Woman arrested for murder

A 62 year old Conch Key woman is under arrest for shooting a man to death Sunday night.

According to a witness who saw the incident took place, Carolyn Dukeshire also known as “the sea hag” shot 64 year old Martin Mazur five times in the abdomen, back and arm after he refused to give her a beer.

Deputies responded to the scene at #53 North Conch Avenue. When they arrived, The victim, the suspect and the witness were all still there, waiting for their arrival. Dukeshire was taken into custody. Paramedics assisted the victim, who was still alive. He was transported to Fisherman’s Hospital where he later died of his wounds.

30 year old Casey Whippo of Conch Key, told Deputies Michael Claudy and Nicholis Whiteman he and Mazur went to dinner at the Brass Monkey in Marathon. They returned to the house and were sitting outside. He said they had just opened a beer when Dukeshire walked around the side of the house and asked if she could have one. Whippo said Mazur refused to give her a beer; that is when she shot him. He said she fired the gun multiple times, shooting Mazur twice in the abdomen, twice in the back and once in the wrist.

Whippo grabbed Dukeshire’s arms and told her she couldn’t leave. Whippo called the Sheriff’s Office for help. He said she threw the gun into the canal behind the house, then sat down and waited for deputies to arrive.

Major Crimes Detective Deborah Ryan charged Dukeshire with murder and she was booked into jail.

Sheriff’s Office seeks re-accreditation

The Sheriff’s Office will be undergoing re-accreditation next week, including a minute examination of policies and procedures by a team of professional assessors from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA). Three assessors will travel to the Keys and spend three days looking at files and speaking to employees to make sure the Sheriff’s Office complies with the standards required to be professionally accredited in the State of Florida.

An accreditation program has long been recognized as a means of maintaining the highest standards of professionalism. Accreditation is the certification by an independent reviewing authority that an entity has met specific requirements and prescribed standards. Schools, universities, and hospitals are some of the most well known organizations that are required to maintain accreditation.

In June of 2002 the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office was first awarded the CFA certificate of accreditation for Law Enforcement. In March 2002 the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) awarded national accreditation to the Sheriff’s Office. In October 2000 the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office was awarded the Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission (FCAC) certificate of accreditation. The Sheriff’s Office remains accredited in all three areas.

Next week’s reaccreditation assessment is scheduled for July 31 – August 2, 2012. The assessment team leader is Lieutenant Jerry Rothman of St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office; the other team assessors are Assistant Chief Ron Lendvay of Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Lieutenant Melissa  Reynolds of the Punta Gorda Police Department.

Author visits the Animal Farm

Peter Parente visited the Animal Farm this week to visit with
Maggie and Mo the Sloths and Tucker the Kinkajou. Parente
donated the exotic animals to the farm in 2009 and is a frequent visitor;
he also donates money to the farm for their care. Parente wrote
 a children’s book series about Peeper the Kinkajou.
Here is Parente pictured with Mo and Tucker and Farmer Jeanne Selander.

Kids learn bike safety

On July 20th, Deputies Ray Jodlowski and Larry O’Neill helped out
with a bicycle safety program at St. James Day Care in Islamorada.
The two deputies talked to kids about bicycle safety and the importance
of wearing a helmet while riding a bike.

Argument leads to weapon arrest

Summerland Key – An argument between a father and son led to the arrest of the son for pulling a gun and firing it early today.

Deputies Spenser Bryan and Lissette Zuelch responded to a home on Gulf Drive, Summerland Key at 12:45 a.m. to reports a gun had been fired. They immediately secured two handguns they found at the home.

50 year old James Fleming told them he’d been drinking in Key West with his son, 21 year old Christopher Fleming, and their two friends. The group is from Boynton Beach, Florida and is renting the home on Summerland Key.

He said he and his son began to argue on the way home from Key West. Once they all arrived at the home the argument continued. At some point, Christopher Fleming got a handgun and pointed it at the others in the group. At some point, that gun was fired at least one time. No one was injured.

Fleming fled the scene and was not there when deputies arrived. He was later found walking on the Niles Channel Bridge. He was taken into custody and charged with two counts of aggravated assault, improper exhibition of a firearm and use of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol.

Stock Island man charged with burglary

Stock Island – A Stock Island man was arrested late Tuesday, charged with burglarizing a home on Cross Street, Stock Island.

