Tag: monroe county

Florida Keys defendant spit on two prosecutors, Monroe Sheriff’s Office says

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A Monroe County jail inmate spit on two prosecutors during a hearing in the Florida Keys Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, according to the sheriff’s office.

A defendant attacked two Florida Keys prosecutors during a hearing Friday, spitting on them as court deputies restrained him, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Scott David Alan Hedger, 45, was attending a hearing around 11:30 a.m. in which Chief Assistant State Attorney Joseph Mansfield was making an argument against his attorney’s motion to reduce his prison sentence for a probation violation.

Hedger became angry and lunged at Mansfield and Assistant State Attorney Melissa Simons, said Adam Linhardt, a sheriff’s office spokesman.

As deputies gained control over him, he still managed to spit on the attorneys, Linhardt said.

Hedger is now in county jail on two counts of battery, but he has bigger issues. The hearing was about him violating his probation on a charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury, a case in which he was originally charged with several more serious counts, including attempted murder.

He’s accused of dragging his ex-girlfriend with his pickup truck down a Tavernier street in September 2021. The woman was so badly injured, her leg bone was exposed when deputies arrived, according to his arrest report.

Scott David Alan Hedger Monroe County Sheriff’s Office

Hedger ended up pleading guilty to the charge of leaving the scene of an accident and served seven months in prison, with time served for 35 months he spent in county jail. Mansfield said the reason prosecutors agreed to the plea agreement is because the ex-girlfriend was too afraid of Hedger to testify against him.

His sentence began in September 2024 and was released at the end of February.

Although out of prison, Hedger still had four years of probation left on his sentence. One of the terms of probation was not to contact his ex-girlfriend.

But, within two days of being released on Feb. 24, Hedger called the woman 12 times from a bar in West Palm Beach, court documents reveal.

On Sept. 26, Monroe County Judge James. W. Morgan sentenced Hedger to 10 years in state prison for the parole violation. On Friday, Mansfield was arguing against Hedger’s attorney’s motion to reduce the sentence when he and his colleague were attacked.

David Goodhue

Miami Herald

David Goodhue covers the Florida Keys and South Florida for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald. Before joining the Herald, he covered Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware.

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David Goodhue

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October 26, 2025
Bloomington Economic Development Corp. ready for 40 more years of economic growth

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This month, the Bloomington Economic Development Corp. (BEDC) celebrates 40 years of advancing economic vitality across Monroe County, Bloomington and Ellettsville. Since 1985, our work has been about more than announcements and headlines. It has been about the steady, often behind-the-scenes efforts that shape the foundation of our community’s prosperity.

Monroe County has seen commitments of over 900 new jobs and more than $1 billion in capital investments through 11 BEDC-supported projects since 2020 alone. These numbers are not abstract statistics. They represent higher wages for our residents, new opportunities for local businesses and greater local tax revenue to support essential services.

We recently had a strong reminder of economic development’s impact. In August, Simtra BioPharma Solutions announced a $241 million investment to redevelop the former GE manufacturing plant it purchased from Cook Group — a project supported by the BEDC. Projects like Simtra’s not only grow a global life sciences company; they also advance the broader ecosystem that makes Monroe County a hub for innovation. Each new manufacturing line that Simtra develops will represent about 90 new jobs with annual compensation averaging $70,000, significantly above the county’s median household income.

Latest investment: Pharma firm buys 65-acre Bloomington property from Cook Group

When companies grow here, they help our community address key needs like sustainable wages and rising costs. Their projects spark positive ripple effects — from redeveloping old industrial sites to improving infrastructure and increasing community revenue.

These results aren’t accidental. The BEDC works to grow key industries and attract complementary businesses that raise wages and drive innovation, including life sciences, advanced manufacturing, defense, tech, and others. This helps our region stay competitive, resilient and prosperous.

Much of the BEDC’s work happens behind the scenes. We connect businesses with resources, inform development policy, support housing and infrastructure and serve over 100 members and partners who employ local residents. This shapes today’s decisions and tomorrow’s opportunities.

Economic development requires strong collaboration. The BEDC partners with companies, governments, property owners, utilities, education and workforce groups, and local businesses to support job growth and new investments.

This work also requires a proactive strategy for business retention, expansion and attraction. Our new Blueprint for the BOLD initiative is a vision and toolkit to market employment sites, track progress and position the community for future growth.

