Florida "Santa Claus" arrested in undercover child sex sting, sheriff says
Thomas Hicks, 68, of Lakeland, faces numerous charges including human trafficking and using a computer to seduce a child.
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Thomas Hicks, 68, of Lakeland, faces numerous charges including human trafficking and using a computer to seduce a child.
Investigators allege that in early March, Nikol Marie Rodriguez hurt the boy, who has autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, according to an arrest report.
Police say Lucianny Lizbeth Luna attacked her 12-year-old son after he interrupted a phone call with a man he believed she was cheating with.
Melirose Joncky, 42, was arrested after a school counselor called police when the second grader arrived at class with visible injuries.
Former state Sen. Lauren Book launched her 11th annual statewide walk, encouraging survivors to share their stories amid renewed attention on the Epstein case.
Federal prosecutors say the former Sabinal High School coach contacted a 14‑year‑old Florida boy on Snapchat and sent explicit images before his arrest in 2025.
Joel Kohnert, 44, a BSO Fire Rescue lieutenant hired in 2010, and his wife, Jennifer Kohnert, face charges.
A man from India, a former Disney employee and a school bus driver were along those who were arrested.
Police say Daniel Spencer abused and killed 5-year-old Melissa "Missy" Mogle in 2025 while he was out on bail.
The office issued a subpoena for information relating to the marketing of children, enforcing age-verification requirements, content moderation, parental control features, and reporting of exploitative activity, according to the press release.
The Volusia Sheriff's Office said there were several videos that were discovered during the investigation that showed the abuse and torture of the 5-year-old boy.
Elizabeth Garcia, Mason's maternal grandmother, is now caring for his two younger siblings. She used the tragedy to advocate for greater legal rights for grandparents to intervene in situations involving a child's safety.
Kelly Michel, 27, appeared in bond court after her arrest on one count of child abuse without great bodily harm.
Police have announced that the boy, who was also non-verbal, died from his injuries after police say his mom's on-again off-again boyfriend beat him until he went into cardiac arrest last month.
The woman's attorney alleged that the state wanted to hold her client behind bars so she could be a witness against the man accused of beating her son.
A judge has ordered that actor Timothy Busfield be released from jail during a detention hearing on child sex abuse charges.
Timothy Busfield is known for appearances in "The West Wing," "Field of Dreams" and "Thirtysomething."
The victim's mother reported the incident to Hialeah police on Oct. 11, according to the arrest report.
A 52-year-old day care director in Hialeah struck a 3-year-old boy on his left thigh with an open hand while changing his diaper, leaving a visible handprint, according to Hialeah Police.
Adolfo Eusebio Cotarelo was taken into custody on a child abuse charge following what investigators described as an "inappropriate conversation" with the student.
The arrest report did not name the house of worship, but said the incident occurred Sunday, Oct. 5, at approximately 1 p.m. prior to a service.
Jamir Clarke, 29, a Blanche Ely High School assistant football coach, faces four counts of child abuse. He walked out of jail Thursday afternoon.
According to BSO, just before 4:20 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22, deputies responded to a battery report at Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach.
A man who was caught on surveillance video abusing his 2½-year-old daughter at a Sunny Isles Beach condo back in May has changed his plea to guilty. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail.
In addition to the 90-day sentence, Sevastianov faces two years of community control, five years of probation and must complete anger management and parenting courses.
Adley Rutschman had a go-ahead, pinch-hit single and Leody Taveras followed with a run-scoring single in the ninth inning to lift the Baltimore Orioles past the Miami Marlins 9-7 on Tuesday night, snapping a five-game skid.
Authorities say the posts crossed the line from online outrage to federal charges.
A proposed 245-acre project outside an urban development boundary is drawing environmental concerns and political pushback.
Police released surveillance video after nine vehicles were burglarized at Pembroke Villas Apartments, urging residents to help identify the suspects.
Broward County School Board has approved a plan to allocate nearly $300 million from a proposed 2026 operating referendum to help raise teacher and staff salaries.
