Arrest made in murder of beloved Lee County bus driver

LABELLE, Fla. – A man whom law enforcement identified as the boyfriend of a beloved Lee County bus driver has been arrested and is facing charges for her murder.

Eugene Johnson is being held at the Hendry County Jail on $500,000 bond for the death of 50-year-old Alberta Harris. Johnson is also facing charges for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Harris was reported missing on April 9. Her daughter, Ebony Freeman, said two days later that she feared for the worst after seeing blood stains on Harris’ car. The 2005 silver GMC Yukon truck was located in a parking lot on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Ten days passed before Harris’ body was discovered by teenagers in woods near Wheeler Road and 14th Place in Lehigh Acres, according to authorities. Harris’ death was quickly ruled a homicide and was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

“It’s a relief. Now she can finally rest,” Freeman said following Johnson’s arrest.

Several suspects were identified back in April, according to the Fort Myers Police Department. Interim Chief Dennis Eads said Harris’ death was not “random.”

“The individual was targeted in this case,” Eads said on April 26.

Harris touched the lives of many, including students at Lehigh Elementary where she was a bus driver and players on local softball leagues. She played the sport for 10 years in Southwest Florida.

A possible motive for Harris’ murder is unknown. Thirty years ago, Johnson served seven years in prison after being convicted by a jury of stabbing a former lover to death.