josh benson live in the tampa news center, thank you, josh. >> again, erin takes the stand tomorrow. >>> and still to come in this newscast tonight, flu cases are on the rise across the bay area. >> 8 is on your side with what you need to know including which people are at the highest (phone ringing) you can't deal with something, presidential candidates seem to be dealing with social security. americans work hard, and pay into it. so our next president needs a real plan to keep it strong. (elephant noise) (donkey noise) hey candidates, >>> you may have noticed this, people coughing more, sneezing, perhaps someone in your office or home is not feeling so good. 8 on your side looking into the rise in flu cases. and we are live from the health department with more. >> reporter: getting flu is not cool. in fact, they have seen an up tick in the number of people getting flu in florida and specifically here in hillsborough county. and that's why they're urging people to go ahead and get the vaccine. it's not something most people want to do, get a shot. but health officials say this is ne

hey, josh benson, what's -- on the other hand? hey, josh benson what's coming up? >> a student infected with zika virus is going back to the country where he caught it, and underway for the episode 8, and >>> right now on news channel 8 at 5:30. >>> good evening i'm jennifer leigh. >> and i'm josh benson, thanks for being with us tonight. last fall lakeland passed a law loosening alcohol sales on sunday. businesses in the area pushed for the law to push sales, now it appear test expense of other business owners. josh thomas is live in lakeland. >> reporter: well the law to change the times alcohol can be sold here on sundays, has had some unintended consequence, and a negative effect on other

so now, josh benson, you know tattoo. tattoo. >> why not? >> we love options. >> what's coming up at 5:30? >>> well brazen criminals caught on camera. we need your help to track down whoever stole this expensive flight from saint petersburg prompted an emergency landing. an airline spokesperson 5:30. two truck thieves are caught on camera in a bold theft. loading up the truck and driving off. tonight, the search is onto find these crooks. >> good evening, i'm jenn holloway. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. tonight, a pair of criminals committed a brazen crime, drove a flat bed into a sarasota car dealership and stole the expensive truck. now police need your help to find them. john rogers joins us live from the scene of the crime. it doesn't get much more bold than this.

i'm jennifer leigh. >> i'm josh benson. thank you very much for being with us tonight. >> much of the southeast is on alert for severe storms and a chance of tornadoes today and this evening. storm team 8 meteorologist steve jerve joins us now. >> no watches in place for us. but the potential for severe weather is there tomorrow. any time between 7:00 a.m. to noon across the bay area from west to east. so let's take a look at the radar. you can see a lot of this activity is far to our west. an intense area of low pressure, a jest stream we have been talking on tends to move the storm tracks a little further south. we have had records of tornadoes west of new orleans. a little bright mark there

. >> josh benson has a look at both sides of the issue. good arguments on both sides. >> reporter: should apple create technology that can hack iphones? let us know your comments. patricia said apple should only phone. nothing more. apple should control it. not the government. someone else says terrorists say mass murder, apple should be more than willing to save others from this terrorist group following apple's part. still another one says absolutely not. if apple complies, this would be the only time. apple just keeps fighting the good fight. one person was blatantly honest. i don't know enough about it to make an opinion. a lot of people talking about this and the discussion continues. so we want to know what you think. you can join our conversation on our facebook page. back to you guys. >>> thank you josh. now, a traffic nightmare could be looming in clearwater. >> a lot of road closures and clear events could be angering some drivers. >> also, ever wanted to raid a famous person's closet? oprah is giving the public a >> our near per

. >> as josh benson report, that brings the total number of zika cases in florida to 10. >> reporter: of the florida cases are in hillsborough county. and the others are in miami- dade, lee and santa rosa counties. with the mosquito-borne virus exploding across the america, health officials want everyone to be prepared. spreading. health officials believe all nine cases in florida were state. the world health organization calling the situation a, quote, they are expecting at least 3 million infections over the next year. >> a coordinated international response is needed to minimize the threat in affected countries and reduce the risk of further international spread. >> reporter: zika is linked to a birth defect that leads to babies being born with abnormally small heads. none of the cases here in florida involve pregnant women but in nine cases already, governor rick scott wants to make sure the state is prepared to deal with the virus. >> i want to stay informed with what the cdc is saying. so if there's things we need to be doing. in cases right now, we only have cases of people tra