Adley Rutschman had a go-ahead, pinch-hit single and Leody Taveras followed with a run-scoring single in the ninth inning to lift the Baltimore Orioles past the Miami Marlins 9-7 on Tuesday night, snapping a five-game skid.
Authorities say the posts crossed the line from online outrage to federal charges.
A proposed 245-acre project outside an urban development boundary is drawing environmental concerns and political pushback.
Police released surveillance video after nine vehicles were burglarized at Pembroke Villas Apartments, urging residents to help identify the suspects.
Broward County School Board has approved a plan to allocate nearly $300 million from a proposed 2026 operating referendum to help raise teacher and staff salaries.
In courtroom testimony, Shandelle Maycock recounted the harrowing night her daughter was abandoned in the Everglades, describing the horrors they endured.
A former prison guard trainee has been sentenced to death for the 2019 execution-style killings of five women inside a Florida bank.
Florida coach Billy Napier is getting a fourth season to try to get the Gators back to their winning ways.
A Florida man has filed a federal lawsuit against Jacksonville sheriff's officers who severely beat him last year after he ran from a traffic stop.
The Marion County Sheriff's deputy told authorities that he accidentally shot and killed his girlfriend while cleaning his gun.
Iranian vessels fired on U.S. ships guiding vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in the U.S. sinking several small Iranian boats.
The U.S. military says it launched another strike on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea, killing two people, as the number of recent strikes continues to ramp up.
Two U.S. Navy destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Persian Gulf after navigating an Iranian barrage, according to defense officials.
A federal appeals court blocked a FDA rule that allowed the abortion pill mifepristone to be dispensed through the mail.
The incident occurred one week after shots were fired during the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C., and Mr. Trump was rushed off the dais.
In an interview on Facing South Florida, Wasserman Schultz said the Governor's efforts to redraw the maps will almost certainly violate the Fair Districts constitutional amendment voters in Florida passed in 2010.
Several commissioners have raised questions about how the center would be funded in future years.
The center – which was promised to voters back in 2004 – would take mentally ill individuals out of the jail and move them into a place where they can receive comprehensive treatment and support.
Luna said she expects Florida Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick to be the next member who either resigns or gets expelled.
Uthmeier was asked several times during a press conference in Miami this week if he had formally requested the judge overseeing the grand jury to keep the findings secret.
Seventy-three percent of Americans say delays and denials of medical treatment by healthcare insurers are a major problem. Now, a company called Sheer Health says they will fight insurance battles on behalf of their clients.
An unlicensed cosmetologist from Florida has been found guilty in a California court for providing an injection that killed a model who was known as a Kim Kardashian lookalike, prosecutors said.
Food containing norovirus may smell and taste normal but still cause serious illness if consumed, FDA warns.
HHS Secretary RFK Jr. wants the popular coffee chains to prove their surgery drinks are safe for teens and suggested the Trump administration could place limits on your cup of coffee.
Tests of dozens of baby formulas by Consumer Reports found that nearly half contained potentially dangerous chemicals.
AARP is sounding the alarm because it is so easy to fall for these schemes, but there are simple things everyone can do to protect themselves.
A lawsuit filed late last month took Chicago-based McDonald's to task over the McRib sandwich, calling its name a form of false advertising.
Florida insurance policyholders could be seeing some form of relief in their wallets thanks to market reforms made statewide, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
The company said Tuesday that 85% of its retail products and "nearly all" of its school offerings are already made without "certified colors."
Less than two days after Delta Air Lines offered $30,000 to each passenger on board the flight that crashed and flipped in Toronto on Monday afternoon, the company is facing its first two lawsuits in the incident — and they likely won't be the last.
A trial in the lawsuit between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni was set to begin later in May.
The performance followed similar shows by Madonna in 2024 and Lady Gaga last year on one of the world's most iconic waterfronts.
Attending this year's Kentucky Derby meant more for thoroughbred expert Mark Toothaker, who suffered a seizure from laughing at a whiffed NFL field goal attempt that led to a lifesaving diagnosis.
David Allan Coe also had hits with "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" and "The Ride" among others.
Jake was at the funeral for one of his closest friends when he learned of his parents' deaths, he said.