CLEWISTON, Fla — Clewiston City Hall was raided Wednesday by Hendry County deputies who executed a search warrant after getting what investigators call "concerning" tips.
Fox 4’s Hendry County Community Correspondent Austin Schargorodski has been pushing for answers, using his sources to figure out what started this investigation.
Watch to hear why Hendry County deputies raided Clewiston City Hall:
Squad cars and a crime scene van surrounded Clewiston City Hall on Wednesday as deputies carried out the warrant. The sheriff's office says it got tips about the city's "concerning business practices" back in early August. During the search, we saw deputies haul boxes and bags of evidence outside.
On Thursday, the sheriff's office said they took a "substantial amount of evidence for criminal analysis," though they are unsure how long it will take to process it all. Schargorodski went inside city hall to ask what investigators were looking for and if anyone would talk to him, but administration told him they had no comment.
All of it has community leaders like Roly Gonzalez, founder of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, feeling uneasy. “Our residents want the best. They want to be relaxed. They want to enjoy this area and be comfortable putting their trust in our government,” Gonzalez said.
Schargorodski says he has requested records from the city for the past two months, trying to figure out what’s happening, and has not had any of his requests answered. His search for answers started after the arrest of former operations director Jose Enrique Soto in late May. Soto is charged with sending sexually explicit texts to a 12-year-old girl.
Then, in late August, longtime Clewiston Police Chief Tom Lewis unexpectedly resigned. At the time, he didn’t say why—only that serving as chief was one of the greatest honors of his career.
The investigation remains active and ongoing, and it’s still unclear why investigators searched city hall and what it means for the city moving forward.