Deputies Joe Cortner and Scott Ward responded to an alarm call at a home on Cross Street at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. They met with a person from the security system company that takes care of the home. A walk through of the property and house revealed an open sliding glass door. Cameras are mounted throughout the property and several had been repositioned.

The deputies reviewed surveillance video from the cameras which clearly showed a suspect enter the property at 10:20 p.m. wearing gloves and carrying a pry bar.

Shortly after viewing the video, Deputy Cortner walked outside the house to get something from his patrol car and saw a man ride by on a bicycle. The man, later identified as 50 year old Rigoberto Nodal-Garmas, looked just like the man Cortner had seen on the surveillance video burglarizing the home.

Cortner stopped him, detaining him for further investigation. Deputy Ward agreed that Nodal-Garmas was the same man he’d also seen on the video. The two deputies confronted him with the evidence of his crime and Nodal-Garmas admitted to the break in. He admitted to taking a GPS from the home; the GPS was later recovered from Nodal-Gamas’ residence.

Nodal-Garmas was charged with burglary and grand theft and he was taken to jail.

Suspect in last week’s Miami bank robberies, kidnapping also wanted in the Keys

Key Largo – Sheriff’s detectives say a man arrested for bank robberies and a kidnapping in the Miami area is also wanted in connection with burglaries in the Florida Keys.

Detective Sgt. Dave Carey says 48 year old Pedro Valdes of Miami Gardens is a suspect in four business burglaries and a residential burglary which took place in Key Largo between June 4^th and June 24^th. In all five cases, the suspect threw a rock through a glass window to gain access to the inside of the buildings.

During the course of the investigation, Detective Barney Sadjak checked pawn shops for property stolen in the burglaries. He located a Penn reel pawned by Valdes which matched one stolen from West Marine. Further investigation revealed Valdes is on probation. His probation officer told detectives he has a sister who lives in Key Largo, and is staying with his mother

 in Miami Gardens. The probation officer said Valdes requested to visit his sister several times between May and June. In addition, a check on Sunpass activity showed the mother’s vehicle had traveled south of Homestead on numerous occasions between May and June; some of the dates coincided with the dates of the burglaries.

Surveillance photos from inside West Marine and from another store nearby showed a man fitting Valdes’ description both inside and outside the store. Detectives asked his sister to review the photos and video and she positively identified her brother as well. She also verified seeing her brother in possession of a brand new Penn reel.

At this time, Detective Yunier Galvez has obtained arrest warrants for Valdes for the two burglaries at West Marine, on June 20^th and on the 24^th. The other three crimes are still under investigation and charges against him may be pending in those cases.

Synopsis:

•      1. On June 5^th, a burglary was reported at Diver’s Direct at the 99.6 mile marker. At least 20 watches were stolen from a display case valued at between $4,000 – 5,000.
•      2. On June 9^th, a burglary was reported at Winn Dixie at the 105.3 mile marker. Cigarettes were stolen from inside the store.
•       3. On June 20^th, a burglary was reported at West Marine at the 103.4 mile marker. Several reels were taken from inside.
•            Sometime between June 19 – 21, a home on Avenue A West was broken into.
•      4. On June 24^th, West Marine at the 103.4 mile marker was again burglarized. More reels were taken from a display case inside.

 At this time, Valdes will be charged with the burglaries at West Marine. He is currently in custody in Miami and will be returned to Monroe County to face the charges here at a later date.

MARC visits Trauma Star

Clients of the MARC House recently visited the Sheriff’s Office hanger in Marathon, getting a tour of the facility and it’s equipment. Thanks to Property Asst. Candi Busald for setting up the day, which was a terrific experience for all concerned.

Local student gets FSA scholarship

Newly retired Sgt. Roy Bogue and is wife, Sue, look on proudly as Sheriff Bob Peryam presents their son, Dave, with a $1,000.00 scholarship from the Florida Sheriff’s Association. FSA awards these scholarships each year to students pursuing a career in law enforcement. The student must be the son or daughter of an employee from a Sheriff’s Office somewhere in the state. The FSA awarded nine scholarships this year.

Traffic Enforcement Unit takes state awards

Members from the Sheriff’s Office Traffic Enforcement Unit recently traveled to Orlando for the Law Enforcement Liaison awards ceremony, where they placed second in the south region of the state for DUI enforcement and first overall in the Law Enforcement Liaison(LEL) Challenge.

