PUTNAM COUNTY

An early morning house fire in north Florida left three people dead on Monday. When firefighgters arrived to the house it was almost fully engulfed in flames.

Putnam County Sheriff Homer "Gator" DeLoach praised a 67-year-old Florida woman on Wednesday after she allegedly shot and killed an armed man who barged into her home, according to a post on the sheriff's office's Facebook page.

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies said a 67-year-old Florida woman grabbed her gun when she heard her front-door handle jiggle around 3 a.m. Wednesday morning. Putnam County deputies said she opened the door to check to see if it was her husband getting home from work, but instead a stranger forced himself inside her Interlachen home. Deputies said she asked the man, identified as Reginald Best, 64, to leave multiple times. When she saw he had a gun, deputies said she shot him once before calling 911. “It’s unfortunate that Best was struggling with some apparently profound issues and posed a deadly threat to the victim and her family,” Sheriff H.D.

If you still need to apply for FEMA disaster assistance, the deadline is approaching fast.

Timothy W. Fletcher was sentenced to die at the state's hand, Anthony Foxx will serve life in the death of his Ayana Belton, who was 16.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday made appointments to four seats, including picking two candidates who had drawn a legal challenge.

Something fishy found along a Florida waterway sparked the curiosity of thousands of social media users.

A 17-year-old was arrested after Putnam County deputies said a 5-year-old was shot and critically injured Tuesday near Interlachen, according to News 6 partner WJXT-TV.

HaLeigh Cummings’ father, Ronald Cummings, will be released from prison on Wednesday, according to News 6 partner WJXT in Jacksonville.

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies say a Florida man had planned to “start a war” because he was allegedly angry that he had his driver’s license taken away. >> Read more trending newsAccording to a news release from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, deputies arrested Glen Ressler, 42, and charged him with four counts of aggravated assault on deputies and a count of violation of domestic violence charge. PCSO said around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday deputies received a call about Ressler allegedly arming himself to initiate an “active shooter” situation with deputies. PCSO said Ressler wanted to “start a war” after deputies seized his driver’s license in a traffic stop earlier in the day due to it being suspended. According to WJAX, PCSO deputies went to Ressler’s house on multiple occasions after the threats were made.

Officials said there are now 58 deaths attributed to Hurricane Ian, according to an update by FDLE on Sunday evening.

Individuals and households in Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia counties were deemed eligible for FEMA Individual Assistance amid Hurricane Ian’s continued damage to livelihoods and property statewide.

Two people are dead and two more are in critical condition following a shooting in Palatka, according to the Palatka Police Department.

Officials say five dogs attacked a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service when her truck broke down in north Florida.

A Georgia man who was recently sentenced to death in the killings of two corrections officers during an escape attempt five years ago has died in prison of an apparent suicide, corrections officials said. Prison guards found Ricky Dubose unresponsive in his cell at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson around 4:45 p.m. Sunday, according to a Department of Corrections news release. The coroner at the prison declared Dubose dead at 5:56 p.m.

Dubose and Donnie Rowe escaped together from the bus in Putnam County, southeast of Atlanta, and were arrested in Tennessee days later. (Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool, File) (Bob Andres)EATONTON, Ga. — (AP) — A Georgia prisoner convicted of killing two guards during an escape from a prison transport bus five years ago has been sentenced to die. A second prisoner charged in the killings, Donnie Rowe, was convicted of murder in September. A judge sentenced him to serve life in prison without parole after jurors couldn't agree whether he should be sentenced to death. Dubose and Rowe escaped together from the bus in Putnam County, southeast of Atlanta, on June 13, 2017, and were arrested in Tennessee days later.

A Georgia prisoner convicted of killing two guards during an escape from a prison transport bus five years ago has been sentenced to die.

The body of a missing 1-year-old Florida boy was found Monday, March 28, 202, one day after the toddler vanished while playing in his rural Putnam County backyard, authorities confirmed. (Mindaugas Dulinskas/Getty Images)PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — The body of a missing 1-year-old Florida boy was found Monday afternoon, one day after the toddler vanished while playing in his rural Putnam County backyard, authorities confirmed. >> Read more trending newsSheriff Homer “Gator” DeLoach III said Jose Lara’s body was found in a septic tank on the family’s property in what appears to be an accidental fall, WJAX reported. A Florida MISSING CHILD Alert has been issued for 1-year-old Jose Lara, last seen in Crescent City, Florida. If you have any information about this child, please contact the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at 386-329-0801 or 911. pic.twitter.com/fDXCNoABQE — FDLE (@fdlepio) March 27, 2022©2022 Cox Media Group

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies said Monday that the body of a missing Florida 1-year-old has been found. Putnam County Sheriff Homer DeLoach said Jose Lara’s body was found in a septic tank on his family’s property following what appears to be an accidental fall. The septic tank, just 40 yards from the home, was covered with rotting plywood, and investigators believe the boy fell in after wandering away. READ: DeSantis signs bill forbidding instruction on sexual orientation, gender identity in certain gradesThe toddler was reported missing Sunday afternoon after disappearing from his family’s backyard. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued a missing child alert for the boy on Sunday afternoon.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a missing 1-year-old boy south of Crescent City.