As we mark 40 years, we invite the community to take pride in our shared progress, including past challenges that led to new opportunities. Projects like Simtra’s expansion and the redevelopment of former Otis Elevator and Thomson Consumer Electronics sites are now home to employers including Novo Nordisk, PHOENIX and Almvoy.

The question isn’t if Monroe County will grow, but how we’ll guide it. We must stay ahead of industry shifts, support quality jobs, and align housing and quality of life with smart growth. This fall, our work will be more visible, with billboards highlighting BEDC’s impact. Once called the best kept secret, we’re now putting economic development front and center.

As we look ahead, our message is don’t miss out on the next 40 years. At BEDC, we’re committed. The next 40 years are ours to shape — boldly and together. Contact Stacie Marotta at the BEDC to learn how you can support this mission and get involved. Together, we can ensure Monroe County continues to be a place where innovation and community prosperity thrive.

Jennifer Pearl is president and Stacie Marotta is communications and membership director of Bloomington Economic Development Corp.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington Economic Development Corp 40th year of success more growth

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September 4, 2025
Plans for Monroe County’s new jail and justice center are out. Here’s what we know.

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After years of talk and not much action, Monroe County officials are reviewing architectural renderings, square footage and cost estimates for a long-proposed justice center for a new jail and related offices.

Architect renderings showing the proposed Monroe County justice center, which will contain a new jail, courtrooms and justice-related offices including the prosecutor, public defender, probation and county clerk.

The cost to taxpayers? About $225 million for a 237,161-square-foot, 3-level structure to be built on property at the Ind. 46 junction with Hunter Valley Road, just west of Bloomington.

The proposed justice center will contain a 404-bed jail, courtrooms and offices for the sheriff, courts, prosecutor, public defender, probation, community corrections and county clerk departments.

An overhead rendering of the proposed Monroe County justice center.

An alternative and more expensive option would add 96 jail beds and an inmate discharge resource center — and 5,000 square feet — to the complex. Expanding the jail to 500 beds would cost an additional $5 million, and a resource center for inmates being released would add another $900,000 to the cost.

The size of the new jail has been a point of contention between county council members, the commissioners and the sheriff. The 404 beds in the primary plan breaks the number down to 296 for general population prisoners, 60 for those needing medical or mental health care, 20 for short-term prisoner stays and 28 for inmate workers.

The jail portion of the proposed Monroe County justice center.

In October 2024, despite pushback from Ellettsville officials and others who oppose the jail being built on what’s called the North Park property just off Ind. 46, all three country commissioners voted to purchase the 52 acres for the justice center. The land cost $11.4 million, about $219,000 an acre.

The area had long been eyed for commercial and residential development.

If the proposed schedule is followed, bonds to finance the project would be sold this coming January and construction would begin in October 2026. The move-in date is set for June 2029, about four years from now.

Architect renderings showing the proposed Monroe County justice center, which will contain a new jail, courtrooms and justice-related offices including the prosecutor, public defender, probation and county clerk.

An illustration of the planned Monroe County justice center.

Design drawings show scale

These drawings from jail design firm DLZ, which the county hired to plan and oversee the project, depict the proposed building outlines from above and from the east, west, north and south.

An aerial view of the proposed Monroe County justice center.

An image depicting the proposed Monroe County justice center from the east and west,

The proposed Monroe County justice center shown from the north and south.

Public meeting set to unveil plans

Details about the proposal will be presented to the public during a special Monroe County Council work session scheduled for Friday, Aug. 29, at 11:30 a.m.

The session will be in the third-floor meeting room at the courthouse. Those unable to attend in person can watch on Microsoft Teams. The link is here: County Council special work session – State of Indiana

Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: What we know about Monroe County plan for new jail and justice center

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August 27, 2025
Florida Keys residents, business owners brace for Potential Tropical Cyclone Four

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KEY WEST, Fla. – Preparations are underway in the Florida Keys as residents brace for the possible impact of Potential Tropical Cyclone Four.

Lynne Orloff at Florida Bay Outfitters in Key Largo says all her merchandise will be going to higher ground ahead of the heavy rain maker which could turn severe.

“It seems like a lot of people are pulling their boats out today, soaking up the last bit of good weather before we get the storm,” she said.

Out on the water, many boaters could already tell due to the choppy conditions.

Up north, from Tampa to Tallahassee, many say they’re ready for whatever the storm may bring.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has already declared a state of emergency ahead of the weather event forecasted for this weekend.