The Florida LEL Program is a grant funded program sponsored by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The goal of the LEL program is to reduce traffic related fatalities and injuries by working with law enforcement agencies across the state to boost safety belt use, reduce drunk driving and encourage traffic safety initiatives.

The Florida Law Enforcement Challenge rewards the best overall traffic safety programs in Florida. The areas of concentration include efforts to enforce laws and educate the public about occupant protection, impaired driving, and speeding, and other areas of traffic safety. Departments submit an application that documents their agency’s efforts and effectiveness in these areas.

The Florida DUI Challenge Initiative rewards law enforcement agencies that dedicate a significant level of resources to impaired driving enforcement, awareness and training. The goal of this program is to reduce the number of alcohol-related crashes, fatalities, and injuries that occur in Florida by increasing DUI enforcement and public awareness of the state’s alcohol- related crash problem.

Clean up in Islamorada

 Backcountry Cowboy Outfitters recently organized their quarterly Adopt-a-Highway clean up between mile markers 82 - 84. Despite the heat and humidity it was their best attended clean-up of the year thanks in large part to the Sheriff’s Office, who showed up with a full half of the 24 volunteers for the event. Members of the Sheriff’s Office from both road patrol and the detention center showed up with a group of trustys and helped pick up significant amounts of trash while having a terrific time. Great job to everyone involved - and especially to Backcountry Cowboy Outfitters for taking the initiative to organize this terrific community event!

Long-time Sergeant Roy Bogue retires

 Sgt. Roy Bogue recently retired from the Sheriff’s Office after more than 30 years with the agency.

Roy started in Key West right out of high school working at the detention center. He attended the FKCC Law Enforcement Academy and then worked on road patrol and went to college to earn his BA in Criminology.

Over the years, Roy worked as a Sheriff’s Detective in Marathon, has been a part of the Dive Rescue/Recovery Team and the SWAT Team. He became a Sergeant in Plantation Key over 20 years ago, where his main duties have been supervising road patrol.

Roy has been very involved with the community; he’s implemented child safety seat checks and helped to coordinate other community events including National Night Out and many kids days in Islamorada.

To give everyone just a small taste of what a law enforcement officer sees and experiences over a span of 30 years: Roy has found kidnapped children, rescued divers, talked down suicide attempts, recovered large illegal drug and weapon deliveries and solved cold case crimes. He has also spent time holding survivors, and helping abused women and children. He has had guns drawn on him, had his nose broken and his knee blown out and received more than a few threats.

Roy will be missed.

Monroe County Explorers take first place in state-wide competition

 A tropical storm offshore made the recent Explorer Delegates conference in Leon County a wet one. Shooting at the range was a challenge as instructors and participants had to improvise to keep targets from getting wet and from flying off their frames in high winds.

Monroe County Explorers performed well despite the rain. The team placed first overall for the week, scoring the most total points out of the 21 counties participating.

In individual competitions, they placed first in Active Shooter; second in the team obstacle course challenge and third in competitions which tested their skills in responding to Domestic situations and Crisis Intervention. The team took fourth place in drill team - a particularly impressive feat since they only started practicing for the event five weeks ago. Thanks goes out to Annette Simo, who just graduated from the FKCC BLE Class #45, and who has been coaching the drill team.

In shooting, the team took first place in the .38 caliber revolver shooting competition and second place in the semi-automatic shooting competition.

SRO Deputies Will Schlegelmilch and James Jenkins were the advisors who went along to supervise and coach the team. 

Public Safety Bicycle Instructor Course

 Despite the wind and rain, thirteen police officers completed a 40-hour Public Safety Bicycle Instructor Course recently.  Seven people from the Sheriff’s Office, one from the Key West Police, two officers from Alexandria, Louisiana, a federal police officer from Michigan and a sergeant from the Miramar, Florida police department all completed the course.

The course consisted of skill building in areas such as; slow speed maneuvers, hill climbing and descents, balance boards, curb hopping, power slides, quick turns, emergency stopping, traffic stops, limbo (simulating ducking under low hanging obstacles), ladders (simulating rough terrain), stair climbing and descents and group riding.  In addition, the participants learned how to use the bicycle as part of live firearms training.  A 4-hour block of bicycle maintenance was included in the course.  All participants also had to present one classroom topic and one skills presentation in order to successfully demonstrate their skills as an instructor.

Graduates of this course are now qualified to instruct a certified basic police bicycle course.

