Deputies say a woman was found after a 45-minute search on dirt trails, and a separate shooting injured a man two weeks earlier.
CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — A criminal case accusing a North Fort Myers man of shooting at and strangling his now ex-girlfriend is renewing attention on large late-night bonfire parties near Cook Brown Road, where residents say crowds pack rural trails and emergency help can take time to arrive.
Deputies say the woman’s report describes an assault in a hard-to-reach area near Babcock Ranch, and that the response required navigating unpaved roads and a web of ATV paths. The man, Brent Null, was re-arrested Feb. 20 on kidnapping and weapons-related charges tied to a Nov. 30, 2025, incident. The case is unfolding as authorities also investigate another shooting linked to the same gathering spot, a sign, neighbors say, that the parties have grown bigger and harder to control.
The bonfire events are described by residents as informal Friday-night gatherings where people arrive with side-by-sides and four-wheelers, park along dirt roads, and ride trails that branch into wooded areas. A resident, Justin Bodine, said the scene can swell to hundreds of people and sometimes close to 1,000. He said riders come from across Southwest Florida, including communities such as Lehigh Acres, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Bonita Springs and Naples, drawn by open space for off-road riding and late-night socializing around bonfires.
That size and setting, deputies say, can also slow down first responders when someone needs help. In the case involving Null, an affidavit said it took about 45 minutes for deputies to reach the victim after the reported attack. Investigators described the location off Cook Brown Road as unpaved and cut through with multiple ATV and dirt trails, which can make it difficult to pinpoint where a person is during an emergency, especially at night when crowds are moving and vehicles are scattered across open areas.
Authorities say the violence described in the Nov. 30 case started after a dispute over text messages. Deputies reported that Null became upset after seeing the woman deleting messages while riding in a side-by-side with her and a friend. Investigators said he then fired three rounds from an AK-47-style rifle at her and missed. After the shots, deputies said the woman was strangled, beaten and bitten on the ear. The affidavit described repeated assaults during the period before deputies arrived in the remote area.
Null was initially arrested on Nov. 30 on a charge of domestic battery by strangulation, deputies said. Months later, Charlotte County investigators filed additional allegations tied to the same night and took him into custody again on Friday, Feb. 20. Deputies said the updated booking includes charges of kidnapping an adult for ransom or as a shield, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, and tampering in a felony third-degree proceeding. Investigators said the woman did not report the full story right away because she had been threatened.
The case also overlaps with a separate arrest in Lee County. Cape Coral police arrested Null on Thursday, Feb. 19, and booked him into the Lee County Jail on accusations unrelated to the bonfire gathering. An affidavit in that matter alleged he threw a rock through a window at his boss’s house and stole a watch valued around $1,200 along with $300 in cash. Charlotte County deputies re-arrested him the next day on the bonfire-related charges and moved him to the Charlotte County jail, where authorities said he is being held without bond while awaiting trial.
Residents say the fear is not just about one case, but about a pattern of violence tied to the gatherings. Bodine said he worries the parties could be shut down if serious incidents continue, arguing that the area is one of the last places nearby where people can ride off-road vehicles in large groups. “It would suck to be shut down because it’s really the last place we have to go riding,” he said, describing the gatherings as a place to meet friends and spend time on the trails late at night.
Deputies and residents pointed to a recent shooting as another example of the dangers around the crowded bonfire scene. Two weeks before the Feb. 23 update on Null’s case, authorities said a man named Brian Foor was shot in the leg while trying to break up a fight during one of the gatherings. Bodine said he heard gunshots and then learned Foor had been hit. Foor later told local reporters he had been released from the hospital. Deputies said they arrested Darrin Hayward Jr. in connection with that shooting.
Law enforcement activity around the gatherings has increased, residents said, with deputies seen on the edges of the area during recent Friday nights. Bodine described officers issuing tickets on the “north end” of the gathering spot during one night of riding, reflecting, he said, a bigger presence as authorities try to manage crowds along the dirt roads. Officials have not announced any formal closure or new rules for the gatherings in the reports referenced this week, but residents said the attention feels higher after the shootings.
For now, the legal focus is on the felony case against Null, which deputies say centers on what happened after the bonfire gathering ended Nov. 30. Court dates were not listed in the reports available this week, and prosecutors have not publicly outlined what evidence they plan to present. Authorities said Null remains jailed without bond as the case proceeds.
Author note: Last updated February 26, 2026.