josh benson towards us live in the new center to explain why the case is so important. you see both sides so it's a difficult one to figure out.>> and ask you to hack into what you probably could but you would need a smart computer and 5 1/2 years to do so. that's according to apple. apple says the government is asking them to build something that doesn't exist and would be extremely dangerous for all iphone users. a federal judge world apple must provide reasonable technical assistance to authorities to access the data on the terrorists iphone's. >> that 18 minutes is critical. >> the 18 minutes are critical the fbi hopes the fold holds the answer. james comey told the senate heading into the iphone is key. >> we still have one of those killers phones we have not been able to open and it's been over two months now. >> overnight appleton cook released a statement saying in part we were shocked and outraged by the deadly act of terrorism and we have no sympathy for terrorist. he states apple is cooperating with the fbi on the case but will fight the order saying now the

news channel 8s josh benson found out which charities are selected to receive your very important race dollars. >> reporter: soon you will be crossing the finish line in one of the gasparilla distance classic races but the executive director susan says as the 30,000 runners finish, support for three charities will be starting up once again. boys and girls clubs of tampa bay, friends of tampa recreation and big brothers big sisters of tampa bay. >> they're all youth oriented. we want to impact the youth across tampa bay. >> reporter: and they have, raising $4.5 million since the races began back in 1978 with the tampa girl's club. and then the races raised $17,500. isst. last year the total was $311,000. that's a new record. she says it's a win/win for the community. >> because it's gasparilla and we keep the entry fees manageable, entire families can come out and do it together. >> reporter: the funds ensure powerful youth programs continue to thrive. >> we served almost 15,000 youth last year so it's ensuring that we're in the communities that need us most, providing opportunities for

, news channel 8. >> that was josh benson reporting. and i think he's running, right? well, there's still time to register for one of the gasparilla races. you can even walk through some of the races. and registration is open until this sunday february 14th. >> i'm excited because for the first year, my little ones are coming on the run. >> that's nice. >> and i will use it as an excuse to walk. i don't think they're going to be able to do the a 5k. >> throwing the girls under the bus like that? >> no. >> i heard they want to run. they're going to make you run. >> they'll probably run a little bit, i bet. >>> i have your gasparilla distance classic forecast and it's windy this morning. going to make it tough running into the wind and then you will get it at your back sometime. that will help out. the best time to go today will be in the evening. it will be breezy but not as gusty as right now. inverness. tampa just dropped to 52. and 52 in lakeland. the colder air spreading south. notice north port, it was at 60 and now down 56 degrees.

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. tonight, a pair of criminals committed a brazen crime, drove a flat bed into a sarasota car dealership and stole the expensive truck. now police need your help to find them. john rogers joins us live from the scene of the crime. it doesn't get much more bold than this. let me set the stage for you. it was parked right here on this road by the dealership where there are a lot of lights and cameras. and the police department is literally two blocks that way. these crooks knew exactly what they were doing. in the early morning hours of january 30, surveillance cameras were rolling as this white flat bed drove toward the sarasota ford dealership off u.s. 301. the flat bed went to the back and made a beeline toward a ford f450 worth $76,000. it was the most expensive vehicle on the lot that night. watch as the crooks load it onto our flat bed without belonged there. doing. >> where did it happen? >> reporter: dealership officials did not realize the theft until the next day. >> they actual

. >> and i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us totonight. a strip club shooting caught live on camera, and tampa police are sifting through video and a numbmber of leads to catch a killer. were shot. julie phillips joins us -- jeff patterson joins us live, and the entire thing played out life on periscope? >> reporter: yes, it's incredible, it's a way to live strife over twitter, and they were d doing it tonight of the shooting, and the e man that ended up dying that night may have periscoped his own murder. a dancer inside the club comes off the stage to tell a man not to fight. as this is happening inside ththe club, another woman is driving up outside of the club, also on periscopope. >> >. oh my god! >> reporter: everybody is running out because shots are fired inside of the club. not just one or two shots, but shot after shot after shoot. in all, eight people suffered one man, marvin lancaster, died at the scene. >> we have a lot of leads to follow up on. >>>> reporter: the woman arriving quickly realized what was going on. >> oh my god

. >> i'm josh benson. >> it is the end of the line on a con man. the cash flasher is no longer running away from responsibility. an open plea. that opens him up to a long- time behind bars. >> 8 on your side investigator mark douglas started exposing fletcher's dirty deeds what does this mean to his victims?