Man arrested after burglary victim recognizes his own shoes

Big Coppitt Key – A Stock Island man is under arrest for burglarizing a vehicle on Big Coppitt Key. He is the suspect in several more vehicle burglaries that took place in the area during the same time period.

The owner of a car parked at 34 Cactus Drive left his apartment at 6 a.m. Thursday and found 18 year old Manuel Argomaniz passed out on an outside walkway. He became suspicious when he noticed Argomaniz was wearing a pair of blue high-topped Nike sneakers with red laces in them – they were the same shoes the victim had left in his car the night before.

To make sure, he woke the suspect up and asked him what size shoe he wears. Argomaniz appeared disoriented; he told the victim he wears a size 11 shoe. The victim, who wears a size 13, told Argomaniz to take the shoes off so he could look at them. They were a size 13. The victim called the Sheriff’s Office for assistance.

Lt. Donnie Elomina arrived on the scene and took Argomaniz into custody pending an investigation. Deputy Kim Trullender arrived. As he investigated, he found several more people who said their cars were entered overnight. During the course of the investigation, six cars on both Cactus Drive and on Avenue B were identified as possible burglaries. Property missing included a radar detector, prescription medication and a computer flash drive.

Argomaniz gave a false name to Deputy Trullender. He was arrested and taken to the Monroe County Detention Center where a check on his fingerprints revealed his true identity. He was charged with burglary, theft and giving a false name to a law enforcement officer. More charges may be pending.

Detectives investigating boat burglaries, lower unit thefts

Islamorada – Sheriff’s detectives are investigating a series of boat burglaries and lower unit thefts at an Islamorada marina.

The owner of Snake Creek Marina called Thursday morning to report someone had cut a hole in a perimeter fence and had stolen items from a number of boats in his dry storage facility. Deputies and detectives responded. They found seven boats had been targeted. Six high end GPS units had been stolen from the boats. Thieves had also taken five lower units; three from 350 horsepower Yamaha four stroke engines and two from 300 horsepower Mercury engines.

Investigations into these thefts are continuing.

National Night Out Events scheduled county-wide

Members of the Sheriff's Office Traffic Enforcement Unit
speak with citizens who attended one of last year's National
Night Out event.

On August 7^th, the Sheriff's Office will sponsor National Night Out events in Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon and on Big Pine Key. All of the events will feature food, refreshments, and a great chance to meet your neighbors, members of the Sheriff’s Office from a wide variety of divisions, departments and special teams and many others who are involved in the field of public safety here in the Florida Keys.

The goal of National Night Out is to bring the community together to discuss how we can all make our neighborhoods safer and more secure in the future. The Sheriff's Office will have extensive Crime Prevention information to share at the event. Community members will learn how to heighten their crime and drug prevention awareness.

The Sheriff’s Office hopes to generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime programs and strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships. Everyone participating will send a message to criminals letting them know that Monroe County neighborhoods are organized and fighting back against crime.

“This yearly event is an important one for agency. We get the opportunity to meet the people we are charged with serving and protecting,” said Sheriff Bob Peryam. “National Night Out is a lot of fun for us, and for those who attend. I hope everyone will take this opportunity to meet their neighbors, learn about Crime Prevention and meet the deputies who are out there patrolling our community and keeping it safe,” he said.

The Key Largo event will be Tuesday, August 7th from 6 – 8 p.m. at Key Largo Community Park located at the 99mm of Highway U.S. One. Captain Don Fanelli and Lieutenant Derek Paul want to invite the entire community to attend their free event. Members of the Sheriff’s Office will be on hand, along with others from the public safety community; there will be food, refreshments, music and lots of fun.

The Islamorada event will be held at Founder’s Park Tuesday, August 7th from 6 to 8 p.m. Captain Corey Bryan and Lt. Mitch Horn invite everyone to join them and have some fun. Visit with members of the Sheriff’s Office, Islamorada Fire/Rescue, other community groups and enjoy free food, music and refreshments.

The Lower Keys Sheriff’s Office will hold a National Night Out event on Big Pine Key, at Big Pine Community Park, Tuesday, August 7th  from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. This event will feature a special appearance by Farmer Jeanne Selander and a selection of animals from the Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm. The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Highway Patrol, Border Patrol, Monroe County Fire Rescue, Key West Fire Department, Key West Police, Coast Guard, U.S. Navy and many others will also be there.

