tying up traffic in pinellas county. >> it's a traffic alert near belcher road. this is a live picture. a deputy was involved in an accident there. it looks like one lane of traffic is now getting by. this could tie up traffic for quite a while during the ongoing investigation. we still have not gotten any word on the condition of the deputy or the other driver involved. we will continue to give you updates throughout the evening. back to our top story right now. the owner of a gun found on the ground outside of an elementary school has been located. a parent dropping off their child at rock crusher elementary school in citrus county was the first to see it before anyone was hurt. a school employee actually picked it up thinking it was a toy and fired it. abc action reporter lauren rozyla joins us live outside of the school with details how the gun even got there. lauren. >> reporter: and we just learned the name of the parent

he was dropping his child off here and the gun fell out of his pocket. he has a permit to carry the gun and has absolutely no record. that still doesn't mean that the gun should have ever been on school grounds. parents horrified to hear of a firearm sitting in plain view, steps away from young children. it all started around 8:00 this morning when a mother was dropping her child off and noticed a gun on the ground. she immediately notified a staff member. a janitor came out and picked up what he thought was a pellet gun. he decided to try to empty the pellets into the ground but soon realized this was not a pellet gun. the school district says th janitor should have waited for a school resource officer to secure the gun and he should not have fired it. but also they believe this was an honest mistake. >> the employee did not intentionally do anything that he felt like was putting anybody in harm. he felt like he was acting in a

>> it's a small gun. it looks very similar to a bb gun. that's why the staff member who picked it up and then the janitor who got it, that's what they thought it was. >> reporter: even if the gun owner has a permit to carry it was never allowed at school. >> this is a no gun zone. >> reporter: school leaders are thankful a parent saw it before a child came in contact with it. they are now retraining staff on how to deal with firearms. >> more than anything, it will be a learning opportunity for us to share it with all of the staff on how to properly secure that situation. >> reporter: the parents say the gun never should have gone off. >> i don't think he should have fired it. >> reporter: and it still is unclear tonight from the sheriff's office if that parent who dropped the gun on campus will face any charges. however, we have learned that this case may be taken to the state attorney's office. now, as for the janitor who fired the gun, the school district also tells us it is too early to know if the person will be disciplined.

lauren rozyla, abc action news. >> lauren, thank you. to an update on a story we brought you as breaking news this morning. palmetto police have arrested the man who opened fire during a road rage shooting. osbourne was charged with aggravated assault. he fired several shots at another driver this morning after one of them cut the other off. the two people in the car were not hit. the driver called 911 and osbourne was arrested a short time later. police are searching for three men in an early morning shooting in bradenton. it happened just before 2:00 this morning on 59th avenue east. police say several cars parked on the street were also struck by bullets. tonight an nfl hopeful facing criminal charges right here in the bay area. former university of tennessee lineman matt crowd era cued of exchanging sexual messages with someone he thought was a 14-

he used phone apps kck and whisper. the dangers these apps can do and what you can do to keep your kid safe out there. kara. >> reporter: absolutely. whisper is one of those apps that parents have to worry about. when you go on the home screen, one of the first categories is nsfw. if you open it up, you can see why. a lot of the content is sexually related. deputies say this is one of the tools they used to catch this football player, matt crowder. 23-year-old matt crowder proudly wore the orange and white as a tennessee ball. tweeting pictures with young fans and quoting the bible. now he is charged with exchanging sexual messages with a deputy posing as a 14-year- old girl online. >> the engagement was surrounding sexual nature, talk

pictures of his genital to who he thought was a child. >> reporter: crowder was caught during an operation, busting adults soliciting minors online for sex continues to get toucher as new mobile apps surface. >> the sheriff's office is commit today pursuing these cases. >> reporter: it's yet another reminder to keep close watch on what your kids do online and on their phones. one of the simplest things that you can do right now is go foothill ares -- the settings on your child's phone and create a unique pass code that only you know and set the phone so you have to enter that password every time that an app is downloaded. that will give you a chance to review the app before it goes on the phone and make sure it's the sheriff's office also step further. they're using. if possible, get an app that will allow them to view any information that their kids receive. and they need to have a

they need to warn them that when they're engaging in conversation with somebody, they don't know who they are, that person could be just about anyone. >> reporter: now, matt crowder is already out of jail here in pinellas county on bond. he was actually here in florida training for potential nfl draft. we did try reaching out to crowder as well as the agency representing him. neither returned our request for comment. abc action news. >> thank you, kara. a man is pulled over for an expired tag but now facing much more serious charges including child pornography. marijuana was found in justin murdock's car along with electronics. after further inspection, police found a large amount of child porn, including children as young as two involved in sex acts. murdock is now facing 100 counts of possession of child pornography. now the most accurate

action weather. >> good afternoon, everyone. temperatures right now along the beach, upper 60s. so when that water temperature is still in the 50s, that cools off the coast dramatically. once you get away from the effects, low to mid 70s across the rest of the area. had some fog out there this morning. we have a reinforcing shot of drier air rolling through overnight. that means we will be limiting the fog tomorrow morning. a lot of clear skies tonight. don't see fog tomorrow morning. but what about the rest of the week? and for that matter, the weekend. we will talk about that and >> thank you, denis. does apple have the key to unlocking terror? tonight apple refusing a federal judge's order to unlock san bernardino shooter syed farook's phone. the fbi believes the phone may have clues about accomplices and even more terror plots. they're demanding the tech giant help crack the code by inventing a back door program.

