump-start healing. Clark noted, “Because there’s still, even with this screw, there’s still a little bit of a gap between the bones.”

Palmer emphasized the benefits of the robotic approach, stating, “Using the robot allows us to have very small incisions, very precise,” and added, “Which for someone that’s young and active, it’s crucial.”

This innovative procedure offers a significant advantage, preserving motion, accelerating recovery, and providing athletes with the opportunity to return to sports. The difference in downtime is substantial; while a fusion can take up to a year for full recovery, using the robot and physical therapy may allow an athlete to return to activity or sports in as little as three to four months.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By WFTS Digital Staff

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    ST. PETE, Florida (WFTS) — After 46 years, St. Pete police have identified their final John Doe as 29-year-old Johnny Bradshaw of Tennessee.

Police said Bradshaw was staying at the Siesta Motel on 34th Street with Jack Roy Davis back in April of 1980, when they were both shot in the head.

According to a news release, suspect David Ann Thomas fatally shot her partner Kyle Watson (who was also a suspect) when they made it back to Knoxville, and before detectives could arrest the couple.

Police charged Thomas for being an accessory after the fact, as Thomas was the getaway driver in the St. Pete double homicide, according to the release.

She served prison time, but she has since passed away.

At the time of the crime, police said Davis was identified as a victim right away, but Bradshaw’s identity was unknown. In hopes of getting answers, detectives sent out an artist’s rendering of Bradshaw. They also circulated a photo of the Italian horn pendant he wore.

Detectives exhumed Bradshaw’s body in 2010, hoping to identify him, but to no avail.

Police said Othram Labs was able to develop a DNA profile from analyzing new bone samples sent from Cold Case Det. Wallace Pavelski. And through genealogy research over the next few years led Det. Pavelski to connecting with Bradshaw’s family members in Texas and California. Bradshaw had two living sisters who had been searching for him since 1980.

This identification completes St. Pete police’s cold case list.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Nick Sloan

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — A woman was seen trying to set fire to a south Kansas City warehouse on Thursday, the same site that had been proposed as a possible immigration detention center.

Video from our crew shows the woman igniting window areas at the building and flames briefly flaring up.

KMBC 9 reporter Andy Alcock said he witnessed the woman throw what appeared to be a liquid onto the windows before the fire started.

Grandview firefighters responded to the scene. No injuries were reported.

The warehouse has been the focus of protests and public concern after reports surfaced that it could be sold to the federal government for use as an ICE detention facility.

Platform Ventures says it is not moving forward with sale of I-49 property rumored to be ICE detention site The property’s owner, Platform Ventures, said Thursday it is no longer moving forward with any sale of the site to the U.S. government.

Kansas City police, as of Thursday night, said no arrests have been made. The Bomb and Arson Team were also on scene investigating.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Margaret Kavanagh

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    NORFOLK, Virginia (WTKR) — A man who spent more than two decades in prison for forcible sodomy is now facing new rape charges after allegedly targeting women by offering them rides in Norfolk, according to police records.

Christopher Custis, a registered sex offender, was arrested in September 2025 following two separate alleged attacks in Norfolk.

The first incident occurred in July 2024 when a woman told police she was at a BP gas station near Five Points in Norfolk.

According to a search warrant, a man approached her and offered her a ride to Park Place.

The warrant states that as they crossed Chesapeake Boulevard toward a bus stop, he allegedly put her in a chokehold and dragged her to a fenced area where she passed out and woke up to being raped.

DNA evidence was sent to a lab, and Custis was identified in a police lineup in January 2025.

In June 2025, another rape was reported with similar circumstances.

Records state a woman was walking away from school near Ruffin Street and Rugby Street when a man offered her a ride home due to the rain. After she got in the car, she allegedly felt the “cold point of a knife on her left temple.”

The warrant states he told her he would kill her if she screamed, then raped her before releasing her after she begged to be let go.

Additional DNA testing led to Custis’ arrest.

Crime analyst Richard Jame said the allegations in both cases show a similar pattern.

“This particular suspect has a similar MO, where he’s looking for a single woman, or a woman that’s by herself, that is not necessarily driving, but maybe a pedestrian. And then he offered them a ride, that’s his MO, and then once he gets them to the vehicle, that’s when the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde change. He has this explosive behavior, and then he starts the assault,” Jame said.