The Marathon event will be held on Tuesday, August 7th from 6 to 8 p.m. at Marathon Community Park. There will be free food and refreshments, and residents will be able to visit with members of the Sheriff’s Office, Marathon Fire/Rescue, the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and many others in the field of public safety. The Masonic Lodge Child ID trailer will be there, along with the Monroe County Bloodmobile.

Marathon man arrested for lobster violations

Just a week before the two day sport lobster season, a Marathon man was arrested Tuesday night for possessing, spearing and wringing lobster tails.

Sheriff’s Office Marine Deputy Wilfredo Guerra saw 54 year old Timothy McGinnis in the water, on the bayside at the 60 mile marker, at the south end of the Toms Harbor Bridge at 8 p.m. The deputy, who was just two feet away from McGinnis on the shoreline, saw him using a spear gun to spear a lobster, then saw him wring the tail and put it in a yellow dive bag which contained more tails. As McGinnis speared a second lobster, Deputy Guerra tapped his dive tank and identified himself as a law enforcement officer.

McGinnis pushed away from the rocks and emptied his dive bag. At first, he refused to comply with the deputy’s orders to return to shore. After a few minutes, he returned to shore where he was taken into custody by Deputy Guerra.

A search of the area turned up evidence of McGinnis’ activities – a speared spiny lobster head he’d wrung from the tail. McGinnis admitted to the illegal activity, saying he was just trying to feed his family. He was charged with possession of speared spiny lobster, possession of wrung tails in the water, possession of spiny lobster in closed season and resisting an officer. He was booked into jail.

Two day sport lobster season is next week

The Sheriff’s Office would like to remind everyone the two day sport lobster season is coming up next week. Anyone who plans to participate in catching lobster in Monroe County during the two day season on July 25^th and 26^th should make sure to familiarize themselves with both state law and with local ordinances in the Florida Keys.

The Sheriff’s Office will be patrolling both boat ramps and on the water during the two day season. Anyone caught with illegal lobster will be charged accordingly.

There are links on our web site, www.keysso.net, to both state law and Monroe County ordinances.

This year, the cities of Marathon and Islamorada will have ordinances that mirror that of Monroe County when it comes to diving and snorkeling in canals, and within 300 feet of developed shoreline. In Monroe County, including Islamorada and Marathon, it is  illegal to dive or snorkel within 300 feet of residential or commercial shoreline or in any navigable canal or marina between July 22 – 26^th and during the first five days of the commercial lobster season from August 6 – 10.

During the two day sport season, there will be more boats and trailers on the roadways, and more traffic in general. Sheriff Bob Peryam wants to remind everyone to drive carefully. Pay attention to those around you, be patient and don’t pass in no passing zones. Drinking and driving is, of course, illegal; drunk boating is also illegal and our officers will be watching for this dangerous behavior on the water as well as on the roadways of the county.

“We enjoy all the visitors here in the Keys during the two day sport season,” said Sheriff Peryam. “But we want to make sure everyone is aware of the law, and is behaving in a responsible, and safe, manner.”

Stolen vessel recovered; three arrested

Marathon – A boat, stolen from Marathon Friday was recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard over the weekend. Three men are under arrest for the theft.

The owner of the vessel called the Sheriff’s Office Friday morning. He told Sgt. Glenn Test he went to sleep the night before in his motor home with the boat moored right next to a dock where the boat was tied up. He said when he got up, the boat was gone. He said the boat was low on fuel and the batteries were weak, so he wasn’t sure how far the thieves may have gotten  in it.

On Sunday, Sgt. Eric Mixon was contacted by the Coast Guard. They told him they’d boarded the stolen vessel near Alligator Reef offshore of Islamorada. They’d gotten a call from a boater who’d passed the disabled vessel. He said the men on board were waving at him asking for help; he thought it looked suspicious and decided to report it.

The Coast Guard responded and found the three men on board. The men said the boat belonged to a friend, but they couldn’t give the friend’s name or contact information. They later changed their story, saying they’d bought the vessel from someone for $1,500.00 with the intention of going to Cuba. They said the vessel became disabled as they approached the shoreline of Cuba. They said they drifted for several days, ending up at Alligator Reef.

Deputies arrested the three men at the Coast Guard station in Key West Monday. 32 year old Abraham Rodriguez-Alvarez of Miami, 36 year old Wilber Rodriguez Perez of Marathon and 24 year old Lisvany Sanchez of Marathon were all charged with grand theft and they were booked into jail.

