george brainard: people bashing me left and right, people that don' t even know me, friends of friends bashing me over social media. claire: brainard testified he had sex with the alleged victim, who hopped on his pedicab following a speedway race in 2014, but he said it was only cruising around with him for 30 minutes, drinking and behaving provocatively. brainard said it was consensual sex, and according to his attorneys, the 29-year-old with high functioning autism was dumbfounded when she called it rape. >> it turned into something else that he never expected, so he felt violated to a certain degree. claire: prosecutors painted a different picture during trial , of a vulnerable woman under the influence who left her boyfriend at the race to go home because she felt sick. >> this was someone who was drunk, this is someone who was alone, this was someone who was confused, dissheveled. claire: prosecutors say brainard dragged the woman into some woods, raped her, but doctors found no injuries after the allegedly brutal assault, and the defense successfully argued the woman had a fight

prosecutors say george brainard a race at the daytona international speedway. the defense claims the woman offered. jason: a man was shot to death street. neighbors say they saw an older man wearing a skull, dressed in black, driving a buick that looked new. wesh.com michelle: police hoping new surveillance video will help them catch. one suspect, may have been burned by those claims. the run after opening fire at an orange county gas station. it happened near silver star. one person was shot at least three times. we are highlighting at the bottom of your screen. there is no word on what led up to this shooting. news sunrise continues on a cold morning. we will be right ba >> welcome back. you have got your traffic and weather to get you out the door. at these current 27 in ocala, 39 in orlando, 37 degrees up in daytona beach. well we are chilly now, i lunchtime it is 61 degrees and 60. it looks even some thunderstorms returning to central florida. ted: a crash involving a semi-on kirkman road and conroy. you might have to take pinewood road as an alternate. mu

george brainard: it' s been hell, it' s been terrible. i' ve lost three jobs because of it. just like, people bashing me left and right, people that really don' t know me. jim: the alleged victim, who along with the defendant testified at trial, was at the courthouse earlier but left without comment before the verdict came in. angela: the local woman who hit a 12-year-old boy with her car in cocoa, and kept going, will spend 10 years in prison. michelle simkins was convicted of leaving the scene of a crash she left 12-year-old thomas gregory with two broken legs and serious internal injuries. thomas had been playing with his friends in front of his home when he was hit and thrown more than 100 feet. police found the car a day later, and traced it to simkins. thomas was in court to watch the sentencing. judge: you sped up, you shook him off the hood of your car, and you ran over his legs, causing permanent scars. angela: thomas said after the hearing he still can' t run and jump like he used to, but is hoping to one day recover fully. jim: new tonight, wesh 2 was there as a m

angela: george brainard was a pedi-cab driver, accused of raping a customer. he faces 15 years in prison. wesh 2' s claire metz has been following the trial all week. and claire, before brainard took the stand today, his accuser did the same yesterday. claire: and they tell two very different stories. she says he forcibly dragged her into some woods. and raped her. he says sex, a lot of it, was >> i just didn' t want to be seen having sex while i am doing a pedi cab. claire: 29-year-old george brainard says the only reason he and his pedi-cab customer wound up in a wooded area across from the speedway was because the victim kept asking for sex in more public places. >> i literally did nothing. >> so you were just, she was the one doing all the initiating? >> yes. claire: brainard says the victim was drinking and talking angrily on the phone with someone when she first got on his pedi-cab. he says she gave him several different destinations, ultimately asking that he drive her home, out of his area, in exchange for money and sex. >> she taps me on the shoulder,

today, the case of george brainard will go to the jury. he says he had consensual sex with the victim after she repeatedly offered it while riding around near the speedway two years ago. the victim claims brainard dragged her from the pedicab and raped her behind some trees. she said she had scrapes and bruises, though a nurse testified today that she didn' t find any during an examination. good news if you' re filling up today. prices continue to drop. aaa says the average in the sunshine state' s one dollar 80 eight cents. that is three cents higher than the rest of the nation. ahead on sunrise, we are previewing this weekend' s box office. but first, a lesson in racism gone too far. are sharing with us as the teacher is under investigation. and this is a live look outside. we are watching for severe weather. things are calm and clear right : mild readings across florida. through the middle part of friday, that is when we are going to watch showers and thunder showers moving into town. one or two have the potential to be strong or severe

