It’s Friday, April 22nd – and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - A 16-year-old Lauderhill girl said she was sexually assaulted on her way home from school and police said they've arrested her attacker.
According to the arrest report, Jermaine Henderson drove a white pickup truck into the path of the teenager as she was walking along Northwest 39th Avenue around 4 p.m. on April 11. Henderson, 39, got out and struck up a conversation, complimenting her clothing. Then he threatened her with a box cutter, police said. With the box cutter against her neck, Henderson forced her inside the cab of the 2008 Ford F-250 and sexually assaulted her twice, the report stated. Detectives said they obtained surveillance video from a neighborhood home and were able to trace the temporary paper license plate to the registered owner who knew Henderson. Henderson was arrested Tuesday and is being held without bond in the Broward County Jail on charges that include sexual assault with a weapon and battery on a victim over 12 years of age, records show.
No. 2 - A Fort Lauderdale dentist has been arrested in connection with the 2014 murder of his brother-in-law, who was a law professor at Florida State University.
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Charles Adelson, 45, was taken into custody by FBI at his home Thursday and charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder in the death of Dan Markel. Adelson was booked into the Broward County jail, where he remained on a U.S. Marshals hold. Adelson is accused of participating in the murder-for-hire plot that led to the shooting of the 41-year-old professor on July 18, 2014. Markel was shot twice in the head in the garage of his Tallahassee home while talking on the phone in his car, after dropping of his children at day care and spending time at the gym. The state attorney for Leon County alleged that audio from a 2016 meeting at a Miami restaurant captured Adelson and his former girlfriend, Katherine Magbanua, allegedly discussing undercover agents approaching his mom about Markel’s shooting, the Tallahassee Democrat reported Thursday.
No. 3 - The Florida House of Representatives on Thursday gave final passage to a bill that would dissolve Walt Disney World's private government, handing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis a victory in his feud with the entertainment giant over its opposition to a measure that critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay ” law.
The move could have huge tax implications for Disney, whose series of theme parks have transformed Orlando into one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, and serves to further sour the relationship between the Republican-led government and a major political player in the state. Disney did not return an email seeking comment Thursday. The bill passed by the legislature on Thursday would eliminate the Reedy Creek Improvement District, as the 55-year-old Disney government is known, as well as a handful of other similar districts by June 2023. The measure does allow for the districts to be reestablished, leaving an avenue to renegotiate its future. The bill now moves to DeSantis’ office to be signed into law.
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No. 4 - The United States and Cuba on Thursday held their highest-level diplomatic talks in four years after a severe disruption in ties during the Trump administration.
The discussions in Washington between senior State Department officials and Cuba's deputy foreign minister focused on migration, with the U.S. side eager to rein in a growing number of Cubans trying to enter the United States illegally. The State Department said the talks covered areas of successful cooperation on migration but also identified obstacles to ensuring safe, orderly and legal migration. The meeting took place just a day after U.S. border authorities reported that the number of Cubans seeking entry had doubled from February to March to 32,500 and is now five times the number it was in October.
No. 5 - Two central Florida women found themselves behind bars after sheriff's deputies said they were involved with lacing food with marijuana at a February wedding.
NBC affiliate WESH-TV reports Seminole County Sheriff's Office deputies arrived at the Feb. 19 wedding of 42-year-old Danya Glenny at a Longwood venue after receiving 911 calls. Glenny told deputies she had not laced the food with anything. Two months later, deputies said test results confirmed the food had been laced with marijuana. Glenny and the wedding's caterer, 31-year-old Joycelyn Bryant, were arrested and charged with reckless tampering, culpable negligence and possessing marijuana.
No. 6 - The Florida Panthers are champions of the NHL's Atlantic Division. They look like a team that's ready to win even more.
Aleksander Barkov scored his 38th goal of the season and the Panthers tied a franchise record with their 12th straight win, beating the Detroit Red Wings 5-2 on Thursday night. That, combined with Tampa Bay's 8-1 win over Toronto later Thursday, locked up the Atlantic title and home-ice advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs for the Panthers. It's the third time that Florida has won a division title in its 28-season history. The Panthers matched the 12-game winning streak they posted from Dec. 15, 2015, to Jan. 10, 2016. Florida has outscored opponents 61-31 in that span, 27-9 in the last six games.