Woman charged with Big Pine burglary

A Big Pine Key woman was arrested Monday, charged with burglarizing a Big Pine Key home in April.

The victim called the Sheriff’s Office April 20^th to report someone burglarized his home while his mother was asleep inside. He said he suspected his tenant, 24 year old Marisleini Herrada. He told Deputy Andrew Hudson he was missing a large amount of change, a couple of pool sticks and a wedding band. He said he thinks she entered through an unlocked door.

Detective Dave Brummer was assigned to investigate. Fingerprints taken from the crime scene returned to Herrada. A warrant was issued for her arrest. She was charged with burglary and grand theft and she was booked into jail.

Corrections Officer charged with domestic battery

Stock Island – A Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Officer was arrested early today on Stock Island for domestic battery.

Sheriff’s dispatchers received a call at 3:45 a.m. from a witness who reported a domestic in progress behind the Chevron Station on Stock Island. When deputies arrived, they found the female victim walking down McDonald Avenue. She had visible  bruises on her arms. She revealed to the deputies that her boyfriend, 50 year old Celso Hernandez, had caused the bruising.

While the deputies were talking with the victim, Hernandez called her on the phone. The deputies asked him to return to their location on Stock Island so they could speak with him.

Hernandez told the deputies he and the victim were staying at a hotel in Key West. He said they initially got into an argument at the hotel and she left. He said he followed her and a second altercation happened on Stock Island.

The witness who saw the second altercation said he saw Hernandez grab the victim by the arms and pull her toward his motorcycle. She was able to break away, however, and he left the area.

Hernandez was arrested, charged with domestic battery, and was taken to jail. Hernandez works for the Sheriff’s office as a Corrections Officer at the Plantation Key detention center. He was hired in April of 2002.

Arkansas man dies while snorkeling

Islamorada – A Little Rock, Arkansas man died while snorkeling with his 16 year old son Monday. The two were traveling with a Boy Scout group visiting the Islamorada Boy Scout Sea Base.

The father and son pair went out snorkeling with a group from the Sea Base Monday. The group was on board two sailboats, and stopped at Hens and Chickens reef offshore of Plantation Key to snorkel shortly after 1 p.m. The son noticed his father, 55 year old James Faulkner, was floating, unresponsive, on the surface. He yelled for help and the occupants of a nearby private vessel went to his assistance, pulling Faulkner from the water.

The U.S. Coast Guard was notified and responded. They transported Faulkner to shore, performing CPR en route. Faulkner was taken to Mariner’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy will be done to determine the cause of his death.

Third man charged with bar beating

Key largo – A third man has been charged with beating another man in the parking lot of a Key Largo bar.

21 year old Lawrence Bril of Key Largo was arrested today and charged with aggravated battery. He is accused of beating 23 year old Elvez Sosa in the parking lot of Coconuts Bar and Restaurant in the early morning hours July 5^th. Two others were arrested shortly after the incident took place.

At last report, the victim was in stable condition at the Ryder Trauma center in Miami.

Three family members charged with shoplifting

Three family members from Key Largo were arrested Wednesday afternoon after they were caught with stolen merchandise from five different stores.

When an employee of Publix in Key largo noticed 29 year old Edy Martinez Lezcano walk out of the store with a basketful of groceries at 4 p.m., she notified her manager who called the Sheriff’s Office. When Deputy Michael Sielicki arrived he found him standing in front of K-Mart. His wife, 37 year old Maria de los Angeles Betancourt, was stopped by Deputy Christian Galls in their H3 Hummer a short distance away and was returned to the store. The manager identified her and the vehicle. He said the vehicle was the one the stolen items were loaded into after the shoplifting occurred and that she was driving it. Lezcano’s mother in law – Betancourt’s mother - 57 year old Eustasia Gonzalez was found in another location in the parking lot.

The manager of K-Mart approached as deputies were investigating. He said he saw the same three suspects enter K-Mart and take various items from the store.

A search of the vehicle turned up over $700.00 worth of items belonging to K-Mart, Publix, Beall’s department store, Shell World and West Marine; investigations revealed all the items to be stolen.

All three were arrested. They were charged with five counts of theft and they were all booked into jail.

Deputies arrest Big Pine man for gun threats

A fight on Wednesday led to the arrest of a Big Pine Key man for threatening another man with a shotgun.