i'm josh benson. >> i'm jennifer leigh. thanks for joining us tonight. there is confirmation that senator hillary clinton did in fact beat bernie sanders in iowa by a very narrow margin. ted cruz is riding his gop win into new hampshire meantime. and one florida senator who came in third is walking around like a victor. >> rubio's strong showing in third may be the momentum he needs. candace mccowan joins us with more. >> reporter: absolutely. good evening josh and jen. rubio's strong third place standing in iowa has people than governor jeb bush can say. senator marco rubio got to work early in new hampshire. >> last night proves marco momentum the real. >> reporter: he is certainly feeling good about himself and his campaign. >> we feel really great about our organization. about our message. here's the bottom line. this country cannot afford hillary clinton or bernie sanders. >> reporter: and he might feel much more as other candidates turn their attention to the rising republican star. >> now it is time for him to man up and stop letting his handlers

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. >>> a string of fights at a hillsborough county high school has parents, student, and administrators on high alerts. >> >. there have been a lot of fist fights at alonzo high school the past couple of week, and one even september one student -- sent one student to the hospital, and another sent a student to jail. >> reporter: stepped up patrols by sheriffs deputies will hopefully stop the violence. a viewer sent in these picture, had to be keeled away on a -- wheel away on a stretcher and zone intensive care unit of a local hospital. the sheriffs hope their presence deters recent violence. students say the fights feel like that i have been one after another -- they've been one after another. >> like four fights last week, they're usually when i'm walking to the calf fear i can't. >> reporter: but a school district -- calf fear i can't. >> reporter: but the school district said the principal reported just one fight last beaten. the sheriffs office tells us wal

. >> i'm josh benson. planned parenthood has made many headlines. planned parenthood has been pushing back including right here in florida. josh thomas joins us live in lakeland with more on this story. >> reporter: good evening. planned parenthood clinics perform all sorts of services. abortions are one of them. attention, both positive and negative to the healthcare provider. amy rooker plans to turn to planned parenthood for healthcare an not just an abortion. she is concerned about a bill before the legislature to take away the group's funding. >> it is going to take away access for pap smears, mammograms. >> reporter: planned parenthood held a protest outside the lakeland office of state senator kelly stargel, a sponsor of the bill. the bill is politically motivated based on an undercover video recorded at planned parenthood centers around the country last summer. >> as we all know, the two campaign have been indicted by the state of texas and planned parenthood has been cleared of all wrong doing. ultimately, these pieces of bills are reactiona

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight. >> recent mass shootings have renewed the discussion over whether students should be allowed to carry guns on campus for protection. it's even being discussed here in florida. josh thomas is live in lakeland with more on the story. >> reporter: good evening, well

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight. >> recent mass shootings have renewed the discussion over whether students should be allowed to carry guns on campus for protection. it's even being discussed here in florida. josh thomas is live in lakeland with more on the story. >> reporter: good evening, well a topic that's been debated inth florida legislature -- in the florida legislature, and today bay area students joined forces to call attention to the issue. >> people are not able to bring their gun to defend themselves. >> reporter: florida sophomore want toss bring a gun to school for protection. he's with students for concealed carry. but the florida senate recently struck down a bill allowed them to carry on state university campuses. >> it's not about arming the student population, it's about safety and crime prevention, and most of all about our receive rights to be -- civil right toss defend ourselves. >> reporter: they use other campus shootings as an example, but the university think

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight. downtown tampa is one of many cities people call home. they are breathing new life into downtown. and a bay area city hopes to take advantage of a same kind of grow. josh thomas joins us live from lakeland. we are hearing new residential units are now under construction. >> reporter: yes, and they are the ones you see behind me. this development has been slowly taking shape in downtown lakeland. but some business owners who have businesses nearby, quite frankly, they have soured on its progress. as you can tell, it is not even nearly complete.

