Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village DriveJake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people
ESTERO Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
CAPE CORAL New renderings for the Cape Coral Yacht Club promise a bright future The Cape Coral Yacht Club, which has been part of this community since the 1960s, will now have a new look after Hurricane Ian’s devastating effects.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
ESTERO Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
CAPE CORAL New renderings for the Cape Coral Yacht Club promise a bright future The Cape Coral Yacht Club, which has been part of this community since the 1960s, will now have a new look after Hurricane Ian’s devastating effects.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
Detectives conducted a large-scale drug bust in May at a Gateway home that led to multiple arrests, as well as the confiscation of multiple kilos of cocaine, fentanyl, and millions of dollars in cash and assets. (Credit: WINK News) A Lee County deputy is off the job after being accused of tipping off a massive drug operation before it was busted back in May. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said one of its deputies texted with a family who investigators say was dealing cocaine and fentanyl. Detectives conducted a large-scale drug bust in May at a Gateway home that led to multiple arrests, as well as the confiscation of multiple kilos of cocaine, fentanyl, and millions of dollars in cash and assets. The sheriff’s office called it the biggest bust in county history. When investigators began looking at the cell phones of the suspects, they uncovered more than 3,000 messages and pictures shared between Deputy Jasmine Lee and one of the members of the Cossio family. “If her phone number is on there 3,000 times, it likely would have come up in many of the investigative techniques utilized by the sheriff’s department,” explained Rich Kolko, WINK News Safety & Security specialist. Looking deeper into the messages, investigators say Lee shared confidential and sensitive information about investigators following a traffic stop of one of the Cossio family members. Investigators say her messages may have hindered the investigation and put lives at risk since she provided specific investigative tactics that the public would not generally know. Internal Affairs investigations show that there were multiple tips reported from 2014 to 2016 that Lee was potentially associated with major drug dealers in the area, but because there was limited information, no follow-ups were conducted. Lee told investigators she has known members of the Cossio family since she was 6 years old and went to school with some of them. She also attended family gatherings with the Cossios and even went on trips with one of them. The IA report shows Lee denied any criminal involvement but admitted to facilitating a drug transaction that ultimately didn’t happen. Because of the statute of limitations, she was not charged for that. However, she is now facing multiple charges that include unlawful conduct and improper conduct. “Once this family knew that they were under investigation, they would have changed their techniques, made the investigation much harder to do, and maybe even lost part of the case down the road,” Kolko said. The report also describes a situation where one of the Cossio family members was pulled over by a detective. Lee called that detective and asked what happened and said she was a family friend. Investigators say she then shared sensitive information about the stop with another member of the family. The detective later reported that call with Lee. “If they see something suspicious, even within their department, it’s their job to report it to internal affairs,” Kolko explained. “That is suspicious. That deputy made the right call by reporting it.” The suspects arrested during the bust have more than 70 combined prior arrests, mostly related to drugs. Arrested were Gabriel M. Cossio, 60; Gabriel M. Cossio Jr., 32; Melissa Cossio, 33; Jesus F. Cossio, 58; Aaron Pruitt, 52; Christopher Ramirez, 53. All have since been released from jail.