and says it's not that simple. it could have future ramifications for all americans if they did that. >> reporter: apple is basically saying once we create this, it's going to get out. and as a result, everything that we have built in terms of protecting security and privacy is going to be out the door. >> the fbi is concerned if they are unsuccessful at cracking the code ten times, the phone will automatically erase key data and make it permanently inaccessible. this case will likely be decided in the supreme court. another new case of the zika virus is found in florida. this time in brevard county. that brings the total number of travel related cases in florida to 22. meanwhile the world health organization says $56 million is need today combat this virus. and that will only last until june. the money would fast track vaccines and further research. florida red light cameras may be coming to an end.

starting in july of 2019. the bill's sponsor says the cameras are a quote money grab for cities and counties. but opponents say they help with traffic safety. the use was approved back in 2010. tonight we are getting a behind the scenes access to bush gardens' newest roller coaster cobra's curse. it is a spin coaster. like a tilt awhirl but the ups and downs of a traditional roller coaster. cobra's curse is expected to open this year. i'm hurt because of the accusations and the allegations. a brand-new medical center in south florida run by an 18- year-old? coming up the lies he is accused of telling that put lives in danger. plus you will want to see this before you decide what is for dinner tonight. coming up, what you're actually getting with your grated parmesan cheese.

you have never met before to save your child. a kidney for joey. how one pasco county mother is using social media to help save her son's life. download the new abc action news app for your phone and tablet. search abc action news in your

>> a mother's desperate plea to help her son is going viral. >> the hashtag a kidney for joey is trending in tampa bay. alex waxler caught up with the mother as they fight to save his life. >> he is facing his mortality and it's scary. >> reporter: joe rich man's silver camaro. >> i'm not able to clean it as much as i used to. >> reporter: joe was born with al port syndrome. he spends hours on dialysis and desperately needs to find a donor. >> the only motivation that somebody has to do this is kindness. >> reporter: he plans to go to medical school and become a surgeon. then he can help others facing the same struggles.

almost get a medical agree having the condition. you have to know so much to maintain yourself. >> reporter: like any parent dana is doing everything that she can to get her son a new kidney, that includes spreading the word on social media with the hashtag a kidney for joey. >> you're asking somebody who you've never met to save your child that you can't do yourself. you have to reach out to others. >> it's weighing on me more than it used to. i'm optimistic about the future of it all and getting through it. >> reporter: he has a loving family, a sweet ride and a positive attitude. now all that joe needs to live a long happy life is that new kidney. eric waxler, abc action news. >> and if you want to help, this is joey's facebook page where it charts his progress and has pictures of the interview with eric. we have links on abcactionnews.com and you can find out who to contact if you want to see if you're a match for joey. wendy. >> right now at 5:00, an 18-

on bond after being accused of impersonating a doctor. this isn't the first time that he has been accused of this very crime. tonight he is also charged with grand theft and forgery. robinson was arrested yesterday afternoon at his new medical clinic after examining an undercover officer. he says it's all just a big misunderstanding. >> i'm hurt because of the accusations and the allegations but like i said this is not the first time where i've been accused and i will pursue this. when i do, you guys will know. >> robinson was cited last year for practicing medicine without a license. his grandfather tells the sun sentinel he never claimed to be a medical doctor, just a hoe list tick doctor and he had never seen any patients. this plane clipped another plane as the pilot taxied the

from the gate he hit a plane that was getting deicessed. american airlines took it back to the gate after the incident. southwest pulled the plane out of surface for maintenance. the parmesan cheese that you might sprinkle on your dinner tonight may include wood pulp. ce llulose is made from wood pulp. but the acceptable level is 2% to 4%. wal-mart's great value contained 7.8%. the fda is going after a company that mislabeled the parmesan cheese for decades. >> they find something bad with everything that you love. sunshine is not good for you. i disagree with that one. i think it's great. >> exactly. >> it was socked in and foggy this morning. hard to see.