. >> and i'm josh benson, thanks for being with us tonight. last fall lakeland passed a law loosening alcohol sales on sunday. businesses in the area pushed for the law to push sales, now it appear test expense of other business owners. josh thomas is live in lakeland. >> reporter: well the law to change the times alcohol can be sold here on sundays, has had some unintended consequence, and a negative effect on other when the city of lakeland allowed alcohol to be sold every sunday from 7 tim till in the morning until -- 7 tim till in the morning until 2:00 in the morning, but not for this guy who's bar is outside the city limit, he has to follow the polk county law. >> i had customers waiting when i opened on noon on sunday, and now they're not waiting outside. they're driving into the city limits. >> reporter: he's not alone. this man run's business in the county. >> next door there's a store in the city limits. >> reporter: he signed a petition started by lawson to get county commissioners to look at the disparity in the law, something the

. >> i'm josh benson. >> i'm jennifer leigh. a bay area man is fortunate to be alive after coming between a jealous ex-husband an a gun. fortunately for the man, the gun didn't work and tonight, the ex-husband is behind bars. newschannel8's josh thomas joins us now live from polk county with the details. >> good evening general. investigators with the polk county sheriff office could be a man and a gun pulled on him. an ex-husband, his ex-wife. a domestic dispute outside this lakeland doctor's office could have turned deadly. gibson hyacinth went. >> he went there with love, jealousy, and rage. and the only thing that stopped him from killing addison was that his firearm for whatever reason wouldn't work. >> reporter: in this surveillance video, they have confronted him. he showed whiteside his concealed carry permit. then he pull out a gun and tried to shoot him not only once, but twice. >> had his gun been working and he shot addison in the parking lot, why wouldn't he have gone in to finish off his wife who he had already sai

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight. downtown tampa is one of many cities people call home. they are breathing new life into downtown. and a bay area city hopes to take advantage of a same kind of grow. josh thomas joins us live from lakeland. we are hearing new residential units are now under construction. >> reporter: yes, and they are the ones you see behind me. this development has been slowly taking shape in downtown lakeland. but some business owners who have businesses nearby, quite frankly, they have soured on its progress. as you can tell, it is not even nearly complete. an urban reawakening happening at downtowns all over the country. matt clark is the president of the company behind the project. >> we hope it attracts other developers. we want to see a real renaissance period. >> reporter: but not everyone is happy to see this. marty johnson owns a business that is being overshadowed by the project. a project built for 150 space parking lot once existed right in front of her shop. >> people can't see that i'm

josh benson has a sneak peek at the newest models. >> reporter: 2016 is about to begin. hp is taking your next cell phone and making it literally your computer. phone powerful now have use as a full-sized computer. never miss a shot with sony's experia x. it will predict your next move they say. and your videos will have film- like fluidity. caterpillar just introduced a phone with the question that can answer whether you're hot or not. it included integrated thermal imaging and it's rugged enough to be used by construction workers. s7 and -- galaxy x7 and x7s. get ready for vr. virtual reality. they debuted the gear 360. this thing takes 360-degree photos of videos uploaded to facebook or youtube or viewed on virtual reality headsets. incredible views that are out of this world and light years beyond your old camera phone. >> thank goodness josh is not in charge of research and development. >>> air bus has a new idea for airplane seating, and it could actually make your flight more comfortable. a patent application poses a bench seat to accommodate any size person big o

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight. sarasota police have just put the brakes on a car burglary ring. they arrested four people who went on a spree, breaking into around 40 cars within a 24 hour period. john rogers is live from sarasota. and we hear police now need the help to find all these victims out there. >> reporter: they certainly do. so listen closely, this crime spree happened in downtown sarasota across three different parking garage, all during the daytime. so if you have been down here lately, it might behoove you to check inside your car. if you have been spending time in downtown sarasota lately, crime and not even realize it. police say on monday and tuesday, an 18-year-old and three other teens skipped school to go car hopping. they wandered through parking garages and would pick at door handles until one would open up. they would then rush inside, search the car and take anything they could find. they did. cars. but get this, so far, not a single victim has come forward. officers have recovered money, ph

josh benson joining us in the newsroom with the latest. >> information just into our newsroom. these two small planes collided over the ocean near los angeles about 6:30 tonight our time. no word yet on survivors as this remains an active scene. boats on the water, crews have recovered a plane tail number and a partial number from the second plane. two dozen divers are in 80 to 90 feet of water, trying to determine who office board and why this happened. as we learn more. >>> touching young girls in the wrong way, that's what a pinellas county teacher is accused of. the teacher is locked up at the county jail. how were deputied tipped off? >> reporter: one of the alleged victims went to her mother and told her what happened. and come this morning, investigators went right to this guy, the suspect, andrew kim. and they say he admitted to everything. >> reporter: this video shows andrew kim with the caption "building black belts with character." now kim's character is tarnished. >> shocking. >> reporter: their kids coming >> i'm so glad that they caught him and is he's in custody