“Right now people should probably be focusing more on where do I need to stay if I need to evacuate,” said Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie.

State officials also stressed that people should prepare in case of a possible insurance claim.

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis recommended taking pictures before the storm arrives.

“Now you have photographic evidence before the storm hits of what your house looked like on the inside and the outside,” he said.

Copyright 2024 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.

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Christian De La Rosa

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August 2, 2024
Cleveland Browns player arrested for DUI after driving into Key West restaurant, police say

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KEY WEST, Fla. – Cleveland Browns defensive end Lonnie Phelps is facing a drunken driving charge in South Florida after police said he slammed an SUV into a Key West restaurant Wednesday night.

Phelps, of Cincinnati, was booked into the Monroe County jail just after 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, according to online records.

According to the Key West Police Department, the 23-year-old drove into the Red Shoe Island Bistro at 411 Petronia St. just before 9 p.m. He had a woman with him in the Hyundai Tucson at the time, authorities said.

A post on the KWPD Facebook page states the “building and the vehicle were significantly damaged, but there were no injuries.”

A photo shared in the post shows a large hole in the side of the eatery. Red Shoe Island Bistro posted a video showing the aftermath to its own Facebook page.

“No one was hurt by the car that drove into our restaurant tonight. Thankfully, we were closed,” the post reads. “It could’ve been really bad…Angels were looking out for us all.”

According to an arrest report, both Phelps and the woman he was with appeared to be intoxicated. Witnesses said the two got into an argument after the crash, police wrote.

KWPD Officer Andrea Bernatova wrote in the report that Phelps was “very agitated” and had “glassy, watery, blood-shot eyes, droopy eyelids, and a strong odor of alcohol coming from his breath.”

She said the NFL player “kept throwing his hands in the air and rushing us to ‘do what we have to do’” and, at one point, “turned around, placing his hands behind his back without any direction to do so.”

Police said he was uncooperative as they questioned him about the crash.

“When I asked Phelps if he could tell us how the crash happened, he said it happened and asked what does he have to pay for. I asked Phelps where he was driving from and he said ‘right in front of it,’” Bernatova wrote. “I re-asked the questions four times in a different way and Phelps always answered, “right in front of it”. Phelps also asked me what did he crash into.”

He later told an officer “he wants to pay for whatever damages he needs to pay for and be done with it” and “kept rambling about his credit card,” police said.

During an attempt to get Phelps to complete field sobriety tests, he told the officer she “was tripping,” at one point telling the officer, “Just put the tape down so I can walk the line like a concussion test,” the report states.

During that test, Phelps claimed he “cannot count” and eventually “performed a casual stroll next to the line not even resembling what I instructed him to do,” Bernatova wrote.

The uncooperative football player was later placed under arrest.

“Phelps talked about how thirsty he was, how he did not know what I was going to do to him because females are the worst, asked me not to kill him, asked me how long it takes to bail out, how long I was a detective, and informed me I was Russian,” Bertnova wrote.

During a breathalyzer test, Phelps asked to go to the bathroom, police said.

Bernatova wrote that she told him he could use the bathroom after the diagnostic was complete but he insisted he had to “go now.”

“Phelps said, ‘I’m peeing, bro,’ and he did,” she wrote.

Bernatova said Phelps, after urinating himself, declined to provide a breath sample.

Phelps remained in the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Key West jail facility as of around noon Thursday, online records show.

He’s facing a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence causing property damage.

Phelps was signed by the Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2023 after playing college football for Ohio’s Miami University and the University of Kansas.

He has been on the team’s practice squad and hasn’t yet appeared in a regular-season game.

Copyright 2024 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.

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Janine Stanwood, Chris Gothner

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June 20, 2024
Memorial Day weekend in South Florida: T-storm risk increases late Saturday afternoon, heat dome affects Sunday-Monday
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PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Areas of South Florida are at risk for afternoon thunderstorms on Saturday afternoon and a heat dome will affect temperatures on Sunday.

The forecast includes a few strong afternoon thunderstorms capable of producing strong wind gusts and small hail. The risk increases after 2 p.m.

The temperature is forecast to peak at 94 degrees with a heat index in the low 100s on Saturday. A heat dome will raise temperatures on Sunday and Monday.

For travelers during this busy weekend, severe weather disruptions are likely in northern Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Kansas. There were tornadoes in Iowa and Illinois on Friday.

For those staying home, The Weather Authority’s local live radar, the hour-to-hour and 10-day forecasts are available on this page.

