Only in Florida minute for April 22nd, 2014

Man busted in illegal napping location

     Most people like to take naps, however, few people would be willing to break into a house just to have one. Jeffery Dale Bolduc of Niceville claimed the he was doing just this when he was found by police in an unoccupied home with a broken window and a cinder block.

     Bolduc told officers that he knew the house was unoccupied when he entered it. When asked about the window, Bolduc claimed it was that way when he arrived there. He claimed that he only touched the screen and the block, but never used the latter on the former. 

     For his trouble, Bolduc was charged with criminal mischief and burglary of an unoccupied dwelling. No word on if he got his nap. 

Blotter: Fun Fact: It doesn't matter who put the weed in your glove box

     It has been said that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. However, one woman's attempt to throw her ex to the cops came back to bite her. 

     A local officer pulled the unnamed woman over when she was discovered driving through the Panama City Mall parking lot around two in the morning. Smelling marijuana, the officer asked the woman to step out of the car so it could be searched. As she did so, she excitedly proclaimed that the weed in her glove box was put there by her ex-boyfriend. The officer quickly instructed the woman that it didn't matter who placed it there. As she was the one driving, the marijuana was considered to be in her, not her ex-boyfriends, possession.

     The woman now faces charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Pair sentenced in videotaped beating of homeless man

     You can find almost anything on the internet. From cute kittens to the most offensive porn or gore imaginable, chances are it's there. Jeffery Williams of St. Petersburg, attempted to add to the negative end of that spectrum by filming a scantily clad Zuzu Vargo beating developmentally disabled schizophrenic James Cayer, in order to sell the film online as sadomasochistic pornography. 
     Both Vargo and Williams were found guilty last year of aggravated abuse of a disabled adult. While they could have faced up to 30 years they were sentenced this week with Vargo receiving 37 1/2 months jail time and Williams facing as much or more, as he was the organizer and was an experienced businessman.
     The sentencing judge denied the claim that the defendants had no way of knowing that Cayer was mentally ill when he signed the liability waiver before the incident. The judge also required that Vargo undergo treatment for her own substance abuse and mental disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder.
     While this closes the case on the incident with Cayer, the pair still face charges for aggravated abuse of a disabled adult of another person.       

Only in Florida 7/23/2013

     There are very few places in the United States that allow public nudity. Mostly, these places are either secluded beaches, campgrounds, or resorts. Outside of those areas, people tend to keep their clothes on, unless they are in New Orleans for Mardi Gras and are very intoxicated. Because of this, when an unidentified man decided to take a naked jaunt down the median of the Caloosahatchee Bridge near Fort Myers, he attracted no small amount of attention.

      Early in the morning of July 16th, the Lee County Sheriff's Office started receiving reports of a naked man walking southbound on the Caloosahatchee Bridge. Witnesses on the scene described the man as, "not wearing clothes and waving his hands with raised arms as he walked." When the deputies arrived, wrapped him  apprehended him, the man, with apparently nothing to hide, told the deputies that he had parked his car near the foot of the bridge, and it was rigged with explosives.

     Generally, law enforcement officers tend to not take bomb threats lightly, even if they are given by a naked, arm waving man. To keep everyone safe, the deputies closed off the bridge and called in the bomb squad to disarm the man's car. Using their specialized robots, the bomb techs carefully searched the car from a distance, eventually clearing the car to be approached. The car did have some suspicious items in it, but there was no bomb and the bridge was reopened later in the day.

     Normally, the man who made the threat would be charged and placed in jail. However, in this case, the man was Baker Acted, and was taken to a local mental health facility for evaluation. Most native Floridians know what the Baker Act is, but to those unaware, the Baker Act is a law in Florida where a person can be involuntarily detained for a psychological evaluation if they clearly have a mental illness, or they are a harm to themselves, a harm to others, or they are self neglectful. The act was named for a Florida state representative, Maxine Baker, who was deeply interested in mental health issues.


Other news in brief:

Angry homeowner threatens tree-trimming crew with shotgun - You can take my tree limbs from my cold, dead hands!

Man just out of prison for 1995 murder accused of beating woman to point of unconsciousness in West Palm Beach - Some people just don't learn their lesson.

Police: DeLand man sits on baby's head because child would not fall asleep - ....seriously, WTF. Father of the year material right here.

Man arrested for performing dentistry at his Boca home without license, deputies say - Nothing says professionalism like a laundry room dentists office.

Do the can-can

The Can Man nabbed for possession of shopping cart

FORT WALTON BEACH – A police officer had his hands full when the Can Man refused to cooperate and tried to use a shopping cart to prevent his arrest.

On May 14 a Fort Walton Beach Police officer spotted 62-year-old Harold Roberts, aka the “Can Man,”...

Read the rest here