A Florida panther takes a morning stroll on the boardwalk

A rare daylight sighting of a Florida Panther was captured on video at Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary recently as it took a morning stroll on the boardwalk. Panthers, typically shy and nocturnal, are rarely seen and prefer to avoid people, the Naples Daily News reports.

Corkscrew volunteers Dick Brewer and Phil Nye saw the panther ahead of them on the boardwalk, and Brewer shot the video. The panther continued on the boardwalk for almost a half mile before finally jumping off and disappearing.

"It was incredible to actually see one of those magnificent creatures in the wild,” Brewer said. “I only wish it had been walking toward us instead of away so we could have seen more of it."

Mark Lotz, a panther biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said the risk of harm to a person who encounters a panther is low.

“Wild animals can be unpredictable and things can happen, but we have not had any issues in Florida,” Lotz said. “Generally speaking panthers are shy and secretive and prefer to move about when there are no people around. If someone moves toward a panther or makes an aggressive move, such as throwing something or making a loud noise, they normally get up and get out of the area.”

Not nice, Santa

The man in a Santa costume fit into the "naughty" rather than "nice" category, according to NaplesNews.com.

Collier County deputies arrested a 63-year-old felon disguised as Santa after several woman complained that he made lewd comments to them while they shopped at a Naples Wal-Mart.

Donald J. Bohn, who was charged with disorderly conduct and failure to register as a felon, said he was only making jokes to customers and singing to himself.

Mom of the year

An Immokalee mother was jailed Monday for getting in a fight with a sixth grade safety patrol and goading her children to join the melee.

According to the Naples Daily News, Teshane Butler, who did not check in at the office first, went to Pinecrest Elementary School cafeteria to eat breakfast with her daughters who are in second grade, kindergarten and pre-kindergarten.

After breakfast, the 26-year old mother walked the girls to class. Butler, who frequently went to the school without permission and did not heed school rules, saw a safety patrol who took a picture of her the other week.

Butler grabbed the sixth-grade girl by the neck and told her youngest daughter to go through the patrol’s backpack to find the camera. Meanwhile, the other daughter stood by yelling profanities at the patrol.

Mystery of the traveling pants (and debit card) solved

Deputies found a stolen debit card in the pants of a Collier County teen who had been trespassing at a Wal-Mart on Monday, Naples Daily News reports. But the teen was not sure who owned the card. And he didn't know how the pants, which he found in his van, got there.

When deputies located card-owner Deborah Cahill, they were told that the missing card had been used to make several purchases. Cahill feared she may have left the card at Marsala Pizza over the weekend.

Deputies discovered that the teen worked at Marsala Pizza and later arrested him.

Coyote attacks cat that wanted to go outside

Naples Daily News reports that an East Naples resident's cat was attacked by a coyote. 

Despite an ongoing coyote threat in the area, the resident relented to her pet cat Casey's demands to get some fresh air. Multiple surveillance cameras set up to ward off more upright intruders documented the pursuit. 

Attack footage and interviews are included in this companion video report.

Water fountain theft case loses steam

Following the arrest recently of a Hungarian citizen accused of stealing 42 cents from a Naples mall fountain, prosecutors decided not to go forward with the case, reports news-press.com. A local official had called the arrest "ridiculously stupid.'' However, the man remained in jail because of an immigration hold on him, the News-Press said.

Naples police arrest man for stealing 42 cents

Forty-two cents won't get you very far these days, but for a Southwest Florida man, it was enough to send him to jail. Naples police say 43-year-old Laslo Mujzer swiped 42 cents from the Coastland Center Mall in Naples on Monday. Officers arrested Mujzer after a mall customer saw him fishing around in the fountain. Click here to read more from the Associated Press. 

Poop happens

A Florida woman is suing the National Audubon Society after injuring her shoulder while slipping on what appeared to be bird feces at a Naples nature sanctuary, the Associated Press reports. Patricia Nicola of Estero is seeking compensation for her injury, claiming the society did not keep the boardwalk adequately clean or warn visitors of the slippery surface. Neither the sanctuary nor the society would comment.

Must've been some party

A Marco Island couple left town for three days and paid their dog trainer $60 a day to watch the place for them. Here's what the Naples Daily News reports they found when they returned: expensive wine, liquor and cigars missing; condoms in the trash; sticky liquid on the ground; strangers' clothing strewn around a bedroom; dog feces on the floor; a half-empty pool; and a lot of missing possessions, including power tools. The total damages: $16,830. The dog trainer blames people he invited to house but now admits that was a costly mistake. A judge is sorting through who owes what, and what punishment to mete out.

The French-kissing handyman of Naples

Then there's the French-kissing handyman in Naples who got off with probation as long as he keeps his tongue to himself and stays away from the two ladies who weren't enamoured with his advances, the Naples Daily News reports. C'est la vie. When the 62-year-old Don Juan opened his 65-year-old client's robe and she was naked underneath, that was one thing. But when he kissed her, that was too much.