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Copyright 2024 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.

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Brandon Orr, Andrea Torres

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May 25, 2024
Detailed look at first rescue of endangered sawfish after dozens mysteriously die
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CUDJOE KEY, Fla. – It was a critical rescue for a critically endangered animal.

On Saturday, FWC agents were joined by staff from MOTE Marine Lab to evaluate a distressed smalltooth sawfish swimming in circles in Cudjoe Bay. The teams quickly arrived to aid the animal after witnesses called into the FWC hotline.

“The decision was made, to go ahead and attempt the rescue…and it was done,” explained Michael Crosby, MOTE President and CEO.

The monumental decision meant that the 11-foot male sawfish became the first to be rescued just less than a week after an unprecedented operation was launched by these agencies in partnership with NOAA.

“There have been multiple responses,” Crosby said. “But this is the first time that an animal was rescued.”

The effort was dangerous, but dire.

“You’re trying to protect everyone from that rostrum as you have a distressed animal,” Crosby explained. “So it takes a lot of hands coming at the first from different directions in order to stabilize the fish.”

Once stabilized, it was carefully transported by boat to the MOTE Research Center in Summerland Key. That’s where trained veterinarians immediately began care, staying with the animal in the tank for 24 hours.

“We were giving it fluids, lipids, trying to strengthen the animal as best as possible to stabilize it,” he added.

Once veterinarians and FWC biologists deemed that it was responding well, the decision was made to move the sawfish to a bigger MOTE facility in Sarasota. Video provided to Local 10 News from Thursday shows the animal being loaded into a tank on a special trailer provided by Ripley’s Aquarium for transport.

“It’s like you take it from an intensive care unit to a critical care unit,” detailed Crosby. “In this new facility, this animal is swimming, it is appearing in relatively reasonably stable condition.”

“For me this is a cautionary happy story,” he added.

This first successful rescue and rehabilitation is a glimmer of hope amid a sea of uncertainty for the sawfish. It’s part of an all-hands effort that began after dozens of critically endangered species began washing dead, mostly in the Lower Keys.

That’s in addition to the more than 150 other eyewitness reports of sawfish seen swimming erratically and distressed, from Key West to the Boynton Beach Inlet.

“Obviously, this is step one in a much larger issue,” underscored Adam Brame, NOAA Sawfish Recovery Coordinator. “We don’t know what is affecting these fish… but this is certainly a nice step in the right direction.”

“And we’re super excited about the progress to date,” he added.

As of Wednesday, 38 total sawfish have been reported dead according to FWC. This as more than 70 other species of fish have also been documented behaving bizarrely.

What’s causing these animals to spin and thrash? Well, scientists are still pretty stumped.

“It doesn’t seem to be letting up,” said Dean Grubbs, sawfish expert and Associate Director of Research at FSU. “And we still don’t know what the cause is.”

Meanwhile, this sawfish might just get a second chance.

“We’re ready, willing, and able to support it in its rehabilitation process for as long as it takes until we can get this animal back into the wild,” said Crosby. “That’s our goal”

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Report sightings of healthy, sick, injured or dead sawfish to FWC’s Sawfish Hotline. Include date, time and location of the encounter, estimated length, water depth and any other relevant details.
- 1-844-4SAWFISH (1-844-472-9347)
Report sightings of abnormal fish behavior, fish disease, or fish kills to FWC’s Fish Kill Hotline.
- Submit a fish kill report
- Call 800-636-0511
Copyright 2024 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.

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Louis Aguirre, Anastasia Pavlinskaya Brenman

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April 12, 2024
PSP: Monroe Co. man fired illegal firearm inside sister’s house, marijuana seized | Poconos and Coal Region – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

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SMITHFIELD TWP., Pa. — A 69-year-old Monroe County man was arrested Wednesday after firing a gun he could not legally carry inside his sister’s residence, Pennsylvania State Police said.

According to police, Gary Swartz “discharged a Ruger .270 bolt action rifle” inside the residence in Smithfield Township. Swartz fled the scene but was taken into custody later on Wednesday, police said.

A subsequent investigation discovered that Swartz was legally unable to possess a firearm, prompting police to execute a search warrant on Swartz’s residence on Thursday. “Numerous” firearms and 5 pounds of processed marijuana plants were seized from Swartz’s residence, police said.

According to court documents, Swartz has been charged with recklessly endangering another person, discharge of a firearm into occupied structure and illegal possession of a firearm.