dense fog advisory burned off by 9:00, 10:00. now we're beautiful. we're getting another cool front. it's a reinforcing shot of cooler, drier air. but it's not going to give us any cloud cover. it will keep the sunshine abundant as you see right here. we're in for a stretch of tremendously pleasant weather. radar remains rain free right through the weekend. and probably then some. now, we will be talking about the possibility of some rough weather next tuesday or wednesday. but let's focus on what we have short term which is really looking nice. temperatures closer to the beach in the 60s. when you lose the effects of the cooler water and the sea breeze, you're well into the 70s across a good portion of the area, especially east of i- 75. tomorrow morning, waking up to anywhere around 50 degrees in the northern counties, low to mid 50s elsewhere. it will not be foggy tomorrow

air coming in behind the next front. so we don't have to worry about that being an issue. a little cool but pleasant. clearwater and st. pete in the lower 70s. so there's the satellite picture. you can't even see the front coming in. it's nothing more than a wind shift. and what it will do is bring in drier air. it's already doing that. there it is. there's the drier air with the water vapor. now, eventually -- and this has been the case all winter long -- the winds change quickly of late. when you get a northerly wind, it's going to be dry. when you get an easterly wind, you see clouds come back in. i think by friday, we're going to start to see that, especially on the east side of the state. it will show it nicely with futurecast. this evening, going outside. definitely need the jacket -- i say that. it's in the 70s now. once the sun goes down, it will cool off quickly. but still a pleasant evening. crisp but nice.

upper 40s to low 50s. watch what happens. we already see the wins coming in out of the east. by friday morning, a few more clouds over on the east coast. now, when i see an easterly flow, it always makes me a little nervous, especially over on the east coast. and the daytona 500 is this weekend. there won't be any weather systems affecting daytona. but a strong easterly wind could bring clouds or a shower in. at this point i'm not forecasting that. but it is something that we will have to keep our eyes on. later sunday, more of a southerly flow. that will do a couple of things. i'm sure you can figure it out. when the winds come in out of the south, the air will be warmer. more moisture too. but by the weekend and early next week, we will be close to 80 degrees across part of the area. forecast highs on thursday, again, that reinforcing shot keeps us in the upper 60s to low 70s along the beach.

down in highlands, hardy and desoto county. for the boaters the water temperature is cool, 56 degrees. seas two to four feet. moderate chop out on the bay. there are your upcoming tides and sunrise and sunset. 72 degrees. it's about where we should be this time of year. there's a look at florida's most accurate 7-day. 76 on saturday. and monday. and then by tuesday into wednesday, pretty good chance of rain as the storm rolling in from the gulf. i might as well have been sitting here completely naked. intimate images shared with thousands online. a warning from a woman who found out the hard way that clearing your name online is no easy task. stricter regulations for sex offenders in hills boreco owe county.

>> the ex-girlfriend of george zimmerman is warning about sharing intimate images even with your significant other. zimmerman was already well known for his acquittal in the murder of trayvon martin. he says during the six months that they dated she sent him intimate images on his phone. when the two broke up, he shared hose private photos in a very public way. >> yes, i actually did send the picture to him. so it wasn't like he snuck and took it or anything. i just never dreamed he would forecast it to his 16,000 twitter followers.

twitter along with heather's phone number. the account was quickly suspended but it was too late. she started getting texts and phone calls from strangers. she learned it's not easy to remove anything from the internet once it's posted. she hopes others learn from her mistake. nike has cut ties with the championship boxer. the company says that nike discourages discrimination of any kind. the company said no deal on a second chance. a fight at the farm sere. a stranger tackles a man during an attempted robbery. tonight the hero is opening up about what motivated him to step into the line of danger and the reason he was in the right place at the right time. and later the one thing that you're missing on your tax return that could get you more

>> live from the station taking action for you. this is abc action news. >> now at 5:30, deputies in citrus county confirm a loaded gun found at rock crusher elementary school was dropped by a parent. another parent found it and alerted school staff. a janitor thought it was appeal set and fired it to empty out the pellets. it wasn't a toy. luckily no one was injured. the parent was licensed but not allowed to have it on school property. the state attorney's office is reviewing the case. a former nfl football player is accused of trying to have sex with a 14-year-old girl. after sending her naked pictures. the university of tennessee

that girl in sarasota. deputies arrested him last night. also tonight a new case of the zika virus just reported here in florida. this time in brevard county. that brings the total number of travel-related cases in florida to 22. meanwhile the world health organization says $56 million is needed to combat the virus and that will only last until june. also tonight a man who tried robbing a bradenton pharmacy got more than he bargained for. i'm jamison uhler. >> clifton french shows us the one thing that motivated a customer to take matters into his own hands. >> i wasn't trying to hurt anybody. i was trying to do what was right. >> reporter: it's video of a man taking out a robber at a pharmacy. it turns out the man's girlfriend was behind the counter. >> i was protect being the one that i love. >> reporter: it was 12:30 on valentine's day. he was at this walgreens on cortez road to ask his girlfriend what she wanted for lunch.