Court records show Custis was sentenced to 36 years for forcible sodomy in 1998, which put him on the sex offender registry. The Department of Corrections confirmed he was released from their custody in July 2021. It is unclear why he was let out early.

One man who lives near where one of the alleged assaults happened, expressed horror and anger about the incidents.

“I just really think it’s like mind blowing. I have nieces and I don’t want anything to happen to my nieces. I’m just sorry to hear this,” said the man, who only wanted to be identified by his first name, Curtis.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Ashleigh Quintana

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    PUEBLO, Colorado (KOAA) — Two officers with the Pueblo Police Department’s (PPD) Pueblo Metro Bomb Squad (PMBS) Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) have been injured during an ongoing criminal investigation.

According to the city, around 10:35 a.m. on Thursday, PMBS EOD technicians and para-technicians were in the evidence-processing phase of an ongoing criminal investigation in PPD’s bomb range.

During this investigation, an explosive that was seized by police for the criminal investigation detonated while the technicians were attempting to make the device safe and collect evidence for the case.

One officer suffered first and second-degree burns, and the second officer suffered first, second, and third-degree burns. They were immediately transported to receive medical care.

While the injuries are non-life-threatening, the officer with third-degree burns was transported to a Denver burn unit and remains in the hospital.

The other officer has been treated and released, and there were no additional injuries.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Erin Rosas

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    FRANKLIN COUNTY, Kentucky (WLEX) — A Franklin County grand jury has indicted three daycare workers on 30 criminal counts involving the abuse and strangulation of multiple children in their care, according to court documents filed February 10.

The indictment revealed that 48-year-old Constance Perry of Lawrenceburg faces the most serious charges, including seven counts of first-degree strangulation and 13 counts of first-degree criminal abuse of children 12 and under.

In addition, 62-year-old Jenny Weeks of Frankfort, and 38-year-old Lauren Owens of Frankfort are charged with facilitating strangulation and failing to report child abuse, the indictment reported.

On Friday Feb. 13, Perry entered a not guilty plea during an arraignment. Both Owens and Weeks are set to be arraigned next week.

LEX 18 News found that Weeks was listed as the registered agent for Great Beginnings Child Care, LLC in Frankfort on the Secretary of State’s website until Jan. 1.

The charges reportedly span incidents from June 2019 through January 2026, involving at least seven children identified by initials in the indictment. Perry is accused of strangling children by applying pressure to their throats or necks, or blocking their noses or mouths. All three defendants are charged with criminal abuse that allegedly caused serious physical injury or placed children in situations that could cause serious harm.

Weeks and Owens face additional charges for failing to report suspected child abuse to law enforcement or state authorities, despite having reasonable cause to believe children were being abused.

The indictment noted the alleged abuse occurred “in a continuing course of conduct, two or more times” within the specified time periods for each count.

Each defendant was assigned a $10,000 bail, and have now bonded out. Perry faces Class B and Class C felony charges, while Weeks and Owens face a combination of felony and misdemeanor charges.

LEX 18 News also discovered from the state’s childcare provider database that Great Beginnings Child Care, LLC is listed as being “monitored by the Division of Regulated Child Care (DRCC) for regulatory compliance. DRCC has initiated action against the license/certificate (Denial, Suspension, Revocation).”

In addition, LEX 18 obtained a Directed Plan of Correction Agreement from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services issued to Great Beginnings Child Care, following two complaint investigations.

The facility, the document read, must implement immediate corrective measures or face license revocation.

“The licensee, director, and/or staff in charge will assure the health, safety, and comfort of each child within care of the child care center,” the state order states.

Great Beginnings Child Care must create written policies regarding appropriate behavior management by Feb. 13. All staff members must receive copies of these policies, and newly hired employees will receive training upon hire, according to the document.

Further, the facility must also establish abuse and neglect reporting procedures. All staff working directly with children must complete three additional hours of training in health, safety, appropriate discipline techniques, and abuse reporting by March 9. The state will conduct more frequent inspections for at least three months to monitor compliance, the cabinet reported. Parents of children in care have been notified that the facility is operating under a directed plan of correction.

The agreement remains in effect until the facility satisfactorily fulfills all requirements or receives written notice from state regulators that the plan has been lifted. Failure to comply could result in license revocation.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.