Only in Florida 8/21/2013

       Stuffing a purloined item down your pants to hide detection is nothing new. People have be caught trying to get away with all kinds of things by showing their desired item down their pants when they think no one is looking. An Orlando man is being sought after he used this method to procure something a bit more lively than a CD or a DVD. The currently unknown man is wanted for walking out of a pet store with a pair of puppies shoved down his pants.

     The unknown man can be seen on security camera footage entering the pet store with another man, a woman, and a small toddler. Using the woman and the toddler, as well as the large crowd in the store, as distractions, the puppy thief, relied on the other man to serve as his lookout. While no one was looking, the man stuffed a pug puppy, valued at $800, down the front of his pants, walked out of the store, and stowed it in their getaway car. Perhaps feeling emboldened by his success, the man reentered the store and managed to stuff a miniature dachshund down his pants and walk away again.

     The man and his accomplices were all set to go for the trifecta when the owner of the establishment unwittingly scared off the puppy snatchers. At the time of the theft, the owner was unaware of what had been happening. Only later did he discover the missing puppies. Currently the police have received some tips, but no one has been arrested yet.


Other news in brief:

'It's (breast) time, I'll take everything off,' in Fort Pierce! - I think she may have had a little bit too much liquid courage.

Newlywed accused of choking wife in bathtub, report says - Ah, young love.

Woman yanked out, kept victim's hair, police say - Sometimes you need to have something to mark your accomplishments.

Only in Forida 8/20/2013

     The phrase things, "got a little carried away"  is often used when normal expectations for a situation are exceeded. Your spouse gets a little carried away with the yard work and cuts down your favorite plant. Your kids get a little carried away with their finger paints and end up covering each other head to toe with a mix of colors that would make any tie-dye loving hippy proud. However, a Greenacres man made what can only be called the understatement of the year when, being interviewed by police about the murder of his roommate, told officers that, “things just got a little carried away today”.

     Scott Tobiassen was described by his victim, Gerard Longo, as a violent man who bragged about just how “bad” he was. Unfortunately for Longo, he found out just how violent Tobiassen could be when they got into a fight just after Tobiassen lost his job for not passing a drug test. During the fight, Tobiassen struck Longo with a black metal pipe and stabbed him with a knife.

     Dragging Longo's body to the shower, Tobiassen called longtime friend Alexandra Peirce and invited her over. Showing her the body, Peirce first thought they were playing a practical joke on her. The reality of the situation set in quick as, according to Peirce, Tobiassen asked her, “Can you believe I did this? He deserved it".

     Tobiassen then tried to blackmail Peirce into keeping quiet, telling her, “What I did was murder and now that you know about it you are an accomplice”. Peirce, however, did call the police and led them to the apartment. Upon their arrival, police found what they described as a "gruesome discovery".

     Tobiassen had told Peirce that he was going to hide Longo's body, but what he didn't tell her was how he planned to do it. When officers arrived at the apartment, they found that Tobiassen had dismembered Longo's corpse, hiding Longo’s legs in trash bags. Tobiassen had also cut off Longo's arms, head, and hands, placed them in one tote bag, and placed the torso down to the kneecaps in another. Tobiassen was arrested and is being held without bail, charged with murder.

   
Other news in brief:

Mom leaves baby with man she just met on Facebook, then goes shopping at Boynton Beach Walmart, cops say - Shoot, if I knew it was as easy as finding some random person on Facebook to baby sit my daughter, I would have done it ages ago.  (roll eyes and shake head)

Mother-in-law hit, threatened son's wife because of no grandchildren - Don't you wish you had a mother in law like this?

Man armed with cardboard gun steals $14 in coins, Ocala police say - Well, he was inventive I guess.

Only in Florida 8/15/2013

     If you wish to see someone get angry very quickly, find a person who is in a rush and force them to wait in a line. There is almost nothing that can raise tempers faster. Recently, two Florida people learned the hard way that sometimes it is better to just patiently wait your turn.

