WAFC Local News – December 10, 2025, 8:32 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. The Clewiston Fire Department honored their retiring chief, Travis Reese, and welcomed the new fire chief, Kevin McCarthy. It was held at a pinning ceremony. Reese is retiring after leading the fire department for seven years. He also served several other positions for the city. He was called a leader whose dedication and integrity left a lasting mark on every firefighter, staff member, and every corner of the community. He was also called a mentor, a brother, a steady hand in tough moments, and the kind of leader who always put his crew and community first. Chief Kevin McCarthy was introduced as the new chief. The fire department says they look forward to the leadership, experience, and dedication McCarthy brings as he steps into his new role. A drug trafficking arrest in Hendry County. 21-year-old Sorrell Renville is facing charges after a traffic stop on US 27 near the Glades-Hendry County line. The deputy reports that he could observe smoke coming from the vehicle and noticed a strong odor of marijuana. He noted the driver had a nervous demeanor. They brought in a sheriff’s canine to sniff for narcotics, and Sorrell admitted he had an eighth of marijuana. Deputies began a search and found one gram of marijuana, and they found 13.8 grams of marijuana in another package. The marijuana was later field tested and yielded a positive result for fentanyl. They found $19,000 in cash in the vehicle. There were four people in the vehicle and had just picked up a person from the prison in DeSoto County who had been released. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office gang unit verified that all four of the individuals in the vehicle were members of the Only the Zoes gang or the O-T-Z. Congressman Scott Franklin has sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture urging them to help Florida agriculture, especially specialty crops. He says higher input costs, higher labor costs, labor shortages, losses due to hurricanes have all hurt farmers in recent years. He says the Florida delegation is united to get federal help. I led a bipartisan letter that’s got a bunch of the Florida members on it. You’ll probably see that coming out. And then Cat we partnered on this and Cat out of Ocala area at Gainesville did a letter regarding timber. That’s a major issue in North Florida that’s being left out. So we’re trying to, you know, stay on the USDA’s radar screen. Crops mentioned include citrus, tomatoes, bell peppers, blueberries, and ornamental plants. He says the USDA has done a good job protecting the beef industry with screw worm protections and precautions. It is making its way north again. We cannot allow that to get into our herds because it’s absolutely devastating. So the response so far I’m pleased with, but it’s something we’re watching very closely. Henry County Sheriff’s Deputies say they interrupted a street racing in Ofelda. They arrest 25-year-old Yariel Gonzalez-Sosa. It happens in the area of Church Road. Deputies say they’ve had multiple calls in reference to street racing and street takeover events in the same spot in the past few months. They chased after the suspect at speeds of over 100 miles an hour. The chase lasted about two miles. Deputies did seize the Mustang the suspect was driving. Charges include fleeing and attempting to elude police. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).