WAFC Local News – June 29, 2026, 8:06 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. The Florida Highway Patrol investigating a fatal hit and run involving a pedestrian at US 27 and Francisco Street. It happened Sunday morning around 2 a.m. The victim was a male. They have not positively identified him. The Florida Highway Patrol believes it’s a white truck that struck the pedestrian. Clewiston City excited about having fireworks this July 4th on the Lake Oogachobee levee. They’re also working to update their comprehensive plan. Mollie Gardner wants to see more commercial uses in the city. I mean I’d love to see new businesses come in, new jobs created, but also want to see, you know, I don’t want to see what’s happening in some other local towns that I’ve read about lately where businesses are closing because there’s not, I’m not sure exactly why the economic situation, but to me that should be our, is to help our local businesses. The city also has been looking for a new finance manager. Randy Maxson agreed to leave the city when a replacement is found. The Belle Glade Commission supported doing something about the old Glades Hospital property as accrued $120,000 in code enforcement liens. Commissioner Tequila Collins thinks the hospital land could be of some use. I totally agree and that property, we could utilize it for something very, very meaningful. The commission would like to see it demolished. City Manager Lomax Harrow and Palm Beach County Mayor Sarah Baxter have met and she has offered the county support. Glades County continues to discuss impact fees. They could be between $11,000 and $14,000. There is some concern about the costs. Engineer Steve Dobbs says impact fees will not kill growth. Somebody’s going to pay for these impacts. Either it’s the new people coming in or it’s the people that are here. School board person Crystal Drake says the school board supports impact fees. The school board is very much in favor of impact fees. I think you all know we’re in a financial crisis right now. Among arrests, 32-year-old Elizabeth Torres Mendez, arrested in a case of interference with child custody last month, is now facing charges of sexual activity unlawfully with a victim 16 years old. The suspect is 32. A 30-year-old LaBelle man, Marvin Molina Castro, was charged with eliciting sexual battery of a minor. He alleged he made improper advances and improper touching of a minor in June. A LaBelle man was returned to Hendry County Jail last week for charges he confined a child under 13 without consent of a parent. It dated back to November 2024 and led to an Amber Alert in DeSoto County where he was arrested. Ralph Garvin reportedly did not want to get out of a vehicle on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in LaBelle on November 27th. When the driver got out, he suddenly ran into the driver’s seat and drove off in the SUV with two children inside. Charges in Hendry County also include theft of a motor vehicle and failure to appear in court. And the suspect was walking westbound on Evans Road, fully drenched in sweat, matching the description of the suspect. When questioned by deputies, he said he had dropped off a vehicle at a friend’s house for repairs. The complainant says that San Marty had broken, had struck the window multiple times with a red object. They were having a party at the home when he started to act erratic, use profanity and caused a disturbance. He was told to leave. It’s believed he was armed with a power drill. The damaged window would probably cost $2,500 to repair. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).