     On the morning of August 7th, Mohammad Abukhder  was sitting in his car in the drive-thru of a Riverview, FL McDonalds. While he was waiting, Rebecca Simmons, of Tampa, forced her way into the line in front of Abukhder. Rightfully angry, Abukhder fumed behind his wheel until he couldn't take any more, and that is where things all went down hill.

     Abukhder started to yell and curse out of his window at Simmons. Simmons, who apparently wasn't in the mood to take the dressing down she so rightly deserved, got out of her car, pulled out a knife, and proceeded to stab through the hood of Abukhder's car.

     It is here that Abukhder made his second mistake. To keep Simmons from fleeing the scene, Abukhder stepped out of his car, approached Simmons's car, and tried to take the keys out of her ignition. Simmons wasn't too far behind Abukhder. And when Simmons saw what he was trying to do, she took the same knife she had just used to stab through Abukhder's hood, and stabbed him in the right buttock. Fortunately for Abukhder his wound didn't require medical attention.

     Simmons was arrested and was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and criminal mischief with property damage.


Other news in brief:

Wellington man says ‘devil’ made him assault girl - Uh huh, sure he did.

Man says girlfriend got drunk, struck him with yard reflector - Maybe she wanted to make him see the light?

Woman arrested after threatening to 'blow up' Gulf Power - Ah terrorism, there is a bill negotiating tactic I never would have thought of.

Only in Florida 8/14/2013

     No matter how perfect you may think a persons body is, chances are there is something about it they don't like. Maybe they think they are too short, or maybe too tall. One of the big worries in our culture is about how much we weigh. And while we do have an obesity epidemic, we also have a fairly large number of people who struggle with bulimia and anorexia. Thanks to some of the wonders of medical technology, some issues that people have with their bodies can be managed or reversed. However, these procedures can often be expensive. One woman in Pensacola took to the streets in a novel way to try and raise money for her operation of choice: a boob job.

     Christina Andrews took her homemade sign to a busy intersection on Thursday, August 8th. "I just want bigger boobs, because I'm not happy with the ones that I have. And I figured this was a good way to do it. People put out signs that they're homeless. I'm not, haha, so I'm just being honest," said Andrews. At least she does get some credit for being honest I guess.

    Public reaction was mixed however. One flabbergasted man, who apparently thought that Andrews was only wearing the sign up top said, "I hope she don't drop that sign". Another man who was interviewed said that Andrews and her sign was one of, "the most uncommon" signs he had seen for raising money.

     Andrews reported that the reactions she got were more positive than expected. "I thought people would just laugh and keep riding, but they're like hey here's some money," Andrews said. "Gotten a lot of smiles out of people too!"


Other stories in brief:

Officers say man threatened to kill their families if he went to jail - Yeah, that'll work.

Mom, son and daughter hurt in drunken brawl, police say - At least they kept it in the family.

Asked to leave gathering, Boca Raton man strikes person with shovel, stomps on head, police say - "You'll like me, even if I have to beat it into you!"

Only in Florida 8/13/2013

     Social media is being used more and more to broadcast the big moments in our lives. These days, it's normal to announce your engagement on Twitter, or your child's birth on Facebook. However, there are some things that still should not be broadcast to the world at large. A man from Miami provided and example of what not to share when he shot and killed his wife, then posted pictures of her body on Facebook.

     Thirty-one year old Derek Medina, of Miami posted the pictures of his wife's corpse shortly after 11 AM, Thursday, August 8th. Along with the pictures he also posted in a message to his friends, "Im going to prison or death sentence for killing my wife love you guys miss you guys takecare Facebook people you will see me in the news".

     In an apparent attempt to provide a reason for his actions, Medina also wrote, "My wife was punching me and I am not going to stand anymore with the abuse so I did what I did I hope u understand me". All of this was followed with, "Rip Jennifer Alfonso", which was his wife's name.

     The couple had a far from perfect marriage, Medina and his wife had divorced and remarried in the span of three months last year, after only being together for a couple of years. According to the neighbors, the murder came as a complete shock. None of the neighbors felt that Medina was a violent man, at most, they just saw him as being a little odd.

