WAFC Local News – April 06, 2026, 8:32 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. A Henry County man was found not guilty by reason of insanity in an attempted homicide case. 33-year-old Derek Weber of LaBelle shot at a parked police vehicle from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on April 13, 2024. He also cut the tires. He denied those accusations and reports of a dispute over burning in his backyard with an off-duty deputy. Weber is an Air Force veteran. He was accused of driving his minivan into the closed garage of the off-duty deputy and shooting at the deputy. The deputy then returned fire on an early Sunday morning. Weber later claimed the deputy had fired first and he was defending himself. The property damage to the home estimated to be over $10,000. The charges also included armed burglary to an occupied dwelling, felony criminal mischief, discharge of a firearm from a vehicle, and shooting a deadly missile into an occupied dwelling, aggravated assault with a firearm, and use of a firearm during commission of a felony. All these charges will be dropped as he is found not guilty by reason of insanity. No one was injured in the incident. Weber was sentenced to outpatient treatment with the VA hospital on West Palm Beach, according to court records. He was to be released as of last week. He cannot possess and or own firearms. Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marcino says his deputies have to put up with enough on duty, including life-threatening dangers, but not off-duty like this, condemning the actions of Weber when they occurred. This is pure evil, to drive through somebody’s house, your safe place, and just start firing away with a 9mm handgun. That’s pure evil and you can’t kill evil enough. City of Moorhaven fighting an invoice from their Christmas lights vendor. Clerk Ashley Wills says they did a poor job with lights this year. They came in the middle of the night, hung lights in the wrong place, and used lights that weren’t working. The company has agreed to reduce the price some. Wills, again, not happy with the Christmas lights offender. I’ve been back and forth with them. They did do a discount on the invoice. So if we do end up having to pay for it, it’s not full price, but I’m trying to fight the whole invoice. Palm Beach County School Board member Marcia Andrews praised the Weiss Construction Academy at Seminole Ridge High School for their program this year. They have now built 12 homes for Habitat for Humanity. Many of the new homes are in the Glades region. One will be dedicated soon in South Bay. Andrews says students continue to build houses that are top quality. No other place in Palm Beach County, in the state of Florida, and probably across the country that can build houses for Habitat for Humanity, the 12th house that will be dedicated shortly. The Henry County School Board honored Lisa Funderburg, who retired after 33 years of service. She had been a paraprofessional at Central Elementary School. Citations written in school zones have been steady since the cameras were installed. Lieutenant Christy Archer of the Sheriff’s Office says they have not been much of a deterrent. So far, $77,000 has been collected for violations. Superintendent Michael Swindle says they’re okay with having flashing signs. The whole purpose of this is to increase safety in those school zones. And we’re generating so far $77,000, right? Yes. And so I would be okay with helping buy, you know, those said signs. Because at the end of the day, that’s reinvesting it and making it safer. The board expressed surprise as the City of Clewiston Commission voted unanimously to oppose school bus cameras in the city limits. The district recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new LaBelle High School. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).