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LCSO cracks down on trespassing in North Fort Myers

Posted at 6:17 PM, Apr 05, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-06 06:47:46-04

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Lee County Sheriff's Office has recently increased patrols near Playa Del Sol Boulevard and De Navarra in North Fort Myers. Residents living nearby have called LCSO about gun shots, large fires, suspicious vehicles and people inside the wooded area. 

“I thought maybe it was a piece of a tree or something that fell and then the second time it was like knock, knock, knock,” said nearby resident Jon Bartoshek.

Bartoshek and his wife were asleep in their trailer when a loud banging noise recently woke them up.

“I’m a real sound sleeper but if something like that happens, I seem to have one ear open,” said Bartoshek.

The two live half the year in Tamiami Village. The knocks aren’t all they’ve heard. They’re also hearing random gun shots and they’re not alone!

“We hear gunshots, we hear quads and then the helicopters hover for 45 minutes to an hour searching. We don’t know what they are searching for but it’s very scary,” said another resident.

The resident didn’t want to be identified on camera. She said she’s noticed an increase in activity in the wooded area along Playa Del Sol Blvd in North Fort Myers.

When 4 In Your Corner’s Jillian Idle asked her what’s the most frustrating thing out of the entire situation? She replied,

“When you say there's gun shots or they're over there running quads and you call the police and they say at least we know where they're at. Well that's not safe for us, we don't know what they are doing.”
 
4 In Your Corner took the residents concerns to sheriff’s deputies. A spokesperson told FOX 4 no one was available and to check back at a later date.

An LCSO Facebook post said they’ve increased patrols in the area. They recently found a homeless camp, suspicious vehicles and handed out trespass citations to 2 people.

People in Tamami Village said the recent crack down by LCSO is a step in the right direction but they hope more is done soon before someone gets hurt.

“It’s ridiculous because a bullet comes down with the same force it went up with,” said Bartoshek.

Other neighbors said they are also concerned about people starting fires with it being so dry.

LCSO said they are going to continue to patrol the area and want to remind people not to trespass on private property.