     A neighbor of Medina's, 33-year-old Yoshi Dade, said Medina had approached him while he was working out at the apartment complex over a year ago. Dade said Medina told him he was part of the neighborhood watch and that he had a concealed weapons permit, claims that officials haven't been able to verify. "He would walk around here and kinda patrol the area. He was always telling me there was a lot of stuff going on around here," Dade said. While he thought the incident was strange, Dade only saw Medina a few times after that. Other neighbors only said that Medina was a very quiet person who would never say hello.

     Medina was also a budding blogger and self published author. However, some of the titles of his books are a bit unusual to say the least. The title of one of his books is, "World Just Ask Yourself Why We Are Living a Life Full of Lies and How I an Emotional Writer Made All of My Professional Dreams Come True Blocking Society's Teachings", is one such example. Another of his books is, looking back, ironically titled, "How I Saved Someone's Life and Marriage and Family Problems Thru Communication". On his blog, Medina has a story on his blog about  how he fought off a "demon ghost" that was trying to attack his wife. A story which surely must somehow tie into his book called, "Humans Who Are Gifted and Can See The Supernatural Spirit Ghost World We Live in Called Ghost Haunted Adventures".

     Fortunately, Medina saved the police a manhunt. He turned himself in to police a few hours after he made the posts. Medina has been charged with first-degree murder and the judge has ordered him held without bond.


Other news in brief:

Man puts gun to wife’s head during fight over laundry soap - That's one way to win an argument I guess?

Man practices tae kwan do on light pole - He reportedly heard light pole say something about his mom.

The Hunger Games Summer Camp is a Terrible Idea - Sure, lets let kids act out their violent fantasies on each other, what could it hurt?

   



 

Only in Florida 8/7/2013

     Unlocked vehicles are one of the favorite targets of thieves. Police receive reports everyday as people return to find their CD's, wallets, iPods, or purses missing. A Niceville woman must have thought that she was going to be one of these unfortunate people after her neighbor reported that he had found her purse in his yard.

     The unnamed woman had left her purse in her husband's unlocked truck the night before. Sometime before dawn, someone entered the vehicle, took out the woman's purse, and nothing else. For reasons known only to themselves, the non-thief scattered the contents of the woman's purse in the bushes of her next door neighbors, and flung the purse in their yard, taking nothing. While that might be considered a bit unusual, what happened next left both the woman and the police scratching their heads.

     When the police arrived that afternoon to pick up an affidavit, the woman produced a silver hand bag that had been left in her garage. So, not only had the purse scatterer not stolen anything, they actually left the woman with more than she started with.

     Police have no suspects in the incident, and the case of the purse-leaver will probably go unsolved. The second purse was taken in as evidence.


Other news in brief:

Man tells woman to hit him; she obliges - Well, he did ask for it.

Central Blotter: Victim has no information to help crack nut case - Yep, that's just what the police need spend their time doing. (sarcasm off)

Woman tells police she'll threaten husband of 71 years if she wants to - Not what it sounds like, and if any one can stay that long with one person, I can't help but think she may be right.

Only in Florida 8/6/2013

       Alcohol can make people to strange inexplicable things. Recently, a Daytona man had a bit to much to drink, and decided to take a very early morning drive. The man, one Leon J. Lovelady of Daytona, however, had to overcome a few hurdles blocking him from his cruse around town.

     First of all, he didn't have a licence. However, the alcohol must have been whispering in Lovelady's ear that he didn't need to worry about such a minor technicality. Ignoring his first problem, Lovelady went about solving his next one. To go on his midnight ride, he actually needed to have a car. Lovelady solved that predicament, when he procured the keys to his visiting sister's Chevy Blazer.

     With everything going swimmingly so far, Lovelady made one last stop before he left. Apparently not content to go out by his self, Lovelady woke up both his four year old and his eight year old nephews to take them along for the ride.

     At some point things took a turn for the worse, which inevitably happens when one goes out drunk driving, and the SUV wound up with it's nose stuck in a water filled ditch. As police approached the vehicle, one of the two siblings could be seen holding an empty vodka bottle. Lovelady, clearly intoxicated, told the officers, “that he had a couple of shots of gin just prior to the crash.”