The victim, who lives on Oleander Boulevard on Big Pine Key, told Deputy Lazaro Valdes he and his neighbor got into a fight at about 2 p.m. He said the neighbor, later identified as Robert Drobil, was intoxicated and threatened to kill him. He said Drobil left and went back to his residence, but returned a short time later carrying a shotgun.

Drobil allegedly pointed the shotgun at the victim and again told him he was going to kill him. The victim ran, but was chased by Drobil. The two struggled and the victim got the shotgun away from him. The victim’s brother was there and took custody of the gun as the other two men fought, breaking a flat screen television during the struggle.

The fight ended. The victim said he returned the gun to the suspect and the suspect left. Deputies responded and found the suspect walking his dog. He denied having a firearm, or using it to threaten his neighbor. A shotgun like the one described by the victim was found in Drobil’s residence.

Drobil was arrested. He was charged with aggravated assault, improper exhibition of a firearm and burglary with battery on the occupant. He was booked into jail.

Warrant service leads to marijuana arrest on Stock Island

When detective Dave Chavka and Deputy Sonya Morgan went to a Stock Island residence Wednesday afternoon to make an arrest on a warrant, they also walked away with a bust for illegal drugs.

Detective Chavka and Deputy Morgan went to the trailer on 10^th Avenue to arrest 26 year old Robert Anglin on outstanding warrants for violation of probation and for failure to appear in court. When they arrived, Detective Chavka went to the front door while Deputy Morgan watched the side and back of the trailer.

The detective knocked on the front door and a man answered. When asked where Anglin was, the man said he’d get him then closed the door. Detective Chavka then heard the door being locked.

Suddenly, Deputy Morgan heard movement near the back of the trailer and saw things being thrown out a back window. Investigation revealed someone had thrown out 14 individual bags of marijuana inside a shoe box.

Detective Chavka yelled for Anglin and the other man to come outside and they finally did. Inside the trailer, the detective found $3,002 in cash, believed to be the proceeds from drug sales, along with a digital scale like those used to weigh illegal drugs.

Anglin told the detective the marijuana was his. He was taken into custody on the outstanding warrants, and on charges of marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession. He was booked into jail.

One airlifted and two arrested after fight at Key Largo bar

A 23 year old Key Largo man was airlifted early today with injuries he received in a fight outside a Key Largo bar. Two other men were arrested and charged with inflicting those injuries. Investigations are continuing.

Deputies were dispatched to a fight at 12:30 a.m. at Coconut’s Bar on Caribbean Drive in Key Largo. When Deputy Vaughn O’Keefe arrived, he found Elvez Sosa unconscious in the parking lot. Witnesses said they’d seen three men near Sosa’s body. They said the three men left the scene running down Bahia Avenue. One witness identified two of those who fled. He said they were 19 year old Chad Lyons and 18 year old Jerrel Barnes. He said the third was a white male with red hair.

Deputies Ian Barnett and Brian Cross found the suspects on Bahia Avenue. All three had blood on their clothing and on their persons. They were all identified by the witnesses as the three who were in the vicinity of the victim in the parking lot, and who were believed to have injured him. Two of the three – Lyons and Barnes -  refused to speak with deputies, asking for legal representation. The third man, 21 year old Lawrence Bril, had injuries on his arm and hand. He said he’d been attacked by Sosa in the bar. He denied fighting Sosa outside the bar, but said the other two men with him – Lyons and Barnes – did hit and kick Sosa in the parking lot.

Lyons and Barnes were arrested and charged with aggravated battery. A plastic bag of marijuana was found on the scene. A second plastic bag of marijuana was also found inside a vehicle belonging to Lyons. The vehicle – a Ford – had a license tag attached to it that belonged to a Honda.

Lyons was further charged with possession of marijuana and attaching a tag not assigned. They were both booked into jail. Investigations are continuing. The victim is currently in stable condition in a Miami hospital.

Search Warrant on Stock Island

Stock Island - The Sheriff's Special Weapons and Tactics Team and Special Investigations detectives, and patrol deputies executed a search warrant Monday at 6:30 p.m.

The residence where the warrant was served is 6415 2nd street, Apartment D, on Stock Island. Inside the residence detectives located 37 year old Robert Brown and another man. A search of Brown revealed 133 Oxycontin pills wrapped in paper in his pocket. Detectives also located 39 Oxycontin pills wrapped in the same paper concealed outside the residence. Detectives also located scales and several hundred baggies used for packaging narcotics.

Brown was arrested and charged with trafficking in over 10 grams of Oxycontin and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was booked into jail.