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — Two Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Flight students are being recognized for the actions they took when they heard another pilot in distress. “I just kept calm and did what needed to be done to get this individual the help he needed,” Shields recalled. Shields says he first tried contacting the 81-year-old retired airline captain to help direct him towards a field for an emergency landing. Navy pilot rescue A single engine aircraft was on approach to the Palatka Airport when the pilot sent an emergency signal and radioed a mayday. (Putnam County, FL Sheriff's Office)“When I saw the plane touch down into the water, my heart sank,” Cvetan said.

Two people have lost their lives and a third is in critical condition in two unrelated car crashes on State Road 100 early this morning.

PUTNAM COUNTY, Ind. — Indiana State Police found more than they expected during a traffic stop in Putnam County – $2 million worth of cocaine. During a search, police said they found 115 pounds of cocaine in the sleeper berth of the truck. Vikram Sandhu Sandu is facing drug charges after police say they found 115 pounds of cocaine in the truck he was driving. (Indiana State Police )©2022 Cox Media Group

Jonathan Raymond Rogers was less than two weeks shy of his 30th birthday when he was killed in a collision with Joshua Charles Carver's van.

Deputies say Toriano Brooks, 29, was wanted in the shooting death of Kavon Banks.

Not only is the the Scripps National Spelling Bee coming to Orlando this year, but now Putnam County's tuneful spell-off is too. Local troupe Celebration...

Ron DeSantis today, amid a series of judicial appointments, named Kenneth Janesk II of St. Augustine to serve as a circuit court judge in the Seventh Judicial Circuit, which includes Flagler, Volusia, St. Johns and Putnam counties. Janesk has been a prosecutor in the Seventh Circuit State Attorney’s Office since 2011, working as the managing attorney of the Putnam County office. Obviously, Dunton would not argue cases before Janesk, who is likely to be assigned in Putnam County. The appointment fills the position vacated by Circuit Judge Patti A. Christensen, who stepped down at the end of September. Nardella has been a partner with Nardella & Nardella since 2017, leading the firm’s estates and trust departments.

SAN MATEO, Fla. – A gyrocopter crashed early Sunday in a rural part of northeast Florida, killing the pilot, a 62-year-old Lake Mary man, authorities said. The pilot was the only person on the aircraft and died at the scene in a wooded area of Putnam County, according to a news release from the Florida Highway Patrol. The name of the man wasn’t released immediately. Gyrocopters resemble small helicopters but they get propulsion from a rear propeller, allowing them to take off like planes. Authorities said the cause of the crash isn’t immediately known.

A 30-year-old man was arrested on allegations of robbing a jewelry store in Palm Coast, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. Tyrone Hunter was arrested in Putnam County and will be transferred to the Flagler County Jail, sheriff’s officials said. FCSO deputies worked with law enforcement agencies in Putnam County to track down an address where Hunter was possibly staying, and Hunter was arrested. “This is a great example of how technology-led policing and good old-fashioned police work solve crimes,” Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly said. “This guy thought he could come into Flagler County and commit a robbery and get away with it.

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – A Florida family is grieving the loss of a 9-year-old girl, who’s believed to be the youngest victim in the state to die from the coronavirus. Kimorra Lynum died July 17 in Putnam County, west of Flagler County. Family members say Kimorra was treated for a urinary tract infection but was never tested for COVID-19. Young-Holmes says about a week later, Lynum asked to take a nap after returning home from a shopping trip. Family members say Kimorra didn’t have any pre-existing conditions and had no known contact with any coronavirus patients.

At least 25 people were killed and dozens remain missing in Tennessee after America's deadliest tornado outbreak in nearly seven years. There were 19 people killed in Putnam County, six were neighbors on the same block. Cookeville in Putnam County, just east of Nashville, was among the most devastated areas with 18 of the two dozen fatalities. "We were flying in the air, into the trees back there, where once we hit those trees, the house... it just exploded. "I have no clue how we survived," Wells said.

A 43-year-old Satsuma woman died in the San Mateo wreck..A Bunnell man was seriously injured when a car he was travelling in crashed into a tree in Putnam County late Sunday. A woman was killed in the crash. The collision occurred around 10:45 p.m. along State Road 100 in San Mateo, according to a preliminary report from Florida Highway Patrol. Mildred Bastian, a 43-year-old Satsuma woman, died in the wreck. Lodge and the other passenger, Joseph Spann, 30, of Bunnell, were seriously injured.

As of Saturday afternoon, Florida had 658 cases of COVID-19, a 26 percent increase from a day earlier. Saturday morning Putnam County announced its first case of Covid-19, with 41 of Floridas 67 counties now recording cases, according to the Florida Department of Health. Counting Flagler, at least 42 counties have Covid-19 cases. Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Mary Mayhew acknowledged Wednesday that 19 long-term care facilities across the state had confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, AHCA on Wednesday sent an advisory to long-term care facilities advising them that anyone who enters the buildings must wear masks.