she were members being forcefully pulled out by this man, george brainard. she claims he stopped near some woods and raped her. >> did you want him to do that? victim: no. >> what was your reaction? victim: i was moving and squirming and screaming and trying to get away. claire: in opening statements, brainard' s defense attorneys said they will prove brainard and the victim had sex that night, but that it was consensual. that when she was found, she was upset because brainard left her in the woods, and she didn' t what happened. on cross examination, attorneys challenged the victim about using obscene, angry language to describe what happened. victim: i' ve never had anything that disgusting happen to me before. i don' t know what i would have said. claire: the victim admits there is much about the night she doesn' t remember because she was under the influence, but a man working for a rival pedi-cab company says the victim was distraught when, while passing by, he saw her crawling out of the woods. nick colavito: she said the pedi cab driver raped me. clai

the victim took the stand and pointed to 29-year-old george brainard as the manual attacks her. she says she was dragged in a wooded area after leaving a race at daytona international speedway in february 2014. >> i was trying to get away. >> how are you trying to get away? jason: the victim says some of the details are fuzzy because she was drunk and had smoked marijuana. brainard' s lawyer says they had -- they had sex, but it was consensual. covering orange county, we are waiting to find out the name of a man killed in a fire possibly caused by a space heater. home on formby drive yesterday afternoon. after the flames were put out, a body was found. this morning, chloe' s law is one step closer to becoming official. it is a bill named after a you -- ucf student chloe arenas who died in an accident. she drove into a retention pond across in the exit ramp to stay road 408. in the weeks that followed, a wesh 2 news investigation helped move a barrier at the pond. >> the situation -- if the situations reversed, i know she would be doing this for anyone of us. jason: the idea for

accused of raping his passenger is underway in volusia county, back in 2014 police said that george brainard rate the woman in the was across the street from the daytona international speedway during speedy, rainer told her he would not charge her if she gave him . so the opening arguments began in the trial expected to wrap up this -- is expected to wrap up this week. >>> 72-year-old ocala man in jail accused of having a relationship with a teenager, he's been held on a $120,000 and bonn, he used to be the the thames neighbor, the mother became suspicious when she was she found a package from the suspect containing -- related items, he was charged with battery, the next court date is on -- . >> they will need a detour this week. shutting down all southbound traffic from lake avenue from thursday until monday, drivers can take maitland boulevard to i4 two -- i four to the road back to 792. you can get more details on the website, wftv.com. >>> drivers can expect weekly road closures in downtown orlando is right of the i've for widening project, there will be intermittent closures during the

george brainard is charged with sexual battery, facing up to 15 years in prison if convicted. prosecutors say the victim was drunk and left the rapist to go home. he took her to a wooded area and raped her. on the stand, the victim tearfully admitted there was much she did not remember because she -- because of her condition. she remembers being dragged into the woods and raped. we will have more from the testimony on wesh 2 news at four. jason: we are waiting on the name of a woman fighting for her life after pitbulls attack. police do not know why five pitbulls attack three adults and wesh 2 was the first on the scene. a responding officer called a horrible sight. >> he attempted to that the dogs off. he had to discharge his weapon. four the dogs were killed. jason: four dogs died. a fifth-round away and died later. the one surviving dog was taken away by animal services. one had to be transferred to ormc. -- one of the transferred to ormc. michelle: demand shot and killed was carrying a fake gun. officers were confronting eric provost when he pointed a gun at than it looked

case of a former pedi-cab driver in daytona beach, accused of rape, prosecutors say 29-year-old george brainard picked up a fare following a speedway race nearly two years ago. they say he took the victim into the woods and raped her. the defense claims the sex was consensual. brainards attorneys made a motion for acquittal following the states case the judge denied it and the defense is expected jason: we are now hearing the 911 call made by a frantic hunter moments after he accidentally shot his friend. >> i am out here and i just killed my friend in a hunting accident. oh god. it just happened. jason: chopper 2 was over the scene as it unfolded in a wooded area north of may town road. deputy see the hunter accidentally shot and killed 65-year-old bruce best with a shotgun. the circumstances surrounding how best was shot still remain unclear. no charges are expected to be filed. investigators want to know if the same dogs involved in a bloody attack in a sanford apartment attack were involved in a similar incident last month. an officer shot and killed five of the six dogs attacking the woman

we are not identifying the victim but in court, she pointed to 29-year-old george brainard as the man who dragged her into some woods near the speedway following a race. the victim says some of the details are fuzzy because she was drunk and had smoked marijuana. she testified she doesn' t remember getting into the pedicab, but remembers brainard pulling her out by the leg and raping her. >> i was squirming, i was trying to get away. >> how were you trying to get away? >> i was trying to crawl away from him. jim: brainard' s defense attorneys say the two had sex, but that it was consensual. they say the victim called it t want her boyfriend, who she had left at the races, to find out. meredith: only on wesh 2, a new, clearer look at the malicious, deliberate torching of three vehicles in a brevard county driveway. take a look at what happened early saturday morning on carrying five-gallon containers of gasoline, the arsonists dump fuel on and around a car and a there' s a third vehicle out of view. now, the fuel is ignited, and almost explodes into flames. the desperate owner of the v