     While, the two children were unharmed in the accident, they were a little shaken up by all that had happened prior to it. The children told officers, “Uncle Leon was trying to hurt us, driving fast, turning the music up loud, and almost hitting stuff.”

Lovelady racked up a string of charges on his little jaunt. He was charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, no valid driver's license, driving under the influence and two counts of child abuse.

Other news in brief:

Report: Woman tears up clothes; man responds with cane - Spare the rod, spoil the wife (rolls eyes and shakes head).

Florida Keys Man Calls 911 to Report False Kidnapping After Girlfriend Moves Out -  Desperate times call for desperate measures. 

'I asked her to stop and let me out and she wouldn’t. She kidnapped me' - Yeah, sure she did.

Only in Florida 8/5/2013

     This one falls deep into WTF territory. 

     In the early morning of Saturday, August 3rd, Jose Trinidad Sanches-Uriostegui, 29, drove over a sidewalk and struck a golf cart that was traveling near the road, according to a Florida Highway Patrol incident report. No reason for the crash was given, and both Sanchez-Uriostegui and the driver and passenger of the golf cart had to be treated at area hospitals.

     What started out as a man's car hits golf cart story took a turn for the weird when police received a call from an anonymous caller that claimed that Sanchez-Uriostegui's car had a bomb in it. Taking the threat seriously, officers closed down the nearby road, and called out the bomb squad and the K-9 unit. After a through search of the car, the only thing that was found was a bottle of hydrogen peroxide.

     Officers eventually traced the phone that made the 9-1-1 call to Sanchez-Uriostegui's cell. Why he made the call is anyone's guess. Also, apparently not content to face just the bomb threat charge, Sanchez-Uriostegui also faces an assault charge. Sanchez-Uriostegui allegedly punched one of the paramedics that was treating him on the scene.


Other news in brief:

‘Best’ meth cook goes to prison - Well, I guess somebody has to be the best at it.

Police: Amanda Greenwood ties child to urine soaked bed - Mother knows best (facepalm).

Hernando woman crushed by homemade elevator - Just because you can DIY, doesn't mean you should.

Only in Florida 8/1/2013

     We all have times where we lose our tempers. Often when this happens we say or do things that we regret later when fog of anger has lifted. One man, Quinn Patrick Evans, will probably have quite some time to regret the actions he took on July 21st.

      The 24-year Boynton Beach man has been charged with kidnapping after he allegedly held his girlfriend captive for about 11 hours. According to the police report, Evans "just lost it" when he discovered that his live in girlfriend of six months, had cheated on him with another man.

     Furious, Evans reportedly "choked the woman, slammed her against a wall and struck her three times with a bull whip". The police report also states that Evans threw a mirror at the woman, which shattered and proceeded to cut her. He also held a knife to her chest, telling her that she should die for being unfaithful.

     At some point in the 11 hour ordeal, Evans tied the woman up with a "nylon sex strap", holding her hostage in their bedroom. He only released the woman from her restraints so that she could take a shower. Seeing her chance, the woman alerted one of their roommates, only to be dragged out of his bedroom by her hair. The roommate called one of his friends, and they came to the woman's rescue, holding down Evans while the woman made her escape. Evans, angered even more by the roommate and the roommate's friend's interference, confronted the friend outside of his apartment with with a hunting knife. Fortunately the two men were able to restrain Evans again and take the knife from him.

     Both Evans and the woman had to be treated at a local hospital. The woman sustained, "several cuts to her chest, a swollen right eye and other injuries", police said. Evans was also wounded some time during his struggle with the roommate and the roommate's friend, receiving a cut to his hand that required treatment at the same hospital.


Other news in brief:

Man says he'll leave park when they clean the sewage from the water - He just wanted his home cleaned up.

Man says girlfriend hit him so hard he 'spit up blood' - That is not a wake up call you want to have.

Woman accused of leaving girls, 7 and 8, at movies while she went drinking at Blue Martini in CityPlace - Hey, children are rough. Momma needed a drink.