A Pretrial conference was held Thursday in the first-degree murder trial of Joseph Ables, who is being tried for the first-degree murder of Highlands County Deputy Sheriff William Gentry in May of 2018. Assistant State Attorney Bonde Johnson presented a motion on the Williams rule, which allows evidence of a defendant’s prior bad acts to be admitted into the case. Judge Angela Cowden ruled that a portion of audio pointing to a motive would be admissible. The defense also moved to have certain portions of the interrogation suppressed after Ables requested a lawyer, which was granted after both sides agreed. The trial is set to begin September 16th.
A teenager is missing after going kayaking in Polk County. The sheriff’s office says Eagle Lake’s Aaron Tillman and a 19-year-old woman went kayaking yesterday afternoon on Lake McLeod. Deputies say the woman jumped into the water to swim and when she resurfaced, she noticed Tillman was struggling. He went under and never resurfaced. Deputies say the 18-year-old can’t swim and wasn’t wearing a life jacket. They’re not sure if Tillman jumped into the water or went in on his own. Sheriff Grady Judd says we’re going to look for him like he was one of our own relatives.
Lake County authorities are still searching for two potential kidnapping suspects after a second victim came forward. The sheriff’s office says deputies were conducting follow-up interviews regarding an attempted kidnapping of a 39-year-old woman in the Okahumpka area last week when they came across another victim. The woman told police that she was walking in the same area of County Road 48 when she was struck from behind by a weapon and sexually battered in nearby woods on August 8th. Investigators believe at least one of the same suspects is involved in both incidents.
Today is expected to be a busy one at Orlando International Airport. OIA officials expect this will be the busiest day of the Labor Day holiday weekend. Over 164-thousand passengers are expected to pass through the airport. That would be a one-and-a-half percent increase over last year. The airport’s Labor Day six-day travel period ends tomorrow.
Gators alum and San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is recovering after he was shot Saturday. Pearsall was shot in the chest shortly after 3:30 p.m. Saturday during an attempted robbery in San Francisco’s Union Square. Police say Pearsall struggled with his assailant before shots were fired. Pearsall is listed in serious, but stable condition. Charges are pending against the suspect, who is in custody.
A woman who grew up in Miami and made history when she was appointed to the Supreme Court is sharing her story. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has a new book called Lovely One. It’s due out tomorrow. The 53-year-old is the first Black woman on the court. She says being first is a sign of progress, but the goal is to be in a society where we’re no longer recognizing ‘firsts’ because it’s not necessary. Jackson credits her parents for her perseverance, and she says so much of success in life is believing you can do it. She also tells CBS News she wants to teach her daughters to dream big and follow through.
Former President Donald Trump says he backs a ballot proposal in Florida that would legalize the use of marijuana. Florida’s Amendment 3 would permit 25 companies licensed by the state to sell marijuana recreationally to adults and allow possession of up to three ounces. Trump took to his social network Truth Social Saturday morning saying whether people like it or not marijuana legalization "will happen." He also advocated the banning of marijuana use in public spaces. Amendment 3 is sponsored by Florida’s medical marijuana business, one of the biggest in the country, profiting two-billion-dollars a year.
Gas prices are unchanged today. Today’s national average on Labor Day is three-dollars and 33-cents a gallon. That’s down two cents from a week ago and nearly 50 cents cheaper than this time last year. California has the most expensive gas at four-65 a gallon while Mississippi has the cheapest at two-85.