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight. hillary clinton seems to have just squeezed out a win in the iowa caucus us and now she heads to new hampshire. she had some florida help along the way. candace mccowan has more. >> reporter: bernie sanders is expected to do very well in new hampshire. and tampa's mayor bob buckhorn tells me that is why senator clinton needs his help. leaving tampa bay's sunny weather for the freezing temps and rain of new hampshire is a sure sign of commitment. doors. we are going to reach out to the new hampshire voters. it is very, very important. >> reporter: and rubio tampa campaign chair says her trip to new hampshire shows her sincere commitment to marco rubio and she is not alone. >> it 80 degrees here, are you prepared? ingly >> i had to go online and buy winter boots. i'm going to go knock on doors and make phone calls and do what they need me to do. >> reporter: it is a commitment needed. the grass roots effort works well in new hampshire. face to face times with those who know the candidat

i'm josh benson. >> i'm stacie schaible. thanks for joining us tonight. >> a so-called patriot with pipe bombs is in a lot of trouble tonight after his arrest in tampa yesterday with explosives, tear gas, and smoke grenades. michael vincent ramos is in jail awaiting a hearing. mark douglas spent time looking into his background. he is live outside the pinellas jail with more. hi mark. >> reporter: hi josh. and good evening to you. he is in the pinellas jail. we should explain, though he is a tampa resident. because he is on hold for federal marshals. he is a self-style militia man who makes bullet blocking vests. that is why he is in jill tonight. and tonight, we have an exclusive interview with that man. >> patriot armor is a law- abiding company. >> reporter: ken o neil and his brother insists they have a legit business selling body armor to anyone who can legally buy bullet blocking gear. 25-year-old michael ramos is president of the company and their partner. but o'neal says when he spotted pipe bombs inside his tampa du

. >> i'm josh benson. the polk county superintendent finds herself in hot water though her name has been cleared in a complaint filed against her. some school members appear to have lost confidence in their school leader and they are calling for her job. josh thomas joins us live in bartow with the latest. >> reporter: good evening josh. some polk county school board members want to see so the district can move on from what they call a distraction from the education process. she appeared before the school board for the first time tuesday since she was cleared of several complaints lodged against her. >> allow me to apologize for any failure on my part to manage a relationship with a senior staff member. i take responsibility for that and i learned from it. >> reporter: associate superintendent greg rivers made several claims against suspect leroy including sexual harassment and a hostile work environment. >> the complaints were unsubstantiated. >> reporter: while succeed board members admit there has been

i'm josh benson. >> i'm jennifer leigh. thank you very much for joining us this evening. lakeland city leaders want to close the skate park two hours earlier. that is not going over well with skateboarders but city leaders claim they have no choice. newschannel8's josh thomas joins us live to explain all of this. josh? >> reporter: good evening. well the lakeland skate park is one of the most famous in florida, but the city is forced

i'm josh benson. >> i'm jennifer leigh. thank you very much for joining us this evening. lakeland city leaders want to close the skate park two hours earlier. that is not going over well with skateboarders but city leaders claim they have no choice. newschannel8's josh thomas joins us live to explain all of this. josh? >> reporter: good evening. well the lakeland skate park is one of the most famous in florida, but the city is forced night instead of 10:00 starting on monday. 16-year-old skateboarder tyler wofford uses the park regularly, but he doesn't like the change in the park. >> i stay here very late a lot because my mom gets off work late. i don't know whatly do. she gets off at 10:00. i don't know whatly do for the two hours. >> reporter: lakeland police have made several drug arrests in the park. >> we are making a rule for the 1%. we are asking them to leave, they are not leaving. >> reporter: justin is a founding member of the skaters alliance and met with city officials. >> some of these issues have been addressed before. things got better an then worse again.

