It was in May of 2018, while serving a warrant near Lake Placid, Highlands County Sheriff’s Deputy William Gentry was shot and killed. Last month, a jury found Joseph Ables guilty of murder in connection with the case. The panel recommended the death penalty for the 69-year-old defendant.
Gentry had been on his way to serve a warrant in connection with a dispute over a cat. The feline had been shot and killed with a pellet gun. Ables also was found guilty of animal cruelty in connection with that case.
Now that the trial is over, Highlands County Sheriff Paul Blackman brought a resolution to the Highlands County Commission, to have the length of Highway 27 from the Polk to the Glades County Line, “The Deputy William Gentry Jr. Highway”
Read more: Highway 27 to be Designated for Slain Sheriff’s Deputy Gentry