george brainard says he had consensual sex with the victim after she repeatedly offered it while riding around near the speedway. brainard, who has high functioning autism, says the victim was drinking and insistent on having sex in exchange for some money and a ride all the way home, out of his area. >> she was just like really pushy about like, sexually, she was really pushy and consistent about things. jim: the victim claims brainard and raped her behind some trees . she said she had scrapes and bruises though a nurse testified today, she didn' t find any during an examination. the case goes to the jury tomorrow. if convicted, brainard faces up to 15 years in prison. angela: a gang of thieves are on the run in brevard county tonight. police say up to three cars at hotels near i-95 and wickham road were broken into. surveillance cameras caught the whole crime. glass and valuables were left all over the parking lot. but tonight we' ve learned only one phone and $300 cash were taken, so it appears the crooks were looking for something specific. investigators say they' re taking finger p

george brainard says he had consensual sex with the victim after she repeatedly offered it while riding around near the speedway. brainard has high functioning autism, and says the victim was drinking and insistent on having sex in exchange for some money and a ride all the way home, out of his area. the victim claims brainard dragged her from the pedicab and raped her behind some trees. she said she had scrapes and bruises, though a nurse testified today that she didn' t find any during an examination. the case goes to the jury angela: tonight, we have the 911 calls made of that tragic hunting accident that took the life of a 65-year-old volusia county man. it happened yesterday in a remote area of oak hill. bruce best and his hunting buddy were apparently looking for deer around 2:00 in the afternoon. according the 911 call, best was shot by his hunting partner when he mistook him for a deer. he was using a 12 gauge shotgun. now in the call, you hear confusion and disbelief. caller: jay, i killed bruce. >> what? caller: i killed bruce. i killed bruce. s back there. he' s back. the hel

in court today, she pointed to 29-year-old george brainard as the man who dragged her into following a race. the victim says some of the details are fuzzy because she was drunk and had smoked marijuana. she testified she doesn' t remember getting into the petty cap, -- pedi cab, but remembers brainard pulling her out by the leg and raping her. >> i was squirming, i was trying to get away. >> how were you trying to get away? >> i was trying to crawl away from him. jim: brainard' s lawyers say the two had sex but that it was consensual. they say the victim called it rape because she left her boyfriend at the race, and didn' angela: take a look at what happened on this street in palm bay. arsonists were carrying containers of gasoline. the arsonists dump fuel on and around a car and a pickup. there' s a third vehicle out of view. then, the fuel is ignited, and almost explodes into flames. the desperate owner of the vehicles runs out of the house as the fire rages. he finds a fire extinguisher and empties it, but it does little good. >> it was very terrifying, because i didn' t know if t

to acquit a former pedicab driver in daytona beach, who had been accused of rape. 29-year-old george brainard got hugs from his attorneys following the not guilty verdict after a week-long trial. he was accused of raping a woman who took a ride with him following a race at daytona speedway in 2014, dragging her from the pedi cab into the woods. but the defense presented evidence that the woman was drunk, mad at her boyfriend, and had consensual sex with brainard. he is relieved with the verdict, but says the accusation really hurt. s been hell, it' s been terrible. i' ve lost three jobs because of it. just like people bashing me left t even know me. jim: the alleged victim and brainard both testified at trial. she was at the courthouse but verdict came in. new tonight, a man is arrested and charged with fraud in osceola county. they say he was illegally selling other people' s cars without proper tags or titles. when the victims ask for the money from the sale, he refused. we also found out he is the current candidate for the osceola county board of commissioners. angela: the local woman who

i felt that justice was served. george brainard did not show a lot of emotion. but he hugged his attorneys, grateful to be cleared of the sexually based crime. >> i am grateful, i lost three jobs because of it, people bashing me left and right. reporter: the victim claimed she left her boyfriends place, feeling sick from being drunk and smoking pot. she did not remember -- she accused him of pulling her into the woods and raping her. but the police think she claimed rape to keep the boyfriend from finding out that it was consensual. reporter: brainerd admitted to lying to police after the arrest, he said she sexually assaulted him. but he said that was because he was scared, he thought he was that the 22-year-old would be on trial accused of assaulting a woman was a miscarriage that has now been righted with the jury' s acquittal. >> this whole thing was just as for my son. he has lived through a lot, done well with it, but it is been tough on him. angela: that was claire metz reporting. police find bullet holes in a house and car. officers say no one was hurt,