. >> i'm josh benson. thank you very much for being with us tonight. >> much of the southeast is on alert for severe storms and a chance of tornadoes today and this evening. storm team 8 meteorologist steve jerve joins us now. >> no watches in place for us. but the potential for severe weather is there tomorrow. any time between 7:00 a.m. to noon across the bay area from west to east. so let's take a look at the radar. you can see a lot of this activity is far to our west. an intense area of low pressure, a jest stream we have been talking on tends to move the storm tracks a little further south. we have had records of tornadoes west of new orleans. a little bright mark there also one around hattiesburg, mississippi. around sections of southern mississippi too. just an indication of how strong these thunderstorms are and the tornado watch itself that goes well into alabama. at the southern end, a cold front will move through the bay area tomorrow and ahead of the line of thunderstorms we could see some hig

. >>> josh benson, what is coming up at 5:30. schools superintendent has a problem. why some school members are calling for her job. and caught on camera. a sword wielding attacker try to cut up a clerk at a store in broward county. this was not the only bizarre

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. >>> a string of fights at a hillsborough county high school has parents, student, and administrators on high alerts. >> >. there have been a lot of fist fights at alonzo high school the past couple of week, and one even september one student -- sent one student to the hospital, and another sent a student to jail. >> reporter: stepped up patrols by sheriffs deputies will hopefully stop the violence. a viewer sent in these picture,

. >> i'm josh benson. >> it is the end of the line on a con man. the cash flasher is no longer running away from responsibility. an open plea. that opens him up to a long- time behind bars. >> 8 on your side investigator mark douglas started exposing fletcher's dirty deeds what does this mean to his victims? other, it means they will finally see him pay for making them suffer. fletcher many people say is a pathological liar. his legion of lies caught up to him. after years of investment scams. >> the defendant befriended the victim. >> reporter: shameless lies. >> he fabricated fake wire transfers and took money from new investors. >> reporter: robber fletcher is finally telling the truth. >> you believe it is in your best interest? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: no more get rich quick schemes. >> i have ten grand cash. all set for the deal. no exception, no problems. >> reporter: no more using the jailhouse telephone to defraud elderly women while waiting trial for previous scams. >> thank you. i had lost faith. for responsibility like the time we corn

. >> hey josh benson. >> we have a lot coming up. competing for the olympics right there. plus, a new development in the battle of minimum wage. why lower wages could be

. >> and i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight the. florida's governor has showed his support for trump recently and now with trump surging in the presidential primary race, some are wondering if a happen. >> reporter: yeah, josh, good evening. a washington post reporter posted this article yesterday. it's had plenty of people talking about whether it's a good or bad idea. governor rick scott made national news when he defended donald trump back in january in usa today. well he became the darling on national talk shows. >> we need a big change. and donald talking about it. >> reporter: and now the former hospital executive is said to be on a short list of potential vice president candidates if trump wins the gop nomination. scott told reporters, it's not on his radar. >> are you interested? >> i'm focused on my job here. i have three years left. we have added a million, 25,000 jobs and i want to add more. >> reporter: but the trump supporter and representative thinks scott would be a good choice. >> you look at the politics of washingt

. >> i'm josh benson. alan graceman is accusing people of smearing his name. jamel lanee joins us live from downtown tampa. representative grayson was in town earlier. he had a lot to say right? at the tiger bay club's monthly luncheon. he was pretty fired up after voters asked him about a hedge fund and his family allegedly making money off of a company in africa that promotes slave labor. the room was steaming as representative grayson fielded questions from members today. >> i want to know what you meant when you said the best time to invest was when there was blood in the streets. >> i want to know how you plan to be a successful candidate with your financial baggage. i'm talking about the $17 million you lost in this scheme. >> reporter: the congressman keith and representative murphy are running for the senate. grayson says he is being targeted. >> there is a smear campaign going on right now against me because i'm ahead in the polls. all these people bearing false witness against me, they get the one-finger absolute. >> reporter: that one finger senator

i'm josh benson. >> i'm jennifer leigh. thanks for joining us this evening. the former sarasota police officer gave that private information to his brother and what his brother did with it is where things get really complicated. john rogers joins us live. john, this officer has resigned >> reporter: oh, he is facing some big trouble jenn. the officer is lieutenant ken castro. he gave the information to his brother and his brother committed a crime. this is a violation of castro's authority. lieutenant ken castro was a beloved and respected public servant both inside the sarasota police department and out in the community. but according to these documents obtained by newschannel8, back in october, castro used law enforcement resources for person use. records show he looked up a woman's drivers license information and gave it to his brother who then trespassed onto her property and caused damage. >> it is important that law enforcement officers take this seriously. because, we have a right to privacy in our person day is a. when that privacy is breached it can

any way, josh benson is here. >> some outrage here, he probably couldn't see over the steering wheel, but an 11-year- old goes on a joyride in his parent's pickup truck. we will have you listen to the 911 calls just ahead. plus, this year's superbowl is expected to be the most expensive sporting event ever. we will show you the mind

