Florida
‘You’re going to find your a– in handcuffs’: Florida sheriff has strong words amid rise in school threats
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – School threats are on the rise across the state and now one Florida sheriff is making a stern warning to kids and their parents.
Broward County has already seen nine students arrested for making violent threats to schools since August.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood was candid and direct as he spoke to the public about this ongoing problem.
“This is absolutely out of control and it ends now,” said Chitwood. “Since parents, you don’t want to raise your kids, I’m going to start raising them. You think it’s a joke, you’re going to find your ass in handcuffs.”
Chitwood was not holding back Friday when he warned parents and students alike about making threats against schools.
“For the little bastards out there who think its funny, ha, ha, ha, I’m going to get on social media,” Chitwood said. “You ain’t that smart, you an’t that smart. You’re getting caught.”
It’s a growing problem in Volusia County and around the state.
Chitwood said his office has received 207 tips about threats to schools already this school year.
In South Florida, a similar problem. On Wednesday. Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony and Broward Schools Superintendent Howard Hepburn announced the arrest of nine students for posting online threats.
“If you did an assessment of every time one of these pranks happens, we’re probably burning up about $50-60K for that operation,” said Tony. “That’s serious folks.”
Those ultimately fake threats mentioned six locations, including the Broward County School Board offices.
“It can change the trajectory of their life, often ending up in arrest and expulsion from our schools,” said Hepburn.
Florida strengthened its penalties for making threats in 2018, making it easier to charge those making the posts with felonies.
“Go talk to the families who have lost a loved one in a school shooting,” said Chitwood. “These little knuckleheads think it’s funny, go talk to those parents.”
All of those arrests in Broward County were students between the ages of 11 and 14.
All of those threats were posted online or in text messages, and all of those kids now facing possible jail time.
Copyright 2024 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.
DADE CITY, Fla. – Looking for a winter wonderland that isn’t too far from home? Snowcat Ridge in Dade City officially opens for the season on Friday.
Despite the state’s tropical landscape, Snowcat Ridge brings a unique alpine snow park and gives visitors a chance to experience snow and winter activities without leaving Florida.
The park’s centerpiece is a massive 60-foot-tall snow tubing hill with runs extending up to 400 feet, where families can zoom down on tubes while surrounded by snow.
READ: Top destinations people dream of traveling to for the holidays
“So this year, what we really wanted to do was focus on what people said they enjoy most—the Christmas aspects of the park. So I said, ‘okay, let’s really do the Christmas thing,’” said Winston McDaniel with Snowcat Ridge.
Guests can also build snowmen, create snow angels and engage in snowball play inside the park’s 10,000-square-foot Arctic Igloo. The facility also has cutting edge snow-making technology to maintain snowy conditions.
There’s also a cozy lodge for guests to grab hot chocolate and winter treats.
“It’s just about really doubling down on what it means to spend family time here at Christmas,” said McDaniel.
MORE: After 112 years, ‘Operation Santa’ still accepting letters
In the evening, the slopes at Snowcat Ridge transform into a colorful LED light display, illuminating the snow and creating an unforgettable atmosphere for guests.
For more information on the park and its hours of operation, visit snowcatridge.com.
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Florida
‘I feel like Bin Laden,’ Florida man arrested by FBI for planning to bomb NYSE to 'reboot' US government
A Florida man has been arrested and charged in connection with a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange in an effort to “reboot” the US government, according to the FBI.
Harun Abdul-Malik Yener, 30, from Coral Springs, Florida, was charged with attempting to use an explosive device to damage or destroy a building involved in interstate commerce.
The FBI began investigating Yener in February after receiving a tip that he was storing materials related to bomb-making in a storage unit. Agents searched the area after obtaining a search warrant. They found “bomb-making sketches, numerous watches with timers electronic circuit boards and other electronics that can be utilised to build bombs.
According to the FBI, Yener had also been conducting online searches about bomb-making since 2017.
In March, Yener admitted to authorities during questioning that he had knowledge of making “rockets” and “bombs” and had previously tried to join a “domestic extremist group.” He also revealed that in 2015, he had considered travelling to Iraq to join ISIS but ultimately decided against it because he doubted the group’s ability to meet its objectives.
Yener allegedly told undercover FBI agents that he planned to detonate the bomb during the week before Thanksgiving, targeting the New York Stock Exchange in lower Manhattan. Court documents state that his goal was to “reboot” the US government.
‘I feel like Bin Laden’
“There is one place that would be hella easy… the stock exchange, that would be a great hit. Tons of people would support it. They would see it and think dude, this guy makes sense, they are [profanity] robbing us. So that’s perfect,” he told the agent.
“I feel like Bin Laden,” he told the undercover agent.
Weeks before his arrest, Yener had modified two-way radios to function as remote triggers for explosives. He also planned to wear a disguise while planting the device, according to court filings.
Yener appeared in court on Wednesday afternoon, where it was decided he would remain in custody while awaiting trial.
(With inputs from agencies)
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