the jury will begin deliberating today in the trail of george brainard. he says he had consensual sex with the victim after she repeatedly offered it while riding around near the speedway two years ago. the victim claims brainard dragged her from the pedicab and raped her. michelle: a local security guard has died after a crash on campus. last night, that security guard, james sensenbaugh, died from his injuries. the driver is held on a $3400 bond. jason: this morning, a registered sexual predator is behind bars in seminole county. detectives say walter ambrose raped a 13-year-old-girl on tuesday. he has already been convicted of sexual battery in orange, brevard and seminole counties. police say he put a knife to the child' s throat and forced himself upon her in the girl' s home. happening today, we will learn new information in the case of an orlando woman missing for nearly a decade. police will hold a news conference today on where the investigation into jennifer kesse' s disappearance stands. kesse left her home on conroy road for work on the mornin

a former cab driver is on the claire: the victim told the court george brainard, working as a pedi-cab driver during speedweeks, took her to some woods across from the speedway and raped her. she admits she has a lot of lapses in memory because she had been drinking and smoking marijuana. >> i was moving and squirming and screaming and trying to get away. she testified she left the track and her boyfriend because she felt sick and wanted to go home, says she has no memory of getting into the pedi-cab, but remembers brainard pulling her out of it and dragging her into some woods. >> i was squirming. i was trying to get away. >> how were you trying to get away? >> i was trying to crawl away from him. claire: it was a pedi-cab driver working for a rival company who found the victim following the alleged attack. nick colavito says he had seen brainard and the victim riding around earlier in the evening. had seen brainard' s pedi-cab, empty by then, stopped near with his own fare. after dropping them off, colavito testified he went by the woods again and saw the victim crawling out. >> she

george brainard says he never forced the victim to do anything, that the victim all but threw herself at him. wesh 2' s claire metz has been following the case and joins us live. claire: the defendant, brainard, under questioning explained that he has high functioning autism, but is not stupid. he says he knows what happened that night and testifed it was not rape. >> did you grab her and forcibly have sex with her? >> no, sir. >>was she kicking or screaming at you? >> no, sir. when the victim got on his pedi cab near the speedway in february of 2014, she' d been drinking and was talking angrily on the phone with someone. brainard says the victim had him driving all over, repeatedly offering sex if he' d take her all the way home, out of his area. >> she was just like really pushy sexually. she was like really pushy and consistent about things. claire: brainard says at one point while cruising in the pedi-cab, the victim performed a sex act on him, and on someone in a group they passed, offering sex for the ride home. he claims the victim willingly went with him to a more private area

prosecutors say george brainard took advantage of the woman while she was riding home after a race at the daytona international speedway. the defense claims the woman offered to have sex with him. taking a live look outside... meteorologist amy sweezey is up next with the forecast. discussion... ...slowly colder again this weekend... today-tonight... raob soundings from the 20/00z release show a deep and very the peninsula... rap analysis indicating h85-h70 lapse rates btwn 1.0-2.0c/km along and s of the i-4 corridor. ridge axis over the mid atlc/ne carib will be the primary wx feature for central fl today as it pushes into the w atlc...keeping the lcl airmass too stable to support anything beyond a wafer thin lyr of marine stratocu along the coast. as the ridge builds offshore...win ds thru the h100-h85 lyr will veer from n/ne to e thru the day...contg overnight. the onshore flow will push modified marine air into the cwa that will allow temps to warm up. modification will be >>> taking a look at the headlines, new cases of a mosquito mosquito-attorney zika virus are being reported i

of former pedicab driver accused of raping a woman riding in his pedicab daytona bush arrested george brainard 2014 during speed week at the time investigators say he took advantage of a woman who they say was very intoxicated at the time. brainard denied allegations in today a jury found him not guilty. >>> this afternoon we're looking into a case where an orlando teenagers that she was terrified to see a man looking at her through her bedroom window. it happened last night in audubon park. police say that peeping tom was dominic race, 22-year-old who appeared before a judge today. now he apparently told police to prowl around other people's property. we are looking into that part of the story for eyewitness news at 5. >>> this afternoon new records from sanford show the pitbull connected to that brutal apartment attack were not properly taken care of. on tuesday, 2 women were badly injuried went a pack a pitbull attack them inside their own apartment. one woman remains in critical condition today. the new paperwork shows there was another attack in december involving some of the same people.