. >>> i'm josh benson. >> i'm jennifer leigh and thanks for joining us. just minutes ago citrus county deputies told us with a gun at the school belongs to. we go live from rock crusher elementary in citrus county and parents have been waiting all day for this information. >> reporter: that's what parents have been telling us. after school authorities were able to go through surveillance gun belonged to. it was a dad dropping his son off during his early morning program. he didn't realize the gun hell out of his pocket through a hole in his cargo pants. this incident had school officials and parents very worried. when monique heard there was a loaded gun at her child school she panicked. >> it's very scary. >> reporter: school authorities say the gun was discovered after 8:00 this morning were parents drop-off children for pre-carrot the back of rock crusher elementary school. >> apparent notice the weapon he contracted one of our employees who came out and secured the weapon. they thought the weapon was a pellet gun.>> reporter: they soon learned that wa

. >> i'm josh benson. alan graceman is accusing people of smearing his name. jamel lanee joins us live from downtown tampa. representative grayson was in town earlier. he had a lot to say right?

. >>> hey, josh benson. >> hey, we have some stories. a taxi driver looking down the barrel of a gun. he wasn't about to give up the money. he tells his story exclusively to news channel 8. >>> and my bad, the man charged wendy's drive-thru, he

i'm josh benson. >> i'm jennifer leigh. thanks for joining us. we are starting with an 8 on your side consumer alert. scammers are working to target you this tax season. we've already seen the arrest of an accused scammer in the bay area and tonight the irs has a warning. these scam artists threaten you with arrests, deportation or a lawsuit and in the end the fake irs agents steal thousands of dollars. peter bernard joins us now live from pinellas county. the last time you did a story on this it went viral. what's new tonight? >> reporter: a lot of people finding an irs con artist is a difficult task. they can do their dirty kids pretty much anywhere with a telephone. tonight listen to yourself a call a bay area woman received. >> hello. this call is officially a final notice from irs, internal revenue service. >> reporter: sun city center dr. gail dudley recorded this message on her answering machine. >> the reason of this call is to inform you the irs is filing lawsuits against you. >> reporter: she saw our 8 on your side story explaining how

josh benson towards us live in the new center to explain why the case is so important. you see both sides so it's a difficult one to figure out.>>

available at walmart >>> 8 is on your side for the -- as we get ready for the gas spa little low -- josh benson found out that organizers are focused on giving back to the community. soon you'll be crossing the finish line in the gasparillo races, but suzanne says as the 30,000 winners finish, support for three charities will start up again. the boys and girls club of tampa bay, friends of tampa recreation and big brothers and sisters of tampa bay. >> we want to impact the youth across tampa bay. >> they have raising $4.5 million since the races began in 1978 with the tampa girl's club and the races raised $75,000 last year, $311,000. it's a win-win for the community. our families can do it together which is what we want. >> the funds ensure that the programs continue to thrive. >> it's ensuring we're in the communities that need us most providing opportunities for great futures to our kids so we use it for our daily operations. >> this event is heavy on logistics and the teen involved is passionate and says they have this system down. >> we know what it takes and we know what january and febru

. >> i'm josh benson. >> and i'm stacie schaible. there's pipe bombs. a tampa bay man faces an arrest. >> they found the pipe bombs. there -- he spotted the pipe bomb in the house. his landlord thought ramos was a nice young man until this happened. >> so when the federal agents came here and said they were pipe bombs in there, you must have been shocked. >> definitely, yeah. very shocked. i can't believe, you know, this happening outside of my house. >> federal agents say that ramos claims to be associated with the st. petersburg malitia group. >>> a one boy -- the boy is recovering at the hospital. josh thomas fills us in on what happened. >>reporter: a weekend of camping by a local boy scout troop -- who had been involved in a boating accident. they were traveling down the river when they hit an object flipping the boat sending both into the water. they rushed to the aid of the two providing first aide until ems arrived. >> i fell back into my training and said this is what we need to do. get the kid warmed up. >> the 7-year-old was breathing but tak

i'm josh benson >> and i'm stacie schaible. this is first at 4:00. a 16-year-old student is in jail >> the other student is in the icu. police arrested walker last week. a viewer senlt these pictures to 8 on your side. the student had to be wheeled away on a stretcher. our cameras were rolling as sheriff's deputies arrived. students tells us it seems like the fights are happening more frequently. >> it has been seven day in a row just straight up fighting. >> there were four or five fights last week. usually when i'm walk to go the cafeteria. >> a spokes woman says the principal reported one fight last week. on friday, when the student was badly beaten, but rumors swirled on social media, there would be pay back today. >>> a lot of people living in venice are upset about the closure of their library. it was closed because of mold. they feel the closure was rushed. hundreds are signing a petition asking for reconsideration. plans to hold public meetings on march 21st. and the books will stay put. if the books are moldy, county officials will have them

fshths here's number four -- >> a local man lives to thank >> i'llm josh benson -- >> and i'm stacie schaible. >>> many of us are getting ready to file our tax returns, of course, but watch out. >> someone is calling people pretending to be the irs and using threats to make those cough up the cash. peter bernard has more. >>reporter: a part time ymca employee is off the job after gulfport police say he was involved in an irs scam. lee is all smile in wells fargo bank surveillance video as he watches a teller count at $6800. the police chief tells me he's apart of thieves who threaten people on the phone. they - >> someone pretended to be an irs person. >> they sent the money concerned it was real. as i was doing it -- these guys were so good. >> detectives believes others are involved in this fake irs scam and anticipate charges and arrest. >> lee is suspended without pay and more likely will be terminated. news channel 8. >>> police are trying to track down car jackers on the loose in the bay area. a woman was car jacked by a group of three men. an officer spotted the car. the pole.

. >> good afternoon everybody, i'm josh benson. >> i'm stacie schaible. this is first at 4:00. we are waiting for governor rick scott visiting the county devastate by tornadoes. many victims are still in shock. >> what were you thinking when you drove back? >> what the heck is going on here? i didn't realize what was going on. >> thankfully, there were no injuries in the storm. >> joining us now, julie phillips in the weather center. >> such a difference today, we have beautiful blue skies. it is breezy as well. the northwest winds at this location coming in pretty steady between 20 and 25 miles so, a breezy day, a rough day on the water, but thankfully, the showers and storms have passed. you can see in the satellite and radar imagery, barely a cloud in the sky, no rain on the radar, things looking dry for the rest of tonight. that front is well off to the south, there is a large system that has made its way into the northeast. still looking at snow across the mid atlantic, but quiet conditions as high pressure is building in for us the next couple of days. right now, 61 in te

the race is one week away, and many are focused on their running, josh benson found out organizers are focused on giving back to the community. >>reporter: soon you'll be crossing the finish line in the gasparilla classic races, but suzanne says as the 30,000 runners finish, three support -- the boys and girls clubs of tampa bay, friends of tampa recreation and big brothers and big sisters of tampa bay. >> we want to impact the youth across tampa bay. million since the races began back in 1978 with the tampa girl's club and the races raised 17,500s and last year it was -- harmeling says it's a one-win. >> because we keep the fee man age -- manageable, the families can afford it. >> we provide great futures for our kids so we use for a daily opportunities. >> harmeling says they have this system down. >> we know what everybody knows -- they might pass out the day after, but we know what it takes to make this the event that >> it's going to be a nice looking weekend. two thumbs up from my emoji man. we're starting off with cloud cover. you know what, let's switch over. there's a live vie

. >>> i'm josh benson >> and i'm stacie schaible. this is first at 4:00. an online scam warning for people in florida. vacationers looking to book a week in sunshine are finding out their dream vacation is a nightmare. >> news channel 8 peter bernard shows us how this scam works and how you can avoid being the next victim. >>reporter: good evening, the scammers are using fake craigslist adds to book a -- the owner of this condo have seen happy vacationers who thought they rented his place and responded to an ad like this with an unbelievable rental rate, but when they show up, they have been taken. >> people show up at the door and they have been defrauded. >> there's an increase in this scam. >> from january through june, i see anywhere from 15 to 30 cases a month of people sending their money to people that they met on craigslist. >> to protect yourself, deal with a well known travel booking company and check out the property yourself. peter bernard, news channel 8. >>> today the woman accused of hitting and killing a tow truck driver had her first appea