Former Avon Park police officer Alberto Perez pleaded guilty Monday morning to charges of extortion and official misconduct. ...more

November 9, 2009

Members of the courtroom audience were completely silent as Judge Peter Estrada addressed Travis Kelton Hill III before formally sentencing him for DUI manslaughter on Monday. ...more

October 27, 2009

Price increases at prison snack shops have angered inmates and caused at least one reported case of violence at a Florida prison. ...more

April 24, 2009

Florida legislators begin their search Monday for areas to carve $2.3 billion from the current state budget during a two-week special session brought on by the economic crisis. ...more

January 4, 2009

Michael Rodriguez remembers the exhilaration of newfound freedom when he hid in the back of a stolen truck as he and six of his buddy convicts staged one of Texas' most notorious prison breaks. ...more

August 11, 2008

The five names were mostly unknown to the public and to one another before last week. Pravinkumar Patel and Dasharathbhai Patel. Juanita Luciano and Yvonne Bustamante. Brandon Greisman. ...more

December 15, 2007

Pravinkumar Patel and Dasrath Patel. Juanita Luciano and Yvonne Bustamante. Brandon Greisman. Five names. They were mostly unknown to the public and among themselves before last week. Now they're linked by one more name, Leon Davis Jr., who investigators say is the author of one of the worst crime sprees in recent Polk history. Polk Sheriff Grady Judd on Saturday said Davis used the same gun to kill the Patels execution-style during a Dec. 7 robbery that he used in the fiery robbery and shooting in Lake Wales on Thursday. They plan to seek first degree murder charges against Davis, Judd said. ...more

December 15, 2007

When it comes to treating substance abuse, Florida can pay now or pay later. In the quest to trim the state budget, lawmakers are gambling on later. ...more

October 17, 2007