DeSantis: Toss ousted prosecutor's suit
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants a federal judge to throw out a free-speech lawsuit filed by a Democratic prosecutor he suspended over statements about not pursuing criminal charges in abortion, transgender-rights and certain low-level cases.
The Republican governor told U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle of Tallahassee in a filing late Friday that Andrew Warren -- removed last month as elected state attorney in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa -- cannot claim First Amendment protection for his comments on how he would handle hot-button issues.
"Mr. Warren had no First Amendment right, as a public official, to declare that he would not perform his duties under Florida law," the state solicitor general wrote in the filing for DeSantis.
Warren, elected in 2016 and reelected in 2020, claims the governor is overturning the will of the people who put him in office and that his suspension is based solely on his statements rather than any prosecutorial decisions.
"This is a poor defense of an indefensible abuse of power. The fact that taxpayers continue to foot the bill for this makes it even more shameful," Warren said.
Hinkle has scheduled a Sept. 19 hearing in Tallahassee to hear arguments in Warren's lawsuit. The GOP-dominated state Senate, which has the authority to affirm or rescind the prosecutor's suspension, is holding off until the court challenge is settled.
Family of missing jogger offers reward
MEMPHIS -- The family of a Tennessee woman who police said was abducted and forced into a vehicle while she was jogging near the University of Memphis has offered a $50,000 reward for information.
Eliza Fletcher, 34, was last seen about 4:20 a.m. Friday, police said. She was jogging when a man approached and forced her into a dark-colored GMC Terrain after a brief struggle, police said. She was reported missing when she did not return home, and her cellphone and water bottle were discovered in front of a house owned by the university, authorities said.
Fletcher's family offered the reward Friday night through Crimestoppers for information leading to the arrest of anyone responsible for her disappearance. "We look forward to Eliza's safe return and hope that this award will help police capture those who committed this crime," the family said.
The mother of two, Fletcher is the granddaughter of the late Joseph "Joe" Orgill III, a Memphis hardware businessman and philanthropist, according to news outlets.
Police said the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the FBI were called in to assist.
Center keeps eye on 2 tropical storms
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- After a quiet start to hurricane season, Hurricane Danielle and Tropical Storm Earl both formed Friday -- but neither is a threat to Florida.
The National Hurricane Center said Saturday that Tropical Storm Danielle is expected to pick up strength over the next few days and turn back into a hurricane. The system, which became the first hurricane of the season Friday morning, lost some strength overnight and reverted to a tropical storm.
Tropical Storm Earl, which formed late Friday, was about 115 miles east of the Caribbean Sea. It was headed west but expected to curl north in the next few days. It was moving west-northwest at 13 mph with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. Tropical-storm-force winds extended out 175 miles.
Parts of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico can expect heavy rainfall over the next few days regardless of the system's development.
Danielle still has maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, with its tropical-storm-force winds extending out 125 miles. It was located about 925 miles west of the Azores as it drifts over the ocean.
Deep in the mid-Atlantic, Danielle is currently no threat to land and probably will meander for the next few days.
Danielle and Earl are the first named storms to form in the Atlantic since early July. This comes after a quiet August with no named storms -- for only the third time since 1961.
Mall of Georgia stabbing suspect shot
BUFORD, Ga. -- One person was stabbed Friday and an officer shot the suspect at the Mall of Georgia outside Atlanta, police said.
The incident began when a suspected thief began smashing jewelry counters in Macy's, authorities said. The vandal then stabbed a store employee who tried to stop him and fled, police said.
Gwinnett County police spotted the suspect as he fled in a gray pickup, said Sgt. Jennifer Richter, a police spokeswoman. An officer tried to ram the truck and the suspect got out and attempted to run, but an officer fired and hit the suspect at least once, she said.
Richter said the stabbing victim is hospitalized with severe injuries. The suspect, identified as Jose Reyes-Serrato, 27, of Loganville, was in stable condition, she said.