FLAGLER COUNTY Flagler County sheriffs deputies on Monday afternoon helped capture a Putnam County man wanted for kidnapping his "paramour" in Palatka, according to officials. He remained in the Flagler County jail on $85,000 bail late Tuesday morning. The Satsuma man also was booked on Putnam County warrants for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Putnam County issued a be-on-the-lookout alert for the vehicle, which a Flagler deputy spotted near the Flagler County Fairgrounds on State Road 13. He was taken to AdventHealth Palm Coast to be treated for minor injuries, then booked at the Flagler County jail.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. President Donald Trump on Friday toured a neighborhood reduced to rubble by a tornado earlier this week and marveled at "the tremendous heart" he witnessed. Trump surveyed devastated communities in Putnam County, where a tornado tore a 2-mile-long path, killing 18 people, including five children under 13. "It's been a painful, tragic week for our state," Lee said after surveying with Trump a street where eight people were killed. "When you have those who lost somebody, that's a very tough situation," Trump said during the nearly 40-minute stop. Davidson County, the other Tennessee region devastated by tornadoes, is a Democratic enclave in the reliably Republican red state.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. President Donald Trump on Friday toured a neighborhood reduced to rubble by a tornado earlier this week and marveled at "the tremendous heart" he witnessed. Trump surveyed devastated communities in Putnam County, where a tornado tore a 2-mile-long path, killing 18 people, including five children under 13. "It's been a painful, tragic week for our state," Lee said after surveying with Trump a street where eight people were killed. "When you have those who lost somebody, that's a very tough situation," Trump said during the nearly 40-minute stop. Davidson County, the other Tennessee region devastated by tornadoes, is a Democratic enclave in the reliably Republican red state.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. President Donald Trump on Friday toured a neighborhood reduced to rubble by a tornado earlier this week and marveled at "the tremendous heart" he witnessed. Trump surveyed devastated communities in Putnam County, where a tornado tore a 2-mile-long path, killing 18 people, including five children under 13. "It's been a painful, tragic week for our state," Lee said after surveying with Trump a street where eight people were killed. "When you have those who lost somebody, that's a very tough situation," Trump said during the nearly 40-minute stop. Davidson County, the other Tennessee region devastated by tornadoes, is a Democratic enclave in the reliably Republican red state.

NASHVILLE (Reuters) - A string of tornadoes tore through Nashville, Tennessee, and surrounding counties early on Tuesday, killing at least 25 people, leaving others missing and reducing neighborhoods to rubble as voters across the state cast ballots in the Super Tuesday presidential primary. The National Weather Service said eight tornadoes were believed to have touched down in Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky, but that number could change following further analysis. Counties with the greatest impacts include Davidson, Wilson, and Putnam Counties, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said on its website. Prayers for all of those affected by the devastating tornadoes in Tennessee. Damage to planes and property at the John C. Tune Airport after a tornado hit Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. March 3, 2020.

A man in his 20s walking along State Road 100 just west of County Road 302 was killed this afternoon after he was struck by a white van that kept going. The vans driver, Joshua Carver, 33, of Palatka, kept going along 100 into Putnam County, where he was pulled over by a Putnam County Sheriffs deputy, according to the Flagler County Sheriffs Office. The fatal collision took place about a mile west of County Road 302 at 4:30 p.m.on a clear, bright afternoon. Sheriffs deputies were first on scene, followed by Flagler County Fire Rescue and Palm Coast Fire Police personnel, who shut down 100 between 302 and County Road 205. Flagler County Fire Flight, the emergency helicopter, was briefly placed on standby, but a firefighter-paramedic pronounced the victim dead at 4:43 p.m.

PALATKA, Fla. – A man walking along a Florida highway was killed in a crash involving a garbage truck, according to state troopers. Eric Edenfield, 32, of Palatka, died Thursday morning along U.S. 17 in Putnam County, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The garbage truck hit Edenfield from behind, but it’s unclear whether the truck driver will be charged, according to officials. Waste Pro USA Senior Vice President Ron Pecora said in a statement that the company is cooperating with law enforcement, The Florida Times-Union reported. “It would be inappropriate to comment further on what is an ongoing investigation,” the statement said.

Palatka was called a dying city by the Florida League of Cities. But new data suggest Palatka and Putnam County have new life. Putnam County has long been one of the poorest in Florida. Sloan served as a vice president, as did St. Johns River State College President Joe Pickens. If you look at Putnam County, Perry said, youre looking at a county that should be prosperous.

Palatka was called a dying city by the Florida League of Cities. But new data suggest Palatka and Putnam County have new life. Putnam County has long been one of the poorest in Florida. Sloan served as a vice president, as did St. Johns River State College President Joe Pickens. If you look at Putnam County, Perry said, youre looking at a county that should be prosperous.

Palatka was called a dying city by the Florida League of Cities. But new data suggest Palatka and Putnam County have new life. Putnam County has long been one of the poorest in Florida. Sloan served as a vice president, as did St. Johns River State College President Joe Pickens. If you look at Putnam County, Perry said, youre looking at a county that should be prosperous.