Captain, deputy earn top chamber honor
A Lee County Sheriff’s Office captain and a deputy have been jointly named the for the North Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce Deputy of the Quarter award.
Capt. Christopher Reeves of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, along with Det. Leslie Faccilonga shared the honor, which was awarded at the monthly Chamber Business Leader’s Luncheon at Heron’s Glen on Wednesday.
Faccilonga and Reeves were awarded for their work in apprehending a minor who had reportedly been stealing tricycles throughout North Fort Myers’ 55+ communities.
These communities had been plagued by residential burglaries and grand thefts in recent months, mostly the victims’ methods of transportation, without any evidence on who was doing it.
On Jan. 3, Reeves canvassed the Suncoast Estates area to locate the stolen tricycles. Immediately, he located one of the stolen tricycles and a suspect riding it.
Faccilonga responded to assist. Initially, the suspect provided a false identity, but after further research they were able to ascertain his identity.
Because he is a minor, the suspect’s name was redacted. After an interview, the youth confessed to the burglaries, officials said, adding and a second suspect was developed, who was later seen riding on another of the stolen tricycles. He also confessed.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s tricycles or cars. We’re here in the North district to protect your property,” Reeves said. “We have a great detective who worked the case. I did the knuckle dragging, but she did the hard work.”
“It was a team effort. Each of us brings something different to the investigation, and I’ve never worked for a captain like him,” Faccilonga said. “I’ve been here 10 years, and he’s truly a leader and a role model and North Fort Myers is lucky to have him as a captain.”
Also, Linda Lindquist, a certified malware removal specialist who runs her own local business named Computer and Internet Help, was the guest speaker at the event. She discussed how to keep your computer safe.
She said of the 6,000 computers she has services over the last few years, 98 percent of them had some kind of infection, thus the reason to have all your files backed up.
Many of the infections are caused by organized “cyber criminals,” usually from another country, who are trying to steal your money and/or your identity or trying to snoop in your files to sell your identity.
They may also hold your computer access for ransom – $500 then $1,000 to unlock the encryption.
They usually enter through e-mails from friends and family encouraging you to click on a hyperlink or through an e-mail saying your package did not arrive.
Lindquist said it’s important to keep your software up to date, use a firewall, run regular computer scans and disable dangerous browser pages.
She also gave attendees a checklist of what to do if your computer begins to act funny.