LEE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE COMMUNITY OUTREACH NEWSLETTER: SEPTEMBER 2026
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Sheriff Carmine Marceno
Lee County Sheriff's Office
Proud to Serve
Proud to Serve
Thank you for visiting the official website of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It’s an honor and privilege to serve as your Sheriff.
Your safety is my top priority. I am committed to ensuring our community is protected by the most skilled, dedicated, and innovative law enforcement team. We’re constantly looking ahead, embracing new ideas, and striving for excellence in everything we do.
🚨National Cold Case Month Feature:
National Cold Case Month is a time to shed light on cases that remain unsolved, bring awareness to the victims and their families, and remind the public that even the smallest detail could make a difference.
There is someone out there who may know something, or know someone who does. A detail that may seem insignificant could be exactly what detectives need as they continue to investigate these cases.
If you know something, say something. If you know someone who may have information, encourage them to come forward.
You can take advantage of this amazing resource, SWFL Crime Stoppers, and submit an anonymous tip. You may have information that helps bring answers, justice, and closure to a family that has been waiting far too long.
Someone knows something. Could you be the person who helps connect the dots?
… It’s never too late to give the closure her loved ones are waiting for.WHAT HAPPENED TO MARY OPITZ?
Mary Opitz was just 17 years old when she disappeared from the Edison Mall in Fort Myers in 1981. She was never seen again.
It has been 45 years, but Mary's family is still waiting for answers.
The second photo is an age-progression image showing what Mary may look like today.
Someone knows something.
After all these years, it's never too late to speak up. Even the smallest piece of information could help provide the answers Mary's family has waited decades to receive.
SWFL Crime Stoppers
1-800-780-TIPS (8477)
southwestfloridacrimestoppers.com
💰 CASH REWARD UP TO $5,000
#MaryOpitz #MissingPerson #ColdCase #FortMyers #EdisonMall #SWFLCrimeStoppers #SomeoneKnowsSomething
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This afternoon, Sheriff Carmine Marceno joined host Drew Steele of Florida’s Voice to discuss a significant narcotics operation and some key initiatives that are keeping SWFL the safest it’s ever been.
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🦮🌟💙☕🐾🎯
CRU had a great time connecting with our community at Coffee with a Cop, hosted by Target at Market Square!
Team LCSO enjoyed sharing a cup of coffee with community members, answering questions, and building meaningful relationships beyond the badge. We were also excited to have our Crisis Care K9™ Rollie join us! K9 Rollie was definitely a fan favorite, bringing plenty of smiles and wagging tails to the event.
A big thank-you to Target for hosting us and to everyone who stopped by to say hello. We’re proud to be part of a community that values connection, conversation, and looking out for one another.
🦮🌟💙☕🐾🎯
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‼️LIVE INTERVIEW‼️
Catch Sheriff Carmine Marceno on Florida’s Voice Radio today around 3:15pm, as he joins host Drew Steele to discuss recent investigations and LCSO’s committment to keeping Lee County residents safe! 🤝🏽🇺🇸
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🚓 𝐋𝐄𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇 𝐀𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐆𝐔𝐍🚓
A Lehigh Acres man was arrested after 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐠𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭 early Tuesday morning.
Around midnight, deputies responded to a home in the 4000 block of 11th Street SW after a repossession driver reported an altercation with the homeowner.
The driver told deputies he was in the process of repossessing two vehicles when the homeowner, identified as 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐊𝐨𝐥𝐳, came outside armed with a pistol and said, “Do you want to die?”
Kolz then got into one of the vehicles while it was still on the tow truck and demanded that the driver put it down. Fearing for his life, the tow truck driver released the vehicle.
As the vehicle was driven away, 𝐊𝐨𝐥𝐳 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝.
Deputies later made contact with Kolz and arrested him for 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗻. The firearm was recovered from his vehicle. It was later determined Kolz knew he was behind on car payments.
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Live NOW with @DrewSteeleRadio on @FLVoiceNews as Sheriff Carmine Marceno discusses his no nonsense approach to fighting crime right here in Lee County.
WHAT HAPPENED TO MARY OPITZ?
Mary Opitz was just 17 years old when she disappeared from the Edison Mall in Fort Myers in 1981. She was never seen again.
It has been 45 years, but Mary's family is still waiting for answers.
The second photo is an age-progression image showing
Today, Sheriff Carmine Marceno announced the arrests of two men accused of killing 46-year-old Steven Roth and burying his body in a shallow grave.
Gabriel Leon-Torres (left) Justin Kight (right)
LCSO detectives and Crime Scene Technicians excavated the site and uncovered human remains.
The District 21 Medical Examiner’s Office identified the remains as Steven Roth. He had suffered significant trauma, including multiple injuries consistent with stab wounds.
Detectives arrest Gabriel Leon-Torres & Justin Kight, who was charged with:
• Second-Degree Murder
• Tampering with or Fabricating Physical Evidence
Tune in to our agency Facebook and YouTube pages to watch Sheriff Carmine Marceno’s press conference at 11:30am.
If you have any information on the whereabouts of Schepers, please contact the Lee County Sheriff’s Office at 239-477-1000 or SWFL Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS.
Carmine Marceno
Members of #TeamLCSO participated in this year`s 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐬 event, hosted annually by 92.5 FOX News, to honor the lives lost in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Across Southwest Florida, attendees came together for simultaneous flag-planting ceremonies, placing 2,977 American flags in the ground, one for each life lost.
On this 25th anniversary, we pause to remember those who were taken from us, honor the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice, and stand together as a community to ensure their stories and legacy are never forgotten.
🇺🇸 𝟐,𝟗𝟕𝟕 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐬. 𝟐,𝟗𝟕𝟕 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬. 🇺🇸
#NeverForget #911Remembrance #FieldOfFlags #September11
𝐖𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟖𝟎’𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠... 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐋𝐂𝐒𝐎 𝐢𝐬 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐩 😎📞🪩🛼🌟
𝐁𝐄𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒 - 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙣𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙀𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝘿𝙚𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨:
Law enforcement is constantly evolving, and the ability to adapt is a critical advantage.
Thanks to the generosity of a community donor, LCSO acquired a modular training system from UnHinged that allows our deputies to train in constantly changing environments.
This year, all LCSO law enforcement personnel participated in reality-based training, practicing breaching techniques, tactics, and critical-incident response across a variety of scenarios and floorplans.
At #TeamLCSO, we’re committed to innovative training that prepares our deputies for the challenges of today while building greater operational flexibility for tomorrow.
🕯️𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡: 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠.🕯️
Every name has a story. Every family deserves answers. Every case matters.
During National Cold Case Month, we honor the victims, stand with their loved ones, and recognize the dedicated investigators who continue searching for the truth, no matter how much time has passed.
At LCSO, cold cases are never forgotten. Through commitment, perseverance, and the support of our community, we continue working toward justice and closure.
If you have information that could help solve a case, your tip could make a difference.
📞 Submit a tip through our partners at SWFL Crime Stoppers
Your information could help bring closure to a family and justice to a case.
𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫. 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫. 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬.
HOMICIDE SUSPECT TAkKEN DOWN BY DEPUTIES
Today Sheriff Marceno released information on a homicide investigation on suspect Whycliff Longin who brutally attacked two women, killing one. Visit our Facebook to view the press conference and get full information.
𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐒𝐤𝐲! 🥳
We hope your day is filled with all your favorite things. 🎂🐕🐾
Our operation may be over but our message remains: if you deal poison in Lee County, we are coming for YOU
Watch real stories from the field, see how we work with the community, and get the latest updates straight from the source.
Trafficking Cocaine Gets You Cuffed
Live | Press Conference
Live | Press Conference
Seeking Closure: Death in the Driveway
Public Records Request
Submit a request for public records, background checks, crash reports, and more.
8.20CRUnewsletterDownload
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The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has been nationally accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement (CALEA) since 1991. The accreditation program requires agencies to comply with state-of-the-art standards in four basic areas: policy and procedures, administration, operations and support services.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office invites the public to offer comments, commendation and other information regarding the Sheriff’s Office quality of services and performance or other information relevant to the accreditation process on the CALEA public access portal. To access the Public Comment Portal, go to http://